Tong's Lifesaver

After interviewing Tong Haojing that day, Zhao Minhui returned to the news department office at Tangdu City Television Station, but her heart could not settle. The image of that young man lingered in her mind. He was a Special Operations Unit veteran transferred from Unit A, so close to where she had studied at Hexi College. This made her think again of the lifesaver she had been searching for. Over the past few years, Zhao Minhui had gone to the school and hospitals more than once, searching for clues about the hero who had saved her life, but for some reason, every search had ended in vain. In her hazy memories, several soldiers in uniform had rescued her and two classmates from a cave at a critical moment and led them out of Yunding Mountain Canyon. Fortunately, she and one of the girls had been unharmed, but another male classmate had suffered a snake venom attack and become vegetative. It was an unforgettable, deeply etched memory that she would carry for the rest of her life.

She swore that she would find that lifesaver.

In the days after Zhao Minhui returned, Tong Haojing's image remained impossible to shake. As she sat at her desk, she would stare blankly at the narcissus flowers on it from time to time.

Could that young man who jumped into the river be him...? That idea seemed a little too absurd. There couldn't possibly be such a coincidence in the world. Zhao Minhui hoped that was the case. She realized that she felt an inexplicable closeness to the young man, as if Tong Haojing possessed some kind of irresistible magic that drew her toward him. Yet she denied it again.

Her colleague Xiao Zhang noticed that Zhao Minhui was distracted and joked, "Sister Hui, thinking about your boyfriend?"

"Go away! Don't talk nonsense, or I'll sew that sharp little mouth of yours shut!" Zhao Minhui blushed like an apple in embarrassment.

When Zhao Minhui returned home, she was gloomy and unhappy.

Her father, Zhao Jinghao, had just returned from a meeting and was sitting on the living room sofa. Seeing her like that pained him, and he asked, "Did you run into some trouble?"

"Dad! No!" Zhao Minhui answered in a spoiled tone, leaving her father confused.

"Then what is it? Why does my good girl look so unhappy?" Zhao Jinghao teased cheerfully. Zhao Minhui was Zhao Jinghao's only daughter, the apple of his eye and the thing he was proudest of. Zhao Jinghao, fifty-two, was the vice chairman of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference and an outstanding entrepreneur.

"Perfect, Dad. Can you help me ask around about a soldier who just transferred out of the military?" Zhao Minhui suddenly remembered that her father knew leaders at the Civil Affairs Bureau and the Armed Forces Department. Perhaps he could find out a thing or two.

"What, did you find yourself a boyfriend?" Zhao Jinghao smiled.

"No, I need it for a news story." Zhao Jinghao could tell that his daughter was covering something up. There had to be something going on. He respected his daughter, and there were some matters between parents and children that did not need to be probed too deeply.

"Fine, I'll ask around. Oh, right, during today's conference meeting, I heard someone from the Public Security Bureau say that something happened at West City Police Station. They said two people jumped into the river, and one veteran was taken back to some station, West... West City Police Station. The other person's fate was unknown. Could that person be..."

"What did he look like?" Zhao Minhui cut in impatiently.

"How would I know what he looked like?" Zhao Jinghao replied naturally.

"Hmph! You didn't even pay attention. Just watch how I deal with you!" Zhao Minhui joked with her father in a spoiled manner, then suddenly felt that she had gone too far in front of him. Without meaning to, she had revealed just how much she cared about that veteran.

Seeing how angry his daughter looked, Zhao Jinghao seemed to understand what was in her heart, though he could not say it outright. It seemed she took this matter seriously and wanted to get to the bottom of something. Zhao Jinghao removed his glasses and set them on the coffee table, then held his breath and carefully recalled what Deputy Director Hu from the Public Security Bureau had said about West City Police Station during the conference meeting.

"Oh, let me think..."

A moment later, Zhao Jinghao suddenly straightened up and looked at Zhao Minhui in surprise. "I remember now. The person brought back to the station seemed to be a soldier, but as for his name, I really can't remember it!"

"Dad! What exactly was his name? Are you teasing me?" Zhao Minhui was losing her composure, thinking her father was deliberately joking with her.

"I'm certain Hu Yuancheng said that the person they brought back was a soldier. I really don't remember his name!" Zhao Jinghao looked helplessly at his daughter's eager face.

"Ah! No way! How could a hero be arrested?" Zhao Minhui was somewhat shocked. She was certain that the man taken to the police station had to be that veteran. There had to be a misunderstanding. As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Minhui hurried out. She was in such a rush that she did not even take her handbag, jumping into her Bluebird car and stomping on the accelerator as she sped out through the gates of Qingya Residential Area.

Zhao Jinghao followed her a few steps and called after her worriedly, "What's so urgent? Drive slower!" Watching his daughter's retreating figure, a faint smile of blessing appeared on his face—his daughter had grown up.

Twenty minutes later, a luxurious red Bluebird sedan stopped in front of the police station. A tall, elegant woman in a flowing white dress stepped out and headed straight for the third floor. She was Zhao Minhui, a reporter from Tangdu City Television Station.

"Director Tang! Director Tang!" Zhao Minhui called out several times.

Director Tang had been holding in his urine throughout the meeting. Only after the two directors left and he assigned Officer Lan and Lu Tong to handle some matters did he remember to go to the restroom. He had just come out when he heard a familiar woman's voice calling out. From the voice alone, he knew it was Zhao Minhui, the television station reporter.

This was because Zhao Minhui had come to West City Police Station many times to dig up news leads, and Tang Changan had been so thoroughly thrown off balance by this beautiful reporter that he was terrified she would find some flaw and expose it.

"Beautiful reporter, thank you for the live footage!" Director Tang said.

"Oh, I just happened to capture it by accident." Zhao Minhui was very modest.

"I heard you locked up a hero who acted bravely for a just cause?" Zhao Minhui teased.

"You can't say that carelessly. It was a misunderstanding. The Public Security Bureau followed proper procedure!" Director Tang's answer was airtight, and he appeared exceptionally cautious.

"That day, our news department was filming by the Tangdu River. We all saw Tong Haojing fighting those bad guys. Oh, you have no idea how brave that young man was. One against two—no, one against three! Barehanded, he snatched the weapons right out of those criminals' hands. I saw it with my own eyes. It was absolutely true. How is he now? Where is he?" Zhao Minhui asked with obvious concern.

"Beautiful lady, you don't know this, but our director personally requested him for the Public Security Bureau. He'll report in a week." Director Tang told Zhao Minhui about how the two directors had come to visit Tong Haojing. Zhao Minhui's heart warmed, and her face broke into a smile as she murmured to herself, "Now that's the style of the police!" Dimples appeared at the corners of Zhao Minhui's upturned lips, and her smug little expression was adorable.

"Director Tang, where is he?" Zhao Minhui asked.

"Oh, he and his family just left," Director Tang said.

Zhao Minhui was somewhat disappointed. Without even entering Director Tang's office, she hurried downstairs, got into her red Bluebird car, started it, and chased off in the direction of Tong Haojing's home.

In truth, Zhao Minhui did not know which way Tong Haojing had gone. She simply drove around aimlessly, hoping to give her heart a little emotional comfort. She wanted so badly to see that young man.

Tong Haojing and his mother had escorted Wang Xigui home, then headed back themselves with Uncle Mumu. On the way, Tong Haojing's phone rang. "Hello, great hero. Why haven't you contacted me?"

Tong Haojing did not recognize the caller. "Who is this?"

"Important people have short memories. I'm Zhao Minhui!" The crisp, sweet voice restored Tong Haojing's memory.

"I remember now! You're the rep... reporter!" A woman remembering a grown man meant something, and Tong Haojing blushed.

"When are you reporting in..." Zhao Minhui fired off several more questions in rapid succession.

"How did you know?" Tong Haojing found it a little strange. How did a reporter know about this?

"I'm not telling you. Anyway, I know you're going to the Public Security Bureau, right? You think you can hide something like that from me? Don't you know that if anything happens in Tangdu City, I'll know about it?" Zhao Minhui grew more pleased with herself the more she spoke, becoming increasingly fanciful.

"In a week. I remember Director Zheng saying that." Tong Haojing lacked confidence. After all, he had not yet reported to his new unit, and his heart still hung in suspense.

"Okay, handsome, can I ask you something small?" Zhao Minhui became inexplicably cautious, suddenly a little restrained around Tong Haojing.

"What is it? Go ahead!" When Zhao Minhui had interviewed Tong Haojing before, one detail had particularly caught her attention: Tong Haojing had been a soldier.

"That day, you said you transferred from the military. Which unit were you in?" Zhao Minhui brought it up again curiously.

"Why are you asking that? Is it useful?" Tong Haojing looked suspicious.

"No, no reason. Just asking!" Zhao Minhui looked relaxed and unconcerned, without any trace of pretense.

"Unit A, Special Operations Reconnaissance Company! But..." Tong Haojing spoke proudly, though a hint of helplessness showed on his face, and his voice dropped from high to low.

"Unit A is right next to Hexi College. It's very close." Zhao Minhui took over, then suddenly sensed the slight change in Tong Haojing's voice. "What's wrong?"

Tong Haojing remained silent for quite a while. Then he suddenly drew a long breath and sighed sadly. "Sigh... the Special Operations Unit was disbanded. Every one of us transferred out of the military!"

Zhao Minhui, who listened carefully, sharply sensed Tong Haojing's sadness. The sound of him trying to conceal it was obvious. Men did not shed tears easily, only when they had reached a place of deep sorrow. Tong Haojing had deep feelings for the Special Operations Unit, and she had not expected that her question would strike such a sensitive nerve.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that!" Zhao Minhui seemed somewhat regretful. Then, without any lead-in, she added, "Handsome, I graduated from the journalism department at Hexi College. It's right next to Unit A."

"What? Hexi College? Does that have anything to do with me?" Tong Haojing came back to his senses from his memories.

"Remember to keep in touch!" With that, Zhao Minhui hung up, feeling as though she had not said enough. In her heart, she had already decided that Tong Haojing was her lifesaver.

Zhao Minhui's sweet voice set Tong Haojing's imagination racing. A warm current flowed through him, stirring his heroic spirit. The nourishment of a woman's affection made this transferred veteran feel incomparably honored. A person's explosive potential often began at a turning point in life. Tong Haojing firmly believed that his own turning point had arrived. His dream of becoming a police officer had come true. After this extraordinary experience, Tong Haojing's eyes held both surprise and confusion. He knew well that the road ahead as a police officer would still be a difficult journey filled with unknowns.

On the way home, they crossed the Tangdu River. Tong Haojing and his mother happily talked about the day's experiences and misfortunes, as well as their future lives.

Uncle Mumu walked alone behind them, his face full of dejection. He thought of his daughter Mei Tingyu, who was away from home...