The car stopped in front of a detached house with its own courtyard, and Cheng Yue's nerves suddenly settled.
Since he was here, he might as well make himself comfortable.
He hadn't stolen or robbed anyone. He lived honestly and acted with a clear conscience. General, minister, whatever-he would just think of himself as a food lover here for a free meal.
Before they got out, Ji Huaijin squeezed his hand firmly. "Don't be afraid."
A few guards stood at the courtyard entrance, too, but there was no security screening. Only a staff officer who seemed to serve as an aide checked Ji Huaijin's invitation, then respectfully extended a hand to usher them inside.
Cheng Yue guessed someone must have notified him beforehand. Otherwise, why did the officer merely salute some of the other arrivals and let them enter on their own?
"Huaijin, my boy!"
The moment they stepped into the living room, an elderly man with graying temples at the center of the crowd spotted them almost immediately.
Ji Huaijin approached this decorated founding veteran with composure and bowed slightly, humble but neither servile nor arrogant. "Sir, have you been keeping well?"
"Hahaha, very well! Seeing driven young people like you always makes me happy!"
Once he drew close, Old General Chu beamed and patted his shoulder. "You've been back in the country all this time and never come to see me. What, have you forgotten this old man after just a few years?"
Ji Huaijin's lips curved into a polite smile that held no distance. "I've been busy with so many things and haven't found the time. Please don't hold it against me."
Cheng Yue stood quietly to one side, his gaze lowered, watching their warm exchange.
*Busy, all right. He'd even squeezed in time to fall in