Bai Oulan had sacrificed so much to achieve everything she now had. Why should this girl just arrive and try to snatch away her title as the Union Flower? Just a bastard daughter from the countryside, a mere village girl—what right did she have to compare to her?
As glorious as Sheng Ning was now, so too would her future be tragic.
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The day of the Spring Festival Gala arrived in an instant—today was the last day of the lunar year 1983. In preparation, the General Union Song and Dance Troupe had been training intensively in seclusion. By the Spring Festival, the entire General Union and the district were immersed in a sea of joy. Comrades with annual leave had already gone home for holidays, but most still remained at their front-line posts.
There were many activities during New Year’s, various meetings, and various employee recognition events; even those who couldn’t go home wouldn’t feel lonely.
Especially for those comrades who performed excellently—there were selections at the squad level and at the regimental level. If one could make it to an event organized by the General Union or the Rescue Association, or even participate in the organized gala evening, it would be a tremendous honor.
At this time, the most stifled atmosphere belonged to the War Wolf Rescue Team; their captain, newly married, had not returned from a mission, and although the secrecy operations were well handled, everyone was aware.
The difficulty of the mission must be great, otherwise, the captain himself wouldn’t have gone. And with such a long duration without return, it left me worrying.
Shen Feihu understood this clearly; over these days, he had made numerous calls to the Southern forces. Citing confidentiality, they had not revealed a word, which made him quite passive. He mentally cursed a bunch of bastards—without their dallying, how could command have fallen to the Southern forces?
"Let’s go check on the War Wolf Rescue Team; these wolf cubs are probably cursing me behind my backs!" Shen Feihu left the office, heading down with his people.
A group hurried outside when suddenly, from the communications office, someone rushed over, gasping for breath.
"President, President..."
"What is it? Speak!" Shen Feihu waited to board the vehicle, urging impatiently.
"Living Yama—no, Captain Xu wants to speak with you."
"Are you saying Xu Qigang?" Shen Feihu had one foot in the vehicle already but turned sharply at these words, startling everyone.
"Right, do you want to take the call?"
"Connect it, immediately reroute the call to my office."
Shen Feihu quickly ran back to his office and picked up the phone, shouting into it, "You bastard, you finally decided to call?"
"I’m sorry, President!" Xu Qigang’s voice was low and hoarse over the phone, his solemn apology coming through, "We lost the satellite phone as soon as we arrived in S country’s territory, so I couldn’t report to you in time."
"I understand!" Shen Feihu’s expression was stern, "Where are you now? Are you injured?"
"I’m not!" Xu Qigang answered firmly. Chen Yingjie was vaguely shouting something in the background before Xu Qigang kicked him silent.
"How about Chen Yingjie? How is he?"
"He is fine too!" Now Xu Qigang’s voice sounded much more relaxed. The president’s immediate concern for their safety softened his facial expression considerably.
"President, we are currently on the plane returning, and we have entered the Da Xing’an Mountains territory," Xu Qigang spoke slowly, his deep voice conveying a sense of security that matched his person—silent, restrained, vast like a mountain.