Su Qing woke up earlier in the morning than other people. He got up before it was light and didn’t go out. He thought that he had cleared his head enough. He glanced out the door through the peephole and found to his horror that there was an unknown being squatting at the door, head down, sleeping or waking, with a row of disemboweled cigarettes next to him, in appearance very much like a mass grave. 

Su Qing sucked in a breath. Dripping cold sweat, he quietly retreated. He hesitated a moment, then started to go through the whole room. 

The little cupboard was full of nutritional capsules. Further in, there were all kinds of food in the fridge. Su Qing turned the food over to look at the labels and found that it had all been put there recently and was still within its shelf life. Passing through the dining room, there was a balcony attached. The balcony was very big. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was an artificial flower garden suspended in midair. From the balcony, you wouldn’t have to see the solemn sentry posts downstairs. The garden was arranged simply and tastefully, with a recliner and a little coffee table next to it. There was a tea set and tea leaves, and even a small bookshelf. 

Su Qing noticed a small paper tag stuck to the corner of the bookshelf. Still in that precise regular script, it said: “There’s wireless coverage in the room and a laptop in the study. It’s new, with an operating system already installed, ready to be used.” 

What good treatment! 

Su Qing plopped down into the recliner and expressionlessly tilted his head back to face the false sky on the ceiling. It was as though out of nowhere he owed Hu Bugui a favor. 

After sitting there for a while, he slowly went into the bathroom with a rather vexed expression on his face, washed up, took a deep breath, and gently opened the door. Hu Bugui was leaning against the wall, half-sleeping and half-waking, resting his eyes. He was alerted by the sound of the door opening and raised his head at once. His appearance of anticipation in the face of an enemy attack startled Su Qing. 

Hu Bugui’s voice was a little tense. “Where are you going?” 

Su Qing said, “…I was going to ask whether you wanted to come in and sit down.” 

He didn’t ask Hu Bugui why he hadn’t gone to sleep but had instead spent all night guarding his door. With Captain Hu’s alertness the moment he woke up, anyone with eyes could tell that he was worried Su Qing would run off again. 

Hu Bugui’s slightly raised shoulders relaxed, and he blinked with all his might, finally seeming more like a person who had just woken up in the small hours of the morning. Su Qing found that Hu Bugui’s eyelashes were actually particularly long. The shadows they cast made the color of his eyes look a little darker, giving them a profound air. But his expression was too solemn, and there was a faint scar between his brows, making him seem a little severe. 

Su Qing let him in, inwardly going off on a digression, thinking that in any case here was a man with regular features. Without his expression of deep resentment, how many straight little girls and gay little boys would have paid to have him! 

Ah, what a waste. 

Su Qing had always been a qualified host when receiving guests. He didn’t mention Hu Bugui squatting at his door all night, only asked with a smile, “Should I bring you a blanket? It’s not even five yet. You can still lie down for a while.” 

Hu Bugui shook his head at once. “No need, I’m not sleepy.” 

Su Qing knew that he definitely didn’t feel easy lying down, so he didn’t insist. He made Hu Bugui a cup of tea. When he went to get tea leaves, Hu Bugui followed him to the little cupboard with the tea leaves; when he rinsed a cup, Hu Bugui followed him to the kitchen; when he put the tea leaves in the cup and poured water, Hu Bugui watched from two steps away. Only when Su Qing brought the tea to the living room and sat down on the couch did Hu Bugui also sit down and quietly say thank you. 

Su Qing pretended he didn’t know and rambled some nonsense to Hu Bugui. Hu Bugui had no idea how to respond. Normally, the members of the RZ Unit very rarely said anything unnecessary in front of him. The only one who liked to go through reams of nonsense was General Xiong, and Hu Bugui ignored him out of habit. 

But he thought that he couldn’t very well ignore Su Qing the way he ignored General Xiong, so he racked his brains, following along with his conversation topics while keeping watch over Su Qing’s expression. Sadly, no matter what he said, Su Qing always respond with a broad smile. There was no way to tell whether he was pleased or not. 

Su Qing said, “With headquarters located on the outskirts, it must be inconvenient to go back home normally, right? Do you live in the city, Captain Hu?” 

Hu Bugui said, “Yeah.” Then he thought this answer was too brief, so he added, “I normally stay here, too, next door to you. I only go back during vacations.” 

Su Qing nodded. Sucking up, he said, “You probably don’t take many vacations, do you? Wow, you all work so hard, and you can’t casually leave your posts most of the time and have to stay here. That’s pretty hard on you. It’s a little better if you’re single, but it must be painful for those with families.” 

—Not only did they have to work, they had to work at high intensity for long periods and be ready to report to Elder Lenin at any time. No wonder that the moment this serious Captain Hu returned to the city he went to a bar to kill time and relieve stress. How long must he have been holding back? 

When he said this, Hu Bugui’s heart jumped. He was currently very overanxious about each of Su Qing’s words and actions. His mind was at a high level of tension when listening and speaking. He felt that there was something off about this speech of Su Qing’s, so he quickly said, “Actually, we’re not so busy as you imagine. The core personnel aren’t the same as ordinary soldiers. They can go home on the weekend if they aren’t out on assignment. As long as they don’t have any special duties, they can just drop a word and leave their post…” 

—Of course that was impossible. 

At this point, Hu Bugui realized that he had gotten excited and gone too far, so he stopped talking immediately. After a long pause, he added, “Of course, under ordinary circumstances there are still some procedures to go through, but don’t worry, they aren’t complicated. You can just mention it to me later, and I’ll go through the procedures for you, and you can leave.” 

Su Qing felt that he really was too nervous, so he gave a light cough. “Captain Hu, are you hungry? I’ll go put together something to eat.” 

Then he stood up, and Hu Bugui, who had been sitting bolt upright on the couch, stood up immediately after him like a conditioned reflex. 

Su Qing: “…” 

When Su Qing boiled water, there was someone next to him to pass chopped vegetables and eggs. When Su Qing put the dried noodles in the water, a pair of chopsticks reached out from beside him to stir the pot. When Su Qing thought the food was just about done and picked out a noodle to test its firmness, there was someone to offer him a row of seasonings.

Hu Bugui resolutely put into practice his campaign of limiting the scope of his activities, with Su Qing as the center, to within a radius of half a meter. Su Qing found that Hu Bugui was simply marking time with him. He felt profoundly that having such a large hanger-on was a massive strain. 

So when they ate, Su Qing turned the TV on and didn’t talk to Hu Bugui again. Otherwise, he wouldn’t only have been putting pressure on Hu Bugui, he would have been putting pressure on himself, as well—watching Captain Hu looking as cautious as if he was standing at the edge of an abyss, like he was carrying out some great mission, gave Su Qing a bit of indigestion. 

When it came time for normal human activities to begin, Su Qing, who had already sat there watching hours of boring television, said, “Captain Hu, didn’t you want to take me to meet some people?” 

Hu Bugui hadn’t slept all night, and he had been hypnotized by the TV. He had been a little listless, but as soon as Su Qing spoke, it was as though his springs had been wound tight once more. His sleepiness vanished at once. He was incomparably awake. “Oh. Yes.” 

Then he looked at the thin clothes Su Qing, who had already stood up, was wearing, and frowned. Pointing to the big wardrobe, he asked, “Do the clothes in there not fit?” 

“I haven’t tried them yet.” 

So Hu Bugui silently stood up and pulled a coat out of the wardrobe. Then he picked up a little bottle of nutritional capsules and put them into the coat’s pocket, quietly passed the coat over, and watched Su Qing put it on. Then he handily pulled out the collar of his shirt and lightly flattened it with his fingers. When he saw Su Qing raise his head to look at him, Hu Bugui at last drew his hand back, pursed his lips, and quietly explained, “It’s uncomfortable to wear like that.” 

Speechless, Su Qing thought, Lord, take me! 

Half an hour later, Su Qing had his wish fulfilled when he met General Xiong. And, after General Xiong had cordially and kindly taken his hand and asked after his health, his wishes were even more fulfilled when he received General Xiong’s message that he had “a few words to communicate in private.” 

Hu Bugui could only watch at the door, feeling aggrieved, waiting for General Xiong to use ideological education and morale boosting to move the little comrade Su Qing, who had his heart set on running, and bring his ideas onto the right track. 

Hu Bugui personally stood at the door, upright as the shaft of a pen, the voices inside coming faintly to his ears. Lu Qingbai happened to be passing and rather curiously stood with him. Pointing at the door, he asked, “In there?” 

Hu Bugui quickly shushed him. He felt that General Xiong and Su Qing seemed to have hit it off. It sounded like they were having a warm chat. So he pricked up his ears with single-hearted devotion, planning to learn from his leader how to communicate with a special personage like Su Qing. Seeing his earnest expression, Lu Qingbai couldn’t help becoming earnest along with him. Tilting his head, he put his ear to the door and listened along with Hu Bugui. 

The upshot was that ten minutes later, Lu Qingbai’s face had a greenish tinge. He thought that putting Su Qing and General Xiong together, the record of their conversation could be used to write an entire course on ideological and moral self-cultivation. He understood each individual word, but put together, he had no idea what the two of them were trying to say. All he felt was that gooseflesh had come up all over his body. 

He looked at Hu Bugui, grave-faced, listening raptly as though afraid to miss a single syllable, then walked away on the verge of collapse—he thought that this was really no way to live. Even Captain Hu was unhinged. 

While Su Qing accompanied General Xiong like a bosom friend, ignoring the difference in their ages, he didn’t waste any time getting up to a few little tricks. This venerable uncle wasn’t one of the RZ Unit’s field personnel, each one of whom could thread an embroidery needle from three meters way. He didn’t feel pressured at all. 

Half an hour later, General Xiong, still not fully satisfied that he had said all he wanted to say, finally ended the conversation and indicated that if there was a chance later he would have to communicate more with Su Qing, this little comrade who strove so vigorously to improve himself. He personally took him to the door. 

Seeing him come out, Hu Bugui let out a sigh of relief—he had no peace of mind if he couldn’t see Su Qing. Then he continued his great undertaking as a hanger-on. 

Su Qing smiled to himself and counted his steps. Five, four, three, two, one… Just as he and Hu Bugui reached the corner, there was a bang behind them. The alarm reacted at once, crying out sharply. Su Qing looked back with perfectly played astonishment, deliberately making eye contact with Hu Bugui for a moment, his face the picture of bewildered innocence. 

Hu Bugui followed his gaze and saw dense smoke suddenly billowing out of the office where General Xiong was. The guard at the door had already charged in, but the smoke was too thick. It was impossible to see what was happening inside. In his haste, Hu Bugui still didn’t forget to hold onto Su Qing—because if he let go, this person would be lost. He had already lost him once. 

Su Qing absolutely hadn’t expected him to have this subconscious reaction. None of his well-planned escape routes came in useful. He could only stumble a step as he was pulled along, thinking, What racket is this?

Many people responded to the emergency. As they passed by one team of emergency responders, Su Qing deliberately bumped into them, slowing down Hu Bugui’s steps. When Hu Bugui reached the door, his view was blocked by the people inside. He couldn’t see clearly what was happening in the thick smoke. But Su Qing suddenly struggled and began to cough violently. 

Now Hu Bugui at last let go, letting him take a step back and lean against the wall, one hand stuck in his pocket and the other holding his collar as he coughed. Tears even came to Su Qing’s eyes. He waved a hand towards him. “It’s fine, I just choked. Go ahead and see what’s going on.” 

Hu Bugui hesitated, then at last went into the thick smoke, keeping half of his attention out to listen to his coughing. But he didn’t see that the moment he turned around, Su Qing stopped coughing and took a small recorder out of his pocket. It was playing a realistic cough on repeat. 

By the time Hu Bugui found that someone had only thrown a smoke bomb into General Xiong’s office and quickly turned around, he found that Su Qing was already gone—the recorder by the wall was still faithfully playing the sounds of its owner’s coughs. 

Hu Bugui fiercely punched the wall, an unprecedented feeling of being thwarted rising in his heart. How could it be so hard to keep him here? 

Just then, someone gently patted him on the shoulder. At some point, General Xiong had come to stand behind him under the escort of a whole group of guards. “Young man, don’t be so irritable all the time.” 

Hu Bugui closed his eyes and turned to give him a salute. “Yes, sir.” 

But General Xiong smiled meaningfully and lied through his teeth: “I figure that Comrade Xiao Su has only gone to the restroom. When I see him in a little while, I’ll notify him to come see you at midday.” 

Hu Bugui stared. 

But General Xiong continued on his own: “I’ve already written an official report concerning the problem of Comrade Xiao Su’s position. If there’s time in the afternoon, arrange the other matters and make some time to take him to go through the formalities and get acquainted in the surroundings.” 

General Xiong raised his head and saw Hu Bugui looking at him blankly. Then he patted the back of his hand. “What are you waiting for? Go get to work.” 

When Hu Bugui had left, turning his head three times with each step he took, General Xiong finally turned. He glanced around, then pointed to a very unobtrusive man on the very periphery of the guard team who had his cap brim pulled very low. He said, “Comrade, come in for a moment. I have something to request of you.” 

Su Qing’s heart went cold. He had thought that his whole course of action from changing his disguise to slipping in among the guard unit had been seamless. He had no idea how General Xiong had seen through him. But with everyone watching, he could only brace himself and follow General Xiong back into the already cleaned-up office. 

General Xiong didn’t even close the door. The guard captain outside had noticed the moment Su Qing had been pointed out that he was a stranger and immediately became nervous. Afraid something would go wrong, he paid close attention to what was happening inside. 

The guard captain saw General Xiong mildly say something to the unknown young man behind him. The young man hesitated, looking at him with his head down, not making a sound. Then General Xiong made his voice very low and said another two sentences to him. The young man didn’t answer. 

The two of them looked at each other oddly for a long moment. Then General Xiong raised his hand and took off the young man’s cap. The young man didn’t resist. The guard captain found to his astonishment that the person who had been here before had somehow come in again. 

Then General Xiong said something and pointed to the door. While speaking the last few words, he didn’t deliberately keep his voice down. This time the guard captain heard. General Xiong’s final words were, “…if you’ve made up your mind, then go on.” 

Then the young man stood where he was for a long time before finally nodding extremely slowly. Without even taking his cap, he lowered his head and thoughtfully went out. 

Twenty minutes later, Xue Xiaolu knocked on the office door of the uneasy Hu Bugui. Then he saw Su Qing following Xue Xiaolu as though nothing were the matter. 

Su Qing got right to the point: “Captain Hu, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Back then, I took a little devil with me, I don’t know whether you remember. That little thing named Tu Tutu, also a grey seal. He’s always lived with me. Can I bring him here, too?”