Chapter Thirty: The Weight of Love

The plane landed on time at the southern frontier airport. As soon as Ye Yan stepped off, he was enveloped by a stifling heat; even his shirt was soaked with sweat. After leaving the airport and walking just a few steps, Ye Yan spotted a military jeep without plates. Beside it stood a man whose face bore several diagonal scars, giving him a fierce appearance.

That man was Liao Zhong, the head of the South China District.

Ye Yan saw him, and the man saw Ye Yan as well. Ye Yan waved, "Uncle Liao."

"Ye..." Liao Zhong pulled his baseball cap lower, his voice gruff and weathered, and nodded toward Ye Yan.

The door of the jeep swung open, and after both climbed in, Liao Zhong didn't start the engine immediately. He tossed Ye Yan a cigarette, lit one for himself, and said slowly, "It's been two years. You've put on weight—looks like the food at World Union suits you. That kid from before has grown up now."

He sighed. Back then, when he first met Ye Yan, the boy was still green; now, time had flown by and Ye Yan had made a name for himself in the world of the extraordinary. Time truly was hard to put into words.

"It's not bad," Ye Yan replied with a smile, taking the cigarette and lighting it.

He and Liao Zhong had known each other for several years, their acquaintance dating back to when Ye Yan served as a sparring partner for Chen Duo. Liao Zhong was a straightforward man; after just a few puffs, he couldn't help himself and asked directly, "You came here for Duo's sake?"

"Yes," Ye Yan answered, nodding.

"You made the trip all the way from Jinmen just for Duo's temporary worker situation?" Liao Zhong repeated.

"That's right," Ye Yan nodded, extinguishing his cigarette. "Uncle Liao, you're busy, so I'll get straight to the point. I have two reasons for coming: first, to see Duo; second, to find out why she became a temporary worker."

Liao Zhong exhaled deeply. "You know about all this already? Must've been Xu Si who told you, right?" He seemed unsurprised, laughing and cursing, "Xu Si, that idiot—I should never have told him. He can't keep his mouth shut, says everything."

He took off his baseball cap, revealing thinning hair, and looked somewhat melancholy.

Ye Yan ignored his complaints, his expression tightening, unusually serious. "Uncle Liao, just tell me the truth. When did Duo become a temporary worker? How long has it been? Why did I never hear about it?"

Liao Zhong hesitated, then answered each question. "Duo became a temporary worker the second month after you left."

"That early?" Ye Yan was startled. He hadn't expected Chen Duo had been a temporary worker for so long, and he had never heard a word about it.

"As for why you never heard about it, it's because I instructed Duo not to tell anyone," Liao Zhong explained. "Since you know about temporary workers, you should understand: they're directly under the district head, it's confidential, and the fewer people who know, the better."

Ye Yan fell silent. He knew it had to be kept secret, and Liao Zhong was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being treated like an outsider.

After pondering for a while, Ye Yan asked, "Why choose Duo... You know her situation?"

"Of course I do." Liao Zhong gave a bitter smile. "Precisely because I know, I made her my temporary worker. The job may not be glorious, but it's freer than being a regular employee. It's more suitable for her."

Ye Yan was silent. He couldn't remember how many times he'd been silent today. He irritably bit his cigarette, but couldn't find a lighter. Liao Zhong handed one over at just the right moment.

"What did Duo say?" Ye Yan asked.

"She didn't," Liao Zhong shook his head. "The whole thing was my decision. I wanted her to go out, to see the world as ordinary people do—to experience that simplicity and beauty."

As he spoke, his expression was complex, eyes shining with paternal affection, like an old father worrying about his daughter.

Seeing this, Ye Yan fell silent again. He felt his perspective was too one-sided, too naive. Liao Zhong had known Chen Duo longer than he had and had always treated her well.

He could never wish harm upon Chen Duo. Yet some things Ye Yan couldn't leave unasked—this was the reason he had come. "Uncle Liao, you know better than I do the nature of temporary workers, and just how dubious it can be. Duo is as pure as white paper, and you made her your tool? Is that right?"

To Ye Yan, the position of temporary worker was a double-edged sword: no record in the roster, more freedom, less restraint, but it meant becoming more like a tool.

Liao Zhong's smile grew even more bitter. He was silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice, "I know better than you..."

"You know, but you still..." Ye Yan began, but Liao Zhong interrupted, "Ye, I know you're doing this for Duo's sake, and so am I. If she couldn't become a temporary worker and gain the trust of the higher-ups, with her constitution she'd be like a bird in a cage, never seeing the outside world."

"Is that what you want for her?"

Ye Yan didn't reply, but Liao Zhong continued, "If there were a choice, I wouldn’t want Duo to be a temporary worker at all. I wish she could live like an ordinary person—marry, have children, live a peaceful life."

"But can she?"

Can she? Is it possible? Such a simple word, yet it felt like a thorn stabbed deep into Ye Yan's heart, making it hard to breathe.

Liao Zhong said, "Some people are born burdened with heavy destinies, things that can't be changed. But I don't want Duo to sink into that for her whole life. She's still so young..."

Ye Yan was left speechless.

"You came all this way for Duo, and I'm truly glad. But she's actually doing quite well now. At least she has a certain degree of freedom—that's probably what she wants most."

"Uncle Liao..."

Ye Yan was deeply shaken by Liao Zhong's words. He had never considered things from this angle, never realized how much Liao Zhong hoped for Chen Duo, almost as much as if he were her second father.

Seeing Ye Yan like this, Liao Zhong couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Let me say something I shouldn't, sitting in my position."

"I've told you a bunch of lofty principles, but honestly, it's all because I'm useless. If I were strong enough to influence even the company, would Duo have to live like this?"

"But there's nothing I can do."

Liao Zhong's smile faded.

Hearing this, Ye Yan felt a heavy block in his chest, unsure what to say.

Liao Zhong waved his hand, "Enough, why dwell on it? Let me take you to see Duo. Since you came, I've given Duo a special day off today—so you can spend it with her."