Chapter 352 Foreign Aid

Bian Zhan was silent for a moment: "I'll figure something out. Are you sure it's the Zhou family?"

Bian Xiaoxiao nodded: "Definitely, otherwise who else could help Jiang Zhizhi?!"

When it was time to meet, Bian Xiaoxiao cried as she left, "Brother, you have to make me get out of here!"

Bian Zhan stood at the gate for a long time after being released from prison.

His feelings for Zhou Xiye were genuine when they were young, but as Zhou Xiye became more and more outstanding and his brilliance overshadowed his own, his feelings began to change.

There are many people in the world who are more outstanding than him, but he cannot accept that Zhou Xiye, who is two years younger than him, is more outstanding than him.

Zhou Xiye's talent is beginning to shine, and Bian Xiaoxiao has taken a liking to him.

Bian Zhan's feelings for Bian Xiaoxiao were also complicated: unspoken affection, repressed desires, and the pull of conscience and morality.

Knowing that Bian Xiaoxiao liked Zhou Xiye, Bian Zhan even breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that if Bian Xiaoxiao married Zhou Xiye, he would be able to see her more often, and if Zhou Xiye and he became family, his jealousy might be less.

He helped Bian Xiaoxiao deliver things to Zhou Xiye and create opportunities, but unexpectedly, Zhou Xiye suddenly ran into trouble. Due to Zhou Chengzhi's interference, Zhou Xiye was transferred back from the front line, turning from a hero into a coward.

Zhou Xiye's reputation and future prospects have both hit a deadlock.

Bian Xiaoxiao got married quickly because of this, fearing that Zhou Xiye's reputation would affect her.

Bian Zhan also felt that Zhou Xiye would no longer pose a threat to him. Who would have thought that in just a few years, Zhou Xiye would rise through the ranks again, thanks to his outstanding military skills and qualities, as well as several life-or-death missions.

At this time, he accepted a special mission. At first, he didn't want to go, fearing that when he came back, Zhou Xiye would have already climbed to a position that was out of his reach.

Finally, due to certain events, he had no choice but to go again. The tension in his emotions and the feeling of walking on a knife's edge every day led him to betray his ideals and beliefs once more.

Bian Zhan stood by the roadside, thinking about many things. He thought about his life over the years, and then about Zhou Xiye's happy marriage and the two children he now had.

When he returned, the family had fallen apart...

Bian Zhan visited his mother, Wang Qinglan, at the mental hospital again.

The once proud mother now has a withered face and a full head of white hair. When she saw him, her eyes were somewhat vacant, and she tilted her head and stared at him.

Bian Zhan sat silently by the bedside for a while, and as he was about to get up, Wang Qinglan suddenly spoke up: "It's her, it's her back, Bian Suxi is back..."

...

Zhou Xiye went out after lunch and returned long after dinner. The two children were already asleep. Since they couldn't go out to play because of the rain, they crawled around and made a fuss in the house until they were tired and went to sleep early.

Fang Hua and Zhou Chengyu also went upstairs to rest with the two children, and Sister Chen also went to bed early after cleaning up the kitchen.

Jiang Zhizhi was the only one sitting in the living room waiting for Zhou Xiye. When she saw him enter with an umbrella, she got up to greet him: "Have you eaten?"

"I didn't have time, I'll go get some myself."

Zhou Xiye put away his umbrella and went inside. He first looked at the railing in the living room and couldn't see the two children inside: "Where are Shangshang and Xiao Zhouji?"

Jiang Zhizhi smiled and pointed upstairs: "Going to sleep. I was so bored today. I was making a fuss for a long time and just fell asleep. I'll go heat up your food."

Zhou Xiye asked again, "Is Dad home?"

"Dad called to say he has a meeting tonight, so he'll stay at the dormitory."

As Jiang Zhizhi spoke, she walked towards the kitchen, and Zhou Xiye followed her in. This time, before Jiang Zhizhi could ask, he took the initiative to tell her what he had gone out to do: "I went to see my former leader and Bian Zhan's former leader to find out about the completion of Bian Zhan's mission this time."

Jiang Zhizhi asked curiously, "How was it?"

Zhou Xiye frowned: "It seems there's been a problem, but his freedom is restricted, and he can't leave Beijing at will."

He was anxious; how could he leave with peace of mind if the border conflict couldn't be resolved before he departed?

Jiang Zhizhi cooked noodles and heated up the leftovers from lunch. She served Zhou Xiye a large bowl: "Eat first. You don't need to be in a hurry. We don't know when he returned to Beijing, where he lives, or what he's been doing. And he has a strong counter-surveillance ability."

"It won't be easy for us to find something to use against him in a short time."

She figured Zhou Xiye had been gone for most of the day and probably hadn't accomplished anything, so she quickly comforted him, worried that he might feel guilty.

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "After leaving the old leader's place, I went to see Zhao Haiyang. We went to the mental hospital. When we came out of the mental hospital, Bian Zhan had already left."

Jiang Zhizhi asked in surprise, "You went to find Wang Qinglan?"

Zhou Xiye nodded: "I had Zhao Haiyang go in and say a few words to Wang Qinglan. She will definitely tell Bian Zhan."

Over the years, Jiang Zhizhi hadn't heard any news about Wang Qinglan: "Wang Qinglan is supposed to be crazy, would she talk about it?"

Zhou Xiye was certain: "Yes, she did not suffer in the mental hospital all these years."

Jiang Zhizhi found it strange: "How could he not have suffered? The Bian family has fallen, and the people at the hospital always treat people differently based on their status. How could he not have suffered? This is not normal."

Zhou Xiye was also puzzled: "I glanced at her through the window. Her clothes were clean, although she looked thin and haggard. I also looked at the patients in other wards. Many of them had hospital gowns that hadn't been changed or washed for years, so the colors were unrecognizable."

Jiang Zhizhi exclaimed, "That shouldn't be the case. We haven't paid attention to this matter all these years. I even thought that Wang Qinglan might not be able to endure the suffering inside, and it's uncertain whether she could survive. After all, it was difficult for normal people to survive in the past two years, let alone people in mental hospitals."

"Who is it? Who could be helping her? Bian Zhan?"

Zhou Xiye shook his head: "No, Bian Zhan has no idea about the situation here. He will only find out after he returns to Beijing. I will go to see Dad tomorrow morning."

Jiang Zhizhi chuckled: "Right, if we can't solve it, we'll ask Dad. He has a stronger network of connections, so it will definitely be faster. Besides, power unused goes unused."

...

After hearing Zhou Xiye's account of Bian Zhan's situation, Zhou Chengzhi was somewhat incredulous: "Bian Zhan is from the General Administration. Is their personnel selection process so hasty? Don't they even do background checks?"

Zhou Xiye frowned: "Bian Zhan had already left on a mission before the Bian family got into trouble."

Zhou Chengzhi waved his hand: "You don't know the decisions made at the top since you're at the grassroots level. After the Bian family's incident, Bian Zhan's line became a dead line, you should understand that. What's more, he hasn't made any substantial contributions over the years, and you almost lost your life back then in order to gain his trust."

"So this is not right, someone is making trouble here."

As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Xiye and asked, "Do you have something on your mind?"

Zhou Xiye nodded: "Bian Zhan has already been to the compound and met Shang Shang and Xiao Zhou Ji, so I want to resolve this matter as soon as possible. If that doesn't work, I'll create some trouble."

At first, Zhou Chengzhi was able to analyze the matter calmly, but now that he heard that Bian Zhan had met Shang Shang and Xiao Zhou Ji, his eyes widened, and he slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "If he dares to make a move on Shang Shang and Xiao Zhou Ji, I dare to dig up the Bian family's ancestral graves!"