Chapter 71: The New Bodyguard Makes His Debut (Completed)...

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. He Changyi bid farewell to the Yan family, as she was returning to Eros.

The strict mother was extremely reluctant, but she didn't say anything and swallowed her words.

What's the point of saying this? Ultimately, it's their fault as parents; she has no right to interfere in her daughter's affairs.

Upon learning the news, the strict father returned home before dinner, which was unusual for him. He called He Changyi to his study alone, as he had something to say.

Before the conversation, he personally made He Changyi a cup of Milo, which is currently the most fashionable and high-end imported beverage in China.

He Changyi took a sip. Hmm, it was a bit too strong, and it wasn't stirred properly, but she still politely finished it.

So the strict father lovingly made her another cup, and generously scooped out a deadly amount of cocoa powder from the jar.

He Changyi: ...

She touched the rim of her glass to her lips, then quickly put it down and said, "Dad, is there something you need from me?"

The strict father organized his thoughts and said earnestly:

"In the first month of the lunar calendar, although you made a lot of money in the former alliance, buying and selling arms is not a long-term solution."

He Changyi: "Cough cough cough cough!"

I almost choked to death on my own saliva!

The strict father hurriedly came out from behind the desk, patted He Changyi's back in a flurry of activity, and then took out a handkerchief to roughly wipe the corners of her mouth.

After catching his breath, He Changyi asked his father incredulously:

"You still think I'm an arms dealer? Didn't we already make things clear?"

The strict father said, "Although I've been in the military, I still know a fair bit about local affairs. If it weren't for selling arms, how could you have amassed a fortune of tens of millions in just a few years?"

He sighed.

"Sigh, I know, it's not your fault. After all, you're all alone and have to survive. But it's different now. You're home, and your father is here. You don't need to take any more risks. Don't worry about what happened before. Even if I take off this uniform, I will keep you safe."

He Changyi: ...

I was very moved, if this statement wasn't based on the assumption that she was an arms dealer.

“Dad,” He Changyi looked into his stern father’s eyes with exceptional sincerity, “I really am just an international scrap collector.”

The stern father shook his head with a wry smile.

"You still don't trust your father?"

He Changyi: ...

This isn't a matter of believing or not!

She tried to explain: "If I were really selling arms, I wouldn't be smuggling tanks into China. Who would dare to buy them? Wouldn't that be openly tantamount to rebellion? Arms dealers sell to war zones, like the Middle East or Africa, or at the very least, South America. Selling arms in China would be like an old man hanging himself, asking for trouble."

The strict father was skeptical.

He Changyi quickly added, "Of course, I don't mean that I sold weapons to those places, I'm just listing them."

The strict father seemed to reluctantly accept this explanation.

After all, it's common for criminals to smuggle guns in China, but I've never seen anyone drive a tank on the road, let alone someone who dares to hoard artillery, which would surely attract the military to launch a crackdown.

If He Changyi really dared to sell complete units of weapons and equipment to China, she wouldn't have had to wait until now; she would have been on the international wanted list the moment the first shipment arrived at the port.

"Just scrap steel?" the strict father asked.

He Changyi nodded frantically.

"If you still don't believe me, I'll take you to the customer's steel plant right now for an on-site inspection. I bet they still have tank armor piled up in their warehouses that haven't been thrown into the steelmaking furnace yet."

The strict father wrote down the name of the steel mill, apparently intending to personally verify its authenticity later.

Even so, he still hoped that He Changyi would stay in the country.

"The political situation in the former alliance is unstable and the society is turbulent. It won't be able to recover for more than ten years. It's not safe for a young girl like you to stay there. If anything happens in China, your family can take care of you. Whether you want to do business or rest, it's all up to you."

The strict father had already lowered his expectations to the bare minimum. It seemed that even if He Changyi stayed at home doing nothing and just waited to die, he would still be willing to support her for the rest of her life.

He Changyi got up and sat down next to Yan's father, affectionately putting her arm around his. Yan's father was flattered and his posture became stiff.

"Dad," she called out somewhat solemnly.

"Don't worry, I'm doing fine in Eka. I've survived the most difficult times, so there's no reason for me to give up now."

She also tried to "lure" her strict father with the advanced weaponry that the Oroqen inherited from the former Union.

"Didn't you think I was selling arms? Although that's not true, I do know some former Allied arms factories and military officers. It's not like I can't find an opportunity to smuggle some active-duty equipment, which would be a contribution to our country's defense."

For a moment, the stern father was indeed tempted, but he immediately put on a fierce face and pretended to slap He Changyi.

"What nonsense are you spouting! Is this something you should be doing?!"

He Changyi feigned a cry of pain, which startled his father. He was worried that his father might actually hurt the child.

It wasn't until he saw He Changyi smirking that he realized he'd been tricked again. He angrily flung her hand aside and turned his back on her.

He Changyi cheekily leaned on his shoulder, peeking out to see his expression.

"Are you really angry? Daddy, you can't get angry like that. I'm your dear daughter. Come on, smile, please smile. Or I'll smile for you?"

The old man was both angry and loving; he hadn't experienced the father-daughter bond he had felt for over twenty years, and now he truly felt it all.

They say daughters are like warm cotton-padded jackets, but why are there barbs growing inside these jackets?

Yan's father wanted to persuade him again, but He Changyi brought up the story of Yan Zhengshan going to the front line more than ten years ago.

“Isn’t it more dangerous for my brother to go to war than for me to go to Oros? After all, I’m just going to do business, so even if it’s not safe, it’s limited. But he’s really facing gunfire and is at risk of being killed at any time. You didn’t stop him back then, so why are you stopping me now?”

The strict father remained silent for a moment.

"This is different."

He Changyi said, "There's no difference. His battlefield is on the frontier, while mine is in the business world. He fights for his ideals, and so do I."

The strict father said, "But you are a girl."

He Changyi said, "What's wrong with you, girl? Women aren't inherently weak; they're no less capable than men. That's old-fashioned thinking; you should change it."

Unable to persuade He Changyi, the strict father sighed helplessly.

How can your mother and I feel at ease?

He Changyi's eyes lit up, and he came up with an idea.

"How about this, do you have any retired reconnaissance soldiers under your command who haven't been assigned jobs? I'll hire them as bodyguards with high salaries. It just so happens that the bodyguards I've recruited are all from Ecuador, which are fine, but I'd feel more at ease if I had some of our own people."

These days, if a soldier doesn't get promoted in the military, they aren't guaranteed a job after discharge. They go back to where they came from; soldiers recruited from rural areas go back to their villages to farm.

Due to the limited number of promotion slots, many outstanding soldiers with excellent skills and conduct have been stuck at this stage and have had to retire with regrets despite their great abilities.

The strict father also felt it was a pity and tried every means to contact local enterprises in order to solve the problem of job placement for veterans as much as possible.

However, the domestic job market is not as prosperous as it was later, coupled with the wave of layoffs in state-owned enterprises, there are too many job seekers and not enough jobs, so the number of available positions is quite limited.

In addition, the gap between the rich and poor in China widened sharply after the reform and opening up, and people's hearts were unsettled. Over time, many soldiers who originally performed well in the army turned into ruthless bandits or gangsters who kidnapped and robbed.

Whenever he sees news like this, the strict father is heartbroken.

Especially those reconnaissance soldiers who have undergone rigorous training, also known as special forces, are skilled in using all kinds of cold and hot weapons. Compared to going to work in a routine manner, they are more accustomed to taking lives with their bare hands.

Once these veterans fall into depravity, the harm they cause to society far exceeds that of ordinary criminals.

Therefore, upon hearing He Changyi's suggestion, the strict father's first reaction was—

How many people can you hire?

He Changyi: "...Uh, three?"

She glanced at her stern father's expression and changed her mind, saying, "Five will do, with a monthly salary of three thousand US dollars, including meals, accommodation, and round-trip train tickets, plus bonuses."

The strict father was shocked.

"Three thousand US dollars? Fifteen thousand yuan?"

He Changyi asked cautiously, "Is it too little? This salary shouldn't be low, right? How about a raise?"

The stern father asked with a serious expression, "Are you sure you're not selling weapons?"

He Changyi: ...

I don't know if the old man thinks too highly of her or underestimates her earning power.

A reconnaissance company under a certain army group.

Xie Xuejun lay on the training ground, idly pulling at wild grass, while training slogans drifted from afar.

He served for five years. Although he was highly skilled and had made meritorious contributions, he was never promoted to officer due to his low level of education and could only retire as an ordinary soldier, so he was not assigned a job.

Xie Xuejun's family lives in the countryside. If he retires from the military, he can only go back home to farm or go out to work with his fellow villagers.

He couldn't help feeling wronged after going from a top soldier to a lowly laborer.

But who can be blamed for that?

He gets sleepy whenever he reads, and the company tried to get him promoted several times, but he always failed the assessment.

Xie Xuejun has already served beyond his term of service. It's not that he can't stay in the army, but seeing the new recruits he once trained become officers while he's still a lowly soldier, who can bear such a disparity?

His parents were getting older and wrote to say that they could no longer farm and wanted to go to the county hospital for treatment, but they didn't have enough money.

After reading the letter, Xie Xuejun was so upset that he couldn't sleep all night, and he submitted his retirement report the next day.

He hasn't decided what kind of job to do yet, but some of his former comrades who had retired from the military contacted him and asked him to come out and make big money with them.

Xie Xuejun roughly guessed what the other party did. He used to look down on such low-class business, but now...

Alas, that's why they say even a hero can be brought down by a penny.

Xie Xuejun was in a state of confusion and didn't know what to do.

On the training field, footsteps approached from afar until they stopped beside him.

Xie Xuejun remained motionless, still pulling at wild grass.

He was a veteran about to retire, and even the military police wouldn't care. He wanted to see which fool dared to mess with him.

However, it was the political commissar's voice that rang out.

"Xuejun, what are you doing? Are you still worried?"

Xie Xuejun quickly scrambled to his feet, stood ramrod straight, and snapped to attention in salute.

"political commissar!"

The political commissar didn't seem angry at all about his disheveled appearance; instead, he said:

"Don't worry, I have good news for you. You've found a job."

Xie Xuejun's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently, "Political Commissar, is this for real? You're not lying to me, are you?"

The political commissar said, "Why would I lie to you? But I have to make it clear beforehand that this job is as a bodyguard for a private company, it's not a permanent position, it involves going abroad, and there's a certain degree of danger involved. Are you willing to do it?"

Xie Xuejun said without hesitation, "I'm willing! Let alone going abroad, I'd even go to the moon to fight aliens!"

The political commissar couldn't help but laugh: "Who wants you to fight aliens? Your workplace is on Earth."

Xie Xuejun chuckled foolishly, his back teeth showing as he laughed.

Seeing him so happy was rare, and the political commissar couldn't help but feel a little sad. He added, "Although he works for a private boss, the pay is still quite good. I heard that his monthly salary is three thousand yuan."

Xie Xuejun's eyes widened, and he stammered.

"Three, three thousand!"

This is more than ten times higher than the salary of a regular, government-assigned job!

The political commissar encouraged him, saying, "You must do a good job. It's not easy to find a job like this. Don't let our commander down."

Xie Xuejun nodded vigorously. He would be willing to take the bullet for his boss for such a high salary!

However, it wasn't until he met his future boss in Oros that Xie Xuejun realized his salary wasn't three thousand yuan, but three thousand US dollars.

Three thousand! US dollars!

He had four other unfamiliar comrades who received the same salary, all of whom were retired reconnaissance soldiers, including one who had even won a prize in an all-army competition.

Besides them, the bodyguard team included several veterans from Emei who had come from the battlefield. They looked inconspicuous, but they were old soldiers who had seen blood.

Xie Xuejun cautiously asked the boss:

"Boss, are you planning to kidnap the president of Emei?"

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so willing to spend money like that; it's all greenbacks!

With this kind of force, as long as they have enough weapons, it's not impossible for them to attack the Kremlin.

The boss took a deep breath and then gave a friendly smile.

"You guessed right. Tomorrow I'll charter a car and take everyone to Red Square. When you see a drunken, fat old man, just kidnap him and make them pay Vladivostok for his ransom."

Xie Xuejun: ...Are you serious?

After a moment's hesitation, he quickly convinced himself and began to seriously formulate an action plan.

"I suggest we first investigate the area around Red Square and the movement patterns of the target individuals, gather information, and analyze it to maximize the chances of success. Also, I suggest we keep this operation a secret from those Emirati bodyguards to prevent them from informing the authorities. If you agree, I'll take a few men and tie them all up in the basement."

boss:……

She walked over, patted Xie Xuejun on the shoulder, and said earnestly:

"I am a legitimate businessman."

So don't just do something as outrageous as kidnapping the president of Emei!

Xie Xuejun was stunned and asked cautiously, "Boss, are you really just asking us to be bodyguards?"

A bodyguard with a monthly salary of three thousand dollars?

No, just how dire is the situation for the former alliance? Even if they were to escort the boss to Lenin's Mausoleum to obtain Buddhist scriptures, they wouldn't have to go through eighty-one tribulations, would they? It's not like this place is full of monsters who want to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh.

He Changyi took a deep breath.

For the sake of her recently found father, she used all her gentleness and patience, calmly saying, "He's just a bodyguard."

Xie Xuejun chuckled sheepishly, looking incredibly honest.

"Boss, you're giving me way too much. How about I do your laundry, cook for you, and work as your helper? Otherwise, I won't feel comfortable taking this money."

He Changyi: "...No need, thank you."

Xie Xuejun started looking around, and his eyes lit up when he saw the mud-covered jeep.

"I'll go wash the car!"

He Changyi tried to stop him but failed, and helplessly reached out to Xie Xuejun, who had already rushed out with a bucket and a rag.

"Really, you don't need to..."

The person next to him suddenly chuckled.

He Changyi immediately turned her head and glared at him, "What are you laughing at!"

Alexei said calmly, "Is this the bodyguard you hired for yourself? Very..."

He searched for the right words, "It's a great deal, you're definitely a qualified businessman."

He Changyi flew into a rage: "Who are you cursing!"

Alexei said calmly, "Don't be impulsive. Reasonable exploitation is also an essential professional skill for businessmen."

He looked out the window at Xie Xuejun, who was diligently washing his car, and said, "He doesn't even think he's being exploited, even though he's doing two jobs for one salary."

He Changyi: ...

Alexei nodded approvingly at her:

"Well done."

He Changyi: "Wait, I think you must have misunderstood something!"

Alexei: "No, I have always trusted my own eyes."

He Changyi: "...Then your eyes must have been damaged by the smoke of the battlefield. It seems that next time I go back to China, in addition to bringing Grandma Vitalie's medicine, I will also have to bring you a few bottles of eye drops!"

Zheng Xiaowei jogged over, looked at Alexei with awe, and then told He Changyi that a customer had called.

With her sugar daddy in charge, she quickly answered the phone, leaving Alexei behind.

Someone came over and affectionately put their arm around his neck.

"My brother! I can't believe it! What a perfect job you've found for us! I don't have to do anything, and I can earn a year's salary in just one month!"

This is one of the bodyguards Alexei found for He Changyi, and also his comrade-in-arms before his retirement.

Alexei countered, "Do we have to do nothing?"

My comrade said, "Yes, I don't need to charge into battle or fight any tough battles. All I need to do is clean my gun every day, follow the boss around, and scare those cowards. That's how I make money. I haven't even fired a single shot or killed a single person!"

He saw Xie Xuejun wiping the car, nudged Alexei with his elbow, and said in a low voice, "She's brought in another group of Chinese bodyguards. I don't want to lose this job. Alyosha, go ask the boss if there's anyone she wants to kill. I'll do my job cleanly and make sure those greyhounds from the police station don't come knocking."

Alexei looked at him with a complicated expression.

So the comrade thought about it, adjusted the wording, and refined the assassination target.

"For example, a business rival stealing her business, or a government official extorting her—whoever it is, I have to show her my usefulness. God knows, I'm no different from that dog now, maybe even more affectionate. I can't just stick my head out or stick my tongue out like this… Of course, if you want me to bark like a dog, that's fine too, woof woof woof woof…"

Money is evil! Capitalism turns people into dogs, and they do it willingly!

Alexei reached out and pressed hard against the other man's forehead, turning his head around.

"Stop! Take your tongue back! Stop barking like a dog! It's disgusting!"

A comrade protested: "Hey, you can't assume she doesn't like it. This isn't just my job; it's our whole family's livelihood!"

Alexei took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"I assure you, she won't like it. And don't worry, she won't fire you."

His comrades were initially suspicious, but after seeing Alexei's sculpted, handsome face and strong physique, they immediately understood.

"I see."

Alexei: "...What do you understand?"

His comrade winked at him, his gaze drifting downwards, subtly referring to his lower body.

"For our work, you need to work even harder, even harder, even harder."

Alexei followed his gaze and almost immediately understood what he meant.

"No matter what you think, this is not true!"

His comrade patted him on the shoulder knowingly, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

He whistled happily as he left, seemingly no longer worried about losing his job.

Alexei: ...

He now prefers these Zhong Guo bodyguards; at least they don't talk as much nonsense.

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The author's note: I'm continuing to adjust my sleep schedule, but I drank both coffee and fruit tea today, so I'm doubting I'll be able to fall asleep...