Chapter 866: She's Dead! (Two chapters combined)
Upon hearing this, Bai Wuwen knew things had escalated! He couldn't handle this himself, so he decided to seek help from Elder Jin. Bai Wuwen nodded, "I'll go ask!" and quickly turned to leave.
"It's no use, don't let my affairs affect you." 02 seemed completely deflated, all her heroic spirit vanished!
"Why are you acting like you're half-dead! As long as you're still in the base, you're one of my people! But once you're sent back, your life or death won't be my concern anymore. I won't even recognize you then, so do whatever you want."
02: "..." If she hadn't been in the military for so long and could tell right from wrong, she might have been angry.
02 took a deep breath: "You have to understand, this phone call was able to get through and make Elder Jin back down, so it's not simple. You're just a researcher at the base. No matter how outstanding you are, there are some things you can't control. I don't mean to look down on you. I know you're very outstanding, and I've heard about your achievements. I admire you for getting to this point, but there are some things... you shouldn't get involved. If it causes you trouble later, it will be my fault."
It's also her fault for being too naive and taking things for granted back then.
"Don't worry about it, just stay here."
Gu Yin ignored her and looked at 05: "What about you? What's going on?"
05 remained silent.
Gu Yin: "..." What's wrong with this girl? Gu Yin picked up her file again.
The first batch of female pilots were the most capable; such people shouldn't have this kind of personality.
"If you don't speak, you're fired."
05: "...It's my own fault, it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"What's your reason? If you don't speak up, I'm really not going to care about you anymore. Have you thought about the consequences of backing down?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Mr. Jin walked in, and the matter of 05 had to be temporarily put aside.
"Why are you bothering with this? I've tried to persuade them and talked to both sides, but it's no use. It's a matter of one willing to give and the other willing to receive. We do lack talent, but we can train people. If their hearts aren't in it, then they're not a good fit for us. Once the test results are out, we'll handle it as appropriate. You don't need to worry about it anymore."
This is a real headache for Jin Lao! Are talented people so easy to cultivate? These are astronauts! They are such a perfect fit for their mission. He was so excited when they came, and he was so disappointed afterwards! Don't even mention it.
02 sensed Mr. Jin's disappointment and his intention to give up on her. Recalling all her efforts over the years, her eyes welled up with tears, and she bowed deeply: "I'm sorry! I've let you down!"
Old Jin waved his hand: "You have not wronged anyone. The only person you have wronged is yourself. After you leave, think carefully about your future path."
02 nodded numbly: "Okay."
Gu Yin: "...Did I say you could leave? Do you think you can just come and go as you please? What do you take this place for? Elder Jin, I'm determined to handle this! This is only the first batch, and someone's already interfering. How am I supposed to manage the rest? Or should I just give up? Go research weapons instead? This so-called gene improvement research, let those busybodies handle it?"
She just couldn't understand it! Why were there these people everywhere? If that was really the case, she'd rather go back and do her own research and make money! She couldn't stand this humiliation!
Old Jin sighed: "You're being unreasonable. If you don't do it, who will? I promise you, this will never happen again next time! Let it go this time."
Gu Yin laughed: "What, does the person behind you have a lot of power? Come on, give me the phone. I think Bai Wuwen is about to collapse. Give me the phone."
Bai Wuwen, who had been replying to messages at the door, was getting annoyed. Upon hearing Gu Yin's words, he immediately switched the line without waiting for Elder Jin's consent.
"Master Jin, please don't ask me to handle these kinds of things anymore. I'm just a talisman drawer; I can't handle these kinds of matters! Please find someone else!"
After saying that, he looked at Gu Yin and said, "The person on the other side was being a bit impolite."
After leaving those words, he stepped aside. Damn it, he was from a reclusive family and all he knew was how to draw talismans. Making him deal with these kinds of social niceties was really torturous!
Gu Yin picked up the phone.
"Where is she? Why is there no news again? Why are you making such a fuss! It's just sending one person back. Her family agreed, she agreed, her boss agreed, and you still..."
An elderly woman's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Who told you her boss agreed?!"
The beeping sound that had been going on suddenly stopped.
"Excuse me, who told you that her boss agreed?"
Gu Yin repeated it again.
"No, who are you? The communications officer? Let me tell you, your attitude is problematic! In the past, I would have complained about you, but I don't have time right now. Get your boss to answer the phone! I'm in a hurry! Get my granddaughter-in-law back! She's gone to heaven! She's been back for less than a month, and she's already acting up again! What kind of mess is this?! Does she want to have a baby? Does our family still have an heir? Get your boss to answer the phone right now!"
Gu Yin smiled speechlessly: "I am that leader. What are your instructions?"
Old Jin tugged at her arm and whispered, "Don't upset him." Otherwise, he'll be the one getting annoyed later.
Gu Yin ignored her; she was furious. So, they wanted her to go back and have a baby? What a mess!
"Oh, you're the leader? Okay, I'll just ask. I'm looking for my granddaughter-in-law. Where is she? What have you been doing? Have you been trying to persuade her again? Didn't I tell you that we all agree to this, and she has no objections? If you release her, everyone will be happy to have some peace of mind!"
"She's dead." The cold words came from Gu Yin's mouth, her slightly immature face expressionless.
"Pfft! Cough cough cough!" Bai Wuwen turned his head and coughed lightly.
...
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
"What? What do you mean? Dead? Who died?"
"Your granddaughter-in-law is dead. You should find another one."
...
"Didn't she talk to her family yesterday? How could she be dead? No, weren't you still training? You weren't on a mission, so how could she be dead?" The old lady didn't want to believe it, but Gu Yin's cold tone, coupled with the strange things about the base, made her hesitate.
“You drove her to her death. Just now, I witnessed her go from a heroic and tenacious warrior to a heartless wooden doll. She died a terrible death! A meaningless death, a death that no one sympathized with.”
After hearing these words, Old Jin, who had originally reached out to tell Gu Yin not to talk nonsense, silently lowered his hand.
That's quite true, isn't it?
02's face also turned pale.
The joy and sense of accomplishment she had gained from her past struggles kept assaulting her mind, telling her that what she was once proud of was being abandoned and even trampled on. She gave up without resistance, which was no different from being dead. Gu Yin was right, she was indeed dead. If her former teammates knew that she had left the base to go back to have a baby, they probably wouldn't understand and would be disappointed in her.
"Ha, you're so sharp-tongued! You're indirectly insulting me! What's your name? Where's your manners?!"
"My name is Zhou Guyin. I've lost all my manners. I have no one to rely on, but I do have dead people to rely on. Alright, I'm hanging up. Find someone who can handle things."
With a "snap," Gu Yin hung up the phone, too lazy to continue arguing with her. She wasn't the one in charge, so there was no point in saying more.
Gu Yin picked up her teacup and took a big gulp, feeling her anger subside, before looking at 02.
"You quit base training and gave up the opportunity to fight in space just to go home and have a baby? Am I hallucinating, or is there some kind of imperial heir in their family? Even if there is an imperial heir, what does it have to do with you? If you said you were going back to inherit the throne, I would be happy for you! What are you going back for? You studied for so many years, trained like crazy after enlisting, became the only female astronaut, and then were selected for the Wuji Base to participate in the future space combat force. Do you know how outstanding you are?"
Gu Yin stretched out her hands: "You are one of only ten people in the country! Do you even understand all the hardships you've endured along the way? It wasn't like you were just one step away from the summit before being wiped out!"
“I didn’t want to either! But he’s my mentor, my talent scout, my boss! I couldn’t refuse! Do you know how hard I worked to get here? Never mind, it doesn’t matter anymore. Getting here is enough to prove my excellence. All these years have been stolen, I should be content.”
02 Reached out and forcefully wiped away the tears on her face, her skin turning red from the effort, as if only in this way could she convince herself that her choice was not wrong.
Excitement, anger, numbness, and resignation.
“I don’t know, but I can imagine it, and I saw it too—the resentment in your eyes.” Gu Yin even pointed to her eyes.
Bai Wuwen, who was standing next to 02, handed him a cup of tea, curious about what was going on: "Tell us about your situation first, maybe we can find a solution. They say there's strength in numbers! Tell us, tell us."
Everyone: "..." Can you tone it down a bit? You're being way too obvious about watching this!
02 took the water pipe and thanked her. I don't know what she was thinking, but she finally spoke.
“I am an orphan. From elementary school to university, my teachers sponsored my education. Influenced by them, I also developed a great love for the aerospace industry. I studied hard and eventually worked under their watchful eyes. They were very happy and proud of me. During holidays, they would invite me to their home for meals. Over time, I became familiar with everyone in their family. With the help of my teacher and his wife, I got together with their grandson, who was also my senior. We dated for a year and then got married. I am very happy.”
When she said this, 02's face was indeed filled with happiness.
"In the second year of our marriage, we started trying to conceive. But at that time, the bureau announced the selection of astronauts. Anyone who was interested and felt that they met the requirements could apply. My husband and I were particularly passionate about this career. Having the opportunity to go to space should be the dream of every aerospace worker! So we both applied, but in the end, only I was selected. Everyone was happy for me, but when I was participating in the training camp, my teacher became seriously ill."
As she said "stay," 02's expression began to turn forlorn.
Gu Yin didn't need to think to know what was going to happen next; it was nothing more than her getting old and wanting to see her great-grandson, otherwise she wouldn't be able to die in peace, and so on.
"He started asking you to give up being an astronaut and have children out of gratitude?" Bai Wuwen couldn't help but blurt it out.
Everyone seemed to think so, except for Mr. Jin, who shook his head.
"No, the teacher isn't that kind of person. He asked me if I wanted to have children in the future, and of course I did. So he told me to go to the hospital to freeze my eggs first, and then I could have children after I've recovered from my trip to space. He was worried that if I didn't freeze my eggs, there might be some abnormalities in my body after I came back from space, and that the child I had might not be healthy. After all, she was the first female astronaut, and nobody knew what might happen."
Gu Yin raised her eyebrows. Okay, she guessed wrong. She had been too suspicious.
Bai Wuwen was also surprised: "Isn't that a good thing?"
02 nodded: "Yes, I agreed to this approach, and everyone else felt it was necessary. So, due to special circumstances, I applied for egg freezing."
“After returning from space, I took a break for more than half a year. Just when my whole family thought I could take advantage of the holiday to get pregnant, I received a notice from my superiors to participate in a secret mission. My father-in-law happened to be my direct superior. He held a family meeting and talked about the importance of this matter and the speculation that 99% of those who went would not be able to come back. At this critical moment, everyone except me was silent.”
02 took a deep breath: "My teacher is very ill. He told me to just do what I like and not to care about other people's opinions, including his own. Between the mission and the child who hasn't appeared yet, I chose the mission. My teacher supported me. Although my family disagreed, they agreed because my teacher was there, so I came to the base."
Bai Wuwen nodded: "So your teacher passed away? That's why they're bothering you?"
02 closed his eyes and shook his head: "No, the teacher is not dead."
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