Chapter 54
In the morning, the Iron Throne base slowly awakened in simulated daylight. The aroma of synthetic coffee wafted through the cafeteria, where several engineers, fresh from their night shift, gathered around a table to enjoy breakfast.
When Wen Ling and Miao Weizhen walked in one after another, the originally noisy conversation subtly paused for a moment, and then returned to normal, but there was an imperceptible, warm smile in the air.
A bold young engineer raised his coffee cup and gestured in their direction with a mischievous yet genuine smile. The person next to him nudged him lightly with their elbow, but couldn't help laughing.
Wen Ling's ears felt slightly hot, and he feigned composure as he went to get his plate. Miao Weizhen, on the other hand, remained stern, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. However, as he walked towards his regular seat, he, for once, didn't refuse Wen Ling and sat down beside him naturally.
All this change began one night a few days ago. On their way to the observation deck for their shift change, a team member vaguely spotted two figures standing close together in the moonlight. Word spread like wildfire, and while no one dared to tease the minister directly, everyone looked at His Highness Wen Ling with a tacit, warm, and well-wishing expression.
Even Han Zhong touched his chin, looked at the two people sitting side by side, and whispered to Luo Yan beside him: "That's great." Luo Yan still had an expressionless look on his face, but nodded slightly, which was considered as agreement.
In the technical area, Ye Lan was debugging a newly arrived piece of equipment. Su Si leaned over and whispered, "Sister Ye Lan, look, the director is actually in the cafeteria today? He used to have Sister Luo Yan deliver the food to the command room."
Ye Lan looked up and saw Miao Weizhen sitting next to Wen Ling. Although he still had no expression, the aura of keeping strangers away seemed to have eased a little.
She smiled gently and said, "He's a difficult person to approach. It's a good thing that he's willing to stay among people." Her tone was filled with pure relief and a hint of relief, as if she saw that her old friend had finally found a home.
That afternoon, Wen Ling walked towards the command room, carrying a stack of documents. The door was ajar, and he heard the voices of Ye Lan and Miao Weizhen talking from inside.
"...This resonant frequency setting reminds me of the project I worked on with Xing Lan back then," Ye Lan's voice was filled with nostalgia. "She always came up with some wild yet effective ideas."
Miao Weizhen's response came after a few seconds. His voice was low, but unusually free of pain. Instead, it held a faint, gentle quality akin to nostalgia: "Yeah. She was... very bold back then."
Wen Ling stood at the door and didn't go in immediately. He could understand this resonance based on shared memories, and he had no qualms intellectually, but deep down in his heart, that tiny regret that he couldn't participate in the "past" was still gently touched.
He took a deep breath and was about to knock on the door, but he heard Miao Weizhen's voice again, turning to another completely technical question, and his tone returned to his usual calmness.
He pushed the door open and walked in. Ye Lan saw him, smiled and nodded, and picked up her data board: "Your Highness, you've come at the right time. I just finished discussing the energy node optimization plan with the minister. The specific implementation details still need your approval. I'll go to the laboratory first." After she finished speaking, she left.
They were the only two people left in the command room. Miao Weizhen turned away from the holographic star map and his eyes fell on Wen Ling's face, keenly catching the subtle emotion that flashed across his eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, walking towards Wen Ling.
Wen Ling placed the information on the table and smiled. "Nothing much. I just felt that when you and Ye Lan discussed technology, there was a tacit understanding that no one else could interrupt."
Miao Weizhen stopped and stood in front of him, carefully studying his expression. Suddenly, he raised the corner of his lips slightly and said, "Just for this?"
"I'm not jealous," Wen Ling looked up at him, her green eyes clear and a bit helpless. "I'm a little... envious. I envy her for knowing you at that time, and for participating in those things about you that I don't know about."
Miao Weizhen looked at him silently for a moment, then reached out and picked up the analysis report on the latest situation in Sailiang that Wen Ling had just put down on the table.
"This report mentions three border outposts that might turn against us," he said calmly, pointing to the coordinates. "Two of their commanders provided me with crucial intelligence when I first took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and faced the most difficult situation. The other was the only one who didn't curse me behind my back after I negotiated and signed the Huangquan Rust Port Development Project. Instead, he offered me a glass of wine."
He raised his eyes and looked at Wen Ling, who was slightly stunned. "My past is not just about the 'Star Shuttle' and Xing Lan. It's more about these things - betrayal, compromise, forced calculations, and occasional glimmers of light like that. Do you want to understand all of this?"
Wen Ling's heart seemed to be gently bumped by something.
"Yes." Wen Ling answered without hesitation, stepped forward, and took the hand holding the report. "As long as it's about you, I want to know everything."
Miao Weizhen grabbed his wrist with a backhand grip, a bit too hard, and deep in his eyes, there seemed to be traces of ice and snow melting. He was about to speak when the piercing sound of an alarm suddenly shattered the silence.
Luo Yan's calm but urgent voice came through the communicator: "Minister, Your Highness, this is an emergency! We have located Dr. Anthony's exact location, but an extremely strong energy storm has erupted in the area where he is trapped! The federal patrol is also approaching the area!"
The warm morning light was instantly dispelled by the urgency of reality. Miao Weizhen's eyes froze, and he immediately regained his appearance as the commander with a meticulous plan.
"Notify all core personnel to gather at the command center immediately." He released Wen Ling's hand, his voice stern, but before turning around, his fingertips pressed the back of his hand very quickly and soothingly, "We should set off."
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