When Song Jingzhou saw the commander looking at him, he immediately straightened his back, stood at attention, and gave the other man a military salute!
"Greetings, Commander!"
Li Ruide's pupils contracted as he stared at Song Jingzhou, remaining silent for a long time!
"Minister Li?"
Vice Dean Zhang called out softly!
Li Ruide then came to his senses, "What's your name, young comrade?"
Before Song Jingzhou could speak, Vice Dean Zhang immediately chimed in with a fawning expression, "Minister Li, this is my right-hand man. Let me tell you, I've finally found my successor. This kid Song, his talent..."
"Your surname is Song?" Song Ruide asked eagerly.
Vice Dean Zhang immediately interjected, "Yes, yes, his name is Song Jingzhou, from southern Hunan. He retired from the army a few years ago and was specially recruited back this year!"
"This time you came, you helped our engineering department achieve two breakthroughs..."
Vice Dean Zhang suddenly stopped speaking, glanced at Song Jingzhou up and down, and then looked at Li Ruide.
"What a coincidence! Minister Li seems to be from Xiangnan, right? And your eyebrows and facial features even look somewhat alike."
"You two aren't long-lost relatives, are you?"
Song Jingzhou's pupils contracted, and he suppressed the turmoil in his heart, jokingly saying...
"Vice President Zhang, the colleagues at the Academy of Engineering all say that you always try to get close to the leaders whenever you meet them. It seems the rumors are true!"
"Last time, Team Leader Liu told me that you chased after Minister Li, saying that you were his long-lost brother. How come you just happened to bring along a subordinate from the same place, and now you've become Minister Li's long-lost relative?"
"Your excuse for claiming kinship is absolutely outrageous, even by the standards of the entire military and political world!"
Vice Dean Zhang was extremely embarrassed. Although he did have a bit of a flirting attitude, being so bluntly pointed out made him feel awkward, and he subconsciously touched his ear.
There was no way to stop it, it was scalding hot!
"Young Song, don't listen to their nonsense. I just said that I used to have a younger brother who was separated from me during the war. He's about the same age as the minister. Who said I was chasing after the minister to claim him as my brother?"
"They jump to conclusions at the slightest sound, stirring up trouble even when there's none. Especially that idiot Liu Chuanzhi, he does nothing but gossip and spread rumors everywhere like a loudspeaker..."
Vice President Zhang suddenly realized that this was in front of Minister Li, and it was inappropriate to speak ill of others, so he quickly stopped and changed the subject.
"Minister Li, weren't you recovering at a sanatorium after your old illness relapsed?"
"Oh dear, why won't you listen to advice..."
Vice President Zhang warmly pulled Li Ruide aside to express his concern.
If it weren't for a great figure like Minister Li who wrote this document, he wouldn't be living such a good life today. He would have been forced to take a side by those who manipulate power long ago.
Therefore, Minister Li must live to be a hundred years old so that he can focus on his scientific research in peace!
On the other side, Wang Jingtao's eyes darkened, and his gaze swept back and forth between Li Ruide and Song Jingzhou several times without making a sound.
The two do indeed look somewhat alike, especially their slightly upturned, sword-like eyebrows and their profiles, which are almost identical.
Given their age difference, someone who didn't know better would think they were father and son!
However, Wang Jingtao quickly dismissed the idea, because no one in the world understood Li Ruide better than him.
Li Ruide never married, apparently because he suffered severe physical and emotional trauma in an accident when he was young.
So he declared that he didn't want to hold other girls back and had long since given up on the idea of marriage, instead focusing all his energy on his career.
It was fate that brought them together. When he was eight years old, he met Li Ruide at his maternal grandfather's house, and the latter took a liking to him as soon as he saw him.
Wang Jingtao, who lost his father at a young age, also adored this uncle who doted on him.
When Wang Jingtao was ten years old, Li Ruide held a grand marriage ceremony for him in the Kyoto circle, and adopted Wang Jingtao as his godson!
Over the past ten years, the two have become as close as father and son, even surpassing the blood relationship.
It can be said that Wang Jingtao knows everything about Li Ruide better than anyone else!
But at this moment, Wang Jingtao felt a void in his heart, and an emotion he couldn't explain spread through him. For no reason, he felt a great hostility towards this man named Song Jingzhou!
Song Jingzhou stood there obediently, his eyelids lowered, a smile on his lips, listening to Vice Dean Zhang's rambling.
It was as if they were completely oblivious to the probing glances that Wang Jingtao and Li Ruide were giving them from time to time.
"Minister Li, you must take good care of your health. The country and the revolution need you!"
Li Ruide's smile became somewhat forced as he looked at the incessantly chattering Vice Dean Zhang.
He keeps telling himself to take care of himself, but doesn't he see that he's trembling and leaning on his cane?
The guards nearby were the first to notice Li Ruide's condition, and quickly stepped forward to help him up and offer words of advice.
"Sir, the doctor said he needs acupuncture this afternoon, it's almost time!"
Vice Dean Zhang then came to his senses.
"Minister Li, you should go back quickly, don't delay your recovery!"
"Please take good care of yourself, we all need you!"
The guards quickly helped Li Ruide into the jeep, and Wang Jingtao, quick as a flash, immediately opened the back door for him!
"Godfather, please take care. Be sure to follow the doctor's orders. I'll come to see you whenever I have time!"
Vice Dean Zhang stretched his neck out from next to Wang Jingtao, bared his teeth, and waved at Li Ruide.
"Goodbye, Minister Li!"
Li Ruide returned a kind smile and waved to the people outside the car.
As the car slowly started moving, the smile on Vice President Zhang's face gradually faded.
Once the car was out of sight, he reverted to his usual arrogant demeanor.
"Hey Song, aren't you leaving yet?"
"Oh, here it comes!"
Song Jingzhou quickly followed behind Vice President Zhang, heading towards the Engineering Research Institute.
Wang Jingtao watched the person walking away across the street, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Please, please don't let it be you!
As Song Jingzhou walked ahead, he listened to Vice Dean Zhang's incessant nagging, giving perfunctory "uh-huh"s while glancing sideways at those behind him!
"Dean Zhang, are you acquainted with Minister Li?"
Vice Dean Zhang got even more excited, "How could we not be familiar? I can focus on my research entirely thanks to him!"
"If it weren't for the fact that those above him had to give him some face and didn't dare to go too far, do you think I could still stay at the Engineering Research Institute?"
"If it weren't for Li Ruide, we might not even know who would have been credited for our previous research findings!"
"Let me tell you, this Li Ruide is an orphan, and it seems he has some connection with Chief of Staff Wang."
Song Jingzhou asked curiously, "Background? Could it be that he was able to get to this point because of Chief of Staff Wang?"
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