Chapter 195
The moment the words left his mouth, Commander Pan felt a slight twinge of unease, but in this era, being able to contribute to the nation was considered the highest honor.
“Commander Pan, I have nothing more to say on the matter,” Gu Tingxiao replied coldly. His face was a mask of stone, and the aura rolling off him was as sharp and piercing as an icy arrow.
“You…” Commander Pan’s hands shook with sheer frustration. He pointed a finger at his subordinate, looking thoroughly disappointed. “What exactly do you want? Just lay your cards on the table! Stop beating around the bush with me!”
Commander Pan knew his two direct subordinates better than anyone. Sheng Wanze might look lazy on the surface, but he had a mind full of endless tricks. Gu Tingxiao, on the other hand, was cold, methodical, and had been raised from infancy by high-ranking military men like Old Man Gu and General Gu. How could a man like him possess small ambitions? Gu Tingxiao knew exactly how to leverage a situation to maximize returns.
“That depends entirely on the level of sincerity you and the troops are willing to show,” Gu Tingxiao said smoothly.
“You are a soldier of this nation! Why are you pulling so hard for the other side?” Commander Pan stared at him, genuinely bewildered. This fiercely protective stance was completely uncharacteristic of Gu Tingxiao’s usual style. Unless…
Commander Pan instantly dismissed the ridiculous notion that had popped into his head. It made absolutely no sense. It couldn’t possibly be Sheng Wanyan. While his niece was undoubtedly intelligent, it was impossible for her to possess such a profound, advanced mastery of medicine. She was a high school graduate who had spent her time working as a writer—it was simply out of the question.
Realizing he couldn’t squeeze a single drop of information out of Gu Tingxiao through pressure, the commander knew his only option was to offer genuine concessions to make him budge. Taking a deep breath, he put forward the absolute maximum offer he was authorized to give.
“The military will pay ten thousand yuan for the formula, and we will guarantee a stable, secure job for the source.”
Gu Tingxiao remained entirely silent, merely holding the commander’s gaze with a look that made his dissatisfaction painfully obvious.
“Commander Pan, I imagine my father back in the Capital would also be deeply intrigued by a medical breakthrough of this caliber,” Gu Tingxiao remarked casually. “the Capital Military District would likely demonstrate a much greater degree of sincerity.”
Commander Pan’s blood boiled at the veiled threat, yet he forced himself to maintain a tight smile. These young men are truly a bunch of debt collectors, he thought bitterly. How can he be so stubborn?
“Captain Gu, let’s not make any impulsive decisions here,” the commander urged, trying to de-escalate. “I have a high-level meeting tomorrow morning. Give me a bit of time. If you have specific conditions in mind, I can fight to secure them from the higher-ups, alright?”
Gu Tingxiao gritted his teeth, a thin smile gracing his lips as he replied reluctantly, “Very well.”
“Then I shall await your good news, Commander.”
Commander Pan left the house absolutely fuming. He couldn’t understand why Gu Tingxiao was fighting so hard for an outsider. Still, there was no denying that the hemostatic powder was nothing short of miraculous; it was a resource that could save thousands of frontline soldiers from the brink of death.
Early the next morning, Commander Pan called a closed-door meeting with the top military brass. As the crucial intermediary, Gu Tingxiao was required to attend.
Once the official briefing concluded, the senior leadership pulled Gu Tingxiao aside for a private discussion, urging him to look after the interests of their specific military branch. Their main priority was to ensure that no other regional command intercepted the formula ahead of them. They assured him that their current offer was incredibly generous, and if there was any point of dissatisfaction, everything remained entirely open to negotiation.
Gu Tingxiao listened intently without offering any definitive promises, merely stating that he would do his absolute best.
As the leaders began to disperse, Political Commissar Xie exited the briefing room and signaled for Gu Tingxiao to follow him to his private office. Seeing this, Commander Pan quickly fell into step behind them. A few other officers attempted to tag along, but the commander immediately turned on them with a fierce scowl.
“Don’t you men have drills to run? Since when do you have so much free time!” he barked. “If you’re that bored, go double the training schedule for your regiments!”
Faced with the commander’s sudden wrath, no one dared to press further. The officers quickly scattered back to their respective units to supervise their soldiers.
Once the three of them were inside Political Commissar Xie’s office, Commander Pan shut the door firmly.
“Captain Gu, you need to handle this contact delicately,” the commissar began smoothly. “The financial terms are highly flexible, as long as our district is granted exclusive priority access.”
When Political Commissar Xie had first been briefed on the situation, he had immediately warned Commander Pan not to push Gu Tingxiao too hard. Now that they had a foot in the door, the last thing they wanted to do was alienate the source and drive them away entirely.
“Captain Gu, you must understand that Commander Pan’s urgency stems entirely from his devotion to the men who risk their lives on the front lines. Please don’t take his bluntness to heart.”
Political Commissar Xie poured a fresh cup of tea, keeping the mood calm. The three men sat opposite one another in the quiet office. Fortunately, the commissar possessed an exceptional talent for diplomacy and knew exactly how to navigate tense negotiations.
“Captain Gu, in your opinion, what kind of arrangement would make the creator of this medicine comfortable enough to cooperate fully with the military?” Political Commissar Xie’s approach was gentle and rational. Since Gu Tingxiao was far from an unreasonable man, a constructive conversation was finally possible.
“The political commissar is well aware of the immense value of this formula,” Gu Tingxiao stated firmly. “Therefore, the military must display a level of sincerity that matches that value.”
Political Commissar Xie nodded in immediate agreement. Seeing the commissar validate Gu Tingxiao’s demanding stance, Commander Pan instantly bristled, sitting up straight in his chair to protest.
“Old Pan, don’t get so worked up. I believe Captain Gu makes an excellent point,” the commissar interrupted, waving him down. “We are soldiers, and we are entirely accustomed to sacrificing ourselves selflessly for the nation. But you must remember, the person who created this medicine isn’t bound by our military oaths. Perhaps they simply wished to give Captain Gu a means of self-defense out of personal regard. We cannot force our own rigid code of conduct onto civilians.”
Political Commissar Xie’s argument was flawless, perfectly demonstrating why he was considered the premier diplomat of the base. His words even caused Commander Pan to experience a sudden wave of self-doubt. Isn’t everything supposed to be about contributing to the motherland? Why does this have to be so complicated?
“Then… what do you suggest we do?” Commander Pan asked, pulling a stool closer and looking at the commissar for a viable solution.
“We must offer an exchange of equal value, but we must ensure that this formula remains securely within our borders,” Political Commissar Xie mused. “We cannot afford to anger the source. If we back them into a corner and they decide to cut ties completely… the consequences would be catastrophic for the military.”
The current international landscape was fraught with tension, with foreign powers watching China covetously. They absolutely could not risk a blunder that might accidentally push a medical breakthrough of this scale into enemy hands.
“Then how should we proceed?” Commander Pan asked eagerly.
Political Commissar Xie frowned, contemplating the situation for a long moment before finally reaching for the telephone on his desk. “Let me make a few inquiries up the chain of command.”
Commander Pan nodded silently, while Gu Tingxiao kept his eyes lowered, staring at the polished surface of the desk without uttering a word.
Throughout this entire negotiation, his singular focus was securing the absolute best protections and benefits for his wife. He knew Wanyan’s character perfectly; he knew that she ultimately intended to hand the medicine over to help people. She was doing this entirely because he was a soldier. She simply couldn’t bear the thought of frontline troops facing certain death without a fighting chance. His wife’s love for him extended to the very men he served alongside.
But while Wanyan loved the military for his sake, Gu Tingxiao loved his wife above all else. He was fiercely determined to strike a perfect balance between his duty to the country and his duty to her. Protecting both interests wasn’t a hardship for him; he knew exactly what he wanted and what his priorities were. He was entirely willing to bleed for his country, but the country had to guarantee that his family would live a smooth, safe, and prosperous life in return.
By the time Gu Tingxiao walked back across his own threshold, Sheng Wanyan was taking a quiet afternoon nap. He slipped quietly into the bedroom, changed out of his crisp military uniform, and pulled on a comfortable cotton vest and shorts.
Seeing how deeply she was sleeping, he quietly slipped into the backyard to tidy up the courtyard. During his weeks away on assignment, his wife had maintained the entire property in pristine, immaculate order.
He checked the chicken coop, where two healthy hens clucked softly. Under current regulations, families were strictly limited to raising a maximum of two chickens, lest they exceed the allowed production quotas.
Moving to the storage cellar, he found it packed to the brim with provisions—more than enough to sustain the two of them comfortably for the next two months. If they managed to secure a few more bulk supplies before the bitter winter cold set in, they wouldn’t have to worry about food shortages at all.
