Chapter 624: Chapter 624: He Coughed Up Blood…
Song Baiyan didn’t need to elaborate further as Han Jifeng had already imagined the scene: the beauty of poppies, fiery as they blossomed across the mountains, unforgettable the moment one opened their eyes, just like many years ago, Song Baiyan still remembered the little girl who saved him.
When a man achieves success and fame, if he owes a life debt that has not been repaid in time, with the passing of years and his rising status, this debt of gratitude would seem magnified.
Therefore, in his dreams, Song Baiyan ordered his subordinates to re-investigate Xia Zhengguo’s case, just to repay Tang Li’s favor, including his approachable demeanor when speaking to Tang Li, all because Tang Li had once saved his life.
In fragmented recollections, Han Jifeng vaguely remembered returning from playing golf; within a couple of days, he had been summoned by the chief prosecutor who then reassigned him to a new position.
At that time, because of the meeting between Song Baiyan and Tang Li at the golf course, and Lai Yuaner’s instigation, even though he was promoted, he did not mention a word of it to Tang Li when he got home.
Between him and Tang Li, besides having nothing to talk about, there were also many misunderstandings piled up.
Noticing that Han Jifeng seemed a bit distracted, Song Baiyan continued: “I lived there for a while and knew a little about her family’s situation. Later when I left, her mother made me promise not to come back, as they didn’t want their lives disrupted. Not long after, they also moved away from that small village.”
“Years later, when I switched careers and left the military service, throughout those seven or eight years, I occasionally thought about this incident until she returned to the Lai Family. Only then did these memories become clear again.”
After a while, Han Jifeng asked, “Did you meet her again at the Lai Family?”
Song Baiyan denied, “I saw her again in August two years ago. That midday, she was distributing flyers at a shopping plaza. Seeing her face all flushed, I told the driver to get out of the car and grab all her flyers, but she refused. It took quite some persuasion just to get three from her.
She told the driver she earned 120 yuan for a day of distributing flyers, and if she gave all away, she wouldn’t know what to do next. There were occasional patrols in the plaza, and if found out, her morning’s work would have been in vain, and she would also lose that part-time job.”
Han Jifeng noted, Song Baiyan’s eyes filled with nostalgia: “After she came to the Capital, she instead became earnest, knowing that being lazy would cost her wages, unlike before when she would think of ways to shirk work.”
The words ‘shirk work’ were spoken by Song Baiyan with indulgence.
“Everyone has been through her age, she is still young now, and even if she does something wrong, there’s still time to correct her mistakes.”
Song Baiyan added, “Whether one is childish or not can’t be judged merely by appearance. Some seventy-year-olds behave like children in front of their loved ones, you can’t call them naive or ignorant. Maybe outside, they already hold a very high social status.”
Looking at Song Baiyan’s mature and handsome features, Han Jifeng seemed to take in these words, but also seemed to ignore them. After a few minutes, he asked the question deep in his heart, “So… are you planning to repay her life-saving grace with affection?”
After a long while, Han Jifeng received an answer from Song Baiyan.
Ji Ming was waiting outside the office.
He glanced at his watch, it was already past 6 in the evening.
Soon, the office door opened, and out came Director Han.
Han Jifeng’s complexion was slightly pale, making his eyebrows and eyes appear even cooler, he walked straight out from the second-floor hall, and down the outside stairs.
Before he had even walked past the fountain in front of Tan Palace, the stomach cramps that had been bothering him for days became more pronounced.
In his thoughts, the words spoken by Song Baiyan still lingered.
Han Jifeng felt a fishy taste in his throat, he just covered his thin lips with his hand when a cough spilled out, and his hand was stained with crimson.