My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Jiang Jinyan spent almost two days waiting for Xu Binchen's news. He tried hard not to let curiosity bother him, but the itch was slowly getting unbearable. Finally, he couldn't help but give Si Zhening a call.

  "Hello, Young Master Jiang? May I ask why are you calling me at this late hour?" Si Zhening's tone was as impeccable and polite as always.

From the other end of the line, Jiang Jinyan could faintly hear the sound of wind whistling as well as a faint conversation. Quietly, he asked, "Secretary Si, did I bother you?"

"Not at all," The man said. "Do you need something?"

Jiang Jinyan stared at bruises on his palm, hesitating for a while. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to ask directly. It was too awkward. The pair of father and son had spent the last decade with minimum communication, sometimes they didn't even talk to each other for months. Jiang Jinyan wasn't used to worrying about the old man, but Xu Binchen's words kept on plaguing his mind.

He could only ask in a roundabout way.

"…Did my father give you a lot of work?" 

"No." Si Zhening was unaware of the turmoil in Jiang Jinyan's mind. "It's just as usual. Do you need something from him? If you'd like, you can tell me instead, Young Master Jiang. After all, CEO Jiang has informed me to prioritize you first shall anything happen."

Jiang Jinyan grabbed onto his words and pretended to casually ask. "Oh? He said that?"

"That's right."

Silence reigned over the phone call. Although Jiang Jinyan kept on dilly dallying, Si Zhening didn't lose his patience and waited for him to speak. Jiang Jinyan cleared his throat, "Do you know where my father is now?"

"Wait a moment." A rustle of paper was heard. It seemed like Secretary Si was flipping his notebook. "As of now, CEO Jiang was in a business conference in City H. He departed a month ago and by estimation, he should return this week."

This week...today was only Tuesday. Which day did he mean? "...Can you get in contact with him?"

"Young Master Jiang," Si Zhening sounded helpless. "You should know that once CEO Jiang is immersed in his work, he won't remember his phone at all. How about this? I can try to contact Secretary Deng Chuqian. He's the one who follows CEO Jiang there."

Jiang Jinyan hummed softly. "Then, I will bother you with that."

"It's my pleasure. Please wait for a moment, Young Master Jiang." The call ended afterward.

The screen on Jiang Jinyan's phone returned to the contacts interface. On it were only three names; Secretary Si, Shi Nian and Xu Binchen. He deliberately didn't want to save Jiang Huocheng's number because everytime he looked at the older man's name, he would become so irritated and moody.

Jiang Jinyan would never admit that he had remembered Jiang Huocheng's number by heart.

He stared at the phone in daze and when he came to his senses, a string of numbers appeared there without him realizing. It was Jiang Huocheng's numbers which had kept on popping up in his mind. His thumb even hovered above the call button. If he had moved a bit, then the call would have been connected. 

Jiang Jinyan hastily let go of the phone as if his hands had been scalded, watching it drop onto the bed.

In the next moment, the phone rang again. It was Si Zhening.

"Young Master," Si Zhening greeted and directly got to the point. "I have contacted Secretary Deng. According to him, CEO Jiang is indeed in City H right now and the business conference is going smoothly. However, there's a slight adjustment to the schedule. Instead of returning, CEO Jiang will directly fly abroad to discuss a new cooperation."

Jiang Jinyan digested the words and slowly, a sneer formed on his lips. His heart which had been hanging unstably could finally rest. What accident could have happened to Jiang Huocheng? Wasn't he just as busy as usual? Jiang Jinyan felt absurd for being affected by Xu Binchen's speculation just like that.

"…alright," he said in a low voice. "Thank you very much, Secretary Si. Please tell Secretary Deng not to tell my father that I asked for him."

Si Zhening didn't suspect anything and agreed.

Jiang Jinyan put down the phone and stared out of the window, taking in the sparkling, glittering lights of high buildings outside. An unspeakable loneliness washed over him and he couldn't help but feel tired. He closed his eyes for a moment and faintly, his ears caught a soft, steady footsteps walking down the hallway.

The footsteps stopped outside his door, followed by a series of knocks.

Jiang Jinyan lifted his eyelids and turned to see Xu Binchen outside the door. The man's temperament was always cold and frosty. When he stood there, it was as if the temperature inside the room lowered by a few degrees. There was a hint of exhaustion between his brows and his eyebags seemed a bit darker than the last time Jiang Jinyan saw him. Yet his eyes remained sharp and alert like a fierce leopard that could directly pounce on you if the situation called for it.

"Detective Xu," Jiang Jinyan started before the man did. He chortled softly, a hint of mockery in his tone. "No need to bother yourself again. I have just asked my father's secretary and they told me that he is perfectly safe and sound."

Xu Binchen had his hands inside the pocket as he walked in. His voice was hoarse and tired. "Did they tell you that he's currently in City H, attending a business conference?"

Jiang Jinyan had no idea what Xu Binchen's identity was but he knew that the latter was rich, powerful with an enormous network at his disposal. Maybe he might even be mightier than Jiang Huocheng. In any case, finding this kind of information shouldn't be difficult for him. So, Jiang Jinyan wasn't surprised anymore when he said that. "That's right."

"Then, what if I tell you that the business conference has been cancelled three months ago?"

Jiang Jinyan lifted his eyes, bewildered.

Xu Binchen gazed at the youth's bruised yet stunning features and spoke, his tone contained a hint of impatience and irritation. "One of the core figures in the business conference, Chairman Kim Ji Seok from Korea, got into an accident and was hospitalized. The news hasn't been reported yet because they feared that the economic stability and company's stock will plummet. However, the business conference is confirmed to be postponed indefinitely."

He pulled out a stack of papers that had been rolled from his pocket, throwing it to Jiang Jinyan. The latter was too stunned to react and the papers spread across bed, the content was clear for him to see. There were screenshots of surveillance records, showing the side profile of the man who was awfully similar to Jiang Jinyan, albeit a few decades older. Behind him was Secretary Deng Chuqian and a few additional staff.

The time stamp was marked on the bottom left corner of the footage. It was the date of a month ago.

Xu Binchen elaborated. "A month ago, Jiang Huocheng departed on a private plane to City H. Yes, that's the fact. However, when my people dug deeper, they found that after three days in City H, CEO Jiang rode on a chartered plane to a private, nameless island. It is an island under your mother, Guan Xiaoxiao's name, bought as early as twenty years ago."

Jiang Jinyan reached for one of the papers showing Jiang Huocheng's rigid and solemn face as he walked into the chartered plane. The additional staff behind him were gone, only Secretary Deng Chuqian remained. He didn't know why his fingertips started to tremble, maybe because it had been a long time since he heard someone uttered his mother's name. "Why…did he go there?"

Xu Binchen didn't disappoint as his knowledge was comprehensive and thorough. "Twenty years ago, Jiang Huocheng bought that island and transformed it into a vacation resort for your mother. When she was pregnant with you, she spent most of her time there. Aside from a vacation resort, the island was also equipped with a clinic with the latest equipment and best doctors. Mr. Jiang, why do you think your father went there?"

Jiang Jinyan gripped the papers so hard that they tore. His head buzzed and he couldn't seem to understand what Xu Binchen was implying. "…What for?"

Xu Binchen looked at him and sighed. He reached out gingerly and patted the youth's shoulder two times in comfort. "In the last five years, Jiang Huocheng has gone there a total of eighteen times and his stay ranges from half a month to two months. Jiang Huocheng has covered it very well and it seems the only person who knows the truth is his secretary but that person also helps him to hide."

"Mr. Jiang, I suspect—no, I am 90% certain that CEO Jiang went there to recuperate from an illness."

It was as if Jiang Jinyan's soul separated from his body. He saw Xu Binchen's lips move but couldn't understand what the man was saying. He saw Xu Binchen pat his shoulder but couldn't feel it on his own body. A dull ache drilled into his heart and it was then that Jiang Jinyan realized he had been holding his breath for too long. "He…what?" He asked, his voice was barely a whisper.

Xu Binchen pinched his brows, veins popping up his forehead. "Don't pretend. I know you heard me."

Seeing Jiang Jinyan's disoriented state, Xu Binchen lost his patience. He hated how iron couldn't become steel. Why did he look as if the world was on the verge of collapsing? Xu Binchen inwardly added 'emotionally fragile, sensitive and slow witted' into his impression on Jiang Jinyan. The more he looked, the more dissatisfied he became.

"Man up, kiddo." He said gruffly. "Running away won't solve your problem. What are you scared of? A real man isn't afraid of making mistakes, but running away and not amending those mistakes, letting them become the source of darkness in your heart."

In a timely manner, Xu Binchen's phone rang, rescuing him from having to cheer up an emotional brat. He almost sighed in relief and thanked whoever was calling him.

Turning away from the lost Jiang Jinyan, he answered the call. "Hello, why are you calling me? Aren't you guys having your holiday? No shit, spill it or I will hang up in three, two—" He listened to what the other person was saying, his brows furrowing more and more. "Digging a treasure trove? Qin Weizhe, are you fucking joking with me?"

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A/N: 

Excavator laborer Xu: wanna die? (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴

No, jokes aside, my heart aches for Jiang Jinyan QAQ he's too sensitive and emotionally fragile for his own good. In addition to Shi Nian who will love him unconditionally, he also needs someone to slap some sense into his head or else he will remain stubborn. Welp, Xu Binchen is just too rough and insensitive (｀ε´)

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