Chapter 57 Heir

"...It's not your fault..." Jiang Huaiyan quickly said.

"It was my fault for saying that. I didn't mean to... curse you or wish you ill. Your rank isn't high; you should find a highly compatible omega as soon as possible. The matching center is already up and running. Have you been to register at the matching center, Mr. Jiang?"

"...Not yet." Jiang Huaiyan was silent for a moment before replying. "I don't have plans to get married anytime soon, and I'm not ready to start a family or settle down with anyone."

"I'm not pressuring you," Zhu Shinian replied flatly. "I'm just reminding you to take care of yourself. No matter what, stop using so many strong suppressants."

"Okay."

"About decision-making, you can talk to the Governor once he's back," Jiang Huaiyan added. "That kind of insight and perspective really needs guidance from someone experienced. I've heard he used to be a guest professor at several universities in the capital, and his lectures were quite accessible."

"He went to the front lines himself and left you here, probably hoping you'd learn more about politics and help him share the burden later."

"I'm not good at politics," Zhu Shinian said quickly. "Let everyone do what they're best at. I'll handle the fighting. Politics is for the Governor, and besides, you're here, Mr. Jiang."

"Despite any friction between us, I've always believed in your abilities and your loyalty to the Resistance."

"Is that so?" Jiang Huaiyan was momentarily taken aback, not expecting him to say that.

He had thought Zhu Shinian would be like Tao Juan, suspecting him of ulterior motives for joining the Resistance.

"But Tao Juan and I weren't born knowing politics either. I've made mistakes, suffered for them, and made a fool of myself."

"Actually, politics and warfare are both about the same principles—seize opportunities when you're on offense, and when you're on defense, just deal with whatever comes your way."

"You've never been a politician, not even for a day, so why say you're not good at it? Why are you setting limits on yourself so early? No one is born knowing everything."

"...In the past, were you close with Zhu Cheng?" Zhu Shinian suddenly asked, somewhat out of nowhere.

The question came so unexpectedly that Zhu Shinian quickly realized it himself, his gaze flickering away, looking elsewhere.

Why had he suddenly blurted out such a strange question?

Jiang Huaiyan was stunned for a moment; a moment later, he realized who Zhu Shinian was referring to.

"We lived together, ate together, went to school together," Jiang Huaiyan said, lowering his gaze to avoid Zhu Shinian's eyes, blinking quickly. "I was sickly back then and didn't have many other friends. I actually... considered him a really good friend."

"He... also told me not to set limits on myself too early," Zhu Shinian said. "I thought back then, no one from District 26 had ever gotten into a Capital school, so why should I think I could? But later, just like he said, I really did get in."

"His diary also mentioned that you were bad at physics and always got problems wrong. He comforted you and told you not to set limits on yourself."

When people spend a lot of time together, their tone, speech habits, and way of speaking start to blend.

Just like when Chen Yueming went through a phase of using inverted sentences—"Don't know, me," "I eat this, auntie," "Going where, you?"—it got so bad that Zhu Shinian couldn't even keep his grammar straight for a while.

Maybe back then, Zhu Cheng and Jiang Huaiyan had really been friends.

"Yeah," Jiang Huaiyan's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly masked it well. "He's right. You should be more confident. Just like you believed you could get into the military academy, I'm sure you'll do great in everything else."

By the time he left Jiang Huaiyan's office, it was already dark. Zhu Shinian didn't return to his dorm but crashed in his own office.

The next morning, he got up early, reworked all three plans again, carefully going over every detail he could think of, and sent them to Tao Juan's work email.

The Civil-Military Joint Committee only served as a temporary substitute for the Governor when Tao Juan couldn't make decisions, but as long as Tao Juan agreed, Zhu Shinian's plans could still be approved and executed.

He didn't want to give up just yet... He wanted to try one more time.

Tao Juan's reply came in the evening, with the subject line simply "Plan Response."

Zhu Shinian opened it. The body was short, written by a secretary, saying that Governor Tao Juan had read his plans. Due to an unexpected situation at the front, the Governor was injured and couldn't reply in person, so an audio recording of his dictation was attached.

The attachment was an audio file.

Zhu Shinian hovered his mouse over the file, paused, and clicked to open it.

The recording started with a crackle of static noise, then Tao Juan's familiar voice.

It sounded weaker than usual, a bit hoarse, but his tone stayed calm and collected.

"Xiao Zhu, I've finished reading your plans."

Tao Juan coughed once in the recording, and in the background came the concerned voice of a secretary or nurse, reminding him about his IV.

"The plans are well-written. The details are spot on, the retreat routes are thoroughly considered, and you've carefully calculated the success rate."

"But I can't approve them. The Civil-Military Joint Committee didn't approve them either, and I'm sure you already know why."

"I can't sacrifice our elite forces on something like this. You need to learn to accept that some patients are ones we can't save, just like you've learned to accept casualties in war. No matter what, we can't walk into the Empire's trap. You understand, Zhu Shinian?"

"As for your plan to lead personally, I will veto it, no questions asked. I am absolutely not going to let you take such a risk. Zhu Shinian, do you know why I went through all the trouble, risking you resenting me, to call you back at this crucial time? I want you to play a greater role in the Resistance, not die for something like this."

Tao Juan was already fifty; he joined the Imperial military as a teenager. With only an A-rank, he had taken many suppressants and had a lot of old injuries.

He might live another ten or twenty years, or even longer, but how long could he stay clear-headed and rational, leading the Resistance without making mistakes?

The Resistance certainly needed a new leader to step up—someone capable, who truly cared about the people of the Resistance zone, who wouldn't turn the Resistance into his own private army or a tool for gaining power and becoming someone above others.

It would be best if this person could win the heartfelt allegiance of more people and represent more people, not just the original Districts 27 to 30, not just the Arctic Wolf Squad that first followed him in founding the Resistance.

"I know you might resent me, think I deliberately drove a wedge between you and the Empire, that I played mind games to force you into coming here. But regrettably, I had no choice but to use such tactics on you."

"You are very important to the Resistance. I went to such lengths to deceive and manipulate you into coming here. I won't let you throw your life away so easily on something like this."