RMM -Chapter 123 Conversation

Xi Yuechen felt a trace of regret—if he had known earlier that Su Ruo was going for her prenatal checkup, he would have accompanied her.

Hearing that everything was going well finally put him at ease. In truth, he knew the family took meticulous care of Su Ruo, but even so, he couldn’t help worrying about her.

“Report!”

Just as Xi Yuechen was lost in thought, a loud report sounded from the doorway. He looked up to see Xie Haomin standing there.

“Come in.” Xi Yuechen quickly gathered his thoughts and spoke with a serious expression.

After morning training, Xi Yuechen had told Xie Haomin to come to his office after breakfast.

Xie Haomin had no idea what this was about. Thinking it over carefully, he didn’t recall offending Xi Yuechen in any way—so why was he being summoned alone? Could it be some ideological counseling?

After eating, he came over out of curiosity, not particularly nervous. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Xi Yuechen was probably just casually talking with a team member.

Although Xie Haomin had always wanted to defeat Xi Yuechen, that hadn’t happened yet—and no one knew about it anyway. It was a secret.

“Sit,” Xi Yuechen said from behind his desk, gesturing for Xie Haomin to take the seat across from him. “If you want water, help yourself.”

“Thank you, Captain, I’m not thirsty,” Xie Haomin replied, shaking his head after sitting down.

“Mmm.” Xi Yuechen nodded, unconcerned with his response. After a brief pause, he asked, “Why did you come here?”

From his very first day here, Xi Yuechen had known that Xie Haomin was the grandson of Old Chief Xie from the capital. Though he had never met him personally, he knew of Xie Haomin’s existence—apparently the grandson Chief Xie doted on most.

Xi Yuechen had spent years in the military and didn’t interact much with peers in the capital. Many people he hadn’t even met. But that didn’t mean he didn’t understand them.

In Xi Yuechen’s mind, there existed a finely woven web of relationships. Anyone in B City with a name to speak of was listed within that network.

Whether in work or in life, this was how Xi Yuechen operated—he prepared everything early and refined it continuously, leaving no gaps.

So Xie Haomin’s decision to join the action unit truly surprised him—both the choice itself and the fact that the Xie family had agreed.

If the Xie family truly didn’t know about Xie Haomin’s actions, that would be impossible. At the very least, Old Chief Xie and General Xie knew.

Xie Haomin was somewhat surprised by Xi Yuechen’s straightforward question. He raised an eyebrow, adjusted his posture, and looked up at Xi Yuechen with a more serious expression.

“Then can you tell me, Captain,” Xie Haomin said calmly with a faint smile, “why you came here? If you hadn’t wanted to, this transfer order would never have reached you.”

Xi Yuechen hadn’t expected the counterquestion. He fell silent for a moment before replying evenly, “Because the country needs me. Because I am a soldier.”

Xie Haomin nodded and smiled. “Exactly. So am I. I know what you want to ask—because I’m from the Xie family, right?” He gave a meaningful smile and teased, “You’re the son of the Xi family and the Su family’s son-in-law. If you can come here, why can’t I?”

Xi Yuechen glanced at Xie Haomin, his gaze calm and unreadable. But Xie Haomin knew—he wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

Indeed, it was vague and insufficient to express true resolve. Xie Haomin nodded to himself. Fine—then he’d explain properly.

“What I’m about to say, Captain—you can’t get mad. And you definitely can’t give me a hard time later.”

Xie Haomin decided to have a frank conversation with Xi Yuechen. Based on his observations, even if the captain learned that he’d been treating him as an imaginary rival for nearly ten years—constantly wanting to defeat him—Xi Yuechen probably wouldn’t stoop to petty retaliation.

Xi Yuechen swept him with a glance. Instantly, Xie Haomin sensed a hint of disdain. Fine. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and began.

“Captain, you probably don’t realize it yourself, but you and Gu Jiawei are both huge sources of pressure for people like us—pressure as massive as a mountain. Ever since we were kids, our families constantly praised you, always comparing us to you. After concluding we were basically useless mud, they’d endlessly lecture us to learn from you. ‘Stop being idle all day. Look at Gu Jiawei, look at Xi Yuechen. Don’t be fooled by the fact they’re younger—being better than you is only natural. When they were your age, their names were already famous throughout the capital. Unlike you…’”

After finishing that part, Xie Haomin snuck a glance at Xi Yuechen. Seeing him still sitting straight, expression unchanged, he continued:

“To be honest, hearing that a few times as a kid—no big deal. You laugh it off. But hearing it all the time, even as you grow up, constantly being compared—it starts to sting. And when I heard the admiration in my family’s voices when they talked about you, it made me feel awful. I thought, how useless must I be? And how amazing are you? Even Grandpa admires you. So of course my self-esteem took a hit. I wanted to turn the tables somehow—prove to them that I wasn’t that bad, that they didn’t need to envy other people’s children.”

Xie Haomin looked both emotional and amused. Even Xi Yuechen glanced at him in surprise—he truly hadn’t known such things existed. Listening to it, he and Gu Jiawei sounded like nightmares to others.

“Go on,” Xi Yuechen said.

Xie Haomin smiled and shook his head. Since he’d come this far, there was no point holding back.

“Back then, I secretly made up my mind—I would defeat you. Luckily, you joined the military. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to prove myself. Ever since I was young, my dream was to wear olive green and become an outstanding soldier, to protect the country.”

“After enlisting, I focused on one thing—defeating you someday. I used that as motivation to push myself harder, break my own records, and grow stronger. I thought, if one day Xie Haomin defeats the famous Xi Yuechen, wouldn’t I instantly become renowned?”

He joked at the end, laughing even at himself.

Xi Yuechen understood now, though he felt somewhat helpless. What could he say? Being someone’s shadow for years—perhaps for many people—was something he had never imagined.

“My participation in this mission was pure coincidence,” Xi Yuechen said. “Why did you come here?”

If he wanted to defeat him, why not continue training in the regular unit? Why risk his life in such a dangerous operation?

Xie Haomin chuckled. “That’s just a personal pursuit. But before that, I’m a soldier. I said I want to be an outstanding soldier. If the country needs me, of course I’ll answer the call. Otherwise, I’d be unworthy of this olive-green uniform. Compared to that deep patriotism, my personal grudges don’t matter at all. My greatest dream is to serve the nation—I just didn’t expect… to run into you here.”

Though his later words carried a teasing tone, Xi Yuechen could hear the sincerity beneath them—the genuine passion in his heart.

That reassured him. At least he wasn’t some rich young master seeking thrills.

“Did Old Chief Xie send you?” Xi Yuechen asked.

Xie Haomin coughed awkwardly. “At first, only my grandpa knew. He agreed. Later, I don’t know how the rest of the family found out—they insisted I give it up, especially my mom. I basically ran off anyway. With my grandpa backing me, they didn’t dare tamper with the selection to eliminate me. Even now, I still don’t dare call my parents.”

Seeing his wry smile, Xi Yuechen understood. Wasn’t he hiding things from his own family too? He also didn’t dare tell them what he was really doing.

“Call them in a few days. It’ll be fine,” Xi Yuechen said, offering rare comfort.

Xie Haomin’s eyes widened slightly. The captain was comforting him? Heavens—iron trees really do bloom. This block of ice was actually showing sympathy.

“But are you clear about your current goal?” Xi Yuechen asked.

The question snapped Xie Haomin back to attention. He coughed awkwardly—wasn’t this asking whether he still saw Xi Yuechen as an enemy, still thinking about defeating him?

Of course not. Though he still felt a fierce competitive urge around him, he knew what mattered most.

Why had he come here?

To serve the country and protect peace, of course.

“Captain, I’m very clear. My current goal is to obey the captain’s orders, train hard, and make sure I don’t hold everyone back in future operations.”

That assurance satisfied Xi Yuechen. As long as he understood. Otherwise, Xi Yuechen wouldn’t hesitate to send him back to his original unit.

Personal emotions that might endanger the team were not something he would ever allow.

“Mmm. You may go. Rest well—this afternoon we have weighted cross-country training.” Lowering his gaze to the documents on the desk, he gave the order calmly.

At the mention of weighted cross-country again, Xie Haomin wilted. Every day it was cross-country. Captain, can’t we try something new?

Internally wailing, he showed nothing on his face. He responded with a crisp “Yes,” turned, and left.

Weighted cross-country it is then. He was a man destined to do great things and bring honor to the nation—what hardship couldn’t he endure?

Wasn’t it said that when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility upon someone, it must first test their resolve, strain their muscles and bones, and starve their body?

After Xie Haomin left, Xi Yuechen no longer looked at the documents. He leaned back in his chair, glanced at the time, and smiled softly. Taking out his phone, he dialed a number.

That little woman must be waiting for his call.