In the distance, Qianye noticed the movement behind him and looked back. Hesta immediately raised his hand and waved. Qianye smiled and changed his sitting posture to a half-squat, preparing to end the conversation with Si Lei.
"Let's stop here," Qianye said softly, "Don't do such a thing next time."
Si Lei also looked back and saw Li Ge and Hesta in the distance waving to her at the same time.
"...Lego told me a story on the boat before." Si Lei suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
"The soles of Dopulus's feet," Si Lei whispered, "seem to be very famous among you mercury needles."
"Hmm, that's it. What's wrong?"
"Now that I think about everything that happened on the Shengming, every one of them seems to be condensed into this story," Si Lei whispered, "To what extent were you involved in this matter?"
Qianye took a deep breath and stood up with his knees up, "Let's put it this way, Si Lei, you can write all these... guesses of yours into your report - what you saw, what you heard, What you have experienced, what you doubt... it doesn't matter, I have only one request: let everything that happened on the ship stay on the ship, and don't disturb the past."
"You mean Hestad's time at Tany-"
"I don't mean anything specific," Qianye interrupted Si Lei, "Some things should pass."
Si Lei also stood up, "Of course I will truthfully state everything I saw on the ship in my report: the night banquet, the massacre, the rules, the instigator Anna...including the last evil act of these soldiers shooting ordinary passengers, I will tell the truth about everything. Record. Even if you don’t give me this kind of forgiveness, I will still do it. You can’t threaten me, Chiba.”
Qianye stared at Si Lei with a subtle expression.
"...But I can promise you that everything that happens on the ship will only happen on the ship."
"That's great!" Qianye laughed heartily and patted Si Lei on the arm, "You will become famous, officer! I'm leaving first!"
Qianye walked toward Hesta and the others with long strides, leaving Si Lei standing alone in the cold wind.
Chiba motioned for Rico and Hesta to follow him. Rico pushed the wheelchair and quickly turned around. Hesta in the wheelchair turned back again and looked at Si Lei at the bow of the ship.
Si Lei waved goodbye to her, and Hesta also grabbed the air in Si Lei's direction, and then quickly disappeared into the ship.
…
Chiba took the two of them to a conference hall under the ship.
She placed Rico and Hesta in the corner and got herself a cup of coffee.
"Why don't you two wait in the tea room above?" Chiba asked.
"Jian feels it's boring up there," Rico replied, "we just went out for a walk."
"Okay, I have something to talk to you later," Qianye glanced at the two of them, "You guys sit here for now, and I will come to you when I'm done."
Rico glanced at Hesta meaningfully, his eyes were quite proud - look at what I just said.
People began to enter the entrance of the conference hall - they were three elderly men wearing navy uniforms. Chiba put down his cup, turned and walked over there.
Hesta quietly observed the visitors for a while, then leaned towards Rico, "...Do you recognize their epaulettes? Why haven't I seen them before?"
"They should all be in the shape of the Fourteenth District," Rico whispered. "They completely changed the design of all military decorations last year. I'm not sure what these are... I have to look it up, but I guess these are I am the captain of three cruisers and looks like him."
"……I feel so too."
In the distance, several people took off their white gloves and shook hands with Qianye. Their expressions seemed to be reminiscing with old friends they had not seen for many years. There was both familiarity and caution in their expressions.
"Miss Chiba seems to be familiar with them." Hesta whispered.
"It's not surprising, Chiba is always running around all over the world, and there are people she knows everywhere."
Hesta frowned slightly, "I also travel all over the world, but I don't seem to have many other friends until now..."
"You have different personalities."
Hesta's frown deepened, "What's the difference?"
"Well..." Li Ge thought for a while, "Every time you went out to perform a mission, you would leave immediately after completing the mission. You never attended cocktail parties, celebration banquets, etc."
"Those things are boring."
"Well, it's here. Many human connections are established at this time. If you don't drink, you won't have the chance to listen." Rico leaned back on the chair and half-closed his eyes, "But what's the point? , that’s not your intention anyway.”
"...But I also want to know what they are talking about."
Hesta's eyes never left the conversation table where the four of them were talking. After entering the formal conversation, the expressions of several people were obviously much more serious. Chiba's fingers tapped the document several times. Although his expression was not harsh, it made the other three People were anxious at the same time.
Rico looked over to Hesta, "If you're curious, can't you just ask her later?"
"no……"
Hesta shook her head. This was the first time Hesta had truly watched Chiba at the negotiation table. It was completely different from how she looked on the battlefield and in life. Hesta didn't know how to explain this feeling to Rico - the kind of influence she had worked so hard to gain in front of others in the past half month was suddenly found in Chiba at this moment.
"What is that?" Rico asked.
"...Maybe I suddenly felt it," Hesta looked at Qianye, "...the gap?"
"How do you compare with Qianye? She is older than you and must have more experience -"
"But when she brought me back to the base, Miss Chiba was twenty years old, and I am twenty this year." Hesta whispered, "What Miss Chiba was doing back then, what am I doing now. "
"simple……"
"I'm fine," Hestad still frowned, "I'm just surprised, why have I never thought about this problem before -"
"Jane." Rico interrupted Hesta solemnly, "Did Anna instill some strange ideas in you? You have never been anxious about such things before."
"Anna..."
Hesta suddenly remembered the scene when Anna hit her head with a cane when she and Anna finally parted, and that feeling of disgust and unwillingness surfaced again.
"You may be too tired," Rico leaned on the chair again, her body slowly slid down, her hands clasped on her belly, "Come, follow me, take a deep breath——
"Don't think about those things," Rico said softly, "You know, you are very good now, very good."
"It can be better."
Hesta thought so, closed her eyes, and started breathing according to the rhythm given by Rico.
(End of chapter)
