Back home, Huang Xuan lied down in the pavilion. He thought and thought, then said, rubbing the bamboo mat: “Rolin, will your base be here forever?”
“It’s the union’s base.”
“Will it always be here?”
“It depends.”
“If you can, how will you move ⎼ well, the league’s base?⎼To another plane?”
After a short silence, Rolin skipped the first question, and said: “Before the arrival of the new order, the base has to stay at the same place. As for how to move it, it also depends.”
“It depends on how much energy it stores, right?” asked Huang Xuan abruptly.
“Yes,” answered Rolin shortly.
After a pause, Huang Xuan said: “If so, could I still find you and the base? I mean, you promised to send me to the plane, space and time I choose.”
“Of course I will keep my word.”
“So? Would I still be able to find you?”
“It depends on your authority.”
Huang Xuan blinked, “What authority?”
“You don’t have the authority.” Rolin’s answer was delicate.
Huang Xuan rephrased his question. “How can I get the authority?”
“You don’t have the authority,” Rolin repeated.
Huang Xuan bit his lips, put his hands under his head and started recalling what had happened in the past few days. He had always been worried that Rolin might break his promise, and now he worried that he might move away. Watching the Amentotaxus sway in the wind, he fished around in his pocket for the phone and decided to call his mom.
Zhang Xinyi was in the office, reading some material. Looking at the caller ID, she smiled and picked up the phone: “Son, do you have something to confess, or you miss your mom?”
“Mom, I have a question for you,” Huang Xuan stuttered.
“Oh...” Zhang Xinyi drawled. “What a surprise! What is it?”
Huang Xinyi trod carefully: “I met a person, someone very powerful. Now he needs my help. And ... helping him may be risky and unrewarded. What am I supposed to do?”
Zhang Xinyi put down the pen in her hand and thought about it. To her, her son was at the age beyond the preliminary phase of moral development. So, she said slowly, “If this person is in danger, we are supposed to help him. But first of all, you mustn’t put yourself at risk. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“As you said, he is powerful. Why does he need your help then? It doesn’t make sense.” Apparently, his mom was worried that he might fall into some trap, but she didn’t say it explicitly.
“He ...” Huang Xuan hadn’t figured out why Rolin had put him in the plane p112 in the first place. For protection? Or out of his cruel nature? After some consideration, he said: “He is in a different position. The power he possesses is totally different from ours. Helping him may be rewarding, or not, but not helping him may be risky.”
Hearing these words, Zhang Xinyi started to fidget. She sensed danger, even though Huang Xuan himself might not have realized that “not helping him may be risky” was simply a synonym of “threat.” She thought it was her fault: when her son had been missing for two days and received a large sum of 16 million yuan, she didn’t pay enough attention. Thinking of the bunch of good-for-nothings working for her big brother, she said softly as she cleaned the desk to get ready to leave: “Son, where are you?”
“Home.”
“I will be right back, then we will have a talk. Stay there.”
Huang Xuan didn’t understand why his mom was making such a fuss. He laughed and said: “What are you worried about? You act as if somebody was going to catch me. Who will do that?”
“The person in need of your help.” Zhang Xinyi didn’t think it was funny at all.
Huang Xuan finally realized what his mom meant and said, “Mom, take it easy. He doesn’t intend to hurt me.”
Yet, his voice went down as he said these words. Actually, he couldn’t control Rolin’s mind. He had come to his mom for advice because he had been worried that Rolin might break his promise. A few days before, if it hadn’t been for his mom’s quick response, he would have been likely to be kept in 1969. Nevertheless, he didn’t think his mom going back home would help, actually, it might even make things worse. Hence, he raised his voice and said, “Mom, don’t worry. It isn’t what you think.”
“Fine. What is it?”
“His solutions to problems are different from ours.” Huang Xuan thought this indication would be enough. He paused. He had been trying to seek answers from his mom. It turned out that all he got was one more problem. He gave a wry smile and said: “Mom, keep it to yourself.”
“What?”
“It isn’t that serious.” Huang Xuan was trying to comfort his mom. “As long as you keep it to yourself, it will be much less risky.” He thought Rolin was absolutely rational: whether he was human or not, a rational person wouldn’t cause bigger problems or higher risks to solve a small one. If the grandson and daughter-in-law of the Huangs went missing, it would move all the strength of the family. Thinking this, he added: “The question remains whether I help him or not. If I help him, it may be rewarding or risky; If I don’t, the risk won’t be less.”
“You want to help him?” Zhang Xinyi realized what Huang Xuan was thinking and stopped the cleaning.
After a short silence, Huang Xuan answered “Yes,” and said: “I was just asking for advice, but you have made me tell so much.”
Zhang Xinyi smiled. She was a brilliant woman. In the history of the Huang family, not any other daughter-in-law had ever been allowed to start a business group, even if she was from the Zhang family. At this point, she asked: “You said this person possessed power totally different from ours?”
“Right.”
Zhang Xinyi was contemplating that although there were families, the power of which could match the Zhangs and the Huangs, few of them dared to make enemy with the union of the two families. With that level of danger, the only possibility was governments of foreign countries and terrorist organizations. However, the Zhangs were from the army. Even if not radical, they were not totally different from those violent groups. Having thought for a long moment, Zhang Xinyi failed to find one that was powerful, yet different from themselves.
Without further information, she couldn’t judge, so she said: “Son if you are really in trouble, tell me. You are too young. Sometimes you don’t understand.”
“I know,” Huang Xuan said, acting impatient. “It is trivial in itself.” Huang Xuan was worried, so he said again: “Mom, as long as you keep it to yourself and promise not to investigate, I will be OK. Can you promise me that?”
“How can I do that?” His mom was a little unhappy. “Now ⎼”
“Mom!” Huang Xuan interrupted her. He thought it was for the best to let her know about it vaguely. If it was his dad, he might have told him nothing. He thought for a while and continued: “Mom, what is there to worry about? If I were kidnapped, I wouldn’t have been able to call you like this. If you are really worried about me, take it easy. Don’t investigate. It will cause much more trouble. Right now, who do you think would dare to hurt me?”
Zhang Xinyi thought about it and agreed. Since she and Huang Qunsheng were both busy, their son was independent. Although still worried, having heard what Huang Xuan had said, she said no more. After hanging the phone, she called her elder brother, who was mature and stable, to let him check on Huang Xuan in his spare time. Should anything happen, he would know how to deal with it.
On the other side, Huang Xuan hung the phone resignedly. He hadn’t expected one phone call could have caused so much trouble. Fortunately, the core problem had been solved. Even if Rolin wanted to harm him, he would take the time to think it over before he took action. However, Huang Xuan was afraid that with more energy, Rolin might have become even more powerful.
Huang Xuan didn’t worry that Rolin would hear his phone call. It would be better if he heard it so as to stop him from doing harm. Although that Mr had claimed to be a guardian of space and time, which sounded like a machine, Huang Xuan doubted it. No matter what, his safety had been guaranteed. In addition, the talk with his mom had reminded him that whether socializing with Rolin was rewarding or not, it wasn’t the point, because he had put in little, while Rolin had brought him an income of nearly 20 million yuan. It was time to repay Rolin. Of course, at the same time, he could reduce the possibility of being sent to an unknown plane.
Leaving a group of managers in the office, Zhang Xinyi rushed home. Seeing her son sitting at the table, eating, she was relieved. Neither of them mentioned the phone call in the afternoon. For Huang Xuan, it was because he didn’t want too many people to know about it; for his mom, it was because she believed her son’s judgment, for now. On the other hand, she didn’t think Huang Xuan would have dared to tell such a big lie.