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The heat of Alabama did not dissipate at night; instead, it mingled with the smells of smoke, alcohol, and sweat from the cheap bar near the military base, creating a suffocatingly sticky atmosphere.

Suning and Agan were granted a rare short-term permission to go out. They wanted to find a quiet place to have a beer, but their colleagues dragged them into this noisy place to spend money.

The stage was dimly lit, and a hoarse female voice hummed an off-key folk song behind a worn-out microphone.

When Su Ning's eyes adjusted to the dim light and he saw the female singer holding a guitar, almost naked, his body instantly froze.

It turned out to be their childhood sweetheart, Jenny Cullen.

She was heavily made up, her long golden hair was draped messily over her smooth shoulders, her eyes were unfocused, and a mocking, vacant smile played on her lips.

The vulgar laughter and whistles from the men in the audience seemed to become part of her performance.

She wasn't singing; it was more like she was slowly dismembering herself.

Forrest Gump recognized her too. He stood up abruptly, his face filled with confusion and heartache: "That's Jenny! Why isn't she dressed? Isn't she cold?"

Su Ning pulled Agan back to his seat, his brows furrowed, a surge of indescribable anger and...sorrow welling up inside him.

That's why he couldn't choose Jenny back then.

The kind of "freedom" she pursued was nothing short of a spiritual degeneration in his rational mind, a tremendous waste of his own talents and life.

Her so-called pursuit of dreams was nothing more than her personal unruliness and freedom, which was also a form of self-destruction.

When the song ended, Jenny staggered off the stage and walked straight to their table, as if she had noticed them long ago.

The strong smell of alcohol and cheap perfume emanating from her was overwhelming.

“Oh, look who these are?” Jenny’s voice was tinged with drunken frivolity. “Our two great heroes of Greenfield Town, Suning Gan and Forrest Gan.”

She reached out, her fingers, stained with peeling red nail polish, trying to touch Su Ning's stiff cheek. "Do geniuses from MIT come to places like this to have fun?"

Su Ning turned her head away, draped the coat over Jenny's shoulders, and said in a voice as cold as ice, "Jenny, let's go outside and talk."

The alley behind the bar was relatively quiet, with only a few barks coming from afar.

Jenny, wrapped in Suning's coat, leaned against the mottled brick wall and lit a cigarette.

“Jenny,” Suning said bluntly, her tone stern, “look at the state you’ve become! Is this the life you wanted after leaving Greenfield? Is this so-called ‘freedom’ just stripping yourself naked for those bastards to see?”

Jenny exhaled a smoke ring and laughed nonchalantly: "Ha, is the scholar from Su University about to start lecturing again? Who do you think you are? My life is none of your business! At least I dare to be myself, unlike you, wearing these military uniforms, being manipulated like puppets to your deaths!"

"Be yourself?" Su Ning's tone suddenly rose. He took a step forward, his gaze piercing. "This isn't what you call being yourself, Jenny Cullen! This is utterly irresponsible towards your own life! You seem free, but you're just a soulless, directionless drifter! You're not a soaring bird; you're a damn kite with a broken string! Just watch, you won't fly very high or very far. In the end, you'll just fall into the mud, become broken and tattered, and turn into unwanted trash!"

These words struck Jenny like a whip, freezing her smile and flashing a hint of pain in her eyes, but quickly masking it with a deeper stubbornness.

Looking at his agitated brother and the pale-faced Jenny, Forrest Gump was at a loss. He awkwardly interjected, "Jenny... that's not what your brother meant... we, we're all very worried about you. If Mom finds out you're like this, she'll be heartbroken."

Su Ning took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "If you really want to pursue your musical dream, Jenny, there are many ways. Rely on talent and hard work, not on selling your looks and gaining cheap attention! I can help you! I know some people, maybe... maybe I can introduce you to Elvis's team through connections. Even a little bit of guidance from him would be a hundred times better than you demeaning yourself here! This is the real, dignified path to your dream!"

Jenny was stunned; she hadn't expected Suning to offer such help.

"Elvis"... that was the idol she had pasted on her wall during her teenage years.

Of course, she knew Elvis herself, but only in a superficial way; Elvis might have long forgotten her.

For a fleeting moment, a glimmer of light seemed to ignite in her eyes, but it quickly went out again.

Her long-term self-imposed exile and inner trauma have made her unable to believe in this "normal" and hopeful possibility.

She abruptly threw away her cigarette butt, crushing it with her high heel, her voice hoarse with a sense of despair: "Enough! Su Ning! Stop with your condescending pity! I don't need you to plan my life! I'm not your physics problem with a standard answer! I like being a kite with a broken string, so what? At least I flew! Go back to your battlefield, genius!"

After saying that, she turned around resolutely and rushed back to the entrance of that noisy and decadent bar, disappearing into the dim light.

Forrest Gump looked in the direction Jenny had disappeared, then sadly lowered his head: "Brother, why was Jenny crying? She was clearly very sad, so why did she yell at us?"

Suning stood still, his chest heaving violently.

He knew that once you embark on a certain path, it's hard to turn back.

Looking in the direction where Jenny disappeared, I felt no sense of victory, only a heavy desolation.

He tugged at Forrest's sleeve, quickly regaining his usual composure, though a hint of weariness lingered in his eyes.

"Let's go, Forrest. We all have our own battles to fight."

His battlefield was in the jungles of Southeast Asia, while Jenny's battlefield was in her own shattered soul.

At this moment, Suning became even more determined in his belief...

He must not lose control like Jenny; he must firmly grasp his own destiny, by whatever means necessary.

……

On the night Jenny stormed out, Su Ning returned to the military camp and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

Jenny's eyes, a mixture of despair and stubbornness, and Forrest Gump's bewildered and heartbroken expression, kept flashing through his mind.

He loathed that kind of out-of-control, self-destructive life trajectory.

Despite Jenny's sharp retorts, he knew that if he let go, the girl who once sang under the oak tree in Greenfield Town might really fall like a kite with a broken string, just as he had predicted.

The next day, he took advantage of an outing to find a public telephone.

After several transfers, a languid yet magnetic voice finally came from the other end of the line—"This is Elvis Presley."

“Mr. Presley, excuse me for bothering you. I am Suning Gan, the Suning from Greentown, Alabama. Do you remember me?”

"Of course! You haven't contacted me in a long time, and sometimes I think about you and Agan."

"There was no other way! They went to MIT to study, and their studies were too demanding, so they only had the chance to contact you now."

“I’ve heard! I’ve been wanting to contact you to attend my concerts in Boston several times.”

"I'm sorry! It was my fault." "Tell me! What can I help you with?"

Then Suning reported on Jenny Cullen's situation...

Her musical talent, her current predicament, and her state of near self-destruction were calmly and objectively presented.

“I think what she needs is not a decadent stage, but a real opportunity and the right guidance. If your team can give her a starting point, such as starting as an assistant, it might change the trajectory of her life.”

Elvis listened quietly on the other end of the phone, surprisingly showing no impatience.

In fact, he seemed quite moved by these stories of "rescuing a fallen genius".

Moreover, he still remembered Jenny, that girl who was like a little bird, and he never expected that she would grow up now.

However, in his opinion, it is normal to cherish the current situation, and even her biological parents would not think there is anything wrong with it.

Only in the Eastern mindset of Suning is he considered a "fallen angel," perhaps this is the difference between civilization and mindset.

“Mr. Gan, it sounds like you care a lot about this young lady.”

"She is not only my childhood sweetheart, but also my girlfriend in high school. I really don't want her to continue living like this in a daze."

At this moment, Elvis's voice suddenly carried a hint of melancholy, "You're right, talent shouldn't be wasted like this. I also went through periods of confusion when I was young... Well, let her come to Memphis, find my agent Tom Parker. I'll put in a good word and get her an assistant position. As for how far she goes, that's up to her."

“Thank you very much, Mr. Presley,” Suning said sincerely, as things went more smoothly than he had expected.

“Don’t mention it, my friend.” Elvis’s tone became somewhat self-deprecating and heavy. “Speaking of which… we may soon be comrades-in-arms.”

Su Ning's heart skipped a beat, and historical knowledge flashed through his mind: "You mean... conscription?"

“That’s right,” Elvis sighed, his signature magnetic voice sounding somewhat weary. “Damn draft notice. I got my notice too, and I’ll be reporting for basic training soon. Looks like I’ll have to say goodbye to my guitar for a while and get my hands on a real gun. Who knows, we might run into each other in the jungles of Vietnam, you MIT genius.”

This is exactly the opportunity that Suning has been waiting for.

He recalled the fate of the King of Rock…

He did not die on the battlefield, but several years later, due to a severe heart attack caused by long-term drug abuse and unhealthy lifestyle habits, he died young.

“Mr. Presley,” Suning’s voice became more serious and cautious. He chose his words carefully, avoiding revealing any information about the future while also wanting to elicit sufficient attention from the other party, “Please forgive my intrusion. While at MIT, I was exposed to some cutting-edge medical research. Sometimes, potential problems, especially those related to the heart, are easily overlooked in routine checkups, but can be triggered under high-intensity military training and extreme stress, leading to serious consequences. Given that you are about to serve in the military, I strongly recommend that you undergo the most comprehensive and thorough cardiac examination before enlisting. This… might yield unexpected findings, whether good or bad.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

Elvis was clearly taken aback by this sudden and serious suggestion.

A casual friend, after asking him to help another girl, then solemnly reminded him to get his heart checked?
It sounds absurd, but the other person is an MIT student, and the certainty and concern in their tone seem genuine.

"...A heart checkup?" Elvis repeated, his tone tinged with doubt. "My family doctor didn't say there was anything wrong."

“Routine checkups are sometimes not thorough enough,” Su Ning insisted, her tone sincere. “Mr. Presley, your health… belongs not only to you, but also to all those who love your music. A thorough checkup, for peace of mind, can’t hurt.”

Perhaps it was the aura of "MIT" that worked, perhaps it was the unwavering calmness in Su Ning's tone that convinced him, or perhaps it was his own deep-seated unease about the upcoming military life that led Elvis to finally accept the suggestion.

"Okay! My friend, you've convinced me. I'll go see the best cardiologist and get a full checkup. Hopefully, I was just scared by you."

……

Then Suning found Jenny Cullen again, and hugged her in his arms again, while Jenny also missed Suning's warmth.

After an unknown amount of time, the wind and rain stopped. "Jenny, for my sake! Stop going down this path of depravity. A liberal isn't like you. Elvis has agreed to be your assistant. I believe that one day you can realize your musical dream."

"Suning, you don't look down on me? You're still willing to help me?"

"Putting aside the fact that you are my first love, the fact that we are childhood sweethearts alone is something I cannot ignore."

"Suning, thank you! I will work hard."

"Jenny, my darling! I hope you live a wonderful life."

"I certainly will."

"Then... let's continue."

"what……"

Jenny then set off alone for Memphis, where she found Elvis and became his new assistant.

A few days later, Suning received a call from Elvis Presley in Memphis.

The king of rock's voice was filled with complex emotions: shock, lingering fear, and even a hint of... eerie relief.

“God… Mr. Gan, I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you.” Elvis’s voice on the phone was more tired than last time, but with a trembling sense of relief. “The test results are in… those experts, they said I have a heart problem, more serious than they thought. They gave me a bunch of medical certificates… This means I might not have to go to Vietnam.”

Su Ning listened quietly, knowing that history had been gently stirred here.

“They told me I needed to rest and change my unhealthy lifestyle, haha…” Elvis’s laughter was tinged with bitterness. “I really don’t know if this is lucky or unlucky. I was ‘lucky’ to avoid military service, but ‘unlucky’ to become a heart patient. Anyway, son, I owe you a favor. Without your reminder, I might not have known the problem until I collapsed on the training field. Don’t worry about Jenny Coullen, I’ll take care of it.”

"Thank you! I hope you can stay away from drugs and develop good lifestyle habits. I believe you can bring us more music."

"Haha, I will! I'll even borrow alcohol from now on."

After hanging up the phone, Su Ning stood in the phone booth, outside which was the desolate scene of the military base.

He successfully changed the course of two people's lives...

Jenny might be able to get back on track, and Elvis avoided enlisting and discovered his health problems early on.

However, his own fate, and Forrest Gump's fate, remained inextricably linked to the unfamiliar land of Vietnam.

He didn't know whether this intervention was right or wrong; he only knew that in this turbulent era, he had to use all the known and unknown advantages to find every glimmer of hope for himself and his loved ones in the cracks of history.

His encounter with Elvis Presley became a hidden but important foreshadowing of his future capital.

...(End of chapter)