Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

About five or six minutes later, footsteps were heard outside the door. Then, a slightly overweight, smiling, middle-aged man of about fifty years old, wearing glasses, walked in, followed by Wang Peng.

Su Zhe immediately stood up.

The middle-aged man smiled before speaking and warmly extended his hand: "Comrade Su Zhe, right? Hello, hello! I'm Huang Jiang."

"Secretary-General Huang, hello!" Su Zhe quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Huang Jiang. This was the Secretary-General of Elder Sun's office, the person who spoke directly with him on the phone.

The person in front of us is at the level of a department director.

"Was the journey smooth?" Huang Jiang shook Su Zhe's hand, his attitude very friendly, even somewhat familiar.

"It went smoothly, thank you for your concern, Secretary-General."

Huang Jiang smiled and looked Su Zhe up and down, saying, "Old Sun just finished a short meeting and now he has some free time. I'll take you upstairs right away. Relax, Old Sun is very easygoing."

"Yes, Secretary General."

Soon, Huang Jiang led Su Zhe out of the small reception room and up the carpeted stairs to the second floor. Reaching a dark wooden door, Huang Jiang gently knocked three times.

A voice, though aged, was strong and resonant, coming from inside: "Come in!"

Huang Jiang pushed open the door and gestured to Su Zhe to invite him in.

Su Zhe took a deep breath and stepped inside.

This is a spacious office, with sunlight streaming in through the tall windows, making the room bright and warm.

By the window, there was a large desk, but at this moment, an elderly man with white hair, a kind face, and bright eyes, wearing a white shirt, sat behind the desk with a smile on his face.

"Sir, Comrade Su Zhe has arrived."

Huang Jiang quietly relayed the message from the side.

Su Zhe strode forward, stopped a few steps away from the sofa, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "Hello, leader! I am Su Zhe."

"Good, good! Comrade Su Zhe, please sit down, don't stand!"

Old Sun smiled and pointed to the single sofa opposite him, his attitude very casual and amiable, as if he were greeting a younger member of his family.

"Thank you, Mr. Sun."

Su Zhe walked to the sofa as instructed, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he waited for Old Sun to raise his hand again before sitting down properly, only sitting on the front half of the sofa with his body upright.

Huang Jiang skillfully picked up a teacup from the coffee table, refilled Old Sun's cup with water, and then poured hot tea into the empty cup in front of Su Zhe. "Comrade Su Zhe, please have some tea."

"Thank you, Secretary-General." Su Zhe accepted the teacup with both hands.

Huang Jiang said softly to Old Sun, "Old Sun, you two talk first, I'll stay outside."

"Okay, go ahead and get busy." Old Sun nodded.

Huang Jiang smiled at Su Zhe again before quietly leaving and closing the door behind him.

Only Old Sun and Su Zhe remained in the room.

Old Sun picked up his teacup, blew on it, took a small sip, then put the cup down. His gaze fell gently on Su Zhe, and he looked him up and down before smiling and saying, "Hmm, you're in good spirits, and your posture is perfect. You've definitely been trained in the military."

Su Zhe bowed slightly: "You flatter me, Elder Sun."

Old Sun waved his hand and, as if chatting with an old friend, said with great familiarity, "Su Zhe, you're twenty-eight years old this year, right? You're already a full-fledged section-level inspector."

"Impressive! I've seen your file; your resume is impressive! You enlisted at eighteen, selected for the Snow Leopard Commando Unit, where you were a renowned elite soldier and received commendations. Later, you were selected to study at a foreign military academy, and upon your return, you served as a military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in the United States, where you excelled in diplomatic missions, handled emergencies with remarkable composure."

Su Zhe listened quietly, but was secretly surprised.

Old Sun knew so much about his experiences!

Old Sun continued with a smile, "Also, I know you enjoy studying computers in your spare time, and you're quite skilled. Several cases handled by the Discipline Inspection Commission were made possible thanks to your computer abilities! Not bad at all! You're young and talented!"

Su Zhe was even more surprised. Even fewer people knew about this, and he hadn't expected that Old Sun would even know this.

He could only humbly reply, "These are just minor skills, nothing special..."

"Oh, you can't say that. Having ability is a good thing," Old Sun said with a smile. "Later, after you retired from the army, you were assigned to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and in the Sixth Supervisory Office, you participated in handling several major cases, achieving outstanding results. Not bad, a truly impressive resume! You've taken each step steadily and surely!"

Su Zhe quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your affirmation, Elder Sun."

Looking at Su Zhe, Old Sun's smile faded slightly, replaced by a hint of emotion. He changed the subject, saying, "Don't be nervous! Relax! Hehe... Speaking of which, you and I had a connection a few years ago, though you probably didn't know it at the time."

Su Zhe felt a chill run down his spine and focused his attention as he listened.

"Do you remember? About four years ago, when you were working at the Chinese Embassy in the United States, didn't you once assist the local police in rescuing a kidnapped Chinese tourist?"

Old Sun offered a suggestion.

Su Zhe tried hard to recall, and indeed, there was such a thing.

At the time, the international student was kidnapped, and the kidnappers demanded a huge ransom, putting him in a critical situation.

Because of his special operations experience, he was temporarily reassigned by the embassy to participate in the rescue plan jointly developed with the local police, and was responsible for key aspects of the operation. Ultimately, the hostages were safely rescued.

"Yes, that's true." Su Zhe nodded. "That international student... I think his surname is Sun?"

Ok?

孙？

Old Sun nodded and smiled, "The kidnapped child is named Sun Yunxiao, and he is my grandson."

Su Zhe suddenly realized! So that's the root of the problem! Old Master Sun wanted to see him because of this matter! Was he here to express his gratitude? But it didn't seem necessary to make such a fuss and summon him in person, did it?

After all, in his view, that matter was a collaboration within his scope of responsibility, and many people were involved at the time; he was not the only one who made a contribution.

Moreover, expressing gratitude now...

Isn't it a bit too late?

Seeing Su Zhe's expression of realization mixed with a hint of confusion, Old Master Sun sighed softly.

"After learning more about your background, I discovered that I also knew your father, Comrade Su Dong!"

Hearing his father's name spoken by Old Sun, Su Zhe's heart skipped a beat, and he held his breath.

His father died in the line of duty when he was very young, and his memory of his father is vague. He only knows that his father was also a soldier and died in an overseas mission.

Neither the grandfather nor the mother gave specific details.

Mr. Sun's voice was tinged with obvious sadness: "That was many years ago, when I led a delegation to visit a country with a rather unstable situation."

On the way, I was assassinated! Your father was one of the security personnel responsible for security at the time. In the critical moment, to protect me, he shielded me from the impact of the explosion and shrapnel with his own body... His injuries were too severe, and he couldn't be saved..."

Su Zhe was completely stunned, his mind buzzing. He only knew that his father had sacrificed his life, but he knew nothing of the details, let alone that his father had sacrificed himself to protect the old man in front of him! This news was far too shocking for him!