Chapter 2: Which parent doesn’t want their son to be successful?

"Su, your superiors have decided to make an exception and promote you. This is a sign of trust in you, and I hope you won't betray this trust."

After reading the letter of appointment, Morey placed it on the table and gazed at Su Yuan, who had regained his composure.

"I will!"

Su Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes clear and bright. He remained calm, clearing his mind of distracting thoughts.

At this moment, gratitude was all he could express; no more words were needed.

A promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General signifies trust and, more importantly, responsibility.

Morey smiled as he said, "Come with me to Mo City tomorrow. The Emperor will personally confer the title upon you. I'm giving you a heads-up. We were supposed to go today, but the Emperor is very busy, so the appointment has been rescheduled for tomorrow."

Su Yuan felt his heart tighten. Even though he had seen many grand occasions, the thought of the Emperor personally conferring a title on him still made him extremely nervous.

For Su Yuan, this was a first for a young woman. In the four years since he'd been in Russia, aside from a few occasions when he'd seen the Great Emperor from a distance, he'd usually only seen him on television.

Tomorrow, Su Yuan would be able to meet that wise, beloved elder up close, and his breath would begin to quicken.

Seeing Su Yuan's nervous expression, Morey smiled endlessly. He was happy for Su Yuan to have that person personally confer the title on him.

He knew exactly how Su Yuan was feeling at that moment.

He'd experienced this very moment before.

To ease Su Yuan's anxiety, Morey waved his hand and made arrangements: "Alright, go back. Eat your meal and get some rest. We'll leave tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll be leaving then, Dean."

Su Yuan nodded in understanding, saluted, picked up his tactical tablet and backpack, and left the office, preparing to return to his dorm to change into his gear, prepare his Air Force uniform for tomorrow, and then grab a bite to eat at the aircrew kitchen.

"Bang!"

The door closed softly, a faint sound echoing.

Silence fell within the office. "As the youngest and most promising major general in the entire Russian army, and now favored by the Emperor, I wonder how far you can go. At the slowest rate, you could be promoted to lieutenant general before you're thirty, and even general isn't out of the question."

"If nothing goes wrong, crossing the threshold to general is just a matter of time."

After a while, Morey's voice, filled with sighs, swayed faintly.

"It's a pity, though. This is assuming we can keep him."

Could the Russian Air Force keep this flying prodigy?

Morey was silent.

He didn't have that confidence.

If Su Yuan had come from an ordinary background, he was confident that, with the trust of the Russian Air Force and that person, he could definitely keep this prodigy and let him dedicate his life to Russia's national defense.

But that wasn't the case.

He had been investigating Su Yuan since the day he entered the Gagarin Air Force Academy.

Su Yuan's family was considered a military family in Daxia.

His grandfather held a high position, reaching the rank of lieutenant general before his retirement. His father was now a major general...

Under these circumstances, if Su Yuan's family learned of his time in Russia, it would be difficult to prevent him from returning.

If his family spoke, could Su Yuan refuse?

Could they, in turn, stop him?

Thinking of this, Morey grew increasingly depressed.

Such a scoundrel, ultimately unable to serve Russia's defense, would be a profound regret for him to return to the Great Xia, the land where he was born and raised.

...

Leaving Dean Morey's office, Su Yuan felt mixed emotions.

To rise from colonel to major general in one step was the dream of countless soldiers, and he was no exception.

He was thrilled.

But at the same time, he was torn.

Here, the higher his position, the more complicated his feelings became.

Most importantly, how would he explain this to his father?

How should he explain it?

He didn't know.

He had clearly come to Russia to study abroad, but now, four years later, he had become the chief instructor of the Russian Air Force, with the rank of major general. Leave?

To be honest, I'd be sorry for the four years of training the Russian Air Force had given me, and I'd betrayed the emperor's trust.

But if he didn't leave, how would he explain his situation to the old man once he found out about his time in Russia?

Su Yuan walked, his brow furrowed.

Just then, his cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

He pulled out his phone and glanced. It was his mother.

Su Yuan froze for a moment, then forced himself to cheer up and answered with a smile: "Mom."

"Is the graduation ceremony over?"

A familiar voice reached his ears.

Gentle, filled with concern for her son.

This made Su Yuan feel even more distressed.

"It's over," Su Yuan replied weakly.

Ye Wenqin didn't think much of it, assuming her son was just tired from the ceremony.

"Rest well after it's over. It's okay to delay your return; there's no need to rush for a few days."

"Mom..." Su Yuan called out. "What's wrong?"

Hearing something off in her son's tone, Ye Wenqin hurriedly asked, "You haven't been home in four years, are you missing home?"

Su Yuan's eyes welled up at this. He wanted to impulsively tell his mother everything about the Russian bear, but in the end, he clenched his fists and held back.

Even if he had to talk about this, he had to explain it face to face.

Talking about it over the phone would only make things less clear.

"Xiaoyuan..."

Ye Wenqin's worried, nervous voice came.

Su Yuan quickly said, "Mom, it's okay, I just miss home."

There was a hint of sob in her voice.

Ye Wenqin breathed a sigh of relief and soothed, "If you miss home, come back soon. Mom will make you your favorite braised pork."

"Okay."

Su Yuan nodded heavily. "Once I've sorted things out here, I'll go back."

By the time he said this, he had already made up his mind.

No matter what, he had to take some time off and go back. Like all mothers the world over, even knowing her son was fine, she continued to give him instructions on every aspect of life.

Su Yuan listened patiently.

The call lasted a while before he hung up.

Daxia.

Xiajing.

Ye Wenqin, having just hung up, couldn't stop crying.

Su Hai, finally returning home, saw his wife in tears and came over to gently pat Ye Wenqin's back, comforting her, "Wenqin, don't cry. That brat will be back in two days. You haven't cried in four years, so why is it that he's coming back soon..."

"Ah!"

Su Hai sighed before he could finish his words.

"It's all your fault. You insisted on sending Xiaoyuan to study abroad, thinking he'd come back once a year. I didn't say anything, but who could have imagined Xiaoyuan would stay for four years?"

Ye Wenqin's face was filled with resentment. When the old man wanted to send Su Yuan abroad to study, she wasn't too opposed. But if she had known he wouldn't return for four years, she wouldn't have agreed.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought about visiting her son in Russia, but her family's status meant they couldn't leave without special reasons, so the idea of flying to Russia fell through.

Su Hai looked helpless: "You know, if I hadn't sent that brat abroad, the old man would have thrown him into the army long ago."

"Xiaoyuan is different from his brother. You know how hard life is in the army. Can he bear it?"

Ye Wenqin fell silent.

She was thankful that Su Yuan didn't join the army. Seeing his wife remained silent, Su Hai struck while the iron was hot: "You have no idea how much those brats with Xiaoyuan have endured in the army these past few years."

"Well, they've endured hardships, but they've also grown a lot."

"You know that kid from Old Li's family? He's already a captain and even received a second-class individual merit. In another six months or a year, he'll probably be promoted to major."

"Those other guys aren't any worse than him."

Su Hai paused and let out a sigh. "I don't know how well our kid is doing. I hope he's not too bad, or I won't be able to hold my head up in front of those guys."

Ye Wenqin rolled her eyes and said unhappily, "What's there to be ashamed of? Besides, Yuan'er is going to... They went abroad, and the Lis have all joined the military. They're in completely different fields, so what's there to compare them to?

"What? Just because your son isn't as good as them doesn't mean he's not your son anymore?"

Su Hai smiled awkwardly. "That's not what I meant. It's just... well, you know, when you're hanging out with a few old comrades, there's nothing to compare. What else can you compare besides sons?"

"The eldest is much older than the Lis. Although they're of the same generation, he's been in the military longer, so we can't compare them."

"Only Yuan'er is the same age as them. When we're together, besides talking about studio matters, what else does he talk about? "

"If I get outshined, where will I put my old face?"

"You're the only one who has shame!"

Ye Wenqin said bitterly.

Su Hai scratched the back of his head and said nothing. Silence fell between the two of them.

What parent doesn't want their child to be successful?

Su Hai and Ye Wenqin were no exception. The children of the Li family have shed their former dandies and are doing well in the army. It's a testament to the saying, "A tiger father likes a dog son."

What about their son, Su Yuan?

Will he excel after four years away from home?

Even if he's not as good as those boys, he can't be too bad, right?

Both of them pondered this question, their minds racing.