145: Chapter 145 Two Ministers Su

Su Yi smiled and pulled his wife into his arms. They had been married for over twenty years, and although they never had children, it did not affect their inseparable bond.

Su Wan rested her chin on her husband's shoulder, her eyes habitually drifting toward the back of his head. There was a deep scar there; although it was now hidden by his hair, it was still faintly visible. One could only imagine how large the wound had been back then.

Su Wan could still vaguely remember that young face that had collapsed on her way home twenty-something years ago. She never expected that her act of kindness would result in bringing home such a wonderful husband. Even when she found out she couldn't have children, he never showed a shred of blame, but instead treated her just as he always had.

Su Yi suddenly said, "Old Zhang's son seems to be going to his future in-laws' place to get engaged at the beginning of next month, right?"

Su Wan smiled gently and said, "Yes, I heard it's the daughter of Deputy Mayor Cao from the city."

Speaking of this, Su Wan's eyes lit up. "Let me tell you, Old Su, I heard that the Deputy Mayor Cao's daughter and Old Zhang's son are having a shotgun wedding."

Su Yi looked at his gossiping wife with a smile. He didn't remind her, because he knew that as long as his wife wasn't at home with him, she maintained the image of an iron-willed lady to the outside world.

"Oh, right, didn't Sister Li say before that most of their relatives are over in the Northeast? So they don't want to go to the trouble of traveling too far for the engagement banquet. They want us to attend as the groom's family and have a meal when they get engaged. What do you think, Old Su?"

Su Yi knew it was normal for Old Zhang to have this idea. Although Beijing was often joked about—that if you threw a brick, you'd hit eight section-level officials and one division-level official out of ten—Su Yi and Su Wan were different. One was the Deputy Minister of the Central Organization Department, and the other was the Deputy Minister of the Central Publicity Department. They were definitely powerful, high-ranking officials, and their presence carried significant weight.

Su Yi smiled, stroked his wife's hair, and said tenderly, "Whatever you say, you decide."

But in an instant, his heart dimmed. He was attending as someone else's family, yet he still hadn't found his own.

After being a married couple for over twenty years, Su Wan knew exactly what he was thinking when she saw his dejected look. She hurriedly comforted him, "Oh, don't worry, Old Su. Haven't you been entrusting Old Huang to investigate your family's situation in secret? Don't worry, it'll be fine. Didn't Old Huang say last month that there were some leads?"

Su Yi's mood improved, and he said with a smile, "Yes, I heard Old Huang found some initial clues and has already arranged for people to trace the roots. I believe it won't be long before we find them."

Over the past twenty-plus years, although Su Yi had developed well in his political career, and both his savior and his wife Su Wan's family had treated him very well, Su Yi still wanted to find his roots. This had become an obsession of his. However, as a high-ranking government official, he couldn't just go searching for relatives all over the country; who knew how many 'relatives' would pop up? So, he could only entrust his friend in the Ministry of Public Security to investigate in secret. So many years had passed, but fortunately, all the answers were about to be revealed.

The two shared a few more intimate moments. After all, they were both busy; often when one returned home, the other was either not home or already asleep. It was rare for them both to be awake at the same time.

"Alright, alright, you hurry up and wash up. I'll go boil the dumplings. We'll go to work after eating. If we don't get moving, we'll be late."

Su Yi glanced at the wall clock and realized she was right, so he hurriedly headed toward the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, after finishing breakfast, the two walked downstairs together, got into two separate cars, and drove off toward their respective workplaces.

Su Yi was reading the news in the backseat, but his mind was a mess. One moment he was excited about finding his family, and the next, he was thinking about what the Minister had discussed with him two days ago—about him going to work in Sichuan Province. Logically speaking, going to Sichuan Province as the number one official was a good thing. He was only fifty years old; after spending some time down there, he would pass the final hurdle and ascend to the top.

By then, he would be one of the few people with the most power among the billions of people in Great Xia. But what about his wife, Su Wan? They hadn't been separated since they returned to the capital from the provinces ten years ago. Now, in their old age, they would have to be separated by distance.

But this was a rare opportunity. If he refused this time, he didn't know if such a good opportunity would ever wait for him again in this lifetime, or if he would ever be able to become one of that elite few.

Feeling troubled by these thoughts, Su Yi simply closed his eyes to rest. Who knew that right at this moment, a notification sound went off, followed immediately by his phone ringing.

Su Yi saw that it was Old Huang calling. He instantly sat up straight, his usually steady right hand trembling slightly. He hesitated, wondering whether he should answer. He both wanted to hear the good news about finding his family and feared that this might be another false alarm.

After a few seconds, Su Yi pressed the answer button. No matter what the situation was, he had to face it.

"Hello, Old Huang!"

An excited voice came from the other end of the line: "Old Su, hurry up and look at the photo I sent you. This time, there's absolutely no mistake."

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck Su Yi's mind. He went blank for a second, then, with trembling fingers, tapped several times before finally opening WeChat. He clicked on the message Old Huang had sent. It was a photo, a yellowed, aged photograph.

A young man who looked seventy percent like him when he was young was squatting on the ground, his right arm wrapped around a clever-looking, well-behaved child.

"Clatter!"

The phone dropped onto the floor mat. Old Huang's voice came from the phone: "Hello! Hello! Old Su, are you okay? Huh? Old Su? Old Su?"

The driver in the front, Xiao Wang, heard the commotion behind him and hurriedly pulled the car over to the side. He looked at the backseat, and the gentle and refined Minister Su was now lying there with his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed, having fallen into a coma.

Xiao Wang's face turned pale with fright. He rushed to the back seat and used his first-aid knowledge to check on him. Fortunately, he was just unconscious; his heartbeat and pulse were all normal. He let out a sigh of relief, then immediately called his Minister's wife and notified the Ministry.

He immediately got back into the car and sped toward the nearest hospital, not daring to delay for even a second.

Just as Xiao Wang had admitted Su Yi into the examination room, a sound of crisp footsteps approached. He turned his head and saw a visibly anxious Su Wan. He hurriedly walked up to her and said, filled with guilt, "Minister Su, it was my fault for not taking good care of the Minister. Please punish me."

Although Su Wan was very anxious, she was not someone who couldn't tell right from wrong. She naturally knew that this matter couldn't be blamed on Xiao Wang. However, it was her husband's health at stake, and she couldn't enter the examination room right now. She simply asked seriously, "Xiao Wang, this isn't your fault, but you must tell me what happened after Old Su got into the car."

Xiao Wang didn't dare to hide anything and told her everything he had vaguely heard. Su Wan's heart instantly settled. She knew her husband's health very well—he was very healthy. She figured he must have fainted because he was too emotionally overwhelmed after hearing news about his family.