Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2323: 2259: Is He on the List?

Deep down, Chiang Xiao understood that if Meng Xinian was truly determined to avoid this, she could simply reach out to Li Hanzhong. With his influence, ensuring his name was struck from the deployment list would be easy.

However, would Meng Xinian actually desire such an outcome?

If his name had already been selected, would having Li Hanzhong intervene provide him any peace of mind? Or would the weight of that decision haunt him forever?

He had never been the type of man to seek a retreat out of fear for his own life.

To him, facing danger with courageous strides was the only path. That was the essence of the real Meng Xinian; that was the nature of Tyrant Meng.

In truth, regardless of the final decision, Meng Xinian suffered more internal turmoil than she did. No matter the result, he would find no joy in it.

Should he go, his heart would be heavy with worry for her, feeling as though he had failed her as a husband.

Should he stay, he would feel he had cowered, becoming a man who feared death and used his connections to cherry-pick his missions. He would become exactly the kind of person he most detested.

As these thoughts swirled, Chiang Xiao’s mind became a chaotic mess, making it impossible for her to find any sense of calm.

The drive, which lasted over an hour, seemed to fly by.

Stepping out of the vehicle, she suddenly recalled that Ah Liu hadn't checked in for a second time over the last three days. Aside from a call to Tyrant Meng on the second night to report his safe arrival, he hadn't yet officially entered the Jiang Family estate.

Old Master Jiang had insisted that because he had left home under such ominous circumstances, a specific auspicious day had to be chosen for his return. For that occasion, the family would need to prepare a fire basin for him to jump over and Immortal Grass Water to be sprinkled upon him. These rituals were necessary to cleanse the bad luck and any "unclean" spiritual remnants he might have brought back from the outside world.

Consequently, he was currently staying at a local inn, flanked by his bodyguards.

Things were proceeding smoothly for now. Over the past couple of days, Sun Han and the others had successfully blocked the crowds who had swarmed in after hearing the news. This bought them a bit of peace and a few extra days to finalize their preparations.

It seemed likely he was waiting until his formal return to the Jiang Family before reaching out to her again.

With her heart pulled between her concerns for Meng Xinian and her worries for Ah Liu, Chiang Xiao felt as if she were being torn in two directions.

Once she returned to the Capital City, she immediately showered and washed her hair. Just as she finished, the phone rang; it was Meng Xinian.

“Brother Xinian, what is the situation?”

Chiang Xiao’s voice was thick with anxiety.

Meng Xinian tightened his lips, speaking in a low, resonant tone. “Little Xiao, I need you to stay calm and listen to what I have to say.”

Hearing those words, a sense of dread washed over her.

“It is true that a Supervisor Guard is being deployed to Ke Ku Li. However,” Meng Xinian stated directly, though he quickly added a crucial detail, “the official list hasn't been released yet.”

Chiang Xiao was unsure how to feel.

Her heart, which had been tightly gripped by fear, slowly began to loosen. She struggled to draw a normal breath for a moment before finally letting out a soft sigh of relief.

“Is the list just not public yet, or has it not been finalized?”

To her, there was a massive distinction between the two.

Upon hearing her question, Meng Xinian fell silent on the other end of the line.

In that sudden quiet, Chiang Xiao had a moment of clarity.

What felt like a vital distinction to her meant very little to Meng Xinian.

If his name was on that list, he would depart. If it wasn't, he would stay. He would simply follow the orders he was given.

He was a man who lived by duty.

Yet, the nature of her question revealed her own intentions; she was already calculating how to intervene if she could learn the names on that list early.

For instance, if he were chosen, she would go to Li Hanzhong to have his name removed.

But in her heart of hearts, was that truly what she wanted to do?