Chapter 482 - Back Garden

Xiang Wai prepared herself a cup of coffee the first thing after taking a shower in the morning. Holding the cup, she went to sit on a recliner as she looked out the glass walls. Looking at the city that was slowly waking up, she was lost in her thoughts. 

In fact, she was trying to come up with a plan for today. It seemed this matter needed a lot of thinking. Since she was suspended, for now, she really had no idea how to spend her day. She couldn't go over and bug her brother again. It's not like she couldn't, in fact, she didn't want to. She knew Xiang Weimin would worry about her if she went to see him out of nowhere again.

To be honest, she didn't take this suspension as seriously as the people around her. It wasn't the end of the world. However, it was true that apart from work, she really had no idea what to do with her life.

She neither had friends to hang out with nor did she have hobbies. That really made it difficult for her.

It wasn't always like that. When she was in school, she was a social butterfly who was popular with her peers. Even with her temper, she had a vast social circle. But now after a decade or so, it was all different. From the moment she joined the military academy, she was on a different path than those friends of hers. And now, it was even more difficult to cross paths. They all had drifted far apart.

She rubbed her forehead as she sighed, "It seems I really have nothing to do."

That thought alone was frustrating enough for her. She couldn't possibly spend her whole day on the bed or even cooped up at her house. That wasn't just who she was. She didn't like being alone all that much.

She stood up and decided to clean up this apartment she had bought years ago. But the number of days she spent here was even less than a month. She was either out on missions sleeping in all sorts of weird places or she'd be found crashing in a military dormitory. She didn't even know why she bothered taking this apartment as her birthday present from her father when she turned eighteen.

Even after cleaning the whole apartment upside down, she had only managed to spend 2 hours and it was currently just a bit past 9 o'clock. Truly, time was too slow.

Whipping herself something to eat, she dressed up and decided to hit the road. It was a lot better than being inside her apartment all alone. Subconsciously, she drove to the military base and when she noticed it, she was already at the gate of the military base.

"What a pathetic life you have, Wai," she grumbled to herself as she hit the steering wheel but still drove in the military base. She was already here. It was better to just go in than anything else.

"Major!" a few of the officers greeted her and saluted as they saw her. 

Xiang Wai made her way towards the place where military dogs were kept. Since she had no friends, she'd rather spend her time with animals. This place wasn't unfamiliar to her and neither was her presence out of the ordinary to people there. Everyone knew how much Major Xiang Wai loved animals.

If she had nothing to do, she'd come to play with the dogs. Although military dogs were a lot more aggressive than normal dogs, they'd turn into obedient pets around her. Some people said she had a strong affinity with animals. And it was true as well. No matter what kind of an animal, she'd always be able to build a friendship with them. 

Now, even when she just walked to the dogs' area, the dogs who were eating their food obediently ran to her side at once and started barking, licking, and circling around her. Xiang Wai kneeled down on the ground and petted the dogs one by one with a big smile on her face.

"Haiz! It's been a year these dogs saw her and they still remember her all too well," commented the officer who usually was tasked to look after the dogs.

"Major Xiang really loves these dogs," said the other person beside him. "I heard she always manages to build a bond with animals."

"That's true. Once on a rescue mission during a land sliding, she was almost bitten by a python. Later on, that python became her pet."

"Really?"

"Of course! It's just that she doesn't have time to take care of pets. So, when she had to leave for a mission, she set the python free back into the wilderness."

"It's hard to believe that she can be so good with animals. I heard she has a bad temper and she is always impulsive and impatient."

"Don't always believe in rumors."

On the side, Xiang Wai happily played with the dogs and instructed them to go back to eat. Then she stood up and went to wash her hands and face. 

"Major Xiang!"

Xiang Wai looked at the man and raised her brow, "Oh, aren't you Ming Si from my brother's Combat Wing?"

"Yes!"

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if Major Xiang knows when Lieutenant Colonel Xiang is coming back."

"That'll take a while," replied Xiang Wai. "You'll have to wait for a couple of months." She frowned and added, "But I heard that the research center offered him to be a part of the research team. I'm not sure if he accepted that or not."

"Thank you, Major Xiang!"

"My information isn't even that detailed," said Xiang Wai. "You can get back to work. My brother is recovering well."

"Yes!"

Xiang Wai sighed to herself, "Ge sure has a good reputation. Unlike me. Even if I disappear, I think no one would even bother asking about me.." She shook her head and walked around the base aimlessly as if it was her back garden.