Part 2 Hello, Mr. Major General I'm Gu Nianzi

289. Not a big deal!

Gu Nianzhi bit her lower lip as she stared at the number on her phone screenshe had waited for this call for so long. She accepted the call with trembling fingers.
Her eyes were red, but she fought back the tears. She put the phone to her ear and waited.
She had been in America for more than a month, but Huo Shaoheng had not called her on the phone, not even once.
She had last stolen a peek at him through the video call with Zhao Liangze.
That was when she had seen him smile at another woman. It had made her angry and miserable, and driven her to vent her pent-up frustrations in a free-for-all with Xin Xinggao and the Indian softball women's team.
That was how she had ended up in her current mess
Gu Nianzhi suddenly felt that the world had been terribly unfair to her.
Huo Shaoheng, who had raised her and backed her up whenever she needed him, was moving farther and farther away from her.
Was this the price of growing up?
Huo Shaoheng heard someone pick up the phone. He waited for a long moment, but did not hear Gu Nianzhi speak. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he reflexively checked the number on his phone. His occupational habits kicked in: he begin to wonder whether someone else had gotten their hands on Gu Nianzhi's mobile phone
Now that Gu Nianzhi was in the United States, he had to be extra vigilant; he had to be careful not to let anyone to know he was Gu Nianzh's true guardian.
He was just about to hang up when he heard Gu Nianzhi speak, her voice full of panic. "Uncle Huo? Is that you, Uncle Huo?"
Huo Shaoheng was relieved. He responded with a low "Yeah," and walked over to the window with his phone to his ear, his free hand in his trouser pocket.
Outside the window, the sun had just emerged from beneath the horizon. The sky was still a faint shade of purple, and the forest was full of morning fog. It was the start of another day at the military base.
He had not slept a wink. Even so, he was not tired.
Gu Nianzhi slowly let out a long breath. It was a frustrated sigh, one she had kept bottled within her ever since the summons had been delivered to her yesterday. Once it was all out, she relaxed, and sat on the floor before the window sill. She retreated into a corner and hugged her knees.
She had subconsciously taken on a fetal position; it was a manifestation of her feelings of self-doubt and insecurity.
Huo Shaoheng could hear Gu Nianzhi breathing softly over the phone.
He did not say anything. He waited until her breathing had evened out, before gently saying, "Nianzhi, what happened? Tell me everything that happened."
Gu Nianzhi hesitated, but only briefly. She did not dare lie to Huo Shaoheng; she bowed her head and traced the lines on the floor as she mentally organized everything that had happened to her in the past few days. Once she was ready, she gave Huo Shaoheng a proper report, leaving nothing out. When she was done, she whispered in a low, nasally voice: "Uncle Huo, did I mess up? Am I making things difficult for you?"
Gu Nianzhi was now a lot calmer after giving her account of the events.
She released her knees, and steadied herself on the wall as she stood up. She walked over to her bed and sat on it.
Huo Shaoheng had deliberately made her go over the events again, out loud, so that she would be able to unload her misery and calm her nerves. It was an important step towards having someone open up, commonly employed in psychotherapy.
Huo Shaoheng had studied psychology under Chen Lie when the military had first entrusted Gu Nianzhi to him; he had known it would be necessary if he was to be a good guardian
He noted the change in Gu Nianzhi's voice and tone, and guessed that she was feeling better. He said, "It's not a big deal. You did nothing wrong, so don't be afraid."
His deep, alluring voice was neither accusing nor callous; it was sincerely concerned, without being patronizing, and full of unconcealed praise.
"Really?!" Gu Nianzhi was immediately cheered by the thought. Her eyes were now startlingly bright. "Do you really mean that? I did hit her, you know"
She was actually deathly afraid that Huo Shaoheng would be angry at her for getting into a brawl. She had always been a well-behaved, sweet-natured girl in front of him, after all.
And yet, as soon as she had left him, every single flaw in her personality had wormed its way to the surface and erupted all at once. She had gotten into a fight, and now had to appear in court to defend herself against a lawsuit.b