Jiang Ye chatted with Su Yueming about business for a while longer before returning to his room.
He didn't emerge again until a full day had passed.
The next morning, it was time to leave the hospital. Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng helped each other out, their legs trembling and their faces etched with exhaustion.
"Didn't you have the mitochondrial surgery?" Isabel happened to be passing by and was greatly surprised by the couple's condition. "Did the surgery fail?"
"The surgery didn't fail; it was too successful," Cen Yemeng said with an embarrassed, wry smile.
"What do you mean?" Isabel, perhaps still groggy from sleep, didn't quite grasp it.
"No heads fall in plain sight, but in secret, your marrow is drained," Jiang Ye sighed helplessly.
Isabel froze for a moment, then finally understood, a blush rising to her cheeks. "You two are already old married couple, really..."
"What old married couple? We're young lovers now!" Jiang Ye suddenly thought of something and looked intently at Isabel. "Hey, you're even more beautiful than when I first met you."
"Nonsense!" Isabel said proudly. "When I was young, I almost became a movie star."
They walked to the finance department, and Jiang Ye knocked and went in to handle the discharge procedures.
Isabel and Cen Yemeng lingered leisurely in the corridor, whispering to each other.
"How many years were you adjusted to?" Cen Yemeng nudged Isabel with her elbow.
Isabel first held up two fingers, crossed them, and then made a "6" gesture, raising her eyebrows triumphantly.
"Oh my, why adjust to such a young age!" Cen Yemeng chuckled.
"How long were you two at it to be so drained?" Isabel asked in a hushed voice.
Cen Yemeng blushed and shook her head.
Isabel persisted, tickling Cen Yemeng. "Tell me, tell me, what's there to hide?"
Cen Yemeng was tickled mercilessly and surrendered, glancing around the empty corridor before quickly making an "8" gesture.
"You're risking your life!" Isabel exclaimed in shock, then giggled and whispered, "Old Jiang must have lost weight because of you."
"No way, don't slander me!" Cen Yemeng playfully hit her.
"What are you two chatting about? So interesting?" Jiang Ye emerged from the finance department with a serious expression, holding the payment receipts. "I took the liberty of getting lifetime memberships for both of you, for Xu Yan, and for Su Yueming. You'll get discounts and recuperation and vacation services whenever you come back."
"Thank you," Isabel said, her smile knowing, as if she had uncovered some secret.
Cen Yemeng turned her head away from her husband, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Jiang Ye frowned. What were they talking about? It was strange.
"We came here together, but we won't be leaving together. You two are returning to Exile Star for work, and I need to hurry to Spiral Star for an inspection. I've been so busy with Wheeler Star lately that I've neglected my favorite son, Spiral Star." Jiang Ye said earnestly.
"Alright, we'll ensure your wife is safely delivered to Exile Star," Isabel replied. "By the way, before the surgery, Mengmeng and I discussed something. Is the name Exile Star unlucky? Should we change it?"
"If you two want to change it, go ahead. I don't think it needs changing," Jiang Ye said.
"Why?" Isabel asked.
"Didn't we discuss this before?" Jiang Ye asked in surprise. "You don't know?"
Isabel shook her head blankly.
"Exile Star was originally a desolate land where exiles huddled together for warmth. The exiles survived by helping each other, and though they had no blood ties, they were like brothers. There are many exiles in the universe, and they can all join this planet's warm family. This is a rather rare planetary culture," Jiang Ye explained rapidly.
"Moreover, from an absolute coordinate perspective, Exile Star, along with the Milky Way, undergoes a long rotation, completing a cycle every three hundred million years, while also heading towards Andromeda. After more than four billion years, they will collide. This planet itself can never return home, forever exiling itself in the vast universe."
Isabel was stunned. "Old Jiang, you truly have some vision!"
"Nonsense, who do you think I am?" Jiang Ye smiled. "When others introduce themselves in public, they say, 'Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Ye.' When I introduce myself, I say, 'Hello everyone, I am Jiang Ye.' Isn't it the same for you, Isabel?"
"I'm leaving, I'm in a hurry. Hug your wife." Jiang Ye opened his arms, hugged Cen Yemeng tightly, patted Isabel's shoulder, and then hurried away.
Isabel stood in a slight daze, watching Jiang Ye disappear around the corner of the corridor.
"My name is Isabel... I am Isabel..." she reacted blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly understood.
...
Two days later.
Jiang Ye's military spaceship slowly descended and landed on the No. 1 berth of Spiral Star's first space station.
The cabin door opened, the gangway was lowered, and a red carpet was quickly unrolled.
The orchestra that had been waiting on the berth began to play the welcome music, its sound waves spreading along the smooth ground.
Jiang Ye, dressed in casual sportswear, appeared at the cabin door, looking somewhat surprised but still walking briskly down the gangway.
Liu Jizi, dressed in formal attire, had been waiting for a long time. He stepped forward with a smile and greeted him, "Commander, you look even more handsome at your age!"
Jiang Ye surveyed the orchestra on both sides of the red carpet. He had initially thought it was a military band, but to his surprise, it was a group of children, their faces youthful, looking like a group of middle schoolers, playing with all their might.
"Why all this fanfare?" Jiang Ye asked Liu Jizi with a smile. "I'm not a foreign dignitary; I'm returning to my own planet. What's with all the fuss? It's too extravagant!"
"It's a drill! This is the newly selected diplomatic welcoming orchestra, all students from the first batch of middle schools on Spiral Star. When foreign heads of state visit, they will be arranged to play music to welcome them!" Liu Jizi explained loudly in Jiang Ye's ear. "Since you're here, let them play to test the effect! They're our own people, so it's not embarrassing if they mess up!"
Liu Jizi made a gesture, and the music immediately stopped. The young musicians turned their faces, looking expectantly at Jiang Ye and Liu Jizi.
Jiang Ye put on a friendly smile, went over to shake hands with a few musicians, and asked some perfunctory questions, like "Which school are you from?" and "How long have you been playing your instrument?" After asking, he offered some praise.
The children were ecstatic, gazing at Jiang Ye with reverence. Several of the children who had shaken hands with Jiang Ye had tears in their eyes.
After the formalities, Jiang Ye and Liu Jizi got into the official car at the end of the red carpet. Jiang Ye waved goodbye to the musicians and then rolled up the car window.
The official car smoothly took off, escorted by a group of police hovercars, quickly passing through the space station and heading into the distance.
"The children really like you," Liu Jizi said, opening the car's beverage cabinet and pouring tea for Jiang Ye.
"Why didn't you hire the military band? A group of middle schoolers, sent to a major diplomatic occasion, what if they falter?" Jiang Ye took the teacup. "It doesn't seem reliable. I heard several wrong notes just now; their playing isn't very good."