Chapter Nine: I Reported Him—Ye Yuan Is a Deserter!

Cong Gui did not ask anything further.

Just then, Sun Ting pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing that Ye Yuan had awakened, she rushed over with a look of pleasant surprise. "Grandpa Ye, you're awake!"

Ye Yuan nodded with a gentle smile.

Sun Ting patted her chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Grandpa Ye, I’ve already reported this matter to the station. Before long, the entire country will know who you are! Those bad people will surely be brought to justice!"

"Thank you." Ye Yuan looked at Sun Ting with gratitude. This young girl, whom he had met only by chance, had been running around for his sake and had done so much; he truly did not know how to thank her.

Sun Ting looked flattered and waved her hands repeatedly. "Grandpa Ye, please don't say that. It’s the least I could do!"

"Hmm..." Ye Yuan turned his head to look at the crimson sunset outside the window. The others followed his gaze, their expressions turning solemn and grave.

After a moment, Ye Yuan asked softly, "Chief, when will the chief and the political commissar you mentioned arrive?"

Cong Gui pondered for a moment. "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they have already set off. However, Hehe County is quite far from Tongbin City... but I can guarantee you that they are coming as fast as they can!"

"I see." Ye Yuan nodded. As long as Ye Yan'an could be rescued safely, he was willing to wait for however long it took.

However, it was not Chief Xiao Bo and Political Commissar Liu Ping who arrived to meet them, but Liu Dehai!

In the office, after listening to the young soldier's report, Cong Gui furrowed his brows and glanced at Ye Yuan. He then let out a cold snort. "Let’s go! Old hero, let’s go see what kind of tricks he is trying to pull now!"

The three of them walked out of the office and arrived at the gate of the barracks. Liu Dehai was there with a dozen of his underlings, smoking and laughing loudly.

"Liu Dehai!" Cong Gui shouted, stepping forward to shield Ye Yuan behind him. "Do you know what place this is? Go somewhere else if you want to smoke and chat!"

Seeing the man in charge had arrived, Liu Dehai put on a wide, smug grin. "Chief Cong, what are you saying? I’m being wronged! I’ve come here today to report something!"

"Report?" Cong Gui looked at him with righteous indignation. "What do you want to report?"

Liu Dehai shouted at the top of his lungs, "I am reporting that Ye Yuan is a fraud! He is impersonating a war hero, and he might even be a deserter from those years!"

A deserter! This was a grave accusation in any era.

"You're talking nonsense!" Sun Ting couldn't help but cry out, "What right do you have to say such things!"

Cong Gui also stared coldly at Liu Dehai. "The authenticity of the old hero's identity will be determined by a military investigation! It is not for you to slander him here! If you dare to gather a crowd and stir up trouble at the gate of the barracks again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Liu Dehai, undeterred, said triumphantly, "Yesterday, I wanted to pay my respects to the deeds of the war veterans of our Hehe County and remember the national humiliation, but I searched through the entire county annals and couldn't find the name 'Ye Yuan' anywhere."

"Chief Cong, the county annals record only those martyrs whose deeds are verifiable and recognized by the state! I specifically asked the veterans at the archives to verify this. From the victory of the war to the various commendation lists after liberation, and the relief files from the Civil Affairs Bureau... none of them have anyone by the name of Ye Yuan!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Sun Ting and Cong Gui turned to look at Ye Yuan.

"Grandpa Ye..." Sun Ting's voice trembled. "H-how could there be no record of you?"

"Old hero, this..." Cong Gui’s brows furrowed deeply.

Liu Dehai continued, "Look, Chief, he doesn't even dare to speak. Doesn't that prove he’s a fraud? If you ask me, if those military medals on his chest aren't fake, he must have stripped them off someone else!"

"Shut your mouth!" Cong Gui barked. "Outside a military installation, who gave you the right to shout like that!"

Liu Dehai shrank his neck in feigned submission, but he cast a provocative look at Ye Yuan. Ever since he learned yesterday that Ye Yuan had been taken into the barracks by Cong Gui, he had been unable to sleep, racking his brain for a way to strike back. He decided to target Ye Yuan’s identity, hoping to find a loophole. And he had truly found one.

There was not a single mention of Ye Yuan in the entire annals of Hehe County. That was why he had come early this morning with his men, hoping to use this fact to bury Ye Yuan for good.

"Grandpa Ye, say something!" Sun Ting was so anxious she was on the verge of tears. "Are you just going to let him pour filth on you like this?"

"Hey, little girl, how can you say that? What do you mean by 'pouring filth'?" Liu Dehai wore the smug look of a villain who had won. He pointed at Ye Yuan. "If he could prove it, why would he say nothing? Isn't it because he’s got no ground to stand on?"

He was so confident because he knew the county annals had no record of Ye Yuan, and all the other war veterans in Hehe County had already passed away; there was no one left to step forward and verify Ye Yuan's identity.

*Old man,* Liu Dehai thought viciously, *even if you are real, I will make sure you are branded a fake! I’ll make sure you can never clear your name!*

All eyes were fixed on Ye Yuan. Cong Gui and Sun Ting, in particular, waited with bated breath, hoping that Ye Yuan could produce compelling evidence to prove his identity.

Time ticked by. Even the bustling wind seemed to have died down. After a long silence, Ye Yuan finally spoke slowly.

"These medals... indeed, they are not mine."

The words landed like a stone in a calm pond, sending violent ripples through the crowd. Everyone stared at Ye Yuan, dumbstruck. Liu Dehai’s mouth hung open, shocked that Ye Yuan had admitted it so readily. Had he actually stumbled upon the truth?

"Ha... Hahahaha!" Liu Dehai burst into a wild, triumphant laugh. "Chief Cong! He’s confessed! Not only is he impersonating a hero, but he’s also insulting the martyrs! He hung other people's medals on himself! This is desecration! This is a crime!"

Cong Gui’s voice faltered. "O-old hero, this is not a funny joke..."

Ye Yuan turned to look at Cong Gui. "These medals... they all belong to my fallen comrades. As for my own medals... the vast majority of them were buried long ago."

"I only kept one as a memento."