"Is that so? Then we shall see." Patrick Zala withdrew his imposing demeanor, returning to his usual state. "Athrun."
"Father."
"Miss Wang will be staying in PLANT for a few more days. You shall be responsible for hosting her."
"Yes."
As Chairman and Military Committee Chairman respectively, Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala had endless matters to attend to and couldn't accompany Wang Liu Mei indefinitely. Fortunately, Athrun already knew Wang Liu Mei and currently had no military duties, making him the perfect candidate for the task.
"Long time no see, Miss Wang."
"Long time no see, Athrun. Since this is private time, you can just call me by my name."
"Ah... alright, Wang Liu Mei."
"How are things between you and Lacus?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Aren't you two engaged?"
"Oh... that. You know our situation. I joined ZAFT and spend most of my time with the forces, while she has her own commitments, so..."
"That's truly a shame."
"Aren't you the same? Yang Hui, he..."
The two chatted casually along the way, but when Athrun mentioned Yang Hui, he suddenly fell silent.
"Is something wrong?" Wang Liu Mei asked.
"N-no, nothing." Athrun quickly dropped the subject. Though he was curious about why Yang Hui had appeared in Heliopolis, the surroundings were too crowded for such a sensitive question.
Wang Liu Mei didn't press further, steering the conversation back to casual topics as they arrived at the Zala residence.
"You're... Liumei? My, my, it's been nearly a year, hasn't it? You've grown even more beautiful."
Upon arriving at the Zala household, they were greeted by a gentle and elegant noblewoman—Lenore Zala, Patrick Zala's wife and Athrun's mother. She was also the family member of the key figure Wang Liu Mei had mentioned during the hearing committee as having been rescued.
On February 14th, CE 70, one month before the Bloody Valentine incident, Yang Hui had secretly relayed intelligence to PLANT about the Earth Forces' planned covert attack. However, neither Siegel Clyne nor Patrick Zala took it seriously, as full-scale war had not yet broken out between the two sides, leading to tragedy.
Upon learning this, Yang Hui found an excuse to evacuate Lenore Zala in advance, saving her life. This also marked the beginning of his connections with PLANT's upper echelons.
At the time, the ones responsible for escorting Lenore Zala to safety were Wang Liu Mei and Sumeragi, so compared to Yang Hui—the mastermind behind the scenes—Lenore had a closer relationship with Wang Liu Mei and Sumeragi.
"My apologies for the long absence, Mrs. Zala."
"Come in, come in! Child, why didn't you notify me earlier? I could have prepared something."
"There's no need for such trouble, Mrs. Zala. My visit to PLANT this time is also for official business."
"Is it... about Heliopolis?"
"Yes."
"..." Though Lenore Zala was merely an agricultural scientist, as Patrick Zala's wife, she understood the gravity of the situation. After a brief silence, she swiftly changed the subject. "Liumei, what would you like to eat? I'll cook for you tonight to welcome you."
"Anything is fine. I'm not picky."
"Alright, you stay here at home for a while. I'll go prepare, Athrun."
"Mother."
"Take good care of Liumei."
"Yes."
Lenore Zala left with the servants to go shopping. She was preparing a grand feast to entertain Wang Liu Mei, and at the same time... she was also leaving space for Wang Liu Mei and Athrun. From the moment they entered, Lenore had noticed Athrun's hesitant expression and guessed he had something he wanted to ask Wang Liu Mei privately.
After everyone had left, Athrun dismissed the household servants as well. Only when he was certain no one was around did he finally speak to Wang Liu Mei.
"Why was Yang Hui in Heliopolis?"
"How would I know? Yang Hui is very busy these days. It's hard for us to meet now." Wang Liu Mei replied casually. Athrun could tell she was being evasive and was about to press further when he stopped upon seeing her next move.
As she answered, Wang Liu Mei pulled out an elegant black box from her handbag, extended two antennas from its edges, and watched as the red indicator light blinked rapidly before turning green after a few seconds. Only then did she place the black box on the table.
"What is this?"
"A signal jammer. Athrun, I see your carelessness hasn't changed." Wang Liu Mei sighed, scolding him lightly.
"But... this is my home! Why would we need to jam signals? Unless—!"
"Precisely because this is your home, we need to be extra cautious. Chairman Zala is quite formidable."
"This... how could...? And how did you know?"
"I don't know for sure. But right now, I represent Orb. Every word and action must be careful, leaving no room for mistakes. Whether there are surveillance devices or not, necessary precautions must be taken." Wang Liu Mei explained. In truth, she didn't know whether the Zala household was bugged or monitored, but the upcoming conversation was sensitive. Any leak could jeopardize everything she had gained so far.
"You... never mind. You've become very capable."
"Really? I still feel far from adequate."
"You... fine. Can you answer my question now?"
"You've seen Aegis's OS, haven't you?" Wang Liu Mei countered.
"How do you know the name Aegis?"
"The GAT-X Series—what Earth calls the G Project. As Orb's liaison, I'm the direct point of contact. And Yang Hui..."
"...He's directly involved in the assistance? But... wait, did Yang Hui write the OS?"
Suddenly, Athrun recalled the vague sense of familiarity he'd felt while rewriting the OS. Wasn't that Yang Hui's distinctive coding style?
"Correct."
"What is he playing at? That OS is practically unusable for anyone! How could Earth Forces possibly accept it?" Athrun asked, rubbing his temples. Yang Hui was never one to take a loss, but the OS he'd written was impossible for Naturals to operate—even Coordinators would struggle. How could such an OS fulfill the terms of the deal?
"Wait... what if that's exactly Yang Hui's plan?"
A new possibility dawned on Athrun: Yang Hui had deliberately crafted a monstrous OS to ensure Earth Forces couldn't deploy it anytime soon. This was his contingency within the deal.
But that didn't make sense either. If the Earth Forces used this as an excuse to refuse paying the final compensation, wouldn't all their efforts be in vain?
Unless... they could prove that such an OS could be used by Naturals!
But... could any "human" really operate such an OS?
"Could it be...?"
After eliminating all impossibilities, the final conclusion left Athrun dizzy—it was an answer straight out of fantasy.
"Yang Hui, he..." Athrun stared wide-eyed at Wang Liu Mei, the shocking conclusion stuck in his throat, unable to be voiced.
"Who knows?" Wang Liu Mei didn't understand what Athrun wanted to ask, but judging by his expression, she guessed it might concern Yang Hui's secrets—at least those not yet meant to be revealed. Under such circumstances, she certainly couldn't give Athrun a definitive answer. No matter how close they were privately, they now belonged to opposing factions.
"...I see. Then Yang Hui's presence in Heliopolis makes sense. I just never imagined... that we'd meet again as enemies."
"Are you enemies now?" Wang Liu Mei countered.
"Aren't we?"
"That depends on how you look at it," Wang Liu Mei shrugged.
Different stances and objectives breed divergence, and divergence leads to conflict.
From Yang Hui's perspective, the G Project was one he participated in and assisted. Naturally, he had to protect it to secure greater benefits for himself. Moreover, as a high-ranking official of Orb, he had to defend Heliopolis when it came under attack by ZAFT Forces.
From Athrun's perspective, as a member of ZAFT Forces, it was only natural to attack the Earth Forces—their sworn enemies. As a soldier, obeying orders was his duty.
Thus, both sides were right. Their conflict arose solely from differing positions. But... did that mean Yang Hui and Athrun had become enemies?
And... temporary hostility wasn't something that couldn't be changed.
"Fine, talking to you now is exhausting," Athrun grumbled.
"That's called growing up. After all, Orb's current situation is that dire. What surprises me is you, Athrun. As the son of Chairman Zala, you're still so naive."
"Uh..."
"Giggle Looks like Lacus will have you wrapped around her finger," Wang Liu Mei covered her mouth in amusement.
Judging by Athrun's current state, it was clear he hadn't seen Lacus's true nature—that was the real monster.
Wang Liu Mei's achievements stemmed from her shrewd soul hidden beneath a youthful exterior. As for Lacus... both Wang Liu Mei and Sumeragi knew well—outwardly an innocent, sweet airhead, but inside, she was pitch black. Her methods, vision, and mindset were no less formidable than seasoned politicians. She was a born political talent.
"Let's drop it. Though Lacus and I are engaged, we've barely spent any time together..."
"But you both accepted it, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Like Yang Hui once said—who can predict the future?"
"Chuckle How true."
"Alright, I've met both you and Yang Hui. What about Sumeragi? How is she?"
"Big sister Sumeragi..."
"What? Did something happen to her?" Athrun grew concerned seeing Wang Liu Mei hesitate.
"Not exactly, just... I won't tell you."
Athrun: (⊙﹏⊙)
Sumeragi's current true situation was Orbs' highest classified secret. It absolutely couldn't be revealed before officially stepping onto the world stage.
"Click~"
Unnoticed, much time had passed. The sound of the front door opening signaled Lenore Zala's return. Wang Liu Mei put away the signal jammer, and the two ended their previous conversation.