Lin Fan considers himself a patriotic young man...er, middle-aged.
Whenever she saw the neatly-lined parade formations marching by, she would be so excited that tears would well up in her eyes, and a sense of pride would arise in her heart.
Of course she had thought about traveling abroad, and when she was young she even vowed to travel around the world.
But as for other things, she really never thought about it.
When I learned the other meaning of the medal, a feeling of being wronged suddenly came over me, and the happiness I had before was gone.
"Look, you're already feeling wronged." Zhu Cunjun didn't think it was a big deal. "So, you're young..."
If Lin Fan hadn't been so uneasy, he wouldn't have explained it so clearly. "I'm giving it to you, so just take it. It's not something you stole, so why should you be so uneasy?"
Lin Fan felt awkward and didn't want to look at the badge.
I used to think that I was not worthy of it, but now I feel that it is the golden hoop on Sun Wukong’s head, which I cannot take off once I put it on.
"Don't just focus on what I said and ignore the rest." Zhu Cunjun shook his head. "The biggest function of this thing is to reward and honor you. The rest is just to constrain your morality. Since you can't do it, why bother with it?"
"Director, it's easy for you to say. If you also received such a medal, I'm afraid you wouldn't feel good about it." John Woo could understand Lin Fan.
"Why would I? I already have it," Zhu Cunjun said with a smile. "I don't care about what's going on behind the scenes. I wouldn't do anything that would cross my bottom line anyway, so why waste that feeling?"
"What do you have?" Even though Lin Fan was in distress, he was attracted by his words.
"Medal! You don't think that I, the director, have worked hard for you guys in the Special Affairs Office for most of my life, but I didn't even get a medal, right?" Zhu Cunjun changed his leg with a smug look on his face and swayed even more vigorously.
Director's medal? Never heard of it.
Lin Fan saw Wen Ji and John Woo exchange a look and asked, "Director, what is your medal?"
"National Medal." Zhu Cunjun was so proud when he talked about this.
"Is that the national medal?!" John Woo said in surprise.
They were just discussing how difficult it was to obtain the medal of bravery, and the national medal was the highest honor, but only a few people had received it so far.
But I don’t remember the name Zhu Cunjun.
Could it be that they were keeping it secret again? Considering the nature of the Special Affairs Office, it was very likely.
After the restructuring of the Special Affairs Office, Zhu Cunjun managed all affairs so well, solved countless problems and hidden dangers, and he himself was very capable.
It seems reasonable that he received the national medal.
"But you are different from me, you are truly worthy of the name..." Lin Fan said.
"What's different? What's different?" Zhu Cunjun interrupted her, patting the armrest of the sofa in mock displeasure. "You just don't have enough confidence."
"If you feel that your contribution is not enough, then why don't you roll up your sleeves and work hard to make up for what you owe?" Zhu Cunjun knew that these young people lived a comfortable life and sometimes they tended to get stuck in a rut.
"You know, with great power comes great responsibility. This badge is both a reward and an encouragement, as well as a warning. You can't just focus on what you think is bad and ignore the positive aspects. How can that work?"
"It's clearly a commendation for you, but you only see your own shortcomings. It's clearly encouragement and affirmation, but you only feel pressure. Although the warning makes you feel uncomfortable, isn't it also another form of attention?"
Zhu Cunjun pointed at Wu Yusen and said, "Don't think I'm just giving you chicken soup. There are so many people who want an opportunity like this but don't have one. Ask him if he wants it."
Wu Yusen was suddenly called upon and answered the question with sincerity: "I want it, but I haven't found the opportunity yet, have I?"
He smiled and said to Lin Fan, "I know this kind of thing wouldn't be pleasant for anyone, but then again, those who aren't feared are mediocre. We all know Xingchen's abilities."
"Until now, the higher-ups have been taking a laissez-faire approach towards you. It's called tolerance, but it's also indulgence. There are no restrictions at all. If you were in a high position, facing the stars, what would you think?"
"Plus, the benefits here are good, and you have a high annual income. To put it bluntly, if you want to leave, it's a matter of minutes. Who can stop you? So, although this kind of moral constraint is not very pleasant, I think it is the lightest kind of constraint."
"After all, no one has said it explicitly, it just has this implication. As long as you don't cross that bottom line, then this restriction can be considered as never existing." John Woo persuaded.
"Actually, we've had similar situations before," Wen Ji interjected. "Confidentiality agreements and surveillance equipment actually restrict us to a certain extent. Why don't you feel any resistance to them?"
Lin Fan thought about it.
I was resistant at first, but later I felt that this was normal and I wouldn’t do anything about it anyway, so it didn’t matter.
"So, isn't that the same thing?" Wen Ji spread his hands. "Just think of it as a special monitoring device, monitoring your behavior. Not to mention, it's far more meaningful than a monitoring device."
After everyone took turns to persuade him, Lin Fan felt much better. The feeling of being bound slowly loosened.
Yes, there are not so many pure things in this world.
She couldn't even articulate her feelings towards her own parents. Why did she expect the medal to be a pure reward?
After Lin Fan figured it out, he secretly complained about his own pretentiousness.
Even though he's grown up, he's still as innocent as a child. Perhaps he hasn't recovered from the effects of being smaller.
"I understand, Director," she nodded, looking at the three of them. "I will do my best to live up to the honor this medal brings. Thank you all."
"It's good that you've figured it out. It's good that you've figured it out. Hahahaha..." Zhu Cunjun knew that Lin Fan was a thoughtful person, and he was secretly worried. He was thinking that if it didn't work, he would ask Jin Sichen to take action.
Now that I see she can figure things out so easily, I feel that she really has a good personality and I was right about her.
Lin Fan took the velvet box from the coffee table and touched the badge. The cold feeling went from his fingertips to his heart.
Yes, a badge is just a badge. There's no need to give it too much meaning. It just represents recognition.
Although she still felt a little melancholy emotionally, she had completely accepted it intellectually. She slowly closed the lid, touching the bright red velvet surface, and heard Zhu Cunjun speak again.
"My boss just called me over. He has an urgent task for me."
He looked at Lin Fan with a grave smile.
"Your new mission has arrived."