Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 87 - Don't Hang Up

When Shehnaaz dialled the number, it was already noon.

Sidharth had just returned to his room from his meeting with the Senate, and was now eating lunch and reading the National Defense bulletin at the same time. He would be meeting with the top brass of the Ministry of Defense in the afternoon, and he was preparing for it.

He heard his phone ring, and saw with a quick glance that it was an incoming call from the internal telephone line
installed in Shehnaaz's bedroom, over at the Special Operations Forces military base.

Yesterday, Rohit had told him about Shehnaaz's sudden holiday, and how she would be spending a few days
at the military base.

This incoming call likely meant that she had already checked in.

No one else would call him on this number.

Sidharth thought of what had happened at Sahyadri Mountain Resort Villa last night. He unlocked the phone with his long, powerful fingers.

Before he could say a single word, Shehnaaz's voice sounded over the phone, happy and surprised: "Uncle
Sid?!"

"Yeah." Sidharth lowered the bulletin in his hand.

"Sana, you're at the base?"

"Yup, Brother Rohit picked me up last night." Shehnaaz's voice was usually bright and playful, but it was now soft and husky because she had just woken up. Listening to her was like having a cat extend a small, fleshy paw and playfully bat at your ears. It was lovely, charming, and utterly intoxicating for the average person.

Sidharth was unmoved, however. He merely grunted in reply, before saying in a low voice, "Still in bed?"

"Yup. Just woke up." Shehnaaz's brain was sluggish; she wasn't completely awake yet. She held onto her phone and blinked as she took in her surroundings: this wasn't her college dorm, or her apartment in Andheri Precinct. It suddenly dawned upon her that she was in her bedroom, inside Sidharth's military residence, and the
realisation stunned her.

She had automatically dialled the number, without thinking.

Whoops.

Gu Nianzhi inwardly chided herself, but she was reluctant to hang up the phone.

It wasn't every day that Uncle Sid took her call. It would be stupid of her to hang up on him now.

Shehnaaz turned over on her bed, a sweet smile on her face. She had both hands cupped around her phone now -she did not want to miss a single syllable from the other end of the line.

Sidharth heard the husky weariness in her voice; he lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch. "Go back to
sleep then. I'm hanging up."

"Hey! Don't hang up!" Shehnaaz was frantic. She tossed in her bed in her panic, her fingers clenched tight around her phone, and fell off the narrow bed with a ka-thunk.

Sidharth: "...Sana?"

"Uncle Sid, I'm fine! I fell off the bed, that's all..." Shehnaaz was extremely nervous. "Don't hang up on me!"

Sidharth was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice had gotten even deeper. "Okay. Calm down. I'm not hanging up."

Shehnaaz breathed out a long sigh of relief. She held onto the phone as she made herself comfortable on the small
sheepskin rug in front of her bed. She leaned against her bed and sat with her long legs stretched out.

Huo Shaoheng's words were still echoing in her ears. They had been just a few simple words, but she found herself deeply affected by them.

Shehnaaz clung to the phone; her brain was fuzzy and the inside of her nose stung. She wanted to cry, wanted to act like a spoilt child - but Sidharth was not the kind of man to be persuaded by a few coy words...