General Ji didn’t hesitate after Speaker Long finally granted him permission and immediately asked the police to issue a warrant for Hong Kangquan’s arrest.
Speaker Long put down the phone and sighed secretly.
Special Assistant Zhuang stood next to him and asked uneasily, “Speaker Long, what can I do?”
Hong Kangquan was the Cabinet Director, while General Ji was part of the military. If the military directly intervened when it wasn’t within their jurisdiction, this would come back and bite them after the whole thing blew over.
Speaker Long thought about it for a moment. “Little Zhuang, can you please go back and assist General Ji with handling this matter? On my behalf, if someone in the cabinet is dissatisfied, you can be there to shut them up.”
Considering the extent of Tan Dongbang’s involvement in this matter, Speaker Long also felt that he shouldn’t let his guard down regarding the cabinet’s involvement either.
Special Assistant Zhuang said, “Speaker Long, you’ve spoken too seriously. It isn’t burdensome. I’ll return now, but here…”
He looked at the guard of honor at the airport. Not far away, a silver-white Lufthansa specialized aircraft was soaring above the blue sky.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, the Imperial Capital International Airport finally welcomed the German delegate to China.
Since this time, it was the head of the German government, the Huaxia Empire had rolled out a red carpet on the tarmac to demonstrate national courtesy.
Speaker Long shook his head. “Go ahead. I’ll let Nianzhi help me attend to them.”
“I’ll tell her, then I’ll be going.” Special Assistant Zhuang was a responsible person, and he himself also anxiously wanted to handle the Secretariat’s affairs.
Rong Mingxing’s actions that day had greatly annoyed Special Assistant Zhuang.
Who couldn’t see the situation Special Assistant Yang was in?
Although on the outside, she was “on leave,” in reality, he was more or less fired, yet she still regarded him as the backbone of the Secretariat? Was she lacking in terms of intelligence? Or was she doing this deliberately?
After Speaker Long nodded, Special Assistant Zhuang came to Gu Nianzhi and said softly, “Nianzhi, I’ll have to leave this to you. I have an urgent matter to get back to, and Speaker Long, can you help us attend to the foreign guests?”
Gu Nianzhi looked up in surprise. “Of course, but Special Assistant Zhuang, are you sure it’s a good idea for someone as low-ranking as me to attend to such powerful figures?”
“It’s alright. Speaker Long will be there to ensure that nothing goes wrong.” Seeing how considerate Gu Nianzhi was, Special Assistant Zhuang was very satisfied with her. “You stand next to Speaker Long. There are people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs next to him, and they’re the ones who will be greeting the German chancellor directly. We’re merely backup to show how much we respect the delegate.”
He pointed to where he was standing.
For the welcome ceremony, their positions were based on their rank, from high to low. This was basic diplomatic etiquette and reflected their attitude towards this diplomatic exchange.
Diplomatic etiquette was no small matter, otherwise, one risked humiliating themselves and offending the other party.
Gu Nianzhi saw that Special Assistant Zhuang had other arrangements, so she decided not to bother him any longer and simply said, “I won’t keep you from your work anymore. I’ll be heading over.”
Special Assistant Zhuang left in a hurry, and Gu Nianzhi stood where he had been standing, which was right next to Speaker Long.
Upon seeing Gu Nianzhi heading towards him, Speaker Long gave her a slight nod. “Nianzhi, we’re relying on you today. Don’t be afraid, just stand by my side.” Then he said, “There’s simultaneous translation going on over there. Did you bring your headset?”
Gu Nianzhi shook her head and said softly, “I didn’t bring my headset, but I understand German.”
After all, she had stayed in Germany for two months, and to her credit, those two months were not spent in vain. She had learned a new language!
Gu Nianzhi was wearing a navy blue Chanel suit and standing next to Speaker Long.
In the eyes of the men there, Gu Nianzhi’s vivacious appearance was very eye-catching.
Her huge eyes were as bright as the stars, and with a faint smile on her face, she gave off an air of serene grace.
Watching how calmly and professionally she presented herself, Speaker Long couldn’t help but grow even more satisfied with her.
Yet underneath Gu Nianzhi’s calm exterior, she was actually feeling extremely anxious, the palms of her hands sweating.
After the distant plane stopped on the tarmac, it took another quarter of an hour before the door to the cabin finally opened.
The slightly chubby middle-aged woman often seen in the media appeared at the door of the cabin, then smiled and waved at everyone.
This was the German Chancellor.
Gu Nianzhi plastered a smile on her face and watched her slowly walk down the red carpet.
Behind the Chancellor were high ranking German officials, all dressed in formal black attire. The impeccable tailoring emphasized their extraordinary physiques.
Gu Nianzhi’s gaze swept lightly across these people’s faces, but she didn’t see Reinitz, and she gradually calmed herself.
However, just when she was thinking about how Reinitz might not show himself in public after all, a tall man with a model-like physique appeared at the cabin door.
Wearing a German Ground Force Army Cap, he had deep-set eyes, buttery blond hair, and cerulean eyes, and his eyebrows were so impeccably shaped that it seemed like they had been drawn on with a ruler.
He walked down the ladder nonchalantly, and his relaxed body language combined with his aloofness made him seem as distant like the mountains, yet his casualness made him seem within reach.
Raising his head and exposing his fine Germanic features, he was a sight many women would fall head over heels for, yet his solemn expression and stately manner contrasted strikingly with his body language.
When he walked down the ladder, several young female attendants were fawning over him.
“Who is he?!”
“My goodness! He’s so ridiculously handsome!”
“He’s still wearing his German military uniform!”
“He’s too gorgeous!”
Although their voices were quiet, everyone still heard them.
The corners of Gu Nianzhi’s mouth quivered in amusement, and she thought that if she wasn’t actually the”pink piggy,” she probably would’ve been fawning over him like all those girls…
However, she had a sour and uneasy feeling inside, and observing Reinitz’s reaction when he saw her merely made her want to run as away far as she could, because she knew very well, Reinitz knew of her true identity as the “pink piggy.”
Yet for some inexplicable reason, it seemed like he hadn’t told anyone.
If he had, the German chancellor certainly wouldn’t have requested an urgent visit to China, but probably would have demanded that the Huaxia Empire hand over Gu Nianzhi so they could do as they saw fit.
At the same time as thousands of thoughts raced through Gu Nianzhi’s mind, the smiling and amiable female chancellor of Germany had walked in front of Speaker Long and was shaking hands with him pleasantly, whispering in German.
Gu Nianzhi could understand the words coming out of the German chancellor’s mouth even without the headset that gave simultaneous translations.
She was saying hello to Speaker Long and asking why their prime minister hadn’t come…
Speaker Long wanted to explain, but the simultaneous translation on their side seemed to be a little slow. Speaker Long held the German Chancellor’s hand, yet couldn’t conceal the awkwardness of his smile.
Gu Nianzhi started in standard dialect German, “His excellency the Prime Minister, you should know, since our general election is going to be held in two days, the current prime minister is only acting prime minister in name. Attending such a ceremony is not part of an acting Prime Minister’s duties, but perhaps your people haven’t yet briefed you on this?”
Basically, Gu Nianzhi was insinuating that their visit hadn’t come at a convenient time and that they were wrapped up in domestic issues.
Furthermore, she was also implying that unless the chancellor was feigning ignorance, when in reality she knew why the prime minister was absent, then perhaps her people hadn’t been entirely honest with her and were keeping her in the dark about certain things.
Gu Nianzhi’s responses made the chancellor’s subordinates feel uneasy and defensive, and they began murmuring excuses with aggrieved looks on their faces.
Speaker Long felt content inside and let out a laugh. “The ignorant can’t be held accountable for their actions!”
Now it was the German chancellor’s turn to smile awkwardly.
The German chancellor was surprised that her subtle snub was seen through by such a young woman.
The German chancellor couldn’t help but give Gu Nianzhi a double-take, since this made such a deep impression on her.
At this time, Reinitz finally came towards them.
He didn’t have any expression on his face, and his soulful lake-blue eyes flickered and swept across Gu Nianzhi’s face indifferently.
He had overheard Gu Nianzhi speaking German just then, and it sounded as melodious as he vividly recalled.
Hearing her voice alone was enough to stir up waves of passion inside him, yet when he followed the German chancellor and quietly passed by Gu Nianzhi, he didn’t turn his head or say anything and merely acted as if she was a complete stranger.
