Reinitz looked at Huo Shaoheng and saw that he had an expression commonly seen on male fashion magazine models. Reinitz’s voice grew softer. “Cereus, I didn’t make myself clear, so this man misunderstood. In fact, I just said that we drank too much yesterday. I didn’t say we were actually drinking alcohol.” He put his hands up in the air helplessly, and his apology sounded very sincere.
As the old saying went, slap people with a smile on your face. Reinitz took the initiative to voluntarily humble himself, but did that really mean Gu Nianzhi should take advantage of it? She couldn’t help but smirk and say, “So the misunderstanding has been resolved, right?” Even though she was talking to Reinitz, she was actually glancing at Huo Shaoheng from the corners of her eyes.
Huo Shaoheng put his hands in his pockets, and he still had that male fashion model expression on his face. He appeared cold yet beautiful, and sullen yet sexy. He nodded. “Well, that’s it.” After looking at Reinitz, he said, “Then ask Major General Reinitz to make some white sausages.”
Reinitz agreed with a smile and asked Gu Nianzhi, “Cereus, where’s the kitchen?”
Gu Nianzhi felt somewhat embarrassed as she decided to show him the way. “Follow me.” Then she added, “The kitchen is very small.” It actually wasn’t small by normal standards, but compared to Reinitz’s castle in Germany, of course it would seem small.
“It’s okay. Making white sausages in Cereus’s kitchen is a memorable experience that I can cherish for an entire year.” Reinitz’s crinkly blue eyes lit up in a smile, and he appeared so overjoyed that he seemed drunk at first glance. Gu Nianzhi looked away and turned to walk to the kitchen.
However, Huo Shaoheng grabbed her hand to prevent her from leading the way. “The kitchen is right over there. It’s not a maze. Major General Reinitz has conquered the Alps. Can he really not find his way in a tiny kitchen? Come to the dining room with me and wait for Major General Reinitz’s white sausage to be ready to eat.”
Gu Nianzhi couldn’t free herself from Huo Shaoheng’s grasp, so all she could do was look at Reinitz and point towards the kitchen with a bitter smile on her face. “The kitchen is that way. The kitchenware is all German. You should know how to use everything.”
Reinitz ignored Huo Shaoheng’s hostile attitude. From beginning to end, his attention was only on Gu Nianzhi. “Okay, I’ll do it myself. You wait for me in the dining room, and I’ll bring it to you when I’m done,” Reinitz said, then headed towards the kitchen to get started.
Huo Shaoheng led Gu Nianzhi to the dining room. Once they were out of Reinitz’s sight and earshot, Gu Nianzhi lowered her voice and said, “Huo Shao, why are you acting like this? Reinitz is cooking for us. Don’t you want to watch him lest he do something to the food?”
Huo Shaoheng’s profession depended upon not judging a book by its cover, not making a faux pas, and not eating food prepared by just anyone. Huo Shaoheng blinked then replied, “It doesn’t matter. I won’t eat it, anyway.”
“Well, remember what you said!” Gu Nianzhi laughed.
The crystal lamp above her head was so dazzling, it accentuated the passion and warmth in her crystal clear eyes. Huo Shaoheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He swallowed hard and kept his eyes averted.
Gu Nianzhi’s attention was occupied by the food on the table. There was an antique stew pot in the middle of the table, and inside the pot was clear soup with small petals floating on the surface. The large jujubes were soaking in the soup, and the whole thing appeared utterly delicious. The simmering sea cucumber was glutinous, and when chewed with tender chicken, was absolutely mouthwatering.
Gu Nianzhi took a bite of the sea cucumber, then took a bite of the chicken. Next she sucked on a red date, which was so flavorful that she couldn’t help but savor the taste.
She used a spoon to let Huo Shaoheng taste some of what he made and said with a smile, “You try some as well, Huo Shao. It’s really delicious!”
Huo Shaoheng said, “Thank you,” then picked up the spoon and ate some. Gu Nianzhi then scooped herself a bowl of scallop and grouper porridge. The soup appeared creamy white, and the scallops were fresh. The tender grouper fillets had a natural sweet taste, which was soothing to Gu Nianzhi’s taste buds after the fever.
She was eating so heartily, had it not been for Huo Shaoheng’s instruction over so many years, Gu Nianzhi probably would have started devouring the food with her hands. Eating delicious food could soothe people’s nerves and serve as emotional therapy. Ma Qiqi once told Gu Nianzhi that there was nothing in this world that couldn’t be solved by a delicious meal. If there was, then eat two meals. Gu Nianzhi couldn’t help but laugh when thinking about how funny Ma Qiqi was when she said that.
Huo Shaoheng actually had no appetite, but seeing how heartily Gu Nianzhi ate, he also decided to eat something.
When Reinitz finally brought out the white sausages, which were sliced into thin pieces, and served them, Gu Nianzhi had finished the first round of dinner. Holding her head with her hands, she smiled at Huo Shaoheng, who was sitting opposite her.
The stew pot and congee pot on the table appeared to have been devoured. When Gu Nianzhi saw Reinitz coming out, she stood up and said guiltily, “Sorry, Reinitz. We ate a bit already.”
Reinitz wasn’t angry. He simply came over and put the long, bone-shaped porcelain plate filled with white sausages in front of Gu Nianzhi and said gently, “Of course I won’t blame you for eating when you’re hungry. Why apologize? You don’t owe anyone an apology.” Although he said this with heartfelt sincerity, his gaze floated towards Huo Shaoheng, as if to blame him.
Huo Shaoheng pretended not to sense Reinitz’s condemnation. He smiled and asked Reinitz to come sit down and made Gu Nianzhi take out the bread to serve Reinitz with the white sausages.
After Gu Nianzhi went to the kitchen, the two men ceased flashing their faux smiles. They sat under the crystal lights in the dining room, one with his arms crossed while the other had his long legs thrust out nonchalantly. They stared at each other blankly, and the dining room was so quiet, one could have heard a pin drop.
After a while, Reinitz spoke first to break the silence. “Major General Huo, your Huaxia Empire possesses all the intelligence and system data of the Federal Intelligence Agency of Germany. Don’t you owe us an explanation?” His tone was no longer gentle, and he sounded so harsh and domineering that he appeared to be on the verge of flipping the table over at any second.
Huo Shaoheng shook his head, lifted his hands up, and said, “What makes Major General Reinitz say that? What evidence do you have that suggests we have all your data? Also, isn’t this something you should discuss during the bilateral parliamentary talks with China today? I’m off work now, so aren’t you looking in the wrong place for the wrong person?”
Reinitz stared at Huo Shaoheng aggressively, and his deep blue eyes gleamed. “Looking in the wrong place for the wrong person? Major General Huo, you’re a first-class player.” Reinitz appeared to be restraining himself, as if he were going to declare that war was about to break out. Only he knew that all the tenderness and gentleness he was capable of had been exhausted in the month he had spent with Gu Nianzhi. He had had no use for gentleness before encountering her. After she left, his gentleness had nowhere to be used.
Huo Shaoheng did not feel threatened. He leaned forward slightly and stared at Reinitz with a provocative look in his eyes. “Is that so? Who is truly the first-class player? Major General Reinitz, can you tell me what your boss’s nationality is?”
For a moment, Reinitz’s eyes darkened so much that his deep blue eyes almost appeared black. After a while, he calmly pushed back his blond hair and said nonchalantly, “I don’t understand what Major General Huo is asking. I am negotiating with you in sincerity. If you don’t want to negotiate, then forget it.” This time, one of the main purposes of Reinitz following the German prime minister to China was to see Huo Shaoheng. Of course, he had intended to meet in private where they didn’t need public facades.
“I’m not unwilling to negotiate,” Huo Shaoheng replied sharply. “But some things are really non-negotiable, especially concerning matters of principle.”
“For example?” Reinitz raised an eyebrow. “What matters are non-negotiable? Can Major General Huo be more specific?”
“For example, the ‘Pink Piggy.’” Huo Shaoheng looked resolute. “We don’t know the true identity of the ‘Pink Piggy,’ but if we do find out one day, we certainly will not hand that person over to you. You can go back and tell that to your top bosses. That is my stance.”
