Dust and wind?
They were inside an office!
This was also the largest office on the top floor of the most luxurious senate building in the entire Imperial Capital.
Where would the dust and wind have come from?!
However, Speaker Long and General Ji instantly understood what Huo Shaoheng was implying, so the two sympathetic elders didn’t wish to expose him.
Speaker Long even said giddily, “Dust and wind? Wasn’t the dust and wind in the Imperial Capital taken care of a long time ago? There are no more dust storms now, so you’re better off saying the smog is too strong… Shaoheng, I’m not trying to scold you, but you can’t even lie properly…”
General Ji would never allow his beloved soldier to be ridiculed by someone else, so he immediately shouted back protectively, “That’s because my soldier is honest! He doesn’t know how to lie! You think he’s anything like your senators? They wouldn’t even know how to speak if they weren’t lying every day!”
“Hey! Careful with what you’re saying! When did we ever lie every day?!” Speaker Long’s expression darkened, and at that moment, he wanted nothing more but to call Gu Nianzhi in so she could teach General Ji a lesson…
“No, of course, you’re not lying every day… Hahahaha….” General Ji was in high spirits after winning, so he took the opportunity to make jabs at Speaker Long. The two men joked around in order to gloss over Huo Shaoheng’s situation and avoid embarrassing him.
However, Huo Shaoheng wasn’t embarrassed at all. The truth was, his mood had calmed down quickly, so he congratulated Speaker Long with a smile. “It wasn’t easy, but you’ve finally found a qualified successor.”
“That’s right!” Speaker Long was extremely pleased. “She’s too young though, so she needs experience, but I’ll educate her well while she’s by my side, so she can be successful very soon!”
“I’ll be troubling you then,” Huo Shaoheng replied very earnestly, causing him to sound just like Gu Nianzhi’s parent…
Speaker Long squinted his eyes. “Shaoheng, tell me the truth. Did you break up with Nianzhi, or are you still lovers?”
Huo Shaoheng paused. “We did break up and are no longer lovers. But…”
He quickly replied, “I am planning to pursue her once again.”
Speaker Long had no words.
Jesus!
Speaker Long suddenly felt as if the little fox he had worked hard to lure here was about to be carried off by a wolf.
Speaker Long replied impatiently, “Nianzhi is only 19 years old and just graduated from her master’s program recently. She should focus on her career. Major General Huo holds a high rank and great power, plus he’s a lot older than Nianzhi. I think you’d better find another match for yourself.” He then continued, “Don’t hold back our Nianzhi.”
General Ji was stunned while listening to this, his mouth gaping open several times before he finally swallowed the words back down his throat. He changed his tune and smiled. “Old Long, this is their own business. Why are you controlling everything, even whether someone else is dating or having babies? Even if Nianzhi was your own daughter, you couldn’t keep her from marrying. Also, you’re only her superior—careful or Nianzhi will scold you for being a busybody!”
With Gu Nianzhi’s silver tongue, she would certainly scold him until he went mad.
General Ji chuckled very happily.
Speaker Long’s eyes flashed. “…I’ll reason with Nianzhi; you don’t need to worry about that.” As he said this, he regarded Huo Shaoheng like he was terrified that he would immediately kidnap Nianzhi and began to shoo him away. “Do you people have nothing to do? There are only four days before voting for the interim general elections begin and your Special Operations Forces are in charge of the surveillance, so you can’t let your guards down. Okay then, I won’t keep you any longer. Hurry up and get to work. The nation needs your protection, so don’t come running to the senate to watch videos whenever you please.”
General Ji didn’t deign him with a response.
Huo Shaoheng put both hands into his pants pockets, his posture relaxed and his strapping figure ramrod straight. “I’ll go to the surveillance room to monitor the progress.” As he spoke, he turned to leave.
Watching Huo Shaoheng leave, Speaker Long finally sighed in relief and said to General Ji, “You need to keep a better eye on your beloved soldier. It makes me sweat to see him look at my apprentice with his wolf-like eyes.”
In the blink of an eye, Gu Nianzhi had already been promoted to an “apprentice.” She hadn’t even been asked if she was willing to be his apprentice.
General Ji thought of Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng’s actual relationship, but he hadn’t been able to bring that up to slap Speaker Long’s smug face. He suddenly felt very helpless, but what could he do?
He had already promised Huo Shaoheng he would keep it a secret, so he could only choose to forgive Speaker Long…
General Ji nodded at him dismissively. “Fine, keep an eye on Hong Kangquan. I’m going back now. The previous cabinet is still in power during the interim general elections, so you’ll be working very hard as the senator for the next few days. When the new prime minister is elected and forms a new cabinet, you’ll be able to relax.”
Speaker Long agreed and asked Special Assistant Zhuang to escort General Ji outside.
…
Huo Shaoheng arrived at the temporary surveillance room where Yin Shixiong was located.
The Special Operations Forces personnel inside immediately came over to salute him.
“Hello, Chief!”
Huo Shaoheng raised his hand and asked them to return to their jobs. He slowly walked to the surveillance screens alone and said to Yin Shixiong, “Where is the monitoring within the senate building?”
Yin Shixiong pointed to several screens. “These are all internal monitoring.”
“Download the surveillance footage from Speaker Long’s office this morning and send it to the Special Operations Forces email to archive.” Huo Shaoheng put on white gloves and glanced at his watch. He asked nonchalantly, “Which floor is Nianzhi on?”
“Nianzhi is in the Secretariat, so she should be on the sixth floor.” As Yin Shixiong spoke, he switched the surveillance to the Secretariat floor and began checking the lobby cubicles where Gu Nianzhi had been. However, it was empty and appeared devoid of people.
“Hmm? Could she have moved somewhere else?” Yin Shixiong scratched his head in confusion and turned on his Bluetooth headset to contact the personnel in the Senate Secretariat and asked, “Were there any personnel changes in the Secretariat? For example, a change of offices…”
The personnel on the other side asked about the arrangements, then replied to Yin Shixiong, “There was a change. The new intern, Miss Gu, has been moved to a small office near the south side of the building. It’s an individual office because she has to handle legal matters and it’s inconvenient for her to work in a lobby cubicle.”
“Okay, I understand.” Yin Shixiong hung up the phone and replied to Huo Shaoheng, “Nianzhi has her own office now.”
As he spoke, Yin Shixiong found Gu Nianzhi’s office according to the location the personnel had told him.
The office wasn’t actually that small, and half the wall was glass, so everyone outside could see what the person inside was doing. It wasn’t very private.
The surveillance screen indicated that Gu Nianzhi currently had her head down and was tidying up things on her desk.
From their angle, they could only see the top of Gu Nianzhi’s head. Her soft, smooth, and long black hair hung down her back, so silky it resembled a black waterfall.
Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a long time before saying, “…She’s lost weight.”
Yin Shixiong was shocked.
Oh my god!
Huo Shao was really something!
He could determine if she had gained or lost weight just by looking at the top of her head!
Although Yin Shixiong thought a thousand things in his head, he didn’t dare utter a word out loud. He chuckled and quickly replied, “She’s lost weight, she has indeed lost weight… Even the top of her head is smaller…”
Huo Shaoheng coolly glanced at him. “…Did you rewrite your marriage report yet?”
Yin Shixiong stayed silent.
That had been aimed right at his heart.
‘Huo Shao, your butcher’s knife really stabs wherever it hurts the most.’
Yin Shixiong wiped the smile off his face and sat down quietly. “Huo Shao, I need to work now. I’ll rewrite my marriage report after the interim general elections conclude.”
Huo Shaoheng nodded his head and patted Yin Shixiong on the shoulder. “Work hard. Once the interim general elections conclude, I’ll request work awards for all of you.”
Jesus!
Monitoring the elections could earn them awards!
Yin Shixiong immediately perked up, and even his voice became more cheerful. “Please be assured, Chief! We will certainly complete the task successfully!”
Huo Shaoheng curled his lips before going to other locations to check them one by one before leaving the temporary surveillance room. Then he walked steadily to the Secretariat on the sixth floor.
He wasn’t sure if Speaker Long had done this intentionally or not.
Huo Shaoheng had just arrived at the door of Gu Nianzhi’s private office on the Secretariat floor when Gu Nianzhi received a call from Speaker Long’s direct line. She was told she had important work arrangements and been asked to go to his office.
Gu Nianzhi hurriedly put together a folder, and as soon as she turned around, she saw Huo Shaoheng through the glass wall that was as transparent as crystal.
Wearing a finely pressed light army green wool military uniform, he stood ramrod straight in front of her office. His military cap sat low on his head.
He quietly peered at her from under the brim of the cap, his gaze intent. As soon as he saw her turn around, a faint smile appeared on his incredibly handsome face. Like sunshine breaking through the clouds, it basked her entire person in warmth.
Through the glass wall, Huo Shaoheng saw Gu Nianzhi standing elegantly inside the office.
She wore a simple and elegant white silk skirt and slim, tailored black pants, paired with pointed black high heels, and her shirt hem was tucked inside her belt, accentuating her incredibly thin waist.
Yin Shixiong had been right. She really had lost weight.
