Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
She couldn’t allow her family’s best night to be ruined by some woman who had come out of nowhere. Cai Songyin immediately made the decision to call her assistant and said very quietly, “Go ask the Minister of Secret Service in charge of security detail tonight, what on earth are they doing? How could they let just anybody in here? Hurry up and get rid of the woman who came out of the Bentley now. We can’t allow her to just stand there.”
When Cai Songyin’s assistant received her call, he had just recovered from the shock of Song Jinning’s beauty. The assistant mumbled, “Mrs. Tan, you’re talking about the beautiful woman… who just got out of the Bentley? She can’t be just a normal person if she could take this kind of car here…” The main thing was that he didn’t want to get physical with a beautiful woman like that.
Cai Songyin also knew that the woman must be rich if she could take a car like that there, but money didn’t make the rules at an event like tonight’s. With so many high-ranking government bureaucrats and military leaders present, this was no situation for a nouveau riche to steal away the spotlight. In Cai Songyin’s heart, she had already determined Song Jinning was a reckless nouveau riche by her actions. After all, what kind of woman born to a cultured, elite family would do such a spotlight-stealing thing and offend the hosts? But Cai Songyin happend to forget that as a mother, Song Jinning would even stab Cai Songyin several times without hesitation if she was asked to, let alone steal the spotlight if it came to her child’s life or death.
“Don’t worry so much. If you are worried about offending her, you can start by politely asking her to leave. Otherwise, what’s the meaning of her standing there like that? The Prime Minister and I can’t even get out of the car.” Cai Songyin’s tone grew stern. “Stop making excuses. Hurry up and find someone!”
The assistant flushed from Cai Songyin’s screaming, and he quickly bowed. “Yes, yes, yes, don’t worry, Mrs. Tan. I’ll go deal with this right away.” Ending the call, he looked around and called several security personnel from the Secret Service to head towards Song Jinning.
…
Huo Shaoheng stood under the maple tree in the backyard of a three-story villa in the suburbs of the Imperial Capital. Wearing a Bluetooth headset, he held a cigarette in his right hand and his phone in his left as he intently watched the live broadcast of the Prime Minister’s inauguration. “Four o’clock position, there are people walking towards Director Song. Deploy Plan A and allow the media to come forward,” Huo Shaoheng calmly commanded the scene at the Prime Minister’s inauguration.
Although he didn’t personally attend, his personnel had already been planted in every corner long before. Zhao Liangze was in the Central Control System of the Special Operations Forces headquarters base monitoring the Prime Minister’s inauguration, as well as sending all sorts of information and feedback from the live site to Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng compared and analyzed all the feedback from the live scene of the Prime Minister’s inauguration in order to instantly learn the latest occurrences and make the most correct decisions.
He discovered that Cai Songyin had sent several Secret Service security personnel over to where Song Jinning was and immediately planned the next round of action. Little Ning, the stylist Huo Shaoheng had sent to be by Song Jinning’s side, wore sunglasses with a black suit to appear like a fierce bodyguard. As soon as he came out, Cai Songyin’s assistant was approaching from close by but suddenly stopped. He looked at Song Jinning with suspicion, then glanced at the bodyguard behind her. Based on his instincts, he thought such a beautiful woman who could afford such a car and had a capable bodyguard must not be an average woman. Would he really dare to kick her out? Just as he was hesitating for a few seconds, a group of media personnel carrying video cameras and microphones, as well as all sorts of online streaming equipment, suddenly rushed over from behind him to run towards Song Jinning.
Song Jinning was also a bit shocked, unsure why these reporters were running over. Little Ning wore a Bluetooth headset in order to accept all sorts of commands. In the moment, he went over to Song Jinning’s ear to whisper, “Don’t be scared. This is part of our preparation. You can just answer whatever they ask you.”
Song Jinning sighed in relief and kept a smile on her face as she nodded slightly at all the media personnel crowding around. All the microphones were put in front of her, and the excited reporters began interviewing her. “Are you Director Song of the Institute of High Energy Physics?”
“Is the Institute of High Energy Physics building a Large Hadron Collider?”
“Director Song, I heard the Large Hadron Collider in Europe is already able to generate the Higgs singlet. Does it theoretically prove that time travel is possible?”
A stream of questions was thrown out and live streamed on TV and online. The audience and netizens gave the highest amount of attention when the reporters mentioned “the possibility of time travel.” Countless people began searching for the meanings of Large Hadron Collider and Higgs singlet online.
Song Jinning was a bit surprised, but the reporters weren’t asking anything confidential, and at least it didn’t have anything to do with their actual experiments, so she explained with a smile, “Our Institute of High Energy Physics has always been committed to theory and research. The Large Hadron Collider is still in the process of theoretical discussion, so I cannot give an answer at this time. As to whether or not the Eurperoan Large Hadron Collider has already generated the Higgs singlet, I can only say that wishes are beautiful, yet reality is cruel. But as scientists, we must achieve beautiful wishes amid a cruel reality for everyone’s sake.”
Song Jinning’s casual answers somehow received great acclaim from the reporters. They wasted no time quickly sending all sorts of live news reports in a race to be the first to broadcast on TV and online. Even General Ji had noticed the commotion. When the reporters Huo Shaoheng arranged passed a microphone to General Ji, he answered succinctly, “Director Song’s father, Song Haichuan, was the first generation high energy physicist of our nation. He solidified a strong foundation for our nation’s high energy physical theory. Seventeen years ago, Director Song Haichun unfortunately perished in an experiment, so we must always remember the great contributions scientists have made to our nation. I suggest that we pay tribute with a three-minute moment of silence for those sacrificed scientists on this grand occasion.”
Gernal Ji’s suggestion was well received by all the military elite in attendance. As a result, the previously bustling and lively entrance to the National Center for the Performing Arts suddenly plunged into silence. This silence was different from how everyone had been shocked speechless when Song Jinning appeared. This silence was somber and dignified, making many feel great emotion.
Cai Songyin was still in the Cadillac and was the only one so infuriated, all her features contorted. She nearly had an aneurysm. Clutching her chest, she panted inside the car, “This woman is Mrs. Huo, Song Jinning?! Why does she look like that? Could she have especially gotten plastic surgery for today’s inauguration? Also, today is the Prime Minister’s inauguration! What does General Ji mean by this?!” The joyous inauguration had been turned into a memorial. Wasn’t that creating bad luck?!
Tan Dongbang leaned forward in thought. “This isn’t good. I’d better go now. You and Little Darling figure it out.” He then opened the door to get out, but everyone was still in the moment of silence, so no one cheered for him. Consequently, Tan Dongbang had no choice but to lament with everyone else.
After a while, the moment of silence passed, and Cai Songyin finally got out of the car with a smile. She stood beside Tan Dongbang, and behind her was the obedient and smiling Tan Gurien. The reporters and live audience had finally noticed that the Prime Minister’s family had gotten out of the car. However, they missed everyone’s most exciting moment, and many thought it was very awkward to suddenly see the family smiling on the red carpet. A reporter carried a video camera and rushed in front of the Tans to quickly say, “Prime Minister Tan, Mrs. Tan, you finally came out! We all waited for you for so long!”
Cai Songyin’s smile nearly fell. Tan Dongbang was much more collected as he politely smiled at the camera. “Just now, everyone was having a moment of silence for the scientists who sacrificed themselves for our nation. Although I am the Prime Minister, I cannot interrupt everyone at a time like that, so I waited for the moment to pass before getting out. We will forever remember the scientists who sacrificed themselves for the nation.” As he spoke, he bowed to Song Jinning, who was standing before him.
Cai Songyin looked at Song Jinning with a conflicted expression, but the reporter who ran up first suddenly exclaimed once again, “Mrs. Tan, why are you wearing nearly the same evening gown as Director Song?!” Had they worn the same thing?! Cai Songyin lifted her arms instinctively with a smile. “No? You see, my evening gown is sleeveless, while Director Song’s gown is long sleeved. How are these the same thing?”
“Oh, that’s true. That’s our mistake for not noticing it earlier.” The reporter then aimed his camera at Cai Songyin’s arms to take some shots before leaving to interview someone else. Cai Songyin shifted to her side uncomfortably. Tan Guiren followed behind her and looked straight down like she was very embarrassed.
…
After the Prime Minister’s family got out of the car, the VIPs in attendance began entering the National Center for the Performing Arts in small groups. The interior had been completely renovated, and the middle platform was where the Prime Minister would be sworn into office. The Prime Minister’s family and the Prime Minister’s most capable assistant would be standing on the platform. There were several private boxes closest to the platform, and one of them was reserved for the Tan and Cai families. The Huos also had their own private box.
Song Jinning had received a different invitation from other people from the Department of Education, because hers was with the Huos in their private box. She didn’t know who was in there when she walked in until she looked up to see Huo Guanchen standing in front of the box’s large window. Huo Guanchen almost didn’t blink as he stared at her. His burning gaze was difficult to ignore. Song Jinning frowned as she turned away to leave the box. But before she could walk out, she saw Cai Songyin bring in Tan Guiren, who had been following her earlier.
“Are you Mrs. Huo? I’ve heard so much about you.” Cai Songyin beamed as she waved at Song Jinning like the embarrassment outside earlier had never happened.
