Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The expression on Cai Shengnan’s face was epic. It was like she had just experienced all the emotions she had, and everything she’d experienced in her life, all at once.
It was the very first time that she’d been struck dumb by someone.
This was a totally new experience for Cai Shengnan, who had been a child prodigy since she started school, and an even higher scorer when she’d gone over to America to study.
She thought about it with her brows furrowed, realizing that there was nothing she could use as a retort. She could say something, but it would be full of loopholes for people to make use of.
She could only be blamed for being too greedy…
Prime Minister Tan was her uncle-in-law. She hadn’t needed to put in any effort to get into his good books; all she’d needed to do was settle the impeachment for him.
However, her ultimate goal was the Senate.
The impeachment she had settled was a slap in the Senate’s face…
Only Senior Speaker Long, who was forgiving and did not mind where she was from, who was a senior who could see her for her capabilities, would have agreed to let her become his personal legal consultant.
Therefore, since she had made her decision to double-cross, it seemed like she would have to bear this humiliation from Huo Shaoheng. Using her words against her was such a strong move. She had lost.
Cai Shengnan was not someone who was a sore loser either.
By tagging along this time, she’d had the chance to test things out and get a look at the most mysterious place in the Hua Xia Empire.
However, other than the parade square and many narrow roads that could lead to anything, she had not managed to see anything. She had not even set foot through the main entrance of the administration building.
Although she’d been unable to enter the building, it seemed very similar to the military bases she’d already seen overseas.
The people here, however, were the ones who had given her the biggest surprise.
That Major General Huo was too quick-witted. He had subverted all of the stereotypes she’d heard about soldiers. She could not help but be impressed by him.
To form such an impression was rare for Cai Shengnan. She even felt a slight sense of attraction towards him… even though he was her opponent.
It had been a long time since she had met with a man she would surrender to…
Cai Shengnan was born in the Hua Xia Empire and had lived with her grandparents until she reached her teens. Only then had she headed over to America to look for her parents.
Due to having grown up in the Hua Xia Empire, Cai Shengnan had an extremely close relationship with her little aunt, Cai Songyin, viewing her as a surrogate mother. This was one of the reasons she had been willing to come back to help her little aunt.
Now that she was standing there, she felt as though she was seeing her future…
Cai Shengnan finally snapped back to reality and nodded at Huo Shaoheng and Bai Yueran with a smile. She stuck out her hand towards Huo Shaoheng for a handshake. “Alright, you have won. Major General Huo, I did not expect for your thoughts to be so clear and concise. Yours is comparable to the brain of the best lawyer in the world. Thank you for showing me your worst side.”
Huo Shaoheng had no intention of shaking her hand. Nodding his head slightly, Huo Shaoheng replied Cai Shengnan, “I am flattered, Madam Cai. I still have things to do, and thus cannot stay here any longer.” With that, he turned and left, leaving her to admire him from the back.
Seeing that Cai Shengnan was looking intently at Huo Shaoheng, Bai Yueran smiled. “Madam Cai, please leave.”
Cai Shengnan snapped back to reality and moved her hand to Bai Yueran. “Commissioner Bai, you were amazing as well.”
Bai Yueran did not mind and returned the handshake. “But I am nowhere near our Major General Huo, am I? That was expected. He is the person in charge here, I am merely a commissioner.”
After the incident involving the leak of information about Don Qinyan’s birthday, Huo Shaoheng’s identity had been exposed. After that, the army had promoted him and allowed the Special Forces to operate out in the open, turning it into an organization akin to other military organizations. This would lower the amount of curious attention they drew.
Even the most important people in this organization needed to be kept in the dark about were the soldiers who were sent on missions overseas where. Given Huo Shaoheng’s position, he would not be required to go on missions any longer.
When he’d made the deal with the senior members about going to America to rescue Tan Guiren, he’d had to go undercover. Not even people he knew personally were able to recognize him then.
Therefore, these people were not unfamiliar with him.
Cai Shengnan made up her mind to stop being complacent and turned back to the car. “Let’s go back,” she told the leader calmly. The leader had long wanted to leave this place. He informed the driver immediately.
Cai Shengnan sat beside Tan Guiren and narrowed her eyes at her.
Tan Guiren whispered to Cai Shengnan, “Cousin, what were you talking about with Major General Huo and Commissioner Bai?”
“Nothing much. Just some things regarding work.” Cai Shengnan looked at Tan Guiren. She looked so innocent and pure that Cai Shengnan felt slightly annoyed.
She took out a cigarette from her bag and wanted to take a drag, but remembered that she was in the car and could not.
She almost destroyed the cigarette in her hand.
“What is wrong, cousin? Do you have something on your mind? Tan Guiren asked curiously. She could not understand what could have made her almost invincible cousin show such a bothered expression.
Cai Shengnan sighed and remembered a poem. “Seeing him for the first time, but feeling like you’ve known him for so long…”
She crushed the cigarette in her hands into a ball and smiled. “Nothing much.”
Then, she asked about Huo Shaoheng again. “Cousin, are you on good terms with Major General Huo? Little Aunt and Uncle really like him.” Tan Guiren blushed slightly when she remembered how Huo Shaoheng had saved her when she was in America. She felt sweet.
Even though Huo Shaoheng’s mother was indifferent towards her, she would be with him as long as he had romantic feelings towards her. She would also do her best to make his mother, Song Jinning, happy by being a filial daughter-in-law, never going against her wishes.
However, she could not understand what Huo Shaoheng was thinking.
This man, to her, was like an extremely tough problem, but she would still like to do her best to solve it.
What if she managed to do it?
With the memories in her head, Tan Guiren began narrating her experience in America with Huo Shaoheng all over again. Cai Shengnan listened closely, not expressing her point of view.
When they arrived at the headquarters of the military performing team, Cai Shengnan finally told Tan Guiren, “I feel that this Major General Huo is not suitable for you. You are more suited to be with a man from a simpler family. This Major General Huo is too complicated for you. You would not be able to control such a man.”
Tan Guiren actually agreed with what Cai Shengnan had said. However, she felt uncomfortable that it had come from Cai Shengnan herself. She could not figure out the exact reason why though, as she’d sounded really sincere.
Perhaps the truth always hurt.
Tan Guiren comforted herself by saying, “Cousin, as I have told you before, I will listen to my parents on this matter.” Tan Guiren managed to politely reject Cai Shengnan’s suggestion.
Cai Shengnan did not know why, but she felt crestfallen all of a sudden.
Forcing a smile, she said, “Sure. You have always been an obedient girl.”
Cai Shengnan took her car and left, unable to fully focus.
…
after the military performing team left, Huo Guanchen’s men from the political department had their passes checked at the entrance and slowly returned to the parade square.
They really were there to do an annual spot check on the Special Forces.
Huo Shaoheng had been able to reject Cai Shengnan and the military performing team, but he could not reject the annual spot check.
Of course, he still did not wish to speak to Huo Guanchen personally. Therefore, using the excuse that he did not wish to be too close to the officer who was conducting the spot check, he got Yin Shixiong to stay back to supervise the spot check for him.
Huo Shaoheng drove out of the facility and called Gu Nianzhi on the phone. “Nianzhi, are you still at Chen Lie’s?”
Gu Nianzhi nodded from her end of the phone. “I just finished some snacks with Brother Chen. Is anything the matter, Huo Shao?” Her tone was calm and serene. He could not hear any form of surprise or happiness in it.
Huo Shaoheng realized that he missed the Gu Nianzhi who laughed when she was happy, threw tantrums when she was upset, and wanted to announce it to the whole world when she felt triumphant.
However, people do grow up.
Now, Gu Nianzhi was what he had wished her to be. She had truly grown up and matured. However, it made him rather sad. His fingers drummed absentmindedly on the steering wheel as he pulled his car key out. Alighting from his car, he went up to Chen Lie’s office.
When he entered Chen Lie’s office, Gu Nianzhi was cleaning up the coffee cups and small ceramic plates from the coffee table with Chen Lie.
Seeing Huo Shaoheng enter, Gu Nianzhi smiled and asked, “Have you had lunch? Do you want some food?”
Huo Shaoheng did not feel hungry at all.
He sat down, stretching his long legs out and shook his head. “I’m okay. How did your check go?”
“Nothing new.” Gu Nianzhi sat down across him. “Brother Chen said that most likely I do not have that kind of illness.” She sighed after saying that like she did not believe it.
“What’s the matter? Aren’t you happy that you don’t have the illness?” Huo Shaoheng leaned forward and caressed her head. “Stop thinking too much and trust Chen Lie.”
Gu Nianzhi avoided his hand. “Alright, I will trust him for the time being.” Then she asked, “Who on earth is that Madam Cai? Why did she admit that she had all the paperwork only after a while?”
Entry permits, approval from the Senate, the military performing team, and Huo Guanchen. She’d managed to make relationships with all of them within such a short time. She was really good.
After Huo Shaoheng told Gu Nianzhi about Cai Shengnan’s identity and situation, he explained, “She has been back in the country for slightly over a month. She was the leading lawyer for Prime Minister Tan’s impeachment. It seems like she had already settled it.”
They had already discussed this theory. However, they now knew who the mastermind was.
“So it was her? She is really good then. I did not expect her to be so young,” Gu Nianzhi added.
“If she hadn’t wanted to help the Prime Minister and lick Senior Speaker Long’s boots at the same time, I wouldn’t have been able to use that statement against her.”
Huo Shaoheng smiled. “What you said today was clever and helped me tons. I have not thanked you properly for that yet.”
“Wow, you do not have to be so polite, Huo Shao. You have already expressed your gratitude by sending me back to school.” Gu Nianzhi shook her head, worried that Huo Shaoheng might want to “thank her properly” again…
When she’d last been here at Chen Lie’s for her check-up, Huo Shaoheng had been here as well. She’d merely helped him to translate a document and Huo Shaoheng had said that he wanted to “thank her properly.”
Then, he brought her back to his mansion and “thanked” her thoroughly – inside and out. In the end, Gu Nianzhi was in his bed from Saturday to Sunday, feeling like her bones had almost shattered.
Therefore, when Huo Shaoheng said that he “had not thanked her properly,” Gu Nianzhi rejected it immediately.
Huo Shaoheng seemed to remember what had happened last week as well. He lowered his head and chuckled for a while before standing up. “Let us go. I will bring you back.”
Along the way, both of them chatted happily and the atmosphere relaxed a lot. Upon arriving at school, as Gu Nianzhi was about to exit from the car, Huo Shaoheng kissed her on the cheeks before letting her go.
Gu Nianzhi returned to her dormitory and had just finished packing her study table when she realized that He Zhichu had called. “Nianzhi, it will be Christmas next week. Do you have any plans?”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless.
“I have to study, Professor He. I am about to complete my thesis. I hope to be able to edit it properly over the next couple of days.”
He Zhichu agreed. “Let me know if you have any questions.”
Gu Nianzhi had initially wanted to say that there would not be any questions, but then she that she has seen Cai Shengnan today and asked, “Professor He, may I ask if you know someone named Cai Shengnan? She is a shareholder of the second-largest law firm in America. Do you have any impression of her?”
He Zhichu replied calmly: “I am not exactly familiar with that law firm.” Then, he added, “Why would you ask about her? I can look her up for you if you’d like.”
Gu Nianzhi bit her lower lip and contemplated for a while. She decided to put it on hold for a while since she had not confirmed what the woman’s intentions were. She did not wish to alert them unnecessarily. More importantly, she did not wish to give them the attention that they craved so badly.
After putting down the phone, He Zhichu looked at the schedule in front of him. There was a red invitation sealed with a gold wax stamp. It was the invitation from the military performing team to their Christmas performance. Such a ticket could not be purchased by even the wealthiest people in the country.
…
The spot check into the Special Forces ended extremely quickly.
Huo Guanchen had initially expected the check to take between 10 and 14 days, but it was completed way before he’d anticipated.
When he picked up the administrative staff from his political department, Huo Shaoheng sent him off personally.
As Huo Guanchen was about to board the vehicle, he looked at Huo Shaoheng multiple times. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he held back and eventually left without saying a word.
…
On Thursday night, Ma Qiqi returned to the dormitory hastily and said, “Nianzhi, the impeachment will be today, live from the venue. Do you want to watch it together?”
Gu Nianzhi already knew the outcome. Of course, she was not keen. However, seeing that Ma Qiqi seemed to care quite a bit, she decided to accompany her to watch the television anyway.
The live broadcast was showing the votes from the Lower House of Parliament. According to the law, both the upper and lower houses of Parliament had to have more than fifty percent of the votes to let the impeachment go through.
Cai Shengnan had built relationships with people from both the upper and lower houses of Parliament and fought for as much support as she could get from them.
Today would the day that the results would be revealed.
Gu Nianzhi picked up an apple and began snacking on it. With her eyes fixed on the television, she asked Ma Qiqi, “Let’s guess the ratio of the votes. I will let you have a leeway of two points. How does that sound?”
Ma Qiqi glared at her. “You said that last week as well. In the end, I lost all my week’s allowance to you.”
“Well, you were careless…” Gu Nianzhi leaned on the sofa lazily. “Come on. Perhaps you can beat me? If you cannot, there won’t be anything for you to lose anyway.”
Ma Qiqi was almost convinced by her. However, seeing the complicated numbers and formula, she felt that she should not bet against a mathematics genius.
The camera had finally changed its view to the voting hall of the lower house of Parliament.
A balding man in his fifties sat in the hall and looked at everyone with a wide smile. Then, he raised his hand. “It is the time to vote on the impeachment of Prime Minister Tan Dongbang. Dear Sirs and Madams, I wish to remind you that whether or not Mr. Prime Minister is found guilty as charged for the crimes of providing false evidence and obstruction of justice will be based on your votes.”
