Zhao Liangze was taken aback. “Why? I thought we were still friends.”
“No. From the moment you made up your mind to choose my cousin, Bai Yueran, we could never be friends ever again. We will not even be platonic friends.” Bai Shuang rejected him firmly, her tone conveying nothing but determination.
Zhao Liangze had not expected Bai Shuang to be so determined. Her gaze had once been just for him. The moment she saw him, her eyes would sparkle. It seemed like her entire being would shine.
Seeing her like that, Zhao Liangze always ended up in a good mood.
Perhaps, this was the exact reason why Zhao Liangze felt that, although he did not love Bai Shuang, he was still willing to be friends with her.
However, when he remembered that it was because of him that her smile would not be as happy anymore, and her gaze would stop sparkling so brightly, Zhao Liangze felt an unexplainable sadness and heartache.
Now that he had finally gotten the person he loved, he should be overjoyed. However, Zhao Liangze knew that ever since he’d kissed Bai Yueran that day and Bai Shuang had seen them, all he could think of was how Bai Shuang had looked when she cried…
Thankfully, Huo Shaoheng had dispatched him to this secluded island, putting him through half a month of hard work and wearing him out so much that he had no energy to brood over this personal problem.
With almost twenty hours of high-intensity labor to do every single day, Zhao Liangze had become a muscular and tanned looking man as compared to the fair and lanky person he’d been when he had first arrived at the island.
He was still handsome, but he did not look demure like he once had anymore. He looked like a true blue soldier now.
He doubled his efforts, finally managing to complete the construction of the first signal tower and reception base for mobile phones on the first day of lunar New Year. He had successfully connected with the Nandou Satellite System. However, the power generation device was still unable to be set up yet. Instead, they were using a temporary diesel-fueled power generator.
Other than providing power for the base’s reception, mobile devices, and the computer for work, it had almost nothing left.
Today, as it was the first day of the lunar new year, felt exceptional. Therefore, the navy sent enough resources that they were able to have more power from their temporary diesel-powered generator to contact their families and loved ones back in the Hua Xia Empire.
Due to having a limited time for each person, everyone only called the person that mattered to them the most. Those who were married would call their wives and children. Those who were not would call their parents and lovers.
As for Zhao Liangze, his first reaction was to call Bai Shuang.
He had not expected Bai Shuang to refuse to answer his calls and block his number as well.
Had he not had enough self-discipline, Zhao Liangze would have hacked into Bai Shuang’s phone and removed his number from the list of blocked numbers.
However, sadly, he did not dare to do it.
After that, he borrowed someone else’s phone to call her. Bai Shuang accidentally accepted the call, making them able to talk for a little while.
However, it was less of a conversation and more of a quarrel!
Zhao Liangze tried to reason with Bai Shuang in the short amount of time he had. “Bai Shuang, I have already apologized. Must you be this heartless?”
Bai Shuang thought that Zhao Liangze was bothering her. She was already embarrassed enough. Why must he still want to continue embarrassing her?
“Fine, Zhao Liangze, I accept your apology, okay? Now, let us just walk our separate ways and never speak again in this lifetime. Please, I am begging you. Please let me go. Trust me, you would not be at a loss without me as a friend.”
Bai Shuang was also feeling annoyed. She grabbed some clothes off her wardrobe and dumped them into her luggage before slamming its doors shut.
Zhao Liangze heard the sound of the wardrobe closing and felt that something was wrong. Therefore, he asked, “What are you doing, Bai Shuang?”
“Packing my luggage. I will be heading overseas tomorrow. Do not call me anymore. I will not be using this number again.” Bai Shuang put her phone on speaker and threw it onto the bedside table.
“Going overseas? Where are you going?” Zhao Liangze did not know why he was so nervous. “My number will not change. If you meet with any difficulties overseas, you can call me.”
“Call you? I don’t even know where you are. Do you think I’m free enough to call you? If it is something urgent or an emergency, wouldn’t you be dragging me down?” Bai Shuang rejected Zhao Liangze’s suggestion blatantly.
Zhao Liangze hesitated for a while, recalling what Huo Shaoheng had reminded him. Eventually, he gathered his courage and told Bai Shuang, “Bai Shuang, do you know how horrible I felt when I saw you crying as you left that day? I ended up too much to drink because I felt so horrible. Then, in a moment of carelessness, I said some things that pissed Mr. Huo off. Then he… dispatched me to this secluded island. I do not have electricity or water here. I have to wait for the navy to send everything over. I really do not have a lot of time to quarrel with you.”
Bai Shuang was taken aback. Looking towards her phone, she asked suspiciously, “What did you say? You talked back to Mr. Huo and were dispatched to this secluded island just because you pissed him off? How could that be? I didn’t think that Mr. Huo was like that.”
Hearing Bai Shuang trust Huo Shaoheng with all her heart, Zhao Liangze could not explain what it was that he was feeling, but it felt something like jealousy. Pouting, he said, “…But that’s a fact. You can ask Big Xiong if you don’t believe me. However, forget it. I am not looking for sympathy by telling you all this. I only want to clarify that I did not mean to make you sad. I am really sorry.”
Although Bai Shuang did not know what Zhao Liangze was doing exactly, she knew the nature of the organization he was in.
Since Zhao Liangze had upset Huo Shaoheng, one could imagine the place he’d been dispatched to. An extremely backward and poor village was very likely.
Biting her lips, Bai Shuang stood up, took her phone, and said to Zhao Liangze, “Fine, I got it now. Do not feel guilty anymore. Work well. Do not waste precious time on me anymore. Call your parents, or call my cousin. It would be better than you calling me.”
Zhao Liangze got a shock. He thought, “Yeah, that is true. He should have called them first. Why had he called Bai Shuang first?”
Not only had he called, but he also couldn’t bear to put down the phone… Zhao Liangze was also taken aback by his own actions. His breathing hastened and he was at a loss for words for a while.
After waiting for a while and hearing that Zhao Liangze was not talking anymore, Bai Shuang nodded and said, “Alright, I will hang up now.”
Zhao Liangze quickly said, “Happy New Year.”
Bai Shuang hesitated for a while before replying, “Same to you.”
Zhao Liangze continued, “Be extra careful when you are overseas alone. There are many perverts overseas.”
Bai Shuang’s lips curled upwards a little. “I am not a spoiled little girl who never goes out on her own, but thank you for the reminder.”
After a while, Bai Shuang said quickly, “…You take care too, be careful of your safety.” With that, she hung up.
She pressed hard on her chest and realized that her heart was thumping furiously.
No. She could not allow this to go on.
Bai Shuang took the SIM card out of her phone and found a pair of high-heeled shoes. Using the sharp end of the high heels, she smashed the SIM card to pieces.
Zhao Liangze looked at the phone blankly. It was only a simple sentence, almost superficial, but it had made his mood tons better.
Just like the skies that had been gloomy for many days, all the dark clouds had suddenly dispersed. In their place, there was a beautiful and warm sun, its rays brightening the fields below. Zhao Liangze felt energetic all over again. All of a sudden, even the gray pail that they used to collect rainwater looked pleasing to the eyes.
…
On the first day of the lunar new year, in the house of General Ji, it was noon, almost time for lunch.
General Ji wanted to give everyone a treat on this day every year. There were two long tables placed in the spacious dining hall in his living quarters.
The seniors brought their wives and children to sit at one table, and their subordinates sat at another table. The food was portioned out.
Gu Nianzhi had initially intended to sit at the table with the subordinates. However, Huo Shaoheng walked over and pulled her along. “Nianzhi, General Ji wants to speak to you.”
Gu Nianzhi had no choice but to follow Huo Shaoheng to the other table and take a seat beside him. General Ji took the seat on the other side of Gu Nianzhi. General Ji’s wife sat beside him.
On the other side of Huo Shaoheng was Senior Speaker Long.
Senior Speaker Long had not brought his wife nor his children to General Ji’s house for the new year. He’d come alone, only bringing Assistant Yang along with him.
Therefore, at both tables, the rankings were not that clear.
For Gu Nianzhi to be sitting on the table with the host and the seniors, other subordinates could not make any comments about it. No matter what, everyone was there for their superiors. They didn’t mind this little ranking issue at the dining table.
Moreover, this meal was a private event hosted solely by General Ji, not an official dinner. General Ji had personally said that he wanted to speak to Gu Nianzhi. Therefore, she got special treatment and was called over to that table. It was alright.
If anyone was unhappy about it, they had to suck it up.
However, only Assistant Yang felt that way. Although he was sitting at the subordinate’s table, his gaze never left the host’s table.
General Ji smiled as he spoke to Gu Nianzhi, eventually getting to the main topic. “Nianzhi, I heard that you have completed your degree.”
“Yes, I did.” Gu Nianzhi tilted her head and smiled. “I just graduated. However, the graduation ceremony won’t be held until July.”
“I see. Then have you thought about where you will be working after graduation?” General Ji looked at Gu Nianzhi enthusiastically and pointed at the taster’s dish in front of her. It was placed in a dish with four columns, and there was a different dish in each column. “Try my chef’s signature dishes. On the top left-hand column are little crisps from heavens. Basically, it’s stir-fried venison and chicken strips. On the top right-hand column will be glowing prawns. On the bottom-left column will be fresh stir-fried bean sprouts, and the bottom right-hand column is dessert. I have especially gotten my chef to make yogurt coated cherries. I heard that it’s a dish with a long history. I hope you will like them.”
Gu Nianzhi looked at the plates in front of everyone.
Everyone had a four columned tasting dish in front of them. There was a circular dish in the middle of the four columns containing a sauce.
The four columned tasting dishes in front of each person were different. Most likely, they’d been cooked according to the person’s preferences. Very clearly, everyone was enjoying their food. They all smiled contentedly.
Of course, this could be a pretense as well, since the acting skills of the senior officers had been perfected ages ago. Gu Nianzhi felt like an amateur, as she was not as scheming as those senior officers, and her acting skills were not as good as theirs.
She stopped looking and nodded her head towards General Ji with a smile. “Thank you so much, General Ji. I really like these dishes a lot.” Gu Nianzhi took a bite of the glowing prawns before turning to General Ji. “I have not thought about where I would like to work yet. I will wait until the new year celebrations are over.”
She was still an official employee of the largest law firm in America. However, she did not intend to go to America. Therefore, she would most likely have to quit that job.
Or, if that law firm decided to open a branch office in Hua Xia Empire, she would consider staying in that company.
“You haven’t thought about it yet? That is good, that is good!” General Ji tapped on the dining table happily. “Come, come. It just so happens that our office requires a legal consultant. If you are willing, I will get Secretary Cao to…”
“What on earth do you think you are talking about, Old Ji?! You cannot headhunt my people anymore!” Senior Speaker Long had been controlling himself while listening in on their conversation. He had intended to speak to Gu Nianzhi after General Ji was done talking to her.
However, he had not expected that before he could talk to her, General Ji would pop the question.
Senior Speaker Long nudged Huo Shaoheng urgently. “Please move for a while, Shaoheng. I need to speak to Nianzhi for a while.”
Two of the three most powerful people in the Hua Xia Empire were keen to have Gu Nianzhi work for them. Of course, Huo Shaoheng was happy for her. However, he did not show it. He merely stood up politely and let Senior Speaker Long take his seat. “Here you go, Senior Speaker Long.”
Senior Speaker Long took Huo Shaoheng’s seat without ceremony so that he and General Ji were sitting on both sides of Gu Nianzhi.
Due to Huo Shaoheng’s tall and muscular build, the moment he stood up, he attracted attention. The subordinates noticed the movement at the host table immediately.
One of the seniors in the army nudged Assistant Yang and smiled. “Look. Your Senior Speaker Long really has a good impression of Miss Gu.”
Assistant Yang returned the smile and said, “Our Mr. Long loves people who are good at what they do. He loves recruiting them. Not only Miss Gu, Miss Cai as well. She is also one of the candidates that Mr. Long is seriously considering.”
“…Understood. Hahaha, come on, let’s have some drinks.” The subordinate laughed and touched glasses with Assistant Yang.
At the host table, Senior Speaker Long had already told Gu Nianzhi everything.
“Nianzhi, to be honest, you are a professional when it comes to law. It would be a waste of your talent if you were to go into the army. How would they have a good position for a lawyer? Look at Colonel Bai. She is also an extremely capable person. However, she talks to the administration staff more than anyone else daily and is unable to flaunt her specialty. You are so made for the courts, you should really consider our office instead.”
General Ji almost wanted to roll his sleeves up and fight Senior Speaker Long upon hearing that.
“That is enough, Old Long! How is our legal department not good?! It is not like she will be unable to go to trial! Let me tell you, Nianzhi, it is okay that you like going to court. Our department needs a genius like you. Let me tell you, we have countless cases to be brought to court, international courts! However, we do not have enough manpower. That is the reason why we have to delay those cases for years. I have been so stressed out because of those!”
The moment Gu Nianzhi heard that she would be able to defend her client in an international court, she became interested.
“Really? I don’t think I saw any media reports on those cases.”
“How would those cases be reported? They are all highly confidential.” Seeing that Gu Nianzhi was beginning to show interest, General Ji smiled widely and kindly, like he was a kind grandfather to Gu Nianzhi.
The corners of Huo Shaoheng’s lips curled up slightly. He silently took a bite of his grilled beef kidneys.
Senior Speaker Long was agitated. He held onto Gu Nianzhi’s arm and tried his best to convince her. “Nianzhi, we are all people who studied law. We have to plan our careers on a long term basis. Although going to court is important, the most important thing should be considering how the cases we take could help our career progression in the years to come!”
“That is true as well.” Gu Nianzhi nodded and took a sip of the juice in front of her. It was her favorite, coconut juice. Huo Shaoheng had most likely poured it for her.
Gu Nianzhi took a glance at Huo Shaoheng and saw that he was drinking alcohol. It was a highly concentrated Chinese wine.
Chinese wine paired with grilled beef kidney. An Asian drink with a western dish. Fusion! That was rather special.
Gu Nianzhi stopped looking and went back to listening to Senior Speaker Long talk relentlessly. “Nianzhi, you feel that what I said made sense as well, don’t you? Therefore, those cases in the international court will not be of much help when it comes to your career progression in the long run. If you were to come to our secretary’s office to be our main legal consultant, I assure you that you will be able to run for election to become a minister in three years! Based on your ability, in time to come, you will be the one to take over my position!”
When he was done talking, he smiled gleefully at General Ji. His expression implied, “Do you think you are the only one with a successor? I have one as well!”
Seeing that, General Ji became extremely annoyed. Raising his white eyebrows, he dragged his voice and said, “Old Long, aren’t you going overboard now? Giving a new girl such promises. How could you give her false hope like that!”
“How is that false hope?! Every single word I said came from my heart! They were sincere!” Senior Speaker Long flailed his arms, his chubby face flushing a bright shade of red. It made him look even more energetic and healthy for his age.
“Do not listen to him, Nianzhi. Old Long has a lot of experience with elections. Therefore, he is extremely good with his words. Whatever he says does not count. I am different. I am a soldier, and I will never talk about something I cannot promise. Whatever I promise you, I will deliver!”
General Ji had continuously embarrassed Senior Speaker Long, finally managing to get Senior Speaker Long angry. “Old Ji, you are just out to fight with me, aren’t you?”
“I am not going against you. It is just that everyone loves capable people, don’t they? What now? Are you the only one who can try to recruit her by giving her false hope, but I am not allowed to head hunt anymore?”
“How am I giving her false hope but you are merely head hunting?! Bullsh*t!” Senior Speaker Long was really angry by that point. “I can do up an official army document! As long as Nianzhi comes to our secretary’s office, I will personally guide her and nurture her as I would my very own successor!”
With such a loud voice, everyone present for the lunch event heard what Senior Speaker Long had said.
Everyone turned to look, indicating that they were willing to be witnesses. These people were all senior soldiers in the army. By volunteering to be witnesses, Senior Speaker Long was prepared to make that official army document already.
General Ji suppressed the happiness in his heart and shot Huo Shaoheng a look, indicating, “We both know.”
Huo Shaoheng understood everything all of a sudden. Still, his expression remained constant.
The only person whose face had turned pale was Assistant Yang. He understood that the thing he had feared the most had arrived.
