Chapter 548: Returning to Homeland
He hadn’t been back in how long?
If he counted, it was close to one year.
Jiang Chen stared at the runway zipping by in the window as he zoned out.
From the glimpse he caught before the plane landed, the homeland wasn’t any different compared to when he left. The only difference was his state of mind – when he left, he felt rushed, but now he was calm and collected upon his return.
It was the origin of dragon heritage, the heart of the republic. During his time in university, he visited this place with the intention of expanding his views, but it was only today that he understood the true definition of “view.”
Views weren’t observable until one reached a certain level.
The welcome ceremony was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although Xin and Hua’s political ideologies were different, they shared the same cultural background. Therefore, during Xin’s presidential visit, Hua demonstrated the highest level of courtesy to highlight the demeanor of the superpower.
The leaders of the two countries warmly shook hands. Accompanied by men in suits, they went to the diplomatic regiment. The media stood on both sides of the red carpet in an orderly fas.h.i.+on, with the cameras capturing the friends.h.i.+p between the two countries live.
Jiang Chen left all the problematic issues to Zhang Yapin as he stayed in the business delegation while avoiding the media.
He didn’t bring any bodyguards this time. Ayesha acted as his a.s.sistant carrying a briefcase and following half a step behind him.
Responsible for greeting them were mainly people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the leaders in charge of economic and trade cooperation. Once they met, the officials in charge warmly greeted Jiang Chen and shook his hands with force.
…
Jiang Chen could clearly sense that while the officials in suits were meeting the entire delegation, their attention was more or less focused on him. He could visibly sense their attentiveness and the reason behind their attentiveness, without a doubt, was because of the message from the “top.”
It was indeed a good signal.
The tips of Jiang Chen’s mouth curled up when he thought about this.
For this Hua trip, it was a positive beginning.
…
On the first day of the visit was mainly a diplomatic conference, and the business forum was to be held at noon the next day. The only other special event today was the evening banquet. Surrounded by the reception staff, it made him feel grateful to return home.
But among the security personnel, he was surprised to see an acquaintance.
Although the gray coat looked very low-key, among the crowd with all suits, it still looked somewhat conspicuous. Perhaps he was personally aware of this – he had been standing on the outside of security personnel.
[Dagger?]
If it was Dagger, his face was too young, but this figure gave him a familiar feeling.
Just as he thought, Jiang Chen met his gaze.
Without any communication, he only nodded to Jiang Chen before turning away from his direction. It looked like he knew Jiang Chen, but Jiang Chen didn’t know where he saw him before.
When Jiang Chen arrived at the hotel, he asked the reception staff he had been chatting with about that security personnel.
“Oh, that person. He’s a bodyguard from the General Staff Department. The top placed great importance on your security,” the reception staff explained to Jiang Chen.
“I just feel like he looks familiar. Could you tell me his name?”
The reception staff only hesitated for a moment, thinking it wasn’t confidential, so he told Jiang Chen.
“Miao Jun. He was previously a.s.signed a mission in w.a.n.ghai, perhaps you saw him then.”
When Jiang Chen heard this name, he immediately remembered. Miao Jun was the new agent with Dagger. But because he hadn’t seen him for a long time, that guy appeared different. The impulsive young man was no longer there and had been replaced by a mature and resolute individual.
Jiang Chen didn’t know what happened that transformed this guy into a qualified soldier. He previously thought he wouldn’t be staying long in this role, but he now changed his mind.
The hotel was five stars. From the bodyguards patrolling at the entrance to the magnificent interior design, it was a special facility used to accommodate honored guests.
At the entrance to the hotel, Jiang Chen saw Xia s.h.i.+yu, who had been waiting for a while. He knew from the phone that she would arrive in Shangjin a day before, but he didn’t expect that she would also be treated as a foreign delegate.
In a clean, black female suit, her black hair was curled at the back of her head. Her gorgeous face that didn’t like to smile bloomed like a cold and elegant flower on a mountaintop.
Their relations.h.i.+p couldn’t be described as intimate, but their reunion after so long still made his heart pump a little faster.
And the increase in heart rate originated from her smile, the smile that could melt ice.
“Long time no see.”
“Not too long since we did a video call.” Jiang Chen stopped beside Xia s.h.i.+yu.
They already arrived at the hotel and they had the rest of the time free. The reception staff beside Jiang Chen certainly knew how to read the mood. The moment he saw Xia s.h.i.+yu, he speculated that there might be an intimate relations.h.i.+p between the two of them, so he walked away quietly.
“Did you not miss me?”
“Of course I did.” Although his smile wasn’t proper, the meaning he wanted to express wasn’t fake at all.
With Future Group growing by the day, the only person he could count on was just Xia s.h.i.+yu. Perhaps it sounded narcissistic, but he still trusted Xia s.h.i.+yu to never betray him, whether it was from her previous deeds or her personal affection.
She stared at Jiang Chen’s face and her lips gently trembled. She had a lot of things to say to him, but now that she finally saw him, with her difficulty in expressing her feelings, she was unable to turn her thoughts into words.
“… … tomorrow’s business forum, the three giants BAT will be at the scene. Cooperation between the internet and VR industries will be the first part of the business talks.” Xia s.h.i.+yu looked away.
From her hesitating lips, she squeezed out the words as a means of escape.
“Mhmm, I know.” Without noticing the fluctuation in Xia s.h.i.+yu’s emotions, Jiang Chen nodded and replied to her with a comforting smile.
With her face beginning to blush, Xia s.h.i.+yu didn’t look at Jiang Chen in the eyes.
Just then, she noticed Ayesha behind Jiang Chen. Her expression turned perplexed.
It was already nearing lunchtime. The representative of Xin’s businessmen and Jiang Chen had to arrive early. After exchanging a few more words with Xia s.h.i.+yu, he left for his room upstairs.
Sensing Xia s.h.i.+yu had words to say to her, Ayesha didn’t follow Jiang Chen but looked at the very beautiful “first lady.”
“I won’t give up.” After a monetary silence, Xia s.h.i.+yu stared into the girl’s eyes and righteously said.
“Welcome.”
Ayesha replied with earnestness as she spoke from the bottom of her heart.
She genuinely wanted Xia s.h.i.+yu to face her heart and didn’t mind becoming “sisters” with her at all. If it was her, she could help him more, unlike herself who only knew how to fight and kill.
But perhaps because Ayesha wasn’t good at expressing herself either, her invitation sounded like a “victor’s taunt” to Xia s.h.i.+yu’s ears.
Xia s.h.i.+yu bit her lips in a perplexed state as the will to fight ignited in her eyes.
Without speaking any more words, she turned around, leaving Ayesha full of questions.
Ayesha stared at her back and thought with seriousness.
She felt there wouldn’t be any positive results if they continued to drag this on…
[Perhaps I should help her out?]
In her blue pupils, mischievousness sparked.