Five, Negotiation

  The wind is getting tighter day by day.

  Many people may not know that Beijing has two "city flowers" - roses and chrysanthemums, which obviously have many commonalities, such as both belonging to autumn. Mr. Lao She once said that even if he had his own plane one day and could change residences at will, he would still want to spend the season of golden leaves in his hometown every year. Therefore, the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City are golden.

  The warm breeze intoxicates travelers, making Hangzhou seem like Bianzhou. In fact, even in the drowsy and confused moments of a dream, this feeling of Nanju Beiqi can only be curled up under the poet's pen, because every inch of land has its unique character.

  People always delight in talking about the several dynasties that rose and fell right before their own doors, which sage rulers and wise ministers left immortal footprints on the ancient stone steps, of course, all of this can be verified. However, they seem to have intentionally or unintentionally neglected an indisputable fact: a city wall that has witnessed the rise of many heroes must also have seen the downfall of their empires. Haven't you seen the former capital surrounded by eight rivers, leaving behind only a few handfuls of yellow earth and the faint remnants in the eyes of the survivors? After how many times "the desolate autumn wind is again, with a changed world", what remains for Beijing are only the red leaves every year and the faint sighs. Therefore, it can be said that this city's underlying tone is melancholic.

  "Again, sorrowful autumn?" Yi Xin walked to the side of Chu Liu, teasing him for his infatuation with Jin Feng: "How many times have I said it, worrying about life's sighs doesn't suit you. Good people die young, while bad ones live on." She intentionally spoke seriously: "Your life will be as long as time itself."

  "But still feels not solid", Xu Zhēnliú turned his head back, although he had the habit of arriving early for appointments, but Yì Xīn also never let the little fatty who was not good at standing for a long time stand in front of the office building for too long, especially on days when he asked her to wait for him after work, like today.

  Yi Xin's melancholy has been around for a long time: I remember that it was an early evening before and after National Day in the 4th or 5th grade, after school, Yi Xin had just walked out of the teaching building and had finished a meeting with the squadron instructor, vaguely found him standing under the row of phoenix trees in the backyard, staring blankly at the yellow leaves drifting away.

  "What's wrong?" Although Xu Zhongliu, who occasionally posed a threat to Yi Xin's dominance, was often the target of her sharp tongue, when she saw the tears streaming down his face, Yi Xin, who was half a year older and held the rank of "San Dao Gang Er", couldn't help but show concern that transcended their superior-subordinate relationship.

  "It's nothing," Mochizuki replied to the familiar voice beside him, so he didn't need to risk attempting that awkward eye contact. "Suddenly I feel," somehow, at this moment, he seemed to have forgotten to maintain his usual composure in front of this somewhat intimidating girl: "It's just that, since we'll both be leaving this world, what's the meaning of being alive, anyway?"

  When no one was around, this little thing became a surefire way for Yi Xin to tease her friends countless times. But she also remembered that in the dream that day, she had hugged a boy who was shivering in the cold wind for the first time...

  "In a few days, our company will have a thank-you cocktail party. If you're free, come and join us," The usual procedure for the two of them was to first stroll around the street, then eat, and finally engage in other "cultural" activities. Nowadays, taking a private car is just an upgraded way of transporting troops over long distances. So, Yi Xin didn't discuss the activity arrangements with Xu Zhongliu as usual: "Don't be like last time."

  This is obviously referring to the concert hosted by their company this spring. Thinking about it, Xu Zhifeng couldn't help but laugh out loud. At that time, the girl repeatedly warned him that the event was formal and he shouldn't say or do anything rash. As a result, Xu Zhifeng put on a suit and made a "grand entrance". However, at these kinds of events, foreigners are usually very casual, only the waiters dress as formally as Xu Zhifeng did. Consequently, many guests asked this big guy who stood with his feet apart and hands crossed in front of him without saying a word, "Where is the cloakroom?" or "How do I get to the restroom?", making Xu Zhifeng famous overnight.

  "Whatever," said the little fatty, lazily half-reclining on the back seat. Unexpectedly, the autumn wind made people even more sleepy: "Later on, eating too much isn't good, and eating too little isn't good either."

  "It doesn't matter," Yi Xin glanced in the rearview mirror and shifted to the fast lane: "Anyway, you're already famous among women and children."

  "Lice are many but don't bite, debts are many but don't worry," Jianliang picked up a stack of financing materials beside him. As an economics major in Australia, at first glance, it seemed that this multinational company was planning to build several processing and production lines in a certain coastal development zone: "You're quite optimistic."

  "Hey," Yixin seemed to recall some interesting gossip, although professionally reserved, her smile still looked very happy: "Li Bin and others said they haven't seen you for a long time, made an appointment several times, you are busier than anyone else." The person Yixin mentioned was her middle school classmate, who happened to work in the same office building as a fresh "sea returnee".

  "Are you going to have a 'sympathy brother' reunion?" In fact, the two of them had always been in a purely platonic relationship, so pure that even the slightest hint of gossip seemed forced. Some were just classmates and deskmates for a few years. To be honest, when Ziyou made this kind of joke subconsciously, he didn't have any special feelings, let alone satisfaction from some twisted psychology.

  "Don't talk nonsense", Yi Xin apparently didn't mind such teasing, mutually beneficial, this is the soil where many underhanded actions thrive: "He's now a popular idol, how many girls have a crush on him?"

  "It's okay," said Zhen Liu with an encouraging tone: "I believe in your strength."

  "I'll take my leave now, wait for the news of my victory," no matter how you say it, when girls talk about this kind of thing, they just don't sound as natural as boys. Is it because they lack the necessary talent and naturally choose to be pursued, or is it because they've been on the defensive for so long that they've worn away their "brave warrior" genes? Even Auguste Comte, the founder of sociology who was abandoned by his prostitute wife, couldn't figure it out, let alone us ordinary people.

  Recently, I've been hearing people say that loving someone means learning to let go, especially when they find greater happiness. This is a typical male perspective, even if it's not the excuse of "starting chaotic and ending in abandonment", but rather hoping that others won't entangle themselves in the same situation after putting themselves in their shoes. For women, this is absolutely a trap.

  Now there's a popular song shouting "find a good person and get married", which doesn't seem quite right. You've played enough, where are you going to find a good person? Besides, what has this "good person" done to offend anyone, why should they eat your "fallen melon"?

  Anyone with a bit of sense understands this simple truth: in order to prevent human society from regressing back to its primitive state of group marriage, it's always necessary to demand chastity from at least one gender. Morality has always existed for the sake of saving humanity.

  Yi Xin, at such a young age, has managed to achieve her current status. Clearly, she is not the type of person who "dares to do great things but is stingy with their own life, and forgets their fate when they see small gains". So every time, it's always her skillfully wrapping up the conversation: "By the way, can you help me write something later?"

  "It's another feasibility report," Zhen Liu picked up the document that he had casually thrown aside, this wasn't his first time playing a similar role. Xiao Pang shifted positions, and the kart slightly shook as a result, after all, compared to his weight, this one-ton chassis wasn't as sturdy as a rock either.

  "People play to their strengths, and you're good at persuading others," Xuzhen Liu always thought the girl's tone was still consistent with that of the squadron committee member who assigned tasks to this "two-stick" back in the day. Unbeknownst to her, this was already a discounted, lottery-winning, coupon-attached version compared to the thunderous and efficient assistant manager in the company: "You're really suitable for market development." It seemed like the entire world could be incorporated into that all-glass exterior wall of a multinational money-making machine.

  Thinking of this, Zhen Liu really didn't have the heart to continue discussing this topic, but it wasn't good to turn the corner too quickly: "Aren't you from the finance department? Why are you still in charge of developing new projects?"

  "Who am I? This is what they call a versatile talent," the girl's lightly made-up face showed undisguised pride. In her school days, she was known for being "technically comprehensive, with outstanding special skills and no obvious weaknesses", which allowed her to sit firmly in the main position of the table tennis team. At that time, poor Zi Liang was often caught by the sports teacher who pitied his misfortune and angered his lack of competitiveness, and was sent to the training hall to pick up balls: "I heard that the report for the project department's bidding a few days ago was actually polished by a teacher from Beida."

  No, the words of saints who have been studying for decades are exchanged for silver by them. Such a low-level and direct "conversion into productive forces" is no different in essence from the move made by Hua Luogeng when he abandoned his leading position in number theory in the world to engage in so-called " systems science" such as "waiting for the water to boil before cutting vegetables".

  To be objective, Xu Zhenliu doesn't mind this kind of "friendly appearance" at all. Not only is it not directly related to economic benefits, but also because young people in their twenties are more likely to try new things. On the contrary, he has drawn a clear line with those who are hypocritical and pretentious. The reason why the world is chaotic is largely due to the non-uniformity of cause-and-effect relationships. In simpler terms, "the one riding a white horse may not necessarily be a prince, but also possibly a monk; the one with wings may not necessarily be an angel, but also possibly a birdman." Those seemingly perfect matches that appear to have similar goals and aspirations may actually be like two people sleeping in the same bed but having different dreams. The reason why they can collide and spark passion is precisely because they are originally on different orbits.

  For this point, Yi Xin also had a clear understanding and never expected Xu Zhongliu to really bow down for the sake of five grains of rice. So every time she would use her familiar econometric model to deduce the boundaries of Xu Zhongliu's interests, even though Xiao Pangzi was already accustomed to being called back and forth between girls' palms and had become too lazy to bother distinguishing who was right or wrong.

  It's precisely because of this that the brief silence didn't create any tension in the confined air of the train carriage, but instead seemed to have a certain unspoken understanding. This has basically achieved the automatic control of turning danger into safety, and it's probably largely due to the twenty years of interaction between the two people. To put it extremely, couples who have argued the most are often the ones most suitable for a long-lasting relationship. Since they've been through so many ups and downs, what's there to fear about the twists and turns of the next few decades? On the other hand, those who get married after being extremely good friends make one worry. In fact, not all couples need to go through a period of adjustment after getting married; some things should be taken care of beforehand. Otherwise, it wouldn't be necessary to let newly-born flowers of the motherland suffer through so many hardships. Don't rush into romance, even if you want to run away, you can't escape. Knowing each other's roots and bottoms doesn't hurt, this might be one of the reasons why the "traditional virtue" of close relatives getting married in Chinese culture, despite being criticized by everyone, can still stubbornly persist in a corner that you're not aware of.

  "By the way, I bought you a pair of thick pants, and when it gets colder, they'll be just right to wear," Easy to remember, Yi Xin quickly thought of the exit that was close at hand: "It's just behind the back of the chair." Before the red light, she skillfully drove the car onto the West Third Ring main road, completely unlike a novice with a hesitant expression.

  It's said that perhaps the Slavic bloodline, which was already faint to begin with and has since become even more distant, didn't want to quietly exit the stage of history. Although he retired after just a few days, Xu Zhenliu, who had practiced javelin for several days in middle school, was already quite tall and sturdy. After adapting to the high-calorie Western diet in Australia, he became even more extreme. It's said that Liu Xiang runs fast because of his large buttocks, but Xu Zhenliu's buttocks are even bigger, making it impossible for him to wear pants meant for someone of average height. There has never been a case where Yi Xin, with her slender waist and long legs, couldn't catch him. The theorem exists, but the inverse theorem is yet to be seen. Trying to steal a chicken but ending up losing a handful of rice, this Eurasian hybrid physique hasn't brought any benefits, and for years, he's been anxious about buying clothes. Either the waist circumference isn't enough or the crotch is too short; all the suitable ones have been exported for foreigners to wear. The result of being too unconventional is self-estrangement from the people.

  Actually, Xu Zhènliú had already seen the shopping bag when he got on the car earlier, and now he easily took it out. He was being gently shaken by the hydraulic system with good shock absorption, and he was originally too lazy to move or make a sound, and also didn't bother with formalities with Yì Xīn. But at this moment, he really couldn't think of anything else to fill the awkward silence that had arisen from the girl's expectations. It was a light brown straight-leg pants, probably made of cotton or linen material, looking quite stylish. Zhènliú naturally couldn't say what brand it was, but this kind of perfect combination of being able to wear and look slim was really hard to come by, even if Yì Xiāng had enough understanding of him: "Not bad, thanks for your hard work." He just took it out and waved it in front of his eyes before putting it back, without even opening the packaging. For a long time, Zhènliú had been sloppy with his appearance, not because he was lazy or didn't care, but because he didn't want to put in the effort. His parents were both good-looking, and objectively speaking, he had a good foundation, so why did he let himself go? As the saying goes, "men are like women, and women are like demons", how could this end well?

  "Do you know how much effort I put in? Not even a single word of comfort."

  When people are thanked, they always respond ritualistically with "no need to thank", which means "just saying thanks is useless, it's better to have some tangible returns". Zhen Liu was not a child who was good at pleasing others. He had always thought that only those who didn't intend to compare hearts would use sweet words to fill up others, and flattery often went hand in hand with hypocrisy. In fact, helping others and then going after them like a debt collector is the most unprofitable business. After busy running around for half a day, one ends up being scolded for being petty, isn't that a mess? The Buddha taught the Bodhisattvas to "give without attachment", obviously he was much wiser than us ordinary people, as the saying goes, good people do things thoroughly.

  Unfortunately, girls like Yi Xin often can't see through the subtleties of things. It's not surprising that being overly serious is a common problem among strong-willed individuals, regardless of gender. They're not necessarily unaware of the differences between life and career, but just like celebrities' emotional lives are often tumultuous, people tend to continue their mechanical routines after 5 pm. Sir Newton discovered the direct relationship between inertia and mass three hundred years ago; the more successful one is in their career, the easier it is to treat their partner as a subordinate. Americans call big shots "bigwigs" (literally "big fake hair"), the higher they climb, the thicker their masks become. Marx said that when communism is achieved, people can engage in multiple types of work simultaneously; the old man was truly farsighted.

  "What's the use of just warming people's hearts with words? I'm thinking of finding a secluded place to let you burn with passion from the inside out!" Although Hua Liu had never been at a loss for words, Yi Xin's previous complaint didn't contain any questioning tone. Unfortunately, her coquettish tone was really not suitable for these heroic women.

  "Cut," generally speaking, lovers' quarrels are mostly won by girls and lost by boys, especially in the ancient Asian countries where men and women do not have close relationships. At critical moments, boys can always come up with "killer moves" that girls cannot counterattack, leaving them to resort to physical communication before language was born. When they really can't think of anything else, they can only use the oldest onomatopoeic words to retort, such as Yi Xin who is now driving smoothly.

  This time's silence was even shorter, but it was obviously much more pleasant, warm and a bit annoying.

  "Ah," the girl seemed to have discovered something, and her bright eyes in the rearview mirror woke up from their softness: "Did you get a call?"

  He subconsciously lowered his head, and as expected, the restless phone under his light-colored pants pocket kept flashing. Only then did he remember that he had set it to "silent" mode during class in the afternoon and hadn't touched it since. The screen displayed Lu Yuanhang's number, and it seemed like this was probably the nth call or text message. He cleared his throat, still maintaining a half-reclined posture: "Hello?"

  "Hey", the background on that end was a bit noisy, like the sound of cars and horses during rush hour: "Where are you?"

  "Ah," Jian Liu didn't hesitate at all, for someone with a clear conscience, this opportunity to show himself was truly rare: "He Yi Xin is ready to eat, right?" He couldn't help but smile smugly: "Just now I didn't look at my phone, and there were several calls, right?" Only after speaking did he realize that his good fortune had turned into a draw.

  "Yes, you...you have something on your mind?" It was clear that Farhao's words had underlying meaning.

  "It doesn't matter, you say." Zhen Liu looked out the window and saw that it seemed to be near the northwest gate of Peking University, perhaps today was Yi Xin's nostalgic trip.

  "I... I have something urgent," although he had already been happy for a few times, but it could be heard that Xiao Lu had probably made up his mind. Although they had just known each other for a month or so, intuition showed that she was not the kind of girl who liked to see silly boys surrounding her: "Can... can you come over right now?"

  "Ah," Xu Zhènliú was indeed a bit embarrassed. To be honest, he wanted to know what was going on with Yuǎn Háng even more, but it seemed like that wasn't going to work out either. Actually, when the "other half" always puts your things in a secondary position, it often means that the two people have already become inseparable, just like how we all remember when we were growing up and being with family was a burden. Unfortunately, many willful and narrow-minded silly sisters lose their chance to become close relatives because of this.

  "It's okay, you go," Yi Xin said naturally, without being so childish. Her tone was sincere, and a hint of loss made everything more real. The Nokia "brick" that had been tested for a long time had a strong signal and clear voice quality, achieving "voice sharing" throughout the car without even opening the speaker.

  "Ah," thought Chen Liu instinctively, although his clever girlfriend was never ambiguous at times like this. According to Xu's mother's recollection later, the boy had a habit of using the tip of his tongue to repeatedly probe before eating when he was less than one year old, and after learning a few words, he would insist on explaining the book before taking medicine. So, cunning is a natural instinct: "Cheng, where are you?" In the end, Chen Liu still made up his mind, because his intuition told him that hesitating any longer might lead to worse consequences.

  "Do you know the Construction Bank to the west of the school? I'm heading there right now," Yuen Hong seemed to have gotten the answer he had been expecting for a long time, his tone was very urgent, but then he realized he should be polite: "If you have something to do..." She seemed very reluctant to make the next assumption.

  "Alright, I know." Zhen Liu tried to make himself appear calm, as if this decision was just mechanically following someone else's arrangement. He hung up the phone and was thinking about how to make excuses, but found that the car had somehow gotten onto the North Fourth Ring Road, which was clearly on the way to the Graduate School.

  "This girl's voice is really nice to listen to," Yi Xin flashed the high beams of her car at the QQ that had just cut in front of her without any courtesy. It seemed like this damned phone was really due for a change.

  "Uh," Xu Zhongliu yawned, but didn't lie back down: "She had originally planned to take the music academy exam, and it seemed like she passed the first round." The boy's calm tone was absolutely unshakeable, a result of long-term training. He suddenly remembered something, reached into his pocket and skillfully turned off the ringer, then took out a handkerchief and wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead. It's said that when people get nervous and sweaty, the electrical resistance on the surface of their skin changes significantly for an instant, so there was once an early lie detector that worked by tracking this data - it seems like Zhongliu already has some potential to contribute to national security, no wonder that old machine was soon abandoned.

  "There is paper in the car."

  Xiao Pangzi suddenly remembered that Yi Xin had been to the United States several times with the Peking University choir, and although she was a female alto, she was more than enough to deal with this kind of guerrilla warfare.

  As the car drove past the "Bird's Nest" and the giant bathtub that could accommodate tens of thousands of people playing with water, Chi Liang leaned forward slightly to give directions to "De Jie", but found her turning back north under the Wangjing Bridge. Chi Liang was about to remind the girl that she had turned too early, but soon realized that she had chosen a shortcut that even he didn't know, and he had thought Yi Xin wasn't very familiar with this newly developed area between the city and the countryside.

  "Is it the Construction Bank?" The girl never made unnecessary excuses, especially when facing Xu Zhongliu, an opponent who could barely withstand three punches and two kicks.

  "Ah, it seems so," Xu Zhongliu continued to ponder how to extricate himself while maintaining his usual "low-key" demeanor.

  "It's not good to stop at the intersection, get off at the station in front and walk two steps forward." This was clearly not a suggestion, as she had already merged onto the auxiliary road while speaking.

  He leaned in towards the girl's slender nape, about to express his regret with a silent gesture: "That is...".

  "Alright... don't forget to take your pants." Yi Xin shifted her gaze to the rearview mirror on the left, a smile that reassured the boy. It seems that modern transportation's simplification of human relationships isn't all bad, for example, the fear of police uncles can make this somewhat awkward "farewell" brief and pleasant.

  As I stepped onto the pedestrian path, I realized that getting off early with a hand on my forehead was actually quite perilous. When she's not by your side, you can more easily feel the piercing pain of those gazes that seem to be everywhere. Pillow Stream glanced at the colorful shopping bag in her hand and felt grateful that Yi Xin hadn't cleverly put his pants in a transparent container for him to carry with him, so that all "daring enemies" could know whose territory this was just by smell alone.

  "Ah," although the boy tried to walk casually, Lu Yuanhang, who was rushing over, obviously became more anxious: "Where is she?"

  "Ah, it's not good to park here, let's go first," although very curious, Zhu Liang still restrained himself from looking around.

  "It's really awkward, is she angry?" Yuen Hang didn't seem to care about being polite anymore because there was no time for it: "Hey, we need to hurry up." She glanced at the pale blue phone.

  "Where are you going?" Xu Zhongliu asked, crossing the crowded traffic flow, and took a look at Xiao Lu. He had never seen this kind of straight skirt with a vertical hem before, and a deep coffee-colored half-length coat made the girl in a hurry appear more mature.

  "Hey," this was already the second time that Lu used the same interjection today: "How to say it," her footsteps didn't slow down at all: "I have an appointment with someone to discuss something... maybe..." Her searching gaze far from being as hesitant as her tone.

  This is the time when people's private lives have just begun, and with a little analysis, it is easy to estimate the relationship between men and women on the street. Those who are in a hurry, even without the old-fashioned props like baskets, can easily judge that most of them already have a common destination, while those who are slow and leisurely, probably still need to find their love nest.

  In the midst of unfamiliar order, Meng and Yuan's behavior is somewhat puzzling. The women who, in theory, should be middle-income earners waiting to get married, but are instead rushing to McDonald's after work, are not as hasty as Lu, and the little fatty following closely behind adds a more dramatic touch to the scene. Fortunately, the Chinese people who are eager to follow global trends no longer have the time to carefully examine everything that passes before their eyes.

  "I've got someone...". The wheels of Yu Hang's car turned back, and his mind was clearly elsewhere: "This thing can't be explained for the time being, you'll understand later..." The girl looked a bit helpless: "Right," she suddenly stopped, and Zhuo Liu, who had been following behind her, almost bumped into Yu Hang as he hastily retreated, nearly pushing him directly into the restaurant door: "Let's not go in together, find a table near us to sit down later."

  "Ah, okay," Zhen Liu really didn't know what else to say.

  "I'm mainly afraid..." Lu Yuanhang seemed to understand that he should at least give a simple explanation: "Ah, I've gone in, you hurry up," she didn't even turn her head, apparently having discovered something in the restaurant.

  Zhen Liu knew it wasn't convenient to chase after him and ask for the details, so he bought a late edition newspaper from a nearby street vendor, subconsciously glancing around without knowing what he was looking for. He figured he had about three or four minutes, then walked into the dining hall, ordering two giant set meals that fit his identity, upgrading the fries and drinks to larger sizes, which seemed like it would allow him to stall for a more reasonable amount of time.

  Yuánháng and another girl sat by the window. In fact, he had already locked onto his target as soon as he entered. The psychological mechanism of human vision that naturally distinguishes between primary and secondary in complex scenes is still an unsolved mystery. Xu Zhēnliú originally wanted to find a "sentinel" not too far or too near, but unfortunately this peak dining period was not so carefree. Just then, the two students who were about to leave happened to be sitting at the table next to Yuánháng's, it seemed there was no more space for hesitation, Xu Zhēnliú walked up as naturally as possible and settled into that narrow space.

  I thought there would be a dragon's lair or a tiger's den that needed to be rescued solo, and on the way here, I was still carrying some worries. Although he looks like a roughneck, he is actually a genuine silver-tongued devil. If we really encounter any trouble, our only choice would be to slip away quietly, and that move "Lingbo Wei Bu" is quite useful. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a warm and fragrant assignment.

  The girl in front of me, who is about 14 or 15 years old, has a familiar face. Her slender shoulders are slightly weak but show a kind of elegance. Although she's sitting down, it's not hard to tell that she's quite tall. Nowadays, kids really are like the flowers that bloom this year are more beautiful than last year's. "A kilogram of milk every day, strong Chinese people", this set was actually left behind by our East Asian neighbors half a century ago, I don't know how long we'll keep chasing after their butts in the dark.

  The girl's slender legs were bent at a ninety-degree angle, sitting upright with an air of propriety, clearly a result of years of being molded between school desks and chairs. However, the sky blue pleated skirt was even more eye-catching, and it didn't match the bookish aura that shone brightly between her eyebrows. After all, this wasn't Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan and Hong Kong, which are inseparable from our country's territory.

  In the mid-80s, a slightly exposed shoulder was enough to make a female star who had just washed off the mud on her legs an overnight sensation. But now, even if you run naked in Tiananmen Square, it's nothing more than adding another bed to an already overcrowded mental hospital. As they say, trends are forever unattainable. The same half-leg exposure can only show that you're hot in the summer, not sexy. As the saying goes, "spring warmth and autumn chill", mini skirts in October are more charming than those in April, because in the first half of the year everyone is more restless, and seafood needs to be paired with a wine that aids digestion to be appetizing. In short, slow undressing and dressing is more sensual.

  He didn't even remember when the Big Mac had gone down, and he was really glad that Lin Chi-ling wasn't sitting across from him, or the fries would probably have ended up in his nostrils. He composed himself and remembered that he still had a newspaper to hold off for a while.

  The international edition headlines said that a certain high-ranking North Korean official stated that the development of nuclear technology is an internal affair, and others should not interfere. In fact, this concept of sovereignty is extremely outdated and a remnant of agricultural society. The world today is interconnected, with each country having its own interests intertwined with others. No one can shut their doors and say "don't meddle in our family affairs". Unfortunately, many people still treat those outdated ideas as absolute truth.

  "He's my dad," the sweet short-skirted girl said, her childish voice stubbornly piercing through the hustle and bustle of people coming and going in the restaurant: "So I think I have the right to ask about this matter." It seems that our countrymen are really awakening, rights, a word that will forever drive politicians crazy and uneasy.

  "Yes, Wei Dan," Yuen Hang seemed to have been passive all along, because the female second soprano who was proficient in "Red Plum Blossom" was always like being in a ten-mile fog: "Some things are not as you think."

  Wei Dan?

  Xu Zhongliu returned from the peninsula, still reeling from the grudges and grievances, without even having time to rest from his journey. He seemed to have read more into her eyes that were not yet fully grown. Wei's daughter had a full forehead with a hint of stubbornness, her bright eyes staring intently into the distance, just like her father's, her lips tightly pursed, and her nose and mouth corners slightly twitching. Was this really Wei Yicheng's legendary daughter? She was far from being as "punk" as he had imagined.

  "There's no evidence, I wouldn't have come to find you," Apparently, although Wei Dan pretended to be calm, the childlike air that couldn't be washed away could only slowly dissipate with youth: "No need to explain the reason, I hope this is our last conversation." It seems that they were well-prepared, everything seemed like a rehearsal.

  Lu Yuanhang looked down at the desktop, the poor cold drink cup in her hand had a layer of wax marks on its surface that had been ravaged, but she still tried to maintain good posture, neither slouching nor lowering her head.

  "Alright, I should head home," Wei Dan stood up very decisively, clearly she had controlled the pace of the conversation: "Also, you're not as confident as I imagined," The girl glanced at him with a cold and elegant face: "And brought someone along, was that necessary?"

  When Bai Chongxi, a warlord of the Guangxi clique, was under house arrest by Chiang Kai-shek in Taiwan, he once went to have coffee with several friends. Before leaving, he paid for two tables of customers far away from them. His friends were puzzled and asked if he knew those people. General Bai said no, but they were secret agents sent by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics who worked very hard, so it was only right that he should pay their bill. Later facts proved that "Little Zhuge" Bai Chongxi was indeed a clever strategist, at least in this case.

  It seems that Zhěn Liú is still better off being a good citizen, as a young girl easily exposed his lecherous gaze, what a loss of face.

  He awkwardly fiddled with the few 10-yuan receipts on his dinner plate.