Bai Shuang was slightly disappointed as she stood in the airport terminal with a giant bouquet of oriental lilies. Her face, however, showed no outward sign of this, and continued to give the standard smile of a diplomat as she glanced around. There was no sight of the chief’s tall and muscular figure, nor Secretary Zhao’s handsome face. She looked down to hide the sadness in her eyes. Under the protection of several police officers, she went inside another Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ vehcile and left the airport.
…
Gu Nianzhi was completed exhausted by the time the International Teleommunicatons Conference. Dhe slept a full two days before she finally recovered.
Yin Shixiong knew that she had worked hard and was both proud yet worried about her, so he called He Zhichu to request sick leave.
“Another leave? Is she really ill?” He Zhichu picked up Yin Shixiong’s call, and he sounded displeased.
“Of course it’s true, why would I need to lie to you?” Yin Shixiong was also unhappy. “She’s even running a fever; if it doesn’t break by the afternoon, I’m taking her to the hospital.”
He Zhichu thought about it for a bit and gave a noncommittal grunt before hanging up, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Yin Shixiong. He sat alone in his office and had countless emails to take care of, but his eyes kept wandering to the small and tidy desk in the corner of his office. Gu Nianzhi would sit there, with her little laptop and her bowed head fervently poring over her books while studying. He Zhichu looked away and began to work meticulously. He only shut off his laptop when it grew dark outside, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t hungry at all, but still drove to a decent Chinese restaurant to pick up a couple orders of congee that he felt were suitable for the ill, and drove to Gu Nianzhi’s apartment.
“Professor He?” Yin Shixiong saw He Zhichu from the window and opened the door with great surprise. “You came? Please come in!”
He Zhichu gave the giant takeout box to Yin Shixiong. “There’s a few orders of light dishes and congee; please see if Nianzhi wants any.”
“Ok!” Yin Shixiong hastily took the containers from him to place them in the kitchen, then offered He Zhichu a seat. “Professor He, would you like tea or coffee?”
“Water is fine.” He Zhichu sat elegantly on the long couch in the living room and his eyes scanned the magazines on the coffee table before him.
Yin Shixiong brought him an unopened bottle of spring water and a glass. “Please make yourself at home.” He continued and said, “I’ll see if Nianzhi is awake.”
He Zhichu was about to follow him, but stopped himself when he saw Yin Shixiong’s vigilant expression. He looked up slightly. “Don’t wake her.”
Gu Nianzhi was actually awake and lazing around in bed as she stared off in a daze. Her black long sleeved T-shirt was baggy on her body, and her long legs swung over the bedside. Her mind calm and her thoughts few. The last couple of days of intense brain activity had taken a toll on her. Although she was usually very healthy, she couldn’t hold up to such great pressure for extended periods of time.
Yin Shixiong knocked on her door and gently opened it to see her sitting on the edge of the bed. The curtains were tightly drawn, cloaking the room in darkness. As soon as the door opened, light from the outside crept through the crack. Gu Nianzhi reflexively covered her eyes and called in a raspy voice, “Brother Xiong?”
Her face was colorless and the color of her lips was barely distinguishable. Her raised arm was as thin as a stick and so pale that the greenish veins were visible.
“You’re awake?” Yin Shixiong watched her with a pained expression. “Do you want to get some more rest? Do you still have a fever?”
Gu Nianzhi shook her head, “The fever broke; I just sweat it out. I feel gross and want to take a shower.”
“Then go.” Yin Shixiong nodded, “But Professor He is here to see you, he’s waiting in the living room. He also brought you some congee, are you hungry?”
“Congee?” Gu Nianzhi licked her lips, “I do want to eat; I’m starving!” She begged Yin Shixiong with her eyes, they were so large and dark that she looked like a kitten asking for food.
“Hurry up and change, then come out for food.” Yin Shixiong waved.
Gu Nianzhi answered ‘yes!’ and got up to change.
Yin Shixiong returned to the living room and said to He Zhichu, “Nianzhi just woke up and said she’s hungry. She’s going to come out for congee in a bit, so, thank you Professor He.”
“You’re welcome.” He Zhichu said quietly as he saw Gu Nianzhi appear.
She wore a cobalt tennis dress, the material was sweat absorbent and more comfortable than thick cotton. But, the colour washed her skin out even more, while accentuating the darkness of her brows and lashes. She looked fragile, like a figure made of rare white jade porcelain, with the dark blue marks of her veins imprinted on the ivory background that was her skin.
He Zhichu frowned. “What’s going on? I only saw you two or three days ago, and yet, you’ve lost so much weight?”
Her usually full cheeks were sallow and made her huge black eyes appear like mirrors. Gu Nianzhi smiled at He Zhichu. “Professor He, thank you for visiting me. I just got better; I’m sorry that I couldn’t do the homework for the past few days.”
“Nevermind that; worry about looking after your health.” He Zhichu watched her quietly and a hint of worry flashed across his face.
Gu Nianzhi seated herself and gulped down the congee as she mumbled, “Professor He, this congee is delicious! It happens to be my favourite kind.”
“Drink your congee and don’t speak when you have food in your mouth.” He Zhichu frowned as he chastised her.
Gu Nianzhi raised a single brow and ignored him. She devoured three bowls before finally feeling satisfied. After she was sated, the colour returned to her cheeks and her pale skin had a hint of pink in it.
He Zhichu stopped worrying and stood up. “Rest for a few more days. You can go back to class once you’re better.”
Gu Nianzhi walked him to the door and smiled as she waved. “Thank you, Professor He. Take care.”
After He Zhichu left, Yin Shixiong emerged from his room and rubbed his chin.”Is Professor He that kind to all his students?”
“Of course not.” Gu Nianzhi rolled her eyes, “This is an exclusive benefit only top scoring and obedient students like me get to enjoy.”
“Pfft! When did you get to be as shameless as Little Ze?” Yin Shixiong didn’t believe her and pretended to whack her head. “Aren’t you going to shower? Rest for a few days. I’ll see how Mr. Huo and the team are doing.”
Huo Shaoheng and his men had already returned to the Empire with the delegates. Because they were being monitored by the CIA, they didn’t contact Yin Shixiong and Gu Nianzhi again.
…
It was mid-July, and the International Extraordinary Women’s Commendation Conference proceeded according to schedule. Deputy Director Feng of the Secret Service had carefully planned all safety measures to ensure nothing could threaten the personal safety of the delegates. The international conference was held at the largest convention center in C City. Deputy Director Feng led the Secret Service personnel to do the final checks in the conference center.
“Mr. Feng, Ms. Gu requests your presence.” A tall, dark haired, and blue eyed man walked over and bowed respectfully to Deputy Director Feng as he announced this.
He looked up and saw a young woman in a pearl-white dress suit descend from the escalator. She was elegant and her long hair fell in a perfect waterfall down her back. Her demure presence was subtle at first glance, but a second glance confirmed that she was a breathtaking beauty.
“I was just about to go look for Ms. Gu.” Deputy Director Feng sighed in relief.
The woman was the female magnate from Barbados, Gu Yanran. Although she was only 24, she was already in command of a multi-billion US dollar fortune.