Chapter 19 He was very curious

In November, Beijing already carried the chill of early winter. Inside the top-floor conference room of the Huo Group headquarters, the atmosphere was even colder than the temperature outside.

On one side of the long conference table sat Huo Yanli's negotiation team—including the group's vice president, legal director, financial advisor, and several core executives. On the other side were three representatives from a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, all dressed in white robes and wearing red and white checkered headscarves, their expressions solemn. The negotiations had been going on for three hours, stuck on a key clause.

The problem lies in the language.

The opposing party's chief representative, Sheikh Al Maktoum, a shrewd-eyed royal in his fifties, insisted on negotiating in Arabic. His English was actually quite good, but in his words, "With billions of dollars involved, I have to think in my mother tongue to be responsible for every word."

Huo's side had originally hired a top Arabic translator in China, but problems surfaced as negotiations entered a more complex phase—the translator's grasp of financial terminology and legal clauses was not precise enough, and several deviations occurred in the professional expressions such as "preferred stock conversion mechanism" and "triggering conditions of the betting agreement," leading to misunderstandings between the two parties.

After yet another subtle mistranslation, Sheikh frowned and said directly in English, "Mr. Ho, I think we need a more professional translator. Every single word in these terms could mean a difference of tens of millions of dollars."

The air in the conference room was almost frozen.

Huo Yanli's face was ashen. He glanced at his translator, who was sweating profusely, then looked at Sheikh and replied in fluent English, "You're right. We need the most professional support. Please give us some time to adjust."

A 15-minute recess is scheduled.

Huo Yanli returned to his office. The CBD skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling windows appeared gray and gloomy under the overcast sky. He loosened his tie and said in a deep voice to his assistant who followed him in, "Contact the Translation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately and hire a chief translator who is proficient in Arabic for finance and law."

The assistant hesitated for a moment: "Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Mr. Huo, that's a government department; they generally don't accept commercial commissions..."

“Special circumstances require special handling.” Huo Yanli interrupted him. “The cooperation between Huo’s Group and this fund is related to the group’s strategic layout in the Middle East over the next five years. You should contact the Director of the Translation Department’s office directly and say that it is my personal request, Huo Yanli’s. They should be willing to grant it.”

The assistant dared not ask any more questions and immediately went to do it.

Huo Yanli walked to the window, looking at the swarms of cars below, his mood irritated. This negotiation had been in preparation for six months. The other party was one of the most conservative yet wealthiest funds in the Middle East. Securing this strategic investment would greatly enhance Huo's strategic layout in the Middle East's energy and infrastructure sectors. However, the other party's meticulousness regarding details bordered on obsessive—or rather, it was a way for them to test the sincerity and professionalism of their partner.

Ten minutes later, the assistant knocked on the door and came in, his expression somewhat strange.

"Mr. Huo, we've made contact. The translation department is very cooperative, saying they have a top expert in the Arabic language group with extensive experience in financial and legal texts."

Huo Yanli turned around: "Then please come over. I'll accept any price."

The assistant paused, his voice hesitant, "They said... the translator is currently not in the country, but considering the importance of the cooperation with the Huo family, they can try to coordinate the time to see if we can adjust the meeting schedule. However..."

"But what?"

“However, we need to obtain the translator's consent first.” The assistant’s expression became even stranger. “Because this translator… has a rather special status.”

Huo Yanli frowned: "What do you mean?"

The assistant took a deep breath, as if making a great decision before speaking: "The chief translator recommended by the Translation Department is named Song Zhiyi."

Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds.

The office was clearly well-heated, but Huo Yanli suddenly felt the air was thin. He looked at his assistant, something flashed in his eyes, then quickly returned to calm.

"Song Zhiyi?" He repeated the name, his tone devoid of emotion.

"Yes. It's... Madam." The assistant added cautiously, "The translation department is unaware of your relationship with Madam; they're just recommending the most suitable candidate according to procedure. Should I... explain something?"

Huo Yanli remained silent. He walked to his desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping the smooth surface. Once, twice, three times.

Many images flashed through his mind—that morning at the Civil Affairs Bureau two years ago, the back of her as she turned and left after signing the papers; the bits and pieces of information he had heard about her from his grandfather over the past two years; the bank account that had never been touched; and now, the possibility of her being presented to him as the chief translator recommended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“No need for explanation,” he finally spoke, his voice steady. “Just follow the normal procedure. Contact her directly and ask if she’s willing to take on this case. If she is, pay her the highest market rate. If not… then find someone else.”

"Yes." The assistant breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "What if Madam asks who the client is..."

"Tell me the truth." Huo Yanli sat back in his chair, picked up a document as if to start working, "This is official business, there's no need to hide anything."

The assistant nodded and withdrew.

The office fell silent again. Huo Yanli stared at the document in his hand, unable to decipher a single word of the dense text. He put the document down, picked up his phone, and subconsciously opened his bank app—the same account page he checked every month, a page that had never changed.

Song Zhiyi. Last four digits of her account: 3876. Latest balance: 2.6 million yuan (cumulative transfers).

For the past two years and two months, I have received 100,000 yuan per month, and not a single penny has been touched.

He closed the app and placed his phone face down on the table. His gaze drifted out the window; the sky had grown even darker, and it looked like it was about to rain.

He suddenly became very curious: if she knew that the client was the Huo family and that it was him, how would she react? Would she refuse? Or would she calmly say "okay" like she did two years ago when she signed the contract?