Chapter 61 The Cocktail Party is Stunning
Wednesday evening at 6:25 PM, West Gate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Huo Yanli's car was parked in the designated spot. Dusk was falling, the streetlights were just coming on, and a few lights shone from the windows of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. He glanced at his watch, then his gaze returned to the heavy black door.
At exactly 6:30, the door opened.
Song Zhiyi came out.
She was dressed exactly as he had expected—a navy blue Ministry of Foreign Affairs standard suit skirt, a white shirt, and black low-heeled leather shoes. She carried a small black handbag, and her hair was neatly tied back in a low ponytail. The only adornment was a pair of small pearl stud earrings on her earlobes, which gleamed softly in the twilight.
She walked to the car, and Huo Yanli had already gotten out and opened the passenger door for her.
"Thank you." She sat down and placed her handbag on her lap.
The car door closed, shutting out the outside world. A faint scent of cedar filled the car, Huo Yanli's usual car air freshener.
"Go straight to the China World Trade Center?" Huo Yanli started the car.
“Okay.” Song Zhiyi fastened her seatbelt. “I’ve looked at the forum schedule. Registration starts at 7:00, the organizers give their opening remarks at 7:30, and free discussion begins at 8:00. The EU delegation has three new members this year, and here are their details.”
She took a thin folder out of her handbag and handed it to Huo Yanli.
Huo Yanli took the document and quickly flipped through it under the streetlight. Inside were detailed resumes, political stances, and even analytical summaries of recent statements by three EU officials. The information was organized clearly and professionally, clearly at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Did you prepare this?" he asked.
“The Translation Department has files on foreign guests, and I’ve reviewed the latest version,” Song Zhiyi said calmly. “That economic commissioner named Anderson’s doctoral dissertation was on the Sino-European photovoltaic trade dispute. If we’re going to talk about that topic, we can mention the relevant discussions at last year’s Munich Security Conference.”
Huo Yanli's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He had attended countless business parties, led assistants, and guided business partners, but this was the first time someone had prepared such a detailed "pre-battle briefing" for him.
And this person is his wife.
"Thank you," he said.
“Of course.” Song Zhiyi looked at the city lights flowing outside the window. “In this kind of situation, the more information the better.”
The car moved slowly through the evening rush hour traffic. The carriage fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional beeping of the navigation system.
“Ji Yun will be there today too,” Huo Yanli suddenly said. “His mother is recovering very well and keeps saying she wants to formally thank you.”
Song Zhiyi turned her head: "It's good that Aunt Ji is alright."
"You saved her life." Huo Yanli glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Ji Yun's tone when she mentions you is completely different from before."
Song Zhiyi seemed not to have grasped the deeper meaning in his words, and simply nodded.
---
At 7:00 PM, in the banquet hall of the China World Hotel.
The crystal chandelier illuminated the entire hall as if it were daytime. When Huo Yanli and Song Zhiyi walked in, Ji Yun saw them almost immediately.
"Yanli! Miss Song!" Ji Yun strode over with a glass of champagne, her face beaming with an undisguised smile. "You've finally arrived! Miss Song, you look absolutely stunning in this outfit today, so elegant and poised!"
His enthusiasm clearly exceeded normal social etiquette. Zhou Mubai followed behind him, nodding politely to Song Zhiyi: "Translator Song, we meet again."
“Mr. Ji, Attorney Zhou,” Song Zhiyi responded to each of them, her gaze lingering on Ji Yun’s face for a moment. “How has your mother been sleeping lately? Did she try the calming tea prescription I gave her last time?”
"She tried it!" Ji Yun nodded repeatedly. "She said her sleep has improved a lot, and even her blood pressure has stabilized! Miss Song, your medical skills are truly amazing! My grandmother tells everyone she meets how good you are—"
He was speaking when Huo Yanli gently touched his arm.
Ji Yun immediately understood and smiled, changing his words: "In short, I won't thank you for your great kindness. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know!"
Song Zhiyi shook her head slightly: "You're exaggerating. It's just a doctor's duty."
As they were talking, the reception officially began. After the host's opening remarks, the open networking session started. Huo Yanli had originally planned to take Song Zhiyi to meet several important business partners, but Ji Yun beat him to it.
"Yanli, can I borrow your wife for a moment?" Ji Yun said half-jokingly, then turned to Song Zhiyi, his tone becoming serious, "Miss Song, that French ambassador's wife over there, I noticed she kept looking at you, as if she knows you?"
Song Zhiyi followed his gaze. At the other end of the banquet hall, Mrs. Madeleine, the wife of the French ambassador, was talking with several diplomats, but her eyes kept glancing in their direction.
"I'll go say hello," Song Zhiyi said to Huo Yanli. "Excuse me."
"Do you need me to come with you?" Huo Yanli asked.
"No need, you guys chat." She had already walked over there.
Ji Yun watched her retreating figure and lowered his voice to Huo Yanli, saying, "Now I understand how outrageous your 'five-year agreement' was. You actually wanted to let a woman like that go after five years?"
Huo Yanli did not answer. His gaze followed Song Zhiyi's figure in the crowd.
She approached the ambassador's wife and greeted her in fluent French. A delighted smile immediately spread across Ms. Madeleine's face, and the two exchanged a French cheek kiss—not a perfunctory formality, but a genuine, heartfelt greeting between close friends.
"Do they know each other?" Zhou Mubai also noticed this scene.
"And their relationship is unusual," Ji Yun said with certainty.
Over the next half hour, Huo Yanli witnessed a side of Song Zhiyi he had never seen before.
She would switch to German in front of German businessmen to precisely explain China's industrial policies; when a Spanish consul mentioned cultural heritage, she would discuss the balance between protection and development in Spanish; and when an Arab envoy inquired about the details of the Belt and Road Initiative, she would list specific cooperative projects in Arabic.
What's even more impressive is her approach to conversation—she's not just translating languages, but building bridges of understanding. When a British lord expressed concerns about China's market access, she didn't directly refute him, but instead used an analogy from the British Industrial Revolution: "Just as the Manchester textile workers initially resisted machines, but ultimately machines made Britain the factory of the world. Opening up will bring growing pains, but it will also bring greater opportunities."
The other party was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, and the atmosphere immediately eased.
“Yanli,” Ji Yun nudged his arm, her voice full of emotion, “Now I truly believe what Uncle Huo said—we were really too shallow in our judgment of her before.”
Huo Yanli did not answer. His gaze followed Song Zhiyi intently. She was sitting on a sofa in the lounge area with the French ambassador's wife, the two talking in hushed tones. The ambassador's wife held Song Zhiyi's hand, her eyes slightly red.
He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell from the ambassador's wife's expression that it was gratitude, emotion, and feelings that touched her heart.
"What are they saying?" Zhou Mubai also noticed.
Huo Yanli recalled that in the document prepared by Song Zhiyi, there was only one line of note about the ambassador's wife: "His only grandson, Jacques, was seriously injured in an airstrike in Lebanon three years ago."
Battlefield. Another battlefield.
That world that Song Zhiyi never mentioned, yet it was everywhere.
The music changed to a soothing waltz. Some people started inviting their partners onto the dance floor.
Huo Yanli put down his wine glass and walked towards the rest area.
Song Zhiyi had just finished her conversation with the Ambassador's wife and stood up. The Ambassador's wife embraced her, gently kissed her cheek, and said in French, "You will always be a benefactor to our family."
“Jacques is a brave child,” Song Zhiyi replied softly.
Huo Yanli stopped in front of them. The ambassador's wife saw him and smiled at Song Zhiyi, saying, "Your husband is here to see you. I won't disturb you any longer."
After she left, Huo Yanli extended his hand: "May I have this dance?"
Song Zhiyi looked at his outstretched hand, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. The dazzling lights of the banquet hall reflected tiny specks of light in her eyes, making those usually calm eyes appear exceptionally bright.
Then, she gently placed her hand in his palm.
"good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com