Chapter 84 The Return Has Arrived
Six months passed quietly amidst intensive meetings, numerous documents, and brief exchanges of information across seven time zones.
The cherry blossoms in Geneva had long since faded, the plane trees along the lake cast a dense canopy of shade, and the summer sun began to grow intense. Song Zhiyi's overseas assignment was nearing its end; the main negotiation framework had been finalized, and all that remained were the technical clean-up tasks for each working group. She booked her flight home, marking the date with a tiny circle on her calendar.
Beijing, President's Office of the Huo Group.
Huo Yanli had just finished a video conference. On the other end of the screen was a senior researcher from an international think tank. Their discussion was not about business mergers and acquisitions or market expansion, but about the economic recovery model for people's livelihoods in the post-war reconstruction of a certain region in the Middle East.
"Mr. Huo, I didn't expect you to be interested in such a specific grassroots governance model." The researcher in the video was somewhat surprised.
“It’s just a preliminary understanding. My wife… she’s worked in similar areas before and mentioned the complexity of reconstruction, especially the connection between protecting women’s and children’s rights and revitalizing the community’s economy. I found it very enlightening.” Huo Yanli spoke calmly, with several key points recorded in his notebook.
Over the past six months, his reading list and areas of interest have quietly changed. Next to financial reports, international relations journals have appeared; beside business negotiation case studies, several monographs on conflict mediation and post-war development are stacked. He has even begun contacting reliable international NGOs, making some low-key donations and project consultations in his personal capacity.
When Assistant Li brought the coffee, he couldn't help but glance at the webpage his boss was browsing—it was an evaluation report on an agricultural aid project in Africa by a certain UN development agency.
"Mr. Huo, the information you requested regarding cross-border medical assistance cooperation models has been preliminarily compiled by the Legal and Strategic Departments and sent to your email," Assistant Li reported.
"Okay." Huo Yanli nodded, picked up his coffee, took a sip, and kept his eyes glued to the screen. After a while, he suddenly asked, "How's the on-time performance of flights to Geneva lately?"
Assistant Li was taken aback, then realized that his boss was concerned about his wife's return. "I checked, the weather has been fine recently, and flight routes are operating normally."
"Hmm." Huo Yanli responded without saying anything more, but Assistant Li noticed that the boss's slightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and there was a very faint, fleeting smile in his eyes.
---
The international arrivals hall at Beijing Capital International Airport was bustling with people.
Huo Yanli arrived twenty minutes early. He didn't sit in the VIP lounge, but stood at the front of the welcoming crowd, his gaze fixed intently on the exit. He was dressed casually today, in a light gray cotton shirt and dark trousers, looking less aloof and more approachable than his usual suit and tie.
Time ticked by, and then the announcement came over the loudspeaker that the flight had landed. Huo Yanli unconsciously straightened up.
A flow of people began to emerge. Business travelers, tour groups, families visiting relatives... Against the slightly noisy background, Huo Yanli spotted her at a glance.
Song Zhiyi pushed a small suitcase out. She wore a beige linen shirt and light khaki trousers, her long hair loosely tied back, her face showing the slight fatigue of a long flight, but her eyes were still bright. She seemed to be searching for something in the crowd, her gaze sweeping over this area.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Despite being separated by more than ten meters and six months, they could both clearly sense that something had changed.
Song Zhiyi paused slightly, then pulled her suitcase and walked steadily toward him. Huo Yanli also went to greet her.
"Was the journey smooth?" Huo Yanli naturally took the suitcase handle from her hand, and the moment he touched her fingers, he felt the slight coolness of her fingertips.
"Yes, it went smoothly." Song Zhiyi nodded and looked up at him. He looked to be in good spirits, and the usual coldness between his brows seemed to have been softened by something gentler. "Have you been waiting long?"
"No, I just arrived a little while ago." Huo Yanli looked her over, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. "You've lost some weight. Is work very tiring?"
"It's alright, things are a bit messy in the final stages," Song Zhiyi replied, walking alongside him outside. Despite not seeing each other for half a year, there was no awkwardness or estrangement between them; instead, there was a strange sense of familiarity, as if their conversation had just ended yesterday.
On the way to the parking lot, Huo Yanli asked about her work in the last few days. Song Zhiyi gave a brief account, mentioning the finalization process of a certain clause. Her speech was slightly faster than usual, and a clear, sharp glint of professionalism flashed in her eyes. Huo Yanli listened quietly, occasionally asking questions that always hit the nail on the head.
"By the way," Huo Yanli said casually as he started the car after getting in, "I had someone find a more detailed mid-term evaluation of the project report you mentioned last time, and I sent it to your email. You can take a look when you have time."
Song Zhiyi paused in fastening her seatbelt and looked at him: "You went to find that report?"
"Well, I stumbled upon some news about it and followed the trail. The content was quite interesting, especially the part about women's cooperatives, which corroborates your previous views on community resilience building." He spoke casually, as if it were truly a trivial matter.
Song Zhiyi knew, however, that the report came from a highly professional non-governmental organization's internal database, which was not publicly available. He must have put in some effort to find it by "following the clues."
She paused for a few seconds, then whispered, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Huo Yanli turned the steering wheel and drove onto the airport expressway. Outside the car window, the Beijing summer afternoon sun was blazing, and the sky was a clear blue. "Go back to rest? Or should we grab something to eat first?"
"Let's go back to the dorm first. There are some documents that need to be organized and filed." Song Zhiyi thought for a moment, "For dinner... anything will do."
"good."
The car drove smoothly, with soothing classical music playing inside. The two didn't exchange many words, but the silence was no longer the suffocating silence of the past; instead, it was a comfortable, unforced quiet. Song Zhiyi occasionally glanced at the familiar street scenes outside the window. Six months had passed; Beijing seemed unchanged, yet something about it felt different.
---
Huo Yanli did not deliberately publicize the news of Song Zhiyi's return to China, but Ji Yun heard about it from somewhere and immediately called.
"Yanli! I heard Zhiyi is back? We have to get together! Nobody can back out this time! Let's give Zhiyi a welcome-back party!" Ji Yun shouted on the other end of the phone, with Zhou Mubai and Shen Yu's voices seemingly in the background.
Huo Yanli covered the microphone and looked at Song Zhiyi, who was organizing documents, asking with his eyes.
Song Zhiyi had just finished processing an email when she looked up and saw his questioning gaze. After a moment's thought, she nodded: "Okay. Thank you."
Huo Yanli was somewhat surprised; he had expected her to decline. "Are you sure? What if you're tired..."
“It’s alright,” Song Zhiyi said calmly. “We should also thank them for their kindness before… and for this time.” She was referring to the many times Ji Yun had expressed his gratitude after his mother’s health improved, as well as the welcome dinner they had offered this time.
The gathering was scheduled for two days later at a private Chinese courtyard restaurant. When Huo Yanli and Song Zhiyi arrived, Ji Yun, Zhou Mubai, and Shen Yu were already there.
"I understand! Welcome back to China!" Ji Yun was the first to stand up, his smile bright and his enthusiasm genuine, a stark contrast to the young master who had looked scrutinizing and amused the other year at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
"Miss Song, you must be tired from your journey." Zhou Mubai remained composed, but the respect in his eyes was clearly visible.
Shen Yu raised his teacup and smiled, "We've finally got the person our CEO Huo has been longing for back. If you hadn't come back, he would have moved the company to Geneva soon."
Song Zhiyi nodded slightly to the three men: "Mr. Ji, Mr. Zhou, Mr. Shen, it's been a long time. Thank you."
After everyone was seated, the atmosphere quickly warmed up. The conversation naturally revolved around Song Zhiyi's work in Geneva. Ji Yun asked curiously about interesting anecdotes from multilateral negotiations, while Zhou Mubai was more interested in the details of international law. Shen Yu occasionally cracked a joke, but his questions were always on point.
Song Zhiyi remained taciturn, but her answers were clear and organized. When faced with professional questions, she would offer brief explanations in a calm and unhurried tone. She would occasionally glance at Huo Yanli, who mostly listened, his gaze fixed on her, a faint smile playing on his lips. He would only naturally take over the conversation when she needed to add details or when pressed for further information.
After a few rounds of drinks (mainly by Ji Yun and Shen Yu), Ji Yun poured more wine for Huo Yanli: "Come on, Yanli, this cup must be drunk! To celebrate Zhiyi's triumphant return!"
Just as Huo Yanli picked up his wine glass, a fair hand reached out and gently pressed it against his glass.
There was a moment of silence on the table.
Song Zhiyi quickly withdrew her hand, looked at Ji Yun, and said calmly, "Ji Yun, he has a bad stomach."
Ji Yun was stunned, and Zhou Mubai and Shen Yu exchanged a meaningful glance.
Huo Yanli was startled and turned to look at Song Zhiyi. Her profile was calm, her eyelashes slightly lowered, as if her previous protective gesture was as natural as reminding him to bring an umbrella in the rain.
But she wouldn't have done this before. Even out of politeness or a sense of contractual obligation, she wouldn't have defended him so directly in front of a friend.
"Ah... Oh, okay! Zhiyi is right!" Ji Yun was the first to react and quickly tried to save face, "My bad, my bad! I forgot about that! Then Yanli, you don't need to drink anymore, just drink tea!"
This little incident quickly passed, and the topic shifted again. But Huo Yanli's mind remained unsettled for a long time. He sipped his tea, his gaze involuntarily following Song Zhiyi.
She was listening to Shen Yu tell a joke that had recently circulated in the investment world, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her face, her eyes gentle. When Zhou Mubai mentioned a controversial legal clause, she would furrow her brow slightly in thought, and then offer a concise opinion.
She remained the same, calm and composed, listening most of the time without saying much.
But something is different.
She would naturally reach out to stop him when he was being urged to drink.
Her eyes would light up slightly when he mentioned a topic that interested her.
During breaks in their conversation, she would casually move the spicy dish in front of him aside and replace it with a milder one.
These subtle, imperceptible movements, like shallow ripples on the surface of Lake Geneva, are not dramatic, but they subtly alter the texture of the water.
Huo Yanli suddenly realized that perhaps this was Song Zhiyi.
Her world lacks grand declarations and dramatic turning points. Her changes are like the slow movement of a silent glacier, the quiet extension of roots buried deep underground. Her care is hidden in the simple words, "Drink less if your stomach isn't feeling well," in the subtle gesture of moving a dish away, and in the brief, everyday sharing that transcends mountains and seas.
It's ordinary and simple, yet it's real and true.
Just like now, she seemed to sense his gaze, turned her head to meet his eyes, and looked at him with a hint of question in her eyes, as if asking, "What's wrong?"
Huo Yanli shook his head and gave her a gentle smile: "It's nothing. Is the food to your liking?"
"Yes, very good." She nodded, then turned back to listen to Ji Yun speak.
Huo Yanli picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat, its comfort reaching deep into his heart.
Half a year of waiting, thousands of kilometers of distance, and countless brief messages.
Finally, this moment arrived. She sat beside him in front of their friends, naturally and gracefully protecting him in her own way.
This might not be the intense, fiery love he had imagined.
But this gentle, flowing affection, this tacit understanding as they walk side by side, this mutual concern in ordinary days, seems to be the more suitable and enduring form for them.
Returning is not the end, but the beginning of another journey.
This time, however, they will no longer be strangers.
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