Zheng Guofeng asked Xue Yue, "Can your classmate dance?"
Xue Yue turned her head toward ng Ye and waved her over.
ng Ye saw this and walked over.
"Mr. Joel would like to dance, but I can’t. Do you know how?"
ng Ye nodded. She smiled at Joel and said, "My classmate doesn’t know how, but I can take her place. May I have the honor of this dance?"
Joel shrugged. "Excellent."
A mont later, ng Ye placed her hand in Joel’s, and the two entered the dance floor.
ng Ye didn’t just know how to dance—she was an excellent dancer.
Zheng Guofeng couldn’t help but nod as he watched. "Your classmate dances quite well. But you also did wonderfully today. You exceeded my expectations."
Xue Yue chuckled. "I just acted on impulse. I wasn’t thinking about the consequences."
Zheng Guofeng said, "That’s a good thing. All our countryn should have that kind of spirit. If they do, why would we ever have to worry about other nations looking down on us?"
Then, Xue Yue asked, a little confused, "Isn’t Mr. Joel here to negotiate a partnership with us?"
Zheng Guofeng gazed toward the dance floor, his voice growing low. "Yes and no. They’re here to assess our country’s capabilities, to see if we can actually fulfill their orders. Other nations are also competing for this contract, but our country desperately needs this partnership to develop our manufacturing sector. They know this, so they’re taking advantage of our position to keep driving the price down and make our labor cheaper."
Xue Yue nodded. ’I guess I was being too naive,’ she thought. ’Businessn are always about the bottom line. They’ll choose whoever offers them the biggest profit.’
Zheng Guofeng’s gaze fell on Xue Yue, landing on the hairpin in her hair. "That hairpin—"
Xue Yue paused. "My mother left it to ."
Zheng Guofeng nodded. "I know. I rember Wanyi used to wear it. You look lovely in a qipao. Wanyi used to wear them often, too. Seeing you today... for a mont, I felt like I was seeing your mother again."
Xue Yue could only listen, unsure of how to comfort him. Whenever her mother was ntioned, Zheng Guofeng always grew lancholic, sotis becoming lost in his mories.
「After Zheng Guofeng, Joel, and their party had left.」
Ji Cheng led the students to say their goodbyes to Secretary Wei.
Secretary Wei clapped Ji Cheng on the shoulder. "Co back and visit more often. After all, you fought your own battles here too. Don’t just hide away at the university, enjoying the quiet life."
Ji Cheng nodded and exchanged a few more words with Secretary Wei.
Wei Yuyang didn’t leave with the others. His father stopped him, saying they would head ho together later.
Once outside the ballroom, Xue Yue draped her overcoat over her shoulders. It was already past ten, and the air was a little chilly.
ng Ye hadn’t brought a coat, so Ji Cheng took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"It’s getting late. It’s not safe for you young won to head back alone. Let escort you," Ji Cheng offered.
Xue Yue was just about to accept when she saw soone across the street calling out to her.
They looked over and saw Xue Xingzhou on a bicycle, one foot planted on the ground, watching them.
Xue Yue smiled. "My brother ca to get . Instructor, I’ll head back with him. You can take ng Ye ho."
Xue Yue then waved goodbye to ng Ye and ran over to Xue Xingzhou.
Xue Yue sat on the bicycle’s rear rack, holding onto the fabric of her brother’s shirt at his waist.
"Big Brother, where’d you get the bicycle?"
Xue Xingzhou smiled. "Bought it. Makes getting around much easier."
"When?"
"A few days ago. Didn’t you see it in the courtyard when you ca over this morning?"
"No." Xue Yue had been in a rush and hadn’t paid attention to her surroundings.
"Tsk. So young, and your eyes are already going."
From the back, Xue Yue gave Xue Xingzhou a light swat. "My eyes are perfectly fine! Oh, by the way, Big Brother, I saw Uncle Zheng tonight."
Xue Xingzhou nodded. "That makes sense. From the sound of it, he probably won’t make it ho tonight."
Whenever Zheng Guofeng got busy, he’d just stay over at his office. Xue Xingzhou was used to it.
Xue Yue couldn’t help but exclaim, "Uncle Zheng is incredible! I had no idea he spoke foreign languages so fluently. He’s as good as my professors."
A smile played on Xue Xingzhou’s lips. "He used to live abroad. It’s not surprising he can speak other languages."
Xue Yue thought for a mont. "That’s true. And get this, those foreigners could speak our language too! Oh my gosh, they stumbled over every single word. I was afraid listening to them would ss up my own pronunciation. I never realized foreigners have accents when they speak Chinese, too."
Xue Yue’s words made Xue Xingzhou laugh.
"Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world. They’ve only scratched the surface, so it can sound pretty funny when they try to speak."
"Totally."
The siblings chatted and laughed the whole way, so the ride didn’t feel long at all. By the ti they reached ho, however, it was nearly eleven.
Xue Xingzhou saw Xue Yue to her door and waited until she had gone inside and locked it behind her before he left, relieved.
「The next morning, Xue Yue went to school.」
The mont she walked through the door, her classmates crowded around her. "Xue Yue, did you really see foreigners last night? Do they look like us? What language were they speaking?"
Just then, Wei Yuyang walked in.
Xue Yue pointed to Wei Yuyang. "Mr. Wei was there last night too. Go ask him."
The group imdiately sward over to Wei Yuyang, surrounding him and chattering all at once with their questions.
Uncharacteristically, Wei Yuyang didn’t just tell them about the foreigners; he also recounted Xue Yue’s daring act from the previous night.
Everyone looked at Xue Yue in surprise. "Student Xue, you seem so delicate, but who knew you were so bold! To think you’d dare to stand up to a foreigner at an event like that."
Xue Yue chuckled. "Why wouldn’t I dare? We’re all just people. No one is more special than anyone else."
’Of course, she wasn’t about to tell them her knees had been shaking last night,’ Xue Yue thought. ’She couldn’t back down in front of so many people.’
Huang Xinyi watched Xue Yue and Wei Yuyang with a complicated expression, the usual disdain and jealousy gone from her face.
In the back row, Song Wenli pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "What’s the big deal? If it were , I could’ve done it, too."
「Two days later, Xue Xingzhou ca to visit.」
"Your Uncle Zheng sent to tell you that the cooperation agreent with Joel has been signed. He said you played a part in it and wanted to share the good news with you."
"Really?" Xue Yue was overjoyed to hear the news.
"Yes. He also said he called your university to thank you all personally."
The following day, when Xue Yue got to school, Ji Cheng called the three of them into his office.
"The Ministry of Comrce called the university president’s office directly to comnd you. They said the partnership was secured, and that the three of you played a part in its success. The university will be adding a comndation for your performance to your student records."
"Thank you, Instructor."
Ji Cheng finally smiled. "Xue Yue, I’m discovering you have a rather impulsive streak. But you’re also quick on your feet. You gave quite a scare that night. Still, you handled it well. And ng Ye, the caller ntioned that Joel specifically praised your dancing and said you were an excellent partner."
The corners of ng Ye’s mouth curved up; she looked very pleased as well.
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