Ch. 1511..1520
Chapter 1511: President Zhuang arrives at 1510
Tan Rou returned to the princess’s palace and immediately took a bath, then applied some skincare lotion. The summer in country J was just too hot.
Noticing that a large portion of her homemade sunscreen was gone, Tan Rou felt it necessary to have Zhuang Liu bring her some more, so she called him. But Zhuang Liu didn’t pick up; his phone was turned off.
This confused Tan Rou. Logically, it should be around nine in the evening back home; Zhuang Liu shouldn’t be going to bed so early, right? And why would he turn his phone off to sleep?
So Tan Rou sent him a message, still no reply.
“President Zhuang really is busy,” Tan Rou sighed, “Well, I have to go to work as well. I’ll send him a message after I’m done with work.”
What she didn’t know was that as she was treating the King, a private jet landed at the royal city’s international airport. A group of people and a pile of things descended from the plane.
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“Is this the summer of country J?” Zhuang Liu, getting off the plane, was baked by the blazing sun and could hardly open his eyes, “The sun is too glaring.” He had never been to country J during the summer and didn’t know it would be so hot.
Xiao Mo immediately handed over sunglasses, “Head of the Zhuang family, I reminded you to wear sunglasses. You insisted that sunglasses would affect your looks and refused to wear them, so I couldn’t just hang them on your face.”
Zhuang Liu gave him a glance and silently put the sunglasses on his face, “Which direction should we go?”
Xiao Mo took out his phone to navigate, “I marked the route the last time I came here. If we follow the map, we’ll reach the royal palace. However, without the King’s pass, we can’t enter the royal palace, so we can only stay in a hotel outside the palace.”
“Hmm,” Zhuang Liu nodded, “You handle it. After we check into the hotel, I’ll contact Tan Rou.”
When Xiao Mo heard Zhuang Liu’s words, he suddenly smiled, “Head of the Zhuang family, you have matured a lot. If it were in your old style of doing things, you would definitely want to see Miss Rou right now.”
Zhuang Liu said, “If you can’t speak properly, you can shut up. What do you mean ‘matured a lot’? Was I very immature before?”
Xiao Mo touched his nose, not voicing out the “you were indeed very immature” thought.
Zhuang Liu and company brought quite a lot with them this trip, not just food and drinks, but also the machinery that Tan Rou needed. So when the cargo handlers saw precision equipment after equipment being unloaded from the plane, they didn’t know what to say.
Rich, really rich. Having a big plane was one thing, but using a plane to transport machinery, that’s just too wealthy.
They had only seen large machinery transported by trucks or trains. They heard that in countries by the sea, ships might be used to transport large machinery, but very few chose to transport things by plane due to the high cost of transportation.
However, Zhuang Liu only brought the urgently needed machinery. As for the larger equipment, it had to be transported overland. Before Zhuang Liu set off, they had already loaded the machinery onto trains, and assigned more than a dozen people to follow; the equipment would arrive in country J about a week later.
The transport of the machinery was left to the workers and some of the people Zhuang Liu had brought with him, while he and Xiao Mo were now leading the remaining people and items toward the main city area of the royal city.
With a large group and lots of items, Xiao Mo rented two local small trucks to move the stuff. Along with their own vehicles, they had a convoy of seven or eight cars lined up, an impressive sight.
Last time when Xiao Mo came alone, he carried everything himself. But it was different coming with the boss this time. To please his lady, the boss was almost moving the entire household over.
“Xiao Mo, after we get to the royal city, have the others split up and check into the hotels,” Zhuang Liu said in their native language, “I will cover all their expenses in country J. Tell them to interact with the locals and find out places to visit. They shouldn’t stay in the hotels all the time.”
Xiao Mo immediately became serious, “Understood, I’ll notify them right away.”
“There’s one more thing.” Zhuang Liu continued, “Tell them to hide the items they’ve got and carry translators with them. For now, they just need to pretend to be tourists visiting country J. I’ll notify them about the rest later.”
“Got it,” Xiao Mo nodded.
Chapter 1512: Excited Heart
“After everything is arranged, you should go out and have fun too,” Zhuang Liu said. “Play for a few days and then head back, Bai Yin is waiting for you at home.”
Xiao Mo, however, was not at ease about Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou staying here, “Head of the Zhuang family, let me stay here instead. In case something unexpected happens, I can still lend a hand.”
But Zhuang Liu declined his offer, “It is precisely because there could be unexpected incidents that I want you to leave. Go back quickly, your fighting skills are not great, and if something happens, I won’t be able to look out for you.”
His words were harsh, but Xiao Mo could hear the boss’s concern for him.
“Head of the Zhuang family,” Xiao Mo hesitated.
Zhuang Liu smiled and said, “You go back. I don’t need someone here who is weak in combat. Besides, you have important work to do when you get back. Keep an eye on those people for me. If they plan to do something that displeases me, notify me, and then exercise my authority to kick those people out.”
...
Xiao Mo said, “How dare I confront those major shareholders?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “Don’t worry, I will give you the authority. To tell the truth, if I had to choose between you and Zhuang Xi, I would definitely choose you. You are more like a brother to me than Zhuang Xi is.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mo showed a simple and honest smile, “Head of the Zhuang family, you make me so embarrassed with your words.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Zhuang Liu said affectionately, patting Xiao Mo on the shoulder. “Zhuang Xi knows about my departure. You should keep an eye on him too. His performance has been quite good for the past half a year, but I can’t fully trust him. Do you understand?”
“Understood,” assured Xiao Mo. “Head of the Zhuang family, I will make sure there are no issues with the company’s operations.”
Zhuang Liu was really confident in Xiao Mo’s assurance; he held Xiao Mo’s ability in high regard.
People had asked Zhuang Liu why he didn’t send Xiao Mo out to be the president of a branch company, but Zhuang Liu didn’t answer.
People also asked Xiao Mo if he wanted to be the president of a branch company, and his answer was that he preferred to stay in the bustling Capital.
Their trust had forged the current situation. The things that Zhuang Liu gave Xiao Mo every year were things that the presidents of the branch companies couldn’t get.
Seven or eight cars were simultaneously heading towards the royal city. When they reached the vicinity of the royal city, Zhuang Liu had them split up. They had to enter the city in smaller groups; otherwise, a bunch of foreigners from the same place entering the city together would definitely attract the attention of the locals, and Zhuang Liu didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.
Xiao Mo and Zhuang Liu rode in one car, bringing some machines into the city, while the others took the rest of the machines elsewhere. After Zhuang Liu met with Tan Rou, they would then transport the machines to the work site.
After entering the royal city, they were drawing closer to the royal palace. With the car moving along, Zhuang Liu’s heart thumped with excitement. Although he sat there, it was as if the seat beneath him had thorns; Zhuang Liu couldn’t get comfortable no matter how he sat.
Xiao Mo noticed his agitation and asked with a smile, “Head of the Zhuang family, are you missing Miss Rou?”
Zhuang Liu didn’t deny it, and looking out the window, he responded softly, “Yes.”
Xiao Mo snickered, then deliberately offered, “Then let’s go to the royal palace right now. I’ll send a message to Miss Rou…”
“No!” Before Xiao Mo could even finish his sentence, Zhuang Liu rejected the proposal. “We can’t disturb her now. I’ll go see her after I have arranged everything.”
Xiao Mo smiled again, “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
After finishing the conversation, Zhuang Liu turned his gaze back to the window, seemingly trying to spot someone in the crowd, staring intently at the people. Unfortunately, there was no one familiar to him in the crowd, and he didn’t see the person in his heart all the way to the hotel.
At the hotel, Xiao Mo went to check in. The front desk employee, seeing his passport, said a few extra words: “You are from Country C too, huh? A few days ago, some youngsters also came here from Country C. They came here to travel, but they left after only two days.”
Zhuang Liu’s heart pounded, even though he thought it was unlikely, he still wanted to ask.
“Do you remember their names?” Zhuang Liu asked.
“The names? …”The front desk flipped through the logbook, and, because it was not long ago, he quickly found the names, “Oh, one is called Tan Rou…”
Chapter 1513: Buy flowers at 1512
“…one named Shang Jin…” the front desk clerk struggled with the pronunciation of the name, “and another…”
“No need to say more.” Zhuang Liu said, “Thank you, I already know who they are.”
After hearing this, the front desk clerk didn’t say any more, muttering under his breath, “Are all foreigners this amazing now? How can every one of them speak our country’s language so fluently?”
After getting the keys from the front desk, Xiao Mo took their luggage upstairs. The goods were still in the car outside, so Zhuang Liu paid double the price to have the driver leave the car here for the day, and the driver happily rented the car to them.
“Master, I’m staying in the next room, you can call me if you need anything.” Xiao Mo put the things down and said to Zhuang Liu: “The environment here is average, but it’s already the best one among the hotels close to the palace.”
Zhuang Liu’s requirements weren’t high. If Tan Rou were here, he would definitely find a better hotel, but since it was just the two of them, the conditions could be a bit worse.
...
“Hmm. Go ask at the front desk if there’s a flower shop nearby, I want to buy a bouquet for Tan Rou.” Zhuang Liu still understood how to be romantic; it had been so long since they had seen each other, he naturally wanted to give his wife flowers.
Xiao Mo suggested, “Master, maybe you could replace the flowers with cherries, Miss Rou likes cherries more.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Liu said, “Then pack two bouquets, one with the fruits Tan Rou likes, and the other one with fresh flowers.”
Xiao Mo said, “The climate in Country J is quite dry, so it’s not guaranteed to have good fresh flowers. I’ll visit several shops to inquire.”
“Alright.” Zhuang Liu nodded, “You rest for a bit first, and go ask after you’ve rested.”
Xiao Mo wasn’t tired; he had already adjusted to the time difference on the plane, “No problem, I’m not sleepy. I’ll go ask now. If the stores don’t have ready-made flowers, we can also ask the owner to buy them specially for us.”
“Okay.” Zhuang Liu said: “Once you find the place, come up and tell me. These flowers are for Tan Rou, and I want to choose them personally.”
Xiao Mo smiled: “Miss Rou will definitely be very happy after receiving the bouquet.”
Zhuang Liu confidently said, “Of course, she’ll like anything I give her.”
Xiao Mo didn’t comment on this because he shared the same thought as Zhuang Liu; anything given by his wife, even a durian shell, he would gladly accept.
After placing the belongings properly, Xiao Mo went downstairs to inquire about the flower shop.
“Are you looking to buy flowers?” the front desk clerk was eager to help, “Then you should go to Mr. Kas’s flower shop. He has a lot of flowers, and they are inexpensive and fresh. Our hotel buys flowers from his shop.”
After finishing, he pointed at the flowers to show Xiao Mo, “And he has a unique flower preservation technique. Flowers bought from his shop won’t wilt for a week. The bouquet of roses here at our hotel has been here for a week already.”
Xiao Mo wasn’t the type to easily believe others. Regarding what the front desk had said, he listened, but didn’t fully trust it.
“Alright.” Xiao Mo said, “Are there any other flower shops around here?”
The hotel front desk shook their head, “No, on this street, only his flower shop is available. There used to be other flower shops, but none of their flowers were as good as Mr. Kas’s, so they moved away.”
“Aren’t there any further away?” Xiao Mo asked again.
The hotel front desk shook their head, “I don’t know about that.”
“Alright, then we’ll just have to look for ourselves.” Xiao Mo said.
The hotel front desk was a chatty person, and seeing Xiao Mo coming alone, asked: “You’re from Country C, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Xiao Mo replied, “Why do you ask?”
The hotel front desk said, “Oh, I thought all people from Country C could speak Country J’s language.”
Xiao Mo was speechless, Country J’s language was so hard to learn, how could he assume that everybody could speak it? He did speak a bit of Country J’s language, but not fluently enough for conversations, so he chose to communicate in the international common language.
Fortunately, this hotel front desk clerk spoke the international common language, or otherwise Zhuang Liu would have had to come down to check in by himself.
Even though the hotel’s front desk said there were no other flower shops around, Xiao Mo still thought it was necessary to look for himself, as they were for Tan Rou, and he wanted to buy the very best.
Chapter 1514: 1513 surprise
“Let’s do that,” Zhuang Liu said after hearing Xiao Mo’s reply, “We’ll go look for ourselves later.”
“Let’s first check out the florist he recommended. If the flowers aren’t good enough, we can look further. There should be other florists in such a big royal city,” Xiao Mo said.
“Right,” Zhuang Liu responded, “let’s head back and rest for an hour, then we can grab a meal before buying the flowers.”
“Sounds good. I’d like to try some local dishes.” Xiao Mo had only stayed here for one day on his last visit and was accommodated in the royal palace, so he hadn’t had the chance to explore outside. This time he had plenty of time to enjoy several days here.
It had to be said, traveling on public funds was quite joyful.
The royal city gathered delicacies from all over the country. Similar to Country C, the staples in Country J were rice and noodles, but they didn’t eat much sautéed food. Their dishes were either boiled or roasted, with very straightforward methods.
...
“Maybe we should just eat fast food,” Xiao Mo sighed after walking around, “It’s either pancakes or roasted meat. Despite any variation, their essence remains the same.”
Zhuang Liu wasn’t picky, “Just find any place to eat; we have other things to do after eating.”
“Okay,” Xiao Mo said.
So they chose a restaurant that looked clean, which was near the florist, perfect for buying flowers right after their meal. Plus, they had passed the florist earlier and saw that there were many green plants inside, although they still didn’t know the quality of the fresh flowers in the store.
At three in the afternoon local time, Zhuang Liu and Xiao Mo finally had their lunch. They weren’t very hungry because they had eaten quite a bit on the plane; otherwise, they wouldn’t have lasted the ten-plus hours of flight time.
After their meal, the two went to the florist to buy flowers.
“Hello, excuse us; we’d like to buy some fresh flowers,” Xiao Mo said as he pushed the door open.
Kas, who was wrapping flowers, saw a foreigner come in uttering a flurry of words that puzzled him, “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”
Xiao Mo understood that sentence and stuttered in his conversation with Kas, “Hello… I would like some flowers, excuse me… these flowers…”
Kas listened and guessed mostly what he meant, “Oh, do you want to buy flowers?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Xiao Mo replied, “What flowers do you have here?”
Kas spoke at length in return, and Xiao Mo did not understand a word. It wasn’t Xiao Mo’s fault; when he was learning the J-Country language, he mostly learned everyday phrases, but rarely the names of flowers, which he would not actively study.
“Do you have flowers in blue shades?” Zhuang Liu also came in, “Roses, bellflowers, etc. If not blue, white is also good.”
Kas looked several times before confirming that this young man with black hair was a foreigner, but his J-Country pronunciation was very standard. If you covered his face and hair, you really couldn’t tell he was a foreigner.
“We don’t have blue flowers,” Kas replied, “but we have white ones. You can come over here to pick them yourself.”
Kas’s fresh flowers were all in buckets on the right side. He led Zhuang Liu over to look, “There are other colors of flowers too. You can pick them yourself, and I can wrap them for you for free. Don’t worry, our prices are very cheap, as I cultivate these flowers myself. However, I still recommend selecting a potted plant, as potted plants last longer.”
Zhuang Liu wasn’t concerned about how long the flowers would last; they just needed to look good, “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Just then, Xiao Mo carried out a box of cherries, just as he was thinking about how to communicate with the owner, the door’s wind chime rang a few times.
“Kas, is Agila here?” Tan Rou pushed the door open, “I’m looking for Agila… Oh? What are you doing here?”
Xiao Mo was also shocked, “Miss Rou!”
Tan Rou immediately asked, “Is Zhuang Liu here too? Did he come?”
Xiao Mo’s gaze moved to the area with the fresh flowers, and Tan Rou looked as well, just in time to see Zhuang Liu holding two fresh white roses and about to pick a third.
For a moment, no one spoke, and only the clinking of the wind chime filled the room.
“I was going to surprise you,” Zhuang Liu said somewhat sadly, “Now the surprise is gone.”
Chapter 1515: 1514 my husband
Tan Rou didn’t say a word; she immediately ran over and hugged Zhuang Liu, nearly causing Zhuang Liu to fall into the bucket of water for the flowers.
Zhuang Liu also hugged Tan Rou tightly, and the fresh flowers in his hands couldn’t bear the torment and snapped off with a “crack”.
“Seeing you is the biggest surprise!” Tan Rou’s voice choked up, “I missed you so much.”
Zhuang Liu replied, “Hmm, I missed you too.”
Although Kas couldn’t understand what they were saying, from their expressions and actions, he could tell that these two were definitely a couple, either husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend.
He suddenly thought of his own lover, whom he hadn’t seen in person for many years, and he didn’t know if she still looked as healthy and beautiful as in the photos.
...
Actually, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu hadn’t been separated for too long, not even half a month, but they both felt as if it had been a long time since they last saw each other.
“No wonder I couldn’t get through to you on the phone this morning; it turns out you wanted to surprise me,” Tan Rou felt relieved. Just a moment ago, she was still fretting over not being able to reach Zhuang Liu’s phone.
Zhuang Liu suddenly remembered this matter and explained, “There was no signal on the plane, and after boarding, I switched to a new card. I intended to activate the new card at a local store after landing, but I forgot, so my phone was unreachable.”
Tan Rou chuckled, “Zhuang Liu is such a scatterbrain.”
Zhuang Liu laughed as well, “I am not a scatterbrain, it’s just that I was in such a hurry to see you that I forgot about everything else.”
“Hehe, I really wanted to see you too,” Tan Rou said.
Kas couldn’t understand the conversation between the two, but Xiao Mo could hear everything clearly. He really envied these two, thinking that if his Aiyin could also come along, he wouldn’t be afraid of seeing Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou being affectionate.
After being affectionate for a while, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu remembered to talk about serious matters. Tan Rou asked, “Were you buying flowers for me?”
Zhuang Liu immediately hid the broken flowers behind his back, “I wasn’t ready yet, I will give you the flowers when I am.”
“I saw you holding white roses,” Tan Rou said with a smile, “so you don’t have to hide them.”
Zhuang Liu took out the broken roses, “I’m sorry, the flowers got broken.”
Kas saw the broken flowers and immediately said, “No problem, since you are Miss Rou’s friend, I can give you this bouquet.”
Zhuang Liu looked at Tan Rou, “You know the owner?”
Tan Rou said, “Didn’t I tell you last time? I saved a child on the way over, and then I took the child home. Mr. Kas is the child’s father.”
Zhuang Liu indeed heard Tan Rou mention this incident before, but at that time, he didn’t care about the follow-up situation of the child. He only urged Tan Rou to be very cautious about her safety, to be careful in strange places, and not to bring people she didn’t know close to her.
“Oh, it’s good that the child found his father,” Zhuang Liu said nonchalantly.
Kas asked on the side, “Miss Rou, is this gentleman your friend?”
Zhuang Liu was going to admit that they were just friends, but Tan Rou spoke first with a smile, “With how close we are, do you really think we’re just friends?”
Kas guessed, “Then he must be your boyfriend. Miss Rou, your boyfriend is very handsome!”
Tan Rou shook her head and then took Zhuang Liu’s arm boldly, saying, “He’s my husband; we’re already married.”
Kas was somewhat surprised, “You look very young, you’re married so young?”
Zhuang Liu felt his soul take a ten-thousand-point hit; his age was indeed greater than Tan Rou’s, and Tan Rou looked very young, so whenever he stood beside Tan Rou, he was afraid others would say he was much older than her.
Tan Rou said, “I’m not young anymore, I’m twenty-three this year. In my country, people can legally marry at twenty.”
“Oh, oh,” Kas nodded, “Then congratulations to you both!” He looked at the roses in Zhuang Liu’s hands and said, “I didn’t give you a gift when you got married, so let me make a bouquet of fresh flowers as a gift for you.”
Zhuang Liu was going to buy them himself, but Tan Rou was the first to speak up, “Thank you for your kind offer, but I would like to make a bouquet myself, so we’ll pick the fresh flowers ourselves.”
Chapter 1516: 1515 we will not separate
Kas had no objections and generously said, “You can pick any flowers here you like. If there are no flowers you like, I will go to the warehouse and fetch other varieties for you.”
“No need to bother,” Tan Rou stopped him. “There are plenty of flower varieties here, we’ll just pick some.” Then she asked, “By the way, where did Ajila go? I have a gift for him, his mom’s gift for him.”
Kas was a bit excited, “Does Samiyi have anything she wants to tell me? Did she mention taking Ajila back?”
“No,” Tan Rou said, “Samiyi has been quite busy recently. She doesn’t have time to come see you, but she said that as soon as she finishes the work she has during this period, she will come to find you and Ajila.”
Kas was a bit puzzled, “What work does she have to deal with?”
Tan Rou said a bit unhappily, “Don’t think that a princess only lies around in the palace eating and drinking, the princess also has work to do. She has to work until late at night every day, she didn’t sleep at all last night, and now she has gone to handle official duties.”
...
Seeing that Tan Rou was upset, Kas hastily apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it that way. Since Samiyi is very busy, then I will just continue waiting for her. I will wait for her all my life.”
“Hmm,” Tan Rou nodded, “I will pass on the message for you.”
Kas didn’t dare make Tan Rou angry because right now she was the only one passing messages between him and Samiyi. Besides, he owed Tan Rou money—so much US Dollar—that it would take him many years to repay it.
“Is Ajila not here?” Tan Rou looked around and didn’t see the child in the flower shop.
Kas replied, “He went to the amusement park with new friends.”
Tan Rou said, “Ajila should play with kids his own age. If he lives in the palace, he will only become more miserable. After some time, send Ajila to school, he should be in school.”
Kas still wanted to send Ajila back to the palace—not because he was afraid of taking care of Ajila, but because he was worried Samiyi would miss Ajila.
In fact, he also wanted Ajila to stay and then send him to school, and when Samiyi could come out, they could go together and bring Ajila back.
“Hmm, I’ll figure out a way to solve this problem,” Kas said. “I really hope our family can live together.”
Tan Rou felt that Kas’s wish would not be realized. Becoming a queen, Samiyi could not possibly take Ajila back anymore, nor could she acknowledge their familial relationship, because doing so would only bring danger to father and son.
“Hmm.” Tan Rou took a box out of her pocket and gave it to Kas, “This is the gift from Samiyi for Ajila, please give it to him.”
“Thank you.” Kas thanked her, then said, “I’ll go get you some more fresh flowers.” With that, he headed directly to the warehouse.
Tan Rou calmly said, “Let him go, he’s probably feeling upset and needs a quiet place.”
“Is that princess his wife?” Zhuang Liu asked.
Tan Rou said, “It’s more accurate to say she is his girlfriend, because they haven’t married yet, but they do have a child together.”
Zhuang Liu had heard their story before, last time Tan Rou had told him, also mentioning that the parents were very careless, losing their son for a long time without searching for him, and each thought the son was with the other.
The first time he heard the story, Zhuang Liu didn’t feel much, as he hadn’t met the people in the story, but this time, he was deeply moved.
“Tan Rou, we will never be apart, right?” Zhuang Liu asked nervously.
Tan Rou was startled by his question, then smiled and said, “Of course, we will never be apart.”
If it weren’t for being in someone else’s shop, Zhuang Liu would have really liked to lift Tan Rou up and kiss her. And with Xiao Mo also there, Zhuang Liu couldn’t kiss Tan Rou even more.
“Ahem, Xiao Mo, put down the things,” Zhuang Liu coughed twice, then said, “Then go outside and shop around, buy something to bring back for Bai Yin.”
After saying this much, Xiao Mo surely understood what Zhuang Liu meant, right?
“Alright.” Xiao Mo put down the box he was holding, “Head of the Zhuang family, Miss Rou, I’ll go ahead.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Hmm, have fun.”
Chapter 1517: 1516 Troublesome Friend
After Xiao Mo left, Zhuang Liu kissed Tan Rou on the lips, primarily because there were surveillance cameras around, and Kas could return at any moment. Zhuang Liu didn’t want strangers to see him kissing Tan Rou.
Tan Rou also kissed him back, then smiled and said, “We can save the rest of our kisses for next time.”
Zhuang Liu nodded and replied, “Yeah, I understand.”
“We haven’t finished picking the flowers yet.” Tan Rou said as she crouched down, “Let’s each choose a bouquet for the other, make the arrangements ourselves, and see whose is prettier.”
Zhuang Liu smiled and said, “Yours will definitely be prettier.”
As they picked flowers, they discussed various matters. Tan Rou asked about the situation back home, and Zhuang Liu gave simple answers. After wrapping up the topic, Tan Rou shifted the conversation to the current state of Country J.
...
She glanced towards the door, then whispered to Zhuang Liu, “The King has been sick and unable to deal with state affairs. That Prince we met earlier can’t handle official duties either; he can only do simple tasks. So, it seems the King’s sister is the only one who can succeed the throne.”
Zhuang Liu wondered, “I remember that society in Country J discriminates against women. It’s rare for women to achieve political success there. If the princess ascends the throne, wouldn’t that cause social unrest?”
Tan Rou smiled and said, “Do you think society is stable now? The King has enacted many unreasonable laws. While society seems stable, unrest has already begun.”
In a lowered voice, she said, “In this royal city, there’s a Dawn Society. They have strong armed forces and many members. If they go to war with the nobles, it’s hard to say who will lose.”
Zhuang Liu thought about some of the revolutionary organizations from his country’s ancient history, “When a country’s governance falters, another organization will emerge to take over.”
Tan Rou nodded, “I didn’t ask you to come here to get involved in the war, but to bring some people to protect our own. They are all delicate scientists. If a war breaks out, they won’t have the means to protect themselves.”
Zhuang Liu had already brought people over, and he told Tan Rou, “Don’t worry, those I’ve brought are the best of the best. Each one of them is highly skilled in combat; each one capable of protecting someone.”
Tan Rou believed in the strength of the people Zhuang Liu brought. She said, “Zhuang Liu, you also need to watch out for your own safety. If you encounter danger, find a place to hide.”
“It’s you I’m worried about,” Zhuang Liu said with furrowed brows. “You’re always with the princess, and you’ll definitely be seen. What if people consider you part of her faction?”
Tan Rou laughed, “I’ve always been part of the princess’s faction. Samiyi is my friend; that’s why I decided to help her. Plus, don’t you think it’s cool to be friends with a princess? If I could witness the reform of a country’s history, that would be even more thrilling.”
Zhuang Liu knew Tan Rou enjoyed challenging work, but he was truly afraid of the friends she made. Her friends were indeed good people, but they always brought a great deal of trouble to Tan Rou.
“Tan Rou, promise me, okay?” Zhuang Liu said with heartfelt sincerity, “Don’t make friends too easily.”
Tan Rou didn’t understand what Zhuang Liu meant, and she asked, “Isn’t having more friends a good thing?”
Zhuang Liu sighed, “Others make friends, but it’s not the same for you. You don’t make friends; you attract trouble. Look at your friends, which one hasn’t asked you for help? There’s also the matter with Jiang Min; I haven’t finished solving her issues yet.”
Tan Rou took Zhuang Liu’s hand, patiently explaining, “I also want Jiang Min to collaborate with my company, but our businesses don’t overlap much. Even if we wanted to collaborate, there are no suitable projects.”
“I know,” Zhuang Liu said, “I’m not blaming you. I’ll do well in any job you arrange for me. Jiang Min’s case is a small issue, but your trouble-attracting nature is a big problem. Why don’t we find a place to pray, to ward off the bad luck?”
Tan Rou couldn’t help laughing, “Zhuang Liu, you’re so superstitious.”
Zhuang Liu wasn’t superstitious at all, but he had been scared by the troublesome friends Tan Rou had made. He wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he feared that one day, this trouble would affect Tan Rou.
Chapter 1518: Temporarily separate in 1517
“Okay, okay, I’m superstitious,” Zhuang Liu admitted, “when we return, we’ll go to pray to Buddha, alright?”
Tan Rou agreed, “Sure.”
Zhuang Liu still wasn’t reassured by the current situation. “Do you still have to go back later? When will the king’s health improve? Your holiday will end soon, will you go back earlier?”
“I can’t go back,” Tan Rou said, “I might take another month off until I have handled everything here, then I can go back to school with peace of mind.”
Zhuang Liu disagreed with this, the longer it dragged on, the more danger Tan Rou would face. If possible, he wanted to take Tan Rou back now, but he knew she definitely wouldn’t agree.
“Can’t you leave earlier?” Zhuang Liu asked, “The work here shouldn’t need you to oversee it, right?” If Tan Rou needed to personally supervise Shang Jin and their work, she wouldn’t be staying in the palace all the time.
...
“It’s not about the work,” Tan Rou said, “I trust in Shang Jin and their capabilities, even without me, they can handle the work.”
“But I brought them here, I can’t leave them in danger. If I leave and they encounter danger here, I would never be at peace for the rest of my life.”
Zhuang Liu also felt troubled, these people all had their own families. They came abroad with Tan Rou not purely out of passion for the job, but more so for the higher salary that Tan Rou offered.
Why did they want a higher salary? It was to provide a better life for their families back home. But if something happened to them here, not only would Tan Rou feel terrible, their families would feel even worse.
“Hmm, I understand,” Zhuang Liu said, “I will stay here with you.”
Tan Rou asked, “What if I have to stay here for a long time?”
Zhuang Liu smiled, “I’m a big boss now, all of Zhuang family’s businesses are in my hands, my presence isn’t needed for work-related matters at all. Even if I don’t show up at the company for a year, it wouldn’t cause any trouble. Besides, my parents are there; they ended their global trip immediately when they heard I was coming to find you and returned to take care of things.”
That made Tan Rou quite relieved. With Hang Wei looking after the TR company and Zhuang family’s assets under the care of Zhuang Liu’s parents, she didn’t need to worry about domestic issues.
“Thank you, Liu!” Tan Rou hugged Zhuang Liu tightly, “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know who else to discuss these matters with.”
Zhuang Liu also said, “We’re spouses, we should help each other. You have helped me a lot, it’s only right that I help you.”
Tan Rou let go of Zhuang Liu and then asked, “Where are you staying now?”
Zhuang Liu named the hotel, and Tan Rou said with surprise, “I stayed at that hotel before.”
Zhuang Liu nodded, “I know, the very enthusiastic hotel receptionist mentioned you.”
“Hmm,” Tan Rou arranged, “for now, you stay in the hotel. After I talk with Samiyi, I’ll bring you inside the palace.”
But Zhuang Liu was not in a hurry to join Tan Rou, “Tan Rou, I’ll continue staying outside, it’s more free out there and more convenient to handle things. If you want to see me, you can come find me.”
Tan Rou was a bit surprised, “Liu, I feel like you’ve changed.”
Zhuang Liu was puzzled and asked, “How have I changed? Have I gotten old?”
Tan Rou smiled and said, “No, you’ve not gotten old, our home’s Zhuang Liu is always eighteen.” She explained, “Actually, I think you’ve matured a lot, and your thoughts are not so naive anymore. Even if we’re not always together, our hearts are still connected.”
“Uh…” What should Zhuang Liu say? Within one day, he had been told twice that his thoughts were “immature.” Could it be that he really was that naive?
“We’re not just in a relationship,” Tan Rou said, “we’re family now, so we need to learn to trust each other more.”
“I know.” Zhuang Liu had already studied this issue, and these days, he had also been reflecting on his previous behavior, realizing that indeed some of his actions were inappropriate.
“You also need to be careful outside,” Tan Rou advised. “Between 8:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., try not to go out if possible, or you might encounter patrol soldiers carrying guns, and they really will shoot.”
Chapter 1519: 1518 Peaceful Days
“Okay,” Zhuang Liu had also heard Tan Rou mention this outrageous rule of J country, which is said to be strictly enforced the closer one gets to the royal city.
“I’ve already transported the lightweight machinery over, just give me the address, and I’ll have someone deliver the goods,” Zhuang Liu added.
“Mmm, got it,” Tan Rou finished selecting all the flowers, “Now let’s end this heavy topic and make our own flowers together!”
Zhuang Liu smiled and said, “I know you’re skillful with your hands, but neither of us has ever made a bouquet, so let’s have a contest to see whose bouquet looks better.”
Tan Rou raised an eyebrow, “Sure, we can have a professional judge us later.”
And who was the professional? Naturally, it was Mr. Kas, the owner of the flower shop. Poor Mr. Kas, it was bad enough that his lover wasn’t by his side, and now he had to witness another couple’s display of affection—a rather sorry situation.
...
By the time Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu had finished making their bouquets, Kas had just returned. He was holding a bunch of blue roses and said, “I found another bunch of blue roses in the storage, do you need them?”
Then he saw the two wrapped bouquets, “Oh, it looks like you don’t need them anymore.”
Tan Rou said, “Thank you for your kindness, we don’t need blue roses for now, but there’s something else we’d like to ask for your help with.”
Kas was more than happy to help, “Tell me.”
Tan Rou placed the two bouquets in front of Kas, “Which bouquet do you think is more beautiful?”
Kas looked at them carefully and then said, “If I were to score these two bouquets out of ten, they’d both receive an eight.”
“Oh, so it’s a tie,” Tan Rou said with a hint of disappointment, “That’s okay, we’ll compete again when we go back to our country, using flowers from my garden which has a greater variety and prettier flowers.”
Luckily Tan Rou was not speaking J country’s language—if Kas had understood her, he probably would have insisted, “My flowers are the best.”
Eventually, Kas gave the two bouquets to Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, and also taught them how to extend the freshness of the flowers. After thanking him, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu left with the flowers in their arms.
Watching their retreating figures, Kas was filled with envy. When could he meet Samiyi again? If he could make flowers with Samiyi and take them home, their lives would surely be wonderful.
Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou walked in shady places; they were not very afraid of sunburn, as Tan Rou had her unique sunscreen which would restore her skin to fairness in just a few days.
But the flowers in their hands couldn’t be exposed to the sun—they were the first gifts they had exchanged since meeting and needed to be carefully protected.
“Although the streets of J country aren’t very bustling, they seem quite peaceful, unlike a place that would experience turmoil,” Zhuang Liu remarked.
Tan Rou countered, “Calmness is just on the surface. Underneath, conflicts and crises have long existed. It starts with minor issues, but if the rulers don’t address these conflicts, they grow bigger and eventually threaten peace.”
“I suppose the people of the royal city are still unaware,” Zhuang Liu sighed, “If conflict does break out, it’s the ordinary citizens who’ll be most harmed. Their peaceful lives can be shattered, and their futures become uncertain.”
“The losses can be minimized,” Tan Rou said, briefly discussing the matter of the Dawn Society with Zhuang Liu, “If the Dawn Society can covertly deal with the nobles, then the lives of the ordinary citizens won’t be affected much. But this isn’t my idea, it’s Samiyi’s. It’s a good idea, but difficult to implement.”
“The Dawn Society aren’t fools. They do want to target the nobles, but they would never side with the royal family because the royals are nobles too,” Zhuang Liu’s thoughts aligned with Tan Rou’s.
“Yeah,” Tan Rou agreed, feeling Samiyi’s idea was naïve, “Why would the Dawn Society go after other nobles? If possible, they would prefer to get rid of the royal family. Many of the society’s problems are caused by the royals. Only by taking down the royal family can the issues be resolved.”
Chapter 1520: In 1519, Monica appears again
Tan Rou wouldn’t say these words to Samiyi. No matter how good their relationship was, she would not take the risk. Although they were good friends, their positions and concepts were different.
For example, let’s say Samiyi’s family had dozens of tons of gold, which should belong to all the people of country J. But Samiyi’s family kept all the gold hidden and wouldn’t let anyone else have any.
At that time, Tan Rou appeared and advised as a friend that Samiyi should share the gold with everyone. Would Samiyi agree? No, Samiyi would only think that Tan Rou was jealous her family had gold.
“This is an internal problem of their country; let them solve it themselves,” Zhuang Liu told Tan Rou not to meddle, “Once you cure the King, we will go home.”
Tan Rou agreed, “Okay.”
As they walked, Tan Rou suddenly saw a familiar figure in the crowd. It was no wonder Tan Rou recognized her; the woman had left a deep impression on her.
...
“Wait!” Tan Rou stopped Zhuang Liu, “Let’s go there later. I just saw someone familiar.”
Zhuang Liu thought Tan Rou had seen a friend, “Your friend?”
But Tan Rou smiled and said, “Just a clown. There, the woman with the golden hat.”
Zhuang Liu looked in the direction she pointed and saw a very lavishly dressed woman at the cafe entrance. This woman was very flamboyant. Why say that? Because she needed a red carpet laid out wherever she walked.
“That woman is Monica, whom I met once before at the palace,” Tan Rou introduced her, “She is the king’s cousin’s … I don’t know which number wife. She’s always high-profile and very arrogant.”
Zhuang Liu asked, “Has she offended you?”
“Yes.” Tan Rou told Zhuang Liu about what happened at the palace gate, “So at the princess’s poetry gathering, I made a fool of her. She probably guessed it was my doing, but she had no evidence and couldn’t settle accounts with me.”
After listening, Zhuang Liu smiled at Tan Rou, “Do you feel relieved now?”
Zhuang Liu’s words reminded Tan Rou, “Right. After making a fool of her, I completely forgot about her. Afterwards, Samiyi wouldn’t allow her into the palace, and I didn’t have a chance to see her, so I couldn’t trouble her again.”
Zhuang Liu said, “Now, you have a chance.”
The two exchanged a smile, and Tan Rou pulled Zhuang Liu, quickly catching up.
Usually, Tan Rou wouldn’t waste time on Monica, but today was different. She had already told Samiyi that she would stay until evening before returning home. Since she had nothing else to do, why not give Monica a little trouble?
“Monica’s husband is locked up by the King,” Tan Rou whispered to Zhuang Liu: “But she is leisurely enough to go out for coffee.”
Monica was heading to a high-end coffee house, beautifully decorated on the outside; the inside must be no different.
“Perhaps she is here to meet a friend,” said Zhuang Liu.
“I am curious about what kind of friend she would meet here,” said Tan Rou. “Samiyi told me that Monica’s background isn’t good. Her parents are just ordinary workers, not nobles. Even her degree doesn’t have much shine. She didn’t even attend college, so she is not popular within noble circles.”
“No wonder she makes such a spectacle. The more insecure people are, the more they seek other’s attention and approval,” Zhuang Liu said. “With such a high-profile style of doing things, this princess likely wants to prevent others from looking down on her.”
“If she wants to be respected, she should strive to enhance her inner beauty, rather than relying on external adornments,” Tan Rou said. “She’s gone inside. Let’s also take a look. The coffee in J country is quite good; I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee.”
Zhuang Liu liked sweet things and seldom drank such beverages like bitter coffee, “Uh … add more sugar for me?”
Tan Rou smiled, “Then I’ll ask the waiter to bring the sugar bowl to you, and you can add as much as you want.”
Zhuang Liu said, “Okay.”
Tan Rou just said it casually but didn’t expect Zhuang Liu to really do it. Oh well, if he likes sugar, let him eat more. When he’s older, he might not be able to eat it.