Chapter 576 | Chapter 577 | Chapter 578
Chapter 576: Before Departing for Hong Kong
Since Grandfather Gu refused, the higher-ups had no choice either and could only put the matter aside for the time being.
With Grandfather Gu suppressing the issue, Sheng Wanyan wouldn’t have someone following her everywhere to monitor her every move.
Time trickled by and soon it was June. The final exams took place at the end of June, drawing another semester to a close.
No matter where Sheng Wanyan walked, there would always be junior students who recognized her and greeted her enthusiastically. The juniors in the Foreign Languages Department, in particular, grew incredibly excited whenever they saw her.
“Look, that’s Senior Sister Wanyan from our Foreign Languages Department.”
“The senior sister who gets first place even in subjects outside her major?”
“Yes, yes, that’s her! She’s so beautiful!”
“What a pity, she’s already married and has children.”
“Otherwise, imagine how many male students would be pursuing her!”
The junior girls gossiped back and forth. They were all university students, yet the gap between individuals was simply vast.
“I heard the university is sending her to Hong Kong next month for a month-long study trip.”
“Going to Hong Kong???”
Everyone grew instantly excited at these words. That was Hong Kong!!! They had heard that Hong Kong was filled with skyscrapers, and even the regular ground people walked on was paved with concrete. It wasn’t like here, where the roads were all mud.
“Would I lie to you? It’s already spread all over our Foreign Languages Department.”
Regarding Sheng Wanyan’s trip to Hong Kong next month, the university had already executed thorough protection protocols, ensuring that no one could look up any data regarding her itinerary.
When Sheng Wanyan reached the school gates, she spotted Gu Tingxiao holding Yi Yi’s hand, waiting for her classes to end.
“Mama!!!”
The moment Yi Yi saw her, she was like a kite cut from its string, darting erratically through the crowd, not acting like a proper young lady at all.
“Come on, let’s go home.” Sheng Wanyan scooped her up, walking alongside Gu Tingxiao as they headed home.
Once they arrived home, Sheng Wanyan began making preparations for her trip to Hong Kong. She could leave anything else behind, but she had to bring money! She would bring absolutely all of it. Once she arrived in Hong Kong, she needed to make a massive play in the securities market; ideally, she would secure the stocks of foreign corporations tightly in her own hands.
They were departing on July 10th. At the start of the month, she would just happen to settle the accounts for the stores’ earnings, which should give her sufficient capital. If it truly fell short, she would buy a short-term pump stock to earn a bit of initial seed money.
Soon, the days ticked into early July, and the summer vacation that everyone had been anticipating officially commenced. Sheng Wanyan also concluded her final exams and was currently distributing wages to her employees.
Sheng Wanyan fully restocked the warehouses. She had even leased an additional warehouse; with the branch stores open now, the previous volume of goods could no longer sustain the consumption of multiple storefronts. Sheng Wanyan packed the warehouses tightly to the brim, which would be enough to cover the expenditures for the coming month.
Mother Gu requested that the three children be brought back to live at the military compound. That way, Gu Tingxiao wouldn’t have to run back and forth every day after work, and it was safer. Sheng Wanyan had no objections; they were supposed to stay there during the summer vacation anyway, and Yi Yi had long since clamored to go back and find her older cousins.
After paying her employees and settling all the store arrangements properly, the family of five, along with Aunt Hu, moved back to the military compound. Moving to the compound allowed Aunt Hu to stay with Uncle Hu, so the household wouldn’t run short on space. Having her there to look after the two little ones put Sheng Wanyan’s mind at ease.
As for Yi Yi, she barely stayed at home once she returned to the compound, rolling out every single day with Grandfather and Grandma Gu for strolls, or heading out to find her crew of little sisters. Yi Yi was more familiar with the compound than she was. She particularly enjoyed playing with Xu Jiaming; although Xu Jiaming would scold her every single time, he was thoroughly willing to share absolutely everything with her. Furthermore, since the Xu family ran short on female descendants, Old Master Xu’s son and daughter-in-law adored her, constantly wishing they could just scoop her up and raise her in their own home. Currently, her status in the Xu household was on the verge of surpassing young Xu Jiaming.
Over the past few days, Grandma Gu had consecutively purchased a substantial amount of items to bring home. She was well-acquainted with the situation in Hong Kong, so the things she prepared for Sheng Wanyan were highly practical.
“Once you arrive in Hong Kong, you must prioritize your safety. The economy there is highly developed, so it’s inevitable that some of them will look down on us mainlanders. You don’t have to swallow your pride; you are traveling on official state business, so just fulfill your duties properly.”
Grandma Gu instructed her relentlessly. She intended to groom Sheng Wanyan to take over her sphere of influence in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so she was naturally exceptionally attentive regarding her off-campus official assignment. Her third granddaughter-in-law had just stepped onto this path, and there were still many protocols and matters to absorb, so she had to teach her and shield her properly.
“Grandma, I’ve committed it all to memory.”
“You must place absolute priority on safety.” Grandma Gu’s primary worry was safety. Although Hong Kong had already returned to the motherland, people from Country Y still held a certain amount of authority. It had only been three years since the handover, and everything was just at the beginning.
Sheng Wanyan finished packing her luggage; traveling light was for the best. Of course, her space contained quite a substantial amount of life-saving items, as well as cash…
Sheng Wanyan took out all her cash to do a final tally, and Gu Tingxiao watched her as she sat on the bed counting money, helping her organize the stacks.
Aside from her dowry, betrothal gifts, and Gu Tingxiao’s salary, which were set aside for household use, she intended to take all the remaining funds to invest in securities.
Previously, she had received an 80,000 yuan bonus for the hemostatic medicine, and another 200,000 yuan bonus for the mosquito repellent liquid and ointment. The accumulated dividends from the cold medication also stood at 3.5 million yuan. Just these figures alone totaled 3.78 million yuan, without even counting the store revenues.
Across the two general stores and three clothing stores over this past period, her 80% share of the revenue amounted to a whopping 5,654,960 yuan. Adding the remaining 2,598 yuan from her past work and black market dealings, along with the 188,988 yuan left from her previous translation work, the total available capital she could deploy came out to exactly 9,626,546 yuan.
Gu Tingxiao was genuinely stunned by his wife. Their family’s financial reserves actually stood at over nine million yuan!!! That was millions, not thousands!!! Even though he had witnessed many things, he was still astonished by his wife’s money-making capability. No wonder his wife had been so casual when she lent his aunt 20,000 yuan for medical expenses back then.
“I’m taking all this money to Hong Kong for securities. Here is the remaining money left for the household; you hold onto it in case there’s an emergency at home.” Sheng Wanyan handed the remaining 13,185 yuan—the loose change—over to him to keep for emergencies.
“Wanyan, keeping 500 yuan is plenty.” Gu Tingxiao felt his wife trusted him far too much, handing over more than 3,000 yuan to him without a shred of worry about what he might do with it.
“You hold onto it. If the stores ever need cash, you’ll be able to pull it out to handle emergencies.”
Hearing this, Gu Tingxiao conceded it made sense; if the shops required capital, he would be able to deploy it to manage the situation.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. You must watch over the children properly, especially Yi Yi. Don’t let Yi Yi run out to fight all the time until she completely vanishes from sight.” Sheng Wanyan voiced quite a bit of grievance. She felt her daughter wasn’t relying on her anymore, which made her feel slightly abandoned and unhappy inside.
“Understood. I will watch over Yi Yi.”
Gu Tingxiao agreed to everything. Facing the impending separation from his wife, his heart felt incredibly loath to let her go. He cleared the money on the bed to one side and pressed her beneath him.
“Wanyan, aren’t you going to show me some tenderness?”
Chapter 577: A Blatant Snub
Sheng Wanyan was just about to tease him for being so old yet still getting jealous over a child when her lips were thoroughly sealed.
Early the next morning, someone arrived at the house to pick Sheng Wanyan up for the assembly point at the airport. Gu Tingxiao had woken up early to prepare food for her journey.
Sheng Wanyan’s luggage consisted of only a single duffel bag. Mother Gu, Grandfather Gu, and Grandma Gu, who naturally slept less due to their age, had also gotten up.
After finishing her breakfast, Sheng Wanyan went to wake Yi Yi so she could say goodbye to her face-to-face, ensuring that Yi Yi wouldn’t feel like her mother had broken her word.
“Yi Yi, Mama is leaving now. You must listen to Papa and behave yourself.”
Yi Yi nodded drowsily. Sheng Wanyan had long since laid the groundwork for this, so Yi Yi knew she was leaving and was mentally prepared.
The soldier who came to pick up Sheng Wanyan had driven a military vehicle over. Seeing Grandfather Gu and the others, he immediately stepped forward and saluted.
“Old General! Old Madame!”
Grandfather Gu nodded and invited him inside to have some breakfast before leaving, but the soldier hurriedly and nervously declined.
“No, thank you, Old General. I’ve already eaten breakfast.”
Seeing his stiff formality, Grandfather Gu didn’t force the issue. Once Sheng Wanyan finished her breakfast, she took her luggage, climbed into the car, and departed.
Gu Tingxiao accompanied her to the airport, holding her hand tightly inside the vehicle.
“Comrade Sheng Wanyan, this is the personal file of the academician you will be accompanying as an interpreter. Please take a look.”
The soldier who picked her up handed her the prepared file. Since Gu Tingxiao was also a soldier, there was nothing in this file he couldn’t see, not to mention he was Comrade Sheng Wanyan’s family member.
Sheng Wanyan opened the file, and upon reading the information inside, her hands began to tremble with sheer excitement.
The Father of Hybrid Rice in our nation: Academician Yuan!!!
Sheng Wanyan truly hadn’t expected the state to place her next to such a legendary academician. This brought her far greater excitement than making millions of yuan.
Sheng Wanyan looked over the roster of personnel attending this scientific research symposium. Our nation wasn’t sending just this one scientist; numerous other extraordinary scientists were also traveling to participate. This was a gathering of giants in the scientific research community, and the state placed immense importance on it, hoping they could exchange knowledge and bring back fresh breakthroughs.
“Your mission is to accompany him as an interpreter. Do not leave Academician Yuan’s side throughout the process. We will protect you.”
“Understood.”
Sheng Wanyan suppressed the shock in her chest, taking this trip far more seriously than she had initially. This wasn’t just an exchange conference; this was like entering a high-stakes battlefield!
Arriving at the airport, Gu Tingxiao carried her luggage and accompanied her all the way to the boarding gate, only heading back after she had boarded.
Sheng Wanyan followed the soldier onto the aircraft. Their seats were located in first class, which was occupied entirely by the academicians participating in the symposium and their accompanying personnel.
Sheng Wanyan sat down in her designated seat. Next to her was Academician Yuan’s orderly, and sitting in the innermost seat was Academician Yuan himself!
“Academician Yuan, this is your interpreter, Comrade Sheng Wanyan.” The soldier who escorted her introduced her briefly.
Sheng Wanyan offered a respectful greeting to Academician Yuan and introduced herself. “Hello, Academician Yuan. I am your interpreter for this journey. My name is Sheng Wanyan. I look forward to your guidance.”
Academician Yuan was only in his fifties, but because he spent his days worrying over rice research, he already had a significant amount of white hair, and his face was somewhat lean. He was dressed in a standard Mao suit.
Academician Yuan lifted his head, looking at her with an exceptionally approachable demeanor. “Hello, thank you for your hard work.”
Sheng Wanyan was shocked internally. What hard work was there for a junior like her? These scientists who sacrificed absolutely everything for the nation were the ones who truly worked hard.
“Academician Yuan, you praise this junior too highly. You extraordinary scientists are the ones who truly work the hardest. This junior holds you in the highest esteem.”
Academician Yuan smiled at her words and gestured for her to sit comfortably and buckle her seatbelt, as the aircraft was about to take off.
Along the way, Academician Yuan proved to be exceptionally considerate toward her as a junior. “Is this your first time flying?”
Sheng Wanyan nodded with a smile. In this life, it truly was her first time. However, the aircraft of this era were nowhere near as advanced or spacious as those of the future!
“Yes.”
“There’s no need to be afraid during your first flight. It’s perfectly normal to experience some turbulence in the air.”
“Academician Yuan, I’m not afraid.”
Hearing her words, Academician Yuan laughed. Why is this junior still trying to put on a brave face???
Sheng Wanyan: “……” What am I supposed to do when no one believes the truth.
“I heard you are studying at Peking University? Are you Professor Zhao’s personal disciple?” Academician Yuan naturally possessed information regarding her background, especially concerning her pharmaceutical formulation skills. The state’s decision to dispatch her to this symposium was by no means as simple as mere translation!
She hadn’t been placed on the official grid, meaning foreign nations were entirely oblivious to her existence. Sending her to Hong Kong this time served two purposes: first, translation; but the true underlying reason was to see if she could absorb some pharmaceutical knowledge, granting her fresh inspiration upon her return.
The soldier who had picked up Sheng Wanyan was specifically arranged by the higher-ups to protect her. All of this was operating silently behind the scenes. And Academician Yuan served as a perfect cover. Academician Yuan was naturally aware of the upper echelons’ arrangements; Sheng Wanyan was young, which meant she held infinite possibilities within the scientific community.
“Yes. Professor Zhao values talent, so he took in a rebellious student like me.”
Hearing her words, Academician Yuan burst into a hearty laugh. This junior truly spoke in an entertaining manner.
“Rebellious? Could it be that you don’t listen to his words?”
“How would this junior ever dare! It’s just that my mentor loves to drink on regular days, and my mistress tries to stop him. Caught in the middle, I usually act like a fence-sitter and betray my mentor.”
“Hahaha!” Academician Yuan could no longer contain his laughter, and even his orderly couldn’t help but lower his head to chuckle.
“You child are truly amusing! I didn’t expect Old Zhao to see this day. Taking in a disciple whose elbow turns outward like this.”
Academician Yuan was thoroughly entertained by her throughout the journey. Even the other academicians on the aircraft perked up their ears to listen. Academician Yuan’s students, sitting in the rows behind, covered their mouths to snicker; this interpreter was simply too amusing.
Flying from the Capital to Hong Kong took five hours. The aircraft of this era were not nearly as fast as those of the future. Yet compared to a train, it was like a bird in the sky—the difference was monumental.
By the time Sheng Wanyan’s group arrived in Hong Kong, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. The organizers of this exchange conference were from Country Y. By all rights, they should have dispatched personnel to receive them, but after the academicians waited for a full ten-plus minutes without catching sight of a single soul, they knew exactly what was going on in their hearts.
“Hmph! A bunch of lackeys.” The physics academician, famous for his explosive temper, straight-up barked an insult. What a disgraceful bunch!
“Go contact the embassy!” Academician Yuan’s expression turned somewhat sour. Having traveled all this way, his body was already feeling rather uncomfortable. They had finally arrived in Hong Kong, only to face a blatant snub from the other side.
Before the orderly could head out, they spotted personnel from the embassy hurrying toward them, their expressions equally displeased.
“Academician Yuan, Academician Fang, Academician Chen, Academician Liu—thank you all for your hard journey.” The Ambassador personally came to receive them. A traffic jam on the road had delayed him by ten-plus minutes, and he had been petrified of slighting the academicians.
“Where are the personnel from the organizers?” The Ambassador scanned the surroundings. How could there be no one from the organizers’ side to escort the academicians to the hotel?
Chapter 578: The Stock Exchange!
“Hmph! A response my foot!”
The Ambassador knew Country Y was making trouble the moment he heard Academician Liu’s words, and his expression instantly grew grave. Leaving several academicians waiting here—the organizers from Country Y certainly thought highly of themselves! Thank goodness he had anticipated Country Y’s tricks and brought people to the airport ahead of time; otherwise, wouldn’t the academicians have spent the whole afternoon waiting at the airport?!
“Academicians, you’ve had a long journey. Please get in the vehicles first, and we can talk on the way.”
The academicians didn’t direct their frustration at the Ambassador. Their bodies were truly exhausted, so they let their students support them into the waiting cars.
Sheng Wanyan followed behind Academician Yuan. She could clearly feel the anger brewing in the hearts of the academicians, yet they were holding it back for the sake of the rare peace between the two nations. However, their students were young and hot-blooded; they didn’t possess such a restrained temperament, and their irritation was clearly written all over their faces.
The embassy had dispatched over a dozen cars. Sheng Wanyan rode in the same vehicle as Academician Yuan. The symposium was to be held at the Grand Emperor Hotel in Hong Kong, which was also where they would be staying. With such a massive symposium gathered with top academicians from various nations, neither the embassy nor the Huaxia military could possibly leave security to chance.
Since Hong Kong had already returned to the embrace of Huaxia, this symposium had to be conducted according to Huaxia’s rules! No matter how reluctant Country Y was, they had to recognize this reality. In the eyes of Country Y, this was originally their territory. When a robber occupies a place for too long, they genuinely start believing it belongs to them.
Looking out through the car windows at the bustling prosperity outside, the academicians felt a complex, indescribable emotion in their hearts.
When will our motherland reach such a state…
How can we truly hold the right to speak on this land of Hong Kong, which belongs to us!!!
Sheng Wanyan felt as if she had stepped back into the future—the bustling streets, the towering skyscrapers, the passersby dressed sharply in suits… Everything stood as a stark contrast to the underdevelopment of the mainland.
Sheng Wanyan felt a heavy weight in her chest, and the academicians felt it even more acutely. Having lived to this age, they still hadn’t witnessed the day their motherland became fully prosperous. They didn’t know if, by the day they closed their eyes forever, they would be able to see the golden age of their motherland.
The cars arrived at the hotel. The moment they stepped inside, the hotel lobby manager immediately stepped forward to greet them.
“Ah! How is it that the embassy escorted the academicians here? Has the hotel team dispatched to receive you not arrived yet?”
Academician Yuan and the others looked at his feigned ignorance, and their mood soured further. The Ambassador stepped forward to handle the exchange.
“That is a question we should be asking the organizers. Do not forget, this is Huaxia’s Hong Kong!”
The Ambassador’s words caused the smile on the manager’s face to vanish instantly. True, many of the properties in Hong Kong belonged to Country Y’s enterprises, but so what if it was now Huaxia’s territory!
“Hehe… The Ambassador must be joking. We did dispatch people to receive you; perhaps something happened to the driver. Please forgive our poor hospitality.”
The Ambassador offered a slight smile, his gentle eyes flashing with a sharp, dangerous coldness. “Of course. After all, your esteemed organizing committee can make a mistake even on something as minor as a driver. Our Huaxia nation is a great country of magnitude; naturally, we won’t bicker over such low-level blunders.”
The manager could no longer maintain his smile. With a stiff, cold face, he could only quietly process their check-in. If they continued this conversation, it might severely jeopardize the diplomatic peace between the two nations.
Sheng Wanyan was arranged to share a suite with Academician Yuan. It was a spacious suite with three separate bedrooms; Sheng Wanyan and Academician Yuan each had their own room, while the two orderlies shared the third.
In terms of food and lodging, the organizers didn’t dare to discriminate openly. After all, the embassy had stationed personnel to keep watch here. If they wanted the symposium to proceed smoothly, they couldn’t push their hostility too far.
The hotel delivered food to each suite, but the meals were thoroughly inspected by the stationed embassy personnel to ensure absolute safety before being personally delivered to the rooms. The individuals currently staying in this hotel were extraordinary scientific research personnel from various nations. If anything happened to them on Huaxia’s soil, it would be impossible to answer to the world.
Sheng Wanyan set her luggage down. The symposium wouldn’t commence immediately, granting them a few days of personal time.
“You young people shouldn’t just flock around us old fogies. Go take a look at the streets of Hong Kong, and observe the local culture and customs. It’s highly distinctive,” the academicians urged their students and interpreters to go out and enjoy themselves. After all, these juniors weren’t primary targets for other nations. If they wanted to go out and look around, no one would specifically monitor them. The ones living under intense scrutiny were the academicians themselves.
“Professor, we should stay behind to protect you.”
“Protect me? Take a look at the soldiers behind us. Is it your turn to protect me?”
Hearing this, the students lowered their heads in awkward silence. As frail intellectuals who spent their days in laboratories, they truly possessed zero combat capability.
“Go on. In a few days, you won’t have this kind of leisure anymore.”
Since the words were put that way, there was no reason to refuse. The young people set out to explore, and Sheng Wanyan could finally head to the stock exchange to make her move.
In the shadows of the hotel, the stationed soldiers from Country Y noted their departure and instantly grew alert.
“Captain, should we follow them out?”
“No need, a few students are of no consequence! Keep a tight lock on the academicians.”
“Yes, sir!”
Sheng Wanyan arrived at the stock exchange. She opened a Hong Kong bank account, converted all her funds into Hong Kong dollars, and finally turned her gaze to the large screen displaying the shifting stock trends of various corporations.
The crowd here was a chaotic mix of wild cheers and bitter curses. Wealth or poverty was decided within a single heartbeat.
Sheng Wanyan possessed a substantial amount of capital, which quickly drew a professional investment consultant from the exchange over to attend to her.
“Ms. Sheng, these are the stocks showing the strongest upward trends currently.”
Sheng Wanyan glanced at them without a shred of interest. Noting her detached demeanor, the consultant instantly realized she was an expert who carried her own strategy.
“Ms. Sheng, this document contains the complete stock trends of all listed enterprises.”
Only then did Sheng Wanyan accept the papers. Selecting several specific stocks she had decided upon long ago, she injected a massive amount of capital into them.
Watching her invest heavily into a few poorly performing stocks, the investment consultant was thoroughly shocked. These companies had suffered heavy losses just days ago, and some were even on the brink of bankruptcy. What was the point of throwing her money into them?! Even if she was wealthy, this wasn’t the way to squander it!!!
“Just these.”
Sheng Wanyan finalized her choices. The consultant opened his mouth to advise her against it, but Sheng Wanyan remained firm in her decision to invest in these specific enterprises. Left with no choice, he could only process the arrangements for her.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t intend to flip them for a quick profit. They might be losing money now, but the future was a completely different story. She wanted to secure the core shares of these corporations tightly in her hands!!! When the critical moment arrived in the future, it would be time to unleash a calculated economic crisis! Economics was, after all, one of her absolute specialties.
Sheng Wanyan deployed almost all her funds, keeping a mere 10,000 yuan on her person. With this massive play, her family’s liquid reserves instantly plummeted from immense wealth to relative scarcity. Combined with the cash she had left for Gu Tingxiao, the total net worth of the couple now stood at just over 14,000 yuan.
