While everyone was discussing Zhou Cheng, where was he?

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation was organizing a group of state-owned enterprise executives to visit America for a business inspection. They would study American management models and possibly participate in international trade fairs to promote their products.

Earning foreign exchange was everyone’s glory – the country’s foreign exchange reserves were still too low!

For these executives, it was a chance to learn experience, earn foreign exchange, and travel abroad at public expense.

Foreign appliances were so cheap – wouldn’t it be a waste not to bring some back for family and friends?

The Ministry organizing this activity is worried about potential issues. With so many people going abroad, if these executives disregarded discipline and wandered off to America, they’d be hard to control.

Even in China, they could barely manage this group.

If they ran wild abroad, who would be responsible?

Zhou Cheng got lucky – he happened to know about this inspection team and had someone remind the Ministry’s organizing leadership. The leaders thought it made sense – since they couldn’t control these executives, they needed professionals to manage them. Of course, they couldn’t say it so directly – instead, they said they were providing security teams for the delegates’ safety.

All professional personnel – showing proper respect to the executives, right?

Heh.

Privately, they repeatedly instructed Zhou Cheng and others who were temporarily assigned:

“Discipline must be strictly enforced, even more so when abroad!”

America had its temptations – they couldn’t let their comrades have opportunities to make mistakes. Before departure, the security team members gathered for special training, mainly learning about common sense issues abroad – which principles were non-negotiable, and which could be flexible according to American customs.

Zhou Cheng was spirited and handsome, with an appropriate rank as Deputy Regiment Commander, so the leaders wanted him to head the inspection team’s security.

But Zhou Cheng, thinking of his main purpose to visit his wife, had no interest in being the security team leader… Leadership meant both power and responsibility – having to monitor everyone’s movements constantly, how could he have time for himself?

So Zhou Cheng very sincerely recommended more steady officers, citing his youth as a reason.

In the end, Zhou Cheng became deputy team leader, with the team leader transferred from Beijing.

The leader was in his thirties and very experienced. He was the chief, Zhou Cheng the deputy, with eight team members under them. They would serve as security, carry luggage, drive cars, pose as delegation staff in plain clothes, and transform into a combat unit if needed.

Zhou Cheng had attended two days of training and got quite familiar with Team Leader Fang Wu – how could he not? Zhou Cheng treated him to Donglaishun one day, and Baodu Feng the next. Fortunately, Team Leader Fang was a rough man, and Zhou Cheng was much more handsome than him, otherwise, people might get the wrong idea – such enthusiasm was usually reserved for pursuing women!

It wasn’t that Zhou Cheng was seeking advancement – he’d declined the team leader position himself.

On the third day over Peking duck, Team Leader Fang wiped duck grease from his mouth:

“Comrade Zhou Cheng, what exactly do you want to say? I’m not good with subtle hints. If you don’t speak up, I won’t accept any more meals from you.”

Excessive kindness without reason meant ulterior motives – Team Leader Fang just hoped whatever Zhou Cheng wanted wouldn’t be too troublesome.

“Team Leader Fang, have a cigarette first. I do have something to discuss with you.”

Since Fang was older and not lower ranked than Zhou Cheng, Zhou Cheng maintained a very respectful attitude when asking for help.

Smoking together, Zhou Cheng finally explained his “worry”:

“…That’s the situation. I hope you can be flexible about it, Team Leader.”

Fang laughed heartily: “Just for this? I was wondering what it could be! That’s simple – according to the delegation’s schedule, I can’t guarantee other places, but during our stay in New York, I approve your free time! In our profession, outsiders might not understand, but shouldn’t we understand each other?

When a woman doesn’t complain about rarely meeting, we shouldn’t take it for granted shamelessly. We should cherish chances to spend time together… Wait, something’s not right – your girlfriend studies in America, and you happen to go with the delegation? Did you arrange this opportunity yourself?”

Team Leader Fang became alert, but Zhou Cheng naturally denied it:

“You’re overthinking, Team Leader. It’s just a coincidence! Ah, you’re right though – we rarely meet, and I haven’t seen her for over four months.”

Fang thought to himself, what’s four months? He once didn’t return home for almost a year, grew a scruffy beard, and his son didn’t even recognize him – the boy grabbed a wooden sword to protect his mother from this bearded stranger.

Thinking about it was heartbreaking.

They were human too, with hearts of flesh. They also yearned and felt pain.

Team Leader Fang took a deep drag of his cigarette, “You’re climbing faster than us. Once you become a Regiment Commander, you can be with family – wife, children, warm bed, what a sweet life.”

Zhou Cheng just smiled.

Wife, children, warm bed?

Better keep that in dreams. Xiaolan never asked him to give up his career – he’d have to be thick-skinned as a city wall to ask her to abandon her pursuits and follow him.

Zhou Cheng wouldn’t mention this, nor did he like others mentioning it. If such talk reached Xiaolan’s ears, wouldn’t it pressure her?

“Team Leader, my girlfriend is different from ordinary women. She has strong career ambitions – it would be unfair to make her just a housewife! Anyway, thank you for understanding. So we’re agreed about the arrangement in America.”

What did women need such strong career ambitions for? Fang didn’t quite understand but didn’t comment further.

He didn’t know what big things Xia Xiaolan was doing.

Following Zhou Wenbing’s wishes, Jiang Hong arranged a family gathering at Zhou’s parents’ home to celebrate.

Zhou Cheng attended too.

After dinner, Gu Zhengqing pulled Zhou Cheng aside. He wasn’t particularly interested in Zhou Cheng’s promotion to Deputy Regiment Commander, though he was happy for him – it seemed more like an excuse for a family gathering.

Gu Zhengqing wanted to discuss the scholarship program Xia Xiaolan had left before going abroad.

“The authorities have approved this plan, faster than I expected. They’ve officially started recruiting the first batch of college student volunteers. When you go to America, personally bring this news to Xiaolan, let her be happy!”

How could the approval not be fast?

Old Master Zhou had secretly made calls to help.

Even before Old Master Zhou, Old Song had already approved it.

The special approval process was very quick, and just as Xia Xiaolan had hoped, Gu Zhengqing was appointed by the Education Ministry as the program’s liaison officer.

Zhou Cheng thought his wife might be happier hearing this news than hearing about his promotion to Deputy Regiment Commander.

“Uncle, you could tell Xiaolan yourself.”

Gu Zhengqing gave him a strange look, as if saying “I could tell Xiaolan, but then what use would you be?”

Zhou Cheng completely surrendered.

This was his uncle, yet he’d been won over by his wife.

Just like his aunt Jiang Hong, who now seemed less like his aunt and more like Xiaolan’s relative. Earlier, Jiang Hong had pulled him aside to warn him not to get involved with any “Jiang or garlic,” and not to betray Xiaolan studying in America… Ha, these were true relatives indeed – such harmony, such respect!

##### Zhou Cheng:

My uncle isn’t my uncle, my aunt isn’t my aunt – who am I? Should I keep my Zhou surname or change it to Xia? Would kind people please help think of a solution? Waiting online is quite urgent!