Chapter 1253: An Unexpected Surprise

The foreign business delegation's original itinerary was to stay in the capital for one week, but because of Chuxue taking over, Anna ended up staying an extra three days.

And during those three days, thanks to Chuxue's deliberate and unintentional guidance, Anna developed a strong interest in Chinese language and culture—especially Chinese porcelain and silk—which made Anna decide on the spot to delay her return to her country; the team's next stop would be Suzhou and Hangzhou, and after that she still wanted to go to Jingdezhen personally to pick out a batch of porcelain to bring back home as gifts.

Originally Chuxue, being pregnant now, didn't want to go along, but Anna pleaded repeatedly; the main thing was that the baby in her belly was considerate—up to now there hadn't been any obvious morning sickness—and on top of that she really did want to see what Suzhou and Hangzhou of the seventies looked like.

Chuxue, however, didn't agree on the spot; she called Fu Yan Cheng directly and explained the situation: "Yan Cheng, what do you think, should I go along on this trip?"

A flash of worry crossed Fu Yan Cheng's face—his wife was pregnant now, and he really didn't want her to be worn down by the journey, but if he spoke up to stop her and his wife ended up unhappy, wouldn't that affect her mood? "As long as your body allows it, just do as you like, as long as you're happy."

Chuxue hemmed and hawed: "If I go along, I'm afraid this trip will take ten days to half a month; your comrades all know I'm about to go join you at the army post—aren't you afraid they'll get the wrong idea about you?"

Ever since the wedding she had never shown her face, and those comrades had gossiped about him plenty; now that he had finally invited guests, issued the invitation, and spoken the words, if she went on one trip and then disappeared again, someone was bound to tease Fu Yan Cheng about it again.

Fu Yan Cheng, however, laughed at this point: "You accompany them on a trip and earn more foreign exchange for the country—that's a glorious thing; I'm afraid they won't tease me, and when the time comes they'll probably be dying of envy."

The two chatted a few more sentences before hanging up the phone.

Because her home was some distance from the Friendship Hotel, and because she had also reported that she had just become pregnant, the staff from the Foreign Economic and Trade office arranged a room for her as well; these past few days her meals and lodging had been the same as the other accompanying staff.

Just after finishing the phone call and preparing to head back to her room, she heard someone calling her: "Comrade Chuxue."

Chuxue turned around and saw the Foreign Economic and Trade staff in charge of this reception: "Section Chief Lü, Secretary Qu, is there something you need from me?"

Section Chief Lü spoke first: "Comrade Chuxue, what do you think of Miss Anna's proposal?"

Since she had already made up her mind, she didn't play hard to get—after all, it was a trip on the public dime, and she herself was actually quite willing: "I have no objections; I'll follow the organization's arrangements."

Hearing Chuxue's words, the two both breathed a sigh of relief and showed their sincerity: "Comrade Chuxue, we know your situation; don't worry, we'll book you a soft sleeper both ways from the ministry, we absolutely won't let you get worn out."

Chuxue was even happier hearing that: "Then thank you very much."

What she hadn't expected even more was that, early the next morning, she had just opened her room door and saw Fu Yan Cheng in plainclothes: "Why are you here?"

Fu Yan Cheng's brows and eyes were full of tenderness: "For the delegation's safety in the country, the higher-ups dispatched a small squad to accompany them and handle security; I fought for this assignment."

Chuxue hadn't expected such good news: "Really?"

Fu Yan Cheng looked at her excitement: "I'm already here, what do you think?"

Chuxue reached out to throw her arms around him, but Fu Yan Cheng—who on ordinary days couldn't wait to cling to her the moment they met—took a step back directly: "Mind the occasion."

Afraid Chuxue would misunderstand, he quickly added: "I'm on a mission."

She had originally wanted to tease him a bit more, but seeing someone walking toward them, she shot him a sidelong glance: "Good work, Battalion Commander Fu."

Seeing his utterly bewildered expression, she laughed to herself: Serves you right.