Не все мои дети могут быть большими шишками

Глава 1

Chapter 1

When her phone rang, Shu Yi'an was translating a long French contract. The numerous technical terms were giving her a headache. She took a moment to catch her breath before answering the phone with a pained expression. "Hello, who is this?"

A deep, magnetic male voice came from the other end of the phone, "I'm going back to Beijing tomorrow."

Shu Yi'an was momentarily stunned by the voice, and it took her a while to realize who was on the other end of the phone. She slowly uttered an "Oh."

"Aren't you going to come pick me up?" the man on the other end asked her, quite surprised.

Shu Yi'an stroked the pen in her hand and nodded blankly. "Okay... then I'll come pick you up..." "When?" the man asked her in return.

"What time is your flight...?"

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to have given up on arguing with her about the issue. "I'm going straight back to the department tomorrow; you don't need to come."

Chu Mu was speechless at Shu Yi'an's reaction. Seeing that she didn't say anything for a long time, he simply said "That's it" and hung up the phone decisively.

Berlin weather in early April

In the two-story building of the Chinese Embassy in Germany next to Maerkisches, Chu Mu watched the pedestrians coming and going outside the window, his phone spinning in his hand.

Shu Yi'an, it's been a whole six months, and you really haven't changed at all.

"Deputy Director Chu, your plane ticket has been booked. It's a 9:00 AM flight tomorrow." Assistant Xiao Chen gently knocked on the door.

The person standing by the window didn't turn around, but simply replied softly, "I understand."

Xiao Chen secretly observed the young deputy director from behind Chu Mu. His tall, slender back exuded an air of aloofness and coldness, and Xiao Chen dared not utter a sound. Xiao Chen truly couldn't understand it; after not returning home for half a year, he finally had an opportunity, so why didn't this man show any joy?

In fact, Chu Mu didn't understand why Shu Yi'an reacted that way after he hadn't been back for half a year. How could she be so calm? This pampered young master suddenly felt a sense of being neglected.

At that moment, Shu Yi'an, who was listening in the conference room, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason. From the moment she received the call until now, she hadn't quite wanted to believe that the person she occasionally saw on television across the ocean was coming home. Her husband was coming home.

The next day, Shu Yi'an got up early to go grocery shopping. Standing on the tall shelves with a pained expression, she didn't know what to choose. Shu Yi'an's slow pace often led her to skip meals and rely solely on instant noodles and snacks, a situation that worsened after Chu Mu left. She had practically destroyed all the fresh vegetables and other essential items in the refrigerator. Therefore, Shu Yi'an wanted to fill everything up before he returned, lest the extremely unhealthy Deputy Director Chu throw her out the moment he walked through the door.

As she emerged carrying large bags of belongings, a flight from Berlin to the capital airport was already landing with a tremendous roar.

The thirteen-hour flight had taken its toll on Chu Mu. He rubbed his temples wearily and, with a sweet and gentle reminder from the flight attendant, disembarked with a large group of people behind him. Outside the terminal, cars were already waiting.

"Deputy Director Chu, you must be exhausted from the journey. Please get in the car." Director Wang, the head of the station who came to pick him up from the ministry, hurriedly stepped forward.

Chu Mu smiled gently at the newcomer, the weariness from before completely gone from his handsome face. "I'm fine."

"That's fine then. I'll have Xiao Wu take you to the ministry for your work report in a bit, and then we'll head straight to Donghai Tower! A lot of young people have come here this year, and they're all clamoring to see you. You absolutely must give them that honor!"

Chu Mu glanced at the slightly darkening sky and declined, "Let's not bother. Everyone's been flying with me for so long and must be tired. I'll treat you another day."

"Oh, what are you saying?" Director Wang waved his hand. "You've finally come back, so we should give you a welcome-back dinner. It's settled then, Xiao Wu, remember the time!" Director Wang was more than ten years older than Chu Mu, and seeing that he was almost fifty, Chu Mu, as a junior, couldn't very well refuse him. In the end, he had no choice but to accept.

Three cars arrived from the ministry. One car carried Chu Mu's entourage, another carried the people who came to pick him up, and the third carried Chu Mu's driver, Xiao Wu, who always accompanied him back to Beijing.

A black Audi A4, starting with "京A" (Beijing A), drove smoothly on the bridge. Chu Mu sat in the back seat and checked his phone, which had been off all time. Jiang Beichen, Ji Hengdong, Zhan Cheng, and several close friends from his circle sent text messages to welcome him back to China on behalf of the people of Beijing. Even his sister, who was usually hard to find, sent a hug emoji, but not hers.

"Boss, tonight's dinner is probably a trap..." said driver Xiao Wu in a thick Beijing accent.

Chu Mu glanced down at the replies one by one, then casually asked, "Hmm? What do you mean?"

Because Xiao Wu had been following Chu Mu ever since he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was quick-witted, perceptive, and knew how to conduct himself appropriately, which made him very pleasing to the eye. Therefore, after Chu Mu left, he was not put on a leadership role by any other leader, but remained in a position in logistics, waiting for Chu Mu to return so he could be in charge of him full-time. The two had a good relationship and spoke to each other without any reservations.

"I heard they transferred a translator from the ministry for you. She was originally from the protocol department, and now they're planning to go back to Germany with you. That's why this meeting was set up tonight."

"For me?" Chu Mu asked, frowning slightly.

"Yes! It's definitely you! After he went there, he was directly appointed as the head of the translation team in Germany—a parachuted-in!"

Do you know who it is?

"She's Old Wang's niece, and also an alumna of your Foreign Affairs Academy, her name is Tao... yes! Tao Yunjia."

Tao Yunjia!! Chu Mu's finger, which was about to reply to the message, suddenly paused. He then locked the screen and fell silent. No wonder she insisted on inviting him to dinner at a time like this tonight; it was all for her. A year had passed since they last met. He wondered what she would be like when she reappeared before him.

On the screen that Chu Mu had turned off, a message lay alone in the mailbox.

—I checked the flights from Berlin to Beijing today (＾o＾). You should have just landed by now~ When are you going home?

From: Yi'an

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Chu Zhoutong, wearing glasses, glanced at the performance report in front of him, then put it on the file shelf beside him after a few seconds. Although this diplomatic official, over fifty years old, looked very serious and elegant, he still exuded a warm and amiable aura when facing the person at the table. "So? Are you planning to stay for a long time this time, or just a few days? Your mother has been nagging me about it for ages."

Chu Mu sat on the sofa with one hand in his pocket, fiddling with the globe on the low table. His slender fingers lightly traced the distance between China and Europe, his posture utterly relaxed. "I'd like to stay here, but I'm afraid you won't allow it. Otherwise, I'll submit an application later, and you'll have to approve it then."

Chu Zhoutong smiled helplessly. He was quite fond of his nephew. Such diplomatic talent and achievements at such a young age would earn him respect from anyone, especially a son of the Chu family. "You little rascal, you know I can't let you come back at this point, so you're deliberately putting me in a difficult position."

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, "I wouldn't dare. You've already read the report, sir. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

"Hey!" Chu Zhoutong took off his glasses and called out to Chu Mu, not forgetting to add a word of advice. "You and Yi'an can't always be living apart. It's not the way to live. Why don't you bring her over there as soon as possible?"

Chu Mu's tall, slender figure paused for a moment before he opened the door and left the administration building.

When he arrived at Donghai Tower, Director Wang and a group of young men were already waiting in the private room. Chu Mu looked at the room full of people and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

The banquet was divided into two tables: one for the newlyweds and the other for the resident leaders. At the newlyweds' table, a young woman stood out. She was young, around twenty-something. Her classically oval face was framed by incredibly beautiful almond-shaped eyes, and her slightly upturned eyebrows added a touch of allure to her gentle features. The young woman sat upright, her posture impeccable, her shoulder-length hair loosely pinned up behind her head, giving her an air of inexplicable pride.

At the welcome banquet for Chu Mu, he should rightfully sit in the seat of honor. Several boys from the Foreign Affairs Academy secretly sized up this youngest director-level figure with reverence and envy, not daring to utter a sound. The eldest son of a diplomatic family was indeed different. From his suit to the watch on his wrist, there was nothing these greenhorns fresh out of university could learn.

Director Wang glanced over, a calculating look forming in his mind. He raised his glass to signal the start of the gathering. "Today's gathering is to welcome our Deputy Director Chu, to let you young people witness the legend of our diplomatic world. Brother Chu, I'll drink this first as a sign of respect." Seeing this, everyone else picked up their glasses and followed suit, respectfully clinking glasses to offer their toasts.