Shocking! The young educated youth had just arrived and was already clashing with spies.

Chapter 523 But would Elder Ge believe this to be a coincidence?

When the door in front of her opened again, Li Xiu was stunned to see that the woman from before had brought out another woman with a gentle temperament and beautiful appearance.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Aunt Zhang could only turn to Li Xiu and say, "It's her. She said she's the mother of Chu Xin's friend and came to see her specially."

Li Xiu smiled and said, "Hello, I am Chu Xin's aunt."

Li Xiu was dumbfounded. Had she mistaken someone else for someone else?

Turning to look at Aunt Zhang again, she finally realized that the person she had been so proud of was just a nanny.

Thinking about how she had fawned over a nanny before, Li Xiu was furious. It was so embarrassing!

Although she came to the Chu family with ulterior motives, and this farcical incident was caused by her subjective assumptions, Li Xiu still felt that Li Xiu was laughing at her.

"Hehe, really? Hello, I'm Chu Xin's friend's mother."

"Ah, really?"

Li Xiu gave an awkward laugh. She didn't say anything, but she was already wondering what was going on with her friend's mother. Could it be that Chu Xin didn't know her at all?

Thinking of her niece's temperament, Li Xiu still asked cautiously, "I don't know where you're from, and who in your family is a friend of Chu Xin? Tell me, maybe I know them too."

Even the original plan to invite someone into the house has been put on hold. It's better not to invite some complete stranger into the house later.

Zhao's mother, Li Xiu, was a very perceptive person. Seeing that Li Xiu hadn't invited her into the house after saying a few words, she knew that Li Xiu was wary of her.

She couldn't help but curse Li Xiu inwardly for being so cunning. What kind of aunt was she? She was just a kind-hearted but wicked woman who was playing coy with her so as not to let Chu Xin get any help.

"Hahaha, look at what you're saying. My family and Chu Xin's family have known each other in Jinshi for many years and have a very good relationship. Moreover, my son is very close to her. Would I come here to lie to people?"

"How about this, you let Chu Xin come out, or someone who can properly act as her elder will do."

She's just a distant aunt, why is she acting all high and mighty in front of her!

cut!

Li Xiu was now even more certain that this woman couldn't possibly have a good relationship with Chu Xin. Given her personality, if she really did have some kind of relationship with this woman, it would be one of enmity.

She thought for a moment and said directly:

"I'm sorry, Chu Xin isn't home right now, and I can't invite you in to wait."

Without giving Li Xiu time to react, he slammed the door shut.

Aunt Zhang realized what was going on. "This woman came here looking for trouble."

Li Xiu also felt disgusted, clapped her hands and turned to walk back. "She had no good intentions to begin with. She kept saying she was here to visit, but she kept bringing up the relationship between Chu Xin and her son. It's more like she came to smear them!"

Do you really think everyone else is stupid and can't understand what she's trying to say?

They even look down on her as their aunt, pshaw!

He didn't even know who this nobody was, yet he was already acting all high and mighty with her.

"What about Chu Xin?"

Aunt Zhang was genuinely worried that she had been scammed.

"It's alright. Chu Xin is smarter than both of us combined. She won't be fooled by someone like her. We don't need to worry about her."

Aunt Zhang: ……

That makes sense, but it sounds a bit strange.

Li Xiu herself didn't take it seriously, but that didn't mean she could pretend it never happened. As soon as she got back to her room, she called Chu Xin.

After hanging up the phone, Chu Xin rubbed her eyes and finally understood why her eyelids had been twitching. It turned out that bad luck was coming her way. But Li Xiu was lucky this time; she wasn't home. Otherwise, she would definitely have been given a good beating.

Some people's brains are like they're covered in shit; they have too many messy things to do and they take themselves too seriously. They won't know how to restrain themselves unless you make them suffer a heart-wrenching experience.

Zhou Yichen wasn't in his small office at the moment, and seeing her like this, he was a little curious. "Tired?"

He didn't ask if she was tired because Chu Xin rarely did written work except when she was out on field assignments.

"No, it's something annoying that's come looking for us."

A thought flashed through Zhou Yichen's mind, and he blurted out, "The Zhao family of Jinshi?"

Chu Xin snapped her fingers. "You guessed right, it's Zhao Bin's mother. She even came to my house, but my aunt stopped her at the door. Just wait, she won't give up easily and will definitely find a way to see me."

Should we beat her up then?

Zhou Yichen raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you really want to meet her."

Chu Xin chuckled and blinked, "Who says otherwise?"

……

Chinese people have a habit of bringing back local specialties no matter where they go. It doesn't matter if they are valuable or not, as long as they don't have them in their hometown.

At this point, Assistant Zhang left the house because of this incident.

When Zhou Yichen sent someone to inform him that he could leave Kyoto, the first place he chose to buy things was Wangfujing Street.

As a long-standing commercial landmark in Kyoto, this place is home to many well-known established brands and unique shops. Although it may not be as bustling and vibrant as the port city, it has a unique and indescribable charm.

Not to mention him, you can occasionally see one or two foreigners as well.

For a white-collar elite who is proficient in and good at managing business affairs, Assistant Zhang sensed a strong business opportunity.

Unfortunately, the current economic environment and policies in mainland China only allow a small amount of trade between Hong Kong and the mainland through official channels, and most of these are government-led planned transactions. It is currently impossible to engage in market-oriented investment cooperation.

Seeing people who still had a strong desire to buy even when resources were scarce, Xiao Zhang felt that his boss had really lost a lot of money.

Once the economy develops in this area, those empty shops will become incredibly valuable.

Assistant Zhang originally intended to buy some unique items to bring back to his family to broaden their horizons; after all, Kyoto is always the place that Chinese people yearn for most.

Unexpectedly, the stroll turned into a business visit.

He was filled with fervor, yet deeply regretful that he was born at the wrong time, and was pounding his chest in frustration, when someone called out to him.

"What a coincidence, Comrade Zhang."

Chu Yunting, who had taken leave from work, accompanied Chen Ping to Xidan and then to Wangfujing, where they saw almost everything they could.

Although Chen Ping had told herself before coming that the items themselves weren't important, as long as they reflected her feelings, she was deeply discouraged after repeatedly finding items she liked that were prohibitively expensive.

Kyoto and Weinan are really different.

She and Chu Yunting were never the same.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't insecure, but she had a stubborn streak that refused to admit defeat.

She couldn't afford the expensive ones, and she could barely afford the mid-to-high-end ones, but she was stumped when she needed a ticket.

Feeling down, she became less inclined to enter large stores. As Chu Yunting followed her, they encountered Assistant Zhang.

Hearing someone call his name, Assistant Zhang turned his head, looked up, and immediately smiled, "Hello, Comrade Chu."

"Hello, why are you shopping alone? Are you looking to buy something?"

After shaking hands with him, Assistant Zhang said, "I'm going back now. I just wanted to buy some things to take back, so I stopped by to browse. Are you doing the same, comrade?"

He glanced at Chen Ping twice, but didn't presume to ask about their relationship.

However, I can roughly guess that it's one or two things that couples always do when they're dating—shopping and strolling around.

Chu Yunting nodded generously, smiled, and introduced the two to Chen Ping. After they had both greeted each other, he said, "Would you like to come along?"

Chen Ping and her assistant, Xiao Zhang, were both stunned. Wasn't this a bit inconvenient?

Chu Yunting acted as if he didn't see the expressions on their faces, holding Chen Ping's hand with one hand and pushing his assistant Xiao Zhang with the other, and started walking and chatting.

Chen Ping went from being completely clueless to gradually understanding what Chu Yunting was doing by asking him a series of seemingly random questions.

Although the conversation between the two avoided sensitive words such as "commercial value" and "making money," Chu Yunting used phrases like "convenience for the public," "improvement of life," and "urban development" to inquire about Xiao Zhang's assessment of Wangfujing's future commercial potential.

Chen Ping immediately understood what Chu Yunting was doing, and was deeply moved.

He saw her predicament, but instead of giving her money and tickets outright, he tried his best to point her in the right direction.

Chu Yunting truly believed that she could overcome her predicament through hard work.

They were already quickly calculating in their minds what products from their textile factory could be sent here for sale. As long as they relied on the planned economy channels and tried to be included in Kyoto's supply system, this would definitely work.

She would need to go back and communicate with the factory leaders first, and then submit a product report to the relevant departments in Kyoto through the local light industry bureau and textile industry bureau, in order to be included in Kyoto's commodity allocation plan.

She even boldly considered whether their factory could strive to enter Kyoto's state-owned commercial system, own their own shops, and source their own goods from their textile factory for self-production and self-sales.

However, she quickly rejected this idea herself.

Under the current system, there is neither policy space nor channels for "renting storefronts to sell independently," and such sales behavior is not in line with national planning and the state-owned commercial system.

After answering the second question, Assistant Zhang understood what Chu Yunting wanted to hear.

Since Chu Xin was involved, he spoke fluently, covering all the knowledge he had gained from university and his actual work experience, except for the sensitive words that couldn't be mentioned. There was absolutely no ambiguity in his words.

The three of them talked and talked until they stopped moving. Their heads were huddled together, and anyone who didn't know better would think they were discussing some important academic issue.

Of course, the main participants in the discussion were Chen Ping and Assistant Zhang. Chu Yunting was just there to make the connection; he would get a headache if he really had to delve into those complicated details.

Seeing Chen Ping listening attentively and carefully, he couldn't help but smile.

Xiao Chu is right, this Assistant Zhang is really smart.

The two people who were lying in wait in the distance frowned deeply. "How did they run into Chu Yunting? What are they talking about? Why haven't they separated yet? How can the charade they've arranged continue if this keeps going?"

The other person glanced at his watch, also looking worried. "Old Master Ge and Old Master Gu will be out soon. If we don't let that person run into them, we won't have another chance. How about we find an excuse to lure Chu Yunting away?"

The other person shook his head, "No, Chu Yunting is quite capable in combat too. We don't want to end up getting us arrested before we even get the job done."

The information provided by Elder Ge was urgent, and Zhou Yichen didn't have time to make careful arrangements. He simply planned to have Assistant Zhang meet with Elder Gu directly, so that Elder Ge could discover anything unusual and then raise suspicions.

In order to make this "accidental" event more natural, Zhou Yichen himself did not attend, and even the person assigned to keep watch was not from the Special Branch. However, no matter how much he planned, he did not expect Chu Yunting to get involved and chat with him so enthusiastically.

This greatly worried the two people who were closely monitoring the situation.

It was at this moment that Mr. Ge and Mr. Gu came out of the time-honored teahouse.

The two walked together toward the parking lot, talking as they went.

Grandpa Gu's expression was far from good. He hadn't expected his son to be so stubborn. He had only been able to move his legs for a short time before he secretly ran away to Henan Province, and there was even suspicion that he had been lured by enemy agents.

"Let's lock that unfilial son up this time. He's too restless. I don't expect anything good from him. Just keep him alive."

His trembling voice was filled with endless heartache and helplessness.

They're saying Yin Yin is still alive? He saw everything clearly from the encoffining to the burial, how could she possibly still be alive?

Old Ge sighed. He wasn't surprised at all that his old friend would say that. It was truly remarkable that the Gu family hadn't collapsed despite falling to this point.

"I would have done this even without you saying so, but I will definitely have someone investigate the doubts he raised. No matter who it is, they cannot fool us again and again!"

"Alas, these are turbulent times, filled with suffering. Our family will not live to see a peaceful day. Thank you for considering our past friendship and not arresting my father and me directly. Thank you!"

Old Master Gu's face was etched with the marks of time, and his body trembled slightly as he walked with a faltering gait.

He wasn't unreasonable; the Gu family had never been in the right, and had no right to demand anything.

Old Ge led Old Master Gu to his car, looked around but didn't see his car. "Where's your car?" he asked.

Grandpa Gu looked up, and despite feeling unwell, he said seriously, "I won't sit down. My current status is no longer worthy of the country's preferential treatment."

"Why did you do this to yourself!"

“It’s not hard, it’s not hard. Compared to those who were sent to do manual labor or even went to jail, I’m actually living a life of luxury. Old Ge, this makes me feel at ease. Don’t try to persuade me anymore.”

"Ugh!"

Old Ge sighed again, "Then I'll take you back."

Grandpa Gu nodded, not stubbornly refusing to accept the offer. He wasn't feeling well at the moment, so he didn't want to suffer for the sake of saving face.

Old Ge's bodyguard had already opened the car door and was about to help the person into the car when he suddenly stopped. "Old Ge, it's Chu Yunting."

Upon hearing this, Old Ge followed his gaze and was somewhat surprised to see three young people in the bustling crowd, seemingly eager to talk. "Didn't Chu Yunting take the day off to be with his girlfriend? Why is there another young man with him?"

Moreover, this person's demeanor doesn't seem like that of an ordinary person.

His facial expressions, smiles, and occasional nods while speaking were all perfectly controlled and appropriate.

He asked the guard, "Who is that young man?"

The guard shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen him before."

As they were talking, Old Master Gu also looked over, causing the people in the shadows to tense up. The situation was no longer under their control.

With so many people staring at him, even if Chen Ping had immense appeal, Chu Yunting noticed it, and his gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked directly at her.

Then, I froze.

Old Master Ge? Old Master Gu?

His surprised expression was genuine. When he saw that they were his own people, his expression not only softened but he also chuckled twice and waved to the two old men.

Old Ge raised an eyebrow and beckoned him over. As an elder, it was only right for him to meet the silly boy's girlfriend.

Seeing his actions, Chu Yunting pulled Chen Ping over and also brought his assistant, Xiao Zhang, along with him.

Assistant Zhang was thus brought before Elder Ge and the others in a daze.

The two people in the shadows were utterly astonished. Could this really be allowed?

But would Mr. Ge believe this to be a coincidence?