dognovel Chapter 317 Farewell
Chapter 317 Farewell
6:19 AM. Hongqiao Airport, VIP tarmac.
The sky wasn't fully bright yet. The base of the clouds in the east was tinged with a thin layer of orange-pink, like someone had casually smeared a brushstroke onto a gray canvas with a damp cloth. The weathervane at the end of the airport runway was blown straight by the southeast wind, pointing inland.
Chen Zhiyuan arrived forty minutes earlier than the agreed time.
Today he wore a navy blue wool coat over a gray turtleneck sweater, and his hair was neatly combed. Behind him were three officials from the Investment Promotion Bureau, and at the very back was a small van.
The truck's rear door opened, revealing five mahogany gift boxes stacked inside. Each box was wrapped in a dark red satin ribbon, with the words "Shenhai Foreign Investment Promotion Bureau" printed in gold on the seal.
Chen Zhiyuan walked to the back of the car, bent down, and checked the tightness of the seals and ribbons one by one.
The ribbon on the third gift box was tied crooked by half a centimeter. He untied it and retied it.
Deputy Director Liu stood to the side watching, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
But I still didn't say it.
He received a call from Chen Zhiyuan at 11 p.m. last night, saying that he needed to prepare a few things for the farewell tomorrow. After hanging up, he received a second call at 11:40 p.m., saying that the color of the silk shawl should be changed to off-white. At 12:03 a.m., he received a third call, saying that the Longjing tea packaging box was too old and needed to be replaced with a new one.
He felt that, without realizing it, he had suddenly become particularly attentive to this Japanese team.
Could it be that there are new instructions from above?
Deputy Director Liu shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. Chen Zhiyuan was a figure of considerable influence; besides being the director of the Investment Promotion Bureau, he also served as the deputy secretary-general of the municipal government. The level of people he could interact with was certainly much higher than his own; he would simply do as he was told.
He unloaded the five gift boxes from the car and arranged them by size on a folding table at the edge of the tarmac.
Chen Zhiyuan stopped in front of the table and glanced around.
A silk shawl. Longjing tea. A set of cloisonné pen holders from a long-established Shenhai brand. A scale model of a Phoenix brand bicycle—this was added by himself, because Ikeda had mentioned that the young lady liked taking photos and seemed interested in objects with a sense of history.
To the right of the four gift boxes, there is also a smaller one.
It wasn't tied with a ribbon. It was just wrapped in a piece of indigo cotton cloth, like an old object casually pulled out of someone's closet.
……
6:41.
A black Crown drove into the helipad from the VIP gate.
Endo got out of the back seat.
He wore a gray three-piece suit, gold-rimmed glasses, a briefcase in his left hand, and a black insulated bag in his right. The zipper of the insulated bag wasn't fully closed, revealing the edge of a bamboo steamer inside.
Chen Zhiyuan took two steps forward to meet him.
"Good morning, Mr. Endo."
"Director Chen, good morning. Thank you for coming in person."
The two shook hands. Endo's gaze swept over Chen Zhiyuan's shoulder and landed on the five gift boxes on the folding table.
The tip of her eyebrow was raised by less than a millimeter.
Noticing Endo's gaze, Chen Zhiyuan stepped forward to the table and introduced each gift box: "This is a handmade silk shawl from the Shenhai Silk Research Institute, made of 22 momme heavyweight satin, in this year's new pattern." He opened the second one slightly, "West Lake Longjing tea, first harvest before Qingming Festival, refrigerated. This one is a cloisonné pen holder—"
Endo nodded slightly. His gaze lingered on each gift box for no more than two seconds.
"This is a model of a Phoenix brand bicycle." Chen Zhiyuan picked up the smaller box, opened the lid, and a palm-sized alloy bicycle lay on a yellow velvet lining, even the bell on the handlebars was made. "I heard that Miss likes to take pictures. Take this back and put it on your desk; it's a small token of Shenhai's appreciation."
Endo's gaze lingered on the miniature bicycle for an extra second.
"The young lady will like it," he said.
Chen Zhiyuan closed the lid of the bicycle model and placed it back on the table. Then he turned around and took the last small gift box from the young cadre behind him.
Wrapped in indigo cotton cloth. Very clean packaging, without any signature or markings.
"This," Chen Zhiyuan's tone switched from "Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau" to another channel, with a hint of cautious seriousness, "is something I prepared personally. It's not official business, and it's not on the list."
Endo's gaze fell on the cotton cloth wrapping.
He didn't ask what it was.
……
It's exactly 7 o'clock.
The second black Crown drove onto the tarmac.
Fujita got out of the car first. He was wearing a dark suit, white gloves, and holding a long black umbrella in his right hand. He scanned the blind spots around the tarmac for three seconds before opening the back door.
Satsuki got out of the car.
A cream-colored cashmere cardigan. A dark gray pleated skirt. Her hair wasn't secured with pearl clips like the previous two days; instead, it was loosely tied back with a beige satin ribbon, with a few stray strands falling down beside her ears. She wore a pair of round-toed leather shoes with a silver buckle on the vamp.
She looked a little sleepy, her eyelids drooping listlessly.
I habitually took a deep breath of the morning air.
Then I was immediately choked by the not-so-good air in the airport.
"Ahem!"
The people around immediately tensed up, especially the Chinese delegation, who were afraid that this aunt might cause some trouble before boarding the plane.
But the security personnel from the Saionji family had already surrounded them, and they could only watch helplessly.
Endo came to Satsuki's side, looking at her with some concern, and was about to help her catch her breath.
Satsuki raised her head, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"Endo, did you bring the crab roe xiaolongbao?"
Endo's outstretched hand paused in mid-air, and he bowed slightly. "Two baskets were packed and are already on the machine. A separate dish of ginger and vinegar was also prepared in the insulated bag."
"...Phew, that's good."
Satsuki straightened up and patted her chest.
"Yes. Take some back for Father to try."
She turned around and saw Chen Zhiyuan.
Chen Zhiyuan had come to his senses, took a step forward, and bowed slightly.
Then he spoke in Japanese—standard Tokyo pronunciation, enunciating clearly, even more formally than when he first revealed his hand that day:
"Miss Saionji, I wish you a safe journey home. Please forgive me for any shortcomings in our hospitality these past few days."
Satsuki's eyebrows rose slightly.
Japanese.
In public.
In front of Deputy Director Liu and two other cadres.
This means he no longer intends to hide this card. Or rather, he's sending a signal to Endo: the level of communication between me and your young lady no longer needs translation.
Satsuki didn't linger on the signal. She expertly flashed that innocent smile.
"Director Chen, you're too kind. Shenhai was a lot of fun; I'll definitely come again next time."
Chen Zhiyuan smiled. If he hadn't seen this person's true face, he probably wouldn't have been able to tell that it was a disguise.
He suppressed the thought, took a half step to the side, and slightly raised his chin towards Deputy Director Liu behind him.
Deputy Director Liu understood, turned around and walked to the folding table, arranged the five mahogany gift boxes in the order that Chen Zhiyuan had instructed him to do the night before, picked up the first box with both hands and handed it to Chen Zhiyuan.
Chen Zhiyuan took it and turned to Gaoyue.
"We can't let Miss go back empty-handed after coming all this way to Shenhai." He held the gift box up to a comfortable height, just enough for Satsuki to catch without having to look up or bend over. "Just a few small things, nothing special."
Satsuki blinked, her eyes sparkling with excited anticipation.
"Can I open it up and take a look?"
"certainly."
Chen Zhiyuan turned slightly to the side, putting his hands behind his back to make room for her to unfold the gift box.
The silk shawl was opened first. Satsuki lifted the heavy, off-white satin from the box and shook it in the morning light. The silk surface shimmered with a warm sheen, like half-melted butter.
"So smooth."
She draped the shawl over her left arm with her right hand and ran her fingers along the fabric twice.
Aside from that, there were no other comments. It seems her understanding of shawls was limited to whether they were "slippery" or not.
Chen Zhiyuan maintained a proper smile, but his brow twitched very slightly.
22 momme heavyweight satin. Hand-woven by master craftsmen at the Shenhai Silk Research Institute. This type of silk is listed in the export catalog as $120 per meter.
They dismissed it with a simple "It's so slippery".
He silently made a mental note of it.
Endo stood three steps away, saying nothing. But his gaze lingered for half a second on the trajectory of Satsuki's fingers—her index finger and thumb pinched together at the intersection of their axes.
Hmm... Are you counting the yarn density?
Satsuki folded the shawl neatly and put it back in the box.
"Thank you, Director Chen, it's beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it, Miss."
But he had already mentally rated the gift's impact on him—out of five, about one and a half points.
The second gift box contained a can of Longjing tea.
Satsuki leaned closer and sniffed, her brows furrowing. She hesitated for a long time, trying to figure out what to say.
"Mmm, it smells so good."
Chen Zhiyuan saw the frowning gesture.
So, you don't really like green tea?
He suddenly remembered something Ikeda had mentioned on the phone—"The young lady usually drinks black tea."
For her, green tea was probably like the first cup of matcha someone offered her when she went to Japan. A polite "It smells good" was already an effort to be courteous.
Never mind. One point.
The third is a cloisonné pen holder.
This time, Satsuki didn't even offer a comment. She simply thanked her politely.
Chen Zhiyuan's expression remained unchanged.
But his right hand clenched silently behind his back.
zero points.
Cloisonné enamel. Copper-bodied cloisonné enamel. A court technique passed down from the Qianlong era. He specially had someone select a dragon and phoenix design from the arts and crafts factory—something that wouldn't be out of place at a state banquet.
She didn't even open it to look at the pattern when she took it.
Chen Zhiyuan sighed inwardly. It wasn't that he was heartbroken about the things. Rather, he suddenly realized something:
His approach to preparing the gift was flawed from beginning to end.
He consistently used the logic of "the best products Shenhai can offer" when selecting goods. Silk, Longjing tea, cloisonné—each of these are key export products that generate foreign exchange, and each is in high demand in overseas markets.
But the person in front of me has no shortage of good things.
What is she lacking?
When the lid of the bicycle model box was opened, she finally tilted her head slightly.
The tiny Phoenix brand bicycle lay quietly on the yellow velvet. It had a black frame, silver spokes, and an exquisitely crafted little bell on the handlebars; the paddle could even be flicked with a fingernail.
Satsuki picked up the model.
I held it up to my eyes and spun it around twice.
"So small."
Chen Zhiyuan's expression froze for a moment.
His right hand tightened completely behind his back.
Would it be better to just give her a bicycle?
To be honest, he even considered keeping the bicycle model for himself last night when he was examining it closely.
The feedback I received was just two words.
"So small."
Fortunately, Satsuki didn't throw a tantrum this time. If she had smashed the model on the spot, Chen Zhiyuan would have been in tears.
"I'll put it on my desk."
She glanced at Chen Zhiyuan, and a sly smile suddenly appeared on her lips.
Even with Chen Zhiyuan's years of cultivating his inner strength, he was on the verge of breaking down.
He suddenly realized that there was another possibility.
Is it possible that this little witch is deliberately teasing me and seeing my reaction?
"Thank you, Director Chen!"
Chen Zhiyuan took a deep breath.
Four gifts. Silk 1.5 cents, Longjing tea 1 cent, cloisonné 0 cents, bicycle model—
He glanced at Satsuki's smiling face.
No more points. This scoring system simply doesn't apply to her.
He took the small gift box wrapped in indigo cotton cloth from behind him and presented it to Satsuki with both hands.
"This is something I prepared personally," he said, his tone slightly softer than before. "It's not an official gift from the China Merchants Group."
Satsuki accepted it.
The cotton fabric has a rough feel and an indigo blue color reminiscent of an old-fashioned dye shop. The edges are not hemmed, indicating that it was clearly hand-cut.
She opened the cotton cloth.
Inside was a tin can.
The jar has a frosted finish, is approximately four inches tall, and has a tightly fitting lid. A line of English text is embossed on the front:
Keemun.
Qimen black tea.
Satsuki's finger stopped on the jar.
Chen Zhiyuan said in Japanese, "Mr. Ikeda mentioned that Miss likes black tea. This is the first-harvest premium grade from Qimen, Anhui this spring, with very limited production. It has a genuine Qimen aroma, and after brewing, it has an orchid-like aroma at the bottom. Compared to Ceylon and Darjeeling... well, it's definitely one of our own good things from China. Please, Miss, try it." (In 1990, the best Qimen black tea in China (such as gift tea and premium national gift tea) was basically not sold domestically; it was all packaged and exported by the China National Tea Import & Export Corporation to earn foreign exchange.)
A morning breeze swept across the tarmac.
Satsuki's fingers lingered on the tin can for two seconds.
The pad of my index finger remained pressed against the embossed lettering "Keemun" without moving.
She looked up.
The smile changed.
Chen Zhiyuan was certain he hadn't misread it.
The curve of her lips was a little smaller, but her eyes brightened.
His shoulders relaxed. The relaxation was so slight that he probably didn't even realize it himself.
"Thank you, Director Chen." Satsuki's voice was as sweet as ever. "I'll definitely make some to drink when I get back to Tokyo."
She put the tin can, along with the indigo cotton cloth, back into the small gift box and handed it to Fujita behind her.
Fujita took it. He noticed the young lady's gesture when she handed over the small box—it was handed over separately, not stacked with the other four gift boxes.
He put it in the upper compartment of his briefcase.
Chen Zhiyuan also noticed it.
Delivered separately. Upper compartment.
He mentally gave the last item a score.
Five points.
Full marks.
……
All gift boxes have been handed over.
Gaoyue bowed slightly to Chen Zhiyuan.
At this moment, she behaved like a noblewoman, giving a standard Japanese farewell ceremony, with precise angles and just the right length.
"Then, Director Chen, I'll leave the follow-up matters to Endo. Endo will arrange anything that requires my signature."
"Definitely," Chen Zhiyuan said. "May you have a safe journey, Miss."
The Chinese delegation bowed in unison.
……
Satsuki and her group boarded the plane, and the cabin door closed.
The Chinese delegation retreated to a safe area and watched the plane take off.
The engine's starting sound gradually climbed from a low frequency, as if something enormous was slowly awakening. The midnight blue Gulfstream G4 began to slide, the sound of the wheels grinding on the track being drowned out by the engine.
It glided to the end of the runway, turned, and aligned itself with the takeoff direction.
Then accelerate.
The aircraft accelerated along the runway, the nose wheel lifted off, and the main landing gear took off. The entire plane sliced into the gray-blue sky at a clean angle of attack.
Chen Zhiyuan's gaze followed the increasingly smaller dark blue silhouette until it disappeared into the bottom of the clouds.
The deputy director next to me muttered, "The color of this plane is really weird. It looks like a black gemstone so early in the morning."
Chen Zhiyuan did not respond.
The weirdest thing isn't the airplane...
He put his hands in his trench coat pockets and stood there for a few seconds. Then he turned and walked toward the official car parked some distance away.
The leather shoes made a clear "tap" sound with each step on the concrete ground of the tarmac.
After walking seven or eight steps, he spoke. His voice was soft, as if he were talking to himself.
Seventeen years old.
Deputy Director Liu didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Chen Zhiyuan shook his head.
"It's nothing. Let's go, we still have a bunch of reports to write when we get back."