After the tall man—around twenty-seven or twenty-eight—entered, he went straight toward Charles and asked in English, “Mr. Charles! Are you alright?”
The moment Charles saw him, a smile appeared on his face. But it lasted less than three seconds before something seemed to cross his mind, and his expression darkened again.
With a stern face, Charles questioned the tall man.
The leaders who had just entered saw Charles’s gloomy expression as he spoke in English with the translator, and a bitter feeling rose in their hearts.
It seemed that Comrade Charles was angry. And if he was angry, whether he would still go to the steel factory became uncertain.
If the issue at the steel factory wasn’t resolved, it would be a major problem.
The leaders who had arrived couldn’t understand what Charles was saying. They could only wait—wait for him to finish speaking with the translator, then ask the translator afterward.
As they were thinking this, they noticed Song Jinyue sitting across from Charles.
This…
Why was there a female comrade here?
The police captain who had come with Song Jinyue noticed the leaders’ gazes and immediately stood up, walking over to explain why she was there.
When they heard that Song Jinyue could speak a foreign language, the way the leaders looked at her instantly changed.
Song Jinyue sensed their attention but didn’t mind.
She was listening to the conversation between Charles and the man.
From their exchange, she learned that the tall man’s name was Li Huguo, Charles’s translator.
Since Charles had arrived in the country, Li Huguo had been translating for him the entire way.
Charles questioned Li Huguo, asking what exactly had gone wrong. The small issues before, he hadn’t cared about or taken to heart—but this time, Li Huguo had actually managed to lose him.
Facing the questioning and blame, Li Huguo kept apologizing without offering much explanation. He insisted it wasn’t intentional and promised it wouldn’t happen again.
Charles demanded an explanation for how such a situation could occur.
Li Huguo stammered for a long time before finally explaining that they had passed by the train station, where the crowd was too dense and the two of them got separated.
When he turned back and couldn’t find Charles, he immediately went to look for him. After failing to find him, he reported it to the police, which was how the police eventually found Charles.
After hearing the explanation, Charles’s expression softened slightly. Then he brought up Song Jinyue.
He said that if it hadn’t been for her timely help, he might not even know where he would be right now.
As he spoke, Charles looked toward Song Jinyue, the gloom on his face replaced by a smile.
Song Jinyue responded with a polite smile. At that moment, Li Huguo’s gaze also shifted toward her, examining her with scrutiny.
Looking at her appearance, the corners of his lips curled upward into a mocking, disdainful smile, his eyes filled with arrogance.
Song Jinyue’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly looked at him.
Charles turned back to Li Huguo, who immediately put on a welcoming smile.
Charles was about to tell him that Song Jinyue could also speak a foreign language.
Before he could say it, Li Huguo spoke first, mentioning that the leaders were waiting nearby.
Charles turned and saw that it was indeed the case. He quickly stood up to greet them and said he was truly sorry for causing them so much trouble.
After Charles spoke, Li Huguo translated.
But what Li Huguo translated only included Charles’s greeting and his gesture inviting the leaders to sit down. He omitted the apology entirely.
Song Jinyue’s gaze deepened. This translator was quite interesting.
After the greetings, it was time to discuss official matters.
Song Jinyue needed to leave.
She had just begun to stand when Li Huguo spoke, “Leaders, before discussing matters, shouldn’t unrelated people leave?”
Except for Charles, everyone in the meeting room turned their attention to Song Jinyue.
She glanced at Li Huguo, stood up, and walked out.
Seeing her leave, Charles immediately asked in English where she was going.
Before she could answer, Li Huguo responded for her in English, saying she was going to the restroom.
Charles felt embarrassed and said nothing more.
Song Jinyue didn’t explain and left the meeting room.
The police captain left with her as well.
After walking some distance away from the meeting room, the captain moved closer to Song Jinyue and lowered his voice. “Comrade Song, is there something wrong with that translator?”
Song Jinyue’s eyes curved slightly as she smiled. “Why do you suddenly ask that, Captain Han?”
Captain Han looked around, making sure no one else was nearby before speaking his thoughts. “I feel like Comrade Charles said a lot, but the translator only said a few sentences. It seems like he left some things out.”
Song Jinyue praised him, “As expected of Captain Han.”
Captain Han’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her.
With a gentle smile, Song Jinyue nodded. “Mm.”
Worry rose in Captain Han’s heart. If there was a problem with the translator, it would be serious.
Song Jinyue spoke again, “By the way, I need to trouble you with something.”
Captain Han gathered his thoughts and looked at her. “Go ahead.”
She said, “You told those leaders just now that I can speak a foreign language, right?”
“Yes.”
“Please help persuade them not to reveal that I can speak a foreign language.”
Captain Han instinctively wanted to ask why, but before he could, Song Jinyue added, “What if it becomes useful?”
Captain Han immediately understood. He took out a pen and notebook he carried with him and handed them over. “Then could you leave an address? In case we need your help.”
“Alright.” Song Jinyue took them, wrote down her name and address, then returned the items.
Captain Han took them back and looked closely. “Jinyue?”
“The mighty pass is like iron, yet now we take a step forward anew.”
What a good name.
Song Jinyue nodded.
With everything said, she left the city police station and went to the neighborhood office under the residential compound.
After explaining her situation, the staff there, upon hearing she was in a military marriage and planning to join the army as a dependent, warmly told her that getting the necessary certificate was simple. She just needed to bring her military transfer notice, and once they confirmed it, they would issue the certificate immediately.
After hearing this, Song Jinyue went back at once and found the notice in her elder brother’s room.
With the notice in hand, she returned to the neighborhood office.
After verifying it, they promptly issued her personal certification and a letter of introduction.
After leaving the office, Song Jinyue took the documents and went to the train station.
She waited in line for over an hour before it was finally her turn.
It was the same ticket clerk from before, who also recognized her and hesitated briefly.
During that hesitation, Song Jinyue handed over the documents.
Just as she did, a foul, fishy stench—like rotting seafood—drifted over from somewhere, making her vision darken as nausea surged up.
She tried to endure it but couldn’t hold back, gagging involuntarily.
The ticket clerk took the documents and saw that they indicated she was going to join the army as a dependent. She looked up, about to ask something—just in time to see Song Jinyue covering her mouth, retching.
The clerk frowned slightly at the sight and told her to wait for a moment.