A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

After the joke.

Jiang Xia's brows furrowed into a knot.

Hurry back and see what's going on!

He was anxious, not because he was worried that Minister Xia would get into a fight with someone in the office; these senior colleagues had their own unique way of communicating, so he didn't need to worry about them.

He was eager to know the true situation of the IEC conference.

"We've won a great victory!"

The victory at the IEC conference sounded exhilarating to Minister Xia, but Jiang Xia himself was quite pleased with himself.

This victory was by no means easy, nor could it be obtained so easily as Minister Xia casually mentioned with a few words, accompanied by a great deal of fanfare.

Consider the current external environment: the iron curtain of technological blockade remains thick, and some countries are eager to nip emerging technological sparks in the bud.

The delegation was not met with flowers and applause, but rather with faces—some arrogant, some scrutinizing, and some gloating—behind the cold marble pillars and stained glass windows of the Lausanne venue.

Just think about where our delegation is in their eyes right now—a piece of "fat meat" that has suddenly barged into the banquet, not only refusing to behave as a decoration, but also wanting to decide the order of serving the dishes!

Would diners sitting around the table with knives and forks in hand be pleasant to such a "fat piece of meat"?

Will they applaud and welcome them with a pleasant expression?

This is as absurd as some people confessing to having too much appetite for braised pork in front of the table before eating!

Jiang Xia put away his headphones, dusted off his hands, and called out to Old Wang, who was not far away, "Old Wang, let's go!"

Old Wang immediately responded and strode over: "Where are you going?"

"Commander, can I hitch a ride back to the Seventh Research Institute?" Jiang Xia unceremoniously shoved the package in his hand into the back seat of the jeep.

"Alright, you guys go ahead. I happen to have something to report over there!" The naval leader straightened his collar and smiled as he watched Jiang Xia take it upon himself to requisition his vehicle. However, when he looked at the red Western-style building on the side of the street, a shadow of gloom flashed in his eyes.

Before starting the car, the naval leader seemed to glance across the street unintentionally, his gaze lingering on a certain figure for a moment.

Then, he nudged Jiang Xia, who was climbing back into the car, with his elbow, gestured towards the opposite side with his lip, and lowered his voice, with a hint of teasing that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold:

"Hey kid, see that? There's a pretty good-looking tiger cub crouching under that tree over there. How about we go over and say hello, get to know it?"

Jiang Xia didn't stop moving, squeezing himself into the back seat, leaving only his profile visible through the window, his voice calm and even: "Sir, no need. I politely decline. It's urgent!"

This slightly cold rejection only intensified the playful look in the naval leader's eyes.

He leaned halfway into the car window, and a bubbly voice popped out: "Really not going? Once you get to know him, you might not even have the chance to eat this kind of street food anymore, you'll be eating 'special' meals every day! Don't you regret it?"

The naval leader paused deliberately, emphasizing his words, "You need to understand, behind him lurks a real tiger! And... one with wings!"

Jiang Xia finally turned his head and looked directly at the naval bigwig. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were full of speechless disbelief, as if to say, "Aren't you bored?"

"Sir, you don't actually need to mention his name."

Jiang Xia paused, her tone even carrying a hint of irony, "If I actually listened to you and ran over there eagerly to curry favor, wouldn't your expression be more interesting than if you'd swallowed a fly? What would you say then?"

The naval leader was taken aback, then chuckled and pointed at Jiangxia, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Jiang Xia didn't stop, and asked a question that had been lingering in his mind: "By the way, judging from your tone... you and his wife must be old comrades-in-arms, right?"

Why does it feel like... the relationship isn't quite harmonious? You're so 'encouraging' me to get to know him, but the way you're saying it doesn't seem like you really want me to have contact with him.

Isn't that contradictory?

These words seemed to have struck a hidden switch.

The naval leader's nonchalant smile faded visibly, slowly settling into an indescribable sadness.

He lowered his head, gazing at the bluestone path beneath his feet, and murmured softly:

"We can't go back, we can't go back at all..."

The naval leader said this out of the blue, and then, as if explaining or talking to himself, said: "Some positions, some appointments, the person arrives before the order is given... This is not in accordance with the rules, nor is it proper."

Such an important matter should have been formally ordered and publicly announced by higher authorities. What's going on here?

"What?" Jiang Xia didn't hear clearly.

The naval officer didn't respond. After he finished speaking, he simply staggered back to the sidecar, looking somewhat dejected.

"Three instructions!"

Old Wang, who was inside the car, chimed in out of the blue, and then fell silent.

Jiang Xia remained silent, searching his memory for information about this instruction. He was just searching, and inevitably, he began to rationalize it.

His gaze gradually turned cold.

The Jeep's engine growled as it slowly started moving.

Jiang Xia sat in the back seat with the car window rolled down halfway.

Just as the car was about to leave the street corner, as if drawn by some invisible force, his gaze unconsciously fell on the sycamore tree across the street.

Almost at the same moment, Lin Wenxuan's gaze also pierced through the sparse branches and leaves and the afternoon sunlight that was beginning to slant, and shone straight towards them.

Their gazes briefly met amidst the swirling dust and the faint blue smoke emanating from the Jeep's exhaust pipe.

Jiang Xia's gaze swept over, as if brushing against an unrelated leaf or a corner of an unrelated gray wall.

There were no deliberately drawn boundaries in those eyes, because the boundaries were there naturally and absolutely, without needing any extra markings.

Lin Wenxuan's gaze followed him somewhat vaguely, as if through a summer heatwave. There was no sharp scrutiny; that would be too detailed.

There was no clear sense of resentment, that was too obvious. It was more like a distant gaze, softened by the afternoon light and dust.

There was no spark, no weight, even the essence of emotion was as thin as smoke. It was merely a chance encounter between a moving window and a still silhouette.

Then, the scene framed by the car window began to flow, pushing and blurring the shadows of trees and people away, leaving them at the end of the gradually lengthening street.

The jeep accelerated, turned the corner, and left the sycamore tree and the white figure under it completely behind.

Jiang Xia withdrew her gaze from the car, her face still expressionless. She simply exhaled softly, as if the ripples stirred by the memories she had just recalled were being blown away by the wind blowing in from outside the car window.

Old Wang glanced at him from the passenger seat, said nothing, and simply rolled the car window down a little wider.

The wind is getting stronger!

The wind rushed into the car, carrying the smells of sea salt and dust, blowing away any trace of the unusual scent that might have lingered from that brief, less-than-a-second eye contact.