Part 2 Hello, Mr. Major General I'm Gu Nianzi

258. Come in!

This had been a risky move, but her lawyer had advised her to make it and she was pleased with the results so far.
She sat on the sofa, calmly drinking her coffee as she waited.
Ten minutes later, Huo Shaoheng arrived at the C City Convention Center in full uniform. Accompanied by his personal secretary Zhao Liangze and two orderlies, he made his way to the meeting room, which was on the first floor of the convention center.
Zhao Liangze knocked on the door of the meeting room. "Deputy Minister Feng, General Huo is here to see you."
It was only a small meeting room, but the entrance was heavily guarded by Secret Service personnel. The addition of the elite soldiers from the Special Operations Forces was overkill: not even a fly nor a mosquito would have been able to get into the room.
"Come in." Deputy Minister Feng walked over to the door and personally opened it himself.
Gu Yanran set her coffee down. She blinked.
The young man who entered was tall and well-built, his navy blue military uniform neatly buttoned up to his neck. A golden pine branch and a gold star shone on his epaulette.
Gu Yanran could not hide her surprise.
She recognized the epaulette; she had carefully studied the military ranks and insignia when she had first arrived at the Huaxia Empire.
This young man was actually a Major General.
She looked at his face. The man was much too handsome for the military it seemed such a waste. And he was so very tall...
Although he had not said a word, his overwhelming presence dominated the room. His gaze was cool and domineering, like a warlord inspecting his territory. It was the sort of powerful ook that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies and extinguished all thought of rebellion.
Gu Yanran slowly rose and extended a hand to him. "I am Gu Yanran. And you are?"
Deputy Minister Feng proudly introduced him, "Allow me to introduce you to Huo Shaoheng, Major General of the Imperial Army and deputy commander of the 6th Military Region. His men eliminated the mercenaries for you."
Huo Shaoheng pointedly ignored Gu Yanran's outstretched hand. He clasped his hands behind his back, and said in a monotone, "Please hand over the blueprints and whatever data you have on the miniaturized nuclear-powered motor, in accordance with your agreement with Deputy Minister Feng."
Gu Yanran was momentarily stunned by this. She quickly recovered, the corners of her lips curving upwards into a small smile.
She nodded, retracted her hand, and pointed to the sofa beside them. "Bravo, General HuoI see you don't believe in beating around the bush. Let us sit down and talk. I've been meaning to thank you."
"I came to collect the blueprints. I did not come here for idle conversation," said Huo Shaoheng, his expression as unrelenting as his words. His dark, fathomless eyes scrutinized her, oppressive and intimidating.
Gu Yanran looked at him but quickly buckled under the overwhelming weight of his gaze. She had to turn away and look at Deputy Minister Feng instead. She said, teasing, "Deputy Minister Feng, are all your army generals so serious?"
Huo Shaoheng did not see the point in socializing when it came to dealing in matters of national interest and security: it was beneath him, and there wasn't a single person on the planet who could convince him otherwise.
He turned to leave. "Little Ze, report to me when you have the blueprints."
The door slammed shut after him.
Zhao Liangze and Deputy Minister Feng remained in the room.
Deputy Minister Feng began to smoke his pipe again, feeling awkward. "Miss Gu, please don't take it personally. General Huo is famous for his temper and his brusque nature."
"I don't mind at all! I think that you are lucky to have a man like him in the military." Gu Yanran did not seem to think that Huo Shaoheng had been rude to her. She opened her bag and extracted a sheaf of blueprints and a small flash drive from it. She handed them to Zhao Liangze. "It's all here; take it."
Zhao Liangze accepted them and saluted her. "Thank you, Miss Gu." With that, he turned and left the room.
Deputy Minister Feng laughed and clapped his hands. "Excellent! Wonderful! Allow me to treat you to dinner, Miss Gu, to celebrate our successful trade!"
Gu Yanran smiled. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Feng. There will be a cocktail party after the ceremony. Will you be able to attend?" She paused briefly. "I have a big gift for General Huo if he decides to attend the party."