Hearing this, Jiang Si and Director Yang exchanged a glance. "Did they mention what it was about?"
"No."
Assistant Qi shook his head. The matter had been relayed by Minister Zhao's assistant, who hadn't provided any specifics.
However, on their way back, Assistant Qi still shared what little he knew with Jiang Si.
"This morning, a group of people came to the office. According to the director, the one leading them was a deputy minister from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"Accompanying him were the director of the Protocol Department and some people from the Translation Department."
"People from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"
"Mm."
Assistant Qi nodded. "They stayed in Minister Zhao's office for quite a while. In the middle of it, they even had the secretariat send over several documents. They only left just now."
At this point, Jiang Si had a rough idea of what was going on.
The only connection she had with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the project she was currently handling.
After all, it involved a foreign-related hotel.
It wasn’t unusual for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inquire about the project's progress.
But upon closer thought, it might not be just a simple inquiry.
Consider this: over a dozen countries had participated in the competition, and the candidates from each country were highly skilled.
Yet, in the end, it was her—a relatively unknown figure—who had been selected.
Who wouldn’t have doubts after hearing that?
Doubts weren’t the issue; the real concern was someone using this opportunity to smear Huaguo’s reputation.
Accusing Huaguo of being a sore loser and engaging in underhanded dealings.
If such rumors spread internationally, it wouldn’t just be a matter of losing face—it could have serious consequences.
So Jiang Si suspected that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had likely caught wind of these rumors.
That was why they were in such a hurry to intervene.
Sure enough, upon arriving at the office, Minister Zhao immediately called her into his office.
"Have a seat." Minister Zhao gestured to the chair across from him.
Once Jiang Si was seated, he got straight to the point.
"Jiang Si, your design proposal has drawn significant attention both domestically and internationally."
"That’s a good thing, but some people who aren’t fully informed have raised doubts about our selection process."
Jiang Si listened quietly without interrupting.
Minister Zhao continued, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that suppression isn’t the solution—transparency is."
"If there are doubts, we should address them openly."
"So, they’ve arranged an impromptu site visit at the end of the month, inviting staff from several embassies and a few newspapers to tour the construction site."
This visit, framed as an exchange, was actually a strategic move to counter the skepticism.
"You’ll accompany them. If they have any questions, you’ll be responsible for explaining."
After a pause, Minister Zhao looked at her with a serious expression.
"This isn’t just about your personal reputation—it’s about the nation’s dignity. So when answering questions, you must be careful and deliberate."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ stance was clear: if there were doubts, they’d face them head-on.
You suspect foul play? Fine.
We’ll invite you over and let you ask whatever you want.
That way, no one can keep using this as ammunition.
Jiang Si had already braced herself for this, so her expression remained calm.
"Minister Zhao, don’t worry. I won’t let you down."
Hearing this, Minister Zhao nodded in satisfaction.
He always appreciated working with sharp individuals like Jiang Si, who grasped things immediately.
"Good. With that assurance, I feel much more at ease."
As if remembering something, Minister Zhao added, "Oh, right. Tomorrow morning, the Translation Department will send over a few professional interpreters. You’ll coordinate with them."
Jiang Si had no objections.
Truthfully, her English was quite good.
After all, she’d attended Hu City’s finest girls’ school, where her advanced classes had always been conducted bilingually.
But architectural design was packed with technical jargon, so it was better to prepare in advance.
Better safe than sorry if the interpreters stumbled during the visit.
Seeing her nod confidently, Minister Zhao visibly relaxed.
"Alright, that’s all for now. Take the next few days to prepare. We’ll stay in touch if anything comes up."
"Understood, Minister." Jiang Si nodded.
Now that she knew what was happening, she wasn’t anxious anymore.
The design proposal was something she’d meticulously crafted, and every detail was already ingrained in her mind. There wasn’t much left to prepare.
When it was time to leave, Jiang Si clocked out right on schedule.
Overtime? Out of the question.
Downstairs, Uncle Chen was already waiting.
Ever since Huo Tingzhou left, Uncle Chen had been unfailingly punctual in driving her to and from work.
"Uncle Chen, I have some errands to run, so I won’t be going home for lunch. Could you take me to the Jing City Grand Hotel instead?"
Jiang Si had made plans the day before to have lunch with Third Uncle and Ninth Master.
Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong had stayed in Hu City for quite a while this time, only returning to Jing City in May.
So when it came to finding a courtyard house, Jiang Si had turned directly to Ninth Master.
But courtyard houses weren’t easy to come by.
Ninth Master had spent months searching without any leads.
Until last week, when there was finally a breakthrough.
Ninth Master had found a suitable courtyard.
The owner had only recently been rehabilitated at the start of the year and was now planning to move his entire family south to Yancheng to join relatives. That was why he was in a hurry to sell the property.
The courtyard was a single-entry layout, with a total of twelve rooms—more than enough for Eldest Brother’s family of six.
Coincidentally, it was just a street away from the one Jiang Si had bought.
A ten-minute walk to the old residence, making visits between the two households convenient.
The owner was eager for a quick sale, so he didn’t haggle much.
A flat price of 4,000 yuan—a very reasonable deal.
The only catch was that the house had only been returned to the owner at the start of the year.
When the tenants were forced to vacate, they’d retaliated by damaging the door frames and floor tiles.
Whoever moved in would need to invest in some serious renovations.
Jiang Si had already inspected the property and was impressed.
But her opinion didn’t matter—this was for Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law. They needed to make the final decision after being fully informed.
Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law didn’t hesitate.
After hearing the details, they immediately gave the green light.
Jiang Si had assured them over the phone that she had the funds on hand.
If they were short on cash, she could cover it first, and they could reimburse her later when convenient.
But Meng Yuan wouldn’t hear of it.
They’d already imposed enough by asking for help with the house—how could they let their sister-in-law front the money too?
She told Jiang Si not to worry; they had the funds.
The only issue was that their military base was hours away from the nearest town.
On top of that, Eldest Brother had been away leading training exercises, so the money transfer wasn’t completed until yesterday afternoon.
Meng Yuan had even sent an extra 200 yuan, asking Jiang Si to buy gifts for Third Uncle and Ninth Master as a token of their gratitude. Otherwise, she’d feel too guilty.
Eldest Sister-in-law was a principled person, so Jiang Si didn’t argue.
She simply agreed without hesitation.
After all, Ninth Master and the others had put in considerable effort for this apartment recently.
So Jiang Si reserved a table at the capital's finest restaurant today, planning to treat everyone to a feast.
