On the trip back to Moscow, Su Tao would occasionally look at Jiang Qinghan, feeling worried. Although Jiang Qinghan was silent without any revelation in her expression, Su Tao knew that her heart was in turmoil. When a tear rolled down her cheek, Su Tao couldn't help holding onto her shoulder. At this moment, the usually tough woman was like any other woman; she needed a shoulder to lean on.
Jiang Qinghan leaned her face on Su Tao's shoulder. She knew that Yan Sun was pretending to lose his memory, but at the same time, she could tell that the Russian woman had real feelings for Yan Sun. The eyes wouldn't lie, and from the beginning to the end, Agata only had Yan Sun in her eyes. Those were genuine emotions, and it's impossible to escape from the eyes of Jiang Qinghan.
As for the gentleness that Yan Sun showed to Agata, that wasn't an act either.
She initially thought that she finally found her long lost husband, but in the blink of an eye, he had become so cold and ruthless. It felt like a massive blow to her heart and the entire concept of her world collapsed.
For Yan Sun, Jiang Qinghan had been keeping herself single and rejected all her suitors. But on the other hand, Yan Sun found a new love somewhere else. The despair she felt was raging through her heart.
The chauffeur was someone arranged by Lin Yifu, who looked through the rear mirror and felt curious about the two of their identities. If he were to call them a couple, something seemed to be lacking. But that woman was currently leaning on the man's shoulder, so he was curious about what happened.
Silently tearing up, Jiang Qinghan noticed that Su Tao's shoulder was damp. It turned out that her tears created a huge patch on Su Tao's shoulder. Realising that she went a little out of character, she immediately straightened her body and squeezed out a smile. "I'm sorry to show you a joke."
Shaking his head, Su Tao solemnly replied, "It's not funny at all! Master, I really feel bad for you…"
Jiang Qinghan felt her heart jolted when Su Tao told her that he felt terrible for her. It felt a little weird. Her disciple was feeling bad for her? For some reason, it sounded a bit odd.
Shaking her head, Jiang Qinghan replied, "For some reason, I feel relieved now. Although the outcome was different from what I'd expected, at least I found Yan Sha's father. It is fortunate enough that he wasn't dead."
Feeling admiration for how Jiang Qinghan comforted herself, Su Tao said, "For such a man like Yan Sun, it's fine not to have him around. He's an irresponsible and selfish person. He actually pretended to lose his memories? What a joke!"
"Why do you not believe that he has really lost his memories?" Jiang Qinghan wore a bitter smile and continued, "I would rather believe that he lost his memories."
"Don't forget that I'm a physician. How could I not tell if someone lost his memories? He's healthier than everyone else. Although there might be some old injuries on his right hand, his brain is fine." Su Tao patiently explained.
Inwardly sighing, Jiang Qinghan replied, "Why do you have to strike me with another blow? I might feel better in my heart if you lied to me and said that he lost his memories."
"I'm afraid that you might feel hopeful for him. If that's the case, then you will be in his shadow for your entire lifetime. Why make yourself live like a zombie?" Su Tao explained, shaking his head.
"So, in your eyes, I'm that weak." Jiang Qinghan glanced at Su Tao's earnest gaze that read her mind. His eyes were sincere without any pretense. She realised that she wasn't alone all the time. There's someone else in the world that cared for her, making her life meaningful.
However, that thought only lasted for a brief instant. She told herself that Su Tao was her disciple, not to mention that he's so much younger. How could she look at him as a reliable man?
"Your past does seem pitiful. You buried yourself in work and have never thought about remarrying. In the eyes of many, you're a successful woman. But in my eyes, you're a zombie who lost your soul. When you cried earlier, I noticed that you'd regained your soul again, and you're no longer as numb as before. Because you've restored your sensitivity for emotions, your future will become much brighter." Su Tao encouraged her.
"I never expected that you're so educated. Even I couldn't comprehend those words." Jiang Qinghan wore her usual smile and sighed, "That's right! It feels terrible, but I'm also relieved at the same time. Since there's an outcome, I will no longer bury myself in it. After I return, I want to enjoy my life to the fullest!."
Seeing that Jiang Qinghan recovered from her despair, Su Tao smiled. "We will all be happy for you that way!"
"We?" Jiang Qinghan was baffled as she looked at Su Tao.
"Yeah. Me, Old Yan, and Yan Sha!" After that, Su Tao emphasised, "Us!"
Letting out a breath, Jiang Qinghan nodded her head. "Alright. I have something that I would like you to promise me."
"What is it?" Su Tao nodded his head.
"I hope that you can hide the matter that Yan Sun is still alive from Yan Sha and my father-in-law." Jiang Qinghan smiled and continued, "I don't want them to feel hurt after knowing the truth. Just say that we failed to find him."
Upon hearing those words, Su Tao fell into silence. An eternal lie didn't exist in the world since it's bound to be exposed. Since he knew, then he should say it out loud. After all, Yan Sha and Yan Wujin had the right to know about this matter.
But since Jiang Qinghan made a request, he could only nod his head and agreed, "Alright."
"It's rare for us to be in Russia, and I just noticed how beautiful the scenery is!" Jiang Qinghan smiled as she looked through the window. The blue sky, the mountains, the river, and the refreshing air.
"It's only a pity that we don't have much time left. We will have to return in two days. Otherwise, we could tour around and admire the scenery." Su Tao sighed. A trip could nurture feelings, but it's a pity that there's not enough time for him and Jiang Qinghan.
"We'll travel the next time when there's an opportunity!" Jiang Qinghan briefly paused before she continued, "Bring along Yan Sha and father. We'll go on a trip together."
When Su Tao heard the first half, he inwardly rejoiced, but the joy was short-lived. He instantly lost his interest from the second half, thinking about how he would be sleeping with Yan Wujin. However, he still wore a smile and suggested, "We don't really have to leave the country to enjoy a trip, and we can just do it in the country. When Yan Sha is done with her exams, we can take some time out and tour around the country. What do you think about that?"
As his gaze fell on Jiang Qinghan's face, Su Tao continued, "I'm just afraid that you won't have time and throw yourself into work once we return."
After a brief hesitation, Jiang Qinghan smiled. "Speaking of which, I'm really a failure as a mother. Yan Sha is already so big, and I've never brought her out on a trip. I'll take your suggestion and plan a trip around the country when I get back. At that time, you and father can come along, consider it to be a readjustment for Yan Sha after her examination."
Su Tao never expected that Jiang Qinghan would really agree to it, to which he smiled. "As long as you can make yourself free, I'll decide if we're going on a tour trip or just by ourselves."
Looking at Su Tao's expression for a long time, for some reason, Jiang Qinghan felt something weird about his smile. However, she did not overthink it. She had already decided to get her life back.
This diplomatic activity in Russia could be considered as unfavorable because of the series of events that took place. The representative team canceled several activities in a few cities. Although the leader of the group had an exchange with several enterprises in Russia, the representative team did not obtain the orders they imagined.
Without the orders, that meant that this trip would go down the drain. At the same time, it would spell a significant blow to the country. Putting it in a serious tone, the country had gone through great efforts for this activity, but it was all in vain.
Seated in the presidential suite in the hotel, the core official read through all sorts of documents. At this moment, Mr. Xue placed a pile of filtered papers on the desk and said, "I've just gotten news from the Shui Family that the negotiation isn't going well."
Although the core official's objective seemed to be various projects, his main focus was actually on the cooperation between the Shui Family and an Aerospace Company in Russia. They're trying to use the collaboration between companies to push forth the partnership between the state of the art technologies. This was a usual trick in diplomatic visits. Right now, Russia's economy was on the decline, and they required investments from China's businessmen to bring vitality to the economy. The diplomatic campaign came with a large group of enterprises to increase the friendship between both companies and a bargaining chip for aerospace technology.
As the core official locked his brows together, he said, "It's mainly because there's a problem with Stefan. Is he really as ill as the news claimed?"
"The problem is pretty serious. Ever since the news came out, Stefan has been hiding from public eyes. From the news that we obtained, he has been locking himself at his home. At the same time, he seems to have a severe heavy drinking condition." Mr. Xue sighed.
"Heavy drinking?" The core official looked at Mr. Xue in perplexion before he said in disappointment, "It looks like he has abandoned himself to despair."
Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Mr. Xue replied, "Speaking of which, there seems to be something fishy about this matter. He started to drink heavily after meeting Shui Junzhuo. In the past, Stefan had quit drinking for many years."
Holding onto his chin, the core official saw through the entire scheme with a glance and replied, "The issue right now is on Stefan. If we can treat his condition, then there might be a change in the situation!"