The words of Maximilian had instantly opened the eyes of the other representatives. They realized the truth: the conflict had barely begun, yet the air was already thick with hostility. If left unchecked, who knew what chaos might follow? This thought chilled them to the bone. Even the representatives from Country R and Country H felt a surge of anxiety. They dared to provoke China because they knew China preferred to ignore them rather than engage. But they did not dare to oppose the entire world. That would be suicide. If the agenda proceeded as originally planned, the current harmony would shatter, and the consequences would be unpredictable.
Fortunately, their alertness saved them. The representatives began to speculate on who had orchestrated this agenda. If China had done it, their representative would not have dismantled the plot so directly. China, though a great power, was an ancient civilization that never sought war. No one believed China would pick a fight with the whole world for no reason. As elites, they were not fools. If they caused trouble in China, their home countries would inevitably target China. Thus, they concluded that the conspiracy must be aimed at China.
Because the change in agenda was minor, Old Liu could handle it. He did not reveal the internal situation to the outside world. Instead, he simply asked for paper and pen, and began to follow the proposal made by Gu Jingtian and his team.
After writing down the questions and answers, they placed them into a box nearby. In this way, the atmosphere of exchange returned to the harmony of the previous day.
When the people behind the scenes saw the delegates coming out amicably, chatting and laughing, heading to the Oriental Hotel for dinner, and exchanging goodnights and "see you tomorrow" greetings, the mastermind behind the plot smashed an ashtray in rage.
"Old Ma, I had my people subtly modify the agenda. Why was it changed back in the end? Do you know what happened inside?" This person was Old Ma’s superior, the leader of the "Empty City Stratagem."
"Boss, it rained all day, so the exchange agenda was held entirely in the auditorium. My people did not follow them in, so I don’t know exactly what happened. However, I later found out that Zhu Yanyi raised an objection. She said that answering each other’s questions directly was not good and lacked the meaning of exchange. She suggested that everyone write their questions and answers on paper, and then draw questions to ask." Old Ma could not believe the outcome. She had expected the day’s events to proceed smoothly, but she had guessed the beginning correctly, yet failed to predict the end.
The man was so angry he nearly broke the armrest of his chair. "Zhu… Yan… Yi." He said the three words slowly, one by one, showing how furious he was.
"Boss, what should we do now? This Zhu Yanyi keeps ruining our plans. We must find a way to teach her a lesson. A young girl with no sense of propriety cannot be allowed to be so restless forever." Old Ma naturally knew Zhu Yanyi and remembered her face. Thinking of their previous encounter in Shanghai, she felt deeply frustrated.
The man took a deep breath, seemingly calming his anger. He closed his eyes, contemplating the current situation: