ebookland Chapter 803: Humiliation in the Meeting
Chapter 803: Humiliation in the Meeting
Under Liu Gangding's thoughtful arrangement, the three cars drove out of the airport one after another. They drove along the wide road, passed through a series of neat and uniform military camps, and finally stopped steadily at the entrance of the Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
The doors opened one by one, and Seckt, Marco and Taro Suzuki got out one after another.
Liu Gangding walked in front, leading the three people through one checkpoint after another, and finally arrived at the door of the conference room that symbolized power and decision-making.
He gently pushed the door open and motioned for everyone to come in. The lights in the room were soft and bright. A long conference table occupied most of the space. Documents and notebooks were neatly placed on the table. Obviously, an important meeting was about to take place here.
Su Zhengyang, the top leader of China, had already been sitting at one end of the conference table. He smiled and first extended his hand to Seckt: "Mr. Seckt, long time no see. You are such a rare guest. Your arrival has added a lot of brilliance to our talks."
Sekt responded politely, and the greeting between the two was brief but full of diplomatic subtleties. "President Su, you are too polite. I am also honored to meet you again."
Then, Su Zhengyang turned his gaze to Marco, and his tone was a little more admiring: "Mr. Marco, I have heard that you are a rare diplomatic talent in Italy, proficient in six languages, and knowledgeable. After meeting you today, I found that you are indeed a handsome man with outstanding temperament."
Upon hearing this, Marco smiled modestly. His answer was both appropriate and humorous: "President Su, you are too kind. In front of you, I am just an insignificant person and I still need to learn a lot."
However, in this friendly atmosphere, Suzuki Taro felt unprecedented indifference and embarrassment. Su Zhengyang seemed to have completely forgotten his existence and never looked at him straight in the eye. This feeling of being ignored made Suzuki Taro's face more and more gloomy, and his toes twisted restlessly in his shoes, almost digging out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment.
"Everyone, please take a seat." Su Zhengyang finally ended his conversation with Seckt and Marco. His voice was calm and powerful, as if everything was under control.
Taro Suzuki had no choice but to be thick-skinned and slowly walk to a seat at the conference table under the gazes of everyone, some overt and some covert.
When he sat down, his movements seemed a little stiff, and his face was terribly gloomy, like the sky before a storm, ready to erupt with terrifying anger at any time.
Following Su Zhengyang's gentle call, a uniformed orderly walked quickly and silently into the conference room. He walked with steady steps and held an exquisite tray in his hand, on which were placed several sets of exquisite tea sets and a plate of colorful and fragrant snacks.
The orderly placed the tray steadily on the conference table and then retreated silently.
Su Zhengyang looked at Seckt and Marco with a smile, "I have prepared some tea and snacks for you two, hoping to add a relaxed atmosphere to our meeting." As he spoke, he personally poured tea for the two of them. His movements were skillful and elegant, and it was obvious that he had a good understanding of the tea ceremony.
"President Su, you are so polite." Seckt took the teacup, took a sip, and then praised it highly, "This tea has a fragrant aroma and a long aftertaste. It is really good tea!"
"Yes, President Su's taste is indeed unique." Marco also agreed. He picked up a piece of dessert and took a bite. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "This dessert is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It is sweet but not greasy. It is really delicious."
Su Zhengyang saw this and smiled with satisfaction. "As long as you like it, these are the characteristics of our China. I hope you can feel our sincerity and enthusiasm."
However, in this seemingly warm tea party, Taro Suzuki was once again ignored.
He sat aside, holding a teacup in his hand, but the tea had already gone cold and he hadn't taken a sip.
The snacks in front of him were like chewing wax, not attractive at all. His eyes kept sweeping over the pleasant conversation between Su Zhengyang, Sekt and Marco, and his heart was filled with jealousy and resentment.
"President Su, regarding the purpose of our trip..." Suzuki Taro finally couldn't help but speak, trying to interrupt the topic, but his voice was interrupted by Su Zhengyang's understated gesture.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Suzuki, I almost forgot you were still here." Su Zhengyang pretended to be surprised, but there was no apology or regret in his eyes, "But don't worry, our talks will soon touch on your topic. For now, let's enjoy this rare leisure time."
After saying that, Su Zhengyang turned his attention back to Seckt and Marco and continued their friendly conversation, as if Taro Suzuki was really just an insignificant bystander.
Such neglect made Suzuki Taro feel extremely angry and humiliated, but he also knew that at this moment and place, he had to remain calm and rational, otherwise he would only put himself in a more passive situation.
Time seemed to be stretched in the conference room, and every second seemed extremely heavy. For Suzuki Taro, the past twenty minutes were simply an incomparable torture, and every moment was like dancing on the edge of a knife, and the days felt like years.
He kept adjusting his sitting posture, trying to ease his inner anxiety and uneasiness, but those subtle movements were more like silent protests, which seemed out of place in this spacious conference room.
Finally, when the oppressive feeling was about to swallow him, Suzuki Taro could no longer bear it. He took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound calm and firm: "President Su, you should know the purpose of my visit this time is to..."
However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted again by Su Zhengyang's cold and majestic voice: "Mr. Suzuki, I think I have made it very clear that we will not talk about business today. If you feel uncomfortable staying here, I can immediately arrange for you to rest." Su Zhengyang's tone was extremely impolite, as if he was treating an uninvited interrupter.
Taro Suzuki's face turned pale in an instant, his clenched fists trembled slightly, and the anger in his heart was about to erupt like a volcano.
At this moment, an orderly in a neat uniform quietly walked into the conference room. He saluted Su Zhengyang respectfully, and then reported in a low voice: "President Su, the banquet is ready, please move to the banquet hall."
Su Zhengyang smiled slightly when he heard this. He stood up, glanced at Sekt and Marco, and invited them, "Mr. Sekt, Mr. Marco, please follow me to the banquet hall, where we can continue to enjoy this wonderful night."
As he said that, he strode out, completely ignoring Suzuki Taro who was sitting next to him. Seeing this, Seckt frowned slightly, and turned to look at Suzuki Taro, obviously a little reluctant. So he reminded: "President Su, shouldn't Mr. Suzuki also attend the banquet with us?"
However, Su Zhengyang just sneered, his eyes full of disdain and contempt: "My banquet is only prepared for qualified people. As for those self-righteous beasts, they are not qualified to participate."
This sentence was like a sharp knife, piercing Suzuki Taro's heart. His face turned pale as paper, his eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
The air around them seemed to freeze at this moment, leaving only Su Zhengyang's eyes full of mockery and Suzuki Taro's face distorted by anger and humiliation.