Chapter 431 – Development Prospects
Following this, Mrs. Miller continued to ask, “Do you think building a star-rated hotel in the capital city would be a viable venture?”
Lu Xia was a bit surprised by this question but nodded confidently, “Certainly, I think it’s a good idea. As China’s development continues to accelerate, people’s demands for quality of life will undoubtedly increase. This is most evident in their choices regarding food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Currently, there’s a scarcity of star-rated hotels in China, creating a market gap. If you seize this opportunity, there will be substantial returns and profits in the future.”
“Wow!” Both Mr. and Mrs. Miller looked at Lu Xia with astonishment. “Xia, you’re really exceptional. Listening to you, I feel like you’re not an English major; you’d be perfect for studying economics!”
Lu Xia blushed a bit, as her response was based on her knowledge of future developments. She didn’t know much about economics.
She smiled and replied, “Thank you! So, may I ask if you have any plans in mind?”
Mrs. Miller nodded, “To be honest, the Miller family is involved in various industries, but my husband and I mainly oversee the family’s hotel business. We believe that while China may be a bit behind, there’s currently limited competition in the hotel market. It has potential for development, so we might give it a try.”
Lu Xia smiled upon hearing this, “Rest assured, I won’t let you down.”
After parting ways with the Millers, Lu Xia and Jin Cheng returned to the travel agency.
On the way back, Jin Cheng curiously asked what they had discussed, but Lu Xia shook her head. Since nothing had been confirmed yet, she didn’t plan to share the details. “It was just some questions about Chinese customs,” she replied.
Jin Cheng didn’t press further, and when they got back, they settled the day’s tips. Lu Xia then informed her supervisor about their conversation.
“I think they might be considering investing in the hotel business in China,” she said.
The supervisor was surprised by this revelation but then smiled, “Good job. However, it’s not confirmed yet, so don’t mention it to anyone else for now.”
Lu Xia nodded, “I understand.”
As usual, Jiang Junmo picked her up that day. When they got home, Lu Xia felt quite tired. The week had been exhausting, and now that it was over, she suddenly found it hard to muster the same energy as before.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Junmo felt a bit sorry for her and offered to give her a massage.
Lu Xia felt much more comfortable after the massage and sighed, “I’ve only been doing this for a week, and I’m already feeling exhausted. The people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have it really tough, doing this kind of work all the time!”
Thinking about it, she started to have second thoughts about her original plans.
Jiang Junmo chuckled, “It might be tough in the beginning, but as you get used to it, I bet it’s not much different from any other job.”
Lu Xia realized he was right. Specialized skills were required for this kind of work, and those who did it regularly were probably used to it and didn’t find it as tiring as she did.
With that in mind, she finally relaxed.
Jiang Junmo then asked, “Are you going again tomorrow?”
Lu Xia shook her head, “No, it’s almost over. The next few days will be for private inspections, and I think those people will be heading back to their countries soon.”
Jiang Junmo felt relieved. “In that case, get some rest early tonight. You have to go to school tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
The next day, Lu Xia returned to school for classes. Although she still felt a bit tired physically, her mind was much more relaxed.
However, as soon as she entered the classroom, she could feel the envious glances from her classmates.
*
Chapter 432 – Plunged into Darkness
.
Clearly, during their leave of absence, their classmates had already learned about their temporary assignment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While their classmates were surprised, they were also filled with envy.
After class, many of them inquired about what they had been doing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during this time.
Lu Xia didn’t have much to say. She simply mentioned that they were doing odd jobs to help out.
But even with this brief explanation, their classmates were already envious. After all, it was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! It was the department most foreign language students aspired to work for.
Now that they had heard that these two were only sophomores and had been temporarily assigned there, jealousy was inevitable. However, their classmates also knew that their language proficiency was still quite far from Lu Xia’s. So, in the end, they decided to focus more on their studies.
For a while, the atmosphere in the class became serious, and even students who Lu Xia was not very familiar with started coming to her after class to ask about things they didn’t understand.
Teacher Li was also often surrounded by students after class, and he couldn’t leave until the next class bell rang.
Of course, all of this was a positive development.
…
Afterward, while Lu Xia wasn’t called for another temporary assignment, the travel agency occasionally asked her to assist in hosting foreign visitors on weekends.
Over time, Lu Xia no longer needed a guide; she could handle clients on her own.
Due to a decrease in foreign clients, Jin Cheng had returned to his original position. However, he still occasionally sought Lu Xia’s advice on English-related issues, showing that he was genuinely committed to learning English.
During this period, Lu Xia continued to work as a translator, although the workload had decreased significantly.
After a period of effort, Yu Wan, along with two other male classmates, finally reached a level where they could barely handle translation tasks.
Following an assessment by Teacher Li, they were given some simple translation assignments.
This made all of them very happy.
After receiving a translation task, Yu Wan quickly asked Lu Xia about the necessary dictionaries and translation techniques. She even sacrificed her afternoon naps and worked late into the night to complete her tasks, showing how dedicated she was.
Lu Xia shared the translation techniques she had compiled and those that Jiang Junmo had taught her with Yu Wan, who expressed her gratitude and vowed to do her best.
…
Time passed quickly, and winter arrived in Beijing, bringing rare snowfall. Jiang Junmo was concerned about Lu Xia getting cold while riding her bike, so they decided to take the bus to school together.
The courtyard wasn’t far from the school, and the bus ride took just over twenty minutes.
After getting off the bus, they walked into the school, where they saw many early-rising students along the way.
Seeing this, Lu Xia sighed, “It’s almost the end of the semester already; time flies so fast!”
Jiang Junmo glanced at her helplessly, “It’s only early December. The final exams probably won’t start until mid-January.”
“Well, it’s not that far off. Once December passes, it’ll be January before you know it. So, rounding up, it’s only a few days away!”
Jiang Junmo couldn’t help but chuckle at her quirky logic. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. He wasn’t sure what he had seen, but his expression changed, and he hurriedly pulled Lu Xia away.
Lu Xia was startled by his actions and was about to speak when she heard a loud “bang” from behind!
She instinctively turned to look, and it was too late for Jiang Junmo to stop her.
Then Lu Xia was left in shock by what she saw.
She couldn’t quite recall what she had seen at that moment because her last memory was filled with the color red…
Then a strong, nauseating smell of blood overwhelmed her senses.
She suddenly felt the urge to vomit, and it seemed like Jiang Junmo was covering her eyes.
She could hear his concerned voice and the startled screams of their classmates!
After that, she couldn’t hear anything, and everything plunged into darkness…
