Cloud found Zhang Tian’s way of speaking was still displeasing and stopped talking shortly after.
The atmosphere in the car quickly turned silent, with none of the three speaking.
In this strange atmosphere, Jiang Cheng and the others arrived in Wulu City, and Jiang Cheng immediately felt that the air here was completely different from the Imperial Capital a moment ago. Here, because of the lakes and more trees, the air was fresher.
"I think it’s nice here, Jiang," said Cloud.
"Yeah, it feels very serene, like Jiangnan Water Village." Jiang Cheng noticed the noticeably slower pace of life here, feeling much more at ease.
"Let’s get out of the car." Zhang Tian parked in front of a neighborhood. Jiang Cheng saw that this neighborhood wasn’t as luxurious and high-end as others he had seen before. It looked more ordinary, but being in the city center, it seemed not noisy, with a sense of tranquility.
"I have a house here, let’s stay here for now," Zhang Tian said.
After saying so, he led Jiang Cheng and Cloud to the second building, "I got someone to tidy up this place in advance," Zhang Tian opened the door and let Jiang Cheng and Cloud inside.
Jiang Cheng saw that this house matched Zhang Tian’s consistent style, appearing simple and elegant. "Your taste in home decor is still quite good," Cloud said, also liking the bright house in front of her.
"I’ll take a nap first, feel free," Zhang Tian seemed unable to keep his eyes open, appearing genuinely sleepy.
"Jiang, don’t you think Zhang Tian seems to get tired easily?" Cloud asked after Zhang Tian walked away.
"It seems so," Jiang Cheng recalled Zhang Tian’s usual lifestyle, which seemed like that.
"Could he be ill?" Cloud muttered softly.
"I don’t know," Jiang Cheng said but thought it would be good to keep an eye in the future.
Jiang Cheng sat on the sofa, looking at the news on his phone. Clearly, the hottest topic these past days was the summit meeting in front of him. It seemed many important figures were attending. Jiang Cheng looked at the list and saw that it included some top leaders from the country and people from the Wula Sect. This summit seemed quite significant.
"Jiang, should we keep quiet tomorrow, or..." Cloud couldn’t think of the right word to express it.
"Stay low-key as much as possible, but if we have to stand out, then there’s no choice," Jiang Cheng said.
"Got it," Cloud said. "Actually, I’m still worried about us joining the Wula Sect, it really is quite peculiar."
"I agree, but since it’s come to this, there’s nothing we can do but be cautious. Zhao Shuai and Rongfeng are keeping watch over there, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous," Jiang Cheng said.
"Hmm," Cloud felt that whenever she was uneasy, Jiang Cheng always managed to put her at ease, causing her to smile.
The following day came quickly, and it was time for the summit to start. Zhang Tian was up early again to make breakfast, this time for three. Cloud was pleasantly surprised to taste his breakfast for the first time.
"A guy like you must be very popular," Cloud said while eating the delicious breakfast.
Zhang Tian didn’t reply, just glanced at Cloud and continued drinking his milk and reading the newspaper diligently.
"But your personality is quite dull," Cloud thought to herself.
"Where are we going later?" Jiang Cheng asked Zhang Tian.
"I’ll take you to a conference hall," Zhang Tian said.
"Alright, do we need to prepare anything else?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"No,"
After finishing their meal, the three quickly went to the conference hall Zhang Tian mentioned. Jiang Cheng saw that the hall in front of him was large, with a somewhat ancient feel. Two large sycamore trees were at the entrance, and as soon as Jiang Cheng stepped into this city, he noticed the roads were lined with such trees, which looked beautiful.
"Why are there so many sycamore trees here?" Jiang Cheng asked Zhang Tian.
"It is said that the first mayor’s wife of this city loved sycamore trees, so the mayor planted many sycamore trees for her back then," Zhang Tian said blandly.
"That’s so romantic," Cloud said, showing hopeful eyes.
"Romantic?" Zhang Tian smirked lightly, not acknowledging it.
"Of course, you wouldn’t understand," Cloud gave Zhang Tian a sideways glance and stopped talking.
Zhang Tian didn’t say anything further. Jiang Cheng noticed Zhang Tian deep in thought, feeling like he might have recalled something again.
As Zhang Tian saw, the conference hall had only one floor, with a large exhibition platform in the center, surrounded by many tables and seats, where some people were already sitting. Jiang Cheng felt the place in front of him resembled more of a theater. But the more casual it appeared, the more dignified it seemed to exude.
Jiang Cheng and Cloud followed Zhang Tian to sit at a front position, where the leaders of the country sat ahead. It was said the newly appointed leader wouldn’t come today. Still, many significant figures were participating.
The left section was filled with big names in the scientific community. Behind them sat well-known journalists and other notable figures in society.
At this point, Jiang Cheng saw a familiar face, Wu Shan again. Today, she wore a black evening dress, with her hair high up, appearing somewhat mature. But her face still looked pale. "She is a famous scientist in our country, having won many awards at a young age," Zhang Tian said when he saw Jiang Cheng staring at Wu Shan.
"Oh?" Jiang Cheng looked at Wu Shan without speaking.
"She’s here again? Not here to stir trouble again, right?" Cloud asked, eyeing Wu Shan.
Next came two men in matching attire, resembling the uniform of Wula Sect members, "They are the Dharma Venerables of the Wula Sect, elder-level figures," Zhang Tian also watched the two men and commented.
Jiang Cheng observed that the people in front of him didn’t have an arrogant air but appeared sincerely courteous. They seemed polite and not objectionable.
"What’s the main purpose of this meeting?" Cloud asked.
"To report recent scientific achievements or something," Jiang Cheng replied.
"So it’s a scientific conference, like those in Kai Shi Country," Cloud whispered.
Jiang Cheng noticed that the venue was almost full, suggesting it was about to start.
And indeed, after a few minutes, the summit began. A young woman named Yuan Liang stepped onto the stage, announcing the official start of the summit.
Soon, a young man came on stage holding a stack of documents, "Hello everyone, I am a representative researcher from Wulu City’s research institute. Today, I want to share with you our institute’s achievements this year. Our institute conducted fifteen research projects this year."
Cloud felt sleepy listening, "This is so boring, isn’t a proper scientific research meeting like this quite tedious?" Jiang Cheng said, capturing a key point, "Wulu City has conducted so many research projects this year, even if they worked 365 days a year on research, does it feel right?"
"Doesn’t it feel off?" Zhang Tian asked.
"Completely off," Jiang Cheng said.
"And what if it’s off. Although Li Country’s technology is quite advanced, as you can see, they are quite flamboyant," Zhang Tian said, taking a sip of tea from the table.
Jiang Cheng saw Zhang Tian casually fingering the white porcelain teacup while saying these words.
"Is it always like this?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Just listen on,"
As Jiang Cheng continued listening, he found that every person on stage reporting sounded exaggerated. It seemed every city was tirelessly engaged in research, but the research outcomes were very minimal or provided no significant progress.