"Oh, Mitsuko, it's been a long time." He Rui stepped forward and opened his arms to Mitsuko. Without hesitation, Mitsuko embraced He Rui in front of the assembled dignitaries.

The upper echelons of Japanese society were well aware of the relationship between He Rui and Mitsuko, but few harbored jealousy anymore. Years ago, Mitsuko's family had rented a room to He Rui and cared for him with great kindness for several years; it could only be called fate. How could a great figure like He Rui turn a blind eye to the Mitsuko family? Looking after them was simply the right thing to do.

Mitsuko hugged He Rui briefly, then released him and took two steps back. Seeing the increasing number of white hairs on He Rui's head, she held his arm and said with pity, "Nii-chan, you work too hard."

He Rui smiled. "I chose this path, so this is how it must be. But look at you, you've become an outstanding woman."

Mitsuko was wearing a exquisitely designed light gray suit that combined professional competence with feminine grace. Achieving this look alone required high artistic aesthetic ability and a full understanding of the journalism industry.

At this point, Ishiwara stepped forward and said, "He-kun, Mitsuko is already the ace reporter for the *Asahi Shimbun*. She has worked very hard not to fail our expectations."

"Indeed." He Rui nodded. To make a name for oneself in mainstream society required competing with outstanding peers. It was not easy. Even though Mitsuko had entered Japan's upper circles with backing, she would not receive special treatment based on that status alone. He Rui praised, "Mitsuko, you've worked hard."

Mitsuko let go of He Rui's arm and took a step back. Her expression inadvertently switched to the confident and composed look of a professional reporter. "I will be following the team throughout this visit, looking forward to letting the people of Japan see the Chairman's visit."

"Then I leave it to you," He Rui replied with satisfaction. He had hoped for a better life for Mitsuko back then, and now his expectations had become reality; this was no small feat.

***

With the treaty signed, He Rui began his itinerary in Japan. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto—these three most important cities had to be visited. During the continuous seven-day schedule, He Rui led the delegation to visit seven factories and five schools, held twelve symposiums, and attended fourteen banquets and receptions.

The schedule was so intense, filled with meetings and exchanges with various sectors of Japanese society, that by 10:30 PM on June 14th, after a banquet, Ishiwara collapsed directly onto the bed in He Rui's hotel room.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Although Ishiwara had a close personal relationship with He Rui and neither cared much for the opinions of others, he still sat up immediately upon hearing the knock. By the time He Rui opened the door and welcomed Mitsuko in, Ishiwara was already sitting properly in the room's chair.

Mitsuko looked at the two men, both trying hard to maintain the demeanor of national leaders, and couldn't hold back a laugh. She lifted her hand, showing a food box. "Gentlemen, I asked the Public Security Intelligence Agency for this."

"Haha, you really have guts, daring to ask the PSIA for food," Ishiwara laughed, dropping his guard.

In China, "Public Security" referred to the police department, but within the Japanese government, there were two departments with "Public Security" in their names. One was the Public Security Bureau under the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for monitoring domestic extremists, labor disputes, intelligence investigations, and counter-espionage.

The other was even more powerful: the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) Mitsuko mentioned. The PSIA was a counter-intelligence investigative agency that also handled foreign intelligence. They were under the Ministry of Justice, not the Police Department. The security for He Rui's visit was being handled by the PSIA. If it weren't food provided by the PSIA, Mitsuko wouldn't have even thought about bringing it in.

So-called banquets were often places where one couldn't get full, as people didn't go there to eat. The physical exertion over the past few days had been immense, and Ishiwara was truly hungry. He immediately opened the food box, taking out the layers one by one and arranging them on the table. The three of them sat around the table, naturally returning to how they were in their youth.

"Mitsuko, go get the wine from my bag," He Rui ordered. Japanese sake never suited He Rui's taste. Mitsuko took out a bottle of Fenjiu and poured it for He Rui; only then did he feel ready to talk happily.

Ishiwara, however, drank Japanese sake. "Teacher, the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thinks the intensity of this seven-day schedule is too high. Professor Taira said, 'You can consider He-kun to be made of iron.' The Foreign Minister thought for a while, then said carefully, 'I am worried about President Taira's health.' Hahaha..."

Mitsuko chuckled softly, and He Rui laughed along with Ishiwara for a moment before sighing. "Professor Taira has never been a soldier, so facing this kind of high-intensity work is indeed a lot of pressure."

In the original plan, Taira Toyomori, as President, was supposed to attend as well. In the end, Ishiwara had to 'cover his shift' today, which was completely understandable.

By now, Mitsuko had peeled four eggs. He Rui and Ishiwara immediately went for the eggs, eating two each. After another glass of wine, they both felt their stomachs settle.

With food in their stomachs, their minds cleared. Ishiwara ate a few bites of tempura and sat up straight. "Teacher, I have already discussed your views with the military. Contrary to my expectations, no one in the army opposed them. However, everyone raised one request: they hope Teacher can clarify your attitude towards Britain and the United States to us. Professor Taira shares this view."

Hearing this, although Mitsuko wanted to listen, she knew it wasn't appropriate for her. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Ishiwara said, "It doesn't matter, Mitsuko. You just pour the wine. Actually, is what Teacher says now any different from ten years ago?"

Mitsuko paused, then sighed slightly. "Indeed, there is no difference. If there is a difference, it's probably that I couldn't understand it before, but now I can understand a little."

Saying this, a feeling of nostalgia welled up in Mitsuko's heart. Back then, she had already known He Rui, Taira Toyomori, and Ishiwara. The gatherings in Mitsuko's home were also about the world situation and development. Mitsuko had listened with admiration as these men, who already had status in Japan, discussed these things. Just as Ishiwara said, many of the world-shaking events that occurred in the fifteen years since had been discussed in Mitsuko's small home back then.

And the way they addressed each other back then—'Professor, Teacher, Mitsuko, Ishiwara'—was no different from now...

"China cannot refuse the British and American request to share economic confidence, and France can understand why China must do this. If China and France resolutely refuse to help Britain and America, it might trigger a military conflict. Even if the scale of the conflict isn't large, Britain and America could greatly impact the world's confidence in the Sino-French relationship. What would we do then? Have France cross the English Channel, land in England, and capture the King? Or form a coalition force to cross the Pacific and invade the US mainland?"

As a woman approaching thirty who had struggled in the newspaper industry for seven or eight years, if it weren't He Rui and Ishiwara discussing this topic, Mitsuko would have thought it was just men boasting over drinks. Even knowing that He Rui and Ishiwara were big shots, Mitsuko was simply enjoying the warm feeling of the past replaying itself, continuing to pour wine for the two.

Ishiwara pondered, nodding slowly. Although China and France were both regional powers with strong capabilities, even if China, France, and Japan combined, they would have no chance of winning a war against Britain and the United States. Moreover, Britain and the United States could control the conflict within a very small scope, simply by threatening the trade routes of China and France.

Furthermore, countries around the world had strong opinions about Sino-French cooperation; many were genuinely hoping for something to go wrong. Therefore, accepting the reasonable requests of Britain and America was the wise choice. Thinking of this, Ishiwara's mood improved considerably. In the Sino-French cooperation, France, as an external country, naturally wanted to woo Japan, and Japan had already gained some benefits from this. If a four-power cooperation between China, France, Britain, and the US emerged in the future, the benefits Japan could reap would only increase.

After drinking a glass, Ishiwara smiled. "Teacher, I believe this prediction will definitely make those guys in the Ministry of Defense understand that they must accept Teacher's arrangements. External countries will definitely hope for a rift between China and Japan that they can exploit. And once East Asian military cooperation is established, Japan will only gain more. Because between us, China and Japan, there is military trust and political trust."

"Exactly," He Rui said, raising his glass.

After the two finished this glass, Ishiwara continued to ask, "What level of service does Teacher plan to provide to Britain and America? Surely it won't reach the height of Sino-French cooperation?"

"Britain and America know that we cannot help them prosper; all we can do is provide economic confidence, allowing them to recover from their current state of panic to a stable state. Britain stops panicking and circles its wagons for self-preservation. The United States stops panicking, and perhaps the West Coast region can return to stability through trade with China. Forget about the US East and Midwest; those are areas of domestic economic circulation, and we can't help there. We can't possibly expect China to pull up the entire United States."

Ishiwara nodded repeatedly. "Precisely so." Speaking of this, the guy suddenly revealed a grin like a big bad wolf. "Hehe, then Britain and America will have to follow the French model and first provide China with an interest-free loan to purchase their country's technical equipment."

He Rui smiled bitterly. "Don't think we're getting a huge bargain. An interest-free loan is still a loan; China has to pay it back. Spending money is fun for a moment, but repaying it is a crematorium. If economic development doesn't reach the expected level, life won't be easy when the time comes."

"I have complete confidence in Teacher. China's Five-Year Plan will definitely be completed. Please rest assured, Teacher, I am very clear about Japan's position. Japan will absolutely not become a handle for external powers to manipulate East Asia. The Sino-Japanese military cooperation plan will unfold very soon."

To Mitsuko, their words seemed understandable yet incomprehensible. What she could understand was war, struggle, threats, and cooperation. What she couldn't understand was what kind of vision and perspective allowed these two to make such judgments about the direction of world development. Mitsuko knew she would probably never understand the way they judged things, and she didn't care.

When Mitsuko was not yet even a teenager, just a little girl, she had been around such a group of people. Back then, Mitsuko only felt that the people who came to He Rui weren't necessarily people He Rui liked. But He Rui acknowledged their abilities. Now, these people who held power in Japan were the very same group He Rui had acknowledged over a decade ago. following Mitsuko's interviews, she could also understand that these people possessed strong capabilities. Pouring wine for He Rui and the others like this made Mitsuko feel very at peace.

"Teacher, you are very clear about Japan's Pan-Asianist faction. At present, they all believe that East Asia should lead the revival of Asia. I was once stationed in British India and studied British rule there. It was naked plunder. Britain simply plundered India's products and grain. As for whether the Indian people who were robbed lived or died, the British didn't care at all. With China as an example now, the Asian people will desire independence and liberation even more. Do you think a war of liberation will break out?"

"Relying solely on the military struggle of colonial peoples cannot drive away the colonizers. Even if East Asia throws itself into the war, we cannot eliminate global colonialism. However, European and American countries cannot solve their internal problems because their problems have little to do with the capitalist system itself. It is determined by their culture; they cannot establish a world economic system beneficial to the development of all countries. Therefore, a war of liberation will definitely break out. But this war of liberation is not a war between Europe/America and other countries, but a war supporting or opposing this unreasonable international economic order."

Hearing this, Ishiwara became excited. He couldn't help asking loudly, " The Final War?"

He Rui laughed and scolded, "You're a Japanese, how did you pick up the end-of-the-world concepts from backward primitive religions? Brother, you are a Nichiren Buddhist at any rate. Show some confidence; that is called a War of Civilizations! A war where advanced civilization replaces backward civilization. A world that accepts advanced civilization takes a huge step forward. Although this process is painful, the upper limit of world development is greatly raised, and the human world can continue to develop."

Ishiwara frowned and thought for a moment, finally sighing. "It seems I won't be able to determine the extent of future development until Teacher has completed the preliminary preparations."

"Thank you for your trust; I have always been working hard for the progress of the human world," He Rui sighed with an exaggerated tone. Under this seemingly cynical expression, He Rui inevitably felt a sense of loss. In the current world, finding someone on the same cognitive level really seemed to be a luxury.

Just then, Mitsuko put down her wine glass and stared at He Rui. "Nii-chan, will you allow me to take care of you?"

Ishiwara had already drunk quite a bit. Hearing this, he looked at Mitsuko in surprise. He saw that Mitsuko's eyes were full of tenderness, the yearning feeling seeming ready to gush out from her eyes. This moved Ishiwara, and he also felt very envious. Standing up unsteadily, Ishiwara sighed, "Mitsuko, do you know what kind of request you have made? Teacher can give people many things, but personal happiness is probably not among them."

Mitsuko nodded. "I know. Nii-chan does not live for himself personally. But..."

Ishiwara had already walked to Mitsuko's side. He bent down and patted Mitsuko's shoulder, just as he often did more than ten years ago. "You don't need to say anything to me. I understood what kind of person Teacher is long ago. If you really want to do something for Teacher, you must be prepared to receive no return."

Ishiwara stood up straight and said with emotion, "I'm not talking about the kind of return the secular world thinks of, but the return *you* are expecting."

After speaking, he bowed to He Rui. "Teacher, I will take my leave."

He Rui nodded slightly. "Tomorrow I will go to Nagasaki for a visit, and then I will board a ship there to return home."

"Teacher, I actually hope you take Mitsuko with you. Farewell." Ishiwara finished speaking and left the room without looking back, carrying a mood of envy and regret. Some things, he felt he understood. So, it was inevitably a little sad.