210: Chapter 210 A War Between Two Women! Camping Tonight?

Beijing Suburbs, temporary headquarters.

Lin Zhou sat on the sofa in his office, looking at the two women standing before him, feeling that this was even more exhausting than negotiating with Thompson.

Su Wanqing was still dressed in an intellectual white dress, a gentle smile on her lips, her perfectly measured tenderness directed toward Lin Zhou.

Lin Xi, on the other hand, wore a playful tracksuit with her hair in a high ponytail; upon seeing Lin Zhou, she unceremoniously plopped down onto the sofa opposite him, her long legs casually crossed.

"Great Lord Lin, congratulations! I saw you on TV, you looked so prestigious!" Lin Xi chewed gum, her words full of teasing. "What did it feel like to shake hands with the The President? Are his hands particularly small?"

Lin Zhou ignored her banter and turned his gaze to Su Wanqing. "Do you two have something urgent to discuss with me?"

"Of course it's urgent." Su Wanqing sat down beside Lin Xi, took a folded map from her handbag, and spread it out on the coffee table. "Look, this is a place in the Beijing Suburbs we've carefully selected for you, perfect for relaxing."

On the map, a campsite in a mountainous area was circled in red.

"Camping?" Lin Zhou's brow furrowed slightly.

"That's right!" Lin Xi chimed in. "You worked so hard in America, toiling for the country; you must be exhausted now that you're back. As your 'friends,' we naturally have to arrange the most thoughtful relaxation for you! Sunshine, grass, barbecue, and the company of beautiful women—we guarantee you'll forget all your troubles!"

Lin Zhou watched them play off each other, not saying a word, just quietly observing.

This wasn't relaxation at all; it was clearly a task from Thompson. One moment the old fox told him to "get along well with Lin Xi," and the next, these two women were trying to lead him into a private space under the banner of "friends."

They were striking while the iron was hot, trying to solidify a "personal relationship."

"I've been very busy lately; I'm afraid I don't have time," Lin Zhou refused directly.

"Don't be like that!" Lin Xi's face fell as she leaned over, grabbing his arm and shaking it. "Just for one night! We've already bought the tents and the grill; you just need to show up! If you refuse, you're not giving us face! And if you don't give us face, you're not giving my uncle face! My uncle will be unhappy!"

She emphasized the words "my uncle" heavily, for fear that Lin Zhou wouldn't understand.

This was a blatant threat.

Su Wanqing "mediated" from the side: "Lin Xi, stop it. Lin Zhou has serious business to attend to; we can't force him."

She said that, but her eyes were fixed on Lin Zhou, conveying a clear message: If you dare walk out that door today, the two of us will dare to live in your office.

Lin Zhou suddenly felt a headache.

He couldn't avoid this "camping" trip today. This was a compliance test from Thompson; if he refused even this "small matter," the understanding they had just reached in Washington might develop cracks.

What were these two women up to? Was it purely to foster feelings? Or were they trying to extract information while he was off guard?

Rather than being passively harassed by them, it was better to take the initiative and see their hand.

"Fine," Lin Zhou finally relented. "Just for one night. I have to be back for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yay! Awesome!" Lin Xi cheered immediately, jumping up to high-five Su Wanqing.

A triumphant smile touched Su Wanqing's lips. "Shall we head out this afternoon then? I'll drive."

"Sure," Lin Zhou nodded, then added, "However, I need to bring my security chief, He Jun. You know my status is somewhat special; safety first."

Placing himself in a completely uncontrollable environment had never been his principle. This was his bottom line.

"No problem!" Lin Xi agreed readily. "The more the merrier; he can help us grill the skewers!"

Watching the two of them leave satisfied, Lin Zhou picked up the internal phone on his desk and connected to Jack's line.

"Jack."

"Lord, I am here."

"Help me check the terrain, roads, and signal coverage around the campsite Su Wanqing just showed me. Also, send people to clear and secure the area before I arrive. Oh, and notify the Chinese side in advance so there's no trouble."

"Understood."

"Also, prepare a set of portable signal jamming and anti-eavesdropping equipment for me. The power needs to be high enough."

"Understood, Lord. It will be delivered within fifteen minutes."

After hanging up, Lin Zhou dialed another number.

A steady male voice came from the other end of the line.

"It's me, Director Zhou."

Lin Zhou concisely briefed Director Zhou on his negotiations in America, including the $300 million arms purchase intent and Thompson's personal requests. He didn't hide any details. In front of these people, any concealment would be futile.

There was a long silence on the other end.

So long that Lin Zhou almost thought the signal had cut out.

"Be careful," Director Zhou finally said those words and hung up.

No approval, yet no opposition either.

This was tacit consent.

China needed him on the front lines, maneuvering with the United States to gain strategic space. As long as his actions didn't harm China's core interests, the higher-ups would turn a blind eye.

This situation of dancing on a tightrope was both thrilling and dangerous.

But the help China could provide was limited after all; there would only be more of these risky moves in the future.

In the afternoon, a black Mercedes SUV drove out of the Beijing Suburbs headquarters.

Su Wanqing drove, Lin Xi sat in the passenger seat, and Lin Zhou sat alone in the back. Not far behind, an inconspicuous black sedan followed, carrying He Jun and two personal bodyguards he had selected.

Cheerful music played in the car as Lin Xi chattered incessantly, sharing various gossip and jokes, working hard to create a relaxed atmosphere.

Su Wanqing drove while occasionally observing Lin Zhou's reaction through the rearview mirror.

Lin Zhou leaned back in his seat, eyes closed and silent, his breathing steady and long; outwardly, he showed no movement.

His brain, however, was operating at high speed.

Through a miniature earpiece, he was receiving real-time intelligence from Jack.

"Lord, the campsite has been cleared; no abnormal surveillance equipment was found."

"Deployment within a three-kilometer radius is complete; the triple monitoring network of optical, thermal imaging, and acoustic sensors has been activated."

"Mr. He Jun's vehicle has been linked to our monitoring system."

If you want to play, I'll play with you to the end.

Let me see exactly what cards you intend to play in this game called "camping."