My whole family is involved in diplomacy, so you dare to flex your muscles?

The next day, Gu Yun slept in until she naturally woke up, which was a rare occurrence for her.

No annoying announcements, no urgent schedules.

He changed into ordinary casual clothes and ate a bowl of steaming hot tofu pudding with two freshly fried dough rings at a decades-old shop at the entrance of the alley.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the locust trees, and the neighbors greeted him warmly, as if he weren't some kind of "godsman," but just the neighborhood boy who had grown up there.

This long-lost warmth and familiarity made him feel incredibly at ease.

However, this tranquility was soon shattered.

At nine o'clock in the morning, a black Hongqi sedan quietly stopped outside the Gu family's gate.

A middle-aged man in a dark Zhongshan suit stepped out of the car. He had a serious face, sharp eyes, and a military-like demeanor.

He didn't ring the doorbell; he just stood quietly at the door.

Gu Yun, who was watering her grandfather's orchids in the yard, noticed him immediately.

"Comrade Gu Yun?" The middle-aged man nodded slightly when he saw him, his voice steady and strong.

"Yes, that's me." Gu Yun put down the kettle.

"The commander requests your presence."

There are no extra explanations, just four simple words.

But the weight of the word "leader" is enough to make anything more complicated.

Grandpa Gu Jianguo came out of his study, glanced at the car and people outside the door, then at his grandson, without the slightest surprise in his eyes.

"Go ahead," he said, turning and returning to his study.

Gu Yun nodded, changed into a formal suit, and got into the car with the middle-aged man.

The car windows are made of specially made dark glass, so you can't see inside at all from the outside.

The interior of the car was devoid of any superfluous decorations, exuding only a solemn atmosphere.

Instead of heading towards the familiar Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, the car passed through layers of guard posts and entered a mysterious area surrounded by red walls that did not exist on the map.

This is the heart of the entire country.

After getting off the car, Gu Yun was led into an office building that looked simple on the outside but was solemn and dignified inside.

The corridor was so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat. Occasionally, a staff member would hurry past him, each with a solemn expression and eyes fixed straight ahead.

Finally, he stopped in front of a huge office.

The middle-aged man knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, he pushed open the heavy wooden door and gestured for Gu Yun to come in.

The office was exceptionally spacious, yet its furnishings were extremely simple. There was a huge desk, several sofas for guests, and a magnificent ink painting of the Great Wall hanging on the wall.

An elderly man with gray hair, a kind face, but eyes that exuded supreme authority was sitting behind his desk, reviewing documents.

Gu Yun's heart skipped a beat.

He had only seen this old man's face on the news at seven o'clock every day.

"Commander." Gu Yunli stood at attention, his voice steady.

The elder put down his pen, looked up, revealed a gentle smile, and pointed to the sofa opposite him.

"You've arrived. Please have a seat, Comrade Gu Yun."

His voice was deeper and more intimate than it sounded on television.

"We all saw their performance at the summit. Very good, excellent." The elder stated directly, his tone full of approval.

"The arguments were reasonable, the arguments were sensible and measured, and the arguments were neither arrogant nor humble, demonstrating the spirit and style of the younger generation."

"I just did what I was supposed to do," Gu Yun replied modestly.

"What we should do and what we can do well are two different things." The elder smiled. "Over the years, we have been somewhat passive in the international arena."

You talk too much, and they say you're aggressive.

You said too little; they said it made you seem guilty.

"This time, you found a great balance. You used their methods to explain our reasoning; you used their logic to expose their deception. Especially that 'sea of ​​stars' metaphor—it broadened your perspective instantly."

The elder picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then changed the subject.

"However, you should also understand that winning a debate doesn't solve the fundamental problem. Those people are still determined to destroy us. We cannot relax our efforts in the battle for public opinion for even a moment."

"You have shown the world our voice. Now, the nation needs that voice, one that can resonate clearly, accurately, and powerfully before the world every day."

As he spoke, the elder picked up a thin blue folder from his side and gently pushed it onto the coffee table in front of Gu Yun.

"This is not an award, nor an honor. It is a burden, a responsibility."

Gu Yun's heart sank suddenly.

He reached out and opened the folder.

The black ink on white paper, the red seal, solemn and dignified.

At the very top are several striking large Song typeface characters:

Decision on the Appointment of Comrade Gu Yun

"Comrade Gu Yun is hereby appointed as Deputy Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and concurrently as Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

boom!

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in Gu Yun's mind.

Deputy Director-General of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson!

This position is usually held by senior diplomats with decades of diplomatic experience and many years of experience in director-general level positions.

Everyone who gets to stand on the podium in the Blue Hall is carefully selected and has been through countless battles.

And he, at this age, is being pushed into this position of being at the forefront of controversy?

This appointment breaks with all the precedents of the past few decades!

He will become the youngest "mouth of the nation" in Chinese history!

That was not a simple position; it was a megaphone for the voices of 1.4 billion people, a loudspeaker for the national will.

Every word he says will be scrutinized under a magnifying glass by the media around the world.

His slightest hesitation or slip of the tongue could trigger a diplomatic incident or even cause incalculable national losses.

That weight was enough to crush anyone's shoulders.