The afternoon meeting began on time. As the host country, China had its expert, Professor Yan Jun, scheduled to speak first. Professor Yan, dressed in a suit and tie and carrying his prepared remarks, walked confidently to the podium. He glanced around the room and began:
"Good afternoon, everyone. My topic today is 'A Discussion on the Standards of Application of International Law.' Undeniably, disputes concerning this matter have frequently appeared in the media recently. This morning, our National People's Congress member Geng Zihua reiterated in his speech the call for a negotiated solution within the framework of international law, and also reaffirmed China's consistent stance of non-hegemony. Today, I will mainly exchange views with the experts and scholars present on the standards of application of international law in these disputes from an academic perspective..."
Professor Yan then began to speak eloquently, rarely referring to his notes. This article had been brewing in his mind for several months, and he had revised it multiple times in the past month for the international law forum. He had even revised the draft in his hotel room yesterday, so it was practically memorized.
Professor Yan's presentation was indeed purely academic, devoid of any political bias. He objectively analyzed whether the actions of all parties conformed to relevant provisions of international law. His speech was reasoned and well-supported, with precise and accurate analysis of the cases and citations of relevant international legal clauses. The experts from various countries listening in the audience were secretly impressed.
Meanwhile, Lopez, the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Belo, sitting in the first row of the VIP section, was somewhat uneasy. Several minutes had passed since the event began, and he still hadn't seen Sanchez and his entourage enter. According to the plan, they should have already arrived and were waiting in their seats near the media section.
Furthermore, Lopez clearly sensed that the security level in the venue had increased, even more stringent than during the national leaders' speeches that morning. Security personnel in uniform and civilian clothes were everywhere, and Lopez even spotted armed special police officers in hidden corners.
Could something have gone wrong somewhere? Lopez had a bad feeling, but as the head of the Bello delegation, facing the media's barrage of questions, he couldn't show his anxiety. Although he was burning with anxiety inside, he outwardly listened attentively to Professor Yan's speech, occasionally flashing a smile, and applauding politely when the speech was particularly insightful.
Another person who was also extremely nervous and excited was Professor Payes, the silver-haired, dark-skinned dean of the Bello University Law School. His triangular eyes were fixed on Professor Yan on the stage. He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest, a seemingly relaxed posture, but his whole body was tense, ready to stand up at any moment.
He was perhaps the most attentive listener in the room, because they had studied Professor Yan's outline beforehand and agreed that at a certain point in Professor Yan's speech, Payes, this internationally renowned expert, would stand up and loudly refute him. Therefore, Payes listened intently throughout, afraid of missing a single point that might jeopardize Mr. Sanchez's important matter.
"The dispute between our country and Belorussia, which has been the subject of much media attention recently, I believe, from the perspective of international law, is actually not that complicated..." Professor Yan finally addressed the Belorussia-China dispute.
Payes's spirits lifted, and he listened even more intently to Professor Yan's speech. His heart began to pound rapidly. He knew that in a moment, after he stood up, his photo would appear on the front pages of major Western media outlets for the next few days, making him a true figure of public attention.
%51%69%53%68%75%39%39.%63%6f%6d
Payers seemed to envision the near future, with interview invitations pouring in like snowflakes. He imagined returning home to receive the treatment of a national hero, perhaps even a personal audience with the president—all of which meant money and power. Thinking of this, Payers felt a surge of excitement.
Seizing the opportunity, Payers took a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and was about to stand up. Suddenly, he felt a hand press down on his shoulder, and a young voice whispered in his ear:
"Professor Payers, if I were you, I wouldn't do anything foolish!"
Payers' heart skipped a beat. He whirled around and saw a young man with a lazy smile staring intently at him from the seat behind him. Beside the young man stood two menacing security personnel, ready to pounce. Payes suddenly understood. Their long-planned scheme had been known to the Chinese for a long time…
But having come this far, Payes felt incredibly unwilling. He snorted coldly and tried to force himself to stand up. However, the hands pressing on his shoulders were like a mountain; no matter how hard he tried, he was firmly pressed into the chair, unable to move.
Payes' face flushed crimson. He opened his mouth to shout; if he could just create chaos, he would have already achieved his goal. But just then, the young man's devilish voice rang out again:
"Mr. Payes, if you shout, I guarantee you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
As soon as the young man finished speaking, Payes felt something hard pressing against his lower back. He froze, swallowing the words he was about to utter, and remained seated, not daring to breathe. He could feel a pistol pressed against him, and recalling the young man's hawk-like eyes, Payes felt a chill run down his spine and gave up any resistance.
Chen Yang sat behind Payes, glanced at the toy gun in his hand, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
He had been keeping an eye on Payes before the forum even started. While other aspects were handled with strict precautions, Payes was an uncertain factor. Therefore, Chen Yang directly asked Zheng Zuxin for two security personnel and discreetly sat down behind Payes.
Chen Yang remembered very clearly that in his previous life, it was this Professor Payes who had rudely interrupted Professor Yan's speech at the forum, rushed to the podium, and made many extreme remarks. Following this, several participants from Belo Country began distributing leaflets to the media, throwing the entire forum into chaos. China was placed in a very passive position diplomatically and in terms of public opinion, and it took considerable effort to gradually recover.
The Sanya Municipal Government, as the organizer of the forum, received severe criticism from its superiors. Zheng Zuxin, the vice mayor directly in charge of the forum's preparations, was dismissed from his post, and a large number of officials received disciplinary action from the Party and the government.
"I've indirectly saved that Ma-P-jie mayor!" Chen Yang thought to himself with amusement.
The situation is now basically under control. Looking at Professor Yan speaking eloquently at the podium, Chen Yang breathed a long sigh of relief.
...
Professor Yan's speech won thunderous applause. Objectively speaking, his speech was devoid of political stance; it explored controversial issues from a purely academic perspective, thus earning the respect and appreciation of the vast majority of participating experts.
Next, several other renowned experts from various countries took the stage to speak, and the entire event lasted until about 5 p.m. As soon as the host announced the end of the afternoon session, Lopez, the head of the Bello delegation, who had been sitting on pins and needles, immediately stood up and walked angrily toward Xu Wendong, the forum's organizer from China, with a look of accusation.
Immediately after Professor Yan's speech, Lopez received news that his subordinates, including Sanchez, and four others, had been detained by Chinese police before the afternoon forum began and were currently being held in the conference affairs room. Upon hearing this, Lopez was furious; if it weren't for the presence of numerous media personnel, he likely would have exploded on the spot.
Xu Wendong had also received the report and was waiting in his seat. Before Lopez could speak, Xu Wendong said solemnly:
"Mr. Lopez, on behalf of China, I lodge a strong protest! Sanchez and four others from your Ministry of Justice attempted to disrupt the normal conduct of the forum and have been stopped by our police in accordance with the law!"
Lopez's mouth dropped open in surprise. In his memory, China had always considered itself an ancient civilization, emphasizing politeness and tolerance, and always projecting an image of a great power. He hadn't expected Xu Wendong to be so aggressive from the outset. After a moment of stunned silence, Lopez regained his composure and said in an unfriendly tone:
"Mr. Xu, Sanchez is a citizen of my country, Bero. Your police have no right to take coercive measures against them! I demand that you release them immediately!"
Xu Wendong's lips curled into a slight smile as he said:
"I'm sorry, Sanchez and the others have already been declared persona non grata by our country and will be forcibly deported tonight! Furthermore, I strongly object to your country's deliberate attempt to disrupt the forum's academic atmosphere and drag political factors into it for political gain! Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will later issue a diplomatic note to your embassy in China expressing its strong protest!"
"You can't do that!" Lopez was both shocked and furious. If China really deported Sanchez and the others and issued a written protest, then Bero's shady dealings would be completely exposed. At that point, the situation would be completely reversed, and public opinion would overwhelmingly favor China. Lopez could imagine facing the President's wrath if these events materialized, and whether he could even retain his position as Deputy Attorney General was uncertain.
Xu Wendong had already received authorization from his superiors. China was currently struggling to find a pretext to condemn the rogue behavior of the Bero Kingdom! This Lopez had foolishly delivered himself to their doorstep. Now that the evidence was conclusive, it would be a real shame if China didn't seize the opportunity to make a big deal out of this issue, given Lopez's meticulous planning over the past few days.
"Excuse me, Mr. Lopez, this is our final decision!" Xu Wendong said without hesitation. "I need to prepare for an impromptu press conference later, so please excuse me!"
With that, Xu Wendong gave Lopez a cold look and strode out of the room without looking back.
Lopez slumped back into his chair, utterly dejected, his mind a complete mess.
Lopez already knew the content of the upcoming press conference without Xu Wendong needing to elaborate…