Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Previously, Wang Tianfeng was under house arrest in his office, guarded by paparazzi sent by Zheng Yaoxian. However, with the announcement of the executive office's decision, the paparazzi slunk away.

Zhang Anping arrived at Wang Tianfeng's office door once again. Upon entering, he was greeted by this scene:
Wang Tianfeng had cleared away his personal belongings from the office and stood alone by the window, staring blankly at the people coming and going below.

Zhang Anping's voice was a little dry: "Old Wang..."

But after calling out, he seemed unsure of what to say, and walked straight to the sofa and sat down silently.

Wang Tianfeng turned to look at Zhang Anping and said, "I'm sorry."

From Wang Tianfeng's perspective, this time he had completely implicated Zhang Anping:

In order to protect him, Zhang Anping gave up the opportunity to completely crush Mao Renfeng and instead cooperated with Mao Renfeng to deal with Zheng Yaoquan.
It was precisely because Zhang Anping took the blame upon himself that there was no winner in this bloody battle!
Zheng Yaoquan was indeed transferred, but Mao Renfeng "inexplicably" became the acting director. Although the title of acting proved that he was not the director candidate preferred by the chief of staff, he was still exercising the power of the director!
Zhang Anping, who had been scheming for so long, suffered a complete defeat.

In Wang Tianfeng's view, the biggest problem lies with him.

If it weren't for his involvement, Zhang Anping wouldn't be in this situation!
He, who had almost never said sorry, finally uttered those three words to Zhang Anping.

After hearing this, Zhang Anping sighed and remained silent with a gloomy expression.

Wang Tianfeng actually smiled, although it was just a twitch at the corner of his mouth, it was a real smile.

His usual indifferent and calm tone had become slightly more relaxed:
"These years have been too tiring, this is a good time to take a break."

There is still a chance.

"Yes, I know." Wang Tianfeng nodded. As long as Zhang Anping was around, he certainly had a chance, even though he was currently under the "no promotion without merit" debuff.

"Don't be rash now. Just do your job steadily. Mao Renfeng is just a transitional figure."

Zhang Anping's lips twitched, but he didn't speak—clearly, his demeanor was:
Having failed to protect my right-hand men, the radish hanging in the distance no longer held much appeal for me.

"Give me some time off."

Zhang Anping nodded slightly: "It's good to take a stroll."

Wang Tianfeng fell silent, his gaze fixed on the window, seemingly captivated by the vast天地 (heaven and earth) outside.

……

In Zhang Anping's office.

After preventing Zheng Yi from announcing his arrival, Mao Renfeng entered and said in a gentle voice:

"Anping."

Zhang Anping stood up, nodded to Zheng Yi, who was standing awkwardly behind Mao Renfeng, signaling Zheng Yi to leave, and then called out:
"Director."

His voice and expression were extremely natural.

Mao Renfeng stepped forward, placed her hands on Zhang Anping, and forced him to sit down. Then, she deliberately put on a stern face and said:

"Anping, you're insulting your brother—"

"If you hadn't been so kind as to let me go this time, I'm afraid I would have..."

Mao Renfeng sighed, still feeling unsatisfied. She glanced around the office, spotted a chair, dragged it over, and sat down next to Zhang Anping, once again preventing him from getting up.

“Anping, in the past, we brothers argued back and forth, almost letting outsiders get a great advantage—this whole thing was my fault, to be honest. Now, I understand, you are the one the old man favors the most. I was just put in front of you this time to temporarily shield you from the storm!”

"I won't say anything more. From now on, whatever you want to do, I'll give you my full support and I'll never hold you back."

Mao Renfeng's candid words shocked and moved Zhang Anping, and he couldn't help but grab Mao Renfeng's hand:

"Brother, I..."

"Anping, I won't repeat the mistakes of the past—I won't say anything more. From now on, you, Zhang Anping, will be in charge of our Security Bureau!"

Mao Renfeng was practically patting his chest in agreement.

This time, Zhang Anping broke free from Mao Renfeng's "pressing down" and stood up, saying, "Brother, you're too kind."

He seemed extremely terrified.

Mao Renfeng also stood up, her voice incredibly sincere: "Anping, perhaps you think I'm deliberately testing you, but whether it's true or not, you'll see."

"Brother, I've really woken up this time—if it's convenient, could I come over for dinner tonight?"

"Okay, I'll personally prepare a few dishes for you tonight, brother."

"Huh, Anping, you had this trick up your sleeve?"

"Haha, when I was alone in the United States, I couldn't get used to American food, but I gritted my teeth and ate it. And I must say, there are a few dishes that I'm particularly good at."

"Then don't blame me for bothering you, my unwelcome guest."

The two chatted and laughed, as if they had buried the hatchet with a smile.

Zhang Anping personally escorted Mao Renfeng to the office door, addressing him warmly as "brother" on both sides.

Zheng Yi was stunned. She thought Zhang Anping hated Mao Renfeng to the core this time, but she never expected the two to be as close as brothers!

Is this... this the world of men?
After seeing off the unpleasant guest, Zhang Anping returned to his office, and before he could even sit down, Zheng Yi came in.

"Commander, just now..."

She wanted to explain what had just happened.

“I know—wipe this chair.”

Zhang Anping stopped Zheng Yi from explaining and instead asked Zheng Yi to wipe the stool that Mao Renfeng had dragged over to sit on. Zheng Yi immediately understood: well, it was all an act!

She asked with some confusion, "Chief Qu, what's wrong with him...?"

“Sign your allegiance to me,” Zhang Anping said calmly.

To surrender?

Did the acting director pledge allegiance to Deputy Director Zhang Anping?

Zheng Yi thought about it again and realized it was normal. This time, Mao Renfeng was hit by a windfall, which seemed like a good thing, but any smart person could tell the meaning of the word "agent".
When Zheng Yaoquan arrived, he was directly given the title of bureau chief, without any mention of "actor." Yet, Mao Renfeng, having been fortunate enough to be given the title of "actor," ended up with the word "actor."

This clearly means: you are not a candidate for the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics at all, go to sleep!

So who is it?
Without a doubt, it could only be Zhang Anping!

Although Zhang Anping neither won nor lost this time, it's clear to anyone with eyes that he will be the ultimate winner!

Therefore, Mao Renfeng's show of loyalty is not hard to understand.

But... why did Zhang Anping ask her to wipe this chair?
Is it simply because you don't like it?

Seemingly sensing Zheng Yi's confusion, Zhang Anping said with a cold smile:
"A dog can't change its nature of eating shit!"

Zheng Yi seemed to be deep in thought.

……

That evening, Mao Renfeng went to Zhang Anping's house for a family dinner.

In the past, when Mao Renfeng met Zhang Guanfu, he always addressed him as Brother Gunfu (his courtesy name). Although the two were not close, they were on the surface amicable because they were from the same hometown.

Later, due to Zhang Anping's rise to power, although the two maintained a harmonious relationship on the surface, there was a strong sense of inexplicable antagonism between them.

However, when Mao Renfeng attended the Zhang family banquet this time, he actually addressed Zhang Guanfu as "Uncle" directly, a gesture of such humility that it left people speechless.

After Zhang Guanfu tried to correct him twice without success, he simply let him address him that way.

And so, the family dinner ended in harmony.

After the family dinner, almost the entire Zhang family came out to see Mao Renfeng off. Even in front of the driver and his entourage, Mao Renfeng still called him "Uncle" and "Aunt".

After seeing Mao Renfeng off, Wang Chunlian remarked on Mao Renfeng's pragmatism, but Zhang Guanfu pulled Zhang Anping into the study and solemnly instructed him:
"Mao Renfeng is more terrifying than I imagined! You must be careful of this person! You must be careful!"

He was afraid that his son would be misled by Mao Renfeng's apparent humility, so he added:
"Make sure to gather some information tomorrow. If I'm not mistaken, the fact that he came to our house for dinner tonight and called me 'uncle' will definitely cause quite a stir."

Zhang Anping thought to himself, "Old ginger is spicier!"

In fact, Mao Renfeng's move could not "trick" him. Or rather, Mao Renfeng knew that no matter how he performed, as long as Zhang Anping did not become the director and as long as he was still the acting director, Zhang Anping would not let his guard down.

But why does he still do it?

the reason is simple!
He needs to preserve his strength!
He has now pledged allegiance to Zhang Anping and even attended a family dinner at Zhang's house, adopting such a humble posture. While it's true that everyone will despise Mao Renfeng for his character after he deliberately leaked the news, Zhang Anping will also be put in a difficult position because of this!

Under these circumstances, could Zhang Anping suppress himself?

In this situation, would Zhang Anping be willing to risk everything to eliminate Mao Renfeng's support?
By preserving his fighting force, he would never allow himself to be exploited!

He endured hardship and bided his time!

In the story of Goujian's perseverance and eventual triumph, would King Fuchai really lower his guard because of Goujian's kneeling and bowing?

will not!

However, given the political ethics of the time, he could not bring himself to kill a subservient person who was kneeling at his feet and licking his toes. Mao Renfeng's current actions are essentially a repeat of the strategy of enduring hardship and biding one's time.

Moreover, he did this in his capacity as acting director.

“If Mao Renfeng turns against me directly because he has become the acting director, I will not be wary. The more he does this, the more wary I will be. Don’t worry, I know what to do.”

Seeing that Zhang Anping was not deceived by the illusion presented by Mao Renfeng, Zhang Guanfu was relieved.

……

Just as Zhang Guanfu had predicted, the next day, Mao Renfeng's nighttime visit to the Zhang family and his address of Zhang Guanfu as "uncle" caused quite a stir.

Many veterans from the Secret Service era were disgusted by Mao Renfeng's character after hearing about it.

But Mao Renfeng was unmoved by the outside comments. He even gave a perfect demonstration at the internal meeting that day, showing what it means to be Zhang Anping's dog!

This meeting of the Bureau of Secrecy was, in essence, a power reshuffle.

With Zheng Yaoquan's defeat and retreat, his forces were bound to be purged.

Some of the Zheng faction originally wanted to rely on Mao Renfeng to protect themselves, but they did not expect that at this meeting, Mao Renfeng did not seek personal gain at all, but instead took the lead in supporting every personnel appointment proposal of Zhang Anping.

The Zheng faction suffered a brutal purge, while the Zhang faction reaped a great harvest.

Mao Renfeng's faction picked up the scraps left by Zhang Anping.

In addition, Zheng Yaoxian's power also suffered a severe blow - he was originally in charge of the intelligence department, but was replaced by Shen Zui by Zhang Anping at this meeting.

But politics isn't about fighting to the death. As a compromise, Zhang Anping relinquished the Operations Department to Zheng Yaoxian.

Shen Zui had been deeply involved in the Operations Department for many years, and even though Zheng Yaoxian took charge of the Operations Department, he was clearly constrained in every way.

This purge meeting, after eliminating Zheng Yaoquan's faction, suddenly caused the Zhang faction, which had been languishing, to erupt and become the strongest force in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. However, as a product of compromise, many veterans from the Special Service Bureau era still held considerable power.

However, many of Zhang's "young people" rose to prominence as a result.

Mao Renfeng also secretly earned a title through her performance:
Zhang Anping's good dog!

Regardless, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS) seemed to have entered a period of unity after this purge meeting.

……

Mao family.

The curtains in the study had just been replaced with heavy, opaque sheer curtains, and now they were drawn, creating an artificially dark and secretive world.

"dog?"

"You're all dogs!"

Mao Renfeng cursed through gritted teeth.

During this period, the Mao faction, which relied on scraps, did not expand—in theory, even scraps should have allowed them to expand their power to some extent.

However, the Mao faction not only failed to expand, but also became severely weakened.

why?
Because many people have run away!

The ship of Mao's faction gives the impression that it is leaking everywhere and is about to sink.

A smart person would naturally change their approach.

This is also the reason for the decline of the Maoist faction.

Mao Renfeng was heartbroken, but he had no choice but to maintain his current stance. The word "actor" had dealt him a heavy blow, making him consider giving up the competition.

But power is an addictive poison!

These past few days of echoing others have already fueled Mao Renfeng's inner rage. The thought of having to act like this in the future drives her crazy.

Therefore, that tiny bit of thought of hers had long been kicked away by Mao Renfeng.

But now, he has no choice but to adopt such a humble posture.

This is why Mao Renfeng now enjoys being in complete darkness—only in the dark can he reveal his true self.

Jingle Bell

The phone rang shrilly. Mao Renfeng quickly suppressed the ferocity on her face, put on a normal smile, and answered the phone.

"Director, it's me."

"Minglou—wait, how did you get in?"

Long before the War of Resistance against Japan, the Nationalist government had built long-distance telephone lines, but these facilities were basically destroyed when the war broke out. After the war, the Nationalist government rebuilt these lines, but the Northeast was in the midst of fighting, and it was clear that long-distance telephone lines could not be rebuilt.

"I'm in Nanjing—is it convenient for you to stay at your home?"

A warm feeling appeared on Mao Renfeng's face. Time will tell, and Minglou is still the same Minglou!
Although he thought so in his heart, he still deliberately said, "You want to repay your work, right? I suggest you go to Anping's house..."

Before he could finish speaking, Minglou raised his voice and called out:
"director!"

Mao Renfeng was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, you can come."

"ten minutes."

Minglou hung up the phone, but in less than eight minutes, he had already arrived at the Mao family's house.

Mao Renfeng personally welcomed Minglou into her home. Seeing Minglou covered in dust from his journey, Mao Renfeng was deeply moved. Minglou had clearly come directly to her without even returning to his home in Nanjing.

Minglou looked at Mao Renfeng for a long time before saying:

"Director, you... have lost weight."

"Haha, it's good that you've lost weight, it's good that you've lost weight—I'll make you some tea."

"I'll do it myself—"

Minglou stopped Mao Renfeng and busied himself as if he were back in his own home.

After brewing and setting down the two cups of tea, Minglou sat opposite Mao Renfeng, took a deep breath, and asked:

"Director, are you really going to... surrender to that Zhang guy?"

"Minglou, you can't say that. This isn't surrendering ourselves..."

"director!"

Ming Lou rudely interrupted Mao Renfeng:
"I know you're bothered by the word 'agent,' and even disheartened by it, but things can be done!"

Mao Renfeng gave Minglou a deep look:
"But it's impossible for humans to defy the will of Heaven!"

"Yes, yes, it's hard to defy fate, but will fate never change? Zhang Anping is indeed exceptionally capable, but he has never been a qualified strategist—you are!"

Minglou said with annoyance, "But if you give up, there really is no hope!"

"Then what do you think I should do?" Mao Renfeng said with a bitter smile, "Zhang's faction is like oil on a raging fire, and what about me? The morale is low! We've suffered defeat after defeat! My wife was almost accused of being a communist—what can I do?"

"Even if your current situation is bad, is it worse than Goujian's?"

Minglou said excitedly, "Goujian endured hardship for ten years and finally avenged his great humiliation. What about you? You are not without the strength to fight!"

"Forget it," Mao Renfeng said bitterly, "Even your brother sided with Zhang Anping..."

Minglou was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in shock, "Acheng... he sided with Zhang Anping?!"

While saying this, Mao Renfeng was carefully observing Minglou's reaction. When he saw Minglou instinctively say "Acheng", he realized that Minglou probably didn't know about Mingtai, so he said, "He's your third son."

"Mingtai? He's back?! That bastard, why didn't he tell me?!"

After Minglou finished speaking, he realized what he had said and asked in shock, "Director, is this why you don't trust me?"

He stood up and paced back and forth, then thought for a moment and said, "Director, I will give you an explanation regarding Mingtai's matter—but please, Director..."

Mao Renfeng stood up and grabbed Minglou's hand: "I know your feelings. Mingtai is Mingtai, and you, Minglou... are Minglou!"

Mao Renfeng, who had been testing Minglou, dropped the pretense and growled menacingly:

"It is true that I, Mao Renfeng, have suffered repeated defeats, but that does not mean I am going to be Zhang Anping's dog. A real man should die a glorious death in battle, not live a life of humiliation on his knees."

Minglou was overjoyed upon hearing this:

"Director, I was really afraid you would be discouraged! It seems I was overthinking it. I feel ashamed."

Mao Renfeng smiled and gestured for Minglou to sit down, then said solemnly, in a vow-like tone:

"Minglou, time will tell. You have never let me down, and I, Mao Renfeng, will never let you down!"

(Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!) (End of Chapter)