She is the most beautiful rose

Chapter 359 Meeting
The following day, Yi Wenshu arrived in Huaicheng.

Qin Yanfeng didn't show up; he simply booked a private room at the teahouse, giving the two of them some space.

"Helandai?"

Yi Wenshu was picking up his teacup and downing it without any regard for the elegance of tea tasting when he heard this name and looked up at the woman opposite him.

Shen Manzhi asked directly, catching him off guard, "I want to know what your purpose is."

Shen Manzhi looked at him without saying a word.

Yi Wenshu leaned back lazily. "Miss Shen, you know that the organization I belong to is looking for you. My coming to see you has already crossed the organization's bottom line. If you don't even have this much sincerity, there are some things I have nothing to say."

Shen Manzhi slightly raised her chin, gesturing to the table, "I've prepared other things for you."

Yi Wenshu followed her gaze and saw a square box wrapped in palm-colored silk on the table. He initially thought it was a tissue box provided by the shop.

Looking at it now, the packaging was overly secure.

He didn't move, giving her a suspicious look. "What?"

Shen Manzhi didn't beat around the bush with him, "My serum sample."

Yi Wenshu was surprised. He sat up straight, took the box, and untied the ribbon to reveal the box with a password.

"Four zeros."

Yi Wenshu glanced at her, pressed the combination lock, and the cover popped open, revealing two small syringes containing pale yellow serum samples, surrounded by ice packs.

"You've already had your blood collected, so we didn't prepare any."

Yi Wenshu paused in repackaging, then looked up.

The woman leaned back in her chair, her right hand resting on her crossed knees, tapping them lightly. She appeared relaxed and languid, but in reality, she was indifferent and calm, even exuding a sense of composure.

Yi Wenshu found it quite interesting.

Knowing that he wouldn't give out information so easily, she prepared something in advance to show her sincerity, and even pointed out that on New Year's Eve a year ago, when she had an accident and was sent to the hospital, someone secretly drew her blood for tests.

It was as if she specifically requested to see him, yet she wasn't afraid at all that he would have the organization behind him orchestrate his arrest.

Was she too confident in her own abilities, or did she place too much trust in Ayan?
Yi Wenshu sighed inwardly, "I'm sorry, I did have doubts about you back then."

Her hostage status was later confirmed during discussions with Ayan.

However, Shen Manzhi did not know that Ayan had been a special advisor to 836. He had to be removed from the list of those involved, otherwise it would cause a rift between the two of them.

So he asked first, "Does Ayan know everything about you?"

Shen Manzhi nodded, "A part."

Yi Wenshu understood. He straightened his posture and returned to the main topic, "What do you want to know about her?"

He indirectly admitted that he knew Helande.

Shen Manzhi looked up, "You and she belong to the same organization?"

This question...does it mean you've investigated Helandai, but not him?

Yi Wenshu tapped his wrist on the table. "Yes, a few months ago. Then she was transferred out of the organization, and we lost contact. Are you looking for her?"

“She’s the one who’s looking for me,” Shen Manzhi stretched her leg. “Before she was transferred from the organization, she was in charge of my affairs with you?”

“Hey,” Yi Wenshu raised his hand slightly, “Because of Ayan’s relationship with you, I’m no longer involved in this matter.”

Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Yi Wenshu didn't care whether she believed him or not. He poured himself another cup of tea and continued, "She was the officer in charge of this matter, and she even brought people back to the country to find you. I thought she would definitely complete the mission..."

He paused briefly, then chuckled, "I never expected that I would fail to complete the mission and be removed from my post."

Shen Manzhi pressed further, "What's the reason?"

Yi Wenshu blew on the steaming tea, lowered his eyes, and said, "Internal information, not to be asked."

Not hearing a response from the other side, he glanced up at the surface of the cup and saw that Shen Manzhi's hand, which was resting on her knee, was tapping more and more frequently.

"Burying one's head in the sand?"

Yi Wenshu's gaze sharpened slightly, and the slender, jade-like hand stopped tapping.

Shen Manzhi's expression relaxed a bit. "After failing to defeat me several times, she was dismissed and transferred from the organization to become the head of the annual inspection in China. She was assigned to the Southwest region and happened to choose the Qin family as the host."

Yi Wenshu put down his teacup.

Shen Manzhi spoke slowly and deliberately, "It seems like she was dismissed from her post, but in reality, it's a cover provided by the organization to give her a plausible identity to approach me, is that right?"

Yi Wenshu and Ayan had also discussed this issue. It was the latter who guessed and told him that the organization might be giving Helandai an opportunity to transfer her to a position in China to get closer to Shen Manzhi.

Shen Manzhi was unaware that Helandai's departure from 836 was orchestrated by Ayan.

But why did she ask that?
Yi Wenshu remained silent for a while, then his expression deepened slightly. "You... want to get rid of Helandai?"

Shen Manzhi's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Don't make wild guesses."

Yi Wenshu shrugged, crossed her arms and rested her chin on them as she stared at her. "From what you're saying, Helandai is still causing you trouble after she was transferred from the organization, and she even wants to investigate you. She's no match for you, and it's understandable that you want to get rid of her. But are you asking this because you're worried about the organization behind her?"

"836?" Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm hesitant to take action against Helandai because I'm afraid of 836?"

Her tone was gentle, with a slight upward inflection at the end. Even when she blurted out the name of the organization "836," she didn't sound arrogant. Instead, she exuded the humility and composure of a strong person, without making the other party feel that she was looking down on them.

Yi Wenshu remained silent, which clearly indicated that this was his meaning.

Shen Manzhi's lips curled into an invisible smile. "If it were 836 secretly helping her, that would be fine. But what if it were other forces?"

Yi Wenshu's pupils contracted slightly, and his sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Even now, she belongs to a national organization."

“But as you said, she failed to capture me before,” Shen Manzhi said, word by word. “In order to return to 836, it’s not impossible to cooperate with outsiders.”

The meaning of this statement...

A chill ran through Yi Wenshu's heart. Although Shen Manzhi hadn't said it explicitly, her words implied that Helandai might have betrayed him or gone astray.

But he didn't show it on his face, remaining calm and collected. "Although we have Ayan's connections, this kind of thing—sowing discord..."

"I just want to get rid of her. I don't need to meet you just for this kind of trick."

Shen Manzhi leaned back slightly. "I just want to know, is 836 simply giving her an opportunity, or is it also giving her some power? After all, having power means you can move people around, but if she doesn't have the power to move people... then whose influence is she relying on?"

Yi Wenshu narrowed his eyes slightly, "You can check for yourself whether 836 is helping her."

Shen Manzhi lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, "There's no need to do such a criminal thing for her."

Yi Wenshu was slightly taken aback, then he lowered his eyes and smiled.

Come to think of it, 836 is, after all, a state organization. With Shen Manzhi's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for her to find out that Helandai belonged to "836," and it wouldn't be impossible for her to investigate further into the reasons for Helandai's dismissal. But she didn't.

It was as if she could have investigated him, borrowed Ayan's help, or used some other method, but she didn't. Instead, she chose to ask him personally about his relationship with Helandai.

So it's not that she can't find out the power behind Helandai, it's just that if she investigates deeper, it might involve classified information.

Just like she said, there's no need to cross that line.

It's astonishing that someone who seems to have no bottom line would have such principles.

He paused for a moment, then posed a pointed question, "Do you want 836 to investigate Helandai?"

Shen Manzhi tapped the table with her index finger slightly bent upwards, correcting him, "The point isn't Helandai, but the power behind her."

The fact that Helandai was able to leverage this force indicates that this force is also looking for Shen Manzhi. The former wants to rejoin the organization, while the latter is the mastermind behind it all.

But once the existence of such a force is acknowledged, it means that Helandai has already betrayed them.

Yi Wenshu remained silent for a long time before raising his eyes to ask one last question, "So what you really want to investigate is this force?" Shen Manzhi simply asked him, "Perhaps you know why your organization arrested me and brought me back?"

Yi Wenshu didn't speak, but his calm expression and lack of surprise when discussing the matter showed that he was aware of it.

“Besides because I am a special group that poses a potential threat to society,” Shen Manzhi said slowly, drawing out his words, “it is also because this force has already extended into the country.”

Yi Wenshu's hand, resting on the table, clenched slightly. His amber eyes, like the ever-changing light of dusk, were unfathomable.

He remained calm and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

What will it take for you to earn my trust?

Yi Wenshu fell silent again.

Go against Tiangang.

She was the one asking for a favor, so why is she now asking him for something in return?
However, this also shows that she does have evidence.

He shrugged. "You don't need to tell me. There are people who should be handling this. I'm no longer involved in this matter."

"Really? You were in charge of this from the beginning," Shen Manzhi said, pointing out his flaws with a hint of ambiguity, "Why are you washing your hands of it now?"

"I already said it's because of Ayan."

Shen Manzhi looked at him and said, "836 can give Helandai, who was dismissed, a chance, so they would never kick you out, a core member."

Yi Wen's nonchalant expression softened; what she said wasn't wrong.

He had indeed been following up on the matter since he discovered three years ago that the overseas Deno Biomedical Laboratory was conducting illegal experiments and endangering the safety of Chinese citizens.

"If I talk to you too much, it seems like I'm the one who betrayed you."

Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this all just my guess?"

"..."

She smiled slightly, then said seriously, "Ultimately, this matter is an inhumane biological experiment conducted by a certain foreign force. As a special organization stationed abroad, your main mission should be to track down and investigate the relevant organizations and forces involved. Your decision to withdraw under the pretext of avoiding suspicion is because arresting me was not your primary objective."

Helandai, however, was unaware of this. She believed that bringing me back would complete the organization's mission and allow her to return to 836, so she formed a cooperation agreement with other forces.

Yi Wenshu raised his eyes slightly, "So sure?"

“I don’t have much information, but many signs indicate that Helandai may be entangled with this force.” She said slowly, a smile playing in her eyes. “Of course, you can take it as me guessing.”

In this way, even if Yi Wenshu didn't say anything, as long as he remained silent, he would indirectly agree with her words.

Yi Wenshu lowered his eyes and tapped the rim of his teacup a few times with his fingertips. "There's danger all around, yet you still rush off. Aren't you afraid?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Shen Manzhi asked calmly. "Being caught and taken back for research, or being reformed? I've been sitting here all these years, haven't I?"

He's a bit arrogant.

Yi Wenshu thought to herself, but her tone was very calm, so calm that saying such things was simply stating the facts.

He didn't show any emotion, as if chatting with a close friend, and asked openly, "Everything was fine before, so why are you starting to deal with this force now? Or, as you said, is it because they are endangering the country that you want to get involved?"

Shen Manzhi looked at him quietly, "I'm not someone like you, and I couldn't do something so great. It's just that I have more friends around me, and I don't want to cause them any trouble."

Yi Wenshu smiled and asked, "Does that include Ayan too?"

"nature."

The person she wanted to protect most was him.

Yi Wenshu's eyes narrowed slightly. After a long while, he leaned back gently and said, "You can investigate with confidence."

On the surface, it's impossible to find out the background of Helandai's backer, but if you investigate further, you might cross the line.

Yi Wenshu reassured her to investigate, and then told her that the power behind Helandai was not 836.

Shen Manzhi nodded slightly.

“But I’m a little curious,” Yi Wenshu said, arms crossed, looking at her meaningfully, “this force shouldn’t only be cooperating with Helandai. You couldn’t have only investigated her. You came to see me specifically to ask what you want to achieve through Helandai?”

His eyes revealed a clear sense of inquiry. Although he had only met this person a few times, he felt that the other person was a kindred spirit.

Shen Manzhi remained silent, but pushed the box on the table towards him. "Don't tell him about this, thank you."

That's enough said, there's no point in saying more.

Half a minute after she left, Yi Wenshu answered the phone, got up, walked to the window, pushed open the half-closed curtain, and looked down.

“As expected, she’s here to ask about Helandai,” he said, leaning against the window frame with one arm crossed, his fingertips tapping casually on the decor. “But it seems her purpose is to get the power behind Helandai.”

He chuckled softly after hearing something said on the other end of the phone, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a car across the street roll down its window and beep twice.

A woman in a black coat on the roadside glanced at the person in the car, who then turned around and revealed most of their face.

Yi Wenshu turned to look down and got a better look. He said with a hint of surprise, "Qin Juan... Ayan, you should come over. The two of them went into the coffee shop next door."

Shen Manzhi noticed that the other person's expression was very cold, completely different from their relaxed and casual conversation in the teahouse just now.

She had told Baihu just over ten hours ago that if the other party was smart, they would come looking for her. She didn't expect them to come so quickly.

Qin Juan casually rested his wrist on the edge of the table, raised his hand to order two cups of coffee, and his exposed wrist had a light brown plaster on it. "With such a serious injury, why are you always running around outside instead of resting at home?"

The two only clashed in the early hours of the morning, and Shen Manzhi was too lazy to waste words on him. "Weren't you following me the whole time? Don't you know what I've been doing?"

He smiled faintly and did not deny it, readily agreeing, "After all, there must be a period of evaluation before cooperation."

Shen Manzhi scoffed, "Did I agree to cooperate with you?"

Qin Juan tilted his head slightly. "What a pity. Ayan doesn't know about the hospital incident yet, does he? Then I'll go find Ayan. After all, it's a matter for the Qin family, and he certainly won't stand idly by."

Shen Manzhi pursed her lips slightly.

"Ah," he said with a smile, noticing the other person's expression had clearly turned cold, "Are you angry?"

Shen Manzhi's brows furrowed with impatience. "State your conditions."

"Tell me everything you know about the hospital."

"What's in it for me?"

Qin Juan still smiled gently, "I won't drag Ayan into this."

Shen Manzhi pressed her tongue against her palate and sneered, "Then it's alright to tell the Qin family elders about what happened to you in the hospital, isn't it?"

Qin Juan shrugged. "It's a pity you didn't get a chance to meet them."

"Young master, did you miss the boat on the internet? Don't you know the internet is a way to transmit information?"

"..."

Shen Manzhi curled her lips, crossed her arms, and leaned back casually. "Be more sincere?"

They're quite good at giving you a way out.

Qin Juan felt that inexplicable itch in his heart again.

He ignored the past and became more serious. "I can tell you about the relationship between the Qin family and this hospital. This matter dates back more than ten or twenty years. I don't know if you're interested."

He said he didn't know, but his eyes held a knowing smile as he stared at her.

It was as if I knew she would be interested.

Shen Manzhi met his gaze but didn't show any emotion. "Tell me about it."

Please wait another week; I'll finish my thesis work and add it later.