Rebirth 2010, the best

Chapter 313 Feeling restless

Chapter 313 Feeling restless
"Let's go with these two. One is an older brother who looks calm and collected, and the other looks like he could take on 10 people."

Soon, Lu Yao selected two people from the stack of documents.

One of them is named Zeng Ming.

He exudes the aura of a "master".

He seems even better at fighting than Master Ip.

The other one was a square-faced older man named Chen Xiaoqun. He gave off a very safe and reassuring vibe at first glance.

After taking the two people's information pages into his hands, Zheng Xiaofan glanced at them and nodded.
"confirmed?"

"Hmm, confirmed... Are these two reliable?"

"Anyone on this list is unreliable."

"...Why aren't there any female bodyguards?"

Hearing this, Zheng Xiaofan was speechless for a moment:
"What do you want to do?"

"...Bro, can you please not be so dirty?"

"?"

Zheng Xiaofan was taken aback at first, then rolled her eyes at Lu Yao in annoyance:
"I don't know who's dirty between us."

As he spoke, he put the two documents into the drawer and said:

"Let's get straight to the point. Have you noticed any changes in Luo Xuewei?"

"Ah."

Lu Yao sat up straight, held a teacup in his hand, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Putting everything else aside, let's just talk about Hu Li... She rarely mentioned it before. But she brought it up once yesterday and once today, and every time she did, she would look at me... which made me feel very uncomfortable. I feel like she's testing me, after all, logically speaking, they should have a lot of dirt on me."

"That's our analysis too."

Zheng Xiaofan nodded:

"We've already made contingency plans, and we even held a meeting this morning specifically about your situation. Do you have any concerns now?"

"Of course. Hu Li."

"...Besides this?"

"Gone."

He was telling the truth because... apart from Hu Li, he really had no other concerns about this matter.

After hearing his words, Zheng Xiaofan fell silent.

Because this matter is actually a dead end.

The decision was made the day Lu Yao decided to do it.

After a moment of silence, he said:

"As I said before, we will do our best to mitigate the impact of this matter."

"……Um."

Looking at Lu Yao's expression, he knew that saying those words made no difference.

Lu Yao took a few deep breaths, clearing his mind of all sorts of thoughts, and asked:

What if she starts to become more aggressive towards me?

Do you mean to confront him directly?

"Well, she's been talking to me about life in England these past few days, and... you saw what she said, it seems like she extended an invitation to me. From ARM, to life in England, to a long-term secret relationship... oh right, she's offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal, buy her, get the white-haired girl free. So, putting myself in her shoes, I think... if I were a spy, I'd given her everything I could, and now it's time for her to reciprocate, right? If she does, great; if not, and bribery doesn't work, then I'll resort to coercion. If it really comes to that, how do I handle it?"

"One word: delay."

Zheng Xiaofan said directly:
"Generally speaking, spies don't actively pressure their targets when they're corrupting them. That would easily provoke resentment. So, when they feel the time is right, they'll proactively confess their needs to you. And the target's normal reaction to the first confession is usually bewilderment and resistance. If you directly agree to the spy's demands, that would be abnormal in their eyes."

"...So, I can just choose to run away?"

"Yes, for example, if I were a spy, and I told you my identity now, your first reaction would be shock and disbelief. Then, when I make demands of you, if you readily agree, then I'd be the one to become suspicious... Why did you agree so readily? Why did you react differently from everyone else? Remember what I said? For a spy, suspicion is the biggest concern. So, when she actually makes these demands of you, just refuse and turn around and leave. That best reflects your personality."

"...My personality profile?"

"Yes. It's not just us doing it to them, they've definitely done it to you too. They'll definitely create a reasonable range for how you would respond to certain situations. Any answer outside that range will arouse their suspicion, so don't do it. Then, after giving you a reasonable amount of time to cool down, they'll invite you again. At this point, there are two possibilities: one, you'll hesitantly agree; two, after you refuse again, they'll threaten you with something."

"..."

Lu Yao had actually anticipated this situation, so he wasn't surprised; he just wanted to know how he should deal with it.

"And then? Which of these two scenarios would you prefer me to use?"

Seeing this, Zheng Xiaofan pulled out the blackboard behind his desk, stood up, and started a class like Little Sunflower's mother, writing two options on the blackboard.

1. Agreed.

2. Refusal.

Pointing to the "agree" option, he said:

"There are two scenarios here. They definitely want all your research, but... similarly, they'll have to pay you. But here's the problem... what are you lacking?"

Watching Lu Yao listen attentively like a student in class, Zheng Xiaofan began writing the answer after "promised":

Money, power, and beauty.

"Do you lack money?... Objectively speaking, you don't. Your company, your annual salary, etc., while not making you extremely wealthy, are certainly enough to ensure you have enough to eat and wear. Especially considering Hu Li's situation, right...? So, let's drop the money. As for power, it goes without saying. You should understand the principle that those who are not of our kind will have different intentions. Even if you go to England, at most you might achieve a high position in a company like ARM using your technical skills, or do classified research in some department in England, but being truly valued... at least outside of technical fields, is unlikely. So, that can be dropped too. As for beauty..."

"Dong dong dong."

He emphasized the point on the blackboard:

"Your only weakness right now is that of a woman. After all, these two women have given themselves to you. And, in fact, I have a feeling that she has already made some demands of you."

Following his train of thought, Lu Yao said:

"After going to England, will she establish a stable relationship with the white-haired man?"

"That's right. That's likely one of their conditions... but it doesn't seem quite enough to me. So, along with that, I think they'll make empty promises about power. For example, how important you'll be to them once you get there. Of course, your talent will be valued wherever you go, that's for sure. It just depends on how big those promises are."

"But actually, none of it is very useful, right?"

"Yes, because they are just spies. In China, you have the final say. But once you're in Britain, you're no longer in control of your own destiny. So just listen and that's it... The British have been using this tactic for years, and frankly, I don't understand why anyone would believe that a stranger would trust someone who has completely betrayed their own country... They're just insane."

Zheng Xiaofan shook his head speechlessly, seemingly not understanding at all. Then he drew a greater-than sign on the blackboard:

"They probably know that your future prospects in China are not much different from those in the UK. So, as I understand it, their attitude in this regard is that success is good, but failure is not a big deal. Because what you have is greater than the pie they've painted for you, understand?"

"Does that mean the emphasis is after I refused?"

"Yes. And Hu Li is your biggest weakness."

"...Will Hu Li be in danger?"

"..."

Lu Yao's sudden question made Zheng Xiaofan fall silent for a moment.

Generally speaking, no.

This is his answer.

Just as Lu Yao was about to speak, he added:
"And, in any case, the situation she encountered will only fall within the 'normal' range. So, you can rest assured. As for you..."

Turning his gaze to Lu Yao, Zheng Xiaofan thought for a moment and said:

"Think of the worst-case scenario, and then... be prepared."

"..."

Lu Yao remained silent.

Actually, when he watched movies before, he never really felt any empathy for those undercover agents who chose to sacrifice their families for their careers.

I've never even considered what I would do if this happened to me.

He was just an ordinary person; these things were too far removed from him.

I can't struggle like the protagonist, and I can't understand why I have to put my family in danger.

These things can be effectively prevented if they are arranged in advance and all contingencies are prepared.

This is why he made it clear before joining that, under no circumstances could anything happen to his family, and why he repeatedly mentioned Hu Li.

But only now does he realize...

The struggles depicted in the movie seem rather trivial compared to real-life situations.

Because a movie might have a perfect ending thanks to the director's guidance.

But in reality... there is no director.

Every minute and every second he faces is an unknown.

Even if the worst outcome is foreseen, there is still nothing that can be done.

……

After leaving Zheng Xiaofan's place, Lu Yao was somewhat absent-minded the whole way.

I don’t know what I’m thinking.

My mind feels like it's churning with so many things, but I can't sort them out... or rather, I can't express a single one of them.

I'm feeling upset and confused, but I don't know where the confusion comes from. It's really frustrating.

After returning to school, he contacted Xu Gongzi, who then took Zhang Mengxi out to play. He told Lu Yao to park the car at the usual spot, which was the hotel parking lot, and to deliver the keys to the dormitory.

Normally, Lu Yao might have been speechless, but right now he wasn't in the mood to joke around with Young Master Xu.

When I got back to the dorm, I found... still no one was there.

He couldn't be bothered to ask where Liu and Yu had gone.

With Ele.me currently enjoying great success, his role as a strategist is gradually being replaced by management.

In addition, Lu Yao himself wasn't too concerned about the company, so he just let them do whatever they wanted.

Anyway, the tide of history is what it is. Now that he's already taken the first bite of the cake, how to eat the rest is no longer his concern.

I stayed in the dorm for a while, checked the time, and found it was already 5 o'clock.

He was a little confused for a moment.

I had no idea where to go.

I don't want to go to anyone.

After thinking it over, he went downstairs and into the cafeteria.

It wasn't crowded in the cafeteria yet, so he casually ordered a bowl of knife-cut noodles and found a table to eat.

He had only taken two bites when Tian Dazhuang spotted him.

He laughed heartily as he carried the food over and invited him to play ball.

Lu Yao thought to himself, "Brother, can't we have some other pursuits?"... After shaking his head slightly in refusal, Da Zhuang didn't force him and sat down opposite Lu Yao.
"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

"No ah."

"Pshaw~ Don't even try."

Tian Dazhuang chuckled with a "don't be ridiculous" expression:
"You practically have 'I'm in trouble' written all over your face... What's wrong? Tell me, I'll help you sort it out."

"It's okay."

"...Fine, don't tell me then."

He continued to sneer, then started eating.

But after Lu Yao chewed a couple of mouthfuls of noodles, perhaps attracted by the guy's eating manner, or perhaps... he really wanted to chat with someone at the moment, so he took the initiative to say:
"Dazhuang, how are things going with you and your girlfriend?"

"They broke up."

"……what?"

Lu Yao was taken aback:
"why?"

"We're both fire signs, our tempers are like oil and water."

"...What are fire signs?"

"We both have really hot tempers. So when we argue, it's like a thunderbolt, and I got a little annoyed, so we broke up."

"..."

Lu Yao was speechless for a moment.

But Tian Dazhuang followed his lead and asked:
"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend? You're dating someone? Who is it? Senior Bai Yao?"

"...No. The people outside are not from the school."

"Oh, I thought you and your senior were a couple."

"Nothing."

"Did you have a fight with your girlfriend? What was it about? Relationship problems? Or did someone find out you were seeing fans?"

"..."

Lu Yao's lips twitched.

"Soaking up rice noodles?"

"Yeah, you're a rock star, isn't it normal for you to date some fans?"

"..."

Don't tell me.

Don't say that.

For a moment, Lu Yao didn't know how to refute him.

Lu Yao thought for a moment, then followed his lead and asked:
"What if we get caught if we do what you say?"

"...Holy crap, can it really be true?"

"It's fake, just chatting casually."

"..."

This time, it was Tian Dazhuang's turn to be surprised.

After staring blankly at Lu Yao for a couple of seconds, he chuckled again:
"Oh, about your friend?"

"..."

While Lu Yao remained silent, he thought for a moment and said:

"If I were the one who made the mistake, my first reaction would be that I feel incompetent."

"...Bro, that's a bit too much of a jerk thing to say."

"That's exactly right. If you're capable of doing something, you have to be capable of not getting caught. If you get caught, it means you're not capable enough."

"..."

Lu Yao felt a headache coming on. He thought to himself that the others were alright, but the methods of these three spies could no longer be categorized as simply a matter of "whether they were capable enough".

They are not the same thing at all:

"And then, what was your second reaction?"

"My second reaction was to think about how to fix it."

"What if it can't be fixed?"

"This is troublesome... You've been discovered?"

"It wasn't me... never mind."

Meeting his "keep making this up" look, Lu Yao sighed helplessly:
"It hasn't been discovered yet, but what if it is?"

"Then just confess."

Tian Dazhuang casually shrugged:

"It's simply a matter of whether you take it seriously or not. If you're not planning to marry your girlfriend and are just playing around, then it doesn't matter. But if you're serious... it's better to be honest about this kind of mistake as soon as possible. Be honest early, and then..."

Seeing that he was still pausing, Lu Yao subconsciously asked:
"Then?"

"Then just wait to die."

"..."

Seeing Lu Yao's speechless expression, Tian Dazhuang chuckled:

"Otherwise, what do you think you can do? Do you think you can do what the books say, prepare the patient psychologically first? Prepare your girlfriend mentally first, and then have her accept your behavior? Impossible, this isn't some ancient times with multiple wives and concubines. You agree, right?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand:
"Think positively. The worst outcome is a breakup. Since you already know the worst outcome, just set it as the starting point and work backward from there. Accept the worst outcome first, and then... try to salvage the situation little by little. That's actually the only solution. It's already at its worst, what else can you do? Time doesn't go backward, right?"

"..."

Lu Yao remained silent, even feeling that he was talking nonsense.

I could only shake my head, and the topic ended without a conclusion.

After quickly finishing his noodles, he said goodbye to Dazhuang and left the cafeteria.

As dusk fell, he squinted at the setting sun.

Although I thought Dazhuang was talking nonsense just now, now that I think about it... hmm.

That seems like just stating the obvious.

But the problem is... what should I do?

Has this matter really come to a conclusion?
Recalling Luo Xuewei's various "potential threats," his brows furrowed even more.

Just then, he heard his phone ring.

It was sent by Yang Ying:

"Where are you?"