Rebirth 2010, the best

Chapter 321: Gathering Strength

Chapter 321: Gathering Strength
"Hey, Brother Fan, I'm out."

"what?"

Zheng Xiaofan, who was in bed, was momentarily stunned by Lu Yao's words.

"What? You're out?"

"We had a fight and were kicked out."

"……what?"

The sentence was so information-dense that he could only respond with a questioning tone once again.

Then they heard Lu Yao's voice:
"Boss, a bowl of wontons, please..."

"...Are you having a late-night snack?"

"Yes, I'm a bit hungry because I've used up a lot of energy. Oh right... Zeng Ge is with me, but we're sitting separately."

"...Okay, then you eat first, and tell me what happened after you're done."

"I'll tell you now. You can record it, and I'll roughly summarize our conversation for you. Then you can send it to the person on duty and get some rest."

"it is good."

So, while Lu Yao was buying a bowl of wontons and then queuing up for a jianbing (Chinese crepe) at a nearby stall, he had already recounted the general course of events. Thanks to his exceptional memory, he reconstructed almost 95% of the conversation.

He said that Zheng Xiaofan would listen.

After he finished speaking, Lu Yao's jianbing guozi (Chinese savory crepe) was ready.

Holding up the hot jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe), he said:

"That's roughly the situation... She turned on me quite inexplicably today, at least that's how it seems to me. It feels rather far-fetched. To be honest, we've only been 'friends with benefits' a few times, and she suddenly brought up living together. I think my reaction was pretty genuine. But logically... she shouldn't have turned on me like that, yet it also seemed a bit like she was being unreasonable. You know, like a woman's... utterly unreasonable tantrums. Anyway, she kicked me out. That's what happened."

"...Okay, I understand. You go back and rest first. We'll discuss the possibilities further and then we'll talk to you about it."

"OK."

Lu Yao didn't intend to figure things out with him over the phone.

It's late at night, and everyone else needs to rest.

So he hung up the phone without hesitation, returned to the wonton stall that he only dared to set up at night, exchanged a glance with Zeng Ming who was sitting at another table, and then, without saying a word, ordered their wontons and started eating.

I must say, after expending so much energy, this combination of sugar, oil, and carbohydrates really tastes delicious.

After finishing even the soup, a satisfied Lu Yao glanced at Zeng Ming, who had also finished eating, and the two left one after the other in tacit agreement.

Back at the Grand Garden, he was indeed exhausted. He collapsed onto the bed and slept until noon the next day.

After getting up, besides Hu Li's text messages, there were only Bai Yao's.

His girlfriend gave him her usual greetings, while his senior told Lu Yao that her project would probably finish in early April and that she had already submitted her progress report that day.

Unfortunately, these are the busiest days, otherwise she could have taken a break and come back to spend a few days with Lu Yao.

Lu Yao didn't mention that she had bodyguards; she just told her to focus on her work.

Then he leaned back on the sofa, almost lying down.

To be honest, he didn't take Luo Xuewei's outburst last night to heart.

With his natural identity filter in place, regardless of whether the other party is sincere or not, he will ultimately perceive it as a disguise to achieve a goal.

He didn't have time to worry about whether she was telling the truth or not.

You'd be better off having some tea or a foot bath instead.

Later that evening, Hu Li called around 8 p.m.

The two of them usually talk on the phone twice a day at the same time, and this time, Hu Li talked to him about her trip back from the Qingming Festival.

Although there are still more than two weeks left, it's good to make plans early.

Upon hearing her plan to go for a spring outing, Lu Yao assumed she was going on a trip, but Hu Li simply said she wanted to experience spring with him...

This prompted Lu Yao to complain about the RV that hadn't been driven in a long time.

This earned him bursts of silly laughter from his girlfriend.

In short, Lu Yao was quite happy to learn that she would be back a few days early to spend time with him during the Qingming Festival.

The two chatted while attending to their own tasks, and hung up the phone after nearly an hour.

And so the weekend passed uneventfully.

Luo Xuewei never contacted Lu Yao again, and Lu Yao didn't have the audacity to send a message to "apologize."

At least, this behavior seemed meaningless to him.

He's not worth wasting his time on a grasshopper that won't last more than a few days in autumn.

Monday, another day of slacking off.

He was indeed quite bored without any projects in hand.

However, I still clock in and out every day, just like the old saying goes, "A cup of tea, a pack of cigarettes, and a keyboard are all I need for a day."

And then... another week passed.

Lu Yao discovered that... his life could actually be very regular.

Without Luo Xuewei's interference, he had a very peaceful week.

With more time to spend with Xu Ruochu, he felt much more at ease every day.

Do whatever you want, without paying any attention to any of the noise and disturbances.

Furthermore, Zheng Xiaofan concluded that the argument that night was "very deliberate," and according to his prediction, the day when Luo Xuewei would confront him was not far off.

This also means that Beijing Guoan needs to hurry up and close the net.

However, he naturally wouldn't tell Lu Yao these things, so all he could do now was wait.

Waiting for that day to come.

……

Time passed quietly, and the second half of the month arrived.

With the Qingming Festival approaching, the topic of holidays is making headlines on Weibo.

In the recording room.

"It's where my demons hide..."

Lu Yao was singing loudly.

Her naturally metallic voice blended perfectly with the song at this moment. With each powerful drumbeat, every note struck the hearts of the audience like a heavy hammer.

"...Senior, this song is really great."

Zhang Mengxi, leaning against her boyfriend's chest, couldn't help but sigh.

Young Master Xu rolled his eyes upon hearing this:

"Hey, watch your mouth, will you?"

"hey-hey."

Gone was the awkwardness she had shown in front of others; now, the girl simply smiled and reached out to touch his cheek.

The once innocent schoolgirl gradually gained a touch of allure.

Soon, the song ended.

Lu Yao glanced at everyone through the window, and seeing that it seemed alright, asked:

"Is it OK?"

"OK."

Wu Mengqi gave a thumbs up.

Seeing this, Lu Yao stepped forward and asked:

"The results are alright?"

“Great. This is the best version ever. Let’s just go with this one.”

Following Wu Mengqi's words, the others nodded in agreement, while Zhang Mengxi gave a thumbs-up:
"You're awesome, senior!"

"Ha, thank you."

Lu Yao nodded:
"So...that's it for today?"

"That's fine for now. Come back after that electronic music track comes out."

With Wu Mengqi's words, the group, having finally finished recording "DEMONS," prepared to disband.

Where should we eat for lunch?

After checking the time and seeing that it was lunchtime, Young Master Xu extended an invitation.

“I can’t eat it.”

Lu Yao waved his hand:

"I have an appointment this afternoon, so I'll be going now."

As he spoke, he opened the door, and Chen Xiaoqun, who was sitting outside, stood up as well.

"it's over?"

"Ah."

Lu Yao nodded:
"Let's go."

"it is good."

As he spoke, Lu Yao waved to the friends who had followed him out and quickly left.

"..."

The group of people looked at each other in silence.

They had already met Chen Xiaoqun before, and Lu Yao had also mentioned that this was his bodyguard.

As to why Lu Yao had bodyguards... none of them really knew.

Everyone, including Wu Mengqi, couldn't understand why a "bodyguard" would be following Lu Yao around.

Even though Young Master Xu was quite familiar with the situation here, he didn't say much.

They only gave everyone a direction: "It should be related to Lu Yao's research project."

Everyone understood.

I won't ask any more questions.

But every time I see Chen Xiaoqun, I can't shake off that curiosity.

Watching the two figures hurry away, after a moment of silence, Young Master Xu asked again:

"Shall we go eat?"

"Let's go~"

When they arrived at the underground parking garage, the Audi A6 that had been parked next to Mr. Xu's Land Rover was nowhere to be seen.

Inside A6, Lu Yao checked the time.

11:20.

"Will we make it in time?"

"There's definitely enough time. We agreed to meet at 12 o'clock."

Hearing Chen Xiaoqun's words, he felt relieved.

Today, Zheng Xiaofan called him directly to his workplace.

But she didn't tell him what she was going to do.

Lu Yao originally wanted to skip the morning recording session and go directly there, but they said there was no rush and he could come around 12 o'clock, so he finally had time to finish the song "DEMONS".

Throughout the journey, Chen Xiaoqun drove very steadily, and Lu Yao was already used to him constantly looking around while driving.

After spending more than half a month with these two big shots, his biggest impression of them was their reliability.

It's so safe and reliable that it's become an art form.

So he just sat in the back row, holding his phone and continuing to look up information online.

Shanghai has changed a lot in the past two years, mainly because all sorts of fun places have opened up. He's making travel plans; his girlfriend is coming back next Tuesday, and he needs to finish the plans quickly so he can take her to all the places one by one.

After checking the route, which included arcades and campsites, and making notes on my phone's notebook, I felt a familiar bumpy ride and looked up to find myself at Zheng Xiaofan's workplace.

Before he even got out of the car, he saw Zheng Xiaofan and Zeng Ming standing to the side.

"Brother Zeng is here too?"

Lu Yao was somewhat surprised.

Chen Xiaoqun responded:
"Yes, he was also notified of today's meeting."

"..."

Lu Yao silently wondered to himself.

Get off the bus directly.

"Brother Fan, Brother Zeng."

"Hmm, all done?"

Zheng Xiaofan smiled and nodded, pointing to the cafeteria:

"Let's go eat."

"...Isn't it a meeting?"

"The meeting doesn't start until 1 p.m., so I called you all over for lunch. The food in the cafeteria was really good today... guess what it was?"

Lu Yao was both amused and exasperated:

"Could it be some rare delicacy? Surely not, especially during this lean season..."

"The lean season is from February to March... How come you, a top student, don't even know this?"

"You're kidding me. The period between harvests refers to the third and fourth months of the lunar calendar."

Lu Yao rolled her eyes.

I thought to myself, I won't argue with you about professional knowledge, but when it comes to common sense, you're really not as good as me.

Zheng Xiaofan was also speechless.

After all, he really was talking nonsense just now.

It was quite embarrassing to be exposed now, but I still said:
"Anyway, there's good stuff!"

"what?"

"They were on a mission at the reservoir yesterday, and when they finished, a fisherman happened to catch two big grass carp weighing 10-20 pounds each, pure wild reservoir fish. How could I, as their older brother, forget about you guys when something good happens? That's why I quickly called you over to try some..."

"..."

Lu Yao's lips twitched.

Zeng Ming was speechless.

Both of them thought that being called over at 12 o'clock meant something was wrong, but they never expected...

Eating fish?

Just as Lu Yao was about to say something, Chen Xiaoqun's eyes lit up:
"Reservoir? Which reservoir? Is fishing allowed? Where are the fishing spots? Are they recorded? What bait were used? What was used to ground the fish?"

"..."

Seeing his keen interest, Lu Yao asked, both amused and exasperated:
"Does Brother Chen like fishing?"

"Correct."

Chen Xiaoqun nodded:

"I usually come home a day or two late after a mission is over...you understand?"

"..."

Even Zeng Ming's eyes looked somewhat absurd.

The older brother's filter seems to have shattered a bit.

Zheng Xiaofan smiled and said:
"Then I'll have him send me the address, and you can go there. They say the fishing there is excellent..."

"Make sure you send it to me."

"Uh-huh……"

The four of them walked into the cafeteria together, and Lu Yao immediately saw a large grass carp cut into pieces on a large stainless steel plate on the table.

It's really quite big.

"Get the plates, get the plates. Let me tell you, the fish cooked by our cafeteria chef is top-notch."

Lu Yao glanced at it and found... indeed, the color looked quite accurate.

So, each of them picked out some of their favorite foods, along with a piece of fish, and then sat down at a table.

The fish tasted... alright.

It is indeed more springy than farmed meat.

not bad.

While they were eating and chatting, when he asked what meeting was scheduled for 1 o'clock, Zheng Xiaofan chose to ignore it.
"You'll know when the time comes."

Seeing that he wouldn't say anything, Lu Yao stopped asking, figuring she'd find out eventually.

And this grass carp... apart from having a lot of bones, there's nothing wrong with it.

After a satisfying meal, around 12:30, Zheng Xiaofan led a few people directly to the conference room where Lu Yao had given his report earlier and began to wait.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, one after another, Angkor Wat, whom I had met before, Sister Sun, and all sorts of other faces, both familiar and unfamiliar, came in.

Upon seeing Lu Yao, some people smiled warmly, while others nodded politely.

Lu Yao noticed that everyone looked quite relaxed, so he didn't think much of it.

Until that middle-aged man in a leadership position walked in.

As soon as the leader arrived, everyone immediately sat up straight.

Then, the meeting room door was closed.

The curtains were drawn, and in the quiet atmosphere, the middle-aged man's gaze swept around. When he saw Lu Yao, he gave her a deep look before continuing:
"Everyone's here, let's begin. Xiao Zheng, tell Lu Yao and the others about the situation."

"Yes."

Zheng Xiaofan nodded, stood up, and walked to the projector.

Under Lu Yao's curious gaze, he said, word by word:

"Well then... let me tell you the main points of today's meeting. The main points are very simple: the capture operation of the badger-catching plan."

"!"

Lu Yao was stunned.

Arrest!?
His mind went blank for a moment, and his gaze instantly fell on the curtain behind Zheng Xiaofan.

At this moment, the content on the screen appeared as Zheng Xiaofan operated the controls.

Against a deep blue background, the faces of Luo Xuewei, Bai Mao, Pink Mao, and a group of others all appear.

Lu Yao narrowed his eyes.

[Vesna Lowe], codename "Poison Bee", department: SIS...

Alice Christian, codename "White Sparrow", department: SIS...

Elena Christian...

The information, photos, resume—everything was written very clearly.

From the department to the resume...

Lu Yao then realized that Luo Xuewei's activities covered a wide range; she had even been to the Middle East...

And it wasn't just these three people; there were others as well, mostly with European or American features, and a small number of mixed-race and Chinese features.

According to the information, some of these people work at MIXX bar, some at gentlemen's clubs, and many more are in Hong Kong...

Zheng Xiaofan also said:

"Based on the intelligence we currently have, the number of active spies to be captured in this badger-catching operation is... 147."

"..."

Lu Yao remained silent.

He wasn't quite sure whether the number of 147 people was large or small.

But looking at Zheng Xiaofan's face, which was suppressing his excitement...

seem……

This is really a big fish.

As he was thinking this, he heard Zheng Xiaofan continue:

"And 325 suspects who assisted them in endangering national security, for whom evidence has been obtained, and 117 major suspects..."

"..."