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unger and more refined than she had imagined. She attributed this to his long years in office, being supported by the common people, so naturally his nutrition was better, and he didn't look old. Jian...He walked towards the basement, where there was a storage room, a wine cellar, and even a small, makeshift training ground. On ordinary days, he would spend time in this place practicing martial arts, and the two young boys also frequented it often. Li Lanqiu thought that his heavily guarded study was the real stronghold, the place where he might contact the outside world. In reality, the true stronghold lay underground, right in the training ground.

When needed, he would slip into restricted areas during his training breaks to conduct certain exchanges, then emerge back to his practice. Afterwards, he'd simply wash up nearby and leave. Such a place with virtually no security measures had quite a lot of foot traffic – him, the two young boys, and occasionally even bodyguards responsible for the villa's security who would come over to spar with him. So, what appeared to be the least protected location actually became the safest, as it wouldn't attract any special attention.

As usual, he began to stretch his limbs. During this process, the custom-made mobile phone's monitoring system never gave him feedback that anyone had entered the underground. He wiped a sweat from his brow, picked up the phone lying beside him, and while adjusting the program, walked towards the nearby plum blossom pile. He jumped onto the plum blossom pile, moving nimbly like a monkey, reaching his destination, he jumped down. The square he stepped on loosened, carrying him rapidly downward.

Beneath the plum blossom stake, there was a secret chamber, but just by this quick glance, it was only a space about a square meter. Rong Ling jumped down, and the small block automatically returned to its position, fitting flush with the floor above, so the whole space suddenly darkened. He moved as skillfully as if he were walking in his own backyard, and the darkness didn't affect his agile steps at all. Two steps later, he reached out his hand and pressed a few times precisely on the wall. After waiting for a keypad to pop out, he entered the code, then a door opened, and he walked inside.

As the gate closed, the automatic lights in the darkened room flickered on.

He sat down in front of the computer, turned it on, adjusted the program, and then waited!

Originally, there was no need for all this trouble. You could communicate with your superiors directly using your phone. It's just about Lin Meng's matter; he wanted to talk to his old superior face-to-face. Unable to see the other person's expression through text, he thought that it wouldn't be enough to convey his true emotions, nor would it be sufficient to demonstrate the seriousness of his attitude to his superiors.

After a while, the computer screen flickered and displayed a snowstorm of pixels. There was no one visible, but voices could be heard.

What's wrong

A voice, slightly aged and stern, came over.

Rong Ling sat upright, his eyes resolute, his facial lines taut with tension.

"Head, I have to tell you about my wife!"

He immediately scolded.

"Heavens, is this such a trivial matter that you're making such a fuss about it!"

Over there, he could clearly see Rong Ling's face! He thought that Rong Ling had notified him to go online at midnight because he had made a major breakthrough at Li Lanqiu's place and wanted to report it to him. But who knew, he was still talking about this trivial matter!

"This is no small matter!" Rong Ling's gaze was fixed on the snow scene, as if from that vast sea of sand and waves, he had precisely seen a face, even directly locking eyes with that person.

"My wife doesn't understand, and I can't work peacefully. She is very important to me, incredibly important!"

"I've already told you, your application has been submitted to the higher ups and is currently under review. This process takes time, there's no way to rush it!"

"I think I can make an exception and let my wife know about my identity in advance."

"She has neither merit nor talent, how can she be treated specially! Ling, I need to remind you, you're not being very rational right now, this needs attention. Go back and calm down properly!"

"I'm very clear about this!" A fierce light shot from his eyes. "If you keep this from my wife, if this continues, my wife might kick me out. She's the woman I finally won back, and I don't fear your displeasure. Let me tell you straight, nothing compares to her. So, boss, I hope you'll carefully consider my proposal and use special channels to let my wife know about this. You can trust her character completely; I swear my life for her!"

After a tense silence of ten seconds or so, it finally spoke, its voice unusually heavy and severe.

“No, 13, you've been in this line of work for so many years, we should have our own rules here. Rules can't be broken. Otherwise, if you go through special channels, others will too, and things will get chaotic here. Without rules, there can be no order. These rules must not be broken under any circumstances!”

Rong Ling suddenly frowned, beginning to become sharp and unyielding.

“Regarding the background check on my wife, shouldn't you have started that when we got married It should have been done then, at the latest. You've had all this time. By now, you should know everything about her. Do I need to be more clear This is a request!”

Then there was another long silence.

This is a default guess of tolerance!

Upon seeing this, Rong Ling softened his attitude slightly. He appealed to her emotions and reason, saying, "Headmaster, over these years, you've watched me grow. Besides my third uncle's matter, I haven't asked for anything from you. Now, I beg you, please grant my request and let my wife know everything!"

A whole minute passed before there was a response, but it was still the disappointing refusal that left Rong Ling disheartened.

"No!"

Rong Ling's face sank suddenly, and between his brows and eyes, there instantly appeared a look of arrogance and defiance that belonged to him alone.

"Why not Explain it to me, convince me, or else, I'm out of this mission!"

Then it finally became enraged, its voice no longer calm.

"end13!"

This voice was exceptionally stern!

"Don't stoop to this level of petty squabbling, that's not you!"

Rong Ling raised the corner of his mouth slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. He exuded an air of mischief and danger!

He's not that kind of person who just blindly follows orders and walks east when told to. The superiors can test him and see what he's really like!

Faced with such a man, the one who loses must be the other party. Isn't this him being arrogant! Arrogance should be like this, just like a proud emperor, acting wildly and recklessly, not taking anything to heart. If you touch his scales, he won't give anyone face!

If he can say it, he can do it!

How can this be!

After a slight standoff, he reluctantly conceded.

"Okay, you want me to explain, I'll explain! We did indeed start investigating Lin Meng a long time ago. First of all, I have to say, you got married, but not a single word to us That makes us very angry!"

Rong Ling sneered in his heart, anger Whatever! It's him getting married, not the old folks getting married. They're being too nosy, he just has to listen and that's it.

The moment the other person met his gaze, he could tell from the raised eyebrow that he wasn't taking this seriously. But there was no way to properly manage his life, after all, he had been a special being granted special privileges from the start. So he could only helplessly brush past it and continue talking.

"She has previous experience traveling abroad, married to an American Chinese citizen named Ruan Cangsheng and became a US citizen. To this day, she remains in that status. Therefore, her review requires careful consideration. Second, during her four years in the United States, we can't find detailed information about whom or what she came into contact with. Furthermore, her return coincided with a period when internal problems within our organization occurred. Therefore, it is better to kill a thousand than let one go. We must adopt a skeptical attitude towards her. Third, some of her online statements show a tendency against the authority. This makes us need to be even more cautious! 13, I've stated these three points, each of which is lethal and should convince you!"

Rong Ling's face was iron-blue, and he remained silent.

The other party seemed to have gained confidence, their voice regained its steadiness, and they continued.

"In fact, Lin Meng is a bit dangerous. Our suggestion is that you should separate from her for a while. This way, first, it will be convenient for us to continue investigating her, and second, it will also make it easier for you to complete your mission. Once we've finished our investigation and confirmed that she is harmless, you can bring her back then. By then, your mission should be completed!" Rong Ling, please consider this suggestion carefully."

"Fart!" Rong Ling didn't say a word, squinting his eyes and spitting out these two words.

If it weren't for this large sheet of snow blocking his view, he would have been able to see the look on his boss's face as his eyes bulged with anger. To fart, these two words, few people dare to say them to him, let alone in such a tone!

"Thirteen!" he grunted, his voice laced with warning.

Rong Ling didn't take it to heart. He leaned forward slightly, glaring fiercely at the computer screen, though in reality, he was staring at the person behind the blurry snowflakes.

"I don't know where these three points came from. They don't apply to me at all. Nationality is a living thing; you can't just dismiss someone based on their nationality. There are plenty of people in our department who have entered other countries under different nationalities. Otherwise, how could we gain the trust of others! She didn't go through any trouble with her nationality and married me openly and honestly, which shows that she is a good person. As for your second and third points, they are completely useless. Nobody knows my wife better than I do, and she is definitely not like that!"

"Some things can't be done just by saying them out loud. Here, there are only procedures and discipline. If Lin Meng is truly innocent, we naturally won't find anything. Just wait!"

"When will it be!" Rong Ling sneered. "Wait any longer, and the flowers will have wilted! It's not your wife, so why are you so anxious Head, I just want to ask you, if this happened to you, if your wife might run away, would you be in a hurry"

He paused for a moment before replying.

I will be anxious, but I will still prioritize the mission! My wife ran off, and catching her is secondary. But if this mission fails, the losses we'll incur are unbearable!

After a pause, he continued, "People like us, when necessary, can only burden our families. It's impossible to avoid it because what we do benefits the country and the people. Personal sacrifices must be made in the face of the greater good."

But he was no saint, nor a great hero who saved the country and the people!

Rong Ling muttered inwardly, coldly rebutting. "You're talking about yourself, your people, not me. I don't have the same capacity as you. My wife is more important than anything, she comes before everything!"

"You—"

That man was practically speechless, bordering on furious. This person, before, seemed like a soulless machine, the perfect agent. But how could emotions, once awakened, be so intense They were even putting their wife in front of their superior, right there! If anyone else had done this, they'd be bombarded with lectures. Why wasn't he worried about his future repercussions!

Isn't he stupid He doesn't know how to be a good person!

Humph!

He seemed arrogant and reckless. Yet, with this kind of ruthlessness, both righteous and evil, he was enigmatic and unpredictable. This made him popular among all sorts of people, able to acquire goods that others couldn't even after much effort. Because dealing with such a person brought them peace of mind. That's why he succeeded more than anyone else.

Such talents are highly valued, so one must be cautious in his affairs. In fact, if it weren't for this internal incident causing such a stir, and if it weren't for the coincidence that Rong Ling's former lover, Li Lanqiu, happened to be involved and was so clingy to Rong Ling, they truly wouldn't want Rong Ling to get involved in this game.

No matter when or where, their priority is to protect him.

They may have other special agents, but there is no second special agent named Rong Ling!

It feels too hard, the old man has to come with a softer approach.

"Róng Líng, I know you're eager, but on this matter, I'm really doing my best and have been urging those above. However, your wife's resume is truly something we need to be cautious about because we place incredibly high importance on you!"

"Rong Ling coldly retorted, “What kind of background could she possibly have that warrants caution She grew up domestically. Went abroad for high school and studied there for four years. As soon as she graduated, she returned with her son to find me. She’s as pure as water. Besides, I don't think her timing is suspicious at all; her return is completely normal. And as for what she posted online, do you really think someone like she is would be foolish enough to blatantly do something like that to draw your attention and suspicion”

"You should take a look at what she published, you know, our department is very wary of this kind of thing. And the fact that she's so young and already been admitted to the AIMR association in America makes us even more cautious. After she returned home, she has been in frequent contact with people from that association."

"I can take that as a compliment!" Rong Ling roared. "It's hard to get into Aimr, and she got in, which shows her ability. She works in the financial securities industry and comes into contact with people from the association often, which is perfectly normal. If you doubt my wife's intelligence or think she faked it, then you can investigate her high school grades before she went abroad. She was very outstanding!"

Suddenly, there was silence!

"Head, I've followed you for so many years, I thought, with my character, you would trust me enough!" Rong Ling's voice was raised high, carrying the annoyance and hurt of being questioned!

"The woman I personally chose, I thought you would appreciate my taste!"

The heavy words finally forced a sigh from the other end.

"You're flattering yourself! " he said, unwilling to accept this compromise. "Don't think I'm really in charge. Even I have people above me. Some things aren't up to me to decide how they're handled. I understand your feelings. I promise, I'll get your matter dealt with as quickly as possible."

"I want..."

“What do you want!” The old man seemed to be getting flustered, shouting loudly. “You’ve taken enough advantage of me already, don't push it any further. Also, I'll send you all those things your wife posted online, take a look and get an idea, then make sure your wife stops posting them—er—”

He probably thought his conditions were too harsh and Rong Ling wouldn't agree, so he changed his mind.

"Tell your wife to post less sensitive content!"

Then, like fearing harm from a wolf, he relentlessly pursued him, and the latter hastily spoke.

"Alright, that's it for now. I'm going offline!"

After he finished speaking, the snowflake screen disappeared, and the computer was clean!

He's totally making a run for it!

Rong Ling raised an eyebrow, feeling speechless. Even when it came to his third uncle's affairs, he hadn't managed to push his own boss into this state. But with his own wife, a delicate and tender woman, she had ultimately surpassed even his third uncle in power!

Shouldn't he be proud of his wife!

He chuckled dumbly, shook his head, waved away the nonsense, and then furrowed his brow again.

He would swear up and down here, but when it got to his superiors, it always got watered down. So, what he hates most is this whole domestic system of empty formalities and bureaucratic procedures!

He carefully recalled their recent conversation and sent a message: Just these past few days!

Tell him he has limited patience!

This is his final order!

There was no reply, but he was certain the other person had seen his message; he didn't need a response. He shut down the computer and stood up, pacing in the small room. He needed to think this through carefully. When he went upstairs later, how would he face his woman

He went out to take a shower and changed into the short-sleeved shorts he had prepared earlier. He rubbed his hair while going upstairs. He gently pushed open the bedroom door again and glanced around the room. The little boy was gone, probably back in his own room to sleep. The big light in the room was off, as was the bedside lamp, leaving only a wall lamp on. She lay on her side in bed, facing away from him, still as a statue, seemingly asleep.

He felt a sense of relief in his heart, yet not entirely. After all, what needed to be faced, had to be faced. But as he entered the room, he still deliberately lightened his steps, for fear of waking her from her sleep.

He tossed the towel, damp from wiping his hair, onto a chair and approached her. A wall lamp cast a dim light in the room, highlighting her skin, which was so fair and smooth it seemed to glow. Her beige spaghetti strap top and black hot pants couldn't contain this alluring charm. Especially on such a scorching summer day, this allure could easily set one ablaze!

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his pupils constricted.

As he reached her side, he couldn't help but bend down, extending his hand to gently touch her face. Black and white, so clearly defined, she was truly delicate like a painting, as if it wouldn't be preserved properly, the painting would be ruined.

How can I possibly stop this growing, overwhelming feeling!

She was clearly not asleep, yet pretended to be, allowing him to touch her. Her silence was like a wordless resistance, leaving him at a loss. What should he do!

--- Aside ---

Seeking monthly votes o(n_n)o Haha~!

Ps: Honey, Xiao Xiang now launched a 3G mobile version, you can read v articles anytime and anywhere, it's very convenient. Mobile input: g. xxx to visit. a weapon. Lin Meng was stunned and let out a muffled grunt, but she still gritted her teeth and relentlessly continued to fight Bingbing! At the same time, she roared through clenched teeth --"Youyo...