Chapter 211: New Partner
Translator:Lonelytree
Editor:Millman97
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…" On the journey home in Yao Zhixing's car, Ye Shuang could not stop laughing, holding her stomach with her hands. She could not help it. Yao Zhixing's facial expression like he had been constipated for millions of years tickled her too much. It was a mixture of conflict, awkwardness, embarrassment, and even a trace of shock and awe. If this was someone else, she probably would have been fine, but this person was Yao Zhixing, the Yao Zhixing who had a certain reputation to maintain at San Lin City!
Could anyone in San Lin City imagine Yao Zhixing ever being shocked? Then again, it was not that Ye Shuang had forgotten about the look on the man's face when he first saw her beat up the gang of ruffians and when they raced each other for the first time. Yao Zhixing grabbed the steering wheel with his palms. He coughed twice, but the woman next to him did not show any sign of calming down. Running out of options, he had to say something. "We are such good friends; shouldn't you have given me some face‽"
Ye Shuang saw how the man's face was about to drop, and she knew that it was time to stop. However, the smile on her face did not disappear immediately. She shook her head and sighed. "Now I understand why Fang Mo was looking at me with such awkwardness when we first arrived."
Then again, the man could not be blamed. It had always been a rumor in San Lin City that Ye Shuang and Yao Zhixing were a pair. Therefore, it had to be awkward for Fang Mo, who was about to discuss the possibility of the fake engagement with Yao Zhixing. Fang Mo knew how disagreeable and awkward his request was going to be, but he had to voice it because he had no other choice.
It was already awkward enough to bring this up with Yao Zhixing, but it was even worse when Ye Shuang was there. Therefore, when he saw Yao Zhixing arrive with Ye Shuang in tow, Fang Mo naturally did not have time to cover his expression of surprise and embarrassment.
What about the relationship between Brother Shuang and Sister Shuang‽ After all, Fang Mo was not a dummy. The number of times that those two had shown up together side by side was zero. However, they did have a shockingly similar worldview and agreed on many opinions and decision. Therefore, Fang Mo long felt that the couple were not as they would have people believe. The two might be partners in a business that could not be shared with others or they might be some kind of duo, but they were definitely not a couple. No matter how rational a person was, when they brought up their other half, their facial expression would soften slightly, and it would never be so open and casual as they threw around sentences like "Oh, you're talking about Xiao X?"
In other words, Fang Mo actually believed that the rumors about Ye Shuang and Yao Zhixing had a bigger chance of being real.
Yao Zhixing pressed on the car horn to vent his frustration. "This Xiao Fang is another thing. How can he even come up with this crazy idea?"
Since his friend was in trouble, it was natural for him to lend a helping hand, but it did not mean that he was willing to go to the end of the earth for his friend. It depended on the type of favor as well. For example, Yao Zhixing would have no problem lending his friend money or supporting his friend in person like gathering his lackeys to assault his friend's enemies, but pretend to be in a relationship‽ This type of favor that could get him into a million types of trouble with one wrong step really was not his thing. He would stay as far away from it as he could.
All the problems aside, the biggest problem standing in their way was the family members. If his parents or sister asked him about his so-called fiancé, what was Yao Zhixing going to say?
"Oh, that was to help a brother out, it is not real." Yao Zhixing could imagine how great a lesson he would be taught.
The other scenario was for him to say nothing and let his family believe it was true. Then, they would announce the separation after a while. Yeah, there was no way his family would not come for him either.
The more Yao Zhixing thought about it, the more frustrated he got. This was not a favor that a single man like this could just slap his chest and give his approval. Other than his own consideration, he had to consider his family's perspective. Marriage was between two families, and it was not between two individuals.
"Fang Mo is easier to deal with, but this Fang Fei is definitely going to create chaos." Ye Shuang thought about it, and she could understand the difficulty Yao Zhixing was going through. "If Fang Mo knew what his sister has been doing, it would have been easier for him. He would have had time to set up a back-up plan, but the problem was he did not know anything. Therefore, Fang Mo found out about this news about the same time as the people from the headquarters in Beijing. The fact that he was able to come up with such a plan on short notice is already impressive enough."
Among those who could help and had enough power and standing to help, the most important thing was that they would not ask for anything more after completing the favor and would not leak the insider information to others. Among all the people Fang Mo knew, only Yao Zhixing matched all that criteria.
Ye Shuang was silent for a moment before adding, "To put it simply, Fang Mo is fighting for time, to drag things out. Initially, the negotiation with An Zixuan was already underway; however, Fang Fei had to put her hands in to stir the pot. Naturally, the people from the Noah Organization will be mad and dissatisfied. Now, Fang Fei only has two options to choose from, either get engaged with the person her big brother pushes to her or get engaged with the candidate shoved her way by the people from the headquarters."
Yao Zhixing frowned. "If that girl really intended to live a good life, then I could just drag a buddy from my group to marry her, but this is obviously not what she is satisfied with. She plans on cheating on her spouse. I cannot drag my brother into this hell, can I‽"
Of course, he would not be willing to jump into this hell himself either. Who in San Lin City did not know that Fang Fei already had a man in her heart‽
Ye Shuang sighed and sounded even more depressed than Yao Zhixing all of a sudden. "You're right. Women can be so scary when they're stubborn."
If she was dragged into this chaos in the future, she was not going to sacrifice herself to save others, was she‽
The two continued to chat on the road. After Yao Zhixing followed Ye Shuang home, he drove away instantly. He did not really want to get involved in Fang Fei's business anymore, and Ye Shuang herself also wanted to avoid it as much as possible.
With regards to Ye Shuang's new car, Yao Zhixing had someone take it away before she even finished her dinner. To not modify a car was like buying a new phone but not pairing it with accessories for the group of racers. They just could not stand it. Their hands were itching.
In any case, the parts that they had just retired were just left there anywhere, so they returned to search their warehouses to see if they could give their Sister Shuang's new car a new look.
In terms of this, Ye Shuang only had one reaction—"Ha ha…"
She did not even have a chance to touch the steering wheel! She had just bought a new car, but it looked like she would not be seeing it for another half a month.
…
What could she do on the second day of her being in her female form? The work in Chaohai had been completed when she was in her male form, and everything there was getting on track. Thus, unless there was some big emergency, Ye Shuang had no reason to plant herself there. In other words, the only thing she could do was arrange the relationship at San Lin City and stabilize her status as a Go player. Ye Shuang continued to fix her schedule, but before she could start with the scheduling, Albert's call came.
"Did I get the wrong number?" When Albert heard the female voice that answered, he frowned with confusion. "I thought this is Mr. Ye's number, who are you?"
"I am his partner." Ye Shuang put away the schedule that she was in the middle of doing and very expertly gave the explanation that she had repeated many times to Albert. She stressed that they were sharing the same phone number because they were business partners, and then she asked, "Do you want to leave a message with me? He will not be around for the next few days, and it might be difficult to gain contact with him."
Instead of continuing with something relevant, Albert suddenly asked a question that seemed to have nothing to do with anything. "Since you're partners, then does this mean you know Anthony as well?"
"I suppose you can say that." Ye Shuang was confused. "What is this about actually?"
"That's wonderful," Albert said happily. "Are you two good friends?"
She could not follow the man's tempo at all. Albert seemed to realize that he had not pointed out the reason he was calling, so he quickly added, "It's like this. I wish to discuss something with Anthony. Would you help us make the introduction?"
"Make an introduction?" Ye Shuang suddenly realized what was happening. "Is this the favor that Ye Shuang owed you?"
Albert was saddened. Indeed, he had planned to use the favor to have Brother Shuang make the introduction, but when he heard it was a female who answered the call, he had thought that he could slip things under the table and keep the favor for another time.
"Yes, it's about that favor." Albert had no choice but to admit it, and he could not help but ask, "You even know about my private dealings with Ye?"
"Well, we're partners, right?" Ye Shuang gave the multi-use reason. Then, she quickly changed the subject as she flipped through the calendar. "When do you plan to meet up with Anthony? I'll see whether there is a suitable time or not. Also, this meeting is dependent on Anthony as well. If he refuses to meet you, then I'll just repay the favor another time."
Albert was even more prepared than Ye Shuang. The man seemed to be the type who did more than he said… or perhaps he had just been bored in Chaohai. Before he called Ye Shuang, he had already flown over to San Lin City. It looked like it was not his first or second day searching for Anthony.
When Ye Shuang found out that the man had already checked into a hotel in San Lin City, she was surprised as well, but this was better. If there were any problems, she could settle them once and for all. This would prevent the rise of confusion should her gender keep swapping day after day. After hanging up the call from Albert, she called Anthony's number instantly. When the man received the call from Sister Shuang, he was quite happy, but his tone dropped when Albert's name was brought up.
"No, no, no. Do not let that hunting hound get me." Anthony's voice was filled with annoyance. "I hate such agents. They cannot wait to lock everyone inside their transparent safety box and force them to work for the government."
Ye Shuang was curious and surprised. "You know Albert? Met once or twice?"
"It was more than that." There was the sound of assistant talking on Anthony's end, but after a while, it became quiet again. It sounded like Anthony had chased everyone out of his office. Then Ye Shuang heard a very long sigh from Anthony, and the man opened his lips to grumble, "Albert is someone from the Special Unit. The cases they're handling are very interesting, and I've gotten myself involved a couple times before due to how intriguing they were. But as you know, America does not have just one special unit, and the competition between them is very troublesome and so very not interesting."
Ye Shuang started to have an idea why Albert was looking for Anthony. "Sounds like he's trying to recruit you."
"It is not a recruitment; it is more of a citizen support thing. To put it simply, they want to enter my data into their database, and when they call for me to go and help, I would need to respond to their call," Anthony explained monotonously. "But I don't want to be a part of this… Hey! Look, I'm a lawful citizen who pays my taxes, so don't I have the right to my freedom? Who gives him the right to request that I work for him twenty-four hours a day‽"
Ye Shuang thought about it and found it to be quite interesting. "This sounds like a governmental head-hunting. Is it a paid job?"
"Yes, it is a paid job, but the cases are all the boring ones." Anthony repeated his stance in a careful way, so there was no way he was going to get misinterpreted. "Xiao Shuang, do not bring him to come see me. I do not wish to have any interaction with this man."
Since Anthony had said that, Ye Shuang could not screw the man over for the sake of returning a favor, could she?
Therefore, after hanging up, she sent a message to Albert. Since the man did not reply, Ye Shuang thought that this was the end of this incident. However, that night, she understood how wrong she was.
Han Chu pressed on the doorbell to Ye Shuang's apartment. When she opened the door, Ye Shuang saw the familiar silver-haired man standing behind him. While Ye Shuang was still shocked, Han Chu led the guest into the room, brew the cups of coffee, and took out the cake that Ye Shuang had baked and left in the fridge, the cake that she prepared to have after dinner. He used the fork to take a bite of it before lifting his head to say, "Go and get Tony over here."
Why don't you go and do that yourself?
Ye Shuang turned her head around to focus on Albert. The man shrugged and explained, "Mr. Han was kind enough to listen to my explanation. When he found out the problem I was in, he was willing to lend a hand. However, he said that Anthony might be more willing to listen to you, so…"
Ye Shuang slightly smiled. She pulled out her phone and asked, "Is it about that favor again?"
Albert coughed and then sighed with a trace of depression. "Fine, fine, if you help me make this call, the thing between me and Ye can be considered even."
Ye Shuang nodded satisfactorily as she made the call. When the phone was answered, she heard the music of a nightclub pulsing in the background. After a whole load of luring and threatening, Anthony finally agreed to return. Then, about one hour later, the doorbell to Ye Shuang's apartment rang again.
Anthony leaned against the door with a bag slung over his shoulder. He did not enter the room. He faced Albert, who was smiling at him with a drawn face, and used his chin to point at the room next door. "Come, we'll talk over there."
The two made their way next door, and Han Chu stayed behind. After all, they were going to discuss about country secrets that were not suitable for his ears. These were not even the secrets of his own nation, so of course, he was barred from getting involved.
Even though Albert had probably expected that the moment he left, Anthony would instantly reveal these secrets to his friends, hearing them directly from his lips and Anthony telling his friends were two completely different things. Ye Shuang looked at Han Chu, who remained at her place, and she thought about it and asked, "Brother Han, would you like some supper?"
"There's no need." Han Chu had already confirmed that there were no other snacks inside Ye Shuang's fridge, so he rejected the offer calmly. "Come and sit down. I have to talk to you about Tony."
"About Tony?" Ye Shuang did what she was told. "Is this about the possible recruitment?"
"Yes." Han Chu took out his laptop and typed on the keyboard. After a while, he unlocked a confidential document in his database. He turned the screen around to face Ye Shuang. "You should know about Tony's background already but not everything.
"Tony was raised in an orphanage and had many foster families. However, due to his anti-social behavior, he normally would not stay long with any of his foster family." Han Chu did not save his friend any face when he was analyzing him. "He is not that popular in America, but he is incredibly popular among a certain circle. Tony's code name is ACE, and he is on the FBI's high-security observation list. I suppose you can say that, if Albert didn't come today, not long after this, someone else would come to look for him."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds so impressive!" Ye Shuang felt like saluting.
Han Chu looked at her with black lines on his forehead. He realized that the girl was still not as nervous as she should be, so he explained it in clearer detail. "This observation list means that while he is not in violation of the law… or at least, they have no proof that he has violated the law, he is confirmed to be a potential security risk. For this type of individual, the most common method for America is to recruit them into the organization. However, since Tony does not have the habit of staying at a fixed location for too long, the people from the special unit have to take the chance to liaise with him while he's in San Lin City."
"This is not right." Ye Shuang suddenly realized there was a bug. "I remember you told me not too long ago that Tony spends new year at your place every year."
"My family comes from a certain background, and the people from other government bodies would not visit for no reason due to political sensitivity."
Ye Shuang immediately jumped over that topic. She had no interest touching something so sensitive.
Han Chu saw the understanding dawning on Ye Shuang, so he nodded and continued with a satisfied tone. "Albert will not force Tony to do anything. After all, like I said, Tony has no criminal record, but to let him to wander freely out of their observation is impossible. Therefore, if Tony insists on refusing the recruitment, there might be some more special people appearing around him after some time."
"To observe him‽"
"To monitor and to control is more likely." Han Chu nodded. "I'm just trying to give you a small reminder lest one day you wake up and realize your whole background has been exposed to the world."
Ye Shuang frowned. If everything earlier counted as just minor grievances, this current situation could not have been worse for her.
The FBI might come to monitor the person close to her‽
Even though Ye Shuang was not their target, as the target's friend and neighbor, it was impossible for her not to be dragged into this mess. Even though the foreign government would have reservation to make eye-grabbing operations within the country, who knows if they would follow Anthony's habit of leaving several small toys on people that were close to Anthony‽
If that was the case, the possibility of Ye Shuang's secret being exposed would multiply by who knew how many times. Thinking about this, Ye Shuang could not help but start to consider the possibility of ending her friendship with Anthony.
But, no, that is already too late!
Then, I will need to move!
With that idea in mind, Ye Shuang raised her head and asked Han Chu seriously, "Brother Han, can we discuss this? Is it possible for you to transfer me to another city to be the agent? I will leave this apartment in your hands, and you can help me sell it, right?"
Han Chu was speechless.Is it necessary to go that far?
Right then, the discussion next door seemed to have finished. Anthony and Albert walked in together after knocking on the door. The former had a frustrated expression, and the latter merely shrugged.
Then the latter said something that Ye Shuang did not know whether it should be categorized as good news or bad news. "Hey! I also want to join your talent database! Is that possible? I'll partner up with Tony!"