Chapter 984
Your tea has gone cold, let me refill it for you.
After the words "Mingjing" were uttered, from Zheng Yi's perspective, she felt as if the air in the entire office had frozen.
But the truth is, after she casually uttered the name Mingjing, Zhang Anping's only response was a slightly surprised glance at her:
Why bring her up?
"Is it because of Mingtai?"
The response was very calm, like a still surface of water without even a ripple.
Zheng Yi said softly, "I've seen her before."
After saying this, she stared intently at Zhang Anping, afraid of missing any of his subtle expressions.
Zhang Anping looked at Zheng Yi with a puzzled expression—just as he couldn't understand why Zheng Yi would mention the name of a dead person.
Zheng Yi added softly once more, "When we were in America."
"Ok?"
Zhang Anping raised an eyebrow, showing no sign of murderous intent, and instead asked in a low voice:
Are you sure?!
She showed no outward sign of shock, but from her serious question, it was clear that if Zheng Yi hadn't confirmed Zhang Anping's identity, she would have considered another possibility:
At this moment, the district commander was extremely shocked! But what shocked him was that he might have been set up!
Someone carried out a substitution and a sleight of hand right under his nose!
But Zheng Yi was certain of Zhang Anping's identity—even though she had a sliver of doubt at this moment:
Could it be that Minglou and his family secretly switched the real Mingjing under the very nose of the district chief?
But she rejected this slight doubt without hesitation.
District Chief should not be associated with this corrupt, filthy, and dark Nationalist government!
He should be the light!
Zhang Anping saw Zheng Yi's resolute heart in her micro-expressions.
In fact, as soon as Zheng Yi mentioned the name Mingjing, Zhang Anping realized what she was talking about—when Mingjing suddenly visited in the United States, Zhang Anping severely reprimanded Yin Liming and Zuo Qiuming.
Mingjing isn't a secret agent and doesn't understand the importance of acting cautiously. Aren't you two secret agents too?
How could we dare to make such a huge mistake? How could we possibly make it?
Therefore, when Zheng Yi mentioned the name Mingjing, Zhang Anping guessed that Zheng Yi most likely recognized Mingjing.
In that instant, he decided to feign ignorance and create the "fact" that Mingjing had been replaced by Minglou right under his nose.
But Zheng Yi's firm gaze made him understand what Zheng Yi meant.
This was not Zheng Yi's interrogation, but a statement, and also... a forced coercion born of resentment.
Yes, it is coercion, but not in the literal sense.
He dropped his feigned complex expression, suddenly laughed, and then softened his tone, asking in a gentle manner rarely seen on Zheng Yi:
"Are you waiting for me to kill you to silence you?"
It's hard to imagine someone speaking in such a gentle tone uttering words like "I'll kill you to silence you," yet Zheng Yi falls for it—Zhang Anping didn't reveal the hidden motives behind Zheng Yi's expectation that Zhang Anping would "kill you to silence you," but this moment's revelation undoubtedly proves one thing:
Zhang Anping understood her better than she imagined; otherwise, he wouldn't have blurted out her little secret thoughts after realizing he was certain of the truth!
A faint, almost imperceptible blush rose to her face.
To cover it up, she immediately and without hesitation answered:
"You won't!"
Zhang Anping smiled and gestured for Zheng Yi to sit down instead of standing while talking to him, which also meant that he had temporarily put aside the relationship between "deputy director" and "secretary".
"For a time, you were a heavy drinker."
Zheng Yi's barely perceptible blush deepened—she hadn't expected Zhang Anping to know even this. She thought she had concealed it very well and didn't believe Zhang Anping could smell the alcohol on her.
"At that time, I thought about one question—whether I should make you become like me."
At this point, Zhang Anping shook his head:
"But at the time, I considered a question: If you had to choose between saving me and protecting others, what would you choose?"
"I don't need to say the answer, do I?"
Although Zhang Anping did not give any clear answer, Zheng Yi's eyes lit up at that moment.
So he knew all along!
Zheng Yi suppressed his barely suppressed joy and replied softly, "I'm sorry to disappoint you."
She said apologetic words, but there was no real sense of remorse—Zheng Yi had no intention of changing. Her utter disillusionment with the Party and the State stemmed from Zhang Anping's repeated efforts going to waste.
Even after realizing Zhang Anping's identity, she remained certain of one thing:
When Zhang Anping did things that benefited the country and its people as a loyal subject of the Party and the State, he always did them with a sincere heart!
But this corrupt Nationalist government never allowed him to succeed!
She understood the underground Communist Party and the rising red regime that was destined to be corrupt and destroyed, but she only wanted to stay by Zhang Anping's side and quietly fulfill her duties as his secretary.
That's why she said "I'm sorry to disappoint you".
Zhang Anping shook his head with a wry smile: "Since you have this insistence, why do you have to expose this matter?"
The light in Zheng Yi's eyes intensified!
He knows himself too well!
Whatever the reason, this understanding is the greatest affirmation for her.
"That's the second thing."
Her expression turned serious:
“Wang Tianfeng has been hiding in my house all this time.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Anping's expression turned serious. What a Wang Tianfeng!
What a Wang Tianfeng!
When he was on the run, he used himself as a shield, making a fake phone call to confuse Mingtai.
Unexpectedly, after running away, he actually hid in Zheng Yi's house—a brilliant move to play the underdog right under the noses!
In fact, after Wang Tianfeng escaped, Zhang Anping had done a detailed analysis. At that time, he planned to use Mao Renfeng to directly kill Wang Tianfeng.
He conducted a detailed analysis of the possible hiding places of Wang Tianfeng and listed a bunch of addresses.
But they returned empty-handed!
Wang Tianfeng simply disappeared.
It turned out that he was hiding in Zheng Yi's house.
"Why did he contact you?"
Zhang Anping knew Wang Tianfeng too well. If he hadn't taken the initiative to meet with Zheng Yi, Zheng Yi wouldn't have known that Wang Tianfeng had been hiding in her house while she was in the United States.
He also understood Zheng Yi; without Wang Tianfeng's intervention, she would have continued to indulge in it, rather than being "forced" to do so!
What followed involved Zhang Anping's judgment of Wang Tianfeng's behavior. Zheng Yi dared not have any ulterior motives, but instead meticulously recounted the events of the previous night from beginning to end, including all her small actions and every change in Wang Tianfeng's expression from her perspective.
As Zhang Anping watched Zheng Yi recreate the scene from last night, he was filled with worry...
Zheng Yi's meticulous replication only proves one thing:
She was terrified that even the slightest ambiguity in her expression would lead Zhang Anping to make the wrong judgment! What... what should she do...?
After Zheng Yi finished recounting the events of the previous night verbatim, Zhang Anping temporarily set aside his other worries and began to immerse himself in a detailed analysis of the matter.
Seeing this, Zheng Yi dared not disturb him in the slightest, and stood up anxiously, waiting for Zhang Anping's decision.
At this moment, Zhang Anping's heart was churning like a giant wave.
As a character who had cheated on his own path, he was all too familiar with a saying that would be widely circulated in later generations:
We determined the Kuomintang's offensive route, the battle plan, and even the exact time to launch the attack.
This sentence refers to the combination of the director and the deputy chief of staff.
This combination is simply... invincible!
But now, Wang Tianfeng, who had been outmaneuvered by his own schemes, has set his sights on this combination!
Where exactly did the problem occur?
Even he himself "didn't know" about this—the only person he knew was General Rong, but General Rong was a member of the Second Intelligence Group!
But now, at his wit's end, Wang Tianfeng has realized that some of the people "who are not even enough to count on two hands" have a problem.
He couldn't figure out which part of the process had gone wrong.
Wang Tianfeng could not possibly have a high-ranking mole within our Party.
Zhang Anping pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out the reason, so he could only temporarily set aside this fatal question and instead gave Zheng Yi another answer:
"He wasn't testing me."
In this matter, Zheng Yi's biggest concern was that Wang Tianfeng might be testing Zhang Anping because he suspected him.
That's why Zhang Anping gave this reassuring answer first.
Zheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Chief Qu, I've arranged for him to stay at another place of mine. Should we...?"
Zhang Anping shook his head:
"No need, he won't trust anyone right now!"
Taking action would be superfluous!
Besides, even if it were me, I reckon he'd avoid me—”
Zhang Anping was certain that Wang Tianfeng's acceptance of Zheng Yi's offer was actually a pre-arranged warning system—if someone rushed to the other residence, it would mean that Zheng Yi had betrayed him.
At the same time, based on Zhang Anping's understanding of Wang Tianfeng, since this guy was playing the game of getting himself involved, he must have a backup plan.
Behind him are not only himself, but also the section chief. With his near-negative political intelligence, he should now be thinking about atoning for his sins. He will probably leave this backup plan directly to the section chief to avoid a scenario like Zhang Anping plotting against Mao Renfeng.
But this, ironically, put Zhang Anping in an extremely passive position—it was difficult for him to even plot against Wang Tianfeng.
Because he couldn't be sure whether Wang Tianfeng had prepared a backup plan for Zhang Anping.
Therefore, even though he was killed, Zhang Anping didn't dare to kill him now.
Moreover, Zhang Anping wanted to know how Wang Tianfeng obtained this information.
However, Zhang Anping wouldn't let Zheng Yi continue to focus on this matter; he said with a smile:
"You don't need to worry about this. Well, just do as he asks—I'll go see him tonight. He probably won't see me, but at least I'll put his mind at ease."
From Zhang Anping's words, Zheng Yi realized that Bian Jike was definitely one of their own, and that Zhang Anping had prepared another "protégé" for Mao Renfeng. This showed that Mao Renfeng's surroundings were likely filled with people like Ming Lou or Bian Jike.
The core and backbone of the entire Mao faction are probably in this situation.
Hanging Gardens!
These four words appeared in Zheng Yi's mind, making her want to laugh.
I wonder if Mao Renfeng, after learning the truth, will be so angry that he dies and then rises from the dead?
I used to feel indignant when I saw Mao Renfeng always making Qu Zong angry, but now I understand that Mao Renfeng was just a clown in Qu Zong's eyes from beginning to end!
Perhaps due to being too relaxed, Zheng Yi's smile was caught by Zhang Anping, who immediately realized what Zheng Yi was thinking and deliberately put on a stern face:
"There are some things you shouldn't show, even if you think about them."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi revealed a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, a smile with a hint of mischief.
Zhang Anping withdrew his gaze and took a sip of the slightly cool tea.
Seeing this, Zheng Yi said, "Chief Qu, your tea has gone cold. Let me refill it for you."
Zhang Anping paused for a moment, then waved his hand: "No need, go and take care of the matter Wang Tianfeng entrusted to you—keep office matters to yourself."
“I know—” Zheng Yi nodded, instantly reverting to his usual secretary-like demeanor, but as he turned to leave, he asked again:
"Commander, I have one last question for you!"
Zhang Anping's hand holding the teacup stiffened. Zheng Yi's eyes flashed with a smile upon seeing this, and then, without waiting for Zhang Anping's reply, he asked:
"When did you become disillusioned with this corrupt government?"
"Was it... after the Southern Anhui Incident?"
Zhang Anping's hands regained their dexterity, but he couldn't help but glare at Zheng Yi. He swore he hadn't misjudged anything!
After adjusting his mindset, Zhang Anping shook his head and said:
"no--"
"From the very beginning, I never trusted this corrupt government."
"It started from the very beginning."
Because I have seen what light looks like!
Zheng Yi smiled, "That's good!"
In this way, the district head won't have to feel heartbroken and desperate again and again because of this corrupt regime!
Zheng Yi's smile made Zhang Anping's hand stiffen again. Zheng Yi then eliminated all emotions that did not belong to Secretary Zheng, bowed and took her leave, and slowly left the office. In the first few steps out of the office, her steps were filled with an uncontrollable joy, but as she walked, the joy disappeared, leaving only Secretary Zheng's competence.
In the office, Zhang Anping stiffly put down his teacup and couldn't help but tap his head.
For the first time, he thought how wonderful it would be if Zheng Yi were still the ruthless female agent from the original timeline.
……
Zhang Anping didn't want to be a scumbag—nor did he have the right to be one in the darkness before dawn.
Therefore, with the beauty protecting him for a time, Zhang Anping had no time to constantly cherish his deep affection.
After get off work, he didn't have the driver take him home; instead, he drove himself to Zheng Yi's other house.
He knew he wouldn't see Wang Tianfeng there.
But he went anyway.
This is a must-go, because it's necessary to show my stance.
As he had expected, Zhang Anping waited for a long time at Zheng Yi's house but Wang Tianfeng did not appear—even though the place had been specially tidied up and was filled with the smell of people who had lived there.
After waiting for more than an hour, Zhang Anping "had no choice" but left. Before leaving, he specifically left a message for Wang Tianfeng:
Do not act on your own initiative; the Party and the State come first!
Come see me immediately! (End of Chapter)