12 "See her throw herself into the arms of another man"

After having dinner with Old Mrs. Sun, Tao Wanjia left.

The truck outside was no longer there, leaving only tire tracks on the snow. She walked out of the alley in the snow and received a strange phone call on the way.

He held his breath and pressed the answer button, but didn't rush to speak.

"Guess who I am?"

Tao Wanjia recognized the voice and breathed a sigh of relief, "No guessing."

"I knew you were boring. I'm going to Rongcheng in a couple of days. How about I treat you to a meal sometime?"

She glanced at the date and asked, "Are you coming to Rongcheng?"

"Yes, I was there on business and came to see you."

"Okay, let's call each other then."

On December 24, the construction project of the health care center located at the former site of the steel plant officially started.

At ten o'clock in the morning, He Yu rushed back to the company immediately after the ceremony.

"The reporters are in the reception room. I've asked Xiao Qin to greet them first. Here are some possible questions. Or you can feel free to answer them later."

The office door was closed. He Yu changed out of the suit jacket he had just worn from the construction site. As he tied his tie, he glanced at the densely packed words on the desk. "So detailed?"

"I thought Zhao Kuo was no ordinary person, so I made comprehensive preparations."

He Yu wasn't particularly curious about the reporter who was interviewing him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is he famous?" "This reporter, Zhao, worked as an investigative reporter for nine years before joining the Financial Newspaper, and he always covered major cases and big stories. I imagine interviewing someone like him wouldn't be easy."

Xiao Zhang truthfully told him about the background check he had prepared in advance, then looked at his watch and said, "You should go over now, otherwise it would be inappropriate to wait too long."

He Yu got up and went to the reception room. The first time he saw the man, he felt that he looked familiar.

The man extended his hand toward him and nodded politely, "Hello, Mr. He, I'm Zhao Kuo."

The hazy face in his mind overlapped with the sight before him. He Yu paused for a few seconds, "I seem to have seen Reporter Zhao before. If I remember correctly, it was in Qieyang three years ago?"

Zhao Kuo's brows moved slightly, and he naturally recognized him.

His friendly colleague always had a mug shot in her wallet, and she would always take it out before setting off on any dangerous mission. Over time, he naturally memorized it.

Three years ago, they were investigating smuggling at the border, hiding in the nearby bushes late at night waiting for someone to meet them. Her voice was unusually calm in the starry darkness.

"If I die, he would be the saddest person in the world."

"Your ex-boyfriend? The one who stopped you at the bar yesterday?"

"No, we've never been together."

After regaining his composure, Zhao Kuo calmly let go of the man's hand.

"Mr. He, you're joking. I was in South City three years ago."

He chose his words carefully, then looked away. "Shall we begin?"

"Can."

The interview lasted nearly an hour. He Yu deliberately slowed down the pace and repeatedly emphasized answers that could have been omitted. In the back-and-forth of offense and defense, he once again confirmed that he had not admitted his mistake.

After the interview, He Yu continued speaking slowly.

"Reporter Zhao, I still think you look familiar. Why don't you think about it carefully?"

Zhao Kuo didn't look at him. He took the recorder from the table and stood up. His expression remained calm and unperturbed. He smiled. "Mr. He must have been too exhausted from work lately. Today's interview was very interesting. I'll prepare a copy for your approval before sending it."

At 3:30 in the afternoon, Tao Wanjia arrived at a hotel in the suburbs as agreed.

After not seeing each other for nearly two years, Zhao Kuo took the first look at her, looking her over as usual, and finally patted her shoulder with a smile.

"It's fine, nothing has changed."

This sentence is both an expression of emotion and a consolation.

It is the excitement of comrades who once turned their backs to each other seeing each other again.

Before Tao Wanjia could exchange pleasantries with him, he pointed to the magnificent gate in front of him and asked, "Are you sure you want to eat here?"

She had no interest in such a place that was just a gimmick, but Zhao Kuo felt that this was the only way to appear serious. He took her by the shoulder, led her into the hall and introduced her.

"We booked a table a week in advance, and there's a hot spring upstairs."

Rongcheng was too cold, and he had to stay here for another day. The accommodation standards were not as frugal as before. He could make his own decision and didn't want to go on a hard business trip, so he chose to go to the suburbs instead of the city.

After sitting down, Tao Wanjia looked at him and asked him something that he didn't have time to ask on the phone.

"So why did you come to Rongcheng?"

Following her words, Zhao Kuo thought of their previous meeting, the corners of his lips curled up, and he poured her a cup of red date tea and handed it to her. Instead of answering, he asked, "Guess who I met just now?"

She shook her head, still feeling a vague sense of unreality about him appearing before her.

From the moment she joined the newspaper, Pei Qiang assigned her to Zhao Kuo's team. Four years her senior, he was considered her senior, and whenever they went undercover, he took care of her, letting her provide support outside. They worked on numerous news stories together, and he taught Tao Wanju many of the techniques she had mastered from scratch. Zhao Kuo was a very outgoing man, able to strike up a conversation with everyone from officials to ordinary villagers. During those years, no matter how far or where they went, they were always the first to set off when there was news.

But unfortunately, he was the first to leave.

Tao Wanjia still remembers that the last time they saw each other was in Xijiang two years ago.

At that time, she and Lao Pei were investigating a report on a mine disaster. Every day, they would ride on a dusty tractor to the countryside and then wear safety helmets to go down into the dark and bottomless mine.

After he was transferred midway, he took a fellow villager's motorcycle to find her. The setting sun was magnificent that day, and under the halo of light, it seemed like he was saying goodbye to his comrade forever.

The two looked at each other in silence. Seeing that he looked lonely, Tao Wanji reached out and patted his shoulder, smiling to comfort him.

"What you can't do, I'll do for you."

After saying that, he went against the flow of people with his back to the halo, squeezed through layers of dirt and continued forward.

But now, she has become the one who can't do it.

"who?"

Tao Wanjia suppressed the memories that surged in his mind, and then remembered to answer his question.

Zhao Kuo noticed that she was distracted and made way for the waiter serving food behind her, "It's your big headshot man."

She choked and stopped drinking. Zhao Kuo took out a few tissues and handed them to her. Knowing her concerns, he quickly added, "Don't worry, he doesn't know about you. He probably just thinks I look familiar. I remember the day I met you in Qieyang. The way he looked at me during the interview was like a fighting cock. I guess he sees me as a rival in love."

At this point, Zhao Kuo smiled and deliberately teased her to ease the atmosphere.

"It seems I still have my charm and haven't been turned into a greasy uncle by working overtime for the past two years."

Tao Wanjia was speechless, and breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that he didn't know.

After dinner, Zhao Kuo looked at the increasing number of diners around and suggested changing the place.

"I heard some news about the person you told me about last time." He tapped the table with his fingers, indicating that he couldn't say more.

Tao Wanjia understood that after all, they had developed a tacit understanding as partners over the years. Even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the habit still existed.

When they got to the room, Zhao Kuo opened the balcony door and led her to the terrace next to the hot springs. She admired his caution and watched him pull up the information he had compiled from the document on his computer.

"This Deng Zixiong is no ordinary person. Five years ago, someone reported him for land expropriation and forced demolition, but for some reason the case was never resolved."

Tao Wanjia sat next to him and looked a little surprised that he still had a network of informants to explore even though he had been away from the industry for so long.

Seeing her focused expression, Zhao Kuo suddenly remembered what Lao Pei had said on the phone before they arrived in Rongcheng. He changed the subject and began to persuade her, "In my opinion, you should just forget about this matter. Just rest quietly in your hometown for a while, like taking a long vacation. You haven't had a rest in all these years."

Tao Wanjia didn't answer, but moved his fingers and watched with great interest.

Zhao Kuo knew her character very well, so he reached out and snatched the computer back and turned it off.

"What are you doing? I haven't finished reading it yet!"

"Don't look at it," Zhao Kuo interrupted her seriously, clicking on a page on his phone. "Let's leave it at that for now. Do you know who his father is?"

Tao Wanji looked in the direction where his finger pointed, and the spark of excitement that had just ignited in his heart was extinguished in an instant.

Since returning, she's been like a spinning top, finding all sorts of things to do every day. If Rongcheng weren't so restrictive and filled with acquaintances, she'd definitely go undercover everywhere like she used to. But she's too aware of her current situation. She's not here to relax or take a vacation; she's forced to escape, to hide.

The stones around the hot spring created circles of mist. Tao Wanji woke up and knew that this was not Nancheng, and Zhao Kuo was no longer her comrade who had been through life and death with her.

One of them has dropped out of the team forever, and the other is still teetering on the edge, so no amount of information will help.

Realizing this, she stood up and said, "You should rest. I will go back early."

If we delay for so long, it will soon be dark outside.

Zhao Kuo could see that she was in a bad mood, and he regretted not having said all this to her earlier. Her current situation was special, and he had to protect her no matter what. He walked her out of the hotel in silence, and as he watched the figure leave, a familiar scene suddenly popped up in his mind.

He felt like he was hit by a hammer and subconsciously called out to her.

Tao Wanjia turned around and saw Zhao Kuo opening his arms towards her under the corridor light.

"Wan Ji, I'll wait for you to return to Nancheng."

Her eyes were filled with tears and she turned back to hug the comrade who had fought side by side with her before but now had to go their separate ways.

He took a deep breath and made a decision in his heart.

The hotel rooms were fully booked for Christmas Eve, and couples were walking back and forth in the lobby. He Yu walked to the door and waited for the driver to drive over. When he looked up, he saw a familiar figure.

He thought he was seeing things and looked in the direction of the shadow.

At the foot of the steps at the door, Tao Wanjia, still dressed in black, threw herself into the arms of another man in the half-darkening mist.

The man looked very familiar to him. He was the reporter who had just interviewed him that morning. He determined that it was Zhao Kuo who was also in Qieyang three years ago.

He Yu's eyes felt sore and dry, as if something was sliding down.

There was only one thought left in my mind -

It turned out that she had someone else.

No wonder, no wonder I regard myself as a monster.

And all those years he spent looking for her seemed like a joke.