Chapter 18: If you eat, you have to pay for it

"Sir, we are here."

The car slowly drove into the Tang residence. The rain that had been falling since last night formed a thin stream of water on the ground. Tang Zhilu held an umbrella himself, and his leather shoes splashed water on the ground.

"Tomorrow is the weekend, let everyone go back home for the holiday early."

After Tang Zhilu finished speaking, the butler beside him was surprised for a moment, and then considered whether to speak to persuade him.

Tang Zhilu didn't know what he was thinking of. He smiled and said calmly, "Don't worry. It's just to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Go ahead."

After entering the door, there is a small outdoor courtyard to walk through, but the floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor are double-sided, the light inside is bright, and the small kitchen can be seen as soon as you turn the corner.

Tang Zhilu didn't rush in, but stood in front of the window and looked at Du Yanze inside. He was lowering his head and spreading butter on the puff pastry in his hand. There were several piping bags and bowls filled with fillings of different colors.

Outside the window, it was windy and rainy, and the lights were dim. He stood under the warm yellow light, fiddling with it seriously, his eyelashes filled with soft light, and that tangible sweet scent seemed to float in through the window.

Du Yanze smoothed out the layer of sandwich before turning to look at the people outside the window. They were separated by a layer of glass, so he couldn't hear what they were saying.

Tang Zhilu was wearing a black suit, with his hair half hanging down on his forehead and wearing half-black-framed glasses. When he saw him looking at him, he smiled.

Du Yanze glared at him and directly pulled down the curtain to cover his smiling face.

After calming himself down, he continued to finish the task at hand.

The first time he made Opera, it was covered in gold foil and glossy chocolate glaze. Only when it was cut could you see the texture of red velvet. The bitterness, sadness and joy of rum and coffee were intertwined, just like the opening of a drama.

The second time was Mont Blanc, with its overlapping peaks dotted with fine snow covered with sugar, and a sweet aroma that was straightforward and soft, but when cut open it was the slightly bitter taste of Earl Grey tea. The bitterness and fragrance were intertwined, lurking underneath, leaving only a hint of aftertaste on the tip of the tongue.

It's a pity that he can't taste it, and can only flirt with the blind man. But he can bring him surprises in every encounter.

Du Yanze admitted that he had occasionally tasted a hint of sweetness during those times of testing and confrontation, but he knew that it was only harmful and useless.

"What is it this time?"

Tang Zhilu had already taken care of himself and put away his umbrella, but this time he did not take off his cufflinks and collar pins. He just took the initiative to set the tableware and put down the white napkin.

"Napoleon, do you like it?"

Tang Zhilu picked up a bottle of red wine and opened it. He paused for a moment, then smiled and casually asked, "You seem to be very familiar with French sweets. Have you ever gone there to learn it?"

"You can understand it that way." Du Yanze walked closer with a plate in his hand, his expression normal, and ambiguously rejected his implicit temptation.

"No need to open the red wine specially." Du Yanze's face remained calm. The empty restaurant was brightly lit with white light, and the furnishings in the room looked like they were covered with a layer of frost.

"I can't taste it, but you still made dessert for me?" Tang Zhilu poured two cups with a light tone.

"Did you put drugs in it this time?" Tang Zhilu handed him one of the cups with a smile. It seemed like he was just teasing them about their past confrontation.

Du Yanze smiled, and for the first time, this smile had a gentle feeling. He gave the same answer: "I used aphrodisiac."

This time Tang Zhilu did not stop talking. He picked up a fork that was polished to a bright silver, looked into Du Yanze's eyes, and answered seriously.

"I enjoy it."

Du Yanze felt his heart suddenly swell and become sour, and at the same time his reason was giving him a warning.

Did he mean something?

Napoleon is not a cake, but a kind of pastry-like dessert, with layers upon layers, and the fillings inside are clearly visible.

The aroma of custard and vanilla is mixed with slightly sour blueberry jam. There is a lot of filling, and there is also a layer of pink peach jam with an almost bright red ripe peach scent.

Tang Zhilu picked up the table knife and prepared to cut off a small piece. The knife made a slight sound as it separated the delicate cream and slightly solidified jelly layers, and it fell to pieces when it touched the crispy layer.

"I heard that some restaurants in France have an unwritten rule that if you can cut a Napoleon without any crumbs falling off, you can get the meal for free."

Du Yanze shook the red wine in his hand, looked at the crimson color of the wine under the cold light, and answered him without looking at him.

"Then you have already failed, you can't get away with it."

Tang Zhilu looked at his profile and finished eating the cut portion before speaking: "You have to pay after you eat. It's a pleasant surprise to get a free meal."

Du Yanze didn't answer yes or no, but just watched him finish the whole Napoleon. During this time, he drank two or three glasses of red wine, and drank too fast that his cheeks turned red.

“How does it taste?”

"very good."

Du Yanze shook his head and laughed, then looked into Tang Zhilu's eyes again, leaned close to his face and uttered two words: "Idiot."

The taste of red wine mixed with the familiar sweet smell on his body. Tang Zhilu held his face and kissed him, tasting the taste. That was also his answer to all the questions about the taste of red wine.

His favorite answer.

"What's in the locked cabinet in the study?"

Their lips parted, and the heat hadn't yet dissipated when Du Yanze asked him directly.

"There used to be no locked cabinets in the study. Are you trying to use your little secret to bait me again?"

Because of Feng You's matter, Du Yanze did not go to his Tang's office, but Tang Zhilu kept his promise and let Yang Zhao do as he pleased for two hours. Naturally, as he expected, he got nothing.

In an open card game, these are not important, what is important is his attitude. He implies that what he said counts, and as long as you follow his rules, you can reap the benefits.

As long as you meet his requirements, you can meet your own requirements.

So when he saw the suddenly locked cabinet, Du Yanze's first reaction was to find out if there was something on him that he wanted.

Very clever, but Du Yanze didn't want to follow his rules anymore.

"Do you want to see it?"

Du Yanze just shook his head, smiled, stood up a little further away from him, and slowly walked around behind Tang Zhilu.

Their shadows overlapped, and he seemed to want to hug Tang Zhilu. The familiar sweet scent from his body filled his nose, warm, soft and beautiful.

"Don't move."

Now it was Du Yanze's turn to give instructions in a commanding tone.

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Zhilu felt the cold blade against his neck.

Tang Zhilu did not stand up, but sat in his original position, cooperating in letting go of the cutlery, while the fork, the only weapon in his hand, was still pushed away.

"I ask, you answer."

Du Yanze's face was flushed from the alcohol, and the corners of his eyes and lips were the color left by the licking and kissing just now. However, he withdrew indifferently at this moment, and his cold and scrutinizing gaze seemed to have weight.

"Do you understand?"

Tang Zhilu was as calm as usual. Even with a blade against his neck, he only reminded Tang Zhilu.

"It's easy to get dizzy if you drink too much. You can tie me up and let me drink some water first."

"Thank you." Du Yanze said coldly, still standing there.

"How much have you found out about Han Huai?"

"A lot, including education, background, family situation, and entry and exit records. I also know that you and he are not on the same path." Tang Zhilu said slowly.

"You mean he is from FA?" Du Yanze did not ask back.

Tang Zhilu smiled and gently corrected: "I guess he is. I'm not from FA, how can I know his identity."

Du Yanze did not comment on his confession of loyalty, but just continued to ask.

"When did you realize you were a fork, or how did you know this name?"

"I'll tell you everything you want to know." Tang Zhilu spread out his hands, looking as if he was exchanging hands with his lover.

"You guessed it right. I am a Fork acquired later in life. Since I was fifteen, my sense of smell has gradually become unusually developed, but my sense of taste has been deteriorating day by day. In less than a year, I can no longer taste anything."

This situation is not uncommon in Fork. The first thing that is enhanced in Fork is the sense of smell, and the sense of taste disappears last. Many people think that they have taste disorders and seek physical or psychological treatment.

"At first I thought it was a taste disorder, but the test results were all normal until my father took me to a party and I met someone."

Tang Zhilu received the most rigorous elite education since childhood. Unlike common sense, he did not feel constrained, but rather thrived like a fish in water, and grew up to be the most satisfactory heir of the Tang family without much effort.

There is just one flaw.

In fact, his father didn't care, but he cared a lot. He regarded this change as a physical disability and couldn't accept it for a while.

It wasn't until he was eighteen that he met the middle-aged man who called himself "Barnett" at an unusual business banquet.

Barnett kindly told them that this was not a disease, but another proof of his nobility and excellence.

He was elegant, with a Chinese face, and accompanied by a boy who was younger than him, with the same smile on his face as Barnett's.

But it was obvious that he didn't know how to restrain himself, and Tang Zhilu could see through his indifference at a glance.

Barnett told Tang Zhilu that he was the result of human evolution on the food chain and was a natural carnivore chosen by God. If he wanted, he could also become a superior in the physiological sense.

As proof, Barnett randomly selected a lady on the dance floor below. Gentle, elegant and wealthy, he quickly won the lady's heart.

In fact, she had been holding on to the fairy-tale fantasy of Cinderella because she was unexpectedly invited here. Barnett quickly gained her trust, and even when he cut her wrist, she was still filled with a happy smile.

Barnett gently comforted the terrified woman while collecting her blood in a glass and then handed it to him.

Needless to say, Tang Zhilu had an uncontrollable appetite from the moment he smelled that smell. But he was not with him after all, so he raised his eyebrows, wiped his hands, and turned away.

Barnett was not angry. Instead, he clapped his hands and laughed. He waved his hand and had the woman dragged away and personally escorted him out.

"You are a very special child. Rather than obeying Fork's instincts, you seem to be more interested in solving your little flaw in taste."

Barnett was right. He reminded softly, "I heard that when a Fork eats enough flesh and blood from a high-quality Cake, he will regain his sense of taste."

"Perhaps you could try?"

But in Tang Zhilu's eyes, all this didn't seem like evolution, but rather like regression, eating raw meat and drinking blood, dirty and disgusting. After he learned everything about Fork and Cake from FA, he still thought so.

Barnett knew what he was thinking, and admired him even more. He took the initiative to make concessions in the business negotiations with his father to show his appreciation for Tang Zhilu.

Since then, FA has regularly sent him invitations every year, but he never responds.

But at the same time, Tang's pharmaceutical company has not made any breakthroughs. His sense of taste has completely disappeared, and his sense of smell has become so acute that it is unbearable.

At this time, as mentioned in the previous part of the information, Alekto from Country G contacted him with the information and injected him with a drug that temporarily restored his sense of taste.

But in Alekto's laboratory, he met Barnett again, and he sincerely invited him to join the development of miracles. Tang Zhilu did not rush to refuse, but he also refused to take any drugs produced by Alekto.

After returning to China, he soon heard that FA had been officially classified as extremely dangerous, and an official organization called SDD carried out a large-scale cleanup of FA. Naturally, the cooperation came to an end.

But in recent years, some people of unknown origin have continued to appear around Tang Zhilu, and they are hard to find out. Some of them seem to be the same as him, and some are even the ones they call Cake.

He dealt with them all without exception, but recently he changed his mind...

"Do you suspect that they were sent by the FA?"

"I also suspected that it was one of your people." Tang Zhilu answered calmly: "The facts have proved that my thought was correct."

Du Yanze loosened his hand and threw the knife back onto the table. It was a shiny silver table knife.

"Very good, thank you for your cooperation."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Du Yanze did not tie up Tang Zhilu, but turned around and opened the door.

"Next, I hope you can continue to cooperate with them."

Chen Shuang walked in with several police officers following behind her. The red and blue lights outside the glass windows were eye-catching.

"Hello, Mr. Tang. There is a case here that requires your cooperation. You may as well go to the police station."