Chapter 27 Bomb, *crack*, I completely agree with taking out the thing that just bit me...
Upon learning their next destination, Du Yang said with surprise and admiration, "Commander Yuan has excellent taste. This restaurant has a great reputation and is loved by both tourists and locals."
Yuan Jianxing didn't take credit for it and directly pushed Fu Ze forward: "It was your senior who chose him."
Du Yang really didn't expect this.
After all, in his mind, this "lone wolf" senior was the type who believed in "eating only to live".
The taste of the food was completely outside their consideration.
So even people like that sometimes consider the need for social interaction and end up accumulating information they have no interest in.
I've learned something!
After dropping Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing off at their destination once again, Du Yang reluctantly and apologetically said he had to leave: "My boss just messaged me, asking me to pick him up at the mission location. It's a bit of a distance from here to the furniture store, and I don't want to keep him waiting."
Yuan Jianxing and Fu Ze expressed their understanding.
Or rather, they never expected anyone to come and take care of Yuan Jianxing and his trainee executives, who had fallen from their positions as chief executive to junior executives.
We're already lucky to have been given this much help; we can't push our luck any further.
After seeing Du Yang off, the two turned and entered the shop whose signboard was so heavily scribbled that no one recognized it.
Fu Ze took two big steps and checked the order information with the smiling waiter at the front desk.
"Oh, Mr. Fu Ze's order. A pan-fried veal steak with avocado and smoked ham taco set meal. A grilled seafood of the day with beetroot and hummus set meal, with the fruit pie replaced by rice pudding." After processing Yuan Jianxing's payment, the receptionist remarked to the screen, "To order rice pudding, an item that has been removed from the menu, you must be a regular customer of our restaurant."
The moment the waiter pressed enter, an announcement came from the kitchen that the order had been received.
During lunchtime, similar announcements echoed throughout the kitchen.
If Fu Ze hadn't made reservations in advance based on the online celebrity's guide, he probably wouldn't have been able to get a double seat on the spot.
Fu Ze immediately covered up his mistake without leaving a trace: "I only ordered this because someone else recommended it."
"Then your friend must be very generous, otherwise he wouldn't have told you this secret technique." The receptionist gestured towards the stairs next to her, "Upstairs, Unit A5, please come in."
Just as Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing were walking towards the stairs the waiter pointed out, a figure walked in and sat down in a spot that offered a relatively awkward angle from which Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing would be sitting down.
"Don't make any unusual moves, order and eat normally." Hearing the command from the rhinoceros horn in his earpiece, the man raised his hand and beckoned to the waiter.
"Find another opportunity to plant the bomb before leaving, and start a three-minute countdown."
By taking orders to distract the waiter, he casually patted the package behind him, signaling to Rhinoceros Horn, who was lurking somewhere but observing every move in the scene, that everything was ready.
*
After Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing climbed the stairs and turned two more corners, the noise and commotion in the lobby on the first floor instantly subsided.
Yuan Jianxing asked casually, "Which friend is it? From L City? How about we meet up so you can catch up?"
He's not here right now.
Fu Ze answered nonchalantly on the surface, but in his heart he thought: He should be in the morgue of the V City Tribunal right now.
Just as they turned another corner and could see the table with the A5 sign, a strange noise came from behind them.
"Crack!"
Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing stopped in their tracks and immediately looked in the direction from which the sound came.
Then I noticed a man there carrying a camera that looked very expensive.
"Oh dear, why did you dodge? Luckily, I caught it in time." This person seemed completely unaware that he was almost attacked, and even eagerly showed his viewfinder to Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing as soon as they stepped onto the second floor.
Within that tiny viewfinder, countless rays of light, cast from the wooden railing on the second floor and fragmented by the legs and tablecloth, scattered around the two, illuminating even the finest dust particles in the air. Because of the angle, Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing appeared extremely close, as if glued together by these honey-like shadows, frozen in time against the stark contrast of the heavy wood background.
"Isn't it beautiful? The perfect location and the perfect person make for a great photo." The man didn't hold back his praise, which even attracted other customers to crane their necks and look.
Fortunately, Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing were not wearing the collar ornaments that symbolized their status as executives, so it wouldn't be a problem if they were surrounded by onlookers.
After admiring the photos again and again, the man belatedly realized his rudeness and apologized, trying to patch things up: "Would you two mind if I printed out the photos and put them up in the shop?"
Following the direction the man indicated, Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing noticed that there was an entire wooden wall on the second floor covered with various photos.
The vast majority of these photos feature diners at the restaurant, including young couples, groups of high school students, large families, and underground bands.
Some of the photos also document L city's classic attractions and street scenes.
Fu Ze felt that many of the photos looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen them before.
Yuan Jianxing, unfazed, briefly answered the man's question: "It's not convenient."
"I understand, I was being presumptuous." The man looked regretful, trying to persuade the man in front of him who was so different from the gentle image in the photo. "Or should I send you both a copy? This photo is indeed rare."
“No need.” Yuan Jianxing stepped aside and walked toward the designated spot.
Just a second before the man pressed the delete key, Fu Ze put his arm around the man's shoulder and said in a very low voice, "You can send it to me."
Fu Ze had long been dissatisfied with the profile pictures on his various social media platforms, which were either his original photos or his ID photo. He figured he might as well take advantage of this free material.
As for the original part about seeing stars, just cut it out.
The man was overjoyed and immediately exchanged contact information with Fu Ze.
Looking at the nickname in the friend request, Fu Ze asked hesitantly, "Cui Ya...you wouldn't happen to be the one who won the gold medal in this year's photography competition, would you?"
"I am indeed the humble one," Cui Ya proudly raised his head, "a relatively unknown photographer and the owner of this restaurant."
Well, he didn't need to emphasize that, since no restaurant would allow such a freeloader to wander around the store.
Unless that person is the boss.
Bypassing Cui Ya, who was already engaged in the next round of photo-taking, Fu Ze sat down opposite Yuan Jianxing.
Besides those photos, the walls on the second floor also display many of Cui Ya's works, which have been enlarged, printed, framed, and given titles.
The name of the painting hanging beside them was—
"Angels among men... that's a rather unconventional title," Fu Ze commented sharply and matter-of-factly. "But I must say, the content does fit the title quite well."
The scene was filmed at sunset. The enormous setting sun hung where the water met the sky, casting shimmering golden hues across the vast lake.
The tree in the center of the image and the person sitting under it are completely swallowed up by the overly intense gold, making it almost impossible to see any details.
But it is precisely this overexposed "waste film" that truly reflects its title—"Angels Among Us".
For some reason, seeing only a CapCut image in the photo, Fu Ze suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.
Yuan Jianxing didn't feel much for this "angel," but was instead drawn to a photo next to it that was covered up by many other photos, with only a small part of it showing.
There was someone he recognized in the part of the photo that was visible.
Taking advantage of the waiter serving the food, he snuck into Fu Ze's blind spot, took the photo, and quickly put it in his chest pocket.
After this brief glimpse, Yuan Jianxing needs to revise his previous statement.
If having spoken to someone is considered acquaintance, then he knows all three people in this photo.
Despite having witnessed many bizarre and dramatic interpersonal relationships at work, he still found it hard to imagine that these three people could be connected in this way.
Thinking this, Yuan Jianxing looked up at Fu Ze sitting opposite him.
And this person had done the same thing before...
"Your meals are ready, please enjoy." The waiter put down two glasses of drinks with syrup rolled around the rim, and then took out a lighter to heat the lemon slices stuck in the rim of the glasses.
"God Bless." Fu Ze made a pre-meal prayer, just like the custom in L City, and then used his knife and fork to cut off a thick octopus leg, dipped it in the sauce on the side, and put it in his mouth to chew and savor it.
This was, in fact, the first time he had eaten a proper meal since he switched bodies last time, that is, after he was put into the body of that little internet celebrity.
Without a doubt, the late-night snack served at the adjudication board could not be called food at all.
Yuan Jianxing didn't follow Fu Ze's fancy moves; he simply laid the napkin on his lap and began to eat his food in a fairly standard posture.
The two remained silent, but each glanced at the diner who kept looking in their direction and at the bulging backpack on his back.
Seeing that the other person was about to finish eating, Fu Ze helplessly put down his knife at the same time. "Why is it that in such a wonderful moment, there are always some discordant notes?"
“I knew they would come, and I knew they would target me,” Yuan Jianxing said calmly. “But choosing a public area to plant explosives is utterly heinous.”
"Completely agree." Although Fu Ze often does things that cause a lot of trouble for others in order to save his own life, he will try his best not to endanger the lives of others.
This is at least not in line with the current behavior.
"Should we report this to the police now?" Fu Ze asked Yuan Jianxing for his opinion.
Seeing that Xing's expression remained unchanged, he asked in return, "Why did you report it to the police?"
?
A hint of surprise flashed in Fu Ze's eyes. How could Yuan Jianxing, the former CEO of Justice Agents, say such irresponsible things?
However, before he could finish speaking, Yuan Jianxing took out a black velvet box from his pocket and opened it with a "snap" towards Fu Ze.
Inside the box lay a basic executive collar badge.
It's not as dazzling as the CEO version, but it still looks very formal and dignified.
“According to the standard procedure, the director should have pinned this badge on you at the afternoon's awarding ceremony.” Yuan Jianxing took the badge out with both hands and held it at neck height for Fu Ze. “But, it’s not too late now.”
The quick-witted Fu Ze understood immediately and leaned forward slightly, allowing Yuan Jianxing to place the honorary symbol of his executive status on his person.
At the same time, he recited word by word the oath of executives that he had seen in various news reports: "Protecting citizens is our inescapable duty."
"You've donned the insignia and swore your oath. Fu Ze, you are now a full-fledged executive officer. I hope you remember your oath." Yuan Jianxing withdrew his hand, his solemn gaze falling on the insignia swaying in front of Fu Ze.
He had no expectation that the "undercover agent" in front of him would be able to keep his oath, but he couldn't help but have a fleeting thought of "what if?"
Immediately, he gestured downstairs with his eyes, "First task of the internship: put the same effort into dealing with the hazard downstairs."
Regardless of whether this person truly repents or not, Yuan Jianxing's plan will not waver.
Place the bait now.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Wow, Xing-ge actually holds grudges! [glasses emoji]
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