Chapter 46 For example, effective, love of life "Just to be on the safe side, this..."
After saying that, Fu Ze thought the rest of the story would go smoothly as he had predicted:
Yuan Jianxing's eyes would first be filled with hostility, then with great shock, and then with overflowing emotion.
Immediately afterwards, the other person would carefully help her up, rubbing the area that had been pinched red while apologizing repeatedly.
In the end, the two reconciled with a smile, and—no, they reached a comprehensive cooperation agreement.
However, in reality...
Yuan Jianxing nodded simply and said "I know," then very decisively flipped Fu Ze back over and pressed him down.
Fu Ze: ?
What happened?!
Hara Mihoshi doesn't accept her "true feelings"?!
But he probably believed it, since he didn't question what he said.
Well, although things didn't go as smoothly as I imagined, at least there were some results.
"What are you doing? Do you think I have no proof?" Fu Ze, who had been flipped back over, turned his head to the side, trying to show the lower half of his face as much as possible. "I clearly made a statement in advance."
"...For example?" A rare hint of doubt crept into Yuan Jianxing's words.
Fu Ze immediately seized the opportunity.
“For example, I rejected Mr. Mu Wangzhuo’s offer!” He struggled slightly, trying to find a relatively comfortable angle under Yuan Jianxing.
"Moreover, at the same time and in the same place, I openly expressed in front of so many executives that 'I believe in myself and I believe in Yuan Jianxing.' No matter how you look at it, the weight of these words is no less than Wan Chuanqiu's rooftop declaration."
Yuan Jianxing didn't quite understand why Fu Ze was so insistent on comparing Wan Chuanqiu to himself.
However, as the elements of Wan Chuanqiu and the rooftop were repeatedly mentioned in this conversation, the flamboyant and vibrant figure with orange hair dyed silver on the rooftop gradually replaced the lifeless corpse sitting on the prison chair with its forehead split open, becoming Yuan Jianxing's main impression of Wan Chuanqiu.
"For example, even though I knew you had suspected me for a long time, I still unconditionally followed all your arrangements, including going to the furniture store as bait."
"And another thing, I've been working diligently on field missions these past few days, resolving gang disputes and resident conflicts without relying on the group's resources at all, just so I wouldn't cause you any trouble."
As he spoke, Fu Ze kept moving his fingers to count, seemingly determined not to stop until he had used all ten fingers.
“Let me correct you.” Yuan Jianxing couldn’t stand it anymore. “The last rule is a basic standard that you, as a trainee executive, should follow, not one that was made for me.”
"So, do you consider me a trainee executive officer now?" Fu Ze immediately retorted. "When you were training other trainee executive officers, did you also pin them down on the bed like this?"
Hara Mihoshi: ...
He couldn't refute this, because the two of them were indeed in an unusual posture at that moment.
However, he had never mentored a trainee executive who was also a mole, so Fu Ze was clearly trying to deflect attention from the main issue and shift the blame.
After being abruptly interrupted by Yuan Jianxing's rambling recounting of past grievances, Fu Ze suddenly seemed to become somewhat weak and listless, and his entire body seemed to have given up struggling and remained motionless.
"So what exactly do I have to do to make you believe in my sincerity?" he said softly, his once clear pronunciation becoming slurred and indistinct.
Sensing the grievance in Fu Ze's tone, Yuan Jianxing suddenly felt as if she had gone a bit too far.
He loosened his grip on Fu Ze slightly and asked in a deep voice, "First, explain what you mean by 'at least for now'?"
“‘At least now’ means ‘from now until some time in the future’.” Fu Ze turned his gray-purple eyes to the corner of his eye and glanced at Yuan Jianxing with a playful look. “Do you expect me to promise you a lifetime? That’s too greedy.”
“Have you ever heard the saying—” Yuan Jianxing stared straight back at him, “Loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal.”
That grayish-purple hue immediately rolled upwards into his eyelids.
"Generally speaking, we call food without an expiration date 'three-no' products. How can we accept something that has no expiration date or conditions for validity when it comes to something even more elusive like 'sincerity'?"
Yuan Jianxing felt that Fu Ze was using this as an excuse to make a fuss, especially by replacing his own "loyalty" with his "sincerity," which was a typical case of ulterior motives.
But one has to admit that what this person said does make some sense.
"So how long is your loyalty valid, and what are the conditions for it to be valid?"
Fu Ze's eyes lit up.
So... does this mean we've officially entered the negotiation phase?
As expected of a chief who's used to disregarding rules when necessary! That's how flexible his standards are.
Realizing his change in status, Fu Ze immediately began to make demands: "Let me go first, I don't want to talk to you like this."
Yuan Jianxing didn't really want to maintain such a delicate position, but unfortunately, he hadn't found an opportunity to let go of Fu Ze before.
Since the other party brought this up, he took the opportunity to back down.
However, the difference is that this time, Yuan Jianxing sat at the head of the bed, while Fu Ze went to the foot of the bed.
They've effectively confiscated all the pillow-themed weapons; there's no room for negotiation.
"【The key】, this is my first condition for loyalty to you." Mobilizing his joints, which were stiffened by Yuan Jianxing's twisting, Fu Ze got straight to the point, "That's right, it's the first key that comes to mind, and it's also the key that Snake Eyes told you about on the rooftop."
Yuan Jianxing's eyes flickered: "How did you know about the [key]?"
“Although the Kangming Group is trying to block the news, there are no secrets in the world. Besides, it would be strange if someone of my status didn’t know about the key, right?” Fu Ze spread one hand to the side. “Getting back to the point, everything I’ve done is for the purpose of obtaining the key.”
"Because my goal is to overthrow the Kangming Group, and the key is in the hands of Longji, the biggest boss of the Kangming Group, that's why you followed me?" Yuan Jianxing instantly understood the logical connection between them.
Fu Ze readily admitted, "Yes, after weighing the options, I think that compared to being their mole and leveling up step by step, following you is a faster and more direct way."
This is a perfectly reasonable explanation, but for some reason, Hara Kensei seemed a little unhappy.
“So until you kill Dragonspine, I’ll stand by your side.” Fu Ze propped himself up on one leg, looking very relaxed.
“You can use my inside man status to obtain information that the executives cannot.”
"They can also betray me when necessary, to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Fu Ze spoke calmly, seemingly genuinely empathizing with Yuan Jianxing and analyzing the pros and cons from his perspective.
"But the best scenario is that we can build trust with each other. We will never abandon each other, never give up on each other, and work together towards a common goal."
Yuan Jianxing remained noncommittal: "Then how can you guarantee that you won't change your mind halfway through and turn around to frame me?"
"Do you remember what I just said about the effective conditions?" Fu Ze rested his chin on it, looking intently at Yuan Jianxing. "As long as you can guarantee that your goal remains unchanged, then my judgment will naturally remain unchanged as well."
As if he had made a connection to something, Fu Ze suddenly smiled lightly.
"I said something to the Adjudication Bureau before, I don't know if Senior Mu Wangzhuo has passed it on to you."
He coughed lightly and said in the same rhythm and tone as before, "Opportunity is no longer an opportunity when everyone knows it is one."
Yuan Jianxing secretly approved of Fu Ze's idea.
However, even now, their collaboration still lacks a very important foundation.
"Why do you want the [key]?" he asked bluntly.
Yuan Jianxing's target was the Kangming Group, and the key was merely a powerful obstacle on his path to achieving that goal.
What then is Fu Ze's purpose?
Fu Ze, who had been eloquent in the previous conversation, paused for a moment. After a long pause, he said very solemnly, "Because I love life, and the [key] is closely related to whether I can live or not."
Yuan Jianxing's eyes widened slightly.
He had many reasons in mind, encompassing everything from fame and fortune to personal gain.
But it doesn't include the simplest thing—survival.
"I am actually a person with very low desires. As long as I have a comfortable bed where I can sleep until I naturally wake up, can eat whatever I want, and can walk barefoot on the green grass in the park after the rain, I can be very happy."
"But for some reason, even this small request is difficult to fulfill."
Fu Ze's gaze was unusually unfocused, as if he were immersed in a long-lost state of openness.
"I can tell you everything I know about other things, but I hope you won't ask about this one thing."
"I promise I will tell you the truth when the time is right. But not now."
Sensing Yuan Jianxing's scrutiny, Fu Ze seemed to suddenly detach himself from that atmosphere, and a few flirtatious and ingratiating smiles reappeared on his face.
"Actually, I am very satisfied with my current life, and I would be fine with being an intern forever. However, my boss has too high ambitions, so I can only do my best."
Just when Fu Ze thought Yuan Jianxing would ask further questions, the other party simply extended a hand.
Then, before Fu Ze could even realize what this meant, he casually said, "Deal."
!
It's done!
Fu Ze immediately grabbed Yuan Jianxing's hand, fearing that the other party would change his mind, and quickly told him all the details of the operation that he had heard from Badger Tooth.
After saying this, Fu Ze's eyes flickered.
“Now that we’re partners, I have a few suggestions.” He raised his hand. “In order to better infiltrate the enemy, I need to work less overtime and communicate more.”
"Rejected." Yuan Jianxing crossed his arms. "Your official status remains that of a trainee executive under my command. If I suddenly give you any special treatment, it will arouse suspicion from the Kangming Group."
Fu Ze: ...
One second the two of them were acting like they were close and working together seamlessly, but the next second they wouldn't even agree to such a small request.
"...Then at least let me occasionally leak some useful information to them, to prove that I'm doing the work, right?"
Yuan Jianxing remained unmoved and calm: "It depends on the situation and needs, but the probability of it happening is not very high."
Having witnessed Yuan Jianxing's despicable nature of taking advantage of others' greed once again, Fu Ze sighed deeply in his heart.
"Then let's do this tonight to ensure the success of our operation."
Seeing Fu Ze suddenly approaching, Yuan Jianxing subconsciously leaned back a little.
However, his movements were quickly stopped by the headboard behind him.
"What's coming?" His voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
After feeling around his neck and avoiding several important blood vessels, Fu Ze circled a spot with his finger.
"To avoid giving anything away, just to be on the safe side, let's plant a strawberry here."
Seemingly worried that Yuan Jianxing might not know the metaphor of "strawberry," Fu Ze added, "It's a hickey."
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Author's Note: Brother Xingxing took a small sip of Fu Xiaozhe's [heart emoji]
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