Chapter 102 is effective; collusion, infiltrating among them—the chief is indeed a perceptive person…
After saying this cryptic remark, Fu Ze maintained an inscrutable expression, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair, waiting for Yuan Jianxing's next questions.
For example: Why are there "empty places" at V City University? Why is it 99% instead of 100%? How did you know about these places?
Such examples are numerous.
However……
A second passed.
Five seconds passed.
A minute passed.
Fu Ze's imagined question from Yuan Jianxing still hadn't come.
Even though he knew the other party might be deliberately keeping him at arm's length, Fu Ze couldn't resist and broke his composure first.
He lifted one eye and slowly asked, "You...don't you have anything to ask me?"
“Based on past experience, as long as you don’t bring it up, I’ll never get any results from asking, and I might even be misled by you.” Yuan Jianxing turned his gaze away from the window and said calmly, “Then I might as well not ask and just see for myself.”
Fu Ze instinctively wanted to refute, but even after going through all the details of his interactions with Yuan Jianxing, he couldn't find a single counterexample.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Fu Ze coughed lightly and moved a short distance away from Yuan Jianxing, rubbing his shoulder against the other's upper arm. "Don't be so absolute. Besides, given our current relationship, what could I possibly be hiding from you?"
Although Yuan Jianxing was quite pleased with Fu Ze's flattering behavior, he deliberately didn't show it outwardly.
He continued, his face expressionless, "So, the previous promise is still valid?"
"...What promise?" Fu Ze was stunned for a moment.
As if anticipating Fu Ze's reaction, Yuan Jianxing curled his lips into a slightly mocking smile and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket.
It was a phone with a yellowish, dopamine-colored casing and many small street art-style accessories.
Upon seeing it, Fu Ze felt a sudden jolt in his heart, and then he remembered what the "promise" Yuan Jianxing had been referring to was—
"Fu Ze, at least for now, genuinely wants to help Yuan Jianxing."
"First, explain what you mean by 'at least for now'?"
"'At least now' means 'from now until some time in the future.' Do you expect me to promise you a lifetime? That's so greedy!"
"So, how long is your loyalty valid, and what are the conditions for it to be valid?"
Having roughly guessed what Yuan Jianxing's act of "bringing up old grievances" was trying to achieve, Fu Ze had to preemptively say, "Uh, I think I can explain..."
But Yuan Jianxing would never give Fu Ze such an opportunity.
He extended a single finger and gently pressed it against Fu Ze's lips, which were trying to evade the question.
"Shh, don't rush."
At the same time, Yuan Jianxing activated the preview mode of an alarm clock with his other hand, which was holding the phone.
As a classic alarm sound familiar to most people rang out, a line of small text simultaneously appeared on the phone screen—
"Dear Partner, we regret to inform you that your current loyalty program has expired."
After doing all this, Yuan Jianxing finally put her hand down, wiping away a bit of cream stuck to Fu Ze's lips in the process. "Do you remember... when we signed our contract?"
Knowing he was completely in the wrong, Fu Ze immediately backed down: "Of course I remember, how could I forget?"
"Since you remember, then repeat the contents of the contract." Yuan Jianxing's voice was very calm, as if he really was just there to confirm the terms contained in a document with Fu Ze.
However, the next few words he uttered sent chills down Fu Ze's spine.
"Not a single word can be wrong."
He pursed his lips, repeatedly recalling the conversation between the two in the cruise ship room, removing all other miscellaneous details and extracting the "contract" as the key, and slowly said: "The key, this is my first condition for loyalty to you."
"Everything I've done is for the sake of getting the key, and the key is in the hands of Longji, the biggest boss of the Cumming Group."
Since the core content was indeed the same, Yuan Jianxing tacitly approved of Fu Ze's cutting corners and nodded to signal the other party to continue.
"After weighing the options, I think following you is the quickest and most direct way."
"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."
When Fu Ze said the words "Never abandon, never give up," he felt his voice tremble slightly.
Although, in reality, he died a heroic death to protect Yuan Jianxing.
However, considering that he has the ability to die and be reborn, it is true that he switched to a new body and "abandoned" Yuan Jianxing.
Just then, Yuan Jianxing suddenly interjected, "Then how can you guarantee that you won't change your mind halfway through and turn around to frame me?"
Fu Ze, who was already feeling guilty, trembled involuntarily.
These were the exact words that Hara Mikihoshi said to himself in his cabin on the cruise ship.
Moreover, compared to himself who was merely repeating the content, Harami Hoshi even reproduced the exact same tone of voice.
It's unclear how many times the other person had recalled this scene in their mind to achieve such a recreated version.
Seeing that Fu Ze had stopped moving, Yuan Jianxing lowered his head and urged softly, "Hmm, why did you stop? Continue."
“So I’ll stand by your side until you kill Dragonspine.” Thinking about the possibility of being caught in a bind, Fu Ze simply closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and sped up. “But the best-case scenario is that we develop a trust between us. We won’t abandon each other, we won’t give up, and we’ll work together towards a common goal.”
"As long as you can guarantee that your goal remains unchanged, then my judgment will naturally remain unchanged as well."
Fu Ze's recounting finally came to an end, and Yuan Jianxing then spoke: "The fact that Longji is the holder of the [Key] has already been settled internally within the Tribunal, but due to the nature of his status as a well-known entrepreneur, no restrictions or constraints have been imposed on him."
He looked at Fu Ze with intense eyes: "But I kept my promise and kept a close eye on his movements."
This is clearly his response to Fu Ze's condition of "loyalty being valid".
Fu Ze didn't know how to react, so he could only give a simple "Oh...".
Fortunately, Yuan Jianxing was unaware of his unforgiving nature.
"You'd better remember this second time."
He took Fu Ze's hands apart, which were twisted together to ease the awkwardness, and held them in his own, then gently placed the phone in Fu Ze's palm.
"There must be no second breach of contract."
Although he is now a big star, Fu Ze has to carry the mobile phone he endorses to various occasions according to the brand's standards.
But this phone was the one that Yuan Jianxing bought for Fu Ze.
It was a gift he gave him, his first gift.
Looking at the phone that he used to carry with him, Fu Ze was filled with emotion.
Returning the item to its rightful owner, Yuan Jianxing's attitude softened as he recalled hearing Fu Ze impart the "rules of pursuit" near Shifeng Village: "Since you insist on going to that 'nobody's place' to confess, you must have your reasons, and I will naturally respect your decision."
Seeing that there was a chance to turn things around, Fu Ze immediately seized the opportunity: "The Chief is indeed very understanding, and truly considerate."
Hearing Fu Ze change his address from "Deputy Director" back to "Chief", Yuan Jianxing was very happy and even had to cough lightly to cover up his smile.
-
They parked the car in a multi-story parking garage near V City University, and the two got out and walked into the university.
V City University is also one of the landmark buildings in V City, especially the food street that extends from the school gate to both sides and includes all kinds of food, which is a classic tourist attraction.
Because he had changed his clothes and put on a mask beforehand, Fu Ze attracted the attention of some passing students, but his true identity was not recognized.
On the other hand, Hara Mihoshi took a simpler and more direct approach, activating the court's disguise equipment to put on a formal face.
Amidst the bustling crowd, the two people's hands were intertwined in these unseen corners.
Despite their height and long legs, the two were unable to simply step over the crowded queue.
Fu Ze's attention was frequently drawn to strange things, making their journey even more difficult.
"It smells so good!" Fu Ze said to Yuan Jianxing, pointing to a stall. "You're in a good position, take a look and see what they're selling."
Yuan Jianxing tiptoed over the crowd and glanced at the stall surrounded by layers of people. He reported the situation: "It looks like it's toast with salted egg yolk and crispy pork belly."
"It sounds delicious." Fu Ze thought longingly, "I want to eat this, buy it for me."
“Your two agents told me that you can’t consume too many calories every day.” Yuan Jianxing, however, vehemently rejected his idea, “and the desserts you’ve eaten before have already exceeded the limit.”
Fu Ze turned around abruptly: "So, you've completely colluded with each other, haven't you?"
"It's not collusion, it's more like a home-school partnership," Yuan Jianxing corrected.
To resist the temptation, Fu Ze took the initiative to change the subject: "Speaking of which, did you go to university?"
Yuan Jianxing looked at Fu Ze with some shock and speechlessness, as if he didn't understand why the other party could ask such a question.
“The rumored Yuan Jianxing had already accumulated enough merits to be promoted directly to senior executive officer before graduation.” Fu Ze said matter-of-factly. “In that case, you can’t possibly split yourself in two, with one half helping Deputy Director Xu complete those seemingly impossible tasks, and the other half attending morning and evening self-study sessions with your classmates, right?”
After understanding Fu Ze's doubts, Yuan Jianxing replied, "If you consider simply taking the final exam each semester and successfully obtaining a diploma and being recognized as an outstanding graduate as having attended university, then I have attended university."
Although Yuan Jianxing was stating a fact, Fu Ze still felt his fist clench unconsciously.
After subtly displaying her peacock-like plumage, Yuan Jianxing turned the conversation back to Fu Ze: "And what about you?"
Fu Ze recalled for a moment: "I attended the Florentine Island Academy of Performing Arts."
Yuan Jianxing immediately added, "I asked which university Fu Ze attended, not Que Ling."
"To be honest, I don't remember." Fu Ze answered frankly and easily. "I've passed through so many people's lives. It's already quite remarkable that I can still remember that my name is 'Fu Ze' and can maintain my personality when I don't need to pretend to be someone else."
Yuan Jianxing remained silent.
He recalled how Fu Ze had pieced together the past using the experiences of the body he had retained in order to avoid being exposed as a lie at the underground shooting range.
He tightened his grip slightly and asked again, "So, what do you remember about yourself?"
Fu Ze pondered for a while, then answered softly, "Light."
"To be a little more specific, it's probably the light of the setting sun."
"As for why I have this impression, I don't know."
As they spoke, the two finally entered V City University and passed by a group of students whose backgrounds seemed very diverse.
They all held flashlights in their right hands, while in their left hands they held crosses, amulets, Nazar, and black donkey hooves—objects used to ward off evil spirits in different regional cultures.
Holding a small flag, the student leader stood on a slightly elevated flower bed and raised his arm to shout to the crowd below: "Students, today our club is going to conquer one of the seven wonders of V City—the V City University Library, which is always under renovation and can never be accessed!"
"Wow, what a coincidence?!" Fu Ze clasped his hands together in front of his chest. "I've only been to V City University once before, so I'm not really familiar with the area. Let's sneak in and follow them."
If what the student in the lead said is true, then the "library that is always under renovation" does indeed fit the description of "a place where there are no people".
Although Yuan Jianxing tacitly approved of Fu Ze's decision and allowed the other party to drag him into the crowd, he felt that this was somewhat frivolous.
After the two of them had completely blended in with the students, Fu Ze took the opportunity to whisper to Yuan Jianxing, "Maybe we really will run into that one in ten thousand chance."
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Author's Note: Fu Xiaozhe, I suggest you quickly recall how many things you've done to wrong Brother Xingxing [eye roll]
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