Ning Zhiheng turned around and closed the courtyard gate. He walked a few steps to the door of the house, which opened from the inside. Liu Tongfang came out to greet him.
"Hehe, Zhiheng, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Liu Tongfang smiled and gestured for him to enter.
"Thank you for waiting, Brother Tongfang!" Ning Zhiheng smiled and nodded, then stepped into the room.
The house is quite large, and the furnishings in the rooms are very elegant, showing that they were carefully designed and arranged.
“This house is nice. It must be your mistress’s hiding place!” Ning Zhiheng said with a smile. His eyesight was excellent. The furnishings here had a homey feel, so it must have been frequently occupied. There was a big difference between the rooms for men and women. The style of this house was very delicate, so it must have been decorated and designed by a woman.
Liu Tongfang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Ning Zhiheng to be so perceptive. He then laughed and said somewhat awkwardly, "It's one of my outer residences. Nobody knows about this location. It's already noon. I've already asked her to make arrangements. Let's have a drink and talk while we eat!"
Liu Tongfang chose this place for a reason. It was where he kept his mistress. He was careful and no one else knew about this place, not even his closest subordinates.
Furthermore, he was extremely eager to get closer to Ning Zhiheng. Zhao Ziliang specifically mentioned to him that Ning Zhiheng had a special background and status, and held considerable weight in the Military Intelligence Investigation Department and in the eyes of the department head.
During his time in Hangzhou, it is essential to cultivate a good relationship with him, actively cooperate, and strive to befriend him. This will greatly benefit Liu Tongfang in the future.
Hearing his former boss speak so highly of Ning Zhiheng, how could Liu Tongfang not be eager to curry favor? Besides, Ning Zhiheng now held the reins of power, overseeing the work at the Hangzhou station, so he would naturally try every means to be on good terms with him.
Therefore, he decided to invite Ning Zhiheng to his small home, which was more like a family dinner, so that Ning Zhiheng would feel at home.
Ning Zhiheng naturally followed the host's lead and the two sat down.
"Does Zhiheng prefer tea or coffee?"
"I only like green tea, Longjing, I guess!"
Soon, a graceful and beautiful young woman brought over a pot of fine Longjing tea and poured tea for the two of them.
Since ancient times, women from the Jiangnan region have been known for their beauty and talent, and are considered the epitome of Jiangnan women. They are gentle and delicate, with beautiful appearances. It is often said that Suzhou and Hangzhou produce beauties, and there is certainly a reason for that!
However, Liu Tongfang was slightly disappointed when he saw that Ning Zhiheng's gaze towards the young woman was indifferent and without any ripples in his eyes, so he did not introduce them to each other.
“Go and make a few of your best dishes,” Liu Tongfang said, then gestured for the woman to leave.
He turned to Ning Zhiheng and said with a smile, "I hope everything went smoothly for Zhiheng's return to his hometown. It's a pity we're secret agents, otherwise, with your status, returning home in glory would be a wonderful thing!"
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand, sighed and said, "How dare I return home in glory? I came back to Hangzhou this time to deal with family matters. To be honest, this time I moved my whole family to the rear. Hangzhou is already a place of great trouble. My whole family is under the guns of the Japanese. I tremble with fear when I think about it. How can I have the mood to bring glory to my hometown!"
Hearing that Ning Zhiheng was in low spirits, Liu Tongfang smiled and comforted him, "It's good to move away, then you won't have any worries in the future. Zhiheng, I won't hide it from you, the situation here in Hangzhou is special. The Japanese have been stationed here forty years ago, openly right across the street."
For years, I've lived in constant fear, walking on thin ice, terrified of making a mistake. I've managed to get by in Hangzhou relatively unscathed, but the situation has become increasingly tense. I've considered moving elsewhere, fearing a disastrous outcome if I make a mistake. But I never imagined I'd still be embroiled in this. My section chief once told me, "Zhiheng, you're our section's top-notch operations expert. This time, I need Zhiheng's help to get me through this difficult time!"
Hearing Liu Tongfang bring up Zhao Ziliang again to pull strings, Ning Zhiheng smiled slightly and said, "That's too kind of you, Section Chief. I'm new to the job, and it's all thanks to the guidance of my superiors that I've achieved what I have today. However, this case is indeed quite difficult. Now that we're in the same boat, I need to understand your previous investigation in detail!"
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