Lin Zhen was also sizing up the young man in front of him. Although he was young and inexperienced, he was a big shot in the Baoding faction, which was full of powerful figures, thanks to his outstanding talent and brilliant military achievements. But this was the first time they had met.
It must be said that Ning Zhiheng's appearance is indeed outstanding. He is tall and handsome, and can definitely be described as a man of exceptional talent.
Especially Ning Zhiheng's age. Although Lin Zhen knew that Ning Zhiheng was very young, seeing it with his own eyes still surprised him quite a bit.
"What's wrong, Director Ning? Why are you blocking my door so early in the morning? Do I have a Japanese spy here? Why would I need an intelligence expert like you to come knocking on my door?"
Lin Zhen's words were half teasing and half sarcastic. He originally wanted to give Ning Zhiheng a warning, but his words came true. Ning Zhiheng was shocked, but he quickly realized that it was Lin Zhen's teasing.
He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself, but his expression remained unchanged. He said respectfully, "You flatter me, Master You. You are a senior pillar of our Baoding lineage. I have always wanted to come and pay my respects to you in person to learn from you. However, I was afraid of being presumptuous, so I have come today. I hope you will not take offense!"
Ning Zhiheng spoke humbly, adopting a very low profile. He did not mention his military rank, but rather his status within the Baoding clique, speaking to Lin Zhen in a completely junior tone.
Hearing this, Lin Zhen felt a little relieved, and a smile appeared on his face. He waved for Ning Zhiheng to sit down, and at this moment, Madam Lin brought tea with a maid.
Lin Zhen was speechless as he looked at his wife. Normally, the hostess wouldn't need to entertain guests in such situations, unless they were close family friends or distinguished guests. However, Ning Zhiheng's status was far below that of the host, so there was absolutely no need for Mrs. Lin to appear.
As for her plans, Lin Zhen naturally knew them perfectly well. On the contrary, Ning Zhiheng was somewhat surprised. He did not expect Madam Lin to personally come forward. He quickly stood up from the sofa and bowed.
"Please sit down, please sit down!" Madam Lin said with a smile as soon as she saw Ning Zhiheng get up.
She secretly observed him carefully and couldn't help but nod in approval. This Director Ning was exceptionally talented, no less so than the previous Director Wei. The only shortcoming was that he seemed a little too young.
Lin Zhen was displeased, but he had no choice but to suppress his displeasure and said to Madam Lin in a low voice, "We still have some official business to discuss. Please excuse us for a moment."
Madam Lin had only come in under the pretense of taking a look. Having achieved her goal, she naturally wouldn't linger. She gave Lin Zhen a light glare before signaling to Ning Zhiheng and turning to leave the living room.
Watching Madam Lin leave, Ning Zhiheng felt a sense of relief. For some reason, Madam Lin's appearance had brought him a sense of pressure, even more so than Lin Zhen sitting in front of him. But seeing Madam Lin leave, he felt a sense of relaxation.
Lin Zhen gestured for Chu Jian'an behind him to leave as well, and then said to Ning Zhiheng, "If you really want to pay a visit, I'm of course welcome, but next time wear your military uniform. You're a proper Kuomintang soldier, but you're making yourself look like a misfit."
Lin Zhen far surpassed Ning Zhiheng in both military rank and factional status, so it was not unreasonable for him to reprimand Ning Zhiheng in the tone of a superior. Ning Zhiheng had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"It was all my oversight and lack of consideration. I came in a hurry today and just finished my mission, so there was no time to change. I will definitely pay attention next time."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhen looked up at Ning Zhiheng, the smile that had just appeared on his lips vanished, and he slowly said, "As expected, you still have official business to attend to. Then let's not waste any more words and tell us what we've come for!"
Seeing that Lin Zhen was getting straight to the point, Ning Zhiheng was not willing to delay any longer. He smiled and said, "As you probably know, I have been in charge of cleaning up the Japanese intelligence network in Chongqing recently. Fortunately, we have been lucky and the work has been progressing smoothly. Just last night, we arrested a senior Japanese agent and uncovered an intelligence group that was lurking in the South Bank District."
"Are there Japanese spies in the South Bank District?" Lin Zhen suddenly asked, seizing the opportunity in Ning Zhiheng's words.
“Your Excellency is wise. The South Bank District has now become a focus of the Japanese attention, and it is inevitable that they will plant spies.” Ning Zhiheng quickly replied, leaning forward slightly and deliberately lowering his voice. “Actually, I didn’t need to personally carry out the arrest. It’s just that one of the spies had a special identity, and I was afraid of making a mistake, so I crossed the river at night to make the arrest and reported to you immediately.”
"Report to me?" Lin Zhen was taken aback. His mind raced, and he quickly understood the meaning behind Ning Zhiheng's words. His expression immediately turned serious.
He continued, "Tell me in detail, stop beating around the bush. What is my connection to this spy?"
Ning Zhiheng had previously glanced at Lin Zhen and noticed that although there was a look of surprise in Lin Zhen's eyes, his expression remained calm and composed. High-ranking officials and dignitaries like them had experienced countless storms in their lives and would not care about such trivial matters.
Ning Zhiheng stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Alright, I'll be frank. This spy is none other than your family tutor, Shi Liqun!"
As soon as Ning Zhiheng spoke, Lin Zhen's eyes widened. The coldness in his gaze made Ning Zhiheng's heart tighten. After all, he was a veteran general who had commanded thousands of troops. Even someone as determined as Ning Zhiheng couldn't help but feel a little scared by his imposing presence.
Lin Zhen snorted coldly, his gaze fixed on Ning Zhiheng, trying to discern the truthfulness of Ning Zhiheng's words.
He knew that by rejecting Wei Liangbi's marriage proposal, he had even offended many of Wei's relatives and friends, thus offending the Baoding faction's intelligence network. If they didn't give up, they would surely have other tricks up their sleeves. But he never expected that they would actually break off relations and start playing such an old trick as framing someone.
However, Lin Zhen didn't care about this at all. Given his status, it would be difficult for anyone, let alone juniors like Ning Zhiheng and Wei Liangbi, to threaten him. Even if the Director and Huang Xianzheng were to take action, it would be difficult for them.
Knowing his years of cultivation, his position within the Kuomintang was deeply entrenched, and he was a prominent figure in the Baoding clique. How could such a trivial matter possibly harm him in the slightest?
Thinking of this, Lin Zhen suddenly burst into laughter, straightened his posture, and looked at Ning Zhiheng with hostility. He spoke slowly and deliberately, saying, "What, are you two going to break off relations? When did Huang Zhongxin become so bold? I underestimated him before. If he really had this kind of courage, he might have really made a name for himself by now!"
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