Chapter 21 Appetite I hate you, Tang Zhilu.
Tang Zhilu stood at the window and looked out. The top-floor office had the best view. During the day, it felt like he was towering over the entire city.
The rainy days in a row reminded him of that day when the whole world seemed dull and gray, but he turned around and saw a bright spot of color, a change in his regular life.
"Mr. Tang, the legal department has sent over the materials."
Tang Zhilu looked at his phone again. The person who left still left nothing for him, not even a greeting.
"Enter."
Tang Zhilu sat back down and picked up a fountain pen to play with. The man handed over the documents in his hand and stood aside to watch Tang Zhilu read and review them.
"Has the matter at the police station been resolved?" Tang Zhilu read it quickly, finished reviewing it, closed the pen cap, pushed up his glasses and looked at the person in front of him.
"Mr. Tang has been there before, so he should know that these issues are neither difficult nor easy to resolve."
Han Huai answered him with a smile, completely discarding his usual respectful and cautious demeanor.
"Speaking of which, I saw an acquaintance before I came back." Han Huai put on a gentle smile on his face.
Tang Zhilu folded his hands and looked at him calmly. The more he looked at his smile, the more familiar it seemed to him.
"It's very strange. Isn't Du Yanze the boss of a dessert shop? Yet he can come and go in the police station without any hesitation. I wonder if Mr. Tang knows anything."
Tang Zhilu remained unmoved, and even revealed a hint of impatience between his brows, as if he wanted to hear some key points, but the other party insisted on talking nonsense with him.
"I thought you were here to talk to me sincerely, not to talk about things I'm not interested in."
Han Huai laughed and said, "I saw that Mr. Tang liked Mr. Du so much some time ago, so I thought you would be more interested in his affairs."
Tang Zhilu didn't respond. He threw the document aside, lowered his head and took another one. It seemed that he had completely lost his patience and was about to let him out.
"It seems that Mr. Tang has recognized me. Then I will tell him something that he is interested in, such as restoring his sense of taste?"
Tang Zhilu then looked up at him, closed the pen cap, and tapped the table with his fingers.
"No matter what Mr. Tang thinks Fork is, you can't deny that existing conventional medical treatments can't help you restore your sense of taste."
Tang Zhilu knew that FA must be well aware of his various attempts over the years, so he did not refute him.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of this rumor, but Fork can only regain his sense of taste after eating a whole Cake.”
"This rumor is partly true, but you have to eat a high-quality cake. The so-called high-quality cake is..."
"He can give off a smell that is different from any other food, but it will make Fork realize that he is delicious."
Han Huaiyi shrugged: "I have only seen two people like this. One has been eaten up. The other one is too troublesome."
Tang Zhilu raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "I thought you would brag to me about your miracles in order to gain my support."
Han Huai smiled and said, "My father and I are different. He values trust, and I value profit just like Mr. Tang."
"In the final analysis, what Mr. Tang wants most is to restore his sense of taste. No matter which of the two methods you use, you can't get around us. Tell our allies clearly that the benefits they want can only be obtained from us. This is the sincerity of cooperation."
Tang Zhilu, however, showed little interest. Han Huai smiled and reminded him, "Mr. Tang, you are not in a hurry yet. Do you really think it is okay to live to 40?"
Ever since he knew he was a Fork, Tang Zhilu had been clearly told that no Fork who didn't eat any Cake could live to be over 40 years old.
In fact, most of them have been driven crazy by their increasing appetite before they even reach that age.
Tang Zhilu never made a clear statement. Even when Han Huai made such a clear threat, he did not get angry. He just looked at Han Huai calmly and indifferently, waiting for him to come up with more things to arouse his interest.
Han Huai finally took out a document and handed it over: "If Mr. Tang still has concerns, I believe that after reading it, he will no longer have any doubts about our ability."
Tang Zhilu took it and opened it to see the photo.
A delicate little boy is crying in his mother's arms, while the man beside him is trying to tease him with a wry smile. The picture is filled with gentle warm light.
The boy was crying, but his handsome facial features could still be seen. His round black eyes were tightly closed, and his long eyelashes were wet and stranded from crying.
Next came a few photos of him when he was a little older. In some of them, he was smiling happily, his eyes narrowed into crescents, and his chubby hands were tightly grasping half-melted ice cream.
Most of these photos feature mothers or fathers, who are either doting or helpless, with a faint smile always on their faces.
Until a photo of a slightly older boy was shown, in which the black-haired boy was curled up in a place that looked like a ward, with bright red scratches all over his exposed arms, like a little beast that was forced into a desperate situation but had no way out.
Most of the following photos are like this. Occasionally, when we can take a photo, we can only see the boy’s empty eyes hidden under his long hair.
In the last photo, the boy has grown up and his facial features have grown more mature. He has black hair, fair skin, delicate and beautiful facial features, and long black eyelashes. However, he just stares at the camera quietly and indifferently, without a trace of fragility and immaturity on his face.
It’s Du Yanze, or Hunter from SDD.
Tang Zhilu slowly looked at each photo one by one, his fingertips sliding across each photo, and after finishing looking at them, he took out the first photo.
Only half of the man's face was shown in the picture, but Tang Zhilu recognized him at a glance.
"Barnett? Isn't this the father you were talking about? It doesn't look like he is your father."
Han Huai's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he just sneered: "He is not his father's child at all."
Tang Zhilu glanced at him and didn't ask any more questions. He wouldn't get any more answers anyway.
Tang Zhilu flipped to the back and found a detailed record of the cases Du Yanze had participated in at SDD, even the annual internal ratings, as well as several physical examination reports and blood test reports.
The level of detail is far beyond what can be obtained through normal means, not to mention the documents with the SDD official seal.
"Can we talk about cooperation with Mr. Tang now?"
Tang Zhilu closed the information, put his fingers on the cover and said slowly: "Invitation letter, missing persons case, medicine, you are busy with a lot of things."
"You're having so much fun throwing everything at me. Now Du Yanze has gone to Country G to get your tail, and he's rushing to talk to me about cooperation."
Han Huai smiled. He was not afraid of him saying this, but he was afraid that he would never express his opinion.
"It's normal for Mr. Tang to be unhappy. But how can we lure him here without a little trouble?"
"You've tried it, too. He's very difficult to deal with, and he's very alert. Since you can't handle it yourself, why don't you agree to cooperate with us?"
Tang Zhilu did not rush to agree. Instead, he frowned and tapped the table.
Han Huai smiled and took out a pen, wrote a date on the paper, and pushed it to Tang Zhilu. Tang Zhilu pressed the other side with his fingers, looked up at Han Huai, and did not throw it away, but just put it next to him.
"As a sign of sincerity, maybe there will be some small surprises tonight."
Han Huai leaned forward and prepared to leave, with the smile on his face becoming more exaggerated.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
Tang Zhilu did not answer, but was busy wrapping his used pen in paper and throwing it into the trash can. He wiped his hands, opened the document, and carefully cut out all the photos on it.
*
After returning from Country G, Du Yanze has been working tirelessly with the police to investigate. Although they are 70% to 80% sure, they still have to check the surveillance one by one.
He also has to continue following up on Country G and investigating the progress of Han Huai's true identity, while also being wary of potential traitors within the SDD.
"Commander!" Yang Zhao rushed in from outside. She had been extremely busy these past few days and refused to even take a rest. No one could persuade her otherwise. The huge panic and guilt were about to overwhelm her.
"It was sent to me from Shanshan's phone, look."
Du Yanze pinched the bridge of his nose, forced himself to be more alert, and took her phone.
What was sent was a short video. In the video, Deng Shan was tied to a chair, but her hands were free. There were many exquisite meals in front of her. She was eating, looking down while eating.
Deng Shan looked fine except for some dark circles under her eyes. She was probably nervous. Judging from the background, it looked like she was in a room in a luxury hotel.
In addition to this video, there is also a date and a statement behind it.
“Only invited guests are welcome.”
Yang Zhaonian said, rubbing his head in annoyance: "He's playing tricks again."
Du Yanze thought for a while, then stood up and turned to Chen Shuang, "Please check the IP address later and try to search it."
Chen Shuang nodded. Now that they had this video, Deng Shan's case was officially filed and upgraded, and more resources and manpower would be involved.
"Where are you going?"
The rain was light in the evening and the wind was a bit cool. Du Yanze picked up the thin coat on the chair and answered as he walked out.
"Go find the invited guests."
The drizzle of rain made no sound as it fell on the umbrella, but the lighter the rain, the more water vapor became diffuse, spreading like mist in places with lush vegetation.
There were lights on outside the Tang residence, flickering in the rain and fog. Du Yanze walked through the house unimpeded with an umbrella. The housekeeper respectfully led him in and even took out his original pair of shoes.
"The gentleman is on the third floor. You can go up directly."
Passing by the restaurant, Du Yanze subconsciously took a look. Last time, he was quite ruthless and violently tore apart the ambiguity between them, whether it was obvious or covert, true or false.
A Fork and a Cake, what a ridiculous and absurd combination. There is no way it can work out.
"You're back."
Tang Zhilu stood on the third floor and looked at him for an unknown amount of time. He sized up Du Yanze and watched him slowly walk over.
It was only a few days, they were all smart people, no matter what, there wouldn't be any drastic changes. But for a while they didn't speak, just staring at each other from a safe distance.
Observe any subtle changes in the other person that are beyond your control when you are not around.
Tang Zhilu was wearing a shirt and vest, with his tie and accessories removed. Two buttons on his shirt collar were undone, and his 3:7 split hair was a little messy, which was inconsistent with his style of always requiring neatness and cleanliness.
Before Du Yanze saw him, he never knew that he missed him.
Tang Zhilu walked towards him quickly step by step, but Du Yanze was instinctively wary of him, a dangerous Fork.
Tang Zhilu let out a long breath, put his arms around his waist, and rested his forehead on his shoulder.
"I know that you did that to get Han Huai to cooperate with me. I am still valuable to you. But I am still afraid every day that you will disappear completely."
Tang Zhilu had never said such a thing before. Du Yanze curled his fingers and put them down again. He didn't know whether he should believe it or not. But he was the one who left Oliver behind and bet that he would not let go.
"Don't you want to think about why I came back?" Du Yanze thought for a long time and said something that he himself didn't understand whether it was right or wrong.
Tang Zhilu lifted him off the ground with one hand, touched his slightly damp hair, and lightly touched his cheek and lips with his fingers. His focused and gentle gaze followed his fingertips, bringing up a scorching temperature.
"I can guess." His tone was calm and peaceful, and it sounded like he didn't care about the reasons behind it.
Du Yanze grabbed his collar fiercely, his round eyes were bright, and his strong emotions were almost hatred, but Tang Zhilu smiled. Du Yanze hit his lips hard, biting his lips as if to vent his anger.
Tang Zhilu simply stretched out his hand to support his back, followed his will, and gently stirred his lips and tongue, more like comforting him.
Du Yanze reached out to grab his hair, panting, and although there were no tears on his face, he looked like he was about to cry. Tang Zhilu hugged him quietly, and when they were so close, even the slightest bit of his excited heartbeat would be noticed by the other party.
"I hate you, Tang Zhilu."
Du Yanze grabbed his collar and was picked up by him. This time he needed to lower his head a little to look at Tang Zhilu.
Tang Zhilu raised his head and looked into his eyes. His calm black eyes were gentle and peaceful at this moment. The corners of his lips were raised, and he smiled a little silly.
"Okay." He sounded unhinged.
Du Yanze's heart felt like it was lightly blown, and his fingertips were numb. He immediately tightened his grip and repeated it viciously.
"I hate you the most."
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