"Ren Yi? Why are you here?" Cheng Lin slowly took off his sunglasses and looked at the person walking down the steps with some surprise.
He just talked to Liang Jing, but he didn't pay much attention to it. It wasn't until now that he realized that this was an acquaintance - Ren Yi, the chief "scientist" of No. 16 Spiritual Land and a student of Dean Wu Mingxun of the Magic City Spiritual Qi Research Institute.
He is also half of Cheng Lin's "teacher" and has given him a lot of advice during his previous promotions and trainings.
It's been a while since we last met, but I never thought we'd meet here.
On the long stone steps of Yanshan Mountain, Ren Yi did not wear her iconic white coat, but a long brown windbreaker. The collar was slightly raised by the cool breeze, and the collar of the warm-colored sweater was exposed at the collar.
She stuffed her hands into her coat pockets, and a pair of calfskin boots stuck firmly to the stone steps, stepping on half of a withered yellow leaf.
"Business trip." Ren Yi's expression quickly calmed down, and he answered briefly.
Liang Jing, who was on the side, saw this scene and said to Cheng Lin very wisely: "I still have something to do. You guys talk first. If you need anything, call me anytime."
"Okay, thank you." Cheng Lin thanked him politely and sent Liang Jing off. Then he looked at Ren Yi and said, "Business trip? Then this is..."
"After finishing the work, let's go for a walk," Ren Yi replied, then hesitated, "Together?"
"Okay." Cheng Lin agreed happily.
The two of them walked down together and soon arrived at the foot of Yanshan Mountain. Ren Yi came here on a business trip, so naturally he didn't drive. After thinking about it, the two of them didn't call for a taxi, but just walked silently along the nearby streets.
Near Yanshan, because it is very close to the dignitary area, there are fewer people here and it is not so crowded.
At this moment, the sky was still bright, but it also looked a bit dark.
The two of them walked silently under the street trees and didn't speak for a while.
"Why do you think of coming here on a business trip?" Cheng Lin finally asked.
He still remembered that the reason why Ren Yi went outside the border and was successfully poached by Shen Shanjing was because he was ostracized by the academic circle, and a lot of the pressure came from the circles in the capital.
So later, even though her research direction was proved to be correct, she stubbornly never left Spiritual Land No. 16.
This stubbornness is also reflected in the fact that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, I have to deliver mooncakes myself.
Therefore, Cheng Lin was indeed surprised that she appeared here.
"There is no way. Some of the research results have been favored by the superiors. We are planning to raise funds to open a special research team. We are short of a person in charge. A 'gold medal' was handed out. Who dares not to obey?" Ren Yi stuffed his hands in his pockets and said nothing.
Looking at him, he said in a deliberately nonchalant tone.
Hmm... I don't know why, but this tone seems a bit arrogant...
Cheng Lin looked at her unexpectedly and said with a smile, "Congratulations on that."
Although Ren Yi's attitude is relatively cold, it can be heard from his words that this must be a big event.
The fact that the country can force her to come over to lead and set up a laboratory shows the importance of the project.
This leap from the person in charge of a spiritual land in a province outside the customs to the leader of an important project laboratory at the emperor's feet must have been a huge increase in status.
And the reason why she came here was probably not just an order. She must have had some intention as well.
Think about it, how tempting would it be for a scientific researcher to have the opportunity to work on a big project? Talents like Ren Yi should not be held back in No. 16.
I was criticized and ostracized at the beginning, so I had to go out of the customs in despair, but now I am personally invited back by the superiors. Wow, it's a standard part of the plot to pretend to be a slap in the face...
Therefore, Cheng Lin's congratulations were sincere, and he was sincerely happy for his "half-teacher" status.
"Yes." Ren Yi hummed a syllable through her nose, so low that it was almost inaudible. A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and then she finally turned her head and said in a complicated tone, "Congratulations to you too."
"Congratulations to me?"
"Congratulations, you don't have to work so hard to hide anymore." Ren Yi said with a slightly sarcastic tone, deliberately emphasizing the words, "Our great master!"
A great master... It sounds like he has the intention of burying people...
Cheng Lin touched his nose awkwardly and said, "You know everything?"
"What do you think? The moment after the projection ends, the whole world will know about such a big thing. Well...I am referring to the spiritual world, but ordinary people will soon know about it. Sooner or later, they will have to know."
"Sorry, before..." Cheng Lin was interrupted by Ren Yi mid-sentence:
"Actually, I have already guessed some of it."
"What?" Cheng Lin was stunned for a moment.
Ren Yi walked in the cold winter wind and stretched out her hand to pull down the high collar of her sweater: "I said, I have known for a long time that you are not simple. Do you really think that I have done a full set of physical examinations on you several times? I am really surprised by the abnormality in the data.
Can’t you see?”
Cheng Lin's mouth moved: "Since when?"
"That time you asked yourself about your kidney function rating."
"..." Cheng Lin was speechless and choked, thinking to himself, can we not mention the matter of kidney function?
"Then why didn't you say anything at that time?" Cheng Lin couldn't help but ask.
Ren Yi looked at him with burning eyes: "Why do you say that? In contrast, I am more curious about who you are and how long you will hide."
Well, it's really hard to guess a woman's thoughts... Cheng Lin sighed in his heart and simply let go: "Now that it's made public, are you happy?"
Unexpectedly, Ren Yi tilted his head and suddenly said seriously: "I always feel that you are hiding other secrets."
Seeing that Cheng Lin stopped talking, she smiled to herself: "Don't worry, I'm not interested in prying into your little secrets... The main thing is that there's nothing I can do with you as a seventh-grade guy..."
This is considered to be speaking the truth, right?
Cheng Lin was quite speechless, but not worried. When he exposed the first layer of his vest, he was already ready to speak frankly.
The reason why I still hide it a little is mainly because I want to take it slowly, just like window paper, it is better to moisten it a little bit.
If you poke it all at once, everyone will feel pain.
The two fell silent again, and then they saw a car suddenly parked on the side of the road. Ren Yi picked up his phone and shook it:
"I called a car. Let's have dinner together? Maybe we won't have much time to meet each other in the future."
Cheng Lin smiled: "Okay."
…
…
Sitting in the car, passing through a small part of the capital through the glass window, the two of them did not speak anymore, after all, they had to avoid the driver.
The journey was much longer than he expected. When they arrived at the destination, the two got out of the car and the sky was completely dark. In winter, darkness comes early.
Cheng Lin looked up and saw a brightly lit building, and blurted out: "Where is this?"
Ren Yi took out a small scarf from somewhere, put it on, and said: "Theme park, today is Christmas Eve, it's more lively here."
Cheng Lin was stunned for a moment before he remembered that today was indeed Christmas Eve.
…
A long time ago, everyone celebrated their own festivals. Later, with the opening up, the boundaries of many things will be blurred. Although Christmas is not local, in the end, it is still more lively.
The theme park is European-style, and the buildings inside are all imitations of castles and the like. There are many trees, all decorated with colorful lights. Probably because of the festival, there are many tourists tonight. Cheng Lin and Ren Yi are together
Peer, very inconspicuous among the men and women.
There were many activities, stalls, and shows in the park. As the two of them walked and strolled around, they felt much better for a while, and the vague barriers were reduced a lot.
"Look here," Ren Yi suddenly turned his head in surprise, "Santa Claus."
Cheng Lin looked over and saw two Santa Clauses in classic clothes walking over. They were both wearing fat clothes and there were no reindeer.
The hat on his head is soft, and judging from his face, he is a foreigner, but unfortunately he is not sure which country he is from.
Carrying a huge red bag and handing out small gifts along the way, they must be staff invited by the park.
Ren Yi ran over briskly and took back two free small speakers from Santa Claus.
The colorful one, I put one in my mouth, puffed up my cheeks and blew on it, the curly trumpet stretched out with a "beep" sound, and then retracted again.
"This is for you." Ren Yi handed the other one over.
"...Thank you." Cheng Lin thanked him politely, standing in the sea of people, holding the fragile speaker, wondering if this would be too childish... and inconsistent with his current status.
While hesitating, he subconsciously pushed up the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, and then blew a sound: "Beep——"
My mood suddenly felt much better.
After laughing silently, Cheng Lin saw Ren Yi looking at him quietly and said, "When you come back this time, you probably plan to talk to the Secret Service? Have you made any plans?"
Is this now serious business?
Cheng Lin held the small colorful toy between his fingers, pondered for a moment, nodded and said:
"Somewhat. Shi Shengcun and I made an agreement before... Well, it's a gentleman's agreement. Next, we should have deeper cooperation and each get what we need."
Ren Yi nodded and said:
"On the one hand, your advantage lies in strength, which is also the most intuitive, but it is not what the Secret Service Department needs... Previously, the international situation was tense, and a seventh-level person was naturally very important, but now... I also get
I have obtained some information and know that there will be no surprises. I may think that the situation will become stable within a period of time..."
"You mean the headquarters is worried that I am not easy to control?" Cheng Lin asked, playing with a small toy.
"I'm not one of those people sitting in the Secret Service headquarters building. I don't know. I'm just guessing," Ren Yi rolled his eyes and continued, "But no matter how you look at it, your personal combat power is in today's situation.
Now, it’s no longer what the organization needs. On the contrary, I’m afraid to a certain extent. Well, given your stance and performance all along, you don’t need to worry too much. You just have to think more about it in your mind.”
After a pause, Ren Yi continued:
"In comparison, your other advantage is more important, and that is the information you have. I mean about ascenders, projections and other things. Not surprisingly, this is what the headquarters values most."
"so?"
"So, I just want to remind you, when you are waiting for negotiations, don't be stupid and say everything, disclose some information appropriately to show your value, but don't expose yourself, so as not to suffer a loss. Anyway, they will also
I don't dare to force you. Hey, you've been hiding for so long, so you're probably not stupid. You've probably thought about what I said... Anyway, I just mentioned it casually." Ren Yi said calmly.
Cheng Lin was silent for a moment and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Ren Yi didn't answer, just looked at a bouquet of flowers lit by lights in the distance, and walked over with a little excitement:
"Let's go, there's a restaurant over there, I'm hungry."
Cheng Lin looked at the back of his "half-teacher" self and thought to himself, could this be considered protecting one's shortcomings?
…
…
That night, the two of them made a tacit agreement not to have any more conversations on this topic.
We just had a simple meal and some fun, and after witnessing the bells ringing on Christmas Day, we left like countless young people.
They waved their hands, said goodbye to each other, and said "goodbye" to each other.
By the time Cheng Lin returned to Yanshan, contacted people from the First Division, and entered a residence halfway up the mountain, it was almost three o'clock in the morning.
Cheng Lin took off his coat and sat in a quiet room, holding a basket of "peace fruits" bought from the park and slowly eating until dawn.
…
In the next two days, Cheng Lin never left Yanshan Mountain nor went to higher places. He just called He Shu and took him around the mountain.
Because it is winter, the scenery is naturally not as good as in summer and autumn, but fortunately it is not too boring.
While sitting in the courtyard, Cheng Lin could also catch a glimpse of the turmoil in the outside world from the faces of the people coming and going. He thought that the follow-up matters could not be completed in a short time.
For this reason, he even made preparations to celebrate the New Year here, and thought that Shi Shengcun might not be able to spare time for a while. However, on the third day of his stay in Yanshan, Liang Jing rang his
Door:
"The chief executive and the people in the department want to see you."
Liang Jing said this.
Cheng Lin stood at the open door, thinking that this was much faster than he expected.
…
…
Walking on the steps of Yanshan Mountain, Cheng Lin stepped up slowly and slowly.
The meeting place was on Yanshan Mountain, a simple and elegant Taoist-like building where Shi Shengcun lived.
Liang Jing followed him without saying a word, but Cheng Lin could feel the weight of her eyes.
Soon, a vermilion gate appeared in front of us.
"Please." Liang Jing said.
Cheng Lin nodded, walked through the door with a complicated mood, and then entered a clean courtyard.
The tree in the courtyard has withered and is bare. It is far less beautiful than the trees in the spiritual world, but it makes people feel peaceful.
There was a wooden wheelchair under the tree, and Shi Shengcun sat quietly on it, with a small quilt covering his knees. His clothes were casual and he seemed to be lost in thought.
The moment Cheng Lin came in, he withdrew his gaze and said with a smile:
"We meet again. Sorry for the inconvenience. I originally planned to find you by myself."
"Your legs..." Cheng Lin's eyes moved slightly.
The latter waved his hand indifferently:
"I suffered some cold and wind, so I am not very flexible for the time being, but fortunately, my abilities are not very dependent on my body."
Cheng Lin tasted the word "wind and cold" and said nothing more. Then he saw two other people standing under the eaves in the courtyard.
One of the people wearing gold-rimmed glasses was an acquaintance, the deputy minister-level Xu Qui who was in charge of foreign affairs during the Elf Projection Exploration.
At this moment, he was wearing formal clothes and looked over with great seriousness.
Next to him, there was another clerk, wearing a uniform with a small lapel and a white circle embroidered on the collar, which meant that he belonged to the civil service system and should also be in the Special Branch. He was looking at him carefully with curious eyes.
There is no "old man" level figure... They are all considered young... Cheng Lin thought to himself that the minister of the Special Intelligence Department had not arrived. It seemed that Shi Shengcun was still responsible for this matter.
Just as he was thinking about it, Xu Gu had already walked over, smiled, stretched out his hand, shook hands with Cheng Lin, and said with a smile:
"You should still remember me, right? We met during the projection in Shudu."
"Of course I remember, Minister Xu." Cheng Lin said, and immediately turned his attention to the other person. Xu Gu quickly introduced him: "This is the first secretary of the headquarters, Secretary Zhao, who is here to take charge of the record work."
First secret...
Cheng Lin nodded. He knew something about this position. He didn't know about it in other departments, but in the Special Agents Department, he was the closest person to the minister. Although it was a "secretary" position, he had great hidden power. This time it was obvious that
I came here on behalf of the minister.
Cheng Lin's thoughts flickered, and he exchanged polite words. Then he set his sights on Shi Shengcun again. The latter folded his hands on the brocade quilt covered with flowers. The wheelchair underneath him rotated out of thin air. At the same time, a carved wooden door made no sound.
Open: "Please, let's go in and talk."
The room is very simple, without too many fancy things. The most conspicuous thing is only a desk and a landscape painting hanging on the wall.
There was also a coffee table and several large rosewood chairs that had been moved in temporarily. There was a tea tray on the coffee table, and a delicate purple clay teapot was boiling on it. The steam was rising and the aroma of tea filled the air.
"Please." Shi Shengcun came forward in a wheelchair, and then invited San San to sit around casually, while Secretary Zhao filled tea cups for several people in turn.
"Try it? This year's new tea... I'm just not sure if it suits your taste." Shi Shengcun said with a gentle smile.
Cheng Lin was not restrained. Hearing this, he picked up the cup, took a sip, and then said with a smile:
"I don't know much about tea ceremony, so I can only drink it as a drink. It's a waste of good stuff for me, and I can't taste anything. It's quite thirsty."
He put down the empty tea cup and said casually.
Shi Shengcun smiled and said: "Tea is originally used to quench thirst."
After a pause, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and said honestly: "Actually, I don't know how to do the tea ceremony..."
Cheng Lin was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help laughing. The atmosphere became much more harmonious.
When Secretary Zhao, who was holding back his laughter, filled up his cup again, Cheng Lin did not wait passively to be asked, nor did he get straight to the point. He just said: "I originally thought I would wait a few more days."
Shi Shengcun looked at him with a pair of bright eyes and said with a smile:
"Some things can wait, and some things cannot wait. After I reported your matter, it caused a lot of commotion. Well, considering factors such as authority and authority, I still took over the matter. I just thought
, if it drags on any longer, I’m afraid even the minister and Xu Qui won’t be able to sit still.”
"Oh?" Cheng Lin glanced at Xu Kuan, who was a little embarrassed, through the mist on the teacup, and said with a smile, "Then I'll be flattered."
————
ps: Thanks to the book friend "from the 20th century", I can't remember how many times I have received the 10,000 prize... I'm really flattered.