Chapter 41: Old Affairs

China.
Beijing.
Kong Zhendong’s life over the past couple of years had been somewhat difficult.

The outcome of that incident involving Xu Shi in the Northwest back then had left his superiors deeply dissatisfied, and he himself was thoroughly disgruntled. Following a fierce quarrel with his leadership, he was suspended from his duties for a very long time.

Although he had now returned, the power in his hands had long been carved up and whittled away until virtually nothing was left. The few loyal subordinates he originally had under his command had all been transferred elsewhere. To put it simply, he was now merely a Buddha statue propped up in a temple—seemingly glorious, but in reality sitting on pins and needles, liable to be kicked out by someone at any moment.

Yet, he had seen through it all now.

Even if no one else gave him the boot, he was planning to leave of his own accord.

This place was unlike other departments; every position ought to be occupied by someone who genuinely worked. Since he no longer did any actual work, why bother sitting in the latrine and refusing to shit? His superiors worried that the subordinates might think they were burning bridges after crossing them, which was why they hadn't touched him, but what was the point of him clinging to the post with a brazen face?

Besides, he had seen enough of the sarcastic sneers and the shifting warmth of human relationships.

It was meaningless!

These past couple of days, he had been pondering where he should go.

He thought the South was a nice place. Beijing became bitterly cold and terribly dry the moment winter arrived. For years, he had been prone to internal heat and inflammation every winter; perhaps changing his environment would cure this nagging ailment.

He had looked into quite a few places, but could not make up his mind.

Today, as soon as he arrived at his office in the early morning, he began pondering the matter once again.

Suddenly, his mobile phone, tossed carelessly inside the drawer, began to vibrate with a low buzz.

Kong Zhendong fished it out and took a look. The call was from a former subordinate—someone who had once followed him to the Northwest and participated in that pursuit deep amidst the mountains.

Ever since he was transferred away, the two of them had not been in touch for quite some time.

To suddenly reach out today, naturally, it could not merely be for the sake of reminiscing about old times.

Kong Zhendong hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

After a couple of pleasantries, the other person asked, "Brother Dong, I happen to be near your office today. How about we grab lunch together?"

"Alright," Kong Zhendong agreed quite readily.

Perhaps, he thought, things were not going smoothly at the newcomer's new post.

Or perhaps he had encountered some difficult trouble in life.

However, regardless of whether he could be of any help, given their years as colleagues, they certainly ought to meet up.

At noon, Kong Zhendong went to the appointment as promised.

The restaurant was located at a distance from the office that was just right—not too far, but not close enough for them to easily run into other colleagues from the unit.

Having not seen each other for a long time, the fellow had actually gained some weight.

As soon as he caught sight of Kong Zhendong, he beamed and stood right up, ramrod straight, and shouted with full breath, "Brother Dong!"

"Why put on this act? You're no longer under my command now!" Kong Zhendong said as he waved his hand to signal him to sit down.

The young man chuckled sheepishly and waited for Kong Zhendong to take his seat before sitting down himself.

"Brother Dong, I've already ordered the dishes, matching your original tastes! Take a look and see if it's okay! There are too many people at noon, and I was afraid if I ordered too late, the food service would be slow later and delay your afternoon work!" As the young man spoke, his gaze darted across Kong Zhendong's face, clearly harboring hidden thoughts.

Kong Zhendong chose not to expose him, saying, "I'm not picky, it's fine!" Then, after a brief pause, he asked, "How is the new unit treating you?"

"Pretty good. The work is much more relaxed than before, look, I've gotten quite a bit fatter!" The young man gave an embarrassed smile.

Kong Zhendong looked him up and down and laughed, "You really have put on quite a bit of weight!"

The young man scratched his head and chuckled twice, then his eyes rolled slightly as he suddenly turned around, drew an envelope out of the backpack behind him, placed it flat on the table, and pushed it toward Kong Zhendong.

Kong Zhendong was slightly taken aback.

"What is this?"

A sinking feeling rose in his heart. Could this kid be trying to bribe him?

The crucial point was that given his current predicament, no matter how much money was offered, there was simply nothing he could do to help!

Kong Zhendong could not help but furrow his brow slightly.

At that moment, the young man abruptly lowered his voice and said, "Brother Dong, um... Yu Guang, you remember him, right?"

Yu Guang?

How could Kong Zhendong possibly forget that name?

Only, what could be the reason for this kid to bring up Yu Guang at this moment?

He let out an affirmative hum, signaling for the young man to continue.

"Two days ago, someone pulled Yu Guang's personnel file."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Kong Zhendong's brow instantly knitted tightly together. After a brief contemplation, he asked, "Do you know who it was?"

The young man shook his head: "It was someone from the Provincial Department of Public Security. Specifically who it was, I couldn't find out, but I can be certain their security clearance level is not low."

Kong Zhendong fell silent.

The Northwest affair had already passed for nearly three years.

Over this past year, the superiors had never brought up that matter again, nor had anyone mentioned Xu Shi.

Logically speaking, this matter should be considered a thing of the past, provided Xu Shi never reappeared within the country's borders.

Yet why, after so much time had elapsed, would someone suddenly request to review Yu Guang's file?

Very few people knew the relationship between Yu Guang and Xu Shi. Even the superiors above him might not be aware of this connection. Therefore, was the person who requested the file coming after Xu Shi, or merely targeting Yu Guang?

Yet Xu Shi was currently abroad, meaning Yu Guang was also abroad. If this person was only targeting Yu Guang, what could their objective possibly be?

A flurry of questions flashed through Kong Zhendong's mind, but none yielded an immediate answer. With a darkened expression, he reached out, took the envelope, and opened it.

Inside the envelope was only a single piece of paper, bearing a recorded timestamp and an IP address.

Kong Zhendong glanced at it and put it away.

"Brother Dong, should we dig a bit deeper and follow up on this?" the young man asked in a low voice.

Kong Zhendong shook his head and replied, "You've transferred to a new unit now. It's inappropriate for you to pursue this matter further; it's easy to run afoul of regulations and discipline. Leave this alone, and from now on, there's no need to monitor the name Yu Guang either!"

The young man cast a glance at Kong Zhendong and let out a slight sigh of relief.

The entire meal left Kong Zhendong heavy-hearted. After such a long hiatus, the sudden request to view Yu Guang's file struck him as an ominous sign.

However, he was no longer what he used to be; he had no reliable subordinates left at his disposal, and investigating this matter would be quite difficult.
Upon leaving the restaurant, Kong Zhendong returned to his unit and, as luck would have it, ran into that old Zhang.

The moment old Zhang caught sight of him, his face could not conceal its smug triumph.

"Oh, if it isn't our Captain Kong! Went out for a meal, did ya?"

Kong Zhendong gave a flat, expressionless perfunctory response and prepared to walk past.

Yet old Zhang suddenly called out to him, "Captain Kong, hold on a second."

"What is it?" Kong Zhendong turned back to look at him, a hint of impatience creeping into his gaze.

Old Zhang let out an inward sneer before speaking with the exact same smiling expression, "Nothing much, just wanted to let you know, the leadership was looking for you just now. Said you should head over to his office as soon as you get back!"

Kong Zhendong was taken aback once more.

However, he quickly recovered his composure, muttered a brief "I know," and turned on his heel to leave.

Seeing his attitude, old Zhang felt his anger flare up instantly. Watching him walk some distance away, he spat with a look of utter contempt and cursed, "Still acting like you're that golden-haired boy from the old days! Who the hell do you think you are!"

His voice was not particularly soft; Kong Zhendong actually heard it faintly, but he didn't care. It was entirely meaningless to bicker with such a person!