"In fact, you could have defeated me earlier." Zheng Yubai knew that his strength was not as good as his father's. If his father had used more force earlier in the fight just now, he would have lost without even having the chance to use his superpowers.
"Winning is winning, why are you talking so much nonsense." Zheng Jingzhe muttered, "Go get me the clothes."
Zheng Yubai hurriedly picked up his father's blue cloth shirt, brushed off the snow and handed it to him. Zheng Jingzhe put on his clothes and sighed, "I knew you would win sooner or later. It's better to win me now than ten years later. After all, you are my son. Being a son is great, and I, as a father, will also be proud."
The more he spoke, the brighter his eyes became. Zheng Yubai realized that his father had been thinking this all along. Zheng Jingzhe said again, "Do you know why I always beat you so hard?"
"Why?" Zheng Yubai also wanted to know. In fact, his father sometimes had a gentle side, but what remained in his memory was more of his fists.
"I think, if I beat you hard and make you hate me, maybe you will practice boxing hard to get revenge as soon as possible." Zheng Jingzhe said.
"If you don't beat me, then I won't try my best?" Zheng Yu thought to himself, what kind of logic is this? Does he want his son to treat his father as an enemy
"At first I thought you weren't working hard, but later I got used to it... hehe." Zheng Jingzhe's answer almost made Zheng Yubai faint.
“… You know, after coming back from Jinghai, I had no place to fight, so I could only practice with you. As we were fighting, I couldn’t control myself. Fortunately, I didn’t beat you to death. But even so, your mother always insisted on fighting with me.” Zheng Jingzhe scratched his head embarrassedly. This habitual action was passed on to his son just like the Xingyiquan kung fu.
Zheng Yubai was completely at a loss as to what to do with his violent father. With such a father, what else could he do...
"What should we do now?" Zheng Yubai couldn't help asking as he watched his father put on his clothes and button them up.
Zheng Jingzhe smiled mysteriously: "It seems that you are still not as good as me. A friend has been watching us for a long time. Didn't you notice?"
Hearing what his father said, Zheng Yubai's heart trembled, and he felt that someone was spying on him from a distance.
Just as I was about to ask my father how to deal with it, a figure flashed out from the shadows under the bridge in the distance and slowly walked towards me.
"Who are you? Don't you know the rules of martial arts? The Xingyiquan disciples are fighting here and don't want others to watch." Zheng Jingzhe said in a rough voice and made a secret signal with his hand to Zheng Yubai, meaning that if the other party made any unusual movements, he should immediately take action to subdue him.
The man continued to walk over, saying as he walked, "After all these years, your rude temper hasn't changed. Is this how you treat an old friend?"
Zheng Jingzhe was ready to attack, but when he heard this, he was stunned. He immediately made a safe gesture to Zheng Yubai and laughed, "How many years have we not seen each other? I just arrived in Jinghai in the morning, and you found me in the evening?"
The man was approaching. Zheng Yubai looked over and saw that it was the cold iron that he had finally gotten rid of in the afternoon. He immediately took a step back vigilantly.
Leng Tie said: "Don't get me wrong, I'm here to chase your son."
"My son?" Zheng Jingzhe looked at Zheng Yubai in confusion.
Zheng Yubai scratched his head: "Dad, do you know him?"
"More than just knowing each other, we were comrades who fought side by side back then." The speaker was Leng Tie. He had come close and waved his hands towards Zheng Yubai, indicating that he was not carrying any weapons.
Zheng Jingzhe cleared his throat: "Yubai, what happened between you and your uncle Leng? Did you do something bad?"
Zheng Yubai secretly groaned inwardly. The martial arts conference alone had caused a fierce fight, and he had to use his superpowers to win with great difficulty. If Leng Tie put all those unnecessary things on his head, his father would probably get furious immediately and cut him into pieces.
Leng Tie squeezed out a smile on his usually frozen face, "Others may do bad things, but your son Zheng Jingzhe won't."
"You are still so good at talking." Zheng Jingzhe laughed heartily, "I heard that you are a high-ranking official now, Lao Leng."
"The director of the Special Affairs Management Bureau." Leng Tie said, "The business we founded together back then, is now supported by only me."
Zheng Yubai was stunned when he heard this. He turned his head to look at his father and saw that his always rough face had a hint of nostalgia. Zheng Jingzhe sighed and said, "Let's not talk about it here. Let's find a warm place nearby and have a drink."
"Okay." Leng Tie responded, and the two walked side by side in front. Leng Tie did not forget to give Zheng Yubai a meaningful look, the deep meaning of which naturally needed no explanation.
In a tavern near the bridge, the hot pot is bubbling with mutton. This is a small halal restaurant. The hand-cut mutton slices are extremely tender and cooked in boiling water. Dip them in the delicious sesame sauce and the small condiments prepared by the store's secret recipe, and they melt in your mouth and taste extremely delicious. Drinking a sip of the local specialty soju is a great enjoyment on this winter night.
"You've been doing well these years. I see you look so rosy and your son is so grown up now. I think you should be doing well." Leng Tie took two bites of mutton and drank a sip of liquor. His dark face began to turn red and he even smiled. If his subordinates saw the director, who usually didn't smoke, drink and smile, in this state, they would be so surprised that their eyes would be used as light bulbs.
"What's good about it? I still have to work hard, sowing in spring, cultivating in summer, harvesting in autumn, and hibernating in winter, year after year." Zheng Jingzhe said. He held the wine cup and had already drunk three in a row. Including the Erguotou he drank at dinner just now, he had drunk quite a lot today.
"More than ten years have passed in a flash, and we have all grown old." Leng Tie said with emotion.
Zheng Jingzhe said sympathetically: "Yeah, in the blink of an eye, I have become an old man."
Zheng Yubai is still young, at the age of life that is worth cherishing, so naturally he does not know how to sigh after experiencing vicissitudes of life. However, listening to the conversation between these old friends, he felt a little sad about the passing of time. If he met his friends today again in 20 years, what would he talk about? Would he also be in such a simple but warm tavern, drinking a pot of wine, eating a few bites of meat, and talking about the heroes of the past
Zheng Jingzhe and Leng Tie talked about the past with great excitement, while Zheng Yubai listened silently to the stories of their youthful years, sometimes following their excited thoughts and sometimes following their surging emotions.
The two drank as they talked, and before they knew it, the two kilograms of liquor were gone, so Zheng Yubai quickly poured them another two kilograms. Leng Tie watched Zheng Yubai fill his glass with liquor, and smiled, "Old Zheng, your son is quite capable."
Zheng Jingzhe was a little dazed at first, but after hearing Leng Tie's words, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes and he said with a smile: "Lao Leng, you came here with my son today? How did you two know each other?"
Zheng Yubai knew that he was talking about business, so he looked at Leng Tie, wondering how he would make it up. But then he heard Leng Tie say, "There seems to be some misunderstanding between your son and me."
"What misunderstanding? This kid has been disobedient since he came to Jinghai." Zheng Jingzhe glanced at Zheng Yubai, not knowing whether he was drunk or still brooding over the fight he had just lost.
Leng Tie said solemnly, "Zheng Yubai, you are the son of my old friend. I know this old friend very well. He is an upright man and has never done anything wrong. You are his son, and I believe you are innocent now, but you have to explain some things to me to prove your innocence."
Zheng Jingzhe stared at Zheng Yubai and asked, "What on earth did you do, little bastard?"
Zheng Yubai knew he couldn't hide anymore, so he scratched his head and said to Leng Tie: "Ask me, I'll tell you everything I know."
Leng Tie said: "Okay, then tell me first, why did the FBI target you?"
Zheng Yubai sighed: "The FBI is not targeting me, but a friend who lives with me. Her name is Yu Luo..."
Leng Tie told the whole story of Yu Luo being framed and accidentally breaking into the FBI database, and Leng Tie finally knew the clues. For confidentiality reasons, the FBI had not told Leng Tie the truth, but only asked him to assist in the investigation. It was not until he heard from Zheng Yubai what Yu Luo had done that Leng Tie knew why the FBI was so nervous.
The FBI database contains countless US state secrets, ranging from missile divisions in hostile countries to FBI spies around the world, as well as assassinations carried out by the FBI, and even some world-class secrets that, once leaked, will cause an uproar in the international community. It is precisely because there are too many secrets in the database that the FBI is extremely annoyed by Luo's intrusion and must catch her.
As for the subsequent murder of the FBI agent in Jinghai, Leng Tie had already found out some clues. He then asked Zheng Yubai and got information about the three XYZ killers from him. He integrated these clues and finally drew a picture of the whole incident in his mind.
"So that's how it is. It seems like this really has nothing to do with you." Leng Tie said, "...except for harboring the FBI target."
"Do you really want to arrest Yu Luo?" Zheng Yubai asked in embarrassment. Having been with Yu Luo for such a long time, he had already treated that lovely girl as his own sister and would never bear to see her being arrested by the FBI.
Leng Tie smiled mysteriously, picked up the wine glass and took a sip: "There is no extradition agreement between our country and the United States. I am only responsible for assisting the FBI in investigating the cause of death of their special agent. As for whether our citizens broke into the database of other countries and stole any confidential information, it has nothing to do with me."
Zheng Yubai was overjoyed when he heard this: "Thank you, Uncle Leng."
"Haha, now is not the time for you to pinch my artery and try to kill me?" Leng Tie made a rare joke, and his image as a cold-faced man disappeared.
"I was wrong this afternoon." Zheng Yubai scratched his head embarrassedly, filled his own glass and toasted.
Zheng Jingzhe listened to their conversation and muttered, "What on earth are you talking about? I don't understand anything. What the hell is a database?"
Leng Tie and Zheng Yubai smiled at each other. Leng Tie patted Zheng Jingzhe on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Old Zheng, you are out of date."
"Never mind, let's drink." Zheng Jingzhe raised his glass, "We haven't seen each other for so many years, let's not go home until we are drunk!"
"You're right. Anyone who isn't drunk is a coward." Leng Tie laughed and picked up the cup.
Zheng Yubai was walking on the street, feeling very worried. On his left, he was supporting the drunken Zheng Jingzhe, and on his right, he was supporting the unsteady Leng Tie. It was already midnight, and this place was very remote. There were very few vehicles passing by, and no taxis were seen at all.
"Woo..." Zheng Jingzhe shook off Zheng Yubai and started vomiting under a tree by the roadside.
Leng Tie over there seemed to be infected by the disease. He also found a corner and leaned against the wall to vomit violently.
Zheng Yubai looked at them helplessly, thinking to himself how come they are so old yet still have no sense of self-control like reckless youngsters.
After vomiting, the two of them were a little sober. They sat side by side on the curb, talking drunkenly with their arms around each other's shoulders.
"I can only trouble Brother Caoji." Zheng Yubai called Caoji and asked him to send a car to pick us up. Caoji was very prompt. In just ten minutes, a car came speeding over and stopped in front of us steadily.
"Yubai, who is this?" The driver was Heipi. He got out of the car and helped the two drunks into the car with Zheng Yubai, and asked in confusion.
"One is my dad, and the other is my uncle." Zheng Yubai said helplessly, "Send my dad back first."
Zheng Jingzhe lived in Zheng Shuangjiang's house nearby. Zheng Yubai helped him upstairs and knocked on the door. Seeing that Zheng Jingzhe was drunk and Zheng Yubai was safe and sound, Zheng Shuangjiang was stunned and wondered what happened to his brother. Did he let Yubai go because he was soft-hearted
Tang Qing smiled brightly when she saw that Zheng Yubai was fine, and made a phone call gesture to him. Zheng Yubai nodded in understanding, told his aunt that he had to see someone off, and made an appointment to visit his father tomorrow, and then hurried downstairs.
When they got in the car, Zheng Yubai asked Leng Tie: "Uncle Leng, where is your home?"
Leng Tie, who was still sleepy just now, suddenly had his eyes brightened and said very soberly: "Find a place to shelter from the wind. I have something to tell you."
Zheng Yubai was startled, hesitated for a moment and said: "Brother Heipi, let's find a place to have tea."
There were not many customers in the "Jiangbin Teahouse" which was open 24 hours a day. The waiters were all dozing on their chairs. They opened their eyes and came over when they heard the door open. Judging from their expressions, they must be very annoyed at these two idle people who came to drink tea in the middle of the night.
Leng Tie and Zheng Yubai asked for a private room, and ordered a pot of tea and a few plates of dried fruits as if to please the occasion. After the waiter brought everything, they closed the door so that what they said would not be leaked.
"Uncle Leng, do you have anything else to ask me?" Zheng Yubai picked up a fig and put it in his mouth while chewing it.
"I'm not asking you, I'm asking you something." Leng Tie poured a cup of strong tea, took a sip, and felt a little more energetic.
"What's the matter?" Zheng Yubai intuitively felt that this matter must be very important. If Director Leng of the Special Affairs Management Bureau asked for a request, it certainly couldn't be a trivial matter.
"Killer Twenty-Six is a famous killer group in Asia. The XYZ trio has more than a dozen murders in the Interpol files, but it has always been difficult to bring them to justice. Recently, the FBI has put pressure on us to solve the case of the murder of Special Agent Kenny Anderson as soon as possible. It's very difficult for me to do this." Leng Tie said slowly.
After listening to Leng Tie's opening remarks, Zheng Yubai began to understand a little.
Sure enough, Leng Tie continued, "Although we have many outstanding talents in the Special Affairs Administration, after all, we don't have as many channels as you do in Black Star Company..."
When Zheng Yubai heard this, he couldn't help but break out in a sweat. Leng Tie had not revealed his true identity just now, otherwise if his father knew that he was involved in gangsters, it wouldn't be a matter of just fighting.
"... XYZ also wants your life, which means you and I are now comrades in the first trench. If you can help us bring XYZ to justice, it will also save you a lot of trouble." Leng Tie said again. His analysis was reasonable and well-organized, and Zheng Yubai nodded continuously.
"So, I would like to ask for your help to deal with XYZ together, dead or alive." Leng Tie finally made his request clear.
"I'll help you with this." Zheng Yubai agreed without any hesitation. He had never forgotten the last attack by XYZ, and there were still scars from the gunshot wound on his arm. Zheng Yubai didn't need to mobilize to deal with them.
"Well, from today on, you will be a non-staff agent of our Special Affairs Bureau." Leng Tie stretched out his hand. "I will give you the latest information tomorrow. If you have any action to take, you can call me at any time. The Special Affairs Bureau will fully support you."
Zheng Yubai knew that this statement made by Leng Tie meant that he could use the power of the state machine to deal with XYZ, which would be a huge help. In the territory of the Special Affairs Administration Bureau in Jinghai, to deal with the three foreign killers of XYZ, even if they had Feitianyi, Zheng Yubai now had the confidence to bend his bow and shoot the eagle and kill them one by one.
Jinghai had good weather for several days, just like Zheng Yubai's mood. His father's arrival not only did not punish Zheng Yubai, but also eliminated the misunderstanding between him and the state machine, and even got Leng Tie's help to deal with XYZ. Now Zheng Yubai couldn't help but feel grateful for his aunt's anger.
After Zheng Shuangjiang learned that her brother was defeated by her nephew, she could hardly believe her ears. However, she knew that her brother was a man who cared about his reputation and would never tell such a lie that would tarnish his prestige. After hearing Zheng Jingzhe's description of the battle, Zheng Shuangjiang felt incredible but could only accept the result. After all, the rules of the Zheng family always favor the strong, and the strong often like to break the rules.
Zheng Yubai didn't hate his aunt, he knew that his aunt had a bad temper, and he also heard some of his aunt's deeds from the conversation between his father and Leng Tie that day. At that time, Zheng Jingzhe and Zheng Shuangjiang, the two siblings, plus Yang Tianrui, the son of Yang Huting who died early, and Luo Hengyang, the master of Baguazhang who was one of the judges of this martial arts conference, plus Leng Tie, who was a small detective of the police station at that time, these people can be said to be the evil nemesis of Jinghai, and they beat the gangsters to a pulp.
However, Zheng Yubai never knew why his father suddenly returned to his hometown, and his aunt met his uncle and broke up with Luo Hengyang, Leng Tie was transferred to the secret Special Affairs Management Bureau, and Yang Tianrui died in a car accident. These talents finally separated, and then the Black Star Company and the Sanjiang Society and other underworld organizations settled in Jinghai, and other small gangs also revived. Although he had doubts, his father didn't say it, and his aunt refused to mention it, so Zheng Yubai could only keep the doubts in his heart.
The family conflict was resolved, and Zheng Yubai was in high spirits to accompany his father to appreciate the scenery of Jinghai. Zheng Jingzhe left Jinghai for more than ten years and came back again. He could not help but sigh at the great changes here, seeing only high-rise buildings.
Tang Qing's school has been on vacation, and she has been accompanying Zheng Jingzhe on sightseeing these days. Zheng Jingzhe has no daughter, so he likes his niece Tang Qing very much. But when he looks at his own silly son, he becomes very jealous of his sister.
Zheng Yubai had no idea that his father favored girls over boys. He let him and Tang Qing talk all the way, but he was thinking about how to deal with XYZ. After returning that day, he had asked Caoji to help him get information, and Leng Tie's information had also been delivered. Summarizing the clues from both sides, XYZ will have a big deal recently, and they are buying weapons and ammunition through the underworld. If I guessed correctly, their employer was Yao Qian who went into hiding after bankruptcy, and the target was Zheng Yubai.
"Since they came to me on their own initiative, that's great." Zheng Yubai thought to himself. Zheng Yubai was now the bait to lure XYZ out. When he accompanied his father on a tour, there were always several plainclothes agents from the Special Affairs Administration following him a hundred meters away. This time they were not there to arrest people, but to protect them.
Unfortunately, even though Zheng Yubai used his cousin and father as bait and wandered around for several days, he still didn't see any trace of XYZ. These three people are all famous top killers. As long as they don't show up, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack to find their traces among the tens of millions of people in Jinghai.
Although he didn't catch any fish, he still managed to be filial to his father and didn't delay anything. Besides, the next match against Feng Bahan was about to start. Zheng Yubai defeated his father, so it was natural for him to continue to participate in the martial arts conference. Now that he was no longer bound by the rules of the sect and the family law, his whole family became his supporters. In order to get tickets for his family, Zheng Yubai made a special call to Yang Feiyun.
Since the quarterfinals, the tickets for the martial arts conference have become very tight. Even dignitaries have a hard time getting a good seat. Originally, they could buy tickets for the private room for Xu Jin and the other four girls to watch, but now they can't get them no matter how much money they spend. Although the tickets are so tight, Yang Feiyun immediately arranged a private room for Zheng Yubai when he heard that it was Zheng Yubai who wanted one.
After getting the box tickets, Zheng Yubai thought of a problem. Xu Jin and the others must also go to watch the game. When their father and aunt meet them, how should they introduce them? Thinking of this problem, Zheng Yubai felt that XYZ was not difficult to deal with at all. Family and women are the ones who give him the most headaches.
No matter how difficult it was, the much anticipated quarterfinals arrived on another weekend. Before participating in the competition, Zheng Yubai had already told Xu Jin and Yu Luo about his father's coming, and even told them everything about Leng Tie. When Yu Luo heard that the country would not help the FBI extradite him, he immediately shouted happily.
Xu Jin was different. She was so nervous that she didn't know what to do. She turned around and rushed back to her room. After a long while, she came out and asked Zheng Yubai: "Do you think my clothes look good?"
She changed into a short white down jacket, which, combined with her tall figure, made her look even more beautiful and tall. Zheng Yubai had known her for such a long time, but he was still amazed at the first sight of her.
"Why are you dressed so beautifully? I'm participating in the martial arts conference, not you participating in a modeling competition." Zheng Yubai scratched his head and asked in confusion.
Yu Luo, who was standing by, returned to his mischievous nature and shouted, "A daughter-in-law should dress up beautifully when meeting her father-in-law!"
As soon as these words came out, the guests who were watching the fun burst into laughter, except Zheng Yubai and Xu Jin, whose faces were red, and no one knew what they were thinking. (To be continued)