Real fishing

Lin Yuan's days of relaxation and rest quickly came to an end.

Early in the morning, Professor Zhang drove his DMP and waited downstairs at the dormitory building.

After Lin Yuan got into the car, he saw Dean Li in the passenger seat and felt no ripple in his heart, because the purpose of this trip was not to attend class, but to meet with Director Wang and his team for the first group meeting. Naturally, Dean Li would also go along.

"Lin Yuan, how was your rest?" As soon as he got in the car, Dean Li started chatting with Lin Yuan.

"It was good," Lin Yuan replied, looking like a naive student, just smiling faintly.

"Did you go anywhere to relax these past few days?"

"No."

"You could go for a walk on the city wall, stroll around Purple Gold Mountain, or row a boat on Zhuque Lake."

Professor Zhang, who was driving, suddenly stomped on the accelerator, and Dean Li, who was looking back and talking to Lin Yuan, had his eyes knocked askew by the headrest.

"What the hell, Old Zhang? You're an old man, acting like a young punk." Dean Li adjusted his glasses and changed to a comfortable sitting position. "I told you to buy a car with four rings before, but you insisted on buying this thing."

"Isn't my thing fast and stable enough? Only those who care about appearances buy a car based on its badge."

"Alright, I take back what I just said." Dean Li immediately stopped the topic, as continuing it would be meaningless. They had never reached a consensus on such topics in their entire lives.

"Uh, uh, uh, Teacher, Dean, what are we mainly going to discuss this time?" Lin Yuan in the back quickly steered the conversation back on track. Although he knew the purpose of this trip, he did not understand the details.

"It's nothing," Dean Li said unhurriedly, "just to exchange information we both have with Old Wang's side, and then discuss the follow-up work. Oh, and Zhang Yan will be there too."

Lin Yuan felt a jolt. 'Why is this old geezer bringing up Zhang Yan?'

Professor Zhang also noticed. "Old Li, judging by your tone, are you hiding something from me?"

"What could I be doing?" Dean Li said innocently, "I just want to get promoted before I retire. I'm not as noble as you. And you even secretly went to Old Wang and whispered in his ear."

"What did I whisper?"

"The foundation of this matter wasn't it leaked by you? I originally wanted to quietly get Lin Yuan out and just perfunctorily deal with Old Wang. You just talk too much."

Professor Zhang did not deny it. "Old Wang is in charge of investigations. With his cooperation, it will be much more convenient for us to do things."

Dean Li sat up straight with a whoosh. "Thanks for your kindness, I didn't find it troublesome."

"Don't get excited," Professor Zhang hit the accelerator again, pushing the other party back into the seat. "We are both old and don't have enough energy. Isn't it good to have more helpers?"

"I have plenty of energy. I'll only get old if you don't let me work."

Lin Yuan seemed to see on Dean Li's face: desire and power make people young.

"Ai, ai..." Professor Zhang sighed. "In front of the younger generation, at least have some dignity. I'm ashamed for you."

Dean Li was not to be outdone. "You're messing around, that's what's shameful. This kind of thing originally has nothing to do with their Public Security Bureau; it's our job."

Professor Zhang held up his phone, which was in the storage compartment. "Then should I report it in detail to the higher-ups now?"

Dean Li snatched his phone away.

This squabble between the two left Lin Yuan a bit bewildered.

"Do you not understand what we're talking about?" Professor Zhang said, looking into the rearview mirror, clearly addressing Lin Yuan.

"Yes, I don't," Lin Yuan had wanted to ask for a long time, but didn't dare.

"Let me expose your mentor's true colors," Dean Li, on the contrary, took over the explanation.

"Old Li, I originally wanted to save you some face..."

Dean Li ignored him and began his explanation, "Originally, this kind of foreign-related work was not within the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau. I wanted to investigate it thoroughly before reporting it to the organization. But your master, on his own initiative, found helpers, completely disrupting my original plan. How am I supposed to write the report later?"

"You certainly know how to downplay things," Professor Zhang immediately retorted. "If you had followed the normal procedures, I wouldn't have any objections. But look at what you've done, insisting on keeping it under wraps and investigating it yourself, just the two of us old guys? Do you intend to borrow people from the school's security department? Do you have law enforcement power?"

"I don't have law enforcement power, but I can investigate privately."

"What if something goes wrong? What if it involves personal safety?"

"It's not as exaggerated as you say. I originally had my own sense of proportion."

Lin Yuan was still a bit confused, and he said softly, "Teacher, do your superiors not allocate manpower?"

"Hmph, it's not that they don't allocate. It's that we two have already semi-retired. According to the rules, once we report it, we have no right to interfere. Li Youcai didn't tell the whole story in his report to the higher-ups. He deliberately lowered the level of this matter by several grades, which is why we have the authority to be entrusted with the task of continued observation.

I was afraid that things would backfire, and just as you went in, I needed to go find Director Wang to smooth things over. So I brought Director Wang in along the way."

"Slander, this is your slander against me!" Dean Li didn't let the other party continue.

But Lin Yuan had already roughly understood.

His mentor and Dean Li were old and already semi-retired from their former organization. Once they reported the truth, the result would be that they had no right to interfere, and in the future, at most, they would only get credit for providing clues. So Dean Li wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly before reporting the details.

Also, to avoid being blamed by the organization for deliberate concealment in the future, he deliberately lowered the level of danger of this incident, in order to create a scenario: that they unexpectedly discovered the seriousness of the problem during the observation process.

However, his mentor was afraid that something would go wrong this way, so he took the opportunity to bring Director Wang in.

As for why his mentor would do this instead of just reporting it directly, Lin Yuan guessed it was mostly out of consideration for Dean Li. With Director Wang involved, it would just be one more person to share the credit, but at least they could continue to investigate.

However, Lin Yuan wasn't quite sure why Dean Li had just said Director Wang didn't have jurisdiction over this matter, yet his mentor still brought him in. But he clearly couldn't ask in detail, so he planned to find an opportunity to ask Zhang Yan.

"You are noble," Dean Li pretended to adjust his cuffs, grumbling to Professor Zhang, "Whoever is close to you is unlucky, because they'll be dragged along to be noble with you." Then he turned to Lin Yuan in the back and said, "Little Lin, see? Keep your eyes open."

Professor Zhang did not refute, but instead said calmly, "I have never brainwashed him. How he walks his future path is his own choice. But he is still young now, and it's difficult to maintain integrity. He can learn to scheme anytime. There's no need to rush."

"Good, I'll remember what you said."

"Lin Yuan, you can submit your application to join. I'm not like Old Zhang; I don't play games."

Professor Zhang still didn't get angry, but instead said, "Thank you, Old Li."

Lin Yuan began to reap rewards.

---

The car eventually drove to the suburbs and stopped by a small fish pond.

After the three got out of the car, Professor Zhang and Dean Li took fishing gear from the trunk. Lin Yuan looked around and saw a few scattered fishermen squatting by the pond.

He hadn't expected that the purpose of this trip was to discuss matters while fishing. He had thought they would go to some private place, which was beyond his imagination.

"Lin Yuan, you probably aren't interested in fishing, are you? I didn't prepare any gear for you," Dean Li asked Lin Yuan, who was helping with the luggage.

"I don't know how to fish."

"Then you don't need to follow us. Go over there and wait for us," Dean Li pointed to a row of houses by the fish pond, which looked like a farmhouse restaurant.

"Why are you sending him away? Let him come with us and chat with Director Wang and the others." Professor Zhang clearly disagreed with Dean Li's arrangement.

"There's not that much to talk about. We'll just chat a bit during dinner and that'll be it. Lin Yuan, go on."

Lin Yuan looked at his mentor inquiringly, and after getting his approval, he trotted off. He really wasn't interested in being a fisherman.

As Lin Yuan left, he looked back from a distance and saw the two old men waving to three figures in the distance. From their build, the three in the distance should be Director Wang, Old Mo, and the other one... her figure was a bit petite. 'Could it be Zhang Yan?'

Those old men had already reserved a spot, a relatively spacious small courtyard, not in that row of farmhouse restaurants.

The small courtyard was surrounded by a circle of low, hollow bamboo fences, and in the center was a square round table with exactly six chairs. Around it were small plots of land planted with vegetables. Although it was already winter, it hadn't yet entered deep winter, and there were still many green vegetables in the plots.

Some of the plots were already covered with white plastic film, probably to keep the vegetables warm. The sun was bright at the moment, and most of the plastic film had been lifted.

Lin Yuan lay idly in a chair, basking in the sun, not even wanting to play on his phone.

Since he had woken up early and the two important figures were in the car, he hadn't felt comfortable catching up on sleep. At this moment, he couldn't help but close his eyes.

Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life. It was clearly a workday, and thinking that Gu Xuan and the others were still suffering through classes, while he was out enjoying himself with the old men, without fear of losing points for attendance. Lin Yuan's sleepiness grew even stronger.

---

On the other side, Professor Zhang and Dean Li cast their lines into the fishing spot Old Mo had prepared.

Then, the three important figures chatted casually, looking as if they weren't afraid of scaring the fish away at all.

"Little Zhang, watching us three old guys fish must be quite boring," Dean Li initiated a conversation with Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan, who had been looking down at her phone, immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Go sit in the courtyard, Lin Yuan is there too."

"Really?" Zhang Yan said, getting up as if to leave, then seemed to remember something. "Master, then I'll be going first."

"Go, go," Director Wang waved his hand at her without saying much more.

Professor Zhang, on the other hand, looked at Dean Li suspiciously. Dean Li felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze. "It's not convenient for us to talk with the little girl here, is it?"

"Old Mo, you go order the dishes first," Director Wang said shortly after, turning around.

Old Mo, understanding the hint, also got up and left.