Release that Man

Ye Shuang asked for more details, and after realizing that the elder’s interest was because he had heard about her from Zuo Feiyang, she did not think so much of the invitation.

She knew that she did not have enough fame in Chaohai, and her interaction with the upper society was only at the surface level, so why would a half-retired elder be interested in her‽ He had to have heard some stories from Zuo Feiyang and then said something like ‘if he’s free, bring him to come see me.’ Ye Shuang studied her schedule and rejected it after realizing that she would not have much free time.

Before going to bed, she sent an email to Albert. When she woke up the next morning, she had already received the reply—the man was not interested. Ye Shuang thought about it and grabbed the phone at the villa to make a call.

“Hello?” Albert answered and Ye Shuang cut right to the chase. She described the situation and hoped that Albert could clear his schedule to come help her.

“I wish to stay with Anthony,” Albert said directly. “Ye, you know why I’m here. I’ve come to this country for Anthony’s sake.”

“Tony will not run from San Lin City anyway. Furthermore, you have to contribute somehow after joining the talent database, or else why would we create this extra trouble for ourselves?”

Albert laughed twice before adding in a semi-sad voice, “And I thought we’re friends? You used trouble to describe me, and that honestly hurt my feelings.”

“Any normal person will feel that way with an FBI agent wandering around them.” Ye Shuang sighed. “Albert, I understand your job and know that we cannot ask you to stop your work, but you have to understand our situation. Just consider it a fair trade for us letting you stay. When we need you for a favor well within your power, it is not too much to ask for, right?”

Albert was a known agent. Normally, people in his position would not expose their identity, but Anthony’s situation was rather unique. On top of that, a foreign agent’s movements in China would be limited in a certain way, so after Albert arrived, he stayed behind. If it was an agent in the dark, to not expose their identity, they would have no choice but to finish the assigned mission. However, since Albert had no reason to hide, he had already told everyone his reason for being there, so he also felt no pressure for rejecting the job.

However, while Han Chu did not want to make things even crazier than it was, it did not mean that he would help the man unconditionally. If Albert was going to use them to stay with Anthony, then he had the obligation to complete the case that had been sent his way. Ye Shuang did not want to continue talking terms with a professional profiler because if she did, even if she did get the result she wanted in the end, the process would be incredibly difficult, so Ye Shuang talked about the terms directly.

We can help you stay, but you have to really work for us. Your real target is Anthony, we know, and the jobs are just an excuse. However, that has nothing to do with us. You have to complete the job that you should complete, or we will just go our separate ways.

Albert was silent on the phone for a while like he was seriously weighing the pros and cons. Then Ye Shuang heard a helpless sigh. “Fine, you arrange the appointment, and I’ll go meet the six individuals.”

After a few more words, Ye Shuang hung up and made a call to Zuo Yuanhang’s assistant. With Zuo Yuanhang’s penchant for scheduling, there was no way the man would talk directly. Other than when he was on holiday or at home, if one wished to contact Zuo Yuanhang, one would need to search for his assistant and then go through the assistant to schedule a meeting.

The schedule had to be followed closely. For example, if the appointment was at 10 am and would finish at 10:15 am, then the fifteen minutes, and only the fifteen minutes, were solely for that appointment. After once the time was up, regardless of whether there was a house on fire or an earthquake, even if a tsunami came, if one wanted to talk to Zuo Yuanhang again, one had to obediently line up for another appointment slot.

Thankfully, Zuo Yuanhang had told his assistant to give special importance to Ye Shuang’s request, so not long after Ye Shuang made the call, she received a reply. Mr. Zuo was willing to give her face to chat with her for five minutes. The assistant reminded her closely that she had to call at twelve noon sharp. The five minutes were moved from Zuo Yuanhang’s lunch break, and if she missed it, then it would be over.

An Zixuan actually had nothing else to do after sharing his experience with the Si Hai Organization. Technically, he was a free man. He felt that the weather in Chaohai was more suitable for winter, so he decided to stay there until Ye Shuang’s return. They changed and went to the beach for a walk. Ye Shuang was thinking about other things while An Zixuan walked alongside her silently. His expression was calm and peaceful—the thorny young man who had returned from overseas had already disappeared. He no longer looked like he was going to harm others at any given moment.

After walking a distance, Ye Shuang realized that it had been too quiet, and she noticed that An Zixuan had not been speaking. “How have you been?”

An Zixuan was startled, and after giving it some thought, he nodded. “Things are not bad. Actually, I’ve adapted to a lot of things lately, and many things no longer seem that important.”

“How about your family?” Since they had started the conversation, they might as well continue it. “Your big sister seemed to care about you a lot, how have things been lately?”

“Family…” If this was some other person asking this question, An Zixuan probably would have instantly raised his guard, but when it was Ye Shuang, he would not do that. He gave it some serious thought and then smiled bitterly. “There is still conflict between us. However, it is not because of past misunderstanding but because the current problem has no foreseeable solution.”

An Zixuan was gay. No matter why or how, that was the truth, but that was a truth that An family could not accept. The same sex relationships that were blessed in novels was only fiction. China’s acceptance of such a thing was still too low. If An Zixuan was in fashion or entertainment, maybe they would have a better understanding, but if placed in the An family, An Zixuan’s action was no different from abandoning his family.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying something honest,” Ye Shuang said. “Your conflict with the family may be sharp, but your sexual orientation is not the real source of the problem. Don’t use that as an excuse. Take An Zining and Chen He—the two are heterosexuals, but did they marry because of love?”

There were many people in horrible relationships, and An Zixuan was not the only one suffering.

An Zixuan was baffled, and Ye Shuang smiled. “I mean look at your sister. There are many problems between her and Chen He. The man’s mistresses could make a top ten list of her own already. If it was really because of love, An Zining would have divorced Chen He already. However, this is not a problem of love but a problem of responsibility. Chen He was someone suitable, so no matter his personality, your sister had to marry him. Similarly, if your family found you a suitable partner, no matter their sex, you have to carry the familial responsibility on your shoulders and marry the person.”

Patting the man’s head, Ye Shuang realized that it felt so natural for her to do that. “I hear your engagement with Fang Fei fell through already?”

The sudden change in topic gave An Zixuan a pause. Before his attention focused, he subconsciously scratched his head and nodded. “Yes, she is lusting after you… No, wait, I did not mean that!”

Suddenly realizing what he was saying, An Zixuan got nervous and quickly explained, “Brother Ye, I’m not saying there’s anything between the two of you, but that woman is such a creative thinker, and she has no sincerity to get engaged so…”

So, I didn’t even bother to entertain her!

The more he tried to explain, the more chaotic it became. An Zixuan felt like just biting his tongue.

Ye Shuang was tickled. “I didn’t say anything, don’t worry.”

After taking two deep breaths, and with the consolation from Ye Shuang, An Zixuan slowly returned to normal. He gritted his teeth and hissed, “In any case, if I need to marry, I won’t marry someone like her.”

“Well, that’s your prerogative.” Ye Shuang sighed. The two consecutive topics ended as such. It was hard to chat with An Zixuan. The boy’s daily life had nothing that was worth celebrating. Therefore, Ye Shuang abandoned the topic around daily life and focused on the professional problem. With the issue about economy and the Xi Hwa Organization, Ye Shuang finally found a topic that she could discuss with An Zixuan that would not be awkward.

They walked along the beach and stopped for a snack at the barbeque and fruit stall. When they returned to the car and prepared to return to the city, it was almost noon. An Zixuan took the driver’s role naturally, and Ye Shuang calculated the time. When the clock hit twelve, she called the number given by the assistant.

The call was answered after it rang twice. Zuo Yuanhang’s cold voice rang out, “You’re one minute too early!”

Ye Shuang coughed and sighed. “That can’t be avoided, we haven’t synchronized our clocks.”

Zuo Yuanhang let it slide with a cold grunt and quickly got to the point. “You’ve found the suitable candidate?”

“Yes, I’ll email you the information later, but for now, I wish to confirm a time with you,” Ye Shuang said. “My guy needs a time when he can meet with the six people. It can be at a group event or a private interview.”

Zuo Yuanhang was ready. “Then it’ll be next Saturday, my daughter’s birthday.”