Rebirth of Bloody Romance

Zhong Yuemin and Zhang Haiyang played around for a while and finally stopped. They sat side by side, enjoying this rare tranquility.

Zhong Yuemin took a sip of the tea in his hand, looked into the distance with deep eyes, and slowly said, "Haiyang, are you considering joining the system when you come back this time?"

Zhang Haiyang's smile faded upon hearing this, replaced by a complex emotion. "Yuemin, to be honest, I am indeed hesitant. Do you have any suggestions?"

Zhong Yuemin nodded, showing his understanding. "So many people were laid off this year, and it's really not easy to find a job. There aren't many positions suitable for you."

Zhang Haiyang sighed and agreed with Zhong Yuemin's point of view. "You're right. Apart from being a policeman, I don't think I have any better choice."

However, Zhong Yuemin's next words made Zhang Haiyang's heart tighten. "But, Haiyang, no matter which path you choose, you have a fatal flaw, which may limit your development within the system."

Zhang Haiyang frowned when he heard this and asked in confusion, "What are the shortcomings?"

Zhong Yuemin looked Zhang Haiyang in the eye and said seriously, "Education! In the system, especially as you move up, the requirements for education become higher. Your practical experience is impeccable, but your educational background may become a stumbling block on your road to promotion."

When Zhang Haiyang heard this, he thought that Zhou Xiaobai must have listened to Zhong Yuemin. Otherwise, he should be a doctor now. Now Zhou Xiaobai seems to have unlimited possibilities.

"Yuemin, you are really far-sighted! You paved the way for Zhou Xiaobai in 78. No wonder she has so many choices and possibilities now."

Zhang Haiyang thought about it and asked curiously, "But then again, why don't you consider joining the system? With your ability and intelligence, you should be able to do well."

Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with uninhibited light. "Do you think I am suitable for the system?"

Zhong Yuemin asked Zhang Haiyang back, with a hint of joking and self-mockery in his tone.

Zhang Haiyang was stunned by the question, then he laughed. "Yuemin, you make it sound like joining the system means selling yourself to the country. But then again, your personality is not really suitable for the constraints of those rules and regulations. But you can't deny that the system also has its advantages."

Zhong Yuemin waved his hands and looked serious. "It's not that I don't want to join the system, but I know I don't belong there. The system requires stability and obedience, but I pursue freedom and innovation. If I join the system, I might feel suppressed and constrained, and eventually lose myself."

Zhang Haiyang was amused when he heard Zhong Yuemin ask this. "Yuemin, buddy, from what you said, you don't want me to be a policeman?"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that there hasn't been any major development. If that were the case, you would always be suppressed by that girl Li Ting..."

"Zhong Yuemin, damn you!"

"Fuck! Zhang Haiyang, your thoughts are so dirty now. Can you be a little purer?" Zhong Yuemin retorted with an innocent look.

"Go to hell! You know what you're thinking." Zhang Haiyang rolled his eyes at him.

"What do you know?" Just then, Li Ting pushed open the door and walked in.

Zhong Yuemin looked at Li Ting who was laughing there without saying anything. Li Ting looked down at herself and didn't find anything wrong!

So Li Ting looked up and asked Zhong Yuemin in confusion, "Zhong Yuemin, what are you laughing at?"

"Hey...hey...guess?" Zhong Yuemin said with a wicked smile.

"Looking at your mean look, it's definitely not a good thing." Li Ting said with a frown.

"Li Ting, you..." Zhong Yuemin was about to say something when he was interrupted impatiently by Zhang Haiyang: "Zhong Yuemin, stop talking about useless things and get down to business."

Zhong Yuemin took a deep breath, and his eyes became extremely deep, as bright as the stars in the night. He stared at Zhang Haiyang quietly, as if he wanted to see through his eyes into the depths of his heart.

At this moment, Zhong Yuemin seemed to have shed his usual playfulness and unruliness, showing an unprecedented calmness and determination.

"Haiyang, I still hope you can help me." Zhong Yuemin's voice was deep and powerful, and every word seemed to be uttered slowly after careful consideration. His eyes were firm and persistent, revealing an unshakable determination. "Don't worry, after the matter is done, I will never treat you unfairly."

Hearing this, Zhang Haiyang's brows slightly frowned, but soon relaxed again. He knew Zhong Yuemin's personality too well, and knew that when he was so serious, he must have an extraordinary plan. This tacit understanding made them understand each other's thoughts without saying much.

"Tell me, Yuemin, what big plan do you have this time?" There was a bit of curiosity and expectation in Zhang Haiyang's tone. He knew very well that Zhong Yuemin was not the kind of person who would act without a purpose.

Zhang Haiyang is willing to listen to and support his friend's ideas because their friendship has long gone beyond words.

Li Ting was confused and interrupted curiously, "Zhong Yuemin, what else do you want Zhang Haiyang to help you with? Isn't it already done?" Her eyes were full of doubt and puzzlement, and it was obvious that she knew nothing about the "secret plan" of the two men.

Zhong Yuemin smiled gently, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Li Ting, you don't know. I want Zhang Haiyang to continue to go north, but this time the goal is not just to make money. I want him to use this time to accumulate more valuable human resources. I want him to build a unique team, which will be the key to future layout."

At this point, Zhong Yuemin deliberately emphasized, "This team should not only include Chinese who are proficient in Russian, but more importantly, it should include Soviets, especially those who are dissatisfied with the status quo and have second thoughts. For example, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Armenians, Georgians... These people may not be valued in the Soviet Union, but in this team, they can unleash unexpected potential."

Zhong Yuemin's eyes revealed a far-sighted look, and he continued, "When they work, they will be more motivated than anyone else. Because they are not only working for us, but also working hard for their own future. Such a team is what I really need."

As soon as Zhong Yuemin finished speaking, the room fell into silence. Zhang Haiyang and Li Ting looked at him in surprise, obviously not expecting him to make such a request.

Zhang Haiyang frowned, his brows furrowed, as if thinking about the deep meaning and possible risks behind this. "Yuemin, which direction are you planning to develop in? Why do you need such a team? Moreover, it involves foreigners, especially those 'Soviet traitors' you mentioned. This is no small matter."

Li Ting also seemed a little worried. She looked at Zhong Yuemin with a questioning look in her eyes. "Zhong Yuemin, what exactly do you have planned? Such a team sounds a bit... complicated, even dangerous."

Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly, and that smile seemed to contain endless meaning, which made Li Ting and Zhang Haiyang feel a little unpredictable.

Zhong Yuemin gently patted Zhang Haiyang's shoulder, trying to calm their worries. "Don't worry, I know what I am doing. Although this mission is important, I will make sure there will be no danger."

However, Li Ting's brows were still furrowed. She was about to enter the marriage palace with Zhang Haiyang, so she was naturally particularly concerned about the safety of her lover. "Zhong Yuemin, what do you want to do? If you don't explain clearly, I won't let Zhang Haiyang go."

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin couldn't help but feel conflicted. He knew that he had to give a reasonable explanation to reassure Li Ting.

So, Zhong Yuemin took a deep breath and said slowly, "Actually, I plan to go to the Soviet Union to recruit people and find information."

"Recruiting people? What people? What information are we looking for?" Li Ting and Zhang Haiyang asked almost at the same time, their faces full of surprise and confusion.

"We've found experts in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other areas, as well as some technical information."

After hearing this, Li Ting and Zhang Haiyang looked at each other in shock and admiration. They didn't expect Zhong Yuemin to have such lofty ambitions and such profound considerations. But what followed was even greater worry.

"Zhong Yuemin, this is too dangerous! If you are not careful, you may end up in an irretrievable situation." Li Ting's voice trembled slightly, her eyes full of reluctance and worry.

Zhong Yuemin was quite speechless. How could it be better not to explain this? "Li Ting, with Zhang Haiyang's skills, there will be no danger. Besides, I'm not asking him to poach people now. I'm asking Haiyang to build connections and prepare for the later stage."

Finally, Zhang Haiyang said, "Yuemin, ask me to go back and think about it carefully."

"No problem, let's eat first to celebrate your success."

It was late at night, the courtyard was brightly lit, and the atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.

Zhong Yuemin walked in the moonlight and gently pushed open the gate. The time had quietly reached 8:30 in the evening.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he caught a glimpse of the warm scene inside the house: his father Zhong Shanyue and his father-in-law Zhou Zhennan were sitting in the living room, one of them holding the lively and cute little Haichen in his arms, and the other sitting next to the quiet and well-behaved little Shihua. This scene was warm and full of the flavor of home.

However, when Zhong Yuemin appeared at the door, his first reaction was to sneak away quietly.

But it was obvious that Zhong Yuemin's wishful thinking failed. Xiao Haichen was sharp-eyed and saw Zhong Yuemin at a glance, and immediately shouted excitedly. "Grandpa, grandpa, Zhong Laoer is back!"

This shout made Zhong Yuemin secretly say in his heart, "This little bastard, I didn't hit him lightly!" But he quickly put on a smile and walked into the house as if he was relaxed.

"Dad, how come you two old people have time to come back today?" Zhong Yuemin greeted them while secretly observing the expressions of the two old men.

Zhong Shanyue's face was full of displeasure, and he was obviously dissatisfied with Zhong Yuemin's late return; while Zhou Zhennan had a warm smile on his face, and seemed very happy about his son-in-law's return.

"Where have you been? Why do you come back at this time?" Zhong Shanyue spoke first, with a hint of blame in his tone.

Zhong Yuemin knew what was going on, so he quickly apologized with a smile, "Dad, I was delayed by something. I must pay attention to the time next time and come back earlier."

"Also, when did our family become a pancake seller? And it's been a single-line family for eight generations. How come I don't know about this? You are really good at making things up!"

There was a hint of helplessness and blame in Zhong Shanyue's tone, and he was obviously very dissatisfied with Zhong Yuemin's "publicity gimmick".

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin smiled and tried to defuse Zhong Shanyue's anger with a relaxed attitude. "Dad, I'm just trying to add some publicity to the pancake stand and let more people know how delicious the pancakes are. By the way, you are so busy, how can you have time to care about such a small matter?"

Zhong Shanyue was even more furious when he heard this. "I wanted to not care, but when I went to a meeting that day, several colleagues asked me with a smile: 'Old Zhong, when can you let us have a taste of your pancake-making skills that have been passed down for seven generations?' I was really confused at the time, and later I realized that it was you who spread the rumor outside."

Seeing this, Xiao Shihua immediately stood up and defended Zhong Yuemin in her childish but firm voice. "Grandpa, don't be angry. The pancakes made by Dad are really delicious! My brother and I can eat a lot every time." As she said that, she gently pulled Xiao Haichen next to her, motioning for him to say something as well.

Although Xiao Haichen was still thinking about how his grandfather would "train" his father, when he saw his sister's eyes, he nodded obediently and agreed. "Yes, Grandpa, the pancakes made by Dad are really delicious!"

Zhong Shanyue and Zhou Zhennan looked at the innocent appearance of the two children, and the anger in their hearts instantly disappeared, replaced by joy and love. They smiled at each other, thinking that the children's words were really magical and could instantly resolve all unhappiness.

"Okay, okay, Shihua, take your brother to find mom. We have something to talk to your dad." Zhong Shanyue said gently to little Shihua.

"Okay!" Xiao Shihua agreed, and then took Xiao Haichen's hand and walked out the door, looking back every few steps. Although Xiao Haichen was still a little reluctant to leave, he was finally pulled out of the room by his sister.

In the room, Zhong Shanyue and Zhou Zhennan's gaze returned to Zhong Yuemin again.

Zhong Shanyue looked at his son, his eyes full of doubt and expectation. Zhou Zhennan coughed lightly, breaking the silence. "Yuemin, did you invite Zhang Haiyang to dinner today?"

Zhong Yuemin was stunned for a moment, but still answered truthfully. "Yes, Dad, Zhang Haiyang has been helping me out for half a year, so I have to express my gratitude!"

Zhou Zhennan nodded, seeming to be satisfied with Zhong Yuemin's answer.

However, Zhong Shanyue immediately raised a more serious question: "Why did you borrow the money and then flow it into the Japanese market?"

Zhong Yuemin frowned slightly. He didn't expect Zhong Shanyue to mention this sensitive topic. But he still answered calmly. "Dad, isn't this what we agreed on before? We have already discussed the use of this fund. You are asking this now. Is there something wrong?"

Zhong Shanyue gently waved his hand, signaling Zhong Yue not to be nervous. He said calmly, "No, I just want to know the specific reasons why you decided to invest money in the Japanese market. After all, this is not a small amount of money, and we need to make sure that every decision is well thought out."

Zhong Yuemin scratched his head, not knowing how to answer this question.