At this moment, a familiar and deep voice spoke from the front row: "Xiao Cao, you go out first, I'll talk to Director Xiao for a while."
I was startled; I hadn't expected there to be someone else ahead. Little C nodded, put down the documents she was holding, and went out the door.
The man in the passenger seat turned around, smiled slightly at me, and then extended his hand: "Let me formally introduce myself. I am Li He from a certain department of the State Security Bureau of the People's Republic of China."
Now I finally understand what kind of section chief he is.
I awkwardly shook hands with him and said, "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
Li He stood up, squeezed his way from the front of the car to where Xiao C had been sitting, and said to me with a different expression, "Okay, enough with the formalities. Let's start chatting. You don't have to answer every question. Just say whatever you want to say, just to satisfy my curiosity."
It's the same talk show, but doing it with Li He is much more relaxed. Although Xiao C is capable, Li He is much more experienced.
Li He picked up the list: "Let's start with these contestants from Yucai: Zhang Xiaoer, Huyan Dasao, and Gongsun Zhishen. It's a shame that the person who helped come up with these pseudonyms didn't want to use their brain at all." I laughed too.
Li He laughed and said, "According to Director Xiao's words..." I interrupted and said, "Just call me Xiao Qiang."
"...Hehe, okay. According to you, you found these people in some remote village. Can we accept this claim?"
My mind raced, trying to figure out what I could possibly tell him. The answer was that I had to lie about this; if I told the truth, he'd definitely pull out a mechanical pencil…
I shrugged and said, "I assure you, they are definitely Chinese, it's just that the place they came from is a bit hard to find."
Li He nodded: "I think so too. We initially suspected these people were foreign spies—sorry, due to our duties we had to consider the worst-case scenario, but after watching a few matches, we completely dismissed that hypothesis. Take your 300 students, for example; almost every one of them is proficient in some ancient martial art, some of which are practically lost. We estimated that if they were spies, they would have to have been learning our national martial arts since they were four years old, and only with a coach who was well-versed in the theory. Those who participated in the competition were even more proficient. This shows that, regardless of the doubts surrounding their identities, they are at least Chinese."
I nodded hurriedly: "That's right, you're absolutely right."
"So here's another problem."
I was taken aback: "What's the problem?"
Li He said, "China is a vast country with abundant resources. I don't deny that there are still many extraordinary people and reclusive masters even now. The few from Hongri Martial Arts School who participated in this martial arts conference are one example. But it would be a miracle if even one or two such people appeared. How did you find so many at once?"
"...Isn't this the same problem as before?"
Li He said confidently, "There are two."
I could only give a perfunctory reply: "Didn't I already say? I like to travel around."
"Could you take us to those places again?"
I quickly waved my hand: "Haven't you heard the saying 'it's something you can only encounter by chance'? You've studied 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' right? If you stumble into a place, it's just a coincidence. If you go back to look for it based on your memory next time, you might only find a latrine or a pigsty."
Li He clearly sensed that my words weren't entirely true. He toyed with the list and said slowly, "Our National Security Bureau isn't as powerful as the legends say. I doubt even the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty could tell you what you ate on a specific day. But it's still quite convenient for us to investigate some information. As far as we know, the farthest you've ever been is Tianjin, when you were a child, accompanying your parents and grandfather to see an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor to treat your corns."
"that……"
Li He said earnestly, "Xiao Qiang, it's not that I'm forcing you, it's just that I'm really curious."
Faced with Li He's repeated questioning, I wasn't too flustered, because even I didn't believe the first reason, so I didn't expect others to. I kept searching for a plausible excuse. Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I pretended to be a little embarrassed, saying, "Actually, I have a distant relative named Liu Laoliu..."
"Liu Laoliu?"
"Yes. He found all these people for me." That's the truth.
"What does this person do?"
"Some say he's a reclusive knight-errant, others say he's a conman. The latter version started circulating from where I am."
Li He gently scratched his forehead: "This name sounds familiar."
I said, "I was wanted by the police a while ago for spreading rumors during the earthquake."
Li He laughed: "I remember this person."
"Is your National Security Bureau also keeping an eye on him?"
"Oh, no, I just heard it from my colleagues. This guy is quite interesting; he's a regular at the police station. Every time he goes in, a bunch of people swarm around him asking him to tell their fortunes. Once, even the police chief was drawn to him."
"He also has this glorious history?"
"The strange thing is that every time you really want to find him, you can't find him. It is said that once two policemen clearly saw him enter a small house, but when they chased him in, he was gone. It's like he can walk through walls."
I said, "Do all our officers carry grenades? Next time something like this happens, just throw them in."
Li He laughed: "It seems you don't really like this person."
I sighed, "If it weren't for him, how would I have become a target of your National Security Bureau?"
Li He waved his hand with a smile: "No need to make it sound so serious. We didn't mean to spy on you, we just want to cooperate with you."
"cooperate?"
"Yes. Let's not talk about Liu Laoliu for now. The current situation is that Yucai has gathered so many talented people. The country is willing to build Yucai into a special institution of learning. We will also meet your requirements. In theory, the students sent here in the future will not be older than 14 years old, and most of them will be children from poor families."
Wiping my sweat, I asked, "So the plan to expand Yucai School hasn't been cancelled?"
"Of course not, and we'll provide you with the best team. The construction team that will be moving in tomorrow is from an air force base that they just finished building. Within a month, a new Yucai School will rise from the ground."
I stared in disbelief and said, "Don't you think this is a bit hasty?"
Li He said very formally, "Many of the wonderful things passed down from our ancestors have been lost, which was something we could do in the past. But now there is a turning point, and we can no longer stand by and watch them be lost. From this perspective, it is worth spending any amount of money; it is the will of the nation. Personally, I would very much like to learn how to fight on horseback, but unfortunately I am afraid I don't have the time."
"This..." I finally realized where the problem lay. Besides not exposing 300 too much, the horseback riding exhibition match that day also betrayed us deeply.
Li He put away the list in his hand and said, "Besides Liu Laoliu, whom we will investigate, there are two other issues, or rather, two points to note. First, when these people gather together, please try your best to ensure that they do not commit any crimes. A few days ago, we investigated a case where the director of the city's education bureau was burglarized. Strangely, the door lock was intact, and apart from a knife given to us by your Yucai School, over 100,000 yuan in cash was found safe and sound."
I chuckled and said, "Why don't you take this opportunity to investigate the source of this huge sum of money? Maybe you can even uncover a corrupt official."