Half an hour later, Luo Ziling met Wang Guoguo in a high-end café.
Before meeting Wang Guoguo, Luo Ziling sent Yang Qingyin a message, saying he had some things to do tonight and he would come see her after finishing.
Yang Qingyin knew that Luo Ziling had been very busy these days, so she didn’t act willful upon receiving the message.
"Go ahead and be careful. I’ll prepare some fruit and snacks for you. You can have them when you come over."
"Little Yang is so understanding! How lucky!"
This message from Luo Ziling earned him two eye-roll emojis from Yang Qingyin.
Yang Qingyin’s message put Luo Ziling in a great mood, and when he met Wang Guoguo, his eyes were smiling.
Luo Ziling didn’t maintain a stern face, which relieved Wang Guoguo.
"I thought you would start scolding me as soon as we met!" Wang Guoguo said happily after Luo Ziling took his seat, "I was already prepared for your criticism!"
"Why would I scold you?"
"I’m always nagging you!"
"It’s not nagging, it’s harassment!"
"Well, it’s not sexual harassment!" Wang Guoguo pouted disdainfully, and then spoke in a low voice, "I’ve heard you’ve been set up?"
"What do you mean?" Luo Ziling suddenly became alert.
"Wu Dushe’s men are targeting you, right?" Wang Guoguo looked at Luo Ziling with a playful smile, "If you don’t want me to know, you can totally deny it!"
"Who told you that?" Luo Ziling was surprised that Wang Guoguo knew about this.
"My superior, Li Banglin!" Wang Guoguo didn’t hide from Luo Ziling, "He told me you were being watched by the disciplinary people and were being followed. But you’re amazing; you even tied up his subordinates. Lord Wu didn’t get angry and personally went to your grandfather to apologize!"
A storm raged in Luo Ziling’s heart. He hadn’t expected that the matter he thought wouldn’t spread, known only by a few, had already been widely known. Even someone like Wang Guoguo knew so much, which was extremely unusual.
"Tell me the details!" Luo Ziling ordered Wang Guoguo with a stern face, "It’s best if you tell me everything you know."
"I’ve already told you everything I know!" Wang Guoguo said with a wronged expression, "Why don’t you trust people?"
"Nothing more?"
"Nothing more!" Wang Guoguo nodded earnestly, "That’s all I got from Li Banglin. By the way, can you tell me if it’s true?"
Actually, she knew it was true without asking; otherwise, Luo Ziling wouldn’t have reacted this way.
"I guess I was set up, but fortunately, I didn’t fall into the pit." Luo Ziling smiled, not wanting to elaborate, "So, why did you come looking for me?"
"I wouldn’t dare come to bother you for nothing!" Wang Guoguo chuckled, quickly stopped, and said, "My dad is leaving Yanjing tomorrow."
"He asked you to come find me?" Luo Ziling looked surprised.
"No, it was my own decision to come to you. He didn’t instruct me!" Wang Guoguo quickly denied, "After meeting your grandfather that day, my dad didn’t show any unusual behavior, but I felt uneasy! So, I wanted to come and chat with you again. Doesn’t this count as something important?"
"I’ve already told you!" Luo Ziling seemed slightly displeased, "I think, since I’ve explained it so clearly, why keep asking?"
Wang Guoguo looked at Luo Ziling defiantly for a moment, then softened her tone, "Alright, I understand."
But she quickly added, unwillingly, "My dad still wants to continue serving the country. He believes he can do more."
"I hope he gets the chance, but everything requires his own effort. Success doesn’t fall from the sky; it requires you to pay the price and make efforts." Luo Ziling said this while looking at Wang Guoguo.
Wang Guoguo understood what Luo Ziling meant and nodded slightly.
Being smart herself, Wang Guoguo didn’t continue discussing matters about her father Wang Rongjun, but started talking about her own affairs.
"Next month, I’ll be working with General Li Jiahua as his confidential secretary. This wasn’t my own application; it was an arrangement by the leadership." Wang Guoguo shared some things she hadn’t originally planned to tell Luo Ziling, "This was arranged by Fang Ming personally. I had submitted a work report earlier, saying I couldn’t achieve anything while working with Li Haiyang and hoped the organization could send someone more capable instead."
"Later, Fang Ming personally interviewed me. I told him, Li Haiyang is a cunning person and very skilled in covert operations. As a rookie, I had no chance to showcase my abilities in front of him. Continuing to work with General Li Haiyang would not only be fruitless but could also bring trouble. Li Haiyang might get angry about being monitored, so it was inappropriate for me to continue working beside him. Later, Fang Ming accepted my suggestion and let me work with Li Jiahua as a confidential secretary."
"You dare speak like that in front of Fang Ming just because you’re Wang Rongjun’s daughter?"
Wang Guoguo hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "It probably has something to do with that; if I didn’t have a father with a rank equal to Fang Ming’s and a publicly higher status, I wouldn’t dare speak like that, nor would I receive their care."
Fang Ming is Fang Xiang’s cousin, a top executive in military intelligence, one of the main persons in charge.
Luo Ziling had asked Wuyue and Wang Zhenjun to investigate this person’s situation, but it proved too difficult and was temporarily abandoned.
Military intelligence personnel have an unusual status and are skilled in intelligence and reconnaissance, making it challenging to investigate them without alerting them.
"Congratulations on having a father who is a senior officer!" Luo Ziling smiled and said no more.
"Don’t you want me to help you find out about matters related to Fang Ming and Li Banglin?" Wang Guoguo asked Luo Ziling quietly, "I know that although you have close ties with the Fang Family, they might be plotting against you. Fang Ming and Fang Xiang have always had a good relationship, and Fang Ming is Fang Xiang’s right-hand man; Fang Xiang relies on him for a lot of stuff."
Wang Guoguo volunteered this suggestion, surprising Luo Ziling, but he showed no emotion and after studying Wang Guoguo, he asked, "Did your father instruct you to do this?"
Wang Guoguo hesitated momentarily but shook her head, "It wasn’t his instruction; he hinted at it, but ultimately it was me who figured it out. Mainly, I came today to discuss this with you!"