Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

The next morning at eight o'clock, the courtyard of the North China branch was already bustling with activity.

Two gray NTD vans were parked in front of the office building, their trunks open, and several staff members were carrying document boxes inside.

Zhuge Qi stood on the steps, explaining something to Lao Zhou in a low voice, occasionally gesturing with his hands.

When Feng Baobao came out of the office building, she had changed her clothes. She was no longer wearing the faded gray work clothes from the North China branch, but a new set of Nadutong uniform.

She wore the same dark blue uniform issued by headquarters, with the words "Na Du Tong" embroidered on her left chest, below which was her number.

The clothes were a bit big; the cuffs had to be rolled up to reveal the fingers.

She was carrying a small duffel bag, which probably contained only a few changes of clothes.

She stood on the steps and looked at the sky. The weather in Tianjin was nice today; the sky was a clear, bright blue, without a single cloud.

Xu San followed her out, carrying a thermos filled with tea he had just brewed that morning. He handed it to her, saying, "Drink this on the way."

Feng Baobao took it and obediently held it in her arms.

Xu Si walked over from the other side, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his hands in his pockets. He stood in front of Feng Baobao for a moment, then bent down and folded the cuffs of Feng Baobao's clothes again, making them a little neater than before.

"Don't get into fights when you get to headquarters," he said. "If you need anything, go to Section Chief Zhuge. He... although I don't really trust him, he's pretty reliable."

Feng Baobao nodded and said, "I will try my best not to fight."

Xu Si chuckled at her words, but the smile quickly vanished, replaced by a complex expression that was hard to describe.

He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but in the end he just patted her head and said nothing.

Zhang Chulan walked out of the corridor on the side of the office building, carrying two plastic bags containing several bottles of water and a pack of biscuits. He hesitated for a moment but still walked up and handed the plastic bags to Feng Baobao.

Feng Baobao took it, glanced at him, and said, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Zhang Huaiyi had said that she could help him find his family, and she also needed to help Zhang Chulan solve his troubles. Now that the two had separated, she was unsure how to fulfill that promise.

Zhang Chulan paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'll stay in North China. Brother Xu and the others... still need my help with something."

He sounded a little guilty as he said this. In reality, Xu San and Xu Si hadn't assigned him any specific tasks, but he felt that he should stay in North China before the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony, since it was at least the only place he was somewhat familiar with.

Feng Baobao said "Oh," picked up two plastic bags and a thermos, and walked towards the black Buick minivan parked at the door.

She took two steps and then stopped and turned around, looking at the people standing on the steps: Xu San, Xu Si, and Zhang Chulan.

Her gaze swept across everyone's faces, as if performing a simple verification, then she nodded and said, "I'm leaving."

Xu San took half a step forward, then stopped. He raised his hand and lowered it again, finally saying only, "Give me a call when you get there."

Feng Baobao did not answer, and turned to walk towards the car.

She opened the car door, bent down and climbed into the back seat, then slammed the door shut.

The car windows were tinted, making it impossible to see the people inside from the outside.

Zhuge Qi was already standing in front of the carriage, waiting.

He was wearing a navy blue suit jacket and carrying a black briefcase. He took two steps toward Xu San and Xu Si, extended his hand, and said, "Goodbye."

Xu San hesitated for a second, but still reached out and grasped it.

The handshake was polite but cold; the two hands touched briefly and then separated.

Xu Si didn't reach out. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, held it in his hand, and said, "Section Chief Zhuge, I'm entrusting the person to you. Take good care of the baby for me."

"Don't worry." Zhuge Qi smiled. "Like I said, the headquarters isn't far from North China. You can come anytime you miss her."

Xu Si didn't respond to that. He turned his head to look in the direction of the Buick minivan. The car window reflected the morning sunlight, making it a blinding white, and he couldn't see anything.

Zhuge Qi did not linger any longer and turned to get into the carriage.

The sound of the car door closing was muffled, like the lid of a box being shut.

The engine started, giving a low hum.

The car slowly drove out of the North China branch's courtyard, and the gray iron gate closed behind the car with a clang.

Xu San, Xu Si, and Zhang Chulan stood on the steps, watching the black Buick merge into the traffic flow on the road, turn at the intersection, and be swallowed up by the corner of a building.

Zhang Chulan suddenly spoke up, "She just left like that?"

Xu San did not answer. He turned and walked into the office building, his footsteps echoing in the empty courtyard.

He paused at the door and said, "I'll be back."

He didn't say "she" or "we," and the ambiguity of the subject itself was a statement.

Xu Si stood on the steps for a while longer, then put the cigarette he hadn't lit back into his mouth, took out a lighter from his pocket, and lit it with a click.

The flame flickered before his eyes. He brought the cigarette to his lips, took a drag, and exhaled a white smoke ring, watching it slowly dissipate in the morning air until it vanished without a trace.

"It's only a matter of time," he mumbled, seemingly to no one in particular.

The black Buick drove smoothly on the airport expressway.

Feng Baobao sat in the back row by the window, still holding the thermos in her hand, her eyes fixed on the rapidly receding fields and villages outside the window, her face expressionless.

Liu Yanyan sat next to her, much more relaxed than when she was first recruited, but she still didn't dare to speak much in front of Feng Baobao, feeling that there was something "off" about this person.

Zhuge Qi sat in the passenger seat, with the black briefcase beside him.

His phone vibrated. He glanced down and saw a text message from Zhao Fangxu, still inquiring about the progress of the operation and reminding him to contact him as soon as he returned to headquarters.

Zhuge Qi replied with a "Okay," then locked his phone and put it back in his pocket.

The car continued forward, leaving the urban area of ​​Tianjin far behind. The road ahead was wide and straight, stretching towards the gray-blue horizon in the distance.

The person in the passenger seat glanced at the two girls in the back seat in the rearview mirror, a faint smile appearing on their lips before quickly disappearing.

Everything is going according to plan.

I have a feeling I'm going to get scolded by Boss Zhao. I hope he'll be lenient with me.

Zhuge Qi couldn't help but smile at the thought.

However, the expression on his face was not too serious.

But even if I had to do it all over again, I would still do it.

Your position determines your perspective; what you're in determines what you're thinking.

My heart is as clear as a mirror, and all my actions are righteous.