Chapter 122: Identical Rings!

It was past seven o'clock when Wang Zheng returned home. Bai Bing was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, while Su Xue and Chu Jun were freshening up in the bathroom. Wang Zheng placed the "Old Li" pan-fried buns that Su Xue loved so much on the dining table, then slipped into his room to change his clothes, hoping to avoid any lingering scents that might give him away to the other women.

"I went out this morning and bought your favorite Old Li buns, so there's no need for you to go through the trouble of cooking breakfast today," Wang Zheng said, walking into the kitchen to address Bai Bing.

Bai Bing was startled by Wang Zheng’s sudden appearance. When she woke up that morning, she had discovered that both Wang Zheng and his Maserati were missing, and his phone had been unreachable. She had been fretting over what he was up to lately, never expecting him to suddenly materialize beside her. The chopsticks in her hand trembled, causing the egg she was frying to slip back into the pan.

She quickly fished the egg out and turned off the stove. Turning to look at Wang Zheng, she narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. Then, placing the fried egg pancake on the table and glancing at the steaming buns, she gave a cold, thin smile. "You got up early to buy buns? Since when have you been so thoughtful?"

"Of course. I always make you cook breakfast, so I felt a bit guilty," Wang Zheng said with a smile, sitting down to enjoy a bowl of egg and vegetable soup along with the buns.

He was in a good mood, so he didn't take Bai Bing’s icy attitude to heart.

Su Xue had heard their exchange from the bathroom. In truth, she didn't believe for a second that her "brother" Wang Zheng would wake up early just to buy them breakfast. Although she and Bai Bing had been getting along well lately, she generally sided with Wang Zheng. She emerged from the bathroom, sat right down next to him, and immediately grabbed a pair of chopsticks to snag a bun.

"Brother, you went to get Old Li buns? That’s amazing!" She took a hearty bite, looking blissful as she savored the aroma wafting from the filling.

Su Xue had shifted her primary goal from driving Bai Bing out of the house to simply preventing her and Wang Zheng from fighting. Like Wang Zheng, she didn't want to worry about food every day, and she had grown accustomed to Bai Bing’s cooking.

Chu Jun then emerged from the bathroom. She looked at the standing Bai Bing, then at Wang Zheng and Su Xue eating their buns. It seemed like another scene was unfolding, but having lived here for a while, she was used to such things. Seeing the time, she realized she was in a rush, so she ignored Bai Bing and sat down to eat as well.

Today, however, Bai Bing acted differently than usual; she didn't make a scene. After squinting at Wang Zheng for a while, she simply sat opposite him and ate her breakfast in silence.

Wang Zheng noticed the change, but he didn't dwell on it. As far as he was concerned, as long as Bai Bing didn't bother him, she could do whatever she pleased. After breakfast, he dropped Su Xue and Chu Jun off at the television station and drove to his company. Upon entering his office, he pulled out the documents he hadn't finished reading the day before. As he opened the drawer, he noticed a box that hadn't been there before, bearing no courier or postal labels. Wang Zheng was puzzled at first, but then he did some quick mental arithmetic; the task he had entrusted to someone else a while ago should have been completed by now.

He took the box out of the drawer and, careful to avoid Bai Bing’s notice, opened it. Inside was a small black wooden case. When he flipped the lid, a ring came into view.

It was made of platinum and engraved with a snake—identical to the one Liao Tong wore.

Two different women in different countries possessing the exact same ring—was this a coincidence? Wang Zheng leaned back in his chair and lifted the ring into the sunlight. The platinum shimmered with a piercing brilliance, and under the light, the tiny engraved snake seemed to writhe, appearing almost lifelike.

Wang Zheng had possessed this ring for several years, though he had always considered it an insignificant trinket. He never imagined he would find a use for it today.

"Hey? Where did you get that ring?" Wang Zheng was lost in thought when Bai Bing suddenly appeared beside him and snatched it from his hand. "What? Are you planning to set a diamond on it? It looks a bit small!"

Bai Bing toyed with it, sliding it onto her middle finger. It fit perfectly. She suddenly paused, as if realizing something, and looked at Wang Zheng with suspicion. "This looks like a woman's ring. You aren't planning on giving this to some woman, are you?"

Wang Zheng chuckled. Bai Bing had a sharp eye to identify it as a woman's ring so quickly. Watching the ring on her finger, he reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled it toward him to look closer. What secrets were hidden within this ring?

"You know, the owner of this ring was killed by me," Wang Zheng said flatly. "She spent three years as a maid in the Moroccan royal palace and was one of the princess’s most trusted servants. And guess what? She was a spy. This ring was found on her body." This was one of the reasons he had approached Liao Tong in the first place; otherwise, would he really stoop to using his charm? Hell no!

Of course, possessing this ring didn't prove that Liao Tong was a spy. However, she currently held a sensitive position as the head of the news team and a news anchor at Jinghua City. This allowed her to investigate things outsiders couldn't see, all while remaining above suspicion.

Liao Tong must have known Wang Zheng was wealthy—he had, after all, let someone use his Maserati Quattroporte as a motorcycle taxi—and she likely mistook him for a wealthy company boss. Her motive for getting close to him was likely to leverage his influence for her own benefit or that of her organization... provided, of course, that she was truly a spy.

Spies were hidden throughout the city, working as clerks, white-collar workers, teachers, or even police officers and farmers. They were everywhere, impossible to guard against. Your own colleague could be an agent sent by another country or organization. They operated in unique ways; they rarely moved in groups, usually working alone and passing intelligence to their handlers through clandestine methods. These transmissions were infrequent—once a month or even every six months—making them incredibly difficult to track.

Whether Liao Tong was a spy remained to be verified. The critical question was whether she was acting alone; if there were others assisting her from the shadows, things would become complicated.

Years of service had left an indelible mark on Wang Zheng: anyone who threatened his life or the interests of his country deserved to die. Even though he had left the organization, he was still a Chinese citizen, and he felt a responsibility to act.

"Why are you staring at it?" Bai Bing asked, curious. She quickly took the "dead person’s" item off her finger and returned it to Wang Zheng. It was an omen of bad luck!

Bai Bing’s voice jolted Wang Zheng from his thoughts. He placed the ring back into the sunlight and said calmly, "I met someone who has a ring exactly like this."

"What?" Bai Bing exclaimed, her voice rising. "You... you're not joking, are you? Tell me who she is right now, and I’ll go arrest her!"

Wang Zheng glanced at Bai Bing. She was currently looking deadly serious, as if facing a grave enemy. In their line of work, that was the standard reaction to such news. In fact, under the organization’s surveillance, many spies were already under their control. But hearing about an unlisted, unknown spy naturally made her nervous.

The reality of espionage was terrifying; the damage it could inflict was unimaginable.

Bai Bing’s expression reminded Wang Zheng of a gamecock, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Don't be so tense. Relax. I’m currently investigating. There are many coincidences in this world, and I don't want to wrong an innocent person. But, of course, I won't let a villain off the hook either!"

"No, you have to tell me. I need to report this to the organization so they can keep an eye on her!"

"You aren't as clever as you think you are, and others aren't as stupid as you imagine," Wang Zheng said, turning to face her. "Haste makes waste; be careful not to alarm the enemy. Do you really think someone I’ve set my sights on can easily slip away? Don't worry. I may have left the organization, but I haven't renounced my citizenship. If I see something, I’ll deal with it."

"But...!"

"Your task right now isn't to go chasing after some damn spy; it’s to serve me and be a good maid, understand?" Wang Zheng cut her off coldly. "As long as you stop picking fights and stop monitoring me, I think my investigation will speed up!"

Bai Bing’s face darkened instantly. Wang Zheng made it sound as if she were the one hindering his investigation. What investigation? Bullshit! It was all an excuse. He spent his days chasing women—what could he possibly uncover by doing that?

But just who was this person Wang Zheng was talking about?