310 Cedrick X Anthony 2 in 1 (2/2)
”Technically speaking, we are willing to accept a case from you… as long as the case is valid and the demands aren't too high,” Brother Shuang corrected with a smile. ”Therefore, you don't need to use the Halloween party to bring up your shared past with Anthony. No matter what happened that night, the payment that you have to give is not going to be discounted.”
”…” Cedrick was silent for quite some time. ”I still need to talk about the Halloween Party that night… No, no, no! Please let me finish first!”
Afraid that Han Chu or some people might cut him off again, Cedrick spoke very fast like a machine-gun. ”Since you already know my background, then you should know that I was living with my mother and stepfather before the age of thirteen. After that, they got into a car accident… This is an unimportant detail, so there is no need to talk about that. The important thing happened before my real parent's divorce. At the time, I was just a baby… I have three older sisters, and they went to live with my father after the separation. So, I have no memory of them at all because it has been my mother and myself since I can remember. It was not until I found my mother's diary after her death that I realized these things.”
Cedrick stopped to catch his breath. He took a gulp of water before continuing. ”Since I found out that I still have other family, I have been trying my best to find them… Oh, and also him. When I was fifteen, I chose to not go to university and continue my study but started my thieving career. Sometimes, it was for survival, and other times, it was to find the clues that were mentioned in my mother's diary. That time in Kansas, one of the men who were chasing after Anthony carried this tag with him…”
Then, Cedrick took out a chain from inside his collar and hanging at the end of that chain was a custom-made dog tag… no wait, a gold tag!
”Just like this tag.” Cedrick gripped the metallic tag around his neck and tried to appear calm, but one could still hear the nervousness in his voice. ”Aresa, that should be the name of one of my sisters. The tag that I saw that night was similar to this one, so I am sure that guy knew my sister, but he escaped before I could ask him about it… I just want to know who the people chasing after Anthony that night were.”
This was a sad story. On the FBI watch list, Anthony's name was much higher up than Cedrick's, and he had gained his fame earlier than Cedrick as well, so no matter what, Anthony should be more famous than Cedrick. However, due to the special skill of the man, things were different. At least Cedrick would still show up on the surveillance camera at the crime scene, but when it came to Anthony, the man had no trace.
There was no trace of him leaving or entering country. And tracing him via an electronic trail was almost impossible. Unless one looked through all the record one by one, finding any clues on Anthony was practically impossible. His bank card, driver's license, social security number and phone number… Even if FBI have gained access to all the documents and contacts related to Anthony, they would definitely be unable to find a channel to break through to him.
For example, if Anthony took a plane from the US to China to meet up with Han Chu… Everything related to his flight—his plane ticket, visa, passport—had an official record. No matter the record, it was all legal and clear. It could be pulled out, looked at, but could not be investigated…
Every day, there were so many who took their visa and flew in and out of America. If one did not have a warrant, how did one expect to find the man amid the sea of data and information? Which date? Which flight and which seat?
Yes, all the agents at the FBI were undeniably elites, but the other meaning of elites was that there were only a few of them. To have to forfeit the convenience of technology and return back to the stone age to trace Anthony's movement using human knowledge and not store it in the computer, no matter who it was, they would have surrendered easily.
Therefore, even though Cedrick, at the lowest point of his career, thought about 'should I just surrender myself to the FBI to ask them for help', he had heard about the legendary status Anthony had obtained, and he had quickly opted out of that thought…
Ye Shuang listened to Cedrick's painful past quietly. She laid her arms on the armrest and then was silent for a while before asking, ”So, after you confirmed that I… my partner has access to Anthony's exact location, you insisted on coming along because you wanted to ask Anthony about what happened that year?”
Cedrick nodded. ”Yes, that's right.”
”Okay.” Ye Shuang nodded back. ”I can understand your feeling, but if you don't mind, I want to ask a question… Even if FBI does not have a way to find Anthony, do you think they really cannot help you find your three older sisters? I think with the current reputation of the gentleman, using this condition to ask them to help you find your family shouldn't be something too difficult, right? Assuming you have really considered aligning yourself with the FBI so that you can track down Anthony…”
After Ye Shuang said that, she looked over and saw Cedrick who appeared like he had been struck by lightning. She waited for a pause and then asked, ”…Wait, have you seriously not considered that before?”
Yes, no, I mean, I really have not! Cedrick's expression was blank. ”All I had in my mind was the tag and the desperation to find Anthony to get the answer. It has become a fervor in my head, so…”
Ye Shuang was speechless. So, your brain was stuck on a single mode, and it didn't know how to turn anymore?
Anthony titled his head to think about it and then sighed. ”Looks like you'll need to go and talk to the FBI, thankfully, it is still not too late… Besides, I really cannot remember something that happened at a Halloween party three years ago.”
Han Chu chimed in to help his friend explain. ”Normally, when Tony is present, things are going to get complicated. As long as it doesn't directly affect him, he doesn't take things to heart, and they are recycled out of his mind… Go and seek help from the FBI!”
Leaning against the sofa lazily, Anthony provided a serious suggestion. ”I think you should wait for a while first. I feel like he has dropped his reputation from what happened today. If you go now, you might not have all the chips that you normally would have.”
That's right… Cedrick was already starting to plan his next move, but when he heard Anthony, he slowly and silently delayed his plan as he thought about what had happened that morning with sadness… After a long time, the saddened Cedrick turned to Anthony to ask, bearing one last piece of hope, ”Can you really not remember anything at all?”
”Yup, zero impression, perhaps I should start writing a diary…” Anthony shrugged irresponsibly like it had nothing to do with him.
Han Chu scoffed darkly. ”Other people write diaries to record their memories, but your diary is to record your criminal history… Furthermore, what kind of content can you write since you sit before the computer screen all day? Are you going to write about the new virus that you have developed?”
Anthony pouted with displeasure, and he continued to speak to Cedrick. ”You see, this is why I'm not keeping a diary.”
No one cares about that!
…
The impact that Cedrick received that day was huge. First, it was psychologically—he was arrested, taken into the station, and then released on a favor. Then, it was another psychological assault—his hope was destroyed and then relit with another avenue and then destroyed again…
He was so tired that he did not have the energy to remain at Ye Shuang's home anymore. Therefore, after a simple conversation, Cedrick left the apartment with wandering steps. He planned to return to his hotel to adjust and arrange his emotions.
Su Zheng finally had time to listen to Brother Shuang translate the full story of Cedrick's past. When she heard half of the story, her eyes were already glistening with interest. When she heard the full story, she was feeling a ton of regret for missing out on such great gossip simply because she was not good in foreign language. ”Such a shame. I should have paid more attention in English class when I was studying.”
Brother Shuang smiled lightly and patted Su Zheng on her head. ”It is not too late to start now. As long as you insist on learning thirty new words every day…”
”Brother Han! Brother Han! Can I bring Anthony to go play with Cedrick tomorrow?” Su Zheng could not wait to bounce away.
”Ask your boss,” Han Chu answered without raising his head.
The boss, Brother Shuang, smiled but did not say anything. She glanced at Su Zheng, who looked so innocent, for about ten seconds. ”…How did you manage to survive when you left the country before this?”
”There's Ol' K!” Su Zheng said confidently.
As a hacker, knowing English was a must. Since there was a translator in the group already, spending the time to learn a new language would be a waste. Therefore, after Su Zheng had the inspiration of learning some basic English to prepare for an overseas trip, she gave up after three minutes. Therefore, she set a new target for herself instead… to practice on the street.
How much she had stolen was how much she would spend; it could not have been more motivating.
Brother Shuang sighed. ”If there's a chance, you have to study it, or do you plan to have Ol' K tied to your waist at all times?”
Su Zheng blushed and then pounced on the chance. ”Brother Shuang, Brother Shuang, do you need any attachment? I eat very little and very easy to maintain!”
Han Chu interrupted it quickly and very naturally led the conversation away. ”If Cedrick isn't lying, then we can put his issue aside for now. For now, there is no conflict of interest between us, and under the condition of not affecting our principle, if something happens that we need his help, getting his aid is not impossible. Furthermore, he might become our client in the future…”
Then, Han Chu turned to look at Anthony. Anthony quickly raised his hand to counter. ”I still have the job from Xiao Shuang that I need to finish.”
Han Chu scoffed and closed the laptop. ”You are now eating my food, wearing my clothes, and living at my place. Do you think you have the right to negotiate conditions with me?”
It was not that Anthony did not have his own money, but he rarely thought about using his own money… Even though the Morgan Bank was global, China was ultimately a rather closed-in country. Getting an international transaction to work was too problematic, so it was much more convenient to just live off Han Chu.
Therefore, Anthony could only use a pitiable baby face to say, ”But where is the love that you've promised me.”
Han Chu looked at him calmly for half a minute and then he turned to ask Ye Shuang, ”Have you been letting him watch soap operas again?”
”…” Ye Shuang.