The city is full of energy in the early morning, full of marching people, who walk in a hurry without squinting, making a perfect note of modern life. And in the attic of the street, a young man was standing by the window, looking out into the distance.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes seemed to be able to breathe fire, as if he wanted to burn everything clean.

He has reason to be so resentful - as a staff member who has already survived in the agency before, has been appreciated by the leader, and is about to get ahead, how can he not be angry that all his hopes have been washed away by a sudden disaster overnight?

He was freed not long ago, as a "sinner" who led the resistance to the republic, Kong Ze was arrested and imprisoned immediately after the February Revolution, and it was not until more than two months later that he was released by the government, which gradually distanced himself from the mob.

When he finally got out of prison and returned to his rented house, he found that many of the valuables or important things he had kept in the house had disappeared during those chaotic months. Finally, the landlord relented, so that he did not throw away all his things when he owed the rent, so that he still had a place to live. What's more, his savings have also been hit hard by the financial turmoil, and he still can't withdraw them, and the government has only given some deposit bonds to fool around.

Naturally, after this series of blows, he was also full of hatred for the republic that had taken everything from him.

This hatred has become more and more shining after being polished by reality.

A boss who admires him very much. When he arrived in Taiwan during the revolution, he could only hide in the countryside; And his colleagues are all very well-behaved. In the ever-changing situation, he immediately changed his court, and suddenly became a loyal defender of the republic—finally they still remembered the old feelings, so they didn't let Kong Ze suffer much in prison. Sometimes Kong Ze can't help but ask himself, who is more stupid between himself and those incompetent colleagues he looked down on?

During this time, Kong Ze also constantly summed up his previous lessons and reflected on his mistakes.

But. Even if the hope of getting ahead was shattered, even if the accumulation of the previous ten years was turned into nothing, Mr. Kong Ze did not lose the fighting spirit burning in his heart. and his determination to get ahead. After suffering so many blows, the desire in his heart to climb up the earth became stronger, as if he would not be able to compensate for his losses.

Now, he is barely able to make ends meet on the cash he had saved up. At the same time, he is looking for an opportunity to get ahead again every moment. Although he will definitely not be able to enter the government office for the time being, he has not given up hope. He firmly believes that with his talents and hard work, he can definitely be appreciated by others - as long as he gets a chance.

However, after months of waiting for the riots and the astonishing scenes of government forces cracking down on the mob, these opportunities did not come, and the cash in hand was slowly running out under the soaring prices. He couldn't help but complain to himself, so he planned to sell his bonds at a discount to alleviate the financial crisis.

"I'm definitely going to be able to get ahead again!"

Looking at the bustling crowd downstairs. The young man clenched his fists as if to cheer himself up.

As if the heavens in the dark had heard this, he had just finished saying this when the door of the room suddenly rang.

Is there anyone looking for me at this time? Kong Ze smiled bitterly in his heart, and then immediately walked over and opened the door.

"Is that you?" After seeing the identity of the comer, he was slightly taken aback.

The man, Marchiands, was a senior clerk at a newspaper and had known him before, and he had some dealings with him because of his profession when he was in the Ministry of the Interior.

After seeing Kong Ze, the middle-aged man had an exaggerated smile on his face.

"Mr. Kong Ze, I'm very happy to see that you are still so energetic."

"Thank you." Kong Ze was as cold as usual, he nodded expressionlessly, "Please come in." ”

Marchianz hurriedly walked in.

"You may be seated." Kong Ze pointed to a chair and motioned for him to sit down.

Marcianz hung his hat on the shelf in the doorway, and sat down as his master had commanded. Even though it has fallen to the point where it is now, Kong Ze's room is still as clean as before, and things are stacked neatly.

"Sir, what is the matter with you coming to me today?" Kong Ze asked straightforwardly, and did not say anything polite.

The other party was not in a hurry, he carefully scanned the room, and then subtly saw the financial dilemma that the owner was currently facing from the neat furnishings, so he was more confident in his heart.

"Mr. Kong Ze, if I'm not mistaken, you're short of money right now, right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm short of money right now, very short of money." Kong Ze nodded coldly, "So the purpose of your coming here is to see my jokes?" ”

"You're not just short of money, you're going to regain your lost social status and regain people's respect, right?" "As far as I am concerned, Mr. Kong Ze, although we don't have a lot of contacts, I can see that you have ambitions, and you don't want to be just a little person......

After hearing Marchianz's agitation, Kong Ze couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.

"Looks like you know me well." He remained silent. "So, what the hell are you looking for me like this, what do you want to do?"

"Opportunity, we want to give you the opportunity to recover from your current predicament and see hope in life again."

Kong Ze couldn't help frowning slightly.

"I won't hide it from you, Mr. Conze," continued Marcianz, "our newspaper has recently had a new boss, and this boss has a lot of ambition to expand our business and make us the nation's premier news organization. In order to achieve this goal, we need to find some people to help now. What kind of talent do we need? Of course, it's the ones who are well-informed and have a lively mind. Friend, as soon as I heard the news, I thought of you! Your talents, and the relationships you left over from your previous jobs. Absolutely up to the mark! And, what you ask for, we can deliver: you are short of money now, and our boss will not skimp on salary; If you want to get ahead, can't you also make it happen in our newly established organization? ”

Under Macchianz's narration, Kong Ze's heart became more and more fervent.

Isn't this the opportunity I've been waiting for? Isn't this a chance to start again? After all, my talent has not been buried!

Even in this case, though. Kong Ze still instinctively maintained a certain amount of sobriety.

"Marchianz, is your boss reliable? You can't be the kind of person who brags about it when your brain is hot, right? ”

"Oh, of course not!" Marcianz shook his head. "If he was that kind of person, would I still come to you today? Don't worry, he thinks he's quite reliable. In addition, his background seems to be quite deep. He was a member of the de Treville family. I don't think he's going to do it, but it's not like he's going to make a fuss...... My friend, we've been waiting for so many years to finally get ahead, and I don't think you will let it go easily, right? ”

"De Treville?" After hearing this surname, his heart suddenly moved, and a little impression suddenly appeared in his mind.

It can't be that person, right?

"Is he young?" He asked in a low voice.

"Yes, very young." Marchianz glanced at him a little strangely, wondering why he was asking. But he replied truthfully, "He's only in his early twenties now." However, you don't have to worry, you know the Tao when you see him, he has a very active brain and is calm, and he understands a lot of things, not at all like that kind of hairy boy, I don't think he is a person who has no plans...... Otherwise, why would I be so zealous to help him? ”

Marchiandz's babbling explanation, Kong Ze didn't listen to it at all, could it be the young man of the Treville family who he had seen in the palace?

I seemed to have listened to the advice of Viscount Delier that day, and I didn't embarrass him too much, so I should have made a good impression on him, right? In this way............

There was nothing to hesitate about, Kong Ze made up his mind in an instant.

"Can you please take me to meet him? I always know who I'm working for. ”

After hearing Kong Ze's words, a trace of joy flashed in Machianz's eyes, and he knew that Kong Ze, who had fallen to such a point, would not give up this kind of good opportunity.

"No problem, wrap it up on me!" He said yes loudly. "Come over this afternoon, he will come to inspect us at that time, and then you can talk to him, and you can also negotiate with him about the salary or something, don't worry, I won't lose you!"

……………………

By the time Kong Ze arrived at the headquarters of the Observer, it was already darkening slightly.

He was led by Marc Anz to an office on the top floor.

When the door to the office was opened, Kong Ze's heart froze—it was indeed the young man he had seen in the palace.

I already have such a career at such an age! He couldn't help but feel a slight pain in his heart, and a thought mixed with jealousy and sourness flashed.

But this thought was quickly thrown out of his mind.

"Mr. Kong Ze?" The young man on the opposite side stood up with a smile and stretched out his right hand. "Glad we're seeing each other again."

Kong Ze walked up with some restraint, and then shook the other party's hand across the desk.

"Monsieur de Treville, I am honored to ......"

………………

After shaking hands for a moment, Charles motioned for the other to sit across from him, and then gestured for Marchiainz to leave the office.

"I suppose Mr. Marchianz has already told you the details, right?" The young man on the other side was still smiling, "Mr. Kong Ze, do you know what kind of work we need you to do?" Do you have any comments? ”

"Yes, I've got it all right." Kong Ze nodded, "You need me to collect information and then release it as news." If that's the case, this job has a lot in common with my previous job, and we also have to collect all kinds of information, but not to sell it but to catch criminals. ”

"yes, that's right, it's great that you can understand it that way." Charles nodded, indicating that he understood correctly, "I want to turn our news agency — I decided to call it 'France Presse' — into an efficient information-gathering organization, and I think you can help me achieve that." As for the salary......" Charles wrote a number on a piece of paper with a pen and handed it to the other party, "Do you think this number is enough as an annual salary?" ”

After seeing this number, Kong Ze immediately answered honestly.

"Enough, even more than I expected."

"Well, I hope your results are even better than I expected." Charles looked at each other, "We have always been very, very generous to useful people. ”

For the useless, of course, it goes without saying.

Kong Ze solemnly put the piece of paper into his arms, as if it were a check.

"I can officially start working tomorrow."

"Very well, your office is downstairs, someone will tell you then."

"Thank you, Monsieur de Treville, you will see my return." Kong Ze stood up and looked at Charles sincerely.

"I believe so." Charles nodded again, "By the way, I have one more thing to tell you, which is very important. ”

"Please."

"I am a Bonapartist and a strong supporter of Monsieur Louis-Bonaparte. So, you have to be a Bonapartist too—at least for now......" Charles deliberately uttered this sentence in a peculiar tone.

As he expected, after hearing this, Kong Ze's pupils instantly widened, and he looked at Charles fixedly. "You...... You...... Don't...... Is it ......?"

"Oh, don't be surprised." Seeing that his joke had worked, Charles held back the smile in his heart and reluctantly looked at the other party with a serious expression, "Although I am indeed a Bonapartist, it is true that I did not plan or participate in that unfortunate incident in the palace, so you were not derelict in your duties at that time...... And now, we should all look forward, shouldn't we? ”

After hearing Charles's words, Kong Ze's heart finally settled down a little.

Either way, it's already meaningless history now, what's the point of dwelling on that?

At the time, this was not a dereliction of duty, and now that the July Dynasty has been in ashes, it is even less necessary to pay attention to it. Kong Ze told himself in his heart.

"Yes, we should all look forward." He looked at Charles quietly, his face returning to his usual indifference, "I'm at your service now, sir." (To be continued......)