Chapter 203 (1): Good Eye for People

Solar disregarded Wayne’s disingenuous reaction. She had visited him this time for a particular goal: whether she had to resort to coercion or seduction, she would re-educate him and make him pick up his radio again, going back to giving his all to Franc.

“Right, it isn’t appropriate to keep calling you Wayne. I should call you George, the big movie star.” Solar maintained her smile throughout.

George was the character Wayne played in the movie. Due to his increased screentime, he overtook the original second male lead and made the first male lead—the gorilla—pale in comparison. He and Fiona, the female lead that Lily played, were now widely regarded as the best couple on the big screen, winning quite an avid following.

On the streets, many couples could be seen dressing like their characters, giving rise to the earliest trend of matching couple outfits.

Auston hadn’t planned on earning money through the movie, but he reluctantly received a fortune due to the explosive popularity of

King Kong

. Why was he reluctant, one might ask... Well, of course he would be. How could he be happy when he had personally made Trash Jr. into a devoted dream lover?

His intention was to protect the image of the Lando family, preventing their heir from looking like a foolish simp who pursued love at the expense of everything else, but he didn’t expect the few scenes shot with doubles to make Trash Jr. the nation’s heartthrob.

Every day, when Megan reported the box office to him, his heart would race in anger. He was so frustrated that he almost made Monica go bald from excessive petting.

Investment should be made with caution. It was best for amateurs to avoid going into the movie industry. Those who wanted to earn a fortune ended up losing everything, while those who didn’t seek profit ended up hitting the jackpot, even creating a movie star out of a nobody.

“I’m not looking to become a celebrity. All the people flocking to me are a real hassle.” Wayne sighed. He would like to be pretty without the harassment. Using that as an excuse, he said, “As you can see, I’m now too popular to return to my old job. Why don’t we forget about it?”

“Wayne, you will forever be a member of the intelligence agency after entering the field. I hope you realize that,” Solar advised solemnly, repeating what the mustachioed man had said.

That triggered Wayne’s instinct to call the police, introducing Solar to the education program in prison. He rolled his eyes and said, “I’ll be frank with you. I’m a star with some status now, and I no longer have to lead a risky life like I did before.”

“So you betrayed Franc and your faith?” Solar questioned seriously. “You’ve turned your back on your nation, Wayne, and you’ve wasted the effort she put into training you.”

Do people in your field follow the same manual? Do you not have any other lines?

Wayne didn’t voice his thoughts. “Again, I’ll be honest with you. Although Franc trained me, no one told me about the truth of the world. I was treated as nothing but cannon fodder. Do you know the truth, Miss Solar? If you don’t, go back and ask, and you’ll make the same decision as I did.”

“About magic?”

“So you know?”

“A little.” Solar had done her homework before this visit. She continued calmly, “You misunderstood, Wayne. The intelligence agency hid the truth from you for your own good, or you would’ve been exposed by the Windsorian mages instead of achieving what you’ve achieved.”

She continued with her brainwashing attempt, talking about the century-old relationship between Windsor and Franc, the tragedies of the First World War, and the many inhuman deeds Windsor had committed.

Wayne didn’t interrupt or argue since she was telling the truth; Windsor was horrid and the source of countless evils.

“You’re right. But magic isn’t the only truth of the world. There’s also capital!” He poured Solar a cup of tea. “You must have done your research before coming here. Not only am I a celebrity now, but I’ve also become the heir of one of the Tulip Families, with immeasurable riches waiting for me. Why should I betray Windsor?”

Solar took the cup but lowered it rather than drinking from it. “It’s exactly because of the promise of riches that you should help your nation, Wayne. Do you know how many people envy you? Because of you, the higher-ups have been arguing nonstop.”

“Tell me more.”

“As an elite agent of Franc, you’ve established yourself in Windsor and forgotten your duty, failing to contact headquarters for an extended period of time. That led to much frustration.” Solar started with the negatives for emphasis. “But the leadership values talent, so I’m ordered to make contact with you. As long as you remember your duty, the dissenting voices will quiet down.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, I’m offering you help,” Solar said earnestly. “You’ve lost yourself to power and money, forgetting who you are. That’s dangerous.”

“The worst that can happen is mutual destruction. It’s not so easy to intimidate me.”

“Wayne, those who have been to the peak cannot stand being on rock bottom. Don’t put yourself in that miserable situation.”

Solar had a silver tongue and some understanding of psychology, framing everything she said from Wayne’s perspective. “The leadership truly values you. They know that you’re a loyal agent, and with your present and future standing, no one will be allowed to expose you...”

To resolve his concerns, she gave an overly long speech about how important Wayne was to the agency, emphasizing that she had made this visit out of goodwill.

“Don’t worry. All the files about you have been archived. No one knows that you were from Franc, and Windsor will never find out. You’re now the safest agent in the Chosen Land.”

...Ma’am, I’m already made!

With Franc serving as a comparison, Windsor’s intelligence agencies suddenly seemed much more competent to Wayne. Still, he didn’t interrupt Solar.

“Even if you are willing to give up your current status, the agency won’t let you. Don’t worry about your own people betraying you,” Solar continued. “Quite the contrary, we’ll offer you benefits to ensure that you achieve greater things...”

She mentioned the contract bidding in Luzerbourg. As the heir of the Lando family, Wayne’s personal interest would be highly dependent on the Lando family’s interest. Since the intelligence agency in Franc wanted nothing more than for Wayne to secure his current status, they were willing to give him information to help the Landos expand their business.

Meanwhile, Wayne was to continue providing Franc with information on the Tulip Families and the royal family. If nothing went wrong, he would be allowed to lead a life of abundance as the head of the Lando family in the future, never having any more interaction with Franc until his death.

And if something went wrong... well, Solar didn’t spell it out, but she believed that Wayne would know the wise decision to make.

By working together, both sides would benefit. A win-win situation was the obvious choice.

“Does the intelligence agency trust me so much?” Wayne asked. “I’ve gone on radio silence for a year. Perhaps I’ve already defected to Windsor.”

“It is a possibility, but the higher-ups disproved it.”

“How?” Wayne pressed. He would like to find out how incompetent Franc’s intelligence agency could be.

“We Francans know Windsor the best. They will not allow a suspicious person to become part of the Tulip Families. You haven’t been exposed, and you couldn’t have defected.” Solar spoke with certainty, confident in Windsor’s character.

Wayne blinked. He had no counterargument for that. Apparently, Franc’s intelligence agency wasn’t stupid, but so obstinate in their old ways that they failed to keep up with the changing times. They had been too busy slacking off in their weakened state, which was understandable. Franc was surrounded by threats, and whether they won or lost, they always suffered. Were he in that position, he would’ve given up on trying hard, too.

“What do you think, Wayne? What are you going to do?”

“What else? The organization shows such trust in me. They obsess over me even after our breakup a year ago and can’t bear to see me happy. I’m sincerely grateful to the leadership,” Wayne said sarcastically.

The more he mocked and resisted, the more Solar trusted him. It was the normal reaction from a psychological standpoint.

“Don’t worry. The intelligence agency isn’t trying to strongarm you. This meeting is meant to show you our goodwill.” Solar pushed the briefcase toward him, winking at him pointedly. “You’ll like it.”

“Magic?”

“Capital!”

“...”

You have a good eye for people!