Taking the item handed over by Reesi, Luo An opened it and found that it was the invitation to a dinner mentioned earlier by the female journalist Louise. The banquet was to be held at a renowned high-end hotel in Washington D.C., frequented by the rich and powerful, many of whom were regulars in newspaper or television reports. Seeing the contents and address inside the invitation, Reesi's mouth opened slightly, then she smiled and said: "Here's a piece of advice for you, Luo An. Before you go to the banquet, eat something to fill yourself up." Luo An, slightly puzzled, turned to look at her, and Reesi spread her hands and explained: "At this kind of high-profile banquet, there are usually a lot of media present. To look good on camera, most of the food served is more about appearance than taste, and it's not necessarily delicious. Moreover, not many people will actually eat much because having too full a stomach can cause it to bulge, and a bulging stomach ruins the effort people put into their attire." Just like at the Hollywood Oscar award ceremony banquets, it is common for female stars to go for hours without drinking water, eating, or using the restroom, keeping their muscles and midriffs continuously tensed. Over the next half a month, Luo An blatantly slacked off, clocking in at work on time each day, leaving on time, eating and drinking during the day, exercising at night, and spending weekends resting and playing with Mona, living a joyous life of a tax evader. At seven o'clock on a Sunday evening, Luo An put on a suit of fine quality and drove to the banquet location. By this time, a large group of media had gathered at the entrance, with various cameras pointed at the open area in front of the hotel doors. Seeing this scene, Luo An quietly parked his car a distance away and slipped past the media on the side, entering the hotel with an unhurried pace. There were not many guests arriving at this hour, and many staff members were in the opulently decorated hall performing their final checks and preparations. Luo An glanced around and walked over to a nearby buffet table, starting to sample some food he had not seen before. Before long, as Luo An was tasting a type of shellfish from the polar regions explained by a staff member, a familiar female voice rang out from behind him. Her hair neatly swept up, the woman wore a light gold backless gown, her delicately pretty face lightly made up, her gaze alluring to the male eye. Standing next to Luo An, Louise casually picked up a glass of champagne, her mouth curving into a slight smile as she said: "I didn't expect you to arrive so early." Luo An put aside the unfamiliar shellfish, wiped his hands on a napkin, picked up a glass and clinked it with Louise's, saying with a smile: "I don't like those media folks, so I decided to come early." Louise took a small sip of champagne and said with a laugh: "I thought you would say, 'I was eager to see the beautiful Miss Louise tonight.'" Luo An smiled and did not respond to her comment. Seeing this, Louise rolled her eyes slightly, placing her champagne glass to one side: "Do you dislike me that much?" In terms of facial features, figure, or poise, Louise was on par with Hollywood stars. Regarding being aesthetically pleasing, Luo An would have a hard time genuinely saying he disliked her. But Luo An truly could not accept her previous proposition to purchase his "genetic material." Instead of letting Louise think there was still a chance, it was better to seem unsociable. So Luo An cut to the chase without beating around the bush: "I don't know what Miss Louise mentioned before about needing my help. What is it specifically? If it's within my capabilities, I will definitely do my utmost to help Miss Louise." "I will do my utmost, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee success, right?" Louise, using her experience as a journalist, quickly pinpointed the issue in Luo An's words, wrinkled her nose, and looked at him somewhat displeased: "You're quite the slippery fellow. I feel the FBI might not be the right fit for you; you should be working in Congress." Without waiting for Luo An to reply, Louise popped a cherry into her mouth, turned, and as she walked away, said: "Come with me, someone wants to meet you." Watching Louise's delicate and fair back, Luo An's mind flashed with thoughts as he set down his glass and followed her. Leaving the hall through the corridor, Louise led Luo An into an adjacent salon and turned right, where a conference room appeared before them. Louise didn't knock but pushed open the door and entered. It was a standard European classical style conference room, with a long dark-red table, high-backed wooden chairs, looking more like a room from some castle in Europe. Luo An glanced at the decor and then shifted his attention to the people in the room. Eight men sat beside the conference table, three on the left and five on the right, none young, all of them wearing black suits. The man in the middle on the left side showed a hint of helplessness on his face when he saw Louise burst into the room, while the five men on the right nodded naturally, ceased their discussions, stood up, and walked out of the room. "Luo An Greenwood, FBI Washington Headquarters, Special Investigations Unit Chief." With the conference room door closed, Louise stood in the center and introduced them: "Deputy Secretary of Defense, Hernandez." "Good evening, Mr. Secretary." Luo An smiled and reached out his hand, recognizing the man's identity the moment he saw his face. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel⁂fire.net Luo An had seen photos of Louise's parents when he previously asked Mona to investigate Louise's background. Deputy Secretary Hernandez was indeed Louise's father. Deputy Secretary Hernandez showed a smile, extended his hand, and shook hands with Luo An, saying: "Group Leader Greenwood looks even younger than in the photos." At that moment, Louise said from the side: "You two talk, I will be out for a while." With that, Louise turned and walked out of the conference room, Hernandez gave a look to his assistants, and the two followers quickly left the room. Seconds later, only Luo An and Hernandez remained inside. Hernandez gestured, and once they were seated, he looked at Luo An with a not quite smiling expression and said: "Group Leader Luo An, in fact, I have wanted to meet you for a very long time. I'm curious, by what means did you attract Louise to have the idea of bearing a child for you?" Facing the barely concealed pressure from Hernandez, Luo An was not at all flustered, maintaining his smile: "Mr. Secretary, you are mistaken about something. The desire for children is the man's idea, bearing children is the woman's idea; they are not the same thing. In Louise's case, it was entirely her idea, I was unaware, and I didn't agree to it." Seeing Luo An's composed demeanor, Hernandez's eyes revealed a barely noticeable appreciation, but his spoken words were still strident: "So you mean to say, you don't like Louise, correct?" "Actually, I already have a girlfriend. I believe Mr. Secretary has investigated me and should know this." Luo An smiled lightly and calmly added: "Like Mr. Secretary, I am also a man of loyalty." Hernandez quietly watched Luo An, Luo An silently met his gaze, and after a few seconds, the somberness on Hernandez's face suddenly vanished, and he clapped his hands with a laugh: "Not without reason is the young man often praised by Robert. You are indeed outstanding." That was FBI Director Robert that the other party referred to, Luo An smiled and expressed his gratitude. There were still other matters for Hernandez, and with little time to waste, he swiftly took two items from his briefcase beside him and handed them to Luo An, saying: "The Department of Defense is preparing a secret operation and needs a suitable supervisor. I think you would be a good fit."