A week later, at a church in Washington D.C. Winslow and Lanita, who were remarrying, had not invited many guests. Besides the special investigation unit, they only invited a few relatives and friends who were close and had the time to attend. The number was not large; the church was only half full. Under the priest's leadership, Winslow and Lanita kissed each other once more. Applause rang out inside the church, with Jimmy, dressed in a miniature suit, standing on the side clapping vigorously. After the ceremony, everyone began to chat casually and eat. In the midst of laughter, several men and women holding glasses of wine approached Group Leader Luo An one after the other. "Hello, Group Leader Luo An, I am Detective Tony from the third investigation group." "Good afternoon, Group Leader Luo An. I've long heard of your name, and seeing you today, you're far more handsome than the rumors say." All of them were friends of Winslow and came up to greet Luo An, wanting to get acquainted with him. These people were fully aware of Winslow's situation. Although work was the main reason for his divorce from Lanita, financial issues were also a contributing factor. Winslow's comeback was tied to his joining Luo An's investigation team. These people knew they had no chance to join Luo An's unit, but chatting more to become familiar faces was also good. Luo An could see what these people were thinking, but today's event celebrated Winslow, and he did not want to steal the limelight. After a brief chat, he found an excuse to slip away to one side. "Congratulations to you, Luo An." Out on a corner of the church's lawn, Reesi was chatting with someone. Seeing Luo An approach, she excused herself from the conversation and approached Luo An with a smile: "Now you're considered a big shot in others' eyes as well." Luo An chuckled and did not dwell on the matter, instead asking: "I noticed at the end of the ceremony, your expression seemed a bit off. What happened?" When the priest announced that Winslow and Lanita could kiss each other, Luo An, while applauding, casually glanced around and noticed that although Reesi was clapping, her expression was rather despondent. Luo An knew that Reesi and Winslow had a relationship that was part colleagues, part comrades, and like brothers, with purely platonic friendship with Lanita. There were no emotional entanglements between the three, so he wanted to understand the reason behind Reesi's melancholy. Hearing Luo An's question, Reesi gave a bitter smile, took a sip from her glass, and said in a low voice: "You know, I'm a lesbian, and I can't get married." Luo An frowned slightly and said softly: "I remember the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has made a ruling, according to the federal constitution, that homosexual couples can establish a nominal family and enjoy full equal marriage rights... You could totally get married in that state." This happened in 2004, and Massachusetts thus became the first state in the federation to allow legal same-sex marriages. "No, I'm talking not just about that piece of paper, but the wedding ceremony itself." Reesi shook her head. She was more knowledgeable about this matter than Luo An and explained: "Massachusetts only allows same-sex couples to register their legal marital status; they have this process in place, but they don't support wedding ceremonies. So, the policy of Massachusetts is just 'half freedom.' The remaining half will probably only be entirely opened up when those legislators need votes." Reesi wanted not only the government-issued marriage certificate but, like any ordinary person, to hold a wedding with her loved one, inviting family and friends, in an open and legitimate manner. Luo An took a sip from his glass; there was little he could do to help Reesi with this issue. Reesi shook her head, revealing a slight smile, and raised her glass to clink with Luo An's: "It's okay, no need to apologize. I should be thanking you instead." In the current year of 2006, the trend of "political correctness" had just begun as a mild breeze and had not yet reached the untouchable status of later times. As a lesbian, Reesi was still despised by many, and there was never a shortage of gossip behind her back in the FBI. Group Leader Luo An's investigation team not only did not discriminate against her but treated her as an ordinary person and even afterwards realized equal pay for equal work, with a fair distribution. The phrase "equal pay for equal work" may sound self-evident, but the reality that federal female employees are positioned lower than their male counterparts and receive lower wages is an undeniable fact, and the FBI is no exception. Luo An shared a toast with Reesi, smiling. He held neither particular fondness nor dislike for the LGBTQ+ community, simply treating them with neutrality, as long as it didn't interfere with his own normal life, everything was fine. Furthermore, in certain respects, Reesi's orientation brought benefits to the special investigation team. Because Luo An's special investigation team had no African Americans, it would be considered an absolute "politically incorrect" situation in a few more years. Reesi's lesbian identity would spare the special investigation team a lot of trouble, after all, she was the first within the LGBTQIATPDXREW+ community. While Luo An and Reesi were casually chatting, Michelle suddenly approached from a distance and whispered: "Luo An, someone is looking for you." Three minutes later, by the roadside next to the church, Luo An spotted a familiar car and immediately opened the passenger door and sat down. The person in the driver's seat was none other than Vireness. She wore heavy makeup as usual today, but it lacked her usual sharpness, now softened somewhat. But Luo An immediately saw the dark circles under her eyes that Vireness tried to hide, and he nodded with a smile, expressing his concern: "Good afternoon, Chief. Remember to take care of yourself; your health is most important." Vireness gave a slight smile, a barely perceptible glint of amusement in her eyes, handed Luo An a sealed document without any fuss, and said: "Sofia's matter has been handled. Your investigation team worked hard on this case. Continue your holiday, and we'll talk about the working hours later." Luo An nodded with a smile, did not query the details of what "handled" entailed as per Vireness's wording, and reached out to open the sealed document. There wasn't much inside the document bag, just a few papers. Luo An took them out to examine carefully while Vireness explained: "The first is an employment offer from Obato Oil Company. You've been recruited as a consultant, Group Leader Luo An, and the annual salary is at the bottom of the document. The second is an invitation to the presidential White House press conference dinner... This invitation can be sold." Looking at the $800,000 annual salary at the bottom of the first document, Luo An's eyes lit up. He knew about the Obato Oil Company, one of the subsidiaries founded by the current President in his younger days. When the current President established that oil company, it was on the verge of bankruptcy, but ultimately, thanks to persistent hard work and his father's support, it turned losses into profits. The company, with assets less than $400,000, sold 10% of its shares at a price of $1 million. Thus, there was no corruption within the federation, everything was legitimate business transactions, including lawful political donations. The position of "consultant" is intriguing; you can be involved in everything or nothing at all. Luo An instantly understood that this was hush money paid by the White House. $800,000 a year is not a small sum. Luo An shifted his gaze to the second document, the White House press dinner invitation, and then looked questioningly at Vireness. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel·fire·net Vireness didn't offer much explanation, simply saying: "Your invitation is platinum-colored. Everyone who receives a platinum-colored invitation sells it, without exception." Luo An nodded in understanding, it was another one of those unspoken rules, and he got it. After a brief talk, Vireness drove off, and just as Luo An returned to the lawn, Reesi suddenly came over and whispered: "Luo An, someone is looking for you." "...Who is it this time?"