By the time dawn broke, the emergency doctor who operated on Da Huang finally emerged from the operating room. I looked at the doctor, the atmosphere so heavy I dared not speak. The doctor smiled, "His life is temporarily out of danger. For this patient to be saved, it's entirely thanks to the precise first aid. You are lucky to have someone knowledgeable in medicine nearby when the accident happened."
The doctor was referring to Xiao Zian. If it weren't for her, Da Huang would have died this time.
Just then, two criminal police officers arrived. They introduced themselves and asked me some questions. It was about some business matters, but I had no idea why Xiao Zhang, who had impersonated a patrol officer, would want to kill someone.
These two officers, one old and one young, were as usual. The younger one was furious, believing I wasn't telling the truth, while the older one smiled calmly and didn't press further.
"What about the fake policeman? Where is he?"
I asked the two officers about Wu Sheng's whereabouts. The older officer shook his head, "The public mentioned such a person, but by the time our colleagues arrived, he had already fled. Mr. Tang Nan, we will contact you if there's anything else. Please try not to leave Foshan for the next few days."
Not long after the police left, Xiao Zian also arrived. Her face was haggard and tired. She looked somewhat sad and said to me in a heavy voice, "He's dead."
"Who?"
"Leng Yu."
Leng Yu is dead? I was too preoccupied with Da Huang's situation to pay attention to Leng Yu. I thought he'd been handed over to the police by Wu Sheng. However, that wasn't the case. Wu Sheng hadn't contacted the police, choosing to continue lurking among these pawns. And in the incident where the pawns rebelled, the one known as the leader, Red Queen, had also died.
Red Queen Leng Yu's death was simple. He received a secret order to kill everyone except me, a ploy by Cao Qian to distract me. However, Leng Yu failed. His combat skills might have been formidable, but the killing area was too narrow, making it impossible to maneuver. From the bloodstains, he must have stabbed Da Huang. Normally, a person stabbed would collapse, but Da Huang was a man of spirit. He must have pushed Leng Yu away with brute force and then used the knife from his own body as a weapon.
When paths cross, the brave one wins. In such a situation, there was no room for skill, only courage.
Xiao Zian said Leng Yu also had no fatal wounds. He intended to escape but was subdued by Wu Sheng. Before the ambulance arrived, Leng Yu, due to excessive blood loss, had fainted. No one provided emergency treatment, and he died ignominiously like that.
"Are you sure it was Leng Yu?"
"Yes, after all, we attended the same training class. I have a deep impression of those two cool and handsome young boys, Leng Yan and Leng Yu."
"No disguise?"
"Disguise is a form of camouflage. On the operating table, how could there still be disguise? Besides, disguise isn't Leng Yu's forte."
I sighed, feeling helpless. "Been out all night, not going back to see your son."
"I've arranged things for my son. You should sort out your emotions, and then we'll continue."
"Mrs. Xiao, why are you still following me? It's very dangerous."
Xiao Zian smiled, "Where in life isn't there danger? Even a good life has its accidents. Since we, the Four Colors of the Old K, have decided to follow you, we are not afraid of danger. Also, Sister Ye hasn't been rescued yet! Although Sister Ye is highly skilled, a tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs. Who knows what dangers she might encounter? We must rescue her as soon as possible. I believe once Sister Ye is out of danger, she will reveal the whereabouts of your wife."
In the evening, Fatty and Da Huang's wife arrived at Foshan Hospital. Da Huang's wife cast a resentful glance at me and didn't speak to me. I wanted to explain, but didn't know how, so I could only offer an awkward smile.
"Da Huang had such a major incident, please understand sister-in-law."
"I understand."
"What exactly happened? Did you find my sister?"
"No..."
That's the problem. I hadn't accomplished anything, and I almost cost Da Huang his life. I recounted Da Huang's incident. Fatty gave a thumbs-up towards the ward, "Da Huang is a man. I'll go see our hero."
Fatty hadn't been inside for long when Da Huang's wife came out, looking troubled. "Tang Nan, can you spare us? We're just ordinary people living our lives. We have elders and children at home. We can't follow you into this life of living on the edge of a knife."
"What are you trying to say?"
"The last time Da Huang was seriously injured, it was because of you. This time, he narrowly escaped death again. Da Huang is a loyal person. Can you please not... in the future..."
"I understand, sister-in-law. I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I won't ask Da Huang for help again."
"Thank you!"
Da Huang's wife bowed to me. I smiled wryly and turned to leave.
Some people might not accept this outcome, but I didn't blame Da Huang's wife. Da Huang's wife was right; with elders and children, one cannot risk their life with me. I went to the cashier and prepaid 200,000 yuan for medical expenses. Just as I was about to leave, Fatty caught up. He called out to me, and I stopped. "Tang Nan, where are you going? Why didn't you call me? Da Huang is injured. I'll accompany you to find your sister in the coming days."
"Brother Fatty, don't follow me. Take good care of Da Huang. I can manage on my own."
Fatty looked at me, astonished, blinked, and then glanced back in the direction of the emergency ward. "Tang Nan, did sister-in-law say something to you?"
"No, no!"
"Don't lie to me. Although I don't talk much, I see things clearly. When I was in the ward just now, I saw sister-in-law bowing to you. I knew something was wrong. Don't listen to one woman. What about our brotherhood?"
"Don't talk like that. And don't tell Da Huang about this. That's it. You stay here and take care of Da Huang, and I'll continue looking for Lin Han."
"Da Huang has his wife; he doesn't need me to take care of him. I'm coming with you."
I got a little impatient and shouted at Fatty, "Ding Tai, are you not understanding me? Lin Han is my wife. I can find her myself."
Fatty's eyes widened. "Lin Han is my sister. Our fates are intertwined, life and death. How can you just break it off? Just because of what Da Huang's wife said? That's what his wife said, not him."
"Sister-in-law is right. We should all think about our families. Brother Fatty, you also have a wife and a family. You should..." "What I should do is up to me. If you don't let me participate, I'll find her myself."
Fatty doesn't talk much, but when such a person is stubborn, they won't turn back even if they hit a brick wall. Even so, I can't agree to him coming with me because of this.
"Fine, Ding Tai. Since you say so, then you find your sister, and I'll find my wife. We'll go our separate ways." I returned to Ning Cai Shen's shop and slept. When I woke up, I found Ning Cai Shen calculating accounts.
"I arranged for you to open this shop as part of a scheme. I didn't expect you to genuinely take it seriously and make money."
Ning Cai Shen replied, "I'm your financial manager, not your schemer. I won't interfere with your schemes, but since money was spent, it needs to be earned back. That's my job."
"With your abilities, would 5,000 a month feel too little?"
"No, I don't have much education. In the market, 5,000 is considered a high salary. According to the contract, it increases by 10% annually, excluding housing provident fund and pension. Including those, the annual salary increase is 15%. If I can work until retirement, it will be a considerable fortune."
Ning Cai Shen's abilities are far greater than I imagined. When I first approached Ye Qingcheng and Xiao Zian, Ning Cai Shen had told me that some people don't even know what they look like. I didn't understand then, but now I realize he was reminding me that Xiao Zian has the ability of magical makeup.
"Ning Cai Shen, can you do me a favor?"
"You are the boss, I obey."
"Lin Han opened a branch company in Foshan."
"I know about that. This jade inlay handicraft shop of ours sells gold at below-market prices. This method of losing money to gain attention has already attracted the attention of the antique circles in Guangzhou and Foshan. I've also discussed cooperation with several larger jade suppliers and indirectly inquired about Lin Han."
"You inquired?"
I widened my eyes. This Ning Cai Shen is too amazing.
"I did. Lin Han's branch company is called Lin's Appraisal, a formal company with a registered capital of 5 million. It belongs to the Lin Group, along with Xi'an Lin's Antique Trading Firm, Beijing Lin's Art Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Lin's Formal Antique Auction House. However, Lin's Appraisal was established only recently, and its organizational structure is still unclear. Even leadership and technical positions are being recruited. Nevertheless, Lin's Appraisal has already signed a supply contract with a rough jade supplier in Ruili."
Once bitten, twice shy. The mention of Ruili immediately made me think of a scam.
"Rough jade supplier?"
"Yes, the company's full name is 'China Style' Jade Trading Company. It directly cooperates with Myanmar and was established in Ruili in the 1980s. It has an excellent reputation in the industry over the years. Many jade carvers in Guangzhou source their materials from there; it's good quality and reasonably priced. Logically, selling gold at a low price to attract attention from the industry shouldn't require this information to be revealed to me by a scoundrel in the circle. So, I investigated, and it was intentionally leaked. It was a female boss who loves buying houses. I heard she owns over a hundred houses in Guangdong and Shenzhen, with her main income source being rent. Jade carving is her personal hobby."
This woman is named Zhang Li, nicknamed 'Landlady'.