Liu Mei strode briskly forward, "On top of the fifty thousand deposit, I offer an additional hundred thousand to buy this man's life!" Tie Zi's knife lowered slowly as he stared, astonished, at the smiling Liu Mei.
"What's the matter? Not enough, Boss Tie?" Liu Mei inquired.
Tie Zi hastily responded, "No, not at all!"
Liu Mei extended her hand, and Tie Zi obediently placed the knife in it. She approached Yang Chun with the knife. Yang Chun, unflinching, said, "Go ahead! In another twenty years, my Yang family will have another hero!"
With a swift motion, Liu Mei cut through the ropes binding Yang Chun. Tie Zi stepped back in shock, readying himself for defense. Yang Chun stared at Liu Mei, bewildered, "You..."
Liu Mei spoke deliberately, "I told you, I did not kill Yang Qiu!" She handed the knife to Yang Chun, "If you insist on blaming me, then so be it. I will accept it."
Yang Chun's hand trembled as he held the knife, unsure of what to do.
From a hidden window upstairs, Lin Xiaoliang aimed a gun at Yang Chun, sweat dripping from his forehead. Suddenly, Yang Chun dropped the knife and knelt before Liu Mei, his head bowed deeply, "I... I'm sorry!"
Liu Mei helped Yang Chun up, "I understand your need for revenge, Brother Yang. If you trust me, I can help you find the real murderer."
Yang Chun, overwhelmed with emotion, wept uncontrollably.
Tie Zi clapped his hands and laughed, "The storm has cleared, and we are united like the three sworn brothers of Peach Garden. Let's drink! Let's celebrate!"
"And there's still Zhao Zilong!" Liu Mei shouted upstairs, "Xiaoliang, come down!" Lin Xiaoliang leaped down from the upper floor.
The four sat together, laughing and toasting.
In the office of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Zhang Xiaohua stood before a large map of China. His gaze slowly shifted from Urumqi to Haizhou, his brow furrowing.
Chief Qi from the command center hurried in, whispering, "Director."
Without turning around, Zhang Xiaohua asked in a deep voice, "What is it? Speak."
"Sealion called to ask if they should proceed with the original plan."
"No wall is impenetrable. China's population is indeed vast." Zhang Xiaohua slowly turned around, decisively saying, "Instruct Sealion to proceed as planned! Tell them I will make the necessary arrangements!"
"Yes!" Chief Qi turned and strode out.
Zhang Xiaohua walked to his desk, sat down, leaned back, and stared at a spider silently crawling on the ceiling, lost in thought.
As night fell over the Cape Peninsula, the villas lit up. Guo Xiaopeng paced in his study, deep in thought, before finally making up his mind. He pulled the curtains shut, took out his phone, swapped out the SIM card, and connected it to his laptop.
He began composing an email, the screen displaying in English: "Hello. From this month, use the third set of codes. Now, I am sending the production and development updates as attachments. After receiving this, please change your email address."
Just as he was working, the phone on the top right corner of his desk rang urgently. He glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered, "Hello, Chairman Dai."
Dai Tian's voice came through, "The second installment of the first phase investment was disbursed yesterday."
Guo Xiaopeng replied, "We've received the bank notification and are processing the relevant procedures. Thank you, Chairman Dai."
"As an entrepreneur, the safety of funds is always paramount," Dai Tian stated.
"Rest assured, Chairman Dai, I will do my utmost to maximize your profits," Guo Xiaopeng promised.
"Doing your utmost, I believe, but the skies are unpredictable."
Guo Xiaopeng, unsure of Dai Tian's intentions, remained silent. Dai Tian continued, "Chinese emperors, fearing their generals in distant borders might misuse their power, would split a tiger tally in two. One half stayed with the emperor, the other with the general. Only when both halves were united could orders be confirmed."
Guo Xiaopeng jotted down: "Story of the Tiger Tally. Crafty old fox!!"
"Politics is about compromise and concession within allowable limits," Dai Tian went on.
"Chairman Dai, you are indeed wise and knowledgeable," Guo Xiaopeng replied, trying to sound sincere.
Dai Tian's voice remained emotionless, "You're too kind, Dr. Guo. Princeton is one of America's top Ivy League schools, after all." Then, his tone shifted, "One fence needs three stakes; one hero needs three helpers. How about I recommend a deputy for you?"
Guo Xiaopeng, now fully understanding, responded, "I'm listening."
"If Ms. Wang Jingfei could be given a vice-chairman position, it would benefit both Hualong Company and Haizhou Pharmaceuticals. Don't you agree?"
Guo Xiaopeng circled the words "crafty old fox," saying, "Understood."
Dai Tian's tone lightened a bit, "If Chairman Guo has no objections, I hope this can be done before the third installment of funds is in place."
"It won't take that long," Guo Xiaopeng assured, gripping the phone tightly.
"It's a relief to place funds in the hands of someone as capable as Dr. Guo. Is there anything else?"
Guo Xiaopeng moved the receiver a bit away, pretending to be cheerful, "Take care, old friend."
After hanging up, he pondered, completely blackening out the words "crafty old fox." Wang Jingfei quietly entered the computer center of Haizhou Pharmaceuticals Group. The clean, silent computer room was bustling with large computers through the glass partitions.
She knocked lightly on the director's office door but got no response. She knocked harder, but still no answer. A lady passing by stopped when Wang Jingfei asked, "Is Director Chen Ran inside?"
The lady, recognizing Wang Jingfei, replied, "Oh, Ms. Wang. Yes, he's inside."
"Why isn't he opening the door?" Wang Jingfei asked.
The lady smiled awkwardly.
Realizing her question was unreasonable, Wang Jingfei rephrased, "Is there any way to 'unlock' this door?" She pointed to the door.
"You need to make a phone appointment," the lady answered.
Wang Jingfei took out her phone from her handbag, "Even internal staff need to do this?"
The lady smiled again.
Wang Jingfei dialed the number, waved kindly at the lady, who quickly walked away relieved. "Who is this?" came the voice from the phone.
"It's Wang Jingfei."
"Oh?"
"I'm right outside your door."
"Do you need something?"
"Can I come in and talk?" Her tone was now stern. The line went dead. Moments later, Chen Ran opened the door.