[Wuxia] The Merchant's Journey: A Tale of Unbridled Romance (Complete) - Chapter 28 (End)

page views:1 Publication date:2023-09-19

Episode 14, Chapter 5: Facing

the Unspoken Rules of the Underground Business World. "The unspoken rules of the underground business world cannot be changed."

Ni Xuan's voice was still very soft; if my mental strength weren't strong enough, I doubt I could even hear her. "I know, it's okay, we can think of other ways."

I knew Ni Xuan's emotions were fluctuating greatly, and it wasn't a good time to provoke her further. “If you really want to acquire shares in Butterfly Dragon Airlines, perhaps there’s another way to help you.”

“I don’t necessarily want to fight for your mother’s shares, but this is the only way I can think of right now.” Ni Xuan clearly ignored my explanation and continued, “Theoretically speaking, according to the unspoken rules of the underground business world, anyone with a direct relationship to the company president can have inheritance rights. For example, Zhuo Fan, although he is only my mother’s adopted son, can still inherit everything in Butterfly Dragon Airlines.” “Furthermore, just like when my mother inherited Butterfly Dragon Airlines, if the president’s children have no interest in business, or are unable to manage the company for other reasons, then their spouses can also have inheritance rights.”

As Ni Xuan spoke, her already not-so-loud voice became even lower, and I sensed a faint blush in it. Hearing it from Ni Xuan in this tone felt very novel to me. "You mean..."

"Don't worry, I won't suggest you marry Mo Yuanqing." "I understand too..."

"Of course, I won't force you to marry me either. I'm just letting you know that this is a possibility." Ni Xuan's face turned as red as an apple as she said this, a captivating blush extending to her ears. Combined with her charming appearance, she could truly make any man who saw her fall in love.

I never expected Ni Xuan to propose marriage in this way. Although such a marriage involves too many interests, I still believe she's not simply sacrificing her marriage to solve a problem. Perhaps, as Ni Die told me, Ni Xuan does like me deep down, but this love cannot be expressed openly due to the nature of her work. That's why she has to express it in this awkward way today.

"But what's the difference between this and you personally inheriting the shares of Butterfly Dragon Airlines?" "Because my father is in Mo Yuanqing's hands, I don't think I can make the right judgment in a critical moment, so I'd rather place my hopes on you."

"So, you've agreed to help me anyway?" I didn't want to delve deeper into this issue, just as I didn't want to make a decision about this marriage immediately.

"No, I only want to help myself. As a reward, you're getting a gentle and virtuous wife for free." Ni Xuan had clearly recovered from the embarrassment just now. She had been blushing like a young girl, but now she could joke with me calmly.

I had underestimated this woman's thick skin... I shouldn't have hesitated just now. I should have tried to see what her expression would be if I had agreed to the marriage immediately.

Now it's too late to say anything. With Ni Xuan regaining the initiative, I could only helplessly accept being the target of her wanton mockery. However, this feeling was undoubtedly blissful; at least I could imagine it as a flirtatious exchange from my fiancée! Back at the Tianye Building, I was astonished to find that since Tianye Group announced its collaboration with the government to build Desert Star Island, the company had been receiving countless business cooperation proposals every day, including from top companies with international reputations in their respective fields.

Among these companies offering their services, those in the apparel, construction, and machinery industries were particularly prominent, indicating that Tianye Group had already begun to make its mark in these sectors. The next step was to expand business in these advantageous industries as much as possible and rapidly increase Tianye Group's total asset value. Because Ni Xuan had already cultivated a number of business elites within the assistant secretary department, Tianye Group was able to handle such a huge business opportunity with ease. The various departments collaborated exceptionally well, like soldiers already prepared for a challenge, immediately throwing themselves into a series of business battles.

As Tianye Group gradually entered a virtuous cycle, I also felt an unprecedented pressure slowly approaching. Because several industries were developing simultaneously, the working capital available to Tianye Group was very limited. This situation was undoubtedly exactly what Mo Yuanqing wanted to see. In this way, whether in the secondary market or with Dielong Airlines, as long as he decided to act, Tianye Group would surrender without any resistance. In Mo Yuanqing's view, the scales of victory had tipped in his favor, and so quickly!

"President, due to the significant increase in import and export volume, the revenue of the 'Xuan' brand clothing has increased by 60%, jumping into the top ten clothing brands in the world. Public opinion polls show that over 87% of customers suggest that we try new clothing styles in addition to women's casual wear and professional attire. I've entrusted Miss Bai Yuejing with the relevant design plans." I listened quietly to Xue'er's work report, secretly rejoicing that Ni Xuan had brought me such a shrewd and capable secretary. For example, her previous arrangement of having Bai Yuejing manage the "Xuan" brand clothing not only leveraged Bai Yuejing's keen sense of the fashion industry but also fully utilized her advantage as the heiress of the Bai Group, which gave her easier access to media and celebrities. This allowed the "Xuan" brand to easily secure several big-name celebrity spokespeople after Su Yuan, quickly leading the international fashion trend and further expanding its loyal customer base.

"What about Mo Yuanqing? Any news?" Always vigilant, I never let my guard down regarding Mo Yuanqing.

"Still no movement. According to the latest news, because of Mr. Mo Long's strong opposition, Mo Yuanqing hasn't dared to make the decisive move to acquire Dielong Airlines. Furthermore, our company's rapid growth has also made him hesitant. After all, with the continuous increase in Tianye Group's market value, he would need to spend even more to achieve a complete acquisition." I understood what Xue'er meant by being hesitant. To slow down Mo Yuanqing's pace of acquiring Dielong Airlines' shares, I deliberately pushed Tianye Group into the spotlight, attempting to attract Mo Yuanqing's attention with this near-explosive growth rate.

As Xue'er just said, if Mo Yuanqing chooses to take the lead in acquiring Dielong Airlines, then by the time the formalities are completed, Tianye Group may have already developed into a super-large enterprise comparable to it. Even if Mo Yuanqing could still use the same old tricks, forcing me to transfer the equity of Tianye Group to him through my relationship with Ni Xuan, the price he would have to pay at that time would be incalculable. From a procedural standpoint, he would not be able to meet the asset requirements for acquiring Tianye Group.

This is my important means of dealing with Mo Yuanqing. Only when he is distracted and hesitant can we find his weakness and defeat him in one fell swoop! "How is the airport negotiation going?"

I continued to ask. "It's going fairly smoothly. Because of the foundation laid by Dielong Airlines in the early stages, Tianye Group has encountered basically no obstacles in this foray into the aviation industry. We have acquired the twelve airports that were originally secretly controlled by Dielong Airlines through formal channels. In addition, Tianye's second aircraft model has entered the final test flight stage, and I believe it will soon be able to comprehensively improve the current situation of the domestic aviation industry."

I looked at the data report in my hand with satisfaction. Besides the project progress Xue'er just mentioned, the most eye-catching thing should be the recruitment plan for airport flight attendants. The elite flight attendant group, selected from thousands, is divided into seven ranks: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. The rigorous selection process for each rank, along with the custom-designed uniforms tailored to each individual's physique, is far more than just building a flight attendant team; it's practically the world's most demanding beauty pageant. No man would miss the opportunity to witness such data firsthand.

If the women in the president's assistant and secretary department are a combination of intelligence and beauty, then these women who can wear the uniforms of Tianye Group's flight attendants are stunning beauties, possessing a breathtaking appearance that can make your heart race at first glance. They would surely conquer most male passengers, and perhaps even attract some fashion-conscious women. Of course, as the price for building this special team, the zeros after their salaries would be enough to leave me speechless for a long time. This must be what they mean by "to do a good job, one must first have the right tools!" While

I was indulging in fantasies about the flight attendants being recruited, Xue'er, after reporting the good news, began her usual work of reporting the bad news. "Since these airports and supporting facilities were acquired through asset swaps, the company's cash flow has reached saturation. In addition, we must free up some asset space for the early manufacturing of Tianye No. 2. I wonder if we could temporarily reduce engineering expenses in other areas?"

"Are there any other solutions?" Under normal circumstances, I would gladly accept Xue'er's suggestion, but in these extraordinary times, I don't want Mo Yuanqing to see through my true strength.

Xue'er seemed to have anticipated my question, and before I could even finish speaking, she interjected, "Yes, we can look for partners worldwide. Actually, this proposal should have been implemented long ago, but so far no suitable company has appeared, which is why it's been delayed." "What if such an ideal company never appears?"

"There's nothing we can do but make do." "Better than nothing. Our main goal right now is to wear down Mo Yuanqing's patience. As for the costs and consequences, we can put that aside for now."

"Okay, President, I'll arrange it as soon as possible," Xue'er replied professionally, quickly jotting something down in her notebook. Then she added, "There's one last thing. Mr. Yamada Hirayoshi, General Manager of the Asia Region of the East Asia Industrial Economics Association, has sent an invitation to you and Ms. Chuncao Sanyue to visit the Shanghai branch of the East Asia Industrial Economics Association. The time is flexible."

This guy really isn't giving up, I thought to myself. He always chooses these busy times. It seems that constantly avoiding him isn't a solution. Rather than continuing this entanglement... It's better to cut the Gordian knot and completely extinguish his hopes! "Alright, tell him I'll go first thing tomorrow morning,"

I said resolutely. Xue'er was clearly taken aback by my decision. She stood there stunned for a few seconds before picking up her notebook to take notes. The friendship she had built with Chuncao Sanyue over this period made it difficult for her to understand my actions, which felt like betraying a friend.

However, as a secretary, Xue'er knew the importance of doing more work and talking less, so despite her dissatisfaction, she respectfully left my office without showing any reaction on her face. That evening, I told Chuncao Sanyue about my decision. At first, the little girl just casually agreed, but as time went on, the restlessness hidden in her heart couldn't help but surface. Although she had been mentally prepared beforehand, when "disaster struck," she couldn't help but show the fear and anxiety that belonged to someone her age, just like any other child.

The next morning, when I saw Chuncao Sanyue again, she was noticeably more cheerful than the day before, having adjusted overnight. She had come to understand to some extent that this was a responsibility she had to bear. Chuncao Sanyue and I got into the back seat of the car, but I noticed that Mo Ming didn't start the car as usual. Instead, he stared at me intently through the rearview mirror. The confusion and bewilderment in his dark eyes seemed to represent a longing, a yearning for me to change my mind.

"President, why do you insist on sending Chuncao Sanyue there?" Mo Ming was clearly dissatisfied with my decision, his tone tinged with resentment.

I knew very well that since Mo Ming met Chuncao Sanyue, he had always treated this adorable little girl like his own sister, taking great care of her. Mo Ming didn't have many close relatives; Chuncao Sanyue's appearance seemed to have injected a ray of light into his life. Now, to have him watch me push this last bit of vitality into a fire pit—I doubt anyone would stand idly by. “Because of some apples.”

I looked down at the documents in my hand, answering a question that seemed unrelated. Mo Ming was taken aback, not understanding what I meant.

“Because I’m one of the shareholders of the Amano Group, I’ve taken a lot of apples from the Amano Group, so I have to do something for the Amano Group,” Chuncao Sanyue said, acting like a little adult. Although her words were still childish enough to make one laugh.

For…a little apple?” Mo Ming’s eyes were even more confused. He really didn’t understand. What kind of magical apple could make Chuncao Sanyue overcome her fear and willingly risk going to the East Asia Industrial and Economic Association?

“Let’s drive. Don’t you even trust me?” I smiled and put down the documents in my hand, comforting Mo Ming.

Mo Ming was still skeptical until he turned his gaze to Chuncao Sanyue and received a nod of affirmation. Then he turned around resolutely, stepped on the gas, and the car sped away. “No need to rush, we still have time.”

I glanced at my watch and said sincerely, "I promised you I wouldn't let March face those people alone. I'll go with her." "What about me?"

Mo Ming glanced at me in the rearview mirror and asked tentatively. "If you'd like, of course you can," I

joked with Mo Ming, trying to put him at ease so he wouldn't do anything rash. "Relax. We're just going to a business negotiation, not to fight on the front lines. There won't be any life-or-death situations." Hearing this, Mo Ming's expression finally softened considerably.

We drove to the Shanghai branch of the East Asia Industrial and Economic Association, where we found they were already prepared. As soon as we got out of the car, someone led us through a side entrance into the building. The whole process was swift and efficient, completely unnoticed by any passersby. Or rather, even if the three of us disappeared from this building, it wouldn't attract any attention. Mo Ming perhaps noticed this detail; from the moment he entered the building, he had been frowning, as if everyone here owed him money, finding fault with everyone.

"Relax, we're not here to fight." "Walking beside Mo Ming, I whispered a word of advice.

I knew Mo Ming was worried about Chuncao Sanyue's safety, but actually, of the three of us, I was probably the one who needed the most protection... In any case, when we arrived at our destination—the internal conference room of the Shanghai branch of the East Asia Industrial and Economic Co-operation Association—a great weight was lifted from my shoulders. Apart from Yamada Hirayoshi, there was no one else sitting there, which at least proved that they had no intention of attacking us here

. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, President Yang." Yamada Hirayoshi sat calmly in the center of the conference table, gesturing to the seats opposite, indicating that we could sit wherever

we pleased. Mo Ming and I simultaneously chose the seats closest to the conference room door, pulling Chuncao Sanyue back from her attempt to rush forward. We then exchanged a knowing smile. "Mr. Yamada, whether we're happy to meet again may take some time to tell." "

I teased deliberately. Luckily, I didn't detect the slightest embarrassment in Yamada Hirayoshi's eyes. According to my understanding of his mental abilities, this meant he never intended to harm us.

Yamada Hirayoshi didn't seem to care about my joke. Instead, he turned to look at Haruka Mitsuki, a barely suppressed joy showing on his face. To me, it seemed more like the concern of an elder for a younger person. "This must be Miss Haruka, right?"

Yamada Hirayoshi's voice trembled slightly. After overcoming numerous obstacles, he had finally met the person he had longed for, which inevitably made him a little flustered. "My name is Haruka Mitsuki, not Miss Haruka."

Chuncao Sanyue's somewhat hostile yet childlike reply undoubtedly poured cold water on Yamada Heiryo's flustered expression. Faced with this adorable little girl, Yamada Heiryo's composure was surprisingly excellent; he repeatedly apologized, saying, "Yes, yes, that's right, it's Chuncao Sanyue. I'm sorry, I was too presumptuous."

Mo Ming and I were dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances. We had never expected Yamada Heiryo to be so polite to Chuncao Sanyue, even giving the impression that he was somewhat wary of her. What was going on? After this little interlude, Yamada Heiryo regained his usual composure, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, now that everyone who's supposed to be here is here, let's get back to the main topic!"

Mo Ming and I tensed up again, ready to listen attentively. "It's like this. Actually, I mentioned this issue to President Yang before. According to repeated investigations by our East Asia Industrial and Economic Association headquarters, we discovered that some time ago, an underground organization impersonated our organization, manufacturing and selling counterfeit antiques. This matter has had a huge impact on our East Asia Industrial and Economic Association. We heard that Chuncao Sanyue is very knowledgeable about the inside story of this matter, so we want to get some information about it from her." "

Is it for this?" I said casually, but my mind was in turmoil.

You see, the matter of the "Yunshui" organization counterfeiting and selling counterfeit antiques was something that Chuncao Sanyue and I investigated secretly. Therefore, besides a few of us, only a few people like Ni Xuan and Sima Ling knew that Chuncao Sanyue was involved in this matter. Now, Yamada Hirai is insisting that Chuncao Sanyue knows the inside story of this matter. Where did he get his information? After thinking it over, a figure I had almost forgotten suddenly popped into my mind: the ninja uncle that Chuncao Sanyue had encountered several times.

Judging from the previous signs, this ninja uncle was very likely an employee of the East Asia Sankei Cooperative, and had repeatedly used Haruka Mitsuki to do things for him. Therefore, the whole matter seemed logical. But why didn't this mysterious man personally tell Yamada Heiryo the whole story and gain a promotion, instead of giving this easy opportunity to Haruka Mitsuki? Perhaps he hadn't yet figured out the ins and outs of the "Cloud Water" organization, or perhaps he had some unspeakable difficulties?

While I was making wild guesses, Yamada Heiryo's words interrupted my thoughts. "Haruka Mitsuki, I know your mother is from a branch of the royal family in the high-level management of the East Asia Sankei Cooperative, and you also want your mother's name to be reinstated in the Haruka family genealogy. Today is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. As long as you can make contributions to the East Asia Sankei Cooperative, there is hope that your mother's name will be reinstated in the Haruka family genealogy!"

Haruka Mitsuki trembled upon hearing this, her eyes immediately flashing with urgent desire.

Episode 14, Chapter 6: The Uninvited Guest.

No one noticed that a similar, even more urgent look flashed in Yamada Hirayoshi's eyes…

“March, you need to think carefully. Don't fall for his tricks,” Mo Ming whispered a warning. Although he didn't know what Yamada Hirayoshi was up to, he felt that everything that had happened today was a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy that had been planned long ago.

“I can tell you everything about the ‘Cloud Water’ organization,” Chuncao Sanyue hesitated for a long time before finally standing up and speaking. I could sense that her eyes had changed: “But can you guarantee that what you say is true?”

“I'm sorry, I can't guarantee that,” Yamada Hirayoshi replied expressionlessly .

A hint of disappointment flashed across Chuncao Sanyue's face. She slumped back into her chair, her mind once again caught in a fierce struggle. “Damn it, playing with a child,”

Mo Ming cursed inwardly. His tightly clenched fist made me uneasy.

To prevent the situation from escalating further, and to avoid putting Haruka Mitsuki in an even more difficult position, I held up the document I'd brought from the Amano Group, waved it a few times in front of Yamada Hirayoshi, and said with a serious expression, "Please look, this top-secret document records the various misdeeds and specific crimes committed by the 'Yunshui' organization. Through this data, we can easily see that numerous strong pieces of evidence indicate that the secret conglomerate lurking behind the 'Yunshui' organization is the East Asia Sankei Federation." I finished speaking with great enthusiasm. I had hoped that he would show even the slightest surprise, but to my surprise, Yamada Hirayoshi not only remained expressionless but also casually beckoned me to hand over the document.

Faced with this, I was truly furious, but I was helpless against Yamada Hirayoshi's composure under pressure. After all, experience counts, and to help Haruka Mitsuki resolve this matter properly, I could only swallow my anger and politely hand over the document. Yamada Hirayoshi took the data, glanced at it briefly, and casually pushed it aside. He remained fixed on Haruka Mitsuki, his deep, authoritative voice demanding, "Haruka Mitsuki, what's your decision?"

Haruka Mitsuki's shoulders trembled again. She instinctively clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her skin, leaving several bright red marks. "Enough! Why do you always make things difficult for a little girl?"

Mo Ming suddenly stood up, his voice chilling. The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became tense.

Yamada Hirayoshi remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on Haruka Mitsuki, as if determined to force her to answer. It was utterly perplexing. Haruka Mitsuki's tightly clenched lip was pitiful, but I knew this wasn't the time for tenderness.

Judging from Yamada Hirayoshi's strange behavior, he probably wants more than just to know the criminal secrets of the "Yunshui" organization; this matter must be related to Haruka Mitsuki. And just as we predicted, Yamada Hirayoshi has been targeting Haruka Mitsuki from the very beginning!

Based on my experience dealing with difficult problems, to solve a complex matter, one must understand the truth as thoroughly as possible. Only then can one unravel the mystery and find a breakthrough! So, I got up, pressed Mo Ming's shoulder, and pulled him back into his chair, signaling him to calm down.

Actually, what Haruka Mitsuki wanted to tell wasn't a major secret; the process of the "Yunshui" organization forging and selling counterfeit antiques wasn't a trade secret either. It's just that, from Haruka Mitsuki's perspective, this matter, spoken by her, seemed to carry a hint of conspiracy. Otherwise, why would Yamada Hirayoshi specifically ask Haruka Mitsuki to tell him? Furthermore, Haruka Mitsuki knew it was a trap, yet couldn't avoid it—for a young girl who hadn't even reached adulthood, this was undeniably cruel.

Regardless, under these unavoidable circumstances, Haruca Mitsuki, albeit hesitantly, recounted the entire incident as she knew it. In my personal opinion, Haruca Mitsuki's tense account was far less detailed than the information I had given to Yamada Hirayoshi. But for some reason, Yamada Hirayoshi listened with great interest, even meticulously recording everything himself. His eagerness to avoid missing anything only deepened our confusion.

"Alright, it's finally done. Thank you everyone." Having written the last word, Yamada Hirayoshi let out a long sigh of relief, then stood up respectfully, straightened his back, and gave us a ninety-degree bow. This sudden gesture left us completely bewildered, unsure how to react.

Only Haruca Mitsuki stood up as well, gave Yamada Hirayoshi a measured bow, and then sat down again without a word. Once everyone was seated again, Yamada Hirayoshi clearly had no intention of keeping us any longer. He immediately instructed his secretary to escort us out of the internal conference room and directly to the underground parking garage. It wasn't

until we were driving back to the Amano Building that I felt as if none of this had happened, yet it also felt like I had experienced so much. No matter how much I thought about it, it remained elusive. What exactly did that guy want?

Chuncao Sanyue remained silent the entire way, as if she had suffered some major shock, which prompted Mo Ming to endlessly berate me. In his view, if I hadn't insisted on stopping him, Chuncao Sanyue wouldn't have been forced to recount that experience, and naturally wouldn't be in her current foolish state... Finally, the moment the car stopped in front of the Tianye Building, Chuncao Sanyue suddenly looked up, blinked her eyes, and asked me, "Little Ye Ye, is everything over?"

I was taken aback at first, then pressed my hands against Chuncao Sanyue's cheeks, almost like coaxing a child, and said, "That's right. Because of Sanyue's brave performance, this matter has been resolved satisfactorily. On behalf of the entire Tianye Group, I express my gratitude to you!" Chuncao Sanyue's face kept changing shape under my kneading, and finally, unable to endure the "torture" any longer, she forcefully pushed my arms away, and we started playing around in the back seat of the car.

At this moment, I could feel Mo Ming's loving black eyes gently gazing at Sanyue, those eyes filled with infinite love and a faint sadness. At least I'd never seen him show such an expression before. "Can I go back and eat apples now?"

After her antics, Chuncao Sanyue asked expectantly, panting heavily. "Of course, you have plenty of apples now, more than you could ever eat in your lifetime,"

I replied with a smile. Watching Chuncao Sanyue cheer and rush off the car, Mo Ming and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The cute and lively Chuncao Sanyue was back. With this perfect ending, what more could we ask for?

"Yang Ye." Just as I was about to get out of the car, Mo Ming suddenly spoke.

"What is it?" I turned and asked.

"If this happens again, I absolutely won't let you off the hook," Mo Ming said, feigning a fierce look. "No problem, I don't think it will happen again," I said, suppressing a laugh. I hadn't expected this cold-blooded guy to be so cute sometimes.

"Thank you," Mo Ming murmured to himself as I got out of the car and closed the door.

And he actually thought I hadn't heard him? Wouldn't that be an insult to my mental strength level? Back in my office, I felt exceptionally cheerful today. Unfortunately, perhaps due to a tendency for excessive joy, an email from Ni Xuan as I opened my inbox plunged my spirits back into despair.

Before this, I had never seriously considered how I would face everything alone when Ni Xuan truly left Tianye Group. But from today onwards, I had to slowly adapt, because the email opened with: "Goodbye, Yang Ye." However, after reading the entire email, my annoyance instantly turned into waves of anger. The email told me nothing but about Mo Yuanqing's plan to seize the shares of Dielong Airlines.

Although Mo Long still refused to transfer her shares to Mo Yuanqing, Mo Yuanqing persisted. He threatened Ni Dielong Airlines over the phone to hand over her shares, which was the main reason Ni Xuan chose to return to Dielong Airlines immediately.

Mo Yuanqing's sudden action truly shocked me. It seemed Mo Yuanqing had finally lost his patience and was preparing to act, but the method he chose greatly disappointed me. I initially thought that given Mo Yuanqing's calm and cautious nature, he wouldn't choose such a risky approach—directly confronting Ni Die first. After all, the rapid development of Tianye Group was undeniable, and his current actions were tantamount to taking a roundabout route, completely illogical.

Unless some unforeseen event beyond Mo Yuanqing's control caused him to change his mind and take the initiative recklessly! What could have made him unwilling to wait any longer?

As I pondered this, a low knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. In fact, even without this little incident, I couldn't have come up with any conclusion out of thin air. "Come in."

"President, someone outside wants to see you." Xue'er pushed open the door and stopped two meters away from me.

"Let them wait for me in the conference room!" I replied casually, silently staring at the email on the screen.

"But the other party is from the North American Trade Alliance, and they specifically requested to see you immediately." Xue'er's voice was as calm and polite as ever.

"North American Trade Alliance?" I muttered to myself, thinking to myself: The North American Trade Alliance has never had any business dealings with the Tianye Group, yet they've come to visit in person today; there might be something going on.

"Take them to the VIP conference room first, I'll be there shortly." The VIP conference room is a luxurious room in the Tianye Building specifically prepared for receiving special guests. Besides having all the basic functions of a regular conference room, it also features Tian Qingfei's latest 3D imaging system, just like the equipment in her office, providing a wonderfully immersive experience.

Furthermore, the air filtration systems surrounding the VIP conference room make the air much fresher and more pleasant than outside. A faint, natural fragrance permeates every corner of the conference room, instantly making the VIPs feel refreshed and relaxed. According to Tian Qingfei's theory, this sense of environmental superiority is highly conducive to negotiations. "Okay,"

Xue'er replied softly. Just as Xue'er was about to leave the office, I suddenly realized something was wrong, so I hurriedly shouted, "Wait...wait a minute!"

"President, is there anything else?" Xue'er turned around and asked respectfully.

"You didn't leave with Ni Xuan?" In my memory, Xue'er had always been Ni Xuan's personal secretary. This secretary, who had followed Ni Xuan from the underground business world to the Tianye Group, only obeyed my orders because of Ni Xuan. I had never truly had any control over her.

But this time, Xue'er didn't return to Dielong Airlines with Ni Xuan, which surprised me greatly. "Yes, Miss Ni Xuan had to return to Dielong Airlines first. Before leaving, she instructed me to help the president handle the daily affairs of the Tianye Group, so we didn't go back together."

From Xue'er's expression, I couldn't sense any agreement or disagreement. It could be said that she was simply carrying out Ni Xuan's orders, and whether the orders went against her own wishes was unimportant to her. "I see..."

Since Ni Xuan had already made this decision. I didn't say much, only silently thanking her for her meticulous arrangements. Perhaps she was still worried about entrusting the entire Amano Group to me? With this self-comforting thought, I arrived at the VIP conference room of the Amano Building. Through the tempered glass outside, I saw two familiar figures sitting at the conference table. Perhaps because so much time had passed, I couldn't immediately recognize them from behind.

Filled with doubt, I quickened my pace, turning the corner of the glass wall. Pushing open the conference room door, I stared intently, finally recognizing their faces! "It's you?"

I exclaimed, my eyes wide, never expecting to see them again here. Before me stood a blond, blue-eyed European brother and sister. Judging from their imposing appearance and elegant, refined aristocratic air, they were clearly not ordinary people. Still relying on their own hands? How can that be satisfying? Forum reputation guaranteed! The highly realistic vulva shape, molded from the actual lower body of Laura Takizawa, is soft and delicate! It features large internal bumps that closely mimic female anatomy, providing a more realistic experience... The sensation is irresistible! Click to enter.

"Hello, Aina." Having regained her composure, after greeting the girl, she turned her gaze to the man beside her. She politely said, "And you, Stern." That's right. The brother and sister standing before me were none other than Aina, the descendant of a famous European jewelry family whom I had previously helped. Their royal lineage had actually traveled all the way to China to visit me, a mere insignificant CEO. This was no small matter. What surprised me even more was their identity as representatives of the North American Trade Federation. What story lay hidden within? "Yang Ye, long time no see! I thought you'd forgotten us!"

Compared to her arrogant and complacent brother, Aina grabbed my arm and shook it incessantly. I took a closer look at this beautiful girl I hadn't seen in so long. The bright red scar on her face had faded considerably, leaving only a pinkish tinge, which I believed would completely disappear in time.

Aina... In that instant, I didn't feel despair or sorrow, but rather an indescribable purity and etherealness. This girl was like a flawless piece of crystal; everything seen through her eyes became infinitely beautiful. Truly worthy of being of British royal blood, one can't help but envy the Creator's favoritism; a girl possessing both a fairy-like appearance and a pure, kind heart—what more can we ask of her? "How could that be? Have you forgotten? We've had a spiritual exchange; your image will forever be etched in my heart."

I lifted Aina up, examining her carefully for a while, then said, "It seems our Miss Aina has become even more beautiful. If she continues to be this beautiful, I might not even recognize her!" "No, then I don't want to be beautiful anymore!"

Aina cried out. Her face paled, she grabbed my hand and vigorously rubbed her face. I was genuinely amused by this little girl's innocent actions and quickly withdrew my hand, afraid of leaving even the slightest flaw on her perfect face.

If the loveliness of Chuncao Sanyue stemmed from her slight mischief and occasional displays of precocious maturity, then Aina and Aina were like a pair of little devils and angels sent to earth by God, bringing endless joy to me and everyone around me. "Alright, stop fooling around, let's get down to business!"

While Aina was being coquettish and pouting, her brother, Stern, who had brought her to the Amano Group through the Stern Alliance, said this. However, the problem was back to square one: the Hans family, descendants of the British Royal Family and a renowned European jewelry dynasty, why had they suddenly joined the North American Trade Alliance? "Well, what would you two like to drink?"

I casually opened the refrigerator in the conference room, pointing to the array of beverages inside. Because the VIP conference room was equipped with a temperature and humidity control system, the temperature was maintained at around 20 degrees Celsius year-round. At this temperature, any beverage would be suitable.

"No need," Stern declined. "We siblings are here on behalf of the North American Trade Alliance to discuss business cooperation with the Amano Group."

"Why you two? Has the North American Trade Alliance's influence extended throughout Britain?" "I feigned surprise, but in reality, anyone with common business sense knew that what I said was just a good lame joke.

"It's simple, because we've left the Western European industrial group and joined the North American trade alliance. Moreover, in a sense, my siblings and I are old acquaintances of President Yang, so it's most appropriate for us to discuss this matter with him." "Stern suppressed his anger. This anger wasn't directed at me, but I was certain it was closely related to his departure from the Western European Industrial Group.

I knew that among the world's three major trading entities, the East Asia Sankei Cooperative was almost a family business, a conglomerate completely controlled by the Japanese imperial family. It was highly unlikely that a defection would occur. Even if one did, it would be an internal power struggle, not involving the interests of other conglomerates, and certainly not allowing other conglomerates to take advantage of the situation. Furthermore, the Western European Industrial Group was a purely modern management enterprise with a complete modern management system. It was like a complex, precisely operating machine, with every part interconnected. No one was the absolute master of this machine, yet everyone could operate it. Their harmony meant that the entire enterprise rarely made mistakes. This was somewhat similar to the current Amano Group.

Among the three major trading entities, only the North American Trade Alliance was composed of a dozen or so independent trading groups, including several Australian conglomerates. The North American Trade Alliance had too many uncertainties..." Factors, but this seemingly flawed and fragmented conglomerate alliance has always managed to unite at crucial moments, leveraging the unique strengths of each company to support an entire sector. In my view, the main reason these three major trading entities have remained standing is their cohesion. To control most of the world's economic arteries, if they couldn't even achieve this most basic level, they would probably have been defeated by the next-tier conglomerates long ago.

That's why, although the Stern family's jewelry industry can't stand alone in Europe, nor can it be considered a leader in any particular field, their strong financial foundation and pure British royal background are still valued by every major conglomerate. However, it wasn't the Stern Industrial Group that left, but rather, due to certain reasons, they were forced to leave the Western European Industrial Group and join the North American Trade Alliance. The reason was probably the North American Trade Alliance's open policies and the Hans family's vast economic foundation.

Despite having many questions in my mind, I didn't show them and continued businesslike: "Alright then, since you two have come from afar, is there anything I can help you with?" “It’s like this. I recently heard that Amano Group is preparing to invest in the international aviation industry, and the North American Trade Alliance has always been a leader in the aviation field. I wonder if President Yang is interested in cooperating with us?”

Judging from the Hans family of the North American Trade Alliance, they probably want to take this opportunity to make a good impression so that they can gain a foothold in this highly competitive business alliance. “That’s right. I publicly announced to the media that Amano Group is preparing to enter the aviation field and is indeed seeking business partners, but there are conditions.”

A deep smile flashed across my lips. It seems that my previous boastful remarks in front of the media had worked; a big fish had taken the bait. “What conditions?”

I deliberately paused for a moment, waiting until I sensed that the other party was eager enough before explaining. “First of all, the partner must understand that what Amano Group currently lacks is only capital and manpower. Therefore, the cooperation we need is only a one-sided equity investment, not joint development.” In return, we can offer our partners a relatively generous share of the profits. However, all airports and aircraft built in this cooperative project will belong solely to the Amano Group, and will not be considered joint assets.

"This is outrageous!" Stern Mann

, a pure descendant of the British Royal Family, felt deeply humiliated to be sitting here discussing an unequal treaty with me. "No, Mr. Hans, perhaps you didn't hear me clearly. Once we reach a cooperation agreement, the North American Trade Alliance will receive a significant share of the profits—a very substantial increase. All you need to do is invest your funds in this project and then wait for the annual dividends. Why not?" "

Chapter Seven of Episode Fourteen: The Cooperation Plan"

I placed my hands on the conference table, staring intently at Stern's pervasive presence, trying to understand his current thoughts.

While it was certainly good for Stern to receive money every year without effort, losing ownership of all airports and even all aircraft was tantamount to handing over his future development to someone else, something he simply couldn't accept. Knowing I needed to give him time to consider carefully, I didn't rush Stern's answer, but continued, "Secondly, the professional technology currently possessed by the Amano Group is also our private property. Even during the cooperation period, it will not be considered a joint asset, and the partner has no right to control this professional technology."

"I have no objection to that." Stern's alliance wasn't after Starmark, but from a business cooperation perspective, the Amano Group should strive to secure such a high-quality partner!

"Finally, because this cooperation project involves a wide range of areas, the partner must have excellent business development capabilities, striving to spread our airports and aircraft throughout the world in the shortest possible time. In return, the Amano Group will give priority to the partner in future business cooperation projects." “No problem, with the strength of the North American Trade Federation, this condition is easily achievable.”

Stern objected. Thus, all the issues centered on the first condition, resulting in a stalemate!

In reality, the reason I was willing to forgo most of the profits to maintain independent control of the airport and aircraft was so that, should alien spacecraft invade Earth in the future, the Amano Group could freely mobilize its air defense forces without being hampered by interference from others. However, this reason made it impossible for me to accept Stern's condition as a completely unreasonable and domineering clause, even damaging the Amano Group's cooperative integrity.

Seeing that it was impossible to finalize the cooperation project in the short term, I suggested we go eat first, and then sit down to discuss the details more thoroughly after we had filled our stomachs. At least this would allow our brains to get more blood flow. This suggestion immediately elicited a furrowed brow from Aina, who looked determined to secure the cooperation project. But given that it was already afternoon and her stomach was indeed protesting, she had no choice but to yield to the majority and sluggishly walked out of the VIP conference room behind us.

Before this, I had never known that eating could be such a troublesome matter, but after seeing Stern firsthand… I will try my best not to eat at the same table with this guy from now on! The traditional Western dining etiquette, from the outside in, seemed insignificant at our table. Red wine glasses, water glasses, white wine glasses, dessert spoons, dessert forks, bread plates, butter knives, harpoons, large forks, napkins, large knives, fish knives, spoons—all of these, in Stern Hans's hands, were like skillful tools, constantly cutting through the food and frequently diverting my attention, leaving me breathless.

I realized then that the so-called British aristocracy could only truly display their aristocratic bearing at the table; something an ordinary person could never imitate. You see, this is etiquette cultivated from the age of four…

I should have taken them to a Chinese restaurant! Throughout the meal, this annoyed thought kept recurring in my mind; at least then I wouldn't have looked like an idiot! I have to admit, without Aina's kind smile, I almost had a mental breakdown at this table (my mental strength seemed utterly useless here). But even so, Aina considered it impolite, and therefore, she was forced to do less of it.

Finally, this awful lunch was over. However, as we prepared to leave the Western restaurant, an even more detestable figure suddenly appeared before us, making me feel that this meal was extremely inappropriate! "President Yang, what a coincidence that we're meeting here."

Mo Yuanqing's sudden appearance made me suspect that he had deliberately been staking out this place. This was the second time I had come into such close contact with Mo Yuanqing since our last encounter in Hainan. Unlike last time, today he wasn't accompanied by a bodyguard in a black suit, which somewhat diminished his imposing aura. It turned out that Mo Yuanqing in his ordinary life was just an ordinary person.

Furthermore, accompanied by Mo Yuanqing was a petite and beautiful girl. The girl was probably not much older than Lin Qingmei, wearing an extremely plain light blue dress and clean white high-heeled sandals. However, judging from her well-developed figure, she should be a few years older than Lin Qingmei, but who can guarantee that girls these days aren't precocious? Especially the girl who had been accompanying this gloomy man for so long…

“Mr. Mo, you’re here for dinner too?” I regretted not having met him earlier; then we could have sat at the same table and experienced the atmosphere of British aristocracy!

“No, I just came to buy steak. I didn’t expect to run into you like this. It seems we’re destined to meet!” Mo Yuanqing waved the transparent lunchbox in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the Hans siblings beside me.

“In China, many people are used to eating steak medium-rare or medium. Actually, depending on the plating tools, the required doneness of steak varies, but generally speaking, medium-rare steak is more delicious, while I personally prefer rare,” Stern said .

I was utterly speechless about Western food. “Oh?”

Mo Yuanqing seemed surprised that someone would argue with him about this. He opened his mouth wide, speechless for a long time. Although I didn’t like seeing Mo Yuanqing’s awkward expression, I simply stood silently to the side.

"Furthermore, your method of serving steak in plastic is unscientific. It will ruin the original flavor of the steak, and..." "Sir... just a moment."

Perhaps finally unable to bear Stern's words, she interrupted, "I'm taking this steak home to feed my dog. There shouldn't be so many formalities, right?" Stern's anger was replaced by a sense of unease. In this Englishman's eyes, this impolite man had not only insulted his own character but also his dog!

Through mental contact, I gradually began to understand Stern's family. As a family member, he should enjoy the same treatment as humans. No wonder he was so angry. Should I say he was too serious? Or should I praise him for his courage in punishing evildoers? Unfortunately, Mo Yuanqing completely ignored Stern's words. He came face to face with me.

"President Yang, I heard you're going to invest in developing the international aviation industry. Is this just a spur-of-the-moment decision?" Faced with this question... The first to be surprised was Stern. Who was Mo Yuanqing? But seeing that this guy also seemed interested in cooperating with Tianye Group to develop the aviation industry, a heavy sense of crisis slowly enveloped his heart.

"Of course not, Mr. Mo is also interested in this project?" Upon seeing this, I immediately tried to use Mo Yuanqing to provoke Stern. "As long as it's a profitable project, what businessman wouldn't be interested?"

Mo Yuanqing's words undoubtedly deeply provoked Stern. A strong competitor was right in front of him, and Stern was not associated with the words "sign the contract as soon as possible". “I wouldn’t dare make a promise in front of the media without absolute certainty. Besides, the Xingzhou project has already started. Does Mr. Mo still have any doubts about Tianye Group’s technology and strength?”

“President Yang, don’t blame me for not reminding you. Tianye Group’s large-scale investment and construction might cause cash flow problems!” Mo Yuanqing sneered maliciously, “Simultaneous progress is good, but we must act within our means!”

“Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Mo. We will study and discuss this issue carefully. I just wonder if Mr. Mo, who has been eyeing the aviation industry for so long, would also be willing to take this opportunity to get a share of Tianye Group’s business?” I deliberately implied. In fact, my so-called eyeing of the aviation industry referred to his attempt to acquire Dielong Airlines. Of course, if he really acquired a majority stake in Dielong Airlines, the contract that Ni Die and I signed earlier would probably have to be nullified.

In addition, there is another possibility: that Mo Yuanqing would still maintain the validity of that contract, allowing Dielong Airlines to infiltrate the legitimate aviation industry under the name of Tianye Group. When that time truly comes, it will be my turn to consider whether to continue cooperating with him. However, these questions lingered in Stern's mind. On one hand, he had to admit his complete ignorance of the aviation industry, inevitably putting him at a disadvantage compared to Mo Yuanqing in the technical details of negotiations; on the other hand, although on the surface Mo Yuanqing and he seemed irreconcilable enemies, as the saying goes, there are no permanent enemies in business, only permanent interests. Judging from my earlier earnest invitation to Mo Yuanqing, I still hoped to cooperate with him.

"This isn't something I can agree to right now. Everything will have to wait until I obtain what's mine before a decision can be made." Mo Yuanqing's words made Stern quite nervous about Mo Yuanqing's confident demeanor. Did he think that the shares of Butterfly Dragon Airlines were already in his grasp?

Before I could understand the deeper meaning behind Mo Yuanqing's words, he continued, "Yun'er, give President Yang the gift we prepared." Mo Yuanqing's words had barely finished... Seeing the girl behind him, she politely handed him an envelope. Holding it in his hand, he felt that the envelope was very thin, and the contents were probably paper or something similar.

Yun'er must be that girl's name. Clearly, she was one of the four secretaries trained by Butterfly Dragon Airlines. However, compared to Xue'er's aloofness, Qing'er's allure, and Yu'er's quiet demeanor, Yun'er possessed a more unassuming appearance and personality, more like a girl next door.

Completely devoid of any business aura, Yun'er radiated a fresh and natural beauty from within, attracting the attention of most men without needing heavy makeup. However, compared to her three sisters who were always eye-catching, she appeared much more ordinary. Mo Yuanqing actually had such a low-key secretary by his side—was this also something Ni Die intentionally arranged back then?

I thought to myself, suddenly realizing that this thought was impolite, as if I were treating Yun'er as a prop, placed around everywhere… Based on my understanding of Ni Die, when she paired personal secretaries for Ni Xuan and others, she thoroughly understood their personalities and then chose the pairings in a complementary way.

For example, to compensate for Ni Xuan's excessive domineering nature. She deliberately arranged for the introverted and calm Xue'er to accompany her; to compensate for Zhuo Fan's excessive arrogance, she had Qing'er, who was good at handling interpersonal relationships, accompany him; as for Mo Yuanqing, Ni Die should have already noticed that he was too gloomy and cautious. Although it was the first time she had met Yun'er, she believed that she must be a cheerful and lively girl, which would help Mo Yuanqing avoid getting stuck in a dead end when facing choices. Oh right, there was also Ni Die herself. With her unrestrained nature, she ultimately kept Yu'er, the quiet and composed secretary, by her side. She probably wanted someone to be there to remind her at any time and prevent her from doing anything impulsive.

Perhaps because meeting Yun'er was something I had expected, Yun'er's identity did not arouse too much suspicion in me. On the contrary, I was quite interested in the gift that Mo Yuanqing gave me. If there were no other people present, I probably would have opened it already! This guy actually prepared a gift for me, and said it was an unexpected encounter?

"Alright, I have given you the gift. We have chatted enough, so we should say goodbye." Mo Yuanqing was about to turn around. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead: "I almost forgot to tell you. That person's health hasn't been ideal lately, so I've decided to take back my share early. How about that? Disappointed with my decision?" Seeing my bewildered expression, Mo Yuanqing turned and left, satisfied. So he already knew my purpose in using Tianye Group as bait; no wonder he acted unpredictably!

I didn't try to stop Mo Yuanqing. In fact, even if I had, I wouldn't know what to say to him. With his calculated methods, I doubted I could extract any valuable information from him. It felt like an all-in gamble, and Mo Yuanqing was completely clear-headed. He knew my trump card. And me? Although I also knew what cards Mo Yuanqing held, I couldn't possibly be stronger than him…

Watching Mo Yuanqing's retreating figure, I felt utterly confused. If it weren't for Aina and Stern's reminders, I probably would have stood there dumbfounded for a while longer. Back at the Amano Building, Stern was noticeably more proactive than before. Deeply aware of his opponent's strength, he was eager to finalize the cooperation. However, the key issue didn't lie with him. As the North American Trade Alliance's representative to Amano Group, all he could do was bring all the details he knew back to headquarters for the board to decide on the cooperation plan. The feasibility of the plan.

After saying goodbye to the Hans siblings, the first thing I did was quickly open the envelope. The gift inside was a photograph of a man. Judging from the background, it was a spacious room resembling a warehouse. The room was fairly tidy, and in the center of the room, on the bed, lay a emaciated man, asleep, looking utterly terminally ill, giving off an ominous feeling.

To the man's left, several cardboard boxes were stacked side by side, piled high against the wall; this was perhaps another function of the room—a small storage room for miscellaneous items. To the man's right was a bedside table, on which were placed... There were some decorative items like ceramic vases. The room was simply furnished, clearly not designed for living. I wasn't particularly interested in the room's purpose; instead, the man lying on the hospital bed deeply attracted my attention. Although he looked noticeably emaciated in the photo, I could easily detect a trace of Ni Xuan's presence in his features. Yes, this man was very likely Ni Xuan's father, the hostage Mo Yuanqing considered his trump card!

After discovering this crucial clue, I immediately summoned all my assistants and secretaries to the conference room. Seeing their suspicious expressions, I first handed the photo to Xue'er. "My God!"

The usually composed Xue'er exclaimed in surprise as soon as she saw the man in the photo. "It seems you know him!"

"Yes, he is Miss Ni Xuan's father, the son of the former president of Butterfly Dragon Airlines, who is also my true master." Xue'er quickly regained her composure and confirmed my guess with a series of identifications.

The crowd erupted in an uproar. No one knew how I had obtained the photo, but they all knew very well that I hadn't simply invited them here to introduce this man. "I think we should call the police and let them handle this kidnapping case,"

Song Yuhui said, displaying the legal awareness of a modern urban woman. However, she wasn't from the underground business world. "We can't call the police. Given Mo Yuanqing's personality, if he finds out we've called the police, he'll choose to destroy everything without hesitation, which would only backfire,"

Xue'er immediately objected. Indeed, Mo Yuanqing also came from the underground business world; he knew this stuff much better than we did. This was perhaps why Ni Die and the others hadn't taken any drastic action and had chosen to back down.

"Then what should we do?" Shi Yu frowned. Having worked at Tianye Group for so long, she had heard about the activities of the underground business world, just like Luo Shui, who had met her demise in such an unclear way. "

We can't act rashly, but we can't do nothing either. This is truly a headache," I said, my gaze fixed on Mo Ming not far away.

Mo Ming clearly felt the burning gaze directed at him and knew he could no longer ignore it. Finally, he slowly stood up and stretched lazily under everyone's watchful eyes. To be so carefree and relaxed in such a serious moment was probably unique in the entire Tianye Group. Fortunately, everyone present was an insider and knew that although Mo Ming was ostensibly my driver, he was actually on friendly terms with me, the president, and also my bodyguard. Looking at everyone in Tianye Group, he was probably the most unrestrained person, even more carefree than me, the president.

"President, let me see the photos." "In front of everyone, Mo Ming still addressed me that way.

Without hesitation, I handed the photo to Mo Ming. He first carefully examined the entire image, then went to the window, held it up to the sunlight for a long time, and finally flicked it several times with his finger, his expression suddenly lost in thought. 'That's a photograph, not a negative,'

I reminded him, puzzled, seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time. 'Yes, but this photograph has clearly been specially processed. There's absolutely no trace of it. It seems the photograph itself won't help us. We can only start with the background of this room.'

Mo Ming handed the photo back to me, saying something that no one could understand. 'What does that mean?'

I asked anxiously, disliking Mo Ming's cryptic way of speaking. 'Most photographs, during the developing process, will leave some special marks related to the film and printing room, such as printing batch, photograph code, etc.'"

Mo Ming flipped the photo in my hand over and pointed to the back, saying, "This photo has no marks on its surface, obviously due to post-processing. It shows the other party is an extremely cautious person." After Mo Ming's explanation, I truly noticed that the back of this photo was indeed different from ordinary photos. The snow-white paper showed no signs of film processing, and even the texture was much thinner than ordinary photos. To the average person, this might not seem like much, but to a professional thief like Mo Ming, this kind of specially made photo was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

This is an interesting opponent! That's how Mo Ming described Mo Yuanqing.

Episode 14, Chapter 8: The Truth Comes Out .

"What should we do now?"

Seeing that the only clue was about to run out, I became anxious. "Tracing their trail from the photo itself is probably hopeless, but we can still try to find a breakthrough from the images in the photo."

After Mo Ming finished speaking, before I could even ask a question, he tapped the photo a few times with his finger, his fingertips landing on the decorations and miscellaneous items next to the man, leaving me utterly confused. “As far as I know, not all shops sell this kind of ceramic vase. We can start by looking at the exposed patterns to find shops that sell it, and then narrow down our search in the vicinity of those shops.”

At this moment, I saw Mo Ming’s finger land on the small half of the reddish-brown vase. Although only a small part of the vase was visible in the photo, judging from the incomplete patterns on the shard, it should be a uniquely crafted ceramic piece. However, it was unlikely to be genuine; it was probably a fake, because no one would lock a rare antique with a prisoner. Since my ability to appreciate artifacts was pitifully amateurish, and I didn’t have a complete picture of the vase, I couldn’t immediately depict its full design. I had to temporarily entrust this task to Xue’er, hoping that with the help of some experts, the ceramic vase could be restored to its original state.

Next, Mo Ming moved his finger to the several cardboard boxes piled up beside the man's bed. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the boxes were printed with the Nike swoosh logo, and their surfaces were brand new without any dents, indicating that they had only recently been left unused. But what did this have to do with the man's location? "These boxes were probably filled with athletic shoes, specifically running shoes produced by a Nike-authorized factory. However, these shoes didn't pass quality inspection and weren't routinely destroyed before being shipped there."

"How do you know?" I looked at Mo Ming as if I were looking at Sherlock Holmes reborn, completely ignoring the fact that his true identity was a thief.

Mo Ming pointed to the corner of the top cardboard box, gesturing for me to look closer. Only then did I see a small red mark printed on it. It was quite small, easily missed without close inspection. “Foreign sports product companies like Nike don’t have their own shoe factories in their own countries. They rely on certified and authorized shoe factories to produce shoes, which are then inspected and certified before being distributed to various sales channels. Those products that pass inspection are labeled as ‘goods’—the kind we usually see in specialty stores. Products that fail quality inspection are marked with a red letter and then destroyed. So this is what’s meant by ‘failing quality inspection.’”

After Mo Ming finished speaking, he tapped the letter mark on the photo heavily with his finger a few times, revealing his final answer: “We can send someone to investigate how many Nike-authorized shoe factories there are in Shanghai, and then compare them one by one with the clue from the ceramic vase. We should be able to find their whereabouts quickly.” Everyone in the conference room was stunned. We never imagined that Mo Ming could be even more capable of logical analysis than a professional detective. No wonder he had never been afraid of being confronted by the police for so long. If a thief’s investigative abilities are far more professional than those of the police, what else does he have to worry about?

"Okay. I'll send someone to investigate immediately!" Having no doubt about Mo Ming's analytical abilities, I made a decisive decision.

"Wait a minute, why only Shanghai? We can't rule out the possibility that Mo Yuanqing has placed the hostages elsewhere. Many remote and secluded places in the country are more suitable for hiding than Shanghai, isn't that right?" Xue'er immediately asked. This once again drew everyone's attention to Mo Ming's face.

Mo Ming smiled calmly, strolled back to his chair, plopped down, and then, with an air of complete nonchalance, propped his feet up on the conference table, casually spreading his arms, and said, "Miss Xue'er, you don't have to believe me, but do you have any other choice now? Hire tens of thousands of detectives to search the world for the hostages? Wait a minute, are tens of thousands of detectives enough...?" I never imagined Mo Ming would show such a humorous side. If I hadn't deliberately "pushed him into this," he probably would have remained silent. After all, being my driver is much more leisurely than dealing with these troublesome matters.

Xue'er frowned, seemingly wanting to argue, but ultimately held back. Indeed, as Mo Ming said, the current urgency didn't allow for a lengthy, exhaustive search. She understood this perfectly well; it seemed the only option was to take a gamble! "Alright, since everyone agrees, let's split up and begin!"

I said loudly, then distributed the tasks Mo Ming had assigned to everyone present. Once everything was arranged, only Mo Ming and I remained in the conference room.

"How confident are you?" I leaned against the conference table, asking Mo Ming in a low voice.

"The chances are slim, but we have to try, don't we?" Mo Ming coldly raised his head. From his indifferent eyes, I knew he wasn't joking.

"Yes, and we can only succeed. This is a matter of life and death; we can't afford to fail." My extremely serious tone made Mo Ming's expression stiffen, making him even more pale than usual.

To be honest, I knew Mo Ming couldn't make me any promises, but the lives I was referring to weren't just as simple as Ni Xuan's father's. Once Mo Yuanqing controlled Butterfly Dragon Airlines, Tianye Group's development in the aviation industry would inevitably be affected. And given my personality, after he harmed my friend's father, I could never cooperate with him again. This would create a chain reaction, greatly slowing down my progress on the Earth defense plan. These so-called matters of life and death concern the very survival of humanity!

However, I didn't intend to tell Mo Ming all that right now. After patting him on the shoulder, I walked alone out of the conference room. I had many things to do. I couldn't allow myself to waste all my time playing "detective games."

Just as I reached the conference room door, Mo Ming spoke again: "Yang Ye, based on my understanding of Mo Yuanqing, I believe he must have hidden the hostages in Shanghai." I paused, not turning around, quietly listening to Mo Ming's analysis. “Mo Yuanqing is a cautious person, so he won’t let this important hostage escape his control. Besides, he’s currently at a crucial stage in his battle for control of Butterfly Dragon Airlines, and placing the hostage nearby will allow him to handle many things promptly. However, as he told you before, the hostage’s health is poor. To treat the hostage while maintaining secrecy, there must be a good private clinic nearby. This is also an important clue that cannot be ignored.”

After listening to Mo Ming’s final analysis, I felt much clearer about the situation, so I simply said “thank you” and left the meeting room to immerse myself in the tense process of finding Ni Xuan’s father. Afterwards, the meeting room filled with the strong smell of tobacco. I don’t know when Mo Ming left, only that when I returned, the ashtray on the conference table was full of cigarette butts.

This man seemed to dislike being in the public eye, perhaps due to his past. Recalling his attitude towards Bai Yuejing, it's clear that certain events from the past left indelible shadows on his heart. Although the appearance of Chuncao Sanyue had somewhat changed his outlook on life, he hadn't completely escaped those shadows. What exactly changed his life?

This question has troubled me for a long time. I had secretly investigated Mo Ming's background before, but unfortunately, information about him was scarce, both in terms of his birth and life experiences. Therefore, it can only be said that Mo Ming rarely did anything remarkable from childhood to adulthood. His low-key demeanor meant he had no notable achievements or transgressions. Was it simply his personality that made him dislike the spotlight? Then why did he become a thief?

If it was for survival, given Mo Ming's personality, he should have found a stable job, received a monthly salary, married, had children, and peacefully enjoyed the simple joys of family life. And where did he get his exceptional skills? His resume makes no mention of any martial arts training. Could he be a martial arts prodigy, self-taught…?

Filled with questions, I stared blankly at the ashtray. However, I didn't have much time to concern myself with Mo Ming's past, because there was another person's health issue that was causing me considerable worry. According to the news Ah Shen and Xiao Pang sent that evening, Sima Ling, far away in Hainan, seemed to be embroiled in her dual personality disorder again. She was becoming increasingly irritable and aggressive, and her episodes were happening more frequently than before, which greatly worried Ah Shen and the others, so they quickly informed me.

She was also a woman with a complicated past, but unlike Mo Ming, I was very aware of Sima Ling's psychological trauma. However, completely resolving her psychological problems would take some time. I initially believed that the counterfeit antiques Sima Ling's father purchased originated from the "Yunshui" organization. However, it was later revealed that the "Yunshui" organization had close ties to the East Asia Sankei Cooperative Society. That's why I deliberately sent Sima Ling to Hainan, hoping the pleasant natural environment would help her improve her mood and forget this dark memory.

However, judging from the current situation, Sima Ling hasn't changed her dual personality disorder due to this isolated life; in fact, her condition has worsened. This caught me off guard, and it's my fault for focusing too much on the development of the Amano Group and neglecting her mental state. It seems I must investigate this matter thoroughly. Regardless of whether the East Asia Sankei Cooperative Society is behind it, I must give Sima Ling the truth. As the saying goes, a mental illness requires a mental cure; before the whole truth is revealed, Sima Ling's mental illness will likely remain unresolved.

With this in mind, I decided to go to the Shanghai branch of the East Asia Sankei Cooperative Society again to verify with Yamada Hirayoshi, as I don't fully trust this Japanese man yet. His previous strange actions still baffle me. When I arrived again at this modern office building, no less impressive than the Amano Building, Yamada Hirayoshi seemed to have anticipated my return. He had already arranged for a hostess at the entrance, who, as before, led me directly from the side entrance to the conference room.

Yamada Hirayoshi, as always, sat at the head of the conference table. Upon seeing me, he immediately stood up with a smile and bowed deeply. He then instructed his secretary to pour me water. "President Yang, you're here about the Spring Grass March matter, aren't you?"

Yamada Hirayoshi stared intently into my eyes, seemingly interested in analyzing my thoughts. "Not entirely. I also want to understand the relationship between the 'Cloud Water' organization and the East Asia Sankei Cooperative. As the saying goes, 'There's no smoke without fire.' I don't believe they would fabricate accusations against your company without reason."

I met Yamada Hirayoshi's gaze without fear. The best way to deal with someone who thinks they can read everyone's mind is to use mental power to suppress their desire to know. "In fact, regarding the 'Yunshui' organization's forgery and sale of antiques, I've already investigated it thoroughly. The details I have are even more detailed than the top-secret information you gave me,"

Yamada Hirayoshi said with a sheepish smile, turning his gaze elsewhere, deliberately emphasizing the word "top-secret," as if as revenge against me. "Was it that mysterious person who told you?" The mysterious

person I referred to was the mysterious uncle Chuncao Sanyue had mentioned. Despite feeling somewhat fooled, I still had to ask this question. "No. It was Yamada Ken who told me,"

Yamada Hirayoshi replied indifferently, which also proved that he knew of the mysterious person's existence. "Yamada Ken?"

I exclaimed in surprise, this answer greatly exceeding my expectations. I was familiar with this name. According to the investigation data regarding the "Yunshui" organization, this man was the mastermind behind it. How could Yamada Ken possibly tell the East Asia Sankei Federation about his crimes? Could there really be some improper relationship between them?

Filled with questions, my attention was completely focused on Yamada Heiryo's lips. "Considering the reputation of the East Asia Sankei Federation, I shouldn't tell you about this family scandal. However, President Yang has helped me so much; if I were to hide it from you now, it would seem disloyal of me."

Yamada Heiryo looked troubled, but his eyes quickly revealed a resolute intent. I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"President Yang must know that the mastermind behind the 'Yunshui' organization is a Japanese man named Yamada Ken. Unfortunately, this Yamada Ken is my younger brother."

Yamada Heiryo said with deep shame, his head bowed throughout, refusing to meet my gaze. Actually, I had already gleaned some information from Yamada Hirayoshi's earlier words. Given that these two shared the same surname, it was almost certain they originated from the same source. However, hearing Yamada Hirayoshi say it himself still left me with a sense of unease. From Yamada Hirayoshi's account, I learned that Yamada Kenji was inherently greedy and insatiable. During his tenure as the head of the Shanghai branch

of the East Asia Sankei Cooperative, he schemed to amass wealth through various illegal means. Yamada Hirayoshi discovered this and, in a show of righteousness, dismissed him. Unexpectedly, instead of repenting, he used his knowledge of the East Asia Sankei Cooperative to secretly collaborate with an underground counterfeit goods manufacturer, profiting immensely by selling counterfeit antiques in the antique market. This was the "Yunshui" organization we later uncovered. Having learned the true relationship between the "Yunshui" organization and the East Asia Industrial and Economic Cooperative, this only made things more confusing and perplexing than resolved my inner doubts.

"If that's the case, why did Mr. Yamada go to all this trouble, searching everywhere for Chuncao Sanyue and insisting she tell you the so-called inside information?" "Because although I have all the criminal activities of the 'Yunshui' organization, and the evidence is conclusive, I haven't reported this to headquarters."

"Is it for your brother?" "No, I have no relationship with him anymore. It's for Miss Chuncao Sanyue."

"Why?" "President Yang, do you remember the mysterious person you mentioned earlier?"

"Of course." "To be honest, that mysterious person is me."

"That's impossible. With Chuncao Sanyue's eyesight, even if you were masked, she should have been able to recognize you." "Chuncao Sanyue's ninjutsu isn't refined, and she knows nothing about disguise. If I wanted to, I could easily fool her without arousing any suspicion."

"Then what is your purpose in doing this? Going to such lengths to use Chuncao Sanyue to help the East Asia Industrial and Economic Cooperative Association doesn't do you any good at all, does it? If you have the leisure and inclination, it would be much easier for you to do these tasks yourself than to use Chuncao Sanyue as a front." Perhaps because my doubts had been building up for too long, I couldn't stop myself from speaking.

Faced with my barrage of questions, Yamada Heiryo remained calm. Instead, he explained mysteriously, "To help Harusa Mitsuki, I secretly approached her several times and guided her through numerous tasks, all to help her gather enough leverage." "Leverage? What leverage?"

"Leverage to help her return to the East Asia Sankei Cooperative!" Upon hearing this, I froze on the spot. That's right. I already knew that Harusa Mitsuki was a descendant of the nobility of the East Asia Sankei Cooperative, even belonging to the prominent Harusa clan. But I simply couldn't understand why Yamada Heiryo would risk his own safety to help Harusa Mitsuki. Could it be that he and Harusa Mitsuki were related in some way?

Soon, Yamada Heiryo's answer confirmed my guess. "Harusa Mitsuki's mother is my younger sister. Although not by blood, our two families have a long history, and I have always regarded her as my own sister."

Yamada Heiryo paused here, letting his emotions calm down slightly. He continued, "The reason I specifically requested Chuncao Sanyue to recount the inside story of the 'Yunshui' organization was to make her the chief contributor to this incident, adding a significant bargaining chip to the chance of her name being reinstated in the Chuncao family genealogy. It is also for this reason that I have not reported the criminal activities of the 'Yunshui' organization to headquarters." "So, you have been secretly helping Chuncao Sanyue, trying to reinstate her and her mother's names in the family genealogy?"

Although I couldn't fully believe what was happening, this unexpected outcome was undoubtedly something I was happy to see. "Yes, this is fair to them. President Yang, as an outsider, may not know, but from the very beginning of the East Asia Industrial and Economic Cooperative Association, the Chuncao family was the unique royal family of the East Asia Industrial and Economic Cooperative Association, while the other families, including our Yamada family, could only be called nobles dependent on the Chuncao family. Although they were equally illustrious, they had no real power."

"But times changed. After growing weary of their comfortable lives, the nobles began to scheme for power. Thus, a silent power struggle unfolded between the Chuncao clan and the various nobles. As the biggest casualty of this war without gunfire, the Chuncao clan, ultimately outnumbered, was forced to step down from their royal pedestal. Having lost all real power, they were branded as a collateral branch of the royal family, and from then on, they never recovered, fading from all affairs of the East Asia Industrial and Economic Association." "It can be said that the Chuncao clan lost everything from that time onward, and their true..." The root cause of our defeat lies in the internal divisions within the clan. The expulsion of my sister from the Chuncao clan was merely a result of internal strife. Therefore, I am determined to find a way to bring my mother and daughter back into the Chuncao clan, and I am willing to pay any price to achieve this goal.”

After listening to Yamada Heiryo’s passionate and indignant explanation, I finally understood. The reason Chuncao Sanyue’s mother was expelled from the clan was not only because she had committed an unforgivable error according to clan rules, but also because of the internal strife. They were merely two insignificant victims. But from any perspective, this matter had nothing to do with Yamada Heiryo, a member of the Yamada clan. So why did he become so proactive afterward?

Could it be…? A sensual and unethical thought flashed through my mind! I looked up at Yamada Heiryo opposite me, and he seemed to sense my gaze and avoided mine. Yamada Heiryo's reaction made me realize something, but I didn't point it out directly. It was better to let things remain silent than to make each other feel awkward.

Thinking this, I saw Yamada Heiryo give me a grateful look; perhaps this was what they called communication between men. Now that things were clear, there was no need for me to stay any longer. But just as I was about to leave, another serious question suddenly flashed through my mind, forcing me to stop abruptly.

"If Chuncao Sanyue's name can be returned to the Chuncao family genealogy, does she have to go back to Japan?" Yamada Heiryo was taken aback, lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then looked up and smiled, saying, "I don't think that's necessary. We must respect Chuncao Sanyue's personal wishes, right?"

My lips also curled slightly upward, and I got up and walked out the door, satisfied.

Chapter 9 of Episode 14: Interlocking Links

After the Chuncao Sanyue matter was resolved satisfactorily, my mood was also pleasant. It was the first time in days that I felt refreshed. Sitting in the car, I began to consider how to resolve Sima Ling's matter.

I'm not particularly skilled in psychotherapy. My only successful case was helping Aina... I even got myself involved. If I had hesitated even slightly back then, I might be a bedridden, vegetative patient now. I have to tell Sima Ling the whole story, but what about after that? What should I do next? I kept asking myself these questions until... Xinghen suddenly appeared before me.

"Ye, are you having trouble?" Xinghen blinked, floating in mid-air, her body hunched over, almost touching my nose, as if searching for something on my face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I shrank back, not used to Xinghen's ambiguous and playful way of expressing herself.

"I feel like Ye has been having a lot of trouble lately, so I decided to ask Miss Qingfei for a few days off to see if there's anything I can do to help Ye." Xinghen straightened up, regaining her usual elegant demeanor.

"What's the reason for your leave?" "The central main program is regularly updated. Ye should know that Xinghai has to update the database every now and then, so this doesn't mean I deceived her."

I nodded noncommittally. In a sense, I should be grateful for Xinghen's gentleness and thoughtfulness. But this reunion, which felt like a secret affair, brought me a strange sadness. I shook my head vigorously to clear my mind of this pointless thought. Perhaps spending so much time with those female secretaries had made me sentimental...

"Alright then, what do you think about Miss Lingdang's situation? Can I help her?" I asked bluntly, feeling that given my relationship with Xinghen, there was no need for formalities.

"Yes, that's fine. But you must learn the 'Profound Spiritual Purification Technique'." "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when you helped Miss Aina overcome her psychological barriers?" "Of course, I almost lost all my mental energy that day."

"Well, actually, your method back then was incorrect. With the strength of a human's mental energy, even if you cultivate to the highest level, you can't change another human's way of thinking out of thin air. It's like asking you to fly

into space with your bare hands—impractical and extremely dangerous." "Then what should I do? Learn that 'Profound Spiritual Purification Technique'?" "Yes. This is a Star Sea Profound level mental skill. I'll transfer it to you through my mental energy." After reaching the state of external mental energy condensation, I no longer need to acquire knowledge by entering the Star Sea Library to read books. Instead, Xinghen directly transmits this knowledge to my brain through mental energy. It's as if Xinghen and I are two interconnected computers, completely achieving resource sharing.

Soon, I learned from Xinghen how to use this so-called "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique." Unlike the mental skills I had previously learned, the "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique" required me to first condense my mental energy outside my body, and only after it reached a sufficient intensity could I penetrate into the other person's brain. Using this method, which did not harm my own mental consciousness, I could gradually improve the negative mental consciousness in the other person's brain, although the process was slower than direct mental communication. However, from a safety perspective, it was still worth trying. "Is that so?"

Having just finished reading the "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique," I tried to condense my spiritual energy into a ball outside my body. An irregular, silvery-white sphere immediately appeared before my eyes, continuously increasing in size with my efforts. However, after several attempts, I discovered that this spiritual skill was far more complex than I had imagined. First, although my spiritual energy level had reached the highest human level, my control over it was not yet very refined. It was like a martial arts master with boundless internal energy who didn't know how to use it; whether I could effectively master the "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique" was still unknown.

Second, the essence of the "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique" required me to rationally distinguish which aspects of Sima Ling's negative spiritual consciousness existed during the process of spiritual penetration, and then use my own spiritual energy to purify them. Having never tried this skill before, I inevitably felt somewhat constrained. After several attempts, I still couldn't gather enough mental energy. According to Xinghen, my mental energy level was already high enough to cast the "Profound Mental Purification Technique," so the problem must lie in my mindset, or rather, my lack of confidence.

"Don't use the 'Profound Mental Purification Technique' on Sima Ling until you're absolutely certain," were Xinghen's last words before disappearing. Due to the need to organize the Star Sea database, she couldn't remain in the real world for as long as before, but even in those twenty-odd minutes, she had already provided me with a great deal of help. Now,

the remaining issue is to practice the "Profound Mental Purification Technique" diligently and strive to master it freely as soon as possible. After several days of repeated attempts, I still had no clue how to cast the "Profound Mental Purification Technique." This must be the special characteristic of profound-level mental techniques; even if you can fully understand all its knowledge, you can't apply it flexibly in reality. Sometimes, a flash of inspiration will come, and you'll naturally understand everything—that's what's called enlightenment.

In the past few days, Xue'er and the others, based on the clues Mo Ming had provided, collected a lot of information, some useful and some not. The reason I say this is because even they themselves weren't sure if some of the data was useful; with the spirit of "better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free," they piled it all up on my desk.

Looking at the mountain of data on my desk, my head suddenly throbbed. How could I possibly connect the information revealed by this data? Mo Ming wasn't the kind of person who willingly took on the hard work. Just when I desperately needed help, I was surprised to find that this guy had suddenly disappeared from the Tianye Building, and I couldn't contact him no matter what I did. Perhaps this is what they call "vanishing into thin air"...

Helplessly, the heavy burden of analyzing the data once again fell on my secretaries. As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. With Tianye Group's huge assistant secretarial department and hundreds of highly intelligent elite secretaries, I refused to believe that I couldn't find even the slightest clue. And so, two days later... Xue'er came to me with a short report.

"This is a summary of information I've gathered over the past few days. The origin of that ceramic vase has been confirmed. It's a replica of a work from a European ceramics studio. These kinds of vases are not uncommon on the market. There are nine different designs based on the surface patterns, and there are seventy-nine craft shops selling these ceramic vases, scattered throughout the city. Investigating the buyers is like finding a needle in a haystack." I crossed my arms and listened quietly to Xue'er's report. This was the answer I expected; an ordinary replica vase is naturally easy to find everywhere. "It's about those cardboard boxes. Based on my consultation with Nike, the substandard sneakers should have been destroyed along with their boxes. But the trick is, during some testing or destruction, internal staff might smuggle some goods out and sell them at a low price on the market. Another possibility is that inspectors might mark some of the quality-compliant sneakers without authorization to facilitate smuggling them out and then selling them at a discount."

"Is there a difference between the two?" "No, in either case, the boxes containing these sneakers are the same and have the same markings. However, according to our investigation, no factory has had any substandard products in the short term. Judging from the pristine condition of those cardboard boxes, it should belong to the latter—some factory employee is misleading people by smuggling out shoes that have no quality issues."

"I just don't understand why these boxes are in the place where Ni Xuan's father is being held. Are these sneakers a perk for Mo Yuanqing's bodyguards? Even so, with Mo Yuanqing's wealth, he wouldn't need to buy smuggled sneakers, would he?" I muttered to myself, puzzled, examining the photo for a while, but still came up empty-handed.

Xue'er didn't answer my question; more accurately, she didn't know how to answer it. She simply continued, "This is a list of sneaker manufacturers that recently received orders from Nike. There are three in total, located in three different suburbs of the city. According to the addresses of these three factories, there are shops selling crafts like ceramic vases near two of them." As Xue'er spoke, she respectfully handed me the document. The data was very short, only a few lines, but I knew that the assistants and secretaries had spent several days and nights working on those few lines.

"President, don't you think the clues Mo Ming provided are too one-sided? These people could have bought the vases from somewhere else, or they could have bought these smuggled Nike sneakers from any market. Perhaps those cardboard boxes were just for storing other items?" Xue'er seemed to have hesitated for a long time before finally asking.

"Yes, it's very one-sided." I looked at the data, my gaze quickly sweeping over the two addresses, then I smiled and looked up: "But it's our only method."

"But if we miscalculate, we might miss the best opportunity to rescue Miss Ni Xuan's father." Although she spoke quickly, Xue'er's tone remained unchanged. Even in her anxiety, she remained calm.

"I know you're worried about Ni Xuan's father's safety and concerned about Ni Xuan's situation, but on this issue, we have to take a gamble. That way, there might still be a sliver of hope. If we play by the rules Mo Yuanqing has designed, we'll only be doomed. He'll have us completely manipulated." "But this isn't a simple coin toss game."

Xue'er lowered her head and murmured. “That’s right, that’s why we need elites like you in the Assistant Secretary Department. The entire Tianye Group has been working tirelessly for several days and nights. Don’t you trust your own hard work?”

“Yes, I think I understand what you mean.” Xue’er nodded vigorously, her beautiful eyes subtly revealing her excitement.

“Alright then, tell me, which of these two factories has a well-equipped private hospital nearby? And it has to be an inconspicuous one.” Xue’er frowned, clearly caught off guard by this question. However, I didn’t care about this “accident,” because I knew that soon, another set of information on a related private clinic would appear on my desk through Xue’er’s delicate hands.

This was the benefit of establishing an Assistant Secretary Department. I was gradually getting used to this “more people, better results” management style, especially since these were all carefully selected beautiful secretaries! Sure enough, in less than half a day, Xue’er returned to my office with the data.

The data showed that there was indeed a private clinic less than 500 meters away from one of the two factories. The clinic is small, but it has quite a reputation. It was founded by a cardiovascular disease expert from Switzerland, who is quite famous in the international medical field. It's just a mystery why he chose to open the clinic in such a remote suburb; with his reputation, he should have a much more impressive clinic in the city center.

Regardless, our search area has been significantly narrowed. The next step is to carefully search this area for potential hiding places for the hostages, a task that Shi Yu, a former thief, excels at! At this point, Xue'er was half convinced of Mo Ming's analysis. If the previous deductions had an element of coincidence, the appearance of this clinic at least proved that Mo Ming wasn't just spouting nonsense. The final result, however, would depend on the facts.

I believed that fact would come soon, because just when everyone was at a loss and placed all their hopes on Shi Yu, Mo Ming reappeared! "Where have you been all this time?"

Seeing Mo Ming leisurely sitting behind my desk, the gloom in my heart inexplicably vanished. "On vacation."

After a few days apart, Mo Ming seemed to have returned to his usual indifference—no, to be precise, he remained as indifferent as ever. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"If I had told you, would you still have given me time off?" "Probably not."

I scratched my head sheepishly, thinking to myself that this guy's job was really easy, so easy that he could even give himself time off... "That's right, I just felt I needed to rest for a few days, that's all."

Mo Ming stared at my computer screen without looking up, his mouse clicks were astonishing. Just as I was completely confused, Mo Ming suddenly cursed in a low voice, "Damn it, I'm dead again."

It turned out he was playing a game... "How's the investigation on that hostage going?"

Mo Ming's question immediately perked me up. This was the first time he had ever brought up this matter on his own initiative. How could I let such a golden opportunity slip through my fingers? "The hostages have been basically located near a shoe factory in the northern suburbs. Shi Yu is currently narrowing down the search area. How about it, do you want to go help?"

"No need, Miss Shi Yu should be able to handle this." Mo Ming's answer disappointed me. In a daze, I suddenly had a feeling that in this office, he was the president, and I was the one reporting to him?

Mo Ming obviously noticed my inner conflict, so he couldn't sit still any longer. He lazily stood up and said, "Alright, here's your computer back. I should go too." "Where are you going?" "

To wash the car." After saying these two simple words, Mo Ming very pragmatically threw himself into his work, leaving me all alone, feeling as bewildered as if I had been played.

Chapter 10 of Episode 14 Reaching the Summit (The End)

I don't know how I got to the computer. When I looked up, there were several image files on the previously clean desktop screen. After confirming that they weren't virus files, I curiously clicked on them.

What followed sent a chill down my spine. These images were none other than scanned images of the photograph Mo Yuanqing had personally handed me. These images were magnified versions of the photograph, one after another. Only when I reached the last one did I realize I could see the view outside the window of the room in the photo. "So that's it!"

I exclaimed, slamming my hand on the table. I immediately sent the magnified photo to Shi Yu, asking her to find the corresponding location based on the view outside the window in the photo. This significantly reduced the difficulty of her search. Clearly, these photos didn't magically appear on my computer. Since someone deliberately placed them on my desktop, that person was most likely Mo Ming. But why didn't he just tell me the answer directly, instead choosing this stealthy method?

I quickly found Mo Ming in the underground parking garage. Before I could even speak, he confessed, "I used to be a special forces soldier." I wasn't particularly surprised by his answer. After all, with his sharp skills and exceptional analytical abilities, it would be strange if he were just an average student from an ordinary school.

"Then why did you end up like this?" "It was a live-fire exercise. She and I were in the same group, but that damned weather affected my vision. When we split up, I mistook her for an enemy. And that one shot killed her. Maybe it was fate playing tricks on us. The bullet pierced her right eye and entered her brain. She didn't even have a chance to be saved before she was taken away."

I had never seen Mo Ming so emotionally distraught. Every word he uttered seemed to release more resentment, his teeth grinding together. The bulging veins on his arms were chilling. "Just because of this, you've become so despondent?"

I'm not a soldier, nor have I ever interacted with soldiers, but judging from Mo Ming's brief account, that incident was simply an accident. No one wants to kill during an exercise, even if the other party is truly their enemy. There are always many coincidences in the world, just like this time, a one in a million chance fell on an unlucky guy's head, forever changing the trajectory of his life.

But looking at it from another angle... if it weren't for this unfortunate incident, would I have never met Mo Ming? Perhaps everything was arranged by fate... "It was a serious military operational error. After that incident, I left the special forces. But the scene from that night still haunts me like a nightmare every day. I started to be afraid to sleep, afraid to communicate with people, until that day I met you."

I smiled wryly. I had never thought of myself as so great before. But now, listening to Mo Ming's story, I felt like I had saved a soul on the verge of falling. Sometimes people are like that; they always need external factors to guide them. Anyway, I finally figured out Mo Ming's "history." As for the "prank" on the computer screen, it was easy to understand; it was just a trick Mo Ming used to invite me.

This time, he was undoubtedly lucky because, driven by intense curiosity, I obediently fell into his trap and walked right into it! Afterwards,

just as Mo Ming had predicted, Shi Yu quickly narrowed the search area to within one building. Based on the background outside the window after Mo Ming zoomed in on the photo, the room should be located in the center of the 24-story building, between the ninth and twelfth floors. With the search area no longer narrowed, we decided to risk infiltrating the building and find the hostage with our own eyes.

This wasn't my first time working with Mo Ming and the others, but compared to the previous harmless "meddling," today was clearly a matter of life and death, and this life not only concerned Ni Xuan and her daughter but also the future development of the Tianye Group. If we failed, the losses would be far more than just the shares of Dielong Airlines! Therefore, Mo Ming and I strived to be fully prepared before the operation. Now that the target location was determined, what we needed to do was to thoroughly understand the detailed environment of the area in order to implement the rescue plan.

Based on our contact with Mo Yuanqing in Hainan, I knew that this man had hired a group of strong, well-trained professional bodyguards. It was these people who had caused me so much trouble in Zhuo Fan's villa. Now, in our second encounter, we had to avoid repeating the same mistake. According to our previous understanding of this building, there were only four households on each floor, located on the east and west sides of the building. And judging from the view outside the window, the room where Ni Xuan's father was being held was located on the east side of the building.

This reduced the number of houses we needed to search to eight. But how could we find the hostage without being noticed? Even Shi Yu and Mo Ming, who were skilled in thievery, were at a loss when loitering outside the building. We couldn't very well knock on every door, could we? Even if we could find the room, it would definitely alert the bodyguards. Based on my previous experience, these professional bodyguards that Mo Yuanqing hired were not to be trifled with.

"Perhaps I have a way." In my desperation, I suddenly remembered the "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique" that Xinghen had just taught me. Through that method of condensing spiritual power outside the body, I should be able to sense spiritual matter within a hundred meters.

Based on observations from the photos and Mo Yuanqing's own words, Ni Xuan's father was seriously ill, suggesting his mental strength was relatively weaker than average. Following this logic, I should be able to easily locate him! Although Mo Ming and Shi Yu completely disbelieved my so-called "sensory constitution" (I made up a lie to fool them), in their desperate situation, they had no choice but to try their luck and agreed to my request.

Perhaps the urgency of the situation helped; on my first attempt, I gathered enough mental strength. Looking at the shimmering, flowing ball of light on my chest, the success almost overwhelmed me. "Now, slowly push this mental strength out. Don't rush. You must merge your consciousness with this mental strength and master it,"

Xinghen's voice rang in my mind. Following Xinghen's instructions, I quickly infused my mental strength into the house in front of me. Although I didn't find any mental signs inside, it was clear I had succeeded! After gradually becoming familiar with the method of casting the "Profound Spiritual Purification Technique," I began searching each house one by one with Mo Ming and Shi Yu.

To them, I was just standing quietly at someone's door, lost in thought. Then they would signal that they could leave. This so-called sensing ability was truly baffling, until… "This is it!"

This time, I suddenly widened my eyes and called out in a low voice. Sure enough, in a room on the east side of the tenth floor, I found a life with extremely weak spiritual power.

"Are you sure?" Mo Ming's eyes were full of doubt.

"If I could, I would stake my life on it." "Okay!"

Mo Ming only said one word before kicking down the door and rushing into the room… When Mo Ming appeared before us carrying the barely breathing man, a leisurely smile appeared on my face, as if everything had become simple.

Mo Yuanqing was right after all. Ni Xuan's father was suffering from a serious heart condition. In order not to affect his health, we immediately transferred him to a cardiovascular specialist hospital and assigned someone to isolate and protect him. Later, I also learned from some data that… The Swiss medical doctor was forced to open a clinic in a remote suburb entirely by Mo Yuanqing. His actions betrayed him; without this clinic, we might still be groping in some corner of the city!

"No, this is impossible!" Mo Yuanqing roared on the other end of the phone, but quickly regained his composure: "It's alright. I can still defeat you through the secondary market!"

"No, you have no chance. Luo Kai is an outstanding talent, or you could say a genius, but Tianye Group can use overwhelming financial advantages to fight him. We are not afraid to fight!" "Impossible, I've investigated. You don't have enough funds; it's no secret!"

"That's right, we don't, but that doesn't mean our partners don't." "Hello, Brother Mo Yuanqing, this is Zhuo Fan. Do you remember me? I'm sorry, I'm back. Actually, every day when I lie in bed, I think about one question: how can I make you lower your guard? There's only one answer: deliberately lose to you. Only a defeated opponent won't instill fear in the one who defeats them. What do you think?"

"Did you deliberately lose to me in the secondary market?" "Oh dear, I'm also heartbroken. I paid a heavy price for it. But it's alright, I'll be compensated soon, it'll be returned to me from your account. Finally, let me give you a piece of advice: our strength is far from as weak as you imagine. Never try to fight the whole world, you'll lose miserably."

"Don't worry, everyone, I will definitely try!" Sima Ling's mental space wasn't as complex as I had imagined. It seems there's a big difference between a person's intelligence and their mental world. A genius like Sima Ling, yet her inner world is as pure as a blank sheet of paper, which makes me deeply moved.

Gradually, I noticed a faint sadness lingering in Sima Ling's mental space. This feeling was sometimes intense, sometimes subdued. Each time it flared up, it brought an uncontrollable rage to my mental power. This must be the culprit behind Sima Ling's dual personality! Perhaps my control over my mental power isn't refined enough; even though I sensed the existence of this negative mental energy, I couldn't pinpoint its cause. However, upon further reflection, this wasn't entirely unreasonable. Everyone needs to preserve a pure space within their heart. Even with my superior mental strength, I shouldn't recklessly pry into the secrets of others' hearts.

Thinking this, my mind cleared, and I, no longer confused, focused intently on clearing the negative mental energy from Sima Ling's mental space. With my current mastery of the "Profound Mental Purification Technique," this wasn't difficult, especially considering Sima Ling's relatively weak mental strength. In less than half an hour, I had completely cleared everything. Looking at this refreshed and healthy mental space, I withdrew my mental energy from Sima Ling's mental space, but a wave of fatigue washed over me, and I unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, the pretty faces of several secretaries were still before me, and I spotted Sima Ling among them. "President, are you alright? We thought you'd be unconscious for several days like last time!"

Shi Yu said anxiously. "How long did I sleep?"

"Eleven hours." "Lingdang, how are you feeling now?"

"I should be fine, right? I feel the same as before, except my mind seems much clearer. Many problems I couldn't understand before have been solved." Sima Ling answered noncommittally. I felt just as lost. Had I really succeeded?

"Wow, Sister Lingdang's brain has become even smarter than before! Doesn't that mean even a computer can't compare to her?" Lin Qingmei exclaimed from the side, her words full of envy.

The other secretaries all turned their gazes to me, their expectant expressions making me feel a cold sweat run down my back. If I were to experience this kind of mental exhaustion a few more times, I might never wake up again... Fortunately, since this incident, Sima Ling's dual personality has never recurred. Now a normal woman again, she remains a shining star in the Tianye Group's technical department.

Later, I learned from Xinghen that because I had lingered too long in Sima Ling's mental space, my mental energy had become depleted. This rapid fatigue was masked to a minimum because my mental energy was detached from my body at the time. In other words, if I hadn't decided to stop in time, I might have died from exhaustion. This terrible outcome left me deeply saddened afterward.

After learning from this lesson, I decided that I would never recklessly use the "Secret Technique of Mental Purification" unless absolutely necessary. After all, I didn't want to lose my life over it. In the VIP conference room of the Tianye Building, sitting in front of me was a guy who had once given me a major headache. I had never even imagined that I would be sitting at the same table with him and having a proper conversation, like we are now...

"I'm sorry. I've disappointed you." "I looked at the dejected Mo Yuanqing and sat across the negotiating table with the air of a victor.

Mo Yuanqing was clearly still reeling from the shock of defeat. He glanced at me indifferently and then remained unresponsive, his eyes fixed on the handheld computer in his hand, seemingly captivated by something fascinating. "From my personal standpoint, I don't want to be your opponent."

I took two cigarettes from the pack and tossed one to Mo Yuanqing. Without even looking up, he caught the cigarette, held it firmly between his lips, skillfully lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, and exhaled a few elegant smoke rings, the aroma of burning tobacco gradually filling the air.

The entire movement was fluid and seamless, without him even lifting his head, his gaze fixed on his handheld computer, making one wonder if he had eyes in his hands. I wasn't surprised by Mo Yuanqing's reaction. To be honest, if our roles were reversed, I probably wouldn't have been as composed as him.

"But why do we have to be rivals?" I toyed with the cigarette in my hand, still not lighting it. "Since we're both businessmen, both in it for profit, why not think of a win-win cooperation?"

I thought that even if Mo Yuanqing didn't accept my suggestion, he would at least react, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Mo Yuanqing was still lost in his own world, and I didn't know if he even heard me. Seeing that Mo Yuanqing had no intention of discussing things with me, I was about to leave when I saw a fair arm push open the conference room door. It was Mo Yuanqing's secretary, Yun'er, who walked in.

"We can go eat now." Yun'er's voice was as gentle as ever, soothing to the heart.

Mo Yuanqing looked up, gave Yun'er an approving smile, took her hand, and walked side by side towards the door. "Would Mr. Yang Ye also like to come?"

Yun'er suddenly turned back and asked just as they were about to step out of the conference room, giving me a last glimmer of hope. Perhaps because of Yun'er's subtle probing, at the dinner table, Mo Yuanqing finally stopped pretending to be oblivious and said with a hint of sadness, "I didn't expect you could mobilize the North American Trade Federation and the East Asian Industrial Economics Association's financial resources. I underestimated you."

"No, it's just the North American Trade Federation. As for the East Asian Industrial Economics Association, that's just a story about a treasure." I smiled mysteriously. Indeed, the treasure left to Chuncao Sanyue by her father had greatly helped the Tianye Group in its time of crisis, and as the price, I'd probably have to bear the burden of her lifelong Apple business.

Mo Yuanqing's expression froze for a moment, but ultimately he didn't press further. "Mr. Mo, would you be interested in taking a look at the lunar development plan?"

With Yun'er's help, my confidence increased considerably. Cooperating with this enemy might be the craziest idea I've ever had. "Yang Ye, I admit I lost to you this time, but that doesn't mean you can talk nonsense in front of me. A lunar development plan? That's a joke!"

Mo Yuanqing shouted angrily, as if he had suffered some great humiliation. "Mr. Mo, please calm down. To be honest, you must have heard of Tianye Group's technology, right? Since the underwater city in the Pacific Ocean and the desert planet have become a reality, from a longer-term perspective, a lunar development plan is not impossible, especially..."

I was about to say that we already had a detailed design plan for the lunar development plan, and the computer graphics were being produced in full swing, but unexpectedly, Mo Yuanqing suddenly stood up and walked out of the restaurant without looking back, catching me off guard. I didn't know whether to chase after him or not. I looked around blankly, and then I saw Mo Yuanqing's beloved handheld computer, which he had seemingly forgotten on the corner of the dining table. Driven by curiosity, I couldn't resist picking it up. After casually removing the screensaver, I was utterly astonished.

Back in the meeting room, I had assumed Mo Yuanqing was engrossed in the entertaining content stored on the computer, which was why he hadn't been listening to me. But now, I was utterly disappointed. The content was indeed entertaining, even hilarious, because the computer was playing a high school comedy cartoon, and Mo Yuanqing had been completely absorbed by it. Seeing this, I couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that from the beginning, Mo Yuanqing had no intention of cooperating with me. His pride wouldn't allow him to cooperate with me as a loser. His choice to face me this way was, in a way, a desperate act to preserve the last shred of his dignity.

What surprised me even more was that my mental power hadn't seen through Mo Yuanqing's thoughts. Or rather, his thinking and his final decision were completely opposite. What a terrifying opponent someone who can defeat themselves must be! Thinking of this, I couldn't help but stick out my tongue, my Adam's apple bobbing up and down twice. I put the handheld computer back on the corner of the table. It could be said that the little guy's mission was complete. I didn't think Mo Yuanqing would really be that careless.

Although the lunar development plan eventually found a partner, it had nothing to do with Mo Yuanqing. The involvement of the North American Trade Alliance made the whole thing much simpler. Standing on the roof of the Tianye Building branch, the tallest building in Xingzhou, with Xinghen beside me, looking excited. Looking up at the sky, a shooting star streaked across the sky, followed by the news of the successful launch of the "Divine Melody" satellite. This was the first step in our lunar development plan, and also the first step in our defense against alien spacecraft invasion.

Gazing at the unknown sea of stars above, I stroked the necklace around my neck, and Xinghen and I murmured in unison, "We are ready." (The End)

URL 1:https://www.sexlove5.com/htmlBlog/1553.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=1553&aspx=1

Last access time:

Previous Page : [Urban] Rainy Season Trilogy (Complete) - 1

Next Page : [Urban] Rainy Season Trilogy (Complete) - 3

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

[Wuxia] The Merchant's Journey: A Tale of Unbridled Romance (Complete) - Chapter 28 (End)

comment Open a new window to view comments