Chapter 42: From Biting to Sucking

Chapter 42: From Biting to Sucking

Because of his injured arm, Zhao Zhiao didn’t go out for his morning exercise today.

But they worked out together indoors instead.

This made Lin Yufan feel as if she had taken a hot bath early in the morning, so comfortable it felt like her pores were opening up.

Afterward, she couldn’t help but tease, "Others need to rest when they’re injured, but you seem to be practicing immortality."

Zhao Zhiao, holding his wife, looked utterly satisfied, "Is this practicing immortality? Then I guess I’ll have to work even harder to reach enlightenment and ascend faster."

Lin Yufan laughed and bit him on the chest, then it turned into sucking. He was so into it he could’ve gone another three hundred rounds. Just as his hand reached in, there was a knock at the door.

Who’s knocking this early in the morning?

"What is it?"

"Eldest Master, there’s a call for you."

Zhao Zhiao had to get up, put on his bathrobe, and go to the living room to answer the phone.

Lin Yufan dozed off for a few more minutes. When he came back in, he was already dressed formally, ready to head downstairs.

Stretching, Lin Yufan rubbed her face, got up, took a quick rinse, and changed into an elegant cheongsam before going downstairs for breakfast.

Since Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law came to Hong Kong with their nephew, the dining table’s been a lot livelier.

Because their nephew Lin Mingzhe isn’t afraid of Zhao Zhiao, and at that age where even dogs can’t stand him, his lively and active chatter really livens up the meal.

"Is Mingzhe starting school today?"

Her Fifth Sister-in-law Dai Ruyin smiled, "We got him into a class yesterday, paid the tuition, and got all the books. When we asked him to look at them, he said he couldn’t make sense of a single English letter."

Zhao Jingxiu, who had been somewhat downcast recently, rarely showed a smile, "Mingzhe, you’re in for it. You’re going to have to join me for English tutoring."

Mingzhe, with his slightly chubby face, spoke with animated expressions, "I don’t want tutoring, and I don’t want to go to class. I just want to play at home. Aunt and Uncle, your house is so big, I can’t even finish exploring it in one day, how would I have time to explore school?"

Everyone was amused.

Lin Yufan laughed, "Mingzhe, the school is even bigger. Go check out the school first. On your first day, I’ll give you a task: count how many classmates, teachers, and classrooms there are."

Mingzhe asked, "If I count them, what do I get?"

"What reward do you want?"

Mingzhe pointed behind, "I want to pick all the persimmons off that tree back there."

That’s all? Everyone laughed again.

Zhao Zhiao generously said, "You can have all the persimmons on that tree."

Mingzhe jumped up, "Uncle’s so generous. Uncle, you’ve got that... that rich person vibe. My dad doesn’t have it."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Lin Yuwu scolded his son, "You little ingrate, always mocking your dad."

Lin Yufan asked with a smile, "Mingzhe, tell your aunt, what is the air of a rich person?"

"Like my uncle. Aunt, you sure know how to pick—you got yourself a great uncle."

Everyone laughed again, and Zhao Zhiao was secretly so pleased he could barely contain himself.

Dai Ruyin urged her son, "Hurry up and eat. You can’t stop talking nonsense even while eating."

Zhao Jingxiu and Lin Mingzhe finished their meal and left first, with Dai Ruyin personally driving them to school.

Lin Yufan went upstairs to get her bag and document folder, then set off with Zhao Zhiao.

Zhao Lixiang had worked the night shift yesterday and was still not up. The concubines were back to their usual routines, holed up upstairs.

Only Wang Junyao and Liu Fang were in the garden, drinking tea and chatting.

Liu Fang had recently lost some weight, and Wang Junyao advised her, "Don’t be too hard on yourself. Men come and go. When your child grows up, things will get better."

Wang Junyao had been smiling more lately compared to before.

In the past, she was the only lonely, cast-off woman in the house. Although Liu Fang’s relationship with Zhao Yanhui was not great, at least she had once had a complete family.

Now, things were better. The two sisters-in-law shared the same experience and the same outcome—both cast aside by the Zhao men.

She no longer felt ashamed or sorrowful about being abandoned by Zhao Qinghui.

Moreover, she believed she was much better off than Liu Fang. Not only did she have a son to rely on, but her stepson was also wealthy and filial. Liu Fang and her daughter would have to live under her thumb in the future.

Although Liu Fang was not sensitive, she could sense her sister-in-law’s subtle smugness. But there was nothing she could do. Besides staying here, the only other option was to return to Haicheng.

If she went back to Haicheng, Zhao Yanhui would not support her and her daughter. For the sake of her daughter’s future, she had to dig in her heels and stay here.

Here, at least Zhao Zhiao would honor their sibling bond and provide Jingxiu with the best education and life.

As long as her daughter grew up and Zhi Ao could help arrange a good marriage for Jingxiu, she’d have no regrets.

Liu Fang smiled, "Luckily, Sister-in-law has our back, and Zhi Ao and Yufan are willing to help. Otherwise, we would be on the streets."

Wang Junyao comforted her, "We’re family. No need for that."

As she spoke, she sighed.

Liu Fang asked, "Sister-in-law, why are you sighing?"

Wang Junyao pointed to the second floor, "That rascal Li Xiang, do you know why he came back so late last night?"

"Why?"

Wang Junyao looked up slightly, "He went to the Ji family to help Ji Shutong with some work, and he’s also been getting too close to that Ji Shuping. He’s completely different from Zhi Ao—he’s not all there."

Liu Fang, also not all there, asked, "Sister-in-law, didn’t you quite like that Miss Ji?"

Wang Junyao opened her mouth to explain, "I do like Ji Shuping. She’s poised and has a good personality—everything is good about her. It’s just that I’m worried about the Ji family’s ancestral graves. They’ve had one disaster after another, you know?"

Wang Junyao would never admit to being calculating. With Ji Shukuan’s unexpected death, the Ji family was destined to decline, and that was what she was mainly afraid of.

Once the Ji family declined, they wouldn’t even measure up to Lin Yufan’s family. After all, the Lin family was an official and scholarly family, which carried some prestige.

Liu Fang nodded, somewhat understanding, "It does seem like bad luck. Sister-in-law, you should advise Li Xiang more."

"What’s the use of my advice? That brat just loves to defy me. Let’s not talk about him—it gives me a headache. Sometimes I think, it’d be so much better if he were a girl. At least girls are considerate, like Jingxiu. I see she’s become much more obedient and well-behaved now."

Liu Fang’s greatest strength was her lack of sensitivity. Many things only dawned on her afterward. She didn’t pick up on Wang Junyao’s subtle bragging and only said with relief, "If it weren’t for Jingxiu, my life would be meaningless."

"Enough of that. It's time to head back and listen to the radio; there's a pingtan performance today."

*

At the intersection of Princess Avenue, Lin Yufan got out of the car as usual.

The streets were bustling with pedestrians at this hour. She walked in and opted for a quieter alley.

A water pipe had burst in the alley earlier that morning, leaving the ground slick and wet.

She skirted around the puddles and continued on her way. After a short distance, Lin Yufan heard footsteps behind her.

She hesitated for a moment, glanced over her shoulder, and caught a glimpse of a shadow.

Lin Yufan sped up and ducked into another alley.

Her sudden turn forced her pursuer to pick up the pace.

The moment he rounded the corner, a gun was pressed to his forehead.

The man instinctively raised his hands, but in a split second, he sidestepped and lunged for the gun.

As his fingers grazed the gun, a kick sent him crashing into the wall.

Once again, he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

Brother Bing arched an eyebrow. "Who sent you to tail our First Madam?"

The man stayed silent.

Brother Bing hauled him away.

Lin Yufan paid no mind to the scuffle behind her. She quickened her pace and turned back onto the main street.

Twenty minutes later, two cars pulled up to the Hong Kong Office.

Zhao Zhiao led the way, with Brother Bing dragging the man behind him. Passersby gawked and stepped aside.

As they climbed the stairs, curious onlookers peeked out.

The office secretary approached, but before she could speak, Zhao Zhiao cut in, "Where’s Director Gao?"

Someone had already rushed inside to alert him, while the secretary tried to slow Zhao Zhiao down. "Mr. Zhao, please wait a moment. We’ll notify him first."

Zhao Zhiao brushed past her and marched inside.

No one dared to stop him.

By the time they reached the director’s office, the door was open, and Director Gao emerged, startled.

Zhao Zhiao yanked the man from Brother Bing’s grip and flung him to the floor.

Director Gao turned pale with fear.

"Zhi Ao... Boss Zhao, what's wrong? Is there some misunderstanding? Please calm down."

Zhao Zhiao snorted coldly. "Director Gao, this is your man, isn't it?"

Director Gao smiled awkwardly, neither refuting nor admitting it, and only said, "There must be a misunderstanding here."

"What misunderstanding? Your man was following and tailing my wife early in the morning! Gao Dongming, who are you watching, my wife?" The fury in Zhao Zhiao’s eyes was palpable, making Director Gao flinch.

Director Gao knew the misunderstanding was huge. Who was Zhao Zhiao? A Hong Kong tycoon with connections in both the underworld and legitimate business, one of the wealthiest men around.

He wasn’t about to mess with someone like that.

Director Gao hurried to explain, "No, Boss Zhao, why would I be tailing your wife? It’s all a big misunderstanding. Just hear me out. That..."

He noticed the crowd around them, peeking and gossiping, their nosy faces practically in our business.

"Everyone, get out. Now," he motioned for his secretary to clear the room.

Turning back to look at the man thrown on the ground and the entourage behind Zhao Zhiao, he lowered his voice, asking Zhao’s permission, "Perhaps, let them also leave, and we can talk alone. This is a major mix-up. Trust me on this."

Zhao Zhiao glared down at Director Gao.

Director Gao's voice dropped even lower, "It’s really just a misunderstanding."

Finally, Zhao Zhiao gave a slight nod, and Brother Bing hauled the guy off the floor and out the door, while Shen Te closed the door.

"Come on, take a seat. Let’s calm down first," Director Gao pulled a chair over for Zhao Zhiao.

Once seated, Director Gao explained, "I had someone tail your wife, but it wasn’t anything shady. Please don’t misunderstand."

Zhao Zhiao didn’t speak, he stared Director Gao down, as if daring him to explain.

Facing Zhao Zhiao’s icy glare, Director Gao could only choose to reveal part of the truth, "This whole thing wasn’t even my business, it was Ji Shukuan..."

Zhao Zhiao's expression changed slightly, "I can’t believe you’re bringing a dead guy into this!"

"No, no, let me finish. After Shukuan died, while cleaning out his office, they found a photo that was almost completely burned. We have no idea why Shukuan burned it or what it even showed."

With that, Director Gao got up and returned to his desk, pulling the fragment from a drawer and handing it to Zhao Zhiao, "Take a look. Ring any bells?"

Zhao Zhiao examined it carefully, his brow furrowing, feigning surprise, "Isn’t this from my garden?"

"It wasn’t until I visited your place yesterday that I realized this photo was taken in your garden. See here? Isn’t that a lock of long hair?" Director Gao finished, smiling awkwardly.

Zhao Zhiao gave him a look like he was an idiot, "And then?"

"And then... I asked around about Ji Shukuan and found he had no connections with anyone in the Zhao family except Mrs. Zhao."

"So you had someone follow my wife?"

"Actually, I had someone tail Mrs. Zhao just to figure out her connection to Shukuan. That's all."

Zhao Zhiao grew even angrier, "What are you getting at? Are you dragging Shukuan and my wife through the mud?"

"No, no. It's about other disputes. Other matters..."

Zhao Zhiao placed the fragment on the table, "If you had questions, why not ask directly instead of having someone follow her?"

Director Gao smiled apologetically, "Of course, we would ask, but we haven’t figured out the details yet. I didn’t want to upset you by jumping the gun. It’s my fault, I didn’t expect it to cause you such misunderstanding. Please calm down."

Zhao Zhiao, "Your people scared my wife."

"I truly apologize, I will personally apologize to Mrs. Zhao, is that okay?" Director Gao said with a look of sincerity.

Only then did Zhao Zhiao's expression soften, "We are all on the same side, communicate openly in the future, don’t play these little tricks behind the scenes."

"Yes, yes, you’re right," Director Gao brushed the ash off his Zhongshan suit trousers, "I’m really sorry, by the way, where exactly did my people scare Mrs. Zhao?"

Zhao Zhiao shot him a look before saying, "After my wife came to Hong Kong from Haicheng, she was bored at home and wanted to find something to do to pass the time. So I privately bought her a publishing house, letting her experience how hard it is to earn money as an employee. She went to work at the publishing house this morning, but on her way, your people tailed and harassed her. She’s a delicate woman who’s never dealt with anything like this before. Fortunately, she left some documents in the car, and my people, while delivering the documents, happened to encounter your people, who were skulking around, trying to scare my wife..."

"No, no, no, we absolutely didn’t mean to scare her. Zhi Ao, when would be a good time for me to personally apologize to Mrs. Zhao and also ask her about that photo?"

Zhao Zhiao didn’t refuse and promptly set up a dinner with him.

Director Gao said, "Phoenix Tower, it’s on me."

Zhao Zhiao stood up, "This kind of thing can’t happen again, remember, this is Hong Kong, not someplace where the Nationalist Government calls the shots."

"You can count on it."

Director Gao personally escorted Zhao Zhiao downstairs with a smile. When he returned to his office, he barked at the secretariat, "Where is Cui Yuan?! Call him in."

After about fifteen minutes, Cui Yuan, who had just returned from outside, walked in, running a hand over his slicked-back, shiny hair.

"Director, you called me?"

Director Gao picked up a book from the desk and threw it at him, "What kind of morons did you hire? On the very first day of following Mrs. Zhao, they were discovered. Zhao Zhiao came here with his people, making a scene and chewing me out in front of everyone, making me look like a complete idiot. What does that do for my reputation?"

After a round of harsh scolding, Director Gao finally vented his anger.

After venting, Director Gao asked, "Where the hell were you this morning?"

Cui Yuan then said, "I tracked down Boss Zhang, the guy competing with Deputy Director Ji to buy the shoe factory..."

"Did you find him?"

"No. Got some info on him."

"What info?"

"Deputy Director Ji knows this Boss Zhang, and they’re close."

Upon hearing this, Director Gao's face darkened, and his eagle-like eyes swept over Cui Yuan, "Who told you they’re close?"

Although Cui Yuan had just been scolded, he wasn’t afraid of Director Gao, who was all bark and no bite in his eyes. Others feared Director Gao, but he did not.

He smiled and said, "A small-time Hongmen thug heard from Guang Touli that Boss Zhang knows Deputy Director Ji, so he couldn’t handle the negotiations himself, so he got Guang Touli to step in. Who knew it’d blow up like this."

Cui Yuan reported all the newly investigated information to Director Gao.

That Deputy Director Ji and Boss Zhang knew each other was something they hadn’t expected.

Director Gao took out a cigarette box, and it seemed that things might be completely different from what he had initially imagined.

"Has Boss Zhang been found?"

"No. Probably only Guang Touli knows who Boss Zhang is now. But Guang Touli won’t do us any favors. He ended up compensating the Ji family a bit of money, and they say it was only thanks to Zhao Zhiao’s influence."

Director Gao took out a cigarette, lit it, and fell into deep thought.

*

Because she had taken a day off yesterday, Lin Yufan’s desk was piled with work. As soon as she arrived, she dove into typing without a break.

Sister Hong asked her, "Why did you take a day off yesterday?"

Lin Yufan truthfully replied, "I attended a funeral."

Sister Hong didn’t ask whose funeral she had attended, only saying, "When you weren’t here, no one in our department could use the typewriter. The editor’s assistant had to come down from upstairs to help the director type up an urgent document."

Lin Yufan said while typing, "Typing is pretty easy, Sister Hong. Want me to teach you?"

Sister Hong shook her head, "I'm too old; the thought of learning gives me a headache. I can't learn it, so don't bother me."

Sister Dao, who was listening, got interested instead, "Hey, Yufan, if you have time, teach me. I want to learn."

Lin Yufan quickly agreed.

At that moment, Wang Muxun came in from outside. He seemed to have adjusted his attitude and took the initiative to greet Lin Yufan, "Why were you off yesterday?"

Lin Yufan replied with her usual attitude, "I went with my husband to a funeral."

Going with her husband...

Wang Muxun nodded, "Oh, a funeral, that's a good reason to take off."

He pulled out two sample books from his bag and went into the director's office.

At lunchtime, after everyone else left, Wang Muxun turned back and reminded, "You still owe me 29 lunch dates."

Lin Yufan smiled and took out a stack of meal tickets from her bag and handed them to him, "Meal tickets for the roast meat shop, eight cents each. I bought thirty in advance. I'm swamped today and won't go out for lunch. Could you grab me a soy sauce chicken rice with extra tofu?"

"Sure," Wang Muxun agreed without hesitation, took the meal tickets, and went out.

Ten minutes later, Wang Muxun came back, carrying a bowl of soy sauce chicken rice in one hand and a bowl of double thigh rice in the other, with two pairs of chopsticks tucked under them.

Lin Yufan quickly set her work aside and took the soy sauce chicken rice from him, "Thanks. I thought you'd eat before coming back."

Wang Muxun said, "Since I need to return your bowl later, I figured I'd come back and eat with you. While we eat, you can help me look over my article."

Lin Yufan asked with a surprised smile, "Did you finish the article you want to submit?"

Wang Muxun placed a stack of manuscript papers on her desk, "Take a look. It's an assassination novel."

Lin Yufan read while eating, "Is it a full-length novel?"

"It's a novella. Divided into three chapters, this is the first one."

Lin Yufan read very quickly, but to show respect, she deliberately slowed down her scanning speed. After finishing the first chapter, she only understood the background of the story.

It was a story from the period of Japanese occupation. The male protagonist was a Nationalist agent. When Hong Kong was occupied by Japan, he lurked in the shadows, ready to assassinate a former high-ranking Nationalist official who had betrayed the party.

"You've piqued my interest. You should finish it before showing it to me."

Wang Muxun asked with a smile, "How do you find the story?"

"The writing is very smooth, but the language is not very accessible. As for the overall story, since it's only one-third done, I can't really judge."

"Do you think it should be more accessible?"

Lin Yufan nodded, "More accessible, more people will read it. You surely want your work to be seen by more people. Unless you have other pursuits."

Wang Muxun nodded with a smile, "I just want more readers. You make a good point. I'll revise it later."

"Alright, you revise it first. Finish it soon and show it to me." Lin Yufan ate the braised tofu and asked curiously, "Did the male protagonist succeed in the assassination?"

Wang Muxun replied, "He succeeded. But he was also killed. It's a story I heard before, with a fictional background."

Lin Yufan didn't ask further. She returned the manuscript to Wang Muxun.

After lunch, Lin Yufan got back to work and was able to leave on time in the afternoon.

Though the work was mundane and not particularly important, Lin Yufan felt a sense of accomplishment after completing it.

She got into the car at her usual pickup spot, and the driver informed her that Zhao Zhiao asked her to come to his office after work.

Lin Yufan had never been to Zhao Zhiao's company before. His three companies shared offices in the same building, and he usually worked on the fifth floor at Tianqi Company.

Secretary Wen, who had met Mrs. Zhao at the Zhao family garden, quickly escorted her to Zhao Zhiao's office.

Lin Yufan’s simple attire made her unrecognizable, drawing curious glances.

Zhao Zhiao was talking to a senior executive when he saw Lin Yufan enter. He said, "Take a seat and wait for me a bit. Director Gao invited us to dinner to apologize to you."

Lin Yufan sat in a corner and started reading a newspaper.

Not long after, the senior executive left, and Shen Te came in.

Shen Te said, "Silla Corp. is dealing with serious internal conflicts. Their Hong Kong branch can’t get off the ground. Xiong Feng resigned from Silla and contacted me. He wants to team up with us to start a plastic factory. We provide the factory and raw materials, and he provides the technology."

This caught Zhao Zhiao’s attention. He figured letting things play out naturally could reveal more and get rid of Xiong Feng, who had become a thorn in his side.

"Tell President Liao to keep talking to him and find out his terms."

"Alright."

Lin Yufan listened quietly. She waited in the office until 6:30 PM when Zhao Zhiao wrapped up.

At 7 PM, they arrived at the Phoenix Tower private room, where Director Gao had already ordered and was waiting.

Though only three were dining, Director Gao ordered a full spread to show respect.

After the dishes were served, Director Gao downed three glasses of wine as a self-imposed apology, and Lin Yufan didn’t make it difficult for him.

When they talked about Ji Shukuan, Director Gao asked softly, "I hope you don’t mind me asking, Mrs. Zhao, but what was your relationship with Ji Shukuan?"

Lin Yufan answered truthfully, "We were just casual friends. I’d interacted with him a few times over buying the shoe factory dormitory."

She then explained the process of her collaboration with Ji Shukuan.

Director Gao asked, "And after that, you lost touch?"

"We did. Later, he asked me out to dinner and wanted to collaborate with me to exploit a loophole in the contract to scam Boss Xie out of 540,000 yuan in compensation. It crossed a line for me, and we didn’t need the money, so I refused."

Teaming up to scam Boss Xie out of 540,000 yuan?

Director Gao was very surprised to hear this and didn’t expect Ji Shukuan to be such a person.

He immediately thought of the elusive Boss Zhang.

If Ji Shukuan and Boss Zhang were old acquaintances, could they have conspired to defraud Boss Xie of a huge compensation? But the act was too exaggerated, and Guang Touli, who Boss Zhang had brought in, didn’t control the scene well, leading to Ji Shukuan being accidentally shot?

Lin Yufan continued, "Perhaps because I didn’t agree to collaborate with Brother Ji, he held a small grudge against me."

This also reasonably explained why Ji Shukuan had his friends delay the review of Lin Yufan's property deed, because she hadn’t agreed to collude with him.

And because of Lin Yufan's refusal, Ji Shukuan saw no hope of getting closer to her, so he simply burned her photo as well.

From Ji Shukuan’s assistant’s account, Director Gao suspected Ji Shukuan had inappropriate feelings for Lin Yufan.

Director Gao gave a slight shake of his head, unwilling to directly criticize Ji Shukuan's character, and only said, "I didn’t expect Shukuan’s mind to be so... so flexible."

Lin Yufan replied, "Maybe this incident is why I offended him. After that, he pretty much ignored us and didn’t visit our home for a long time. I only learned about his troubles buying the shoe factory after his accident."

No matter how you slice it, Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan had no reason to kill Ji Shukuan; on the contrary, Ji Shukuan held a grudge against them.

Director Gao sighed, "I also didn’t expect him to leave just like that. Life’s full of surprises."

After that, Director Gao and Zhao Zhiao had a long conversation about the domestic situation, and they didn’t wrap up until 8:30 PM.

On the way home, Lin Yufan asked Zhao Zhiao, "Do you think he bought it?"

Before, he was on the fence, but now he’s mostly convinced, with just a sliver of doubt.

"Why is there still that sliver of doubt?"

"Because he hasn’t met Boss Zhang face-to-face."

Lin Yufan asked softly, "Does this person even exist?"

Zhao Zhiao replied, "Take a guess."

"I’m not in the mood to guess."

Zhao Zhiao wrote a single word in her palm: None.

Lin Yufan understood.

In short, Boss Zhang was a figment of their imagination.

Initially, it should have been Zhao Zhiao who asked Guang Touli to fabricate the character of Boss Zhang to communicate with Boss Xie, intending to buy the shoe factory at a high price to provoke Ji Shukuan. Finally, when the two parties met to negotiate, chaos was deliberately created, and Ji Shukuan was killed in the chaos.

As for the news that Ji Shukuan knew Boss Zhang, it was just a smokescreen released by Guang Touli.

Director Gao, aware that Ji Shukuan had long planned to deceive Boss Xie, chose to believe that after Lin Yufan refused to cooperate, Ji Shukuan found another friend to continue the scam.

Since there was no such person as Boss Zhang, even if Director Gao still had a trace of doubt, there was no way to verify it.

Indeed, later they learned from other channels that after Ji Shukuan’s burial, Director Gao was busy with other matters and gradually forgot about Ji Shukuan’s death.

Until Director Gao met Ji Shutong at someone else’s gathering...

But that’s a tale for another time.