Chapter 49

Chapter 49

In the study, the young couple discussed the affairs of Qunqing Press across the table.

Lin Yufan, hoping to please her husband, found Zhao Zhiao closing the file in front of him. He asked, "Are you still planning to work there?"

"Why?"

"If you’re not working there, I’ll just shut it down to cut our losses."

Lin Yufan was silent for a moment.

After thinking for a while, she curiously asked, "How much are you planning to sell this struggling publishing house for?"

Zhao Zhiao, seeing her curiosity, began to seriously analyze with her, "The office building is Qunqing’s most valuable asset."

"No, Sister Dao told me Qunqing rents it."

"When I bought the publishing house, I also bought the office building."

Now Lin Yufan was intrigued.

"You still haven’t answered me. How much are you planning to sell it for?"

"Wait, you want to buy it?"

"If the price is fair, I might consider it."

Zhao Zhiao laughed, "Since you’re my wife, I’ll sell it to you at a loss."

Lin Yufan retorted, "You’d lose money selling it to anyone else too. Like you said, Qunqing’s only real asset is the office building."

"Don’t think I’m clueless. Qunqing may be small, but it has over a hundred book copyrights, a strong network of authors, and a full publishing chain. The staff may be hit-or-miss, but all roles are covered. Once you take over, you can use it immediately." Zhao Zhiao had never managed Qunqing, but he spoke as if he knew it well.

Lin Yufan countered him, "If it’s that good, why sell it? Keep it and make a fortune."

Zhao Zhiao proactively offered a price, "I’ll sell it to you for 50,000, even though I’ll lose money."

"You said you’d give it to me, and now you want 50,000? Boss Zhao, you’re quite the businessman."

"You’re the one who wants to keep things strictly business. I’m already losing 50,000, Boss Lin. Don’t make it worse."

The term "Boss Lin" made Lin Yufan laugh, and she nodded, "I’m only negotiating because of that office building. Qunqing’s office building, its most valuable asset, is just three floors, small, and tucked away in an alley. My Yilan Residence with 24 units only cost 100,000."

Zhao Zhiao deliberately haggled with her, "I know a small unit in your Yilan Residence goes for over 10,000 now. Qunqing’s building may be small, but it has a street-front shop, and the two half-floors upstairs equal six or seven of your units. This building alone is worth 40,000 to 50,000."

That was true, but Lin Yufan directly offered a low price, "20,000! If you agree, I’ll have Gui Xiang give you the money immediately."

"Boss Lin, you’re quite the negotiator!" Zhao Zhiao didn’t agree, "At least 30,000! Any less and my wife will scold me."

Lin Yufan laughed, "Your wife must be more generous and understanding than you."

"28,000, can’t go any lower." Zhao Zhiao had never bargained with anyone like this before, and it was just for a small amount of money. With anyone else, he wouldn’t have given them a second glance.

Lin Yufan: "25,000!"

Zhao Zhiao looked at the pale arm in front of him, his thin lips pursed, "Sit up here, and I’ll sell it to you for 25,000."

Lin Yufan rolled her eyes at him, "Just keep it in your hands then."

With that, she stood up and left.

Zhao Zhiao feigned helplessness, "Alright, alright, I admit the loss. Twenty-five thousand it is."

Lin Yufan stood at the door, "I don't want it anymore."

Still got some attitude!

"How much do you want then?"

"Twenty thousand."

"You just said twenty-five thousand."

"Things are different now!"

Zhao Zhiao let out a long sigh, "Today is not a good day for business. I’m really losing out big time. I’ll have President Liao transfer Qunqing Press to you first thing tomorrow."

Lin Yufan laughed joyfully. She knew he was deliberately giving in, but spending twenty thousand to buy a publishing house and get a property as well, such a good deal, no matter whose it was, she would take it first.

"No take-backs. I'll have Gui Xiang bring you the money right away."

Zhao Zhiao unscrewed his fountain pen, "Then you’d better hurry, Boss Lin. Who knows if I might regret it later."

"You won't get the chance to regret!"

*

Lin Yufan didn't go to the publishing house in the morning; she went after having lunch at home.

That’s the perk of being the boss.

In the afternoon, Tielong accompanied her to the publishing house. The second-floor office was empty.

Lin Yufan walked up to the third floor. As she approached the third-floor office, she could faintly hear voices inside.

Lin Yufan didn't enter immediately but stood by the window looking in. She saw everyone sitting scattered around, with President Liu standing in front of the editorial department's blackboard speaking.

"Our new boss hasn’t come to meet with me yet. Everyone should keep working hard on their tasks as usual. The position of editor-in-chief is currently vacant. When the new boss arrives, I'll discuss with him whether to hire externally or select one from our current editors to take on the responsibility."

Uncle Qiang looked quite pleased, "That Lin woman caused a scene yesterday, and today Boss Zhao sold the publishing house. I guess she offended her husband. Who’d want their wife out there, showing off and throwing her weight around?"

Sister Dao retorted, "What, can't we women work? The government encourages us to step out of the home. Why don’t you go back and bind your daughter’s feet?!"

Uncle Qiang's face darkened, "Hey, I wasn't talking about you. Why are you jumping in? What does it have to do with you? That woman surnamed Lin isn't here, and probably won't come in the future. Who are you trying to suck up to?"

Sister Dao, "It’s people like you who always suck up, and sooner or later, you’ll mess up."

Director Chen reminded, "Don't argue here. President, how should we follow up on the cases of Editor-in-Chief Wang and Yang Pinwen? We definitely need to cooperate with the police to provide more evidence."

President Liu waved his hand, "Let’s forgive where we can. We’re all colleagues, and it’s tough for everyone."

Hui Yan couldn't help but mutter softly, "So all that effort yesterday was for nothing? Shouldn't we at least ask the new boss's opinion?"

President Liu gave Hui Yan a dissatisfied look, "I call the shots at Qunqing Press. Editor-in-Chief Wang has children at home. If this leaks, how’s he going to face his family?"

This provoked Hui Yan's dissatisfaction, "When he was fooling around with Yang Pinwen, why didn’t he think about his kids?"

"Enough!" Men stick together. President Liu held back his anger, "You women are blowing this tiny thing out of proportion. That’s why I say we should avoid hiring women."

Uncle Qiang immediately agreed, "Yeah, these women, all hair and no brains, always stirring up trouble."

Hui Yan was fuming: "Then don’t hire female employees, just hire men like Editor-in-Chief Wang and Yang Pinwen, who complain about not being able to face their families while shamelessly messing around with men. Uncle Qiang, with your careless demeanor, I don’t think any effort will help; President Liu probably doesn’t respect you either."

"You!" Uncle Qiang was so furious he jumped to his feet!

Sister Dao quickly pulled Hui Yan behind her; her fierce look still scared Uncle Qiang.

Hui Yan’s words humiliated President Liu. "Hui Yan, you’re a divorced single mother, you should watch your mouth, yet here you are stirring up trouble and mocking me. This is ridiculous! You… go to accounting to get your final paycheck today, you don’t need to come back tomorrow."

Hui Yan scoffed: "Just now you were saying how hard it is for Editor-in-Chief Wang and Yang Pinwen with their families, I have a child too, why doesn’t President Liu care about my struggles? You feel sorry for criminals and let them off the hook, but when I stand up to you, you fire me. Could you be any more of a hypocrite?"

President Liu was livid: "Get her out of my sight!"

Hui Yan packed her things herself: "I’m done with this dump! Uncle A Fu, cut me my check now."

A Fu, the accountant, glanced at the president and the director.

Director Chen stepped in to mediate: "Editor-in-Chief Wang and Yang Pinwen have been arrested, if Hui Yan leaves too, the editorial office will only have two people left, it will be overwhelming."

President Liu brushed it off: "Many intellectuals have fled here recently, hiring an editor isn’t that tough."

"But they won’t catch on that fast."

"Director Chen…" President Liu shot him a glare, as if to say, are you also going to oppose me?

Director Chen bit his tongue and looked away, just spotting a shadow at the door.

"Who’s there?"

Everyone looked over.

A Tang, sitting by the door, quickly went to open it.

Standing outside was Lin Yufan.

Inside the room, some were delighted, some were surprised, and some were stunned!

President Liu beamed at her: "Mrs. Zhao, I received the notice this morning that Boss Zhao sold Qunqing Press, are you here to pack up?"

Lin Yufan nodded with a smile: "Yes, to pack up, but… not me packing, I’m here to ask you to pack up."

President Liu was stunned, seemingly not understanding, still smiling foolishly: "Let Sister Dao help you pack."

"I said I’m here to tell you to pack up. You can get lost now." Lin Yufan said the last few words one by one, her tone unusually calm.

"No… I…" President Liu’s face showed panic, embarrassment, and confusion.

He tried to remind her: "Boss Zhao sold Qunqing Press."

Lin Yufan: "Boss Zhao did sell Qunqing Press, but not to someone else, to me. From today, I am the boss here."

President Liu instantly deflated.

The notice from Tianqi told him Qunqing Press was sold, but deliberately didn’t tell him to whom, was this a trick?

Sister Dao, Hui Yan, and A Tang were overjoyed.

Wang Muxun looked at Lin Yufan as if she were a stranger, his feelings very complex.

Uncle Qiang buried his head, wishing he could find a crack to hide in, hoping Lin Yufan wouldn’t notice him, why did he have to speak up today, he should have kept quiet.

President Liu wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. He called Tianqi Company, looking for the person he had previously dealt with, and upon asking, it turned out to be just a deal between a husband and wife.

After hanging up the phone, President Liu realized he was completely out of luck.

Lin Yufan instructed Director Chen, "Director, work with the team to check the times President Liu was late, left early, or skipped work over the past few months."

Director Chen hesitated for a moment but then responded, "Ah, I’ll check right away."

President Liu understood that checking these details now was clearly meant to humiliate him. Rather than being fired, he decided to leave on his own.

"Forget the check. I’m not taking this month’s pay. I’m out of here."

Hui Yan taunted him, "Not taking this month’s salary? Huh, I bet you’ll have to cough up the pay from the last few months too. No need to track his absences, just count the days he actually showed up—that’s easier. Didn’t you say we women are a handful? Well, today I’ll show you just how much of a pain I can be. My seat is right by your office door, and I’ve got a clear memory of when you showed up. I can help Director Chen calculate everything for you!"

"You?!" President Liu was so furious he could’ve exploded.

Hui Yan said, "I’ve got one thing going for me—a sharp memory."

Lin Yufan nearly cracked up at Hui Yan’s comment. She nodded, "Hui Yan is right. President Liu, sign and get out today. As for the compensation, my lawyer will be in touch."

Lawyer?!

President Liu’s face twitched with unease.

Tie Long wasn’t as polite and directly pushed President Liu, "Get your stuff and move it!"

Just as everyone thought the meeting was over, Lin Yufan added, "Anyone who backed Yang Pinwen yesterday, get out. Especially you."

As she spoke, she tapped the desk next to Uncle Qiang.

Uncle Qiang, who’d been hoping to vanish, was now cornered. He’d seen what happened to others who begged for mercy.

The more you begged, the worse it got.

Moreover, he’d crossed Lin Yufan more than once, and anyone with sense knew begging was useless.

Unexpectedly, after leaving Qunqing Press and nearing his home, he was jumped with a flour sack and beaten to a pulp.

Who beat him? No one knew.

His first suspicion was the person named Tie Long who had followed Lin Yufan in, but he had no evidence. Calling the cops would just mean getting shaken down with no upside, so he had no choice but to take the beating.

In one afternoon, all the deadwood was cleared out, and Lin Yufan found that Qunqing Press felt a lot fresher now.

She planned to change the name of Qunqing Press, renovate it, and then reorganize the departments and personnel, giving it a complete makeover.

*

In the office, Cui Yuan was preparing to go on duty at the warehouse.

Wang Liu came in from outside, "Captain Cui, Liu Pangzi still hasn’t gone to the warehouse today. He’s been MIA for two days."

Cui Yuan asked, "Could he be keeping an eye on the Zhao family garden?"

Wang Liu shook his head, "Probably not. He said he’d wait until Zhao Zhiao’s mother’s birthday to find a way to sneak in and investigate further."

Cui Yuan picked up his cigarettes, "I’ll go on duty. You check his house later."

An hour later, Wang Liu ran all the way to the warehouse to find Cui Yuan, his lips purple.

"Boss, it’s bad news. Liu Pangzi was murdered at home."

"What the hell?!"

Cui Yuan immediately called Deng Kuan and two other brothers, rushing over to Liu Pangzi's house.

Everyone was stunned by what they saw.

Liu Pangzi was hung on the ceiling fan, his tongue hanging down, looking absolutely horrifying.

Blood was all over the floor.

Rice grains stained with blood were laid out in lines, and upon closer inspection, it read "Next is Gao Dongming."

Is Director Gao the next target?

A few hours later, everyone gathered in Director Gao's office.

Cui Yuan reported: "The police are now handling the case. They suspect it’s someone with a grudge against our office. There are too many enemies of our office, why go after Liu Pangzi first? Director, I think you should be careful from now on. I’ll make sure you’re safe coming and going."

Director Gao suspected: "Could Zhao Zhiao have sent someone to kill him? I told you not to investigate Zhao Zhiao! But no one listened."

Cui Yuan nodded: "True, Liu Pangzi’s only been focusing on Zhao Zhiao’s family lately."

Wang Liu whispered: "I doubt it. Pangzi hasn’t been investigating Zhao Zhiao recently. He was waiting for Zhao Zhiao’s mom’s birthday party to make his move."

Deng Kuan said: "If Zhao Zhiao wanted him dead, he’d just send a hitman to take him out on the street. Why all the theatrics, threatening the director next?"

Cui Yuan also wavered, "Right, Director, you’ve got no beef with Zhao Zhiao. Didn’t you guys just have dinner together?"

Director Gao was clueless: "So who’s behind this?"

Cui Yuan lowered his voice: "Could this be tied to the Confidentiality Section? Did Liu Pangzi get caught up in something?"

Director Gao nodded slightly, then thought again: "What’s the Confidentiality Section got to do with me?"

"Of course, we know it has nothing to do with you, but others don’t. Outsiders think you’re Liu Pangzi’s boss, Director."

Director Gao pondered slightly: "If they wanted me dead, they wouldn’t leave a message. I think this is just a distraction."

Everyone speculated whether Liu Pangzi owed gambling debts, and the creditor deliberately wrote that the next target was Director Gao to throw us off track.

"Throw us off track?"

This was the most unified opinion among everyone.

But Director Gao was still uneasy about his safety. Cui Yuan said: "From now on, we’ll have three guys watching the director’s back when he’s coming and going."

Director Gao: "If we take three guys off warehouse duty, what happens there?"

"Just three people, the others will still be on duty at the warehouse, and there’s also the security company. Don’t sweat it, Director."

As it was almost time to get off work, Captain Zhuang arrived. He had just returned from the police station and learned the latest developments in the case.

Liu Pangzi had his heels cut and was strangled twice before he died.

Captain Zhuang wore gold-rimmed glasses and was a thin, pale, and scholarly man. From his appearance, one would never guess he was an important figure in the Confidentiality Section.

He said: "So, the first time they strangled Liu Pangzi, they didn’t kill him but let him down for interrogation."

"Interrogate Liu Pangzi?" Director Gao was surprised. He looked at Captain Zhuang, pretending not to know Liu Pangzi’s identity, "Does Liu Pangzi know some secrets we don’t?"

Captain Zhuang obviously couldn’t expose Liu Pangzi’s double life. "I suspect the Communists killed Liu Pangzi this time. Their next target isn’t Director Gao, but the warehouse. They got the information they wanted out of Liu Pangzi."

Director Gao’s expression turned serious: "Captain Zhuang, we both work hard and stay loyal to the Nationalist Party. What could Liu Pangzi know that I don’t?"

Captain Zhuang took out a handkerchief to clean his glasses: "Director Gao, I’m just doing what I was told by the higher-ups."

Director Gao’s face fell, clearly upset.

But no matter how unhappy he was, Captain Zhuang had no intention of comforting him. "Starting today, all members of the special task force will guard the warehouse, keeping a close eye on it. We can’t afford any slip-ups."

Director Gao: "What about my safety? Their next target is to kill me."

"They’re not after you; their target is the warehouse," Captain Zhuang said, looking at Director Gao’s angry expression. "Cui Yuan will take care of your safety."

After Captain Zhuang left, Director Gao cursed: "Dogs acting tough because of their master, foxes pretending to be tigers!"

Cui Yuan quickly comforted him: "Director, don’t worry. Maybe the Communists will go after him next!"

*

After sleeping at home for half the day, Lin Yufan got up, changed, and headed to Tianqi Company to wait for Zhao Zhiao so they could catch a movie together.

Most movies in Hong Kong theaters were in Mandarin, and a lot of them were made in Shanghai. Lin Yufan knew that many mainland movie stars would gradually come to Hong Kong in the next year or two, and the entertainment industry here would slowly develop.

After the movie, Zhao Zhiao drove her to the top of Yunping Mountain. Since it was a convertible, they could look up and see the starry sky on a clear night.

They lounged in the car, chatting and stargazing.

It was a little cold up there, so he gave her his jacket.

"I heard you not only fired the President but also demanded back wages from him."

Lin Yufan complained: "Your poor management forced me to play the villain and clean up your mess."

After Zhao Zhiao bought Qunqing Press, he completely left it to run on its own, never thinking about managing it.

"Have Lawyer Yan get you a pro. If you’re going after him, make sure he’s completely crushed."

Lin Yufan laughed. She loved how ruthless he was with others—it was a turn-on.

She teased him: "Is it your ruthless streak that keeps the Communists from letting you join?"

Zhao Zhiao was slightly proud: "I’m too valuable. Staying independent lets me do more."

She believed that.

"If you need me, just say the word. I can pitch in for the Communist Party too."

Zhao Zhiao glanced at his wife and asked: "Why would you want to work for the Communist Party?"

Lin Yufan wouldn’t say anything particularly grand or righteous.

All she knew was that the Communist Party ended China’s century of being semi-colonized. In her past life, after the People’s Republic was founded, countries that had once invaded China teamed up to cut off trade with China. She knew the Communist Party was always in the right, no matter what.

But she couldn’t tell him about things that hadn’t happened yet, so she just smiled and played along. "Because you’re with the Communist Party. I’m just being a dutiful wife."

His wife had never been so eager to follow his lead, so Zhao Zhiao couldn’t resist kissing her.

"What we’re doing is risky. Stay out of it."

"Hong Kong isn’t Nationalist turf. It’s safer here than in Shanghai."

"You don’t understand. The Nationalists have only one public office in Hong Kong, but recently, more and more military intelligence agents have been secretly relocated here. As more cities in the north are liberated, Hong Kong will become increasingly important. The Nationalists are about to relocate their capital to Guangzhou, and Hong Kong will serve as their base to coordinate with Guangzhou and facilitate transfers as needed."

Lin Yufan knew that over the next year, a significant amount of gold and cultural relics would be transferred to Taiwan and the United States through Hong Kong.

Zhao Zhiao continued, "The Nationalists don’t want wealthy businessmen like me aiding the Communists, so helping the Communists is far more dangerous than you imagine. Just focus on being Mrs. Zhao Zhiao. I won’t let you do anything dangerous."

Lin Yufan valued her life and didn’t insist, "Then for things that aren’t dangerous and require help, I can lend a hand."

Zhao Zhiao didn’t want to involve his wife but still agreed, "You can help when needed. What we’re doing isn’t as simple as playing house, like you might think."

"Who said what you’re doing is as simple as playing house?" Lin Yufan was slightly displeased, "In your eyes, I’m just a woman with long hair and little understanding, who can’t even grasp how challenging your work is, right?"

The mood was good, but Zhao Zhiao didn’t expect his careless words to upset his wife again.

"I was wrong. I misunderstood," he quickly surrendered.

Lin Yufan ignored him.

Zhao Zhiao kissed her, kissed her face, kissed her ear, making Lin Yufan laugh and dodge from the tickle, "What are you doing?"

"Shall we try here?"

"No! What if someone comes?"

The car had no roof!

As he spoke, he had already moved over, pressing her down, "No one will come to the mountaintop at this hour."

The modernized cheongsam of that era was truly the most beautiful attire for women, with just a slight lift, one could do as they wished. Suddenly overcome with sensation, Lin Yufan curled her toes instantly, gently pushing him, "Slow down first."

He usually heeded her advice, except in this instance.

The more she asked him to slow down, the more he ignored her, speeding up to anchor the point. The off-road vehicle rocked rhythmically, back and forth, and the mountaintop echoed with the clear sound of a stream.

The night sky above sparkled like a galaxy.

With the constant sound of wind and water in her ears, in the confined space, they were tightly entwined, completely immersed. Lin Yufan felt as though she was no longer herself; her limbs and body seemed to die, then come back to life.

The mountaintop was chillier than the base of the mountain, and a cold breeze made Lin Yufan’s hair stand on end, yet she felt a burning warmth from within.