Chapter 64: Gunshot

Chapter 64: Gunshot

The temperature began to rise starting from the second day of the Lunar New Year, and by the fifth day, the weather in Hong Kong was spring-like.

However, the trees and grass on the mountains had mostly withered away after the severe cold.

The Zhao family garden was no different.

The entire lawn had turned a patchy yellow, and most of the other cold-intolerant vegetation had either frozen to death or been damaged. The kapok and flame trees, having been prepped for the cold in advance, remained as lush as ever.

On the fifth day, work resumed to usher in prosperity, and Lin Yufan went to the publishing house early in the morning.

As it was the first day back to work after the New Year, she handed out red envelopes to all the employees.

As soon as she stepped onto the second floor, A Tang, sitting at the far end, recognized the click of Lin Yufan's heels.

A Tang stood up first and loudly greeted, "President, Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity!"

At A Tang's shout, everyone else in the room crowded over, their words full of flattery.

"President, may you make a fortune this New Year!"

"President, Happy New Year, hand over the red envelope!"

"President, president, the spring breeze warms the wine, and the red envelope brings even more happiness!"

Lin Yufan was amused by everyone, "May you all have a prosperous New Year!"

Although it was Lin Yufan's first time as a boss giving out red envelopes, she had been a worker in Hong Kong in her previous life and was well-versed in the tradition.

If the boss had no experience and gave red envelopes to everyone who reached out, it would be unclear who had received them and who hadn't.

Some cheeky ones would take the red envelope, hide it, and then reach out for a second or third one, leading to an awkward situation where some ended up with several while others got none.

Lin Yufan held the red envelopes in her hand and said with a smile, "Return to your seats, and I'll distribute them."

Lin Yuwu, who had come with Lin Yufan, also loudly reminded, "Everyone, sit back in your seats, then I'll hand out the red envelopes."

The crowd quickly returned to their office seats.

Lin Yufan personally handed out the red envelopes one by one, and the employees cheerfully offered various congratulatory words.

Those receiving the red envelopes were happy, and so was the one giving them out.

Just then, Hui Yan came in last, and everyone teased her, "Editor Hui Yan, congratulations and prosperity!"

"Congratulations and prosperity, congratulations and prosperity," Hui Yan spread her hands, "I'm divorced, so no red envelopes for me."

Everyone laughed and urged her to find someone new soon.

After distributing the red envelopes, the department leaders gathered in Lin Yufan's office for a brief discussion on the upcoming work.

Everyone had put on weight over the New Year, except for Hui Yan.

Hui Yan complained, "I never realized I had so many relatives. They all came to my house for dinner on the second day of the New Year, each eager to ask about Mi Xian, but I said I had no comment."

Wang Muxun pinched the fat on his face, "Sister Hong whips up a new dish every day, I've actually packed on a few pounds."

Hui Yan asked curiously, "How do you settle the bill at Sister Hong's house?"

Wang Muxun: "It's cheaper than eating out and more hygienic too."

Director Chen entered, and Lin Yufan brought a teacup, sat down, and said, "Let's talk about the magazine first."

Wang Muxun opened his notebook: "The third issue sold out on Lunar New Year's Day. A Yong went to the printing plant and paid extra to print 5,000 more copies, which were released into the market today. They were reportedly pre-ordered by book dealers early that morning."

Director Chen nodded with a smile: "The third issue of 'Panorama' should bring in significant profit, which is completely unexpected. A good omen for the new year."

Hui Yan joked: "We just did the math: the magazine's manuscript fees are fixed. Even with extra printing costs, we still make 40 cents per copy. Printing 5,000 copies in one go nets us 2,000 yuan. We'd have to sell 20,000 copies of 30-cent novels just to make 2,000 yuan! Publishing magazines is far more profitable than our 30-cent novels."

Wang Muxun, not one to be modest, said, "Our goal is to sell more than 20,000 copies per issue."

That's at least 8,000 yuan per issue, or 16,000 yuan a month!

This goal is not easy to achieve.

Hui Yan shook her head: "I don't mean to rain on your parade, but it's too tough! And you're limited to two issues a month. We're different—we can put out 10 or 20 30-cent novels, and as long as we have a bestseller, we can keep reprinting. But what will keep the magazine's sales high? Have you thought about that?"

The issue Hui Yan raised was exactly what Lin Yufan wanted to bring up. She said, "Right now, 'Panorama' has a big issue: much of its popularity hinges on the 'Ask Mi' column. And the column depends too much on 'Mi Xian,' which is a problem."

Wang Muxun knew the issue: "As a literary and current affairs magazine, starting with a metaphysical column could make long-term sustainability tough."

Lin Yufan, holding her hot teacup, said, "We need to build our own unique, stable, and long-term features. Mi Xian draws readers, but they should keep buying the magazine without her. That's the most important thing."

Wang Muxun quickly took notes: "I've been brainstorming over the New Year and have some ideas, though they're still rough. Once I finish the fourth issue's manuscripts, I'll organize them."

Lin Yufan: "Good! Hui Yan, tell us about the 30-cent novels."

Hui Yan opened her notebook: "We have three novels to reprint, especially 'The Gold Heist,' which is sold out. We need to print at least 50,000 more copies. Guys, that's 50,000 copies! We'll need to order in batches."

Lin Yuwu enthusiastically clapped: "Impressive! Very impressive!"

Hui Yan laughed: "It's mainly your sister who's impressive!"

Lin Yuwu: "You're all impressive! But of course, my sister is the most impressive."

Everyone laughed.

Hui Yan continued: "We plan to print eight 30-cent novels in February, but the current situation with the printing plant is that unless we pay extra, they can't even meet a third of our normal order requirements."

When it came to the printing plant issue, Lin Yufan asked Lin Yuwu: "How's Zhaoyang Printing Plant doing?"

Lin Yuwu, crossing his legs, said: "The printing plant started yesterday, but orders are way below capacity. But the staff is hard to handle. I need a few days to reorganize things."

Lin Yufan frowned slightly: "What do you mean by hard to handle?"

Lin Yuwu explained: "The factory's run by the former owner's in-laws, who've been exploiting workers, leading to widespread discontent."

"Just fire that person. There's no need to keep them."

"Firing them outright won't work. The technical backbone is loyal to them. If we fire them, they might take everyone with them, and the factory won't be able to operate normally."

This was indeed a headache. Lin Yufan was about to ask her Fifth Brother how he planned to solve it when Lin Yuwu said: "I have a way, but it'll take a few days. When it's done, we'll prioritize printing our own publishing house's orders."

After the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, Lin Yufan asked her Fifth Brother what his plan was.

Her Fifth Brother always had a tendency to act recklessly, and she was worried he might not follow the rules.

Sure enough, Lin Yuwu said: "The former owner's in-law is a gambler. I'll have someone pressure him until he backs off and quits."

Lin Yufan warned, "You're making yourself an easy target for criticism."

"Do you think I'm a fool? I won't show my face directly. Trust me, even if I go a bit wild, I know where to draw the line. Besides, I'm not really crazy," Lin Yuwu assured her that nothing would go wrong.

After a few more words of caution from Lin Yufan, she added, "Gu Huiling called me yesterday and said we could go to the cinema on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year to see the rough cut of *The Gold Heist*. You should call the male lead to join us."

"Alright, I'll call him."

After leaving the office, Lin Yufan went to get her hair done, preparing for the Spring Banquet hosted by the Hong Kong Office that evening.

*

When *Hong Kong Ming Daily* resumed full operations on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the backlog of work piled up rapidly.

Xu Yinger and Zhao Lixiang were paired up to work on a new feature, and they were so swamped they nearly skipped lunch.

Ji Shuping was also busy today and almost missed lunchtime before she came to find Zhao Lixiang. "You left your watch at my place the other day. I was in a hurry today and forgot to bring it."

Zhao Lixiang had several watches, so losing one wasn't a big deal. "How are you? Is your cold better? Why didn't you take a few more days off?"

"It's pretty much gone. I have several ads to handle, so I didn't dare to take leave," Ji Shuping said, coughing a few times. "Let's grab a bite together. Yinger, come along."

Xu Yinger, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, tactfully shook her head. "I already have plans to eat out with someone."

Zhao Lixiang, oblivious, reminded Xu Yinger, "Then you better hurry, it's already half past twelve."

When they reached the cafeteria and began eating, Ji Shuping asked him, "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Not really, why?"

"I haven't seen the recently released *Love and Hate Under the Sky* yet. Do you want to go together?"

Zhao Lixiang waved his hand. "I'm not into romantic movies. I suggest you don't go either. You should stay home and rest when you're sick."

Ji Shuping: "..."

When she looked up to say something, she noticed Zhao Lixiang enthusiastically chatting with a photographer at the next table, planning their next photo shoot location.

Ji Shuping was so furious she wanted to strangle Zhao Lixiang right then and there.

*

The Spring Banquet hosted by the Nationalist Government's Hong Kong Office was held in the banquet hall on the first floor of the Four Seasons Hotel near the Hong Kong Office.

Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan attended in formal wear.

The Spring Banquet was held to thank Hong Kong's wealthy donors, and a lot of high-ranking Nationalist officials from Guangzhou showed up. The highest-ranking among them was the Vice Premier of the State Council, Zeng, accompanied by Director Qiu and others.

As Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan arrived at the venue, Director Gao, who was greeting guests at the entrance, came out to welcome them.

"Boss Zhao, Mrs. Zhao, Happy New Year! Thanks a lot for coming, we really appreciate it."

Lin Yufan smiled and nodded. "Happy New Year, Director Gao. It's been a while."

After some small talk, Director Gao called out to Zhuang Ziguang, "Deputy Director Zhuang, please take over greeting the guests here. I'll escort Mr. and Mrs. Zhao inside."

Zhuang Ziguang, who had been chatting with other guests, hurried over.

After being injured by Zhao Zhiao last time, Zhuang Ziguang still felt a bit uneasy around him, but he didn't dare show any disrespect on the surface.

As they entered the banquet hall, familiar friends greeted Zhao Zhiao along the way.

Director Gao took them straight to the innermost area and introduced them to Vice Premier Zeng.

Vice Premier Zeng and Zhao Zhiao knew each other, having met at the New Year's reception last time.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Vice Premier Zeng turned to Lin Yufan: "Mrs. Zhao, I've long heard of your reputation. Just this morning, as soon as I got off the train, someone handed me a book, said to be the hottest and best-selling novel in Hong Kong, based on our theft case. It's quite embarrassing, but your adaptation is truly brilliant."

Lin Yufan smiled: "I just wrote the novel to capitalize on the public interest. After reading it, Zhi Ao said it felt like an ancient martial arts story and wasn't realistic at all. I hope Vice Premier Zeng doesn't find it offensive."

Zhao Zhiao chimed in: "The writing is excellent, but the story is quite fantastical, even more so than 'Water Margin.'"

Vice Premier Zeng laughed: "No, no, Mrs. Zhao's novel is well-written, otherwise it wouldn't have such a sensational effect. I certainly wouldn't consider it offensive. I also read several newspaper articles criticizing us today. Our administration is generally very tolerant. If we don't do well, we should be criticized. Like the day before yesterday when Beiping fell, if the newspapers were all cheering, that would be terrifying. It shows that people still regard us as one of their own."

This Vice Premier was quite adept at self-regulation, quickly adjusting to the media and public opinion style of Hong Kong.

After chatting for a while, Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan took their seats, sitting next to Xu Aizhou and his wife.

Director Peng and his wife came over to greet them. The couple were fixtures at various high-society banquets, appearing everywhere.

Since Director Peng was a former diplomat and now the head of a charity, and his wife was very sociable and could talk about any topic, even Lin Yufan enjoyed chatting with her.

Mrs. Peng introduced several wealthy ladies and their daughters to Lin Yufan, who all came with copies of "The Gold Heist" for her to sign and take photos with.

Lin Yufan smiled: "Will the photos turn out clear if we take them at night?"

"No problem. The lighting here is good, it should be fine."

After taking photos, Mrs. Xu, who was sitting next to her, struck up a conversation: "Mrs. Zhao, I heard that the movie 'The Gold Heist' will be ready for preview the day after tomorrow. We wanted to watch it, but Director Shen said no, insisting he needs your approval before showing it to everyone."

Lin Yufan: "I'm not sure how the movie turned out yet, but if all goes well, it should be out before the Lantern Festival."

"Many of us can't wait to see it."

The people around them chatted for a long time about the snow on New Year's Eve and the "Multiple of Three" in the third issue of the "Ask Rice" column.

Actually, everyone mainly wanted to know if the "Multiple of Three" had anything to do with horse racing.

Lin Yufan, of course, could only smile and say she had no idea.

The banquet began, and the leaders took turns speaking.

Overall, they thanked the various sectors of Hong Kong society for their support of the Nationalist Government and emphasized that the South was different from the North, as the South was the foundation of the Nationalist Government.

Former Premier Sun had fought his way north from Guangzhou to establish the nation, and now they had retreated to Guangzhou to regroup. With the support of the business community and the people, they would eventually fight their way back north.

Zhuang Ziguang stood to the side, occasionally glancing at the many guests in the banquet hall, his eyes frequently landing on Zhao Zhiao and his wife, who were surrounded by a crowd.

Zhao Zhiao was wealthy and generous with donations, making him a guest of honor wherever he went.

It was impossible not to be impressed.

Dong Yushan approached and whispered to Zhuang Ziguang.

"Director, there's activity at the Hongxing Paper Factory."

Zhuang Ziguang and Dong Yushan walked to the door, and Zhuang asked: "What kind of activity?"

"Two empty trucks suddenly arrived. After entering the yard, they drove straight into the newly built warehouse, and the factory turned off the yard's big lights."

"Empty trucks came in?"

"Yes. Through binoculars, we saw them open the truck doors in the yard, and the trucks were empty. Then the yard lights were turned off, which was very strange. Our people climbed the wall and saw through the warehouse door crack that they were carrying many wooden boxes out of the basement. It took several people to carry one box, and the boxes were very heavy. From their description, those wooden boxes looked a lot like the ones we lost in the gold heist."

This is a critical moment.

With important leaders arriving in Hong Kong, almost all personnel from the special operations team and the confidential section are on security duty at the Spring Banquet, inevitably relaxing surveillance at the Hongxing Paper Mill.

Dong Yushan: "It seems that the batch of gold is indeed at the Hongxing Paper Mill. They might be trying to take advantage of our focus on the Spring Banquet to move the gold away."

That makes some sense.

But now, the Hong Kong city police only have a team of six people left to help search for the gold, and these six are working in shifts. If Dong Yushan takes three police officers to the Hongxing Paper Mill for the mission, they might be killed immediately upon entering.

Zhuang Ziguang thought for a moment, "We're tied up protecting important leaders here and can't spare anyone else."

Dong Yushan had already considered this issue: "Can we transfer some of the personnel protecting President Zhong? He's just a bank president, not exactly crucial, right?"

Zhuang Ziguang hesitated for a moment, "Take half. Be quick about it."

Dong Yushan thought it was too few: "Taking half would only leave us with six people, and I'm worried that's not enough. Here's an idea: have President Zhong stay put in his apartment. Out of the 13 guards assigned to protect him, I'll take 10, leaving three to ensure his safety. As long as he stays in, three guards should be more than enough. It'll take at most three to four hours, and we'll be back once the mission's done."

Seeing Zhuang Ziguang still hesitating, Dong Yushan added, "Director, if they move the gold now, we'll lose the trail."

Zhuang Ziguang: "Take nine men to Hongxing, leave four to protect President Zhong."

"Yes," Dong Yushan said, hurrying out.

Zhuang Ziguang then called Xiao Zepeng and instructed him to keep a close watch on Zhao Zhiao tonight to see who he contacts.

If the gold gets moved tonight, Zhao Zhiao's bound to reach out to some commies.

After Wang Liu, Deng Kuan, and Longjing caught Xiao Zepeng's attention, they were no longer assigned to any confidential missions. Today, their only job was to entertain the press.

After the leaders' speeches, the banquet officially began.

Director Gao brought several leaders over to toast at Zhao Zhiao's table.

This table was packed with Hong Kong's richest.

Vice Premier Zeng thanked everyone for their generous contributions to the nation, and everyone clinked glasses respectfully.

The table was constantly buzzing with toasters, including many of Lin Yufan's fans.

Lin Yufan knew that many of them were admirers who prided themselves on getting her autograph.

But she couldn't call them out; saving face is just part of the game in these circles.

While everyone was chatting around Lin Yufan, Zhao Zhiao took the opportunity to go to the restroom.

Entering the men's restroom, he opened the third stall door, looked around after entering, and his gaze fell on the corner pipe.

Reaching behind the pipe, he found a piece of paper taped there at ankle height.

Taking it down, he saw it read "Room 301, Qi'an Apartment."

This was a message left for him by Jingji.

Earlier, when he came in, he slipped a message to Jingji, inquiring about the whereabouts of Zhong Dinghui, the president of Beiping Bank.

This location largely matched the information Shen Te had found in the afternoon.

Shen Te had found out that Zhong Dinghui lived in Qi'an Apartment, but didn't know which room.

He quickly tore the paper into pieces and flushed it away.

Zhao Zhiao came out of the restroom and noticed Xiao Zepeng standing not far away.

Xiao had been watching him ever since he entered.

Zhao Zhiao pretended not to notice and instead walked over to Director Gao, exchanging a few words with him.

The banquet began to wrap up around eight o'clock, but unlike usual, Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan didn't leave early and stayed until the very end.

Around nine, they left the Four Seasons Hotel and got into the car. Zhao Zhiao said, "I didn't eat much earlier, let's grab something to eat."

At such banquets, you never really get full. Lin Yufan asked, "Where to?"

"How about going to a dai pai dong (open-air food stall)? Stir-fried beef hor fun and a bowl of oyster and chicken congee."

Lin Yufan agreed, "Sounds good!"

They drove to a well-known dai pai dong called Sheng Kee (a famous local eatery).

They ordered a few signature dishes, and since the fish had to be chosen personally, Zhao Zhiao went to select it himself.

"I'll use the restroom too, you wait here."

"Alright."

Lin Yufan sat at a street-side table, washing the utensils, and noticed a child sitting next to her, so she sat there playing with the little one.

Xiao Zepeng, along with a companion, secretly followed Zhao Zhiao by car, watching them order at Sheng Kee dai pai dong.

He sent the unknown associate to keep an eye on Zhao Zhiao, "See who Zhao Zhiao interacts with."

*

Knock, knock!

The gate of Gangxing Paper Factory was opened.

A worker opened the door to see three policemen and a group of armed individuals standing outside.

"Royal Police (a term used in some regions for the police force), routine inspection."

Tie Long heard the commotion and came out of the warehouse with a flashlight.

"What's happening? Another inspection?!"

The officer in front ordered, "Turn on the lights, cooperate with the inspection."

Tie Long: "Our wiring is faulty, we can't turn on the lights."

Dong Yushan was impatient, he ordered, "Search!"

Everyone headed straight for the newly built warehouse.

Tie Long yelled, "What are you doing?! This is already the third time!"

No one listened to him.

Dong Yushan arrived at the warehouse and found two vehicles parked inside, as workers were locking the doors.

A man with a pockmarked face from the special task force (a specialized police unit) pulled a worker aside, opened the car door, and found the compartment filled with wooden crates.

The pockmarked man was instantly ecstatic!

"Captain Dong! Come check this out!"

These agents had all been transferred from Guangzhou later, and none of them had seen what the missing gold boxes looked like.

Seeing so many boxes matching the descriptions from the rumors, all with locks, they were thrilled beyond belief.

The pockmarked man jumped into the truck and tried to lift the box with all his might. The box wasn’t large, but no matter how hard he tried, it didn’t budge.

If it’s not gold, what else could be this heavy?

It must be!

He immediately grabbed some tools to pry open the lock.

Tie Long pushed his way in, warning, "Hey, don’t open that! You can’t just open them willy-nilly—they’re part of a set!"

They ignored Tie Long's warning, and Dong Yushan warned him, "Don’t move here. There will be a time to interrogate you."

Tie Long looked at them, completely bewildered.

With a click, the wooden box was pried open.

When they lifted the lid, they found a stainless steel container inside, labeled "Toxic" and "Dangerous."

Are they messing with us?

The pockmarked man and Dong Yushan exchanged glances, and the pockmarked man unscrewed the stainless steel container.

Their hopes were instantly dashed as they stared in disbelief.

Inside was pitch black—they couldn’t tell if it was asphalt or something else entirely.

"What is this?"

Tie Long shouted, "Mercury! It’s toxic! Cover it up fast—it’ll evaporate!"

The pockmarked man refused to give up. He took a stick and stirred it inside.

Sure enough, there was nothing else inside.

"Cover it! Cover it quickly!" The pockmarked man had no choice but to put the stainless steel lid back on.

Dong Yushan was fuming. With packaging this good, how could it not be gold?

He demanded, "Why on earth would you pack mercury in wooden boxes?"

Tie Long explained, "The mercury is stored in stainless steel containers. The wooden boxes are just for easier transport."

Dong Yushan, the pockmarked man, and the others refused to give up. They opened box after box, only to discover that every single one was filled with mercury.

A police officer approached and asked, "Why is such a huge amount of mercury stored in your paper factory?"

"This mercury is raw material for our boss’s other factory—the light bulb plant. The light bulb factory’s warehouse was full, so we stored it here temporarily. Is that against the law?"

Everyone was left speechless!

They had no choice but to slink away in defeat.

Tie Long and his men stood blocking the door: "You wrecked our wooden boxes! You can't just walk away!"

*

The dishes were served one after another. Lin Yufan scooped a bowl of porridge for each of them, wondering why Zhao Zhiao hadn’t returned yet. Just then, he came out holding a bottle of rice wine.

"Why are you drinking?"

Zhao Zhiao's voice was slightly low: "I just felt like having some."

After sitting down, he quickly ate a few mouthfuls of dry-fried beef ho fun, then uncorked the bottle and gulped down two large mouthfuls of white wine.

He was clearly in high spirits.

Lin Yufan reminded him: "Take it easy with the drinking."

Seeing beads of sweat on his forehead, she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it.

After a few sips, he casually dug into the oyster and chicken porridge.

He said, "This porridge is amazing, and the steamed fish is great too. Have some more."

Lin Yufan also ate with satisfaction, "The old-school places really stand out."

Nearby, Xiao Zepeng's men climbed into their car.

Xiao Zepeng asked, "What’s the situation?"

"Aside from the shopkeeper, he didn’t interact with anyone else."

"Why did he stay inside for so long?"

"He picked out some fish, then headed to the bathroom."

About ten minutes later, Zhao Zhiao and his wife stood up, walked to the street, and got into their car.

Moments later, the Zhao family’s car sped off.

Just as they were about to give chase, one of the guys came running up, out of breath.

"Captain Xiao, it’s bad—President Zhong’s been murdered!"

Xiao Zepeng was shocked: "!"

He didn’t know the area well, "How far are we from Qi'an Apartments?"

The man leaned on the car door: "It’s just around the corner."

"Let’s move, get in the car!"

Two minutes later, Xiao Zepeng pulled up to the scene. Zhong Dinghui lay dead in the bathtub, shot, and the official seals, documents, and stacks of US dollars from the safe were all gone.

The on-site guard claimed he’d shot the assassin in the back.

"How many were there?"

"Two or three—it all happened too fast to tell."

"Did you get a look at their faces?"

"Everyone was masked."

Xiao Zepeng licked his lips. The sound of a car downstairs signaled Zhuang Ziguang's arrival.

At this moment, Director Gao had just stepped into his bedroom, not even turning on the light, when someone pressed a gun against his back.

His heart raced. Just as he was about to question and stall, he was shot in the back!

Director Gao fell to the ground, his heart pounding. He was certain he was going to die.

But then there was no further movement behind him. Soon, he heard noises coming from outside the window.

Had the assassin left?!

Thank God!!

The shooter didn't fire again.

Director Gao painfully struggled to his feet. He staggered to a chair and sat down, the gunshot wound on his back causing him to curse in pain.

The household staff seemed completely oblivious to the disturbance upstairs.

He shouted, "Where is everyone?"