I didn't reply to Brother Hui until noon, and I figured he'd be getting impatient.
Sure enough, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was him.
I picked up the phone, said hello, called him Uncle Hui, and waited for him to speak.
Brother Hui: "Ah Hao, what did the Chairman say?"
Me: "Uncle Hui, I was just about to call you. The Chairman is in a difficult spot. Headquarters is adamant about not agreeing, saying their logistics chain is very strict and won't allow unauthorized personnel. The Chairman is still trying to communicate."
Brother Hui: "Is that so, Ah Hao? You know how important it is for us to accompany this shipment. Please speak to the Chairman again and impress upon him that we must be given a chance."
I said, "Please wait a moment and see if there's any room for negotiation. I'll have the Chairman try his best to secure it for you. However, there might be some conditions, so you should be mentally prepared."
I was giving him a heads-up.
Brother Hui: "Whatever the conditions, you agree to them for me. You have full authority, money or goods, anything is fine."
I said, "Please wait for my call. This is truly not something we can decide. If, by any chance, it doesn't work out, I hope Uncle Hui will understand."
I lowered my expectations to the minimum, making it easier to negotiate.
Indeed, Brother Hui said, "There must be no 'by any chance.' It must be successful, at any cost! Tell the Chairman that I am entrusting this to you!"
I hung up the phone and smiled at my senior, saying, "He's taken the bait."
About ten minutes later, I called him. He anxiously asked, "How is it? Is there any hope?"
I lowered my head in thought. He grew more anxious and asked, "How is it?"
I said, "Headquarters has agreed to let us select four loyal and reliable individuals, and from them, choose one person in charge. These four individuals must not know the details of the operation or the route; they are only responsible for the security of the cargo. Furthermore, they must not have any horizontal contact with other operational groups and can only follow orders from superiors.
Additionally, the person in charge and one other member need to come to the hotel. The Chairman wants to meet them to vet them for headquarters."
Brother Hui: "No problem. When should they come?" The novel network.
I said, "Of course, the sooner the better. Time is very tight."
Brother Hui: "Then have them arrive at the hotel at 3 PM. I'll call you then, and you can pick them up downstairs."
I said, "Alright, it's settled."
The fish were already swimming in the fishing grounds we had prepared, just waiting to swallow the bait. It was time for us to act.
I told my senior, "It's starting."
The net-casting operation was officially underway.
I checked the time; it was 12:10. We still had time to discuss how to win over his people.
I said, "Let's have lunch first. We have plenty of time."
My senior nodded. Qian Fugui ran to open the door.
Wen Siqiang stared at Da Shijie, while Qian Fugui stayed by our side.
After Principal Sun left, Zhou Yingying also went silent. This afternoon, I'd have to ask Wen Siqiang to find out about Principal Sun's movements.
The two of us went to the Chinese restaurant. We ordered a steamed fish, a fish-fragrant pork dish, and two vegetable dishes. We asked Qian Fugui to join us for the meal.
Since Qian Fugui started following me, he's been diligent and never complained, doing exactly as he's told. He's a rare subordinate.
I was in the process of using my connections to help him secure an identity. He really didn't want to go back to the other side, and it wasn't convenient to keep running around with the other side's documents here.
Finding a lonely elderly person to take him in would not only provide the elder with support but also allow him to have a legal identity here.
He's from Myanmar, and settling down here requires many conditions, the primary one being that someone must be willing to take him in.
After this matter is over, I'll definitely prioritize sorting out his identity.
I had a lot of phone calls today. Just as I picked up my chopsticks to eat, the phone rang again. This time it was Xie Jiabao: "Ah Hao, you haven't been home for two days. You must come back tonight. Xiao Na isn't eating anything. She says she has no appetite if she doesn't see you. Listen to me, finish handling things as much as possible and come back. My car will come to pick you up."
I said, "Alright, Father. I'll be back tonight, morning and evening."
This was definitely not Xie Jiabao's idea. I knew Xie Nana was capable of such a thing.
My senior watched me with a smile, and I knew what he meant. Although a man's dream is to have N women around him, if that day truly comes, it might not be a good thing.
Three women can make a fuss; I, on the other hand, have four women including Xiao Hong. Wouldn't it be a complete mess?
Fortunately, Jing Lei and Lan Ya are sympathetic and reasonable, and Xiao Hong is well-behaved and sensible. They have never made things difficult for me; otherwise, I would have lost my life.
As soon as Xie Jiabao hung up, Li Hua's phone rang. It was Wen Siqiang.
He said, "Zhou Yingying is in the provincial capital now. They haven't made any moves for the past two days; it seems they are waiting for some news."
I acknowledged this. Waiting for news? It must be about my affairs. That's good. If they have no other intentions now and only want to finalize the channel, it will be easier for us.
We'll sort out the people escorting the goods this afternoon, and then we'll lure the tiger into its lair!
I told Wen Siqiang that I understood and asked him to keep a close eye on Da Shijie and wait for my instructions to act.
Back in the room, I called Da Kui and told him not to arrange anything for the next two days and to await my call.
Young Master Wu and his group are still across the street. I told him to concentrate all his forces and await my command.
I calculated it. Crown Prince is still in the hospital, so his men can be ignored. Brother Hui came from the provincial capital, and besides the seven or eight people around him, he doesn't have many usable men. Xie Jiabao's side has only some security guards without much combat effectiveness. Moreover, we have the police prepared to act on the periphery. Therefore, in terms of personnel, we have an absolute advantage.
The only requirement is to catch them red-handed.
This is the most difficult point.
Brother Hui and his group are drug traffickers, but they have never touched drugs themselves. They always keep themselves clean, and this time is no exception; they will also distance themselves from the scene.
Therefore, what we need to do is ensure that the drugs and they appear in the same location.
At 3 o'clock, Brother Hui's phone rang: "Ah Hao, go down and pick them up. There are two of them. Arrange for them to meet the Chairman."
I acknowledged, and went downstairs with Qian Fugui.
This matter must be completed in the senior's room. I went down to bring them up.
The two who arrived were tall, dark-skinned, very thin, and very capable.
Brother Hui is good at choosing people; for this kind of work, flexibility is key, not brute strength.
One of them saw me approaching and stepped forward, saying, "My name is A Gan. Brother Hui sent me to find you."
I said, "You know me?"
He said, "Yes, he came with Brother Hui a few days ago."
This makes things a bit difficult. The people around him must be very loyal, and it might be hard to break them.
A Gan pointed to the other person and said, "This is A Li, assisting me in my work."
I shook hands with them one by one and then led them upstairs.
As I walked, I pondered where to start with A Gan.