Thankfully, the matter was resolved before opening. If customers arrived and the place was this messy, it would have greatly impacted business.
Wen Siqiang and I walked towards the office building. Having this happen first thing in the morning was quite disheartening. Someone was trying to disrupt my market before it even opened, which felt rather unsportsmanlike.
But then again, what could I expect from a princeling? If he were sportsmanlike, I might even look down on him.
This kind of trick was very much in his style.
I was still preoccupied with Wu Guodong's situation across the way. I had to meet Wang Dong at three in the afternoon, and the base couldn't afford any incidents this morning.
Everything that was supposed to happen yesterday had happened. I just didn't know if there would be any follow-ups today.
Since the three groups yesterday didn't get what they wanted, Principal Sun and Wu Guodong came to demand the people back. Not only were they turned away, but Principal Sun ended up wetting his pants.
At least Principal Sun wouldn't be able to swallow this humiliation. Even though he was in the hospital, he wasn't actually injured, only suffering minor abrasions. His stay in the hospital was purely for healing the trauma to his psyche.
However, what Zhou Yingying told me still shocked me. I never imagined that this beast in human clothing, this hypocrite, so outwardly refined, would be engaged in such despicable acts. If Zhou Yingying hadn't told me herself, I truly wouldn't have known such a filthy person existed in this world.
Just then, I heard my phone ringing. It was Jing Lei calling, probably to invite me for breakfast.
I told Wen Siqiang to go eat quickly as well. I took two steps at a time up the stairs. After all the commotion this morning, I was really quite hungry.
Jing Lei saw me enter and served me porridge. Then the three of us sat down to eat.
Jing Lei looked at me and said, "Why are your eyes so red? Who kept you up so late last night?"
I replied, "Zhou Yingying called me in the middle of the night and talked for half the night. By the time she finished, the sky was already dawn. I didn't sleep at all. I got up to check the scene and then continued interrogating those two Myanmar nationals."
Jing Lei said sympathetically, "Don't you have a lot of things waiting for you during the day? Couldn't she have said it during the day?"
I explained, "Yesterday, I asked her to confront Mr. Sun. However, she lied and took all the blame onto herself, so I had no choice but to let them go. After they left, Mr. Sun went to the hospital. When she finally had an opportunity to be alone, she told me her hardships and the entire sequence of events. She also said many disgusting things about Principal Sun. When she finished, it was already dawn."
Lan Ya commented, "You too. Listening to her nonsense, that slut. She deserves to be beaten every time you see her. What's there to talk to her about!"
I responded, "After listening to her story, I felt quite sympathetic towards her. You've been with her for a long time. When did she start following you? Was it right after you enrolled, or sometime later?"
Lan Ya thought for a moment and said, "It seems like it was in the second year. She was a good student originally, but for some reason, she suddenly changed. The usually simple and proper her transformed overnight. She became fond of dressing up, neglectful of her studies, spent money carelessly, enjoyed being flattered, and often got into fights defending her classmates. Once, she provoked someone I knew, and I personally disciplined her. After I subdued her, she started following me. Later, when I took a leave of absence, I gave my position to her."
I said, "It seems Zhou Yingying wasn't lying. Do you know why she suddenly changed, why she suddenly became vain, loved spending money, and neglected her studies? Mr. Sun changed her. He took her body and provided her with enough luxury to afford such changes. Of course, this involved Mr. Sun's tactics of both carrot and stick, as well as naked material temptations. How could a naive young girl discern the schemes of a cunning adult? Later, he repeatedly instructed Zhou Yingying to plot against my father. Pitiably, my father had no idea that behind a simple girl was Mr. Sun's manipulation, and he fell into their traps time and time again."
Lan Ya remarked, "It seems your father must have held some leverage over Mr. Sun, which is why he sought to destroy your father. Also, his collusion with Wu Guodong to cause trouble for us repeatedly, targeting us, suggests he won't stop until he brings us down."
I replied, "Wu Guodong is very difficult to get in touch with, and we know nothing about him. From interrogating the two assassins detained yesterday, I extracted information about one person – Wu Guodong's personal bodyguard. This person is the cousin of one of the detained assassins. He's willing to meet me and make some exchanges to rescue his cousin. I'll try to contact Wu Guodong."
Lan Ya cautioned, "The place you're going is one of the most dangerous places in the world. Killing, arson, and disregarding human life are commonplace there. Even ordinary housewives carry rifles. There is no law, only force. You need to think carefully before you go. After all, our relationship with them is a matter of life and death. Be careful he doesn't turn the tables on you, using you as a bargaining chip for those two."
Her words were indeed true. While I knew it was dangerous, it wasn't quite like northern Myanmar. Although private armed groups were common there, they weren't as vicious. The area Wu Guodong controlled was a lawless border zone where three countries met, rife with bandits and rampant drugs. Lan Ya was right; a death there was as insignificant as the death of an ant, and no one would care.
Jing Lei was already terrified and quickly said, "Let's not go. As long as we're safe here, that's enough. What's the point of finding him? It might be a trap. We can't help you anyway, and worrying won't help."
I replied, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger? In fact, the purpose of my trip is to understand Wu Guodong's background. He is, after all, Chinese. He's different from those other ethnic groups. He was sent there by the government during the war years ago. He's truly one of us, but for various reasons, he stayed there and couldn't return. My intention in contacting him is to persuade him to abandon drugs and earn money through other means, turning the most dangerous place into the safest."
Lan Ya commented, "I don't know what to say to you. Do you know how naive you are? Even the international community is powerless to achieve what you're talking about. The reason it's a lawless region isn't just because it's the border of three countries, but mainly due to the geographical environment – high mountains, treacherous terrain, and complex rivers and mountains. Once a government tries to crack down, they can use the complicated terrain to evade government forces. Every large-scale crackdown often ends in failure, while they only intensify, continuously expanding their armed forces and cultivation areas, leading to a situation where the more you suppress, the more they grow. Just one lawless region spans hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, with several warlords vying for power. Wu Guodong is insignificant there, not even a speck of dust. Even if you convince Wu Guodong, what about those major warlords? They have regular army configurations, armed with American weapons, far superior to those of the government forces. And this is just one armed group. As far as I know, in Myanmar alone, there are three major armed groups, and each of them is tens of times larger than Wu Guodong's. Do you still think convincing Wu Guodong is important?"
I said, "I understand what you're saying, but the strength and power of those armed groups in Myanmar are irrelevant to us now. It's Wu Guodong who's causing trouble for us. I have no prior enmity or existing grudges with him, and I just want to figure out why he's doing this. Wasn't Bo Gang so eager to traffic drugs, yet I changed him? Is Wu Guodong not human? Can't he understand reason?"
Lan Ya said, "Junior, I will always support any decision you make. I have only one thing to say to you: no matter the outcome, come back alive. We still have many things waiting for you to do. After the raw stone trading fair ends, we need to start working on the farm. That is the result of all our efforts, and we are counting on it to propel us forward."
I replied, "I understand, Senior Sister. And Jing Lei, Sister. I promise to return unharmed."