The car stopped in front of my master’s shop. I had no choice but to get out and tell him the truth, asking for his advice.
I asked Wen Siqiang to take two packs of cigarettes from the car and give them to my master.
My master wasn't working and was sitting by the entrance smoking. He took the bag I handed him without any pretense and put it in a drawer behind him.
I found a stool and sat beside him, saying, "Master, I've run into some trouble."
He turned to look at me and said, "When do you not have trouble? Isn't it normal for you to encounter some trouble?"
I said, "This time it's different. It's Brother Leopard. We went to Myanmar to look at a massive stone. His elder brother there introduced it to him. The deal was that they would split the profits equally. However, the mine yielded nothing. His elder brother didn't contribute any funds, and Brother Leopard didn't ask him to. So, we brought it back. The original plan was to carve two large sculptures to display at the winery's raw stone base."
Master: "If the mine yielded nothing, wouldn't you just abandon it? What's the big deal? He didn't put in any money."
I said, "That's the logic of it, but the problem is, after we brought it back, I couldn't let it go. Both of these stones yielded high-quality material, worth hundreds of millions. Now, the big stone has been cut into pieces. The elder brother over there seems to suspect we tricked him. He specifically called today to ask about the whereabouts of the waste stones.
One of these two giant stones had its core hollowed out, and the other was cut into slices. I'm at a complete loss now, not knowing how to handle this situation properly."
My master frowned, thought for a long time, and then nodded, "That person suspects you sold the goods without informing him. Logically, he had already given up, and this matter is not of much concern to him. The problem lies in his belief that Brother Leopard was not sincere with him. After all, he initiated this venture, and it would be proper to inform him if goods were extracted. Now, you want to place two stones at the base to cover this up."
I said, "One stone is enough. Last time he visited, I already mentioned that one was processed, leaving only one. We now have one with a hollowed-out core. If we can restore this one, it can solve the problem."
My master nodded and said, "I'm not busy right now. Take me to see it. Perhaps I can find a way to fix it."
Hearing my master say this, I felt more confident. I quickly called Wen Siqiang to bring the car. My master told the boss he was going out for a bit, and the boss didn't say much, just told him to come back quickly.
On the way, my master asked me some questions about the winery's opening. I took the opportunity to ask him to help me there. He said, "Master doesn't want to move anymore. I'm quite comfortable where I am. If you need my help, I can take leave. If I leave, his place will have to stop operations, which isn't good."
I didn't insist further. After all, this was a matter of mutual consent, and I couldn't force it.
The car stopped in the processing plant's yard. I took my master to see the stone that had been hollowed out.
Although the stone was large enough, over a thousand jin had been removed, leaving a substantial hole.
My master walked around the stone with his hands behind his back and then said to me, "Take it to a relatively secluded spot. Give me two nights, and I'll fix it!"
He said it with such conviction that I was puzzled. Not to mention anything else, where would I find such a stone?
Master: "Listen to me. Find someone to transport the stone now. Don't you have many workshops at your winery? Find an unused one, prepare a cutting machine and a grinding wheel. Apart from you, no one else should approach it. Two nights, just two nights."
I said, "I'll find a truck to transport it right away. As for the machines, they are all readily available. I'll get everything ready for you."
Although I didn't know my master's method, his confident assurance made me believe he would accomplish it.
I asked Wen Siqiang to take my master back while I arranged for the stone transport.
Several workshops at the winery were still vacant, so space wasn't an issue. The key was to keep the matter confidential, preventing people from the other side from knowing about the fake raw stone.
I asked a worker to get a tarp to cover the stone first. After securing it tightly with ropes, we loaded it onto the truck with a forklift.
I gave the truck driver the address and told him someone would be there to direct him when he arrived.
Wen Siqiang picked me up after dropping off my master.
Lan Ya and Jing Lei had already returned to the winery and were waiting to discuss the farm auction registration with me.
The auction was tomorrow, and the raw stone base would open in three days. Time was pressing, and I felt every minute was precious, afraid of wasting it.
Wen Siqiang returned quickly. He stopped the car and got out to open the door for me.
In the car, Wen Siqiang suddenly blurted out, "What is Zhou Yingying plotting with Principal Sun lately? I feel something is off about her eyes. She avoids me whenever she sees me, and won't say anything when I ask. Boss, you need to be wary of her."
I had forgotten about Zhou Yingying's existence until he mentioned her. My mind hasn't been my own these past few days, and I hadn't fully recalled everything.
It was then that I suddenly realized my enemies were not just Prince Kang Gong and Bo Gang, but also someone named Sun and Zhou Yingying.
While Prince Kang Gong might want to kill me at any moment, Principal Sun and Zhou Yingying wanted the lives of my entire family.
Zhou Yingying repeatedly claimed she was being used by Principal Sun, but I didn't think so. She was an important accomplice and perpetrator. Without her, Mr. Sun would merely be a vengeful person with malicious intent. Zhou Yingying's involvement escalated the situation and pushed our entire family into abyss.
Wen Siqiang had an unusual relationship with Zhou Yingying. For him to say this, he must have noticed something was happening behind Zhou Yingying's back.
If someone wants to harm you, being wary is useless. You must take the initiative and eliminate the enemy to prevent future trouble.
I had an idea in mind, but I didn't answer Wen Siqiang. I wasn't entirely sure about him. He had been with Zhou Yingying for so long, and his personal feelings for her might be much stronger than his loyalty to me. Even if he told me Zhou Yingying's movements, I wouldn't dare to jump to conclusions.
However, the matter of Zhou Yingying and Principal Sun needed to be resolved quickly. I couldn't have enemies everywhere. Firstly, I didn't have that much energy, and secondly, I needed to clear my father's name.
The car drove to the workshop where the large stone was being unloaded. I saw the heavily wrapped giant stone lying there quietly. I told Wen Siqiang to have someone bring the cutting machine and other equipment my master needed, and I would go to the office building to find Lan Ya and Jing Lei.
I didn't ask Wen Siqiang to escort me; it was only a short walk.
Lan Ya had warned me to be wary of Wen Siqiang. She said she didn't trust drug addicts, as they could be ruthless and capable of anything.
She told me there were two types of people in this world you should never trust, no matter how well they behaved or how capable they seemed; it was all an illusion, and they could betray you at any moment.
One was drug addiction, and the other was gambling.
Don't expect them to repent; that's just wishful thinking. Like a venomous snake, if it's docile and inactive, it's just frozen. Once it warms up, it will bite you, and that bite could be fatal!