I lost count of how many rounds I sparred with the Crown Prince. By the end, who won or lost was anyone’s guess. All I know is that we did nothing but fight all night.
Waking up the next morning, my body ached all over. I never expected to feel more exhausted from a night’s sleep than from a day of busy work and running around.
It seems I truly do have a connection with the Crown Prince. Not only were we at each other’s throats during the day, but we also spent the entire night fighting.
Jing Lei was already up and gone, and Lan Ya hadn’t returned either. I got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.
As I finished washing and came out, I heard voices outside the door. Lan Ya and Jing Lei returned, each holding a wooden tray. On them were stir-fried dishes, congee, and pastries. They had brought breakfast back.
Now we have a canteen, so we don’t have to buy food from outside.
They arranged the bowls and chopsticks on the coffee table and called me over to eat.
I sat down, quickly ate a few bites, told them I was done, and got up to leave.
The opening was less than two hours away, and this was the critical moment. I needed to do another check to ensure there were no loopholes.
Whether it was the raw stones or security, no mistakes were allowed.
The Crown Prince and the demoness were both glaring at me from behind. They could appear at any moment, so I couldn't afford to let my guard down or become complacent.
I walked downstairs and happened to run into Wen Siqiang, who was walking upstairs.
"Looking for me?" I asked.
Wen Siqiang replied, "Zhou Yingying just called me. She said Principal Sun will be attending the opening ceremony today."
Hearing this, I was furious enough to explode. They almost wiped us out last night, and now they openly want to attend the opening ceremony? What did they mean? If their clandestine efforts failed, were they resorting to open aggression?
"What does he mean? Did she tell you?" I asked.
Wen Siqiang explained, "He's now the head of the school-run enterprise and officially the chairman of a trading company specializing in foreign trade. He asked Zhou Yingying to pass on a message that he has an intention to cooperate with us, hence his attendance at the opening ceremony under the guise of the trading company chairman."
"There really are people with such thick skin in this world. They speak nicely to your face but stab you in the back. How did you reply to her?" I asked.
Wen Siqiang said, "I told her I needed to ask Mr. Li, the boss. It's no use talking to me."
I immediately took out my phone and called her.
"Mr. Li, I was just about to call you. Chairman Sun wants to attend the opening ceremony. Could you please make some arrangements?" Zhou Yingying said.
"Zhou Yingying, are you an idiot? Can't you tell right from wrong, black from white? Whose side are you on? Do you know the consequences of betraying your boss? You dare to bring this up! I'm telling you, come back here for punishment first. We'll discuss nothing else! As for Mr. Sun, if he wants to play dirty, I'll play dirty with him anytime. As for cooperation, he can forget about it. I'd rather not do business at all than deal with him!" I retorted.
Suddenly, a man’s voice came through the phone. "Young Mr. Li, don't be too absolute. You might need my business one day. You're so scared just because I'm attending an opening ceremony. They say you're incredibly capable, but it turns out you're just like this."
"Are you that Mr. Sun? I have several scores to settle with you. You'd better live a long life. You've done too many wicked deeds. If you end up dead on the street one day, I'll be saddened," I said.
"You **bastard, watch your mouth! As expected from your father's character, you're no good either. Fine, I'll wait for you. We'll settle everything one by one!" Principal Sun snapped back.
I was so angry I wanted to smash my phone. I swore that if I ever saw this Mr. Sun, I would beat him until his teeth were scattered all over the ground.
And as for Zhou Yingying, she had clearly chosen her side. I would definitely not let this bitch off the hook.
Wen Siqiang followed me as I walked out. I told him, "Don't do anything else today. Focus on keeping an eye on suspicious individuals. Report any problems to me immediately."
I went to the raw stone warehouse first. I saw Master Zhang directing workers to place the raw stones intended to be the bid winner onto the stage. Both these stones weighed several hundred kilograms. While much smaller than the tons of stones we gambled on in Myanmar, at our base, these two stones, considering their origin and appearance, had the potential to yield top-grade jade and fetch an exorbitant price, making them strong contenders for the bid winner title in this event.
The two stones were positioned, then covered with red cloths, to be revealed only when the time was right.
These two stones, along with the rough and semi-revealed stones, were placed in one exhibition hall. Another hall contained only completely uncut stones.
Wen Siqiang and I went to another warehouse.
The other warehouse had its door tightly shut, with only a few security guards standing at the entrance.
I asked the security guard with the key to open the door, as I wanted to take a look inside.
Inside, the raw stones were neatly arranged by their origin. Master Zhang and the workers had put in considerable effort. They had clearly marked the origin labels and the stone numbers, making everything easy to understand at a glance.
Wen Siqiang and I did a walk-through and were very satisfied. Although it was their first time organizing such an event, they had done an impressive job, making it look very professional.
Leaving the exhibition hall, we went to the main venue.
At this time, workers were hanging streamers and banners. The weather was perfect today, with a cloudless sky. Since the event was being held outdoors, there was no worry of getting wet from rain.
On the stage, Xiao Hong was rehearsing her moves with the hostesses. This was their final rehearsal before they would officially take the stage.
I checked the time. There was an hour left. Guests would start arriving soon, and the opening ceremony would officially begin in an hour and a half.
The people from Brother Qing also arrived at this time. This was crucial. With their arrival, I felt more than half my confidence restored. It was not ruled out that Principal Sun would send more people to cause trouble today, especially after that phone call earlier, making their arrival even more likely.
Wen Siqiang and I went to arrange Brother Qing’s people into their positions. Their main responsibility was the outer perimeter, to eliminate any suspicious individuals who might try to cause trouble, right from the outset.
If they managed to get into the venue, no matter how capable we were, it would cause fatal damage to the event.
Brother Qing's men were dressed in simple attire that matched our style. From a distance, one couldn't tell they were from an outside group.
I found their leader and briefed him on the precautions and the characteristics of potential troublemakers. He listened attentively and assured me that I could rest easy, as they would complete their mission even if it meant their lives.
Yesterday, ten of them had turned the Crown Prince's place upside down. Today, there were a hundred. These were men who fought to kill. Even if the group from yesterday came, they wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight.
It seems that after this event, I need to start building our own elite team to deal with powerful enemies and respond flexibly.
After these few battles, even three of our men together were no match for their opponents.
This wasn't just about us suffering losses. In the long run, the enemy would form a fixed perception that our people lacked combat capability, that they could be trampled upon and manipulated at will.