My pager vibrated against my waist. I glanced down and saw Lan Ya's number, blinking twice. I knew it had to be urgent, or she wouldn't have called like this.
I hurried out of my apartment and found a payphone on the street to call Lan Ya back.
"Where are you?" Lan Ya asked.
"I'm at home. What's up?" I replied.
"Do you know the address of Sister Zhang's mall? I'll wait for you there."
She sounded urgent, and I sensed something serious was going on. I quickly hailed a taxi, gave the driver Sister Zhang's mall address, and urged him to hurry.
It was my first time here. The mall was huge, yet strangely quiet inside. Many people were browsing or selecting jade. A service attendant approached me, and I told her I was looking for their boss. She led me towards the offices.
Sister Zhang's office was on the eighth floor. The attendant escorted me to the elevator, pressed the floor button for me, and then used the intercom to inform the staff on the eighth floor to receive me.
I was alone in the elevator. I closed my eyes, wondering why Lan Ya had asked me to meet her here.
She'd chosen this place over the busy, bustling city center, making it seem clandestine. Whatever it was, it couldn't be simple.
Stepping out of the elevator, a young man in uniform was waiting at the stairwell. He led me to Sister Zhang's office.
He knocked politely a few times before opening the door slightly and gesturing for me to enter.
Sister Zhang wasn't in the room; only Lan Ya sat on the sofa, holding a cigarette, unlit. Her head was bowed. Seeing me, she pointed to the sofa beside her and said, "Sit!"
I walked hesitantly to the sofa, looking at Lan Ya with confusion. Though she wore the same clothes as when I first met her yesterday, she seemed like a completely different person. Yesterday, she was vibrant, confident, even sexy. Today, the only word to describe her was "dejected."
Her hair was messy, her expression weary, and there were dark circles under her eyes!
"What happened?" I asked cautiously.
Lan Ya said, "Do you remember those two guys from yesterday? I did send people to smash up their place. That establishment originally belonged to Brother Leopard, and he let them manage it. But they colluded with the Burmese underworld to deal in drugs, swindling many people, including students! Brother Leopard wanted to take back the business to manage it himself. Little did he know, the drug trade had made these two fat and the Burmese had their backs. They completely disregarded Brother Leopard's authority, openly rebelling! These two were originally the first subordinates Brother Leopard brought up. He gave them the shop to give his brothers a way out, only to have them grow wings and develop a rebellious streak!" Da Feng Novel Network
Lan Ya continued, "Do you know why I didn't let Zhou Yingying send people to my shop? Her sending people was a pretense; selling drugs was the real business. This matter is also related to her!"
I was shocked. I hadn't expected this formidable woman to be so powerful. I had underestimated her.
Lan Ya said, "Last night, I sent people to negotiate with them. They directly told Brother Leopard to back off and not interfere with that shop anymore. As retaliation, they also smashed up another of our shops."
I guessed that Lan Ya hadn't slept all night because of this situation, which explained her current state.
I still couldn't figure out why she had rushed to find me and what she needed me to do.
Lan Ya seemed to read my confusion and told me, "Since they've openly rebelled, this back-and-forth fighting is pointless. We won't confront them directly. If they want the shop, we'll return it to them. What I need you to do is go there and find clues, uncover their drug channels. Strike at the root to eliminate them."
The government has zero tolerance for drugs. With complete evidence, they'll never get out. I understood what she meant, but I wasn't sure how specifically I was supposed to do it.
Lan Ya said, "You dropped out of school and aren't pursuing a proper career. This provides excellent cover. Tonight, we'll put on a show in front of Zhou Yingying to make her believe you. The rest will be easier."
I had a general idea. I nodded and said, "Sister Lan, I'll do my best!"
Lan Ya replied, "I don't misjudge people. You have potential; you just lacked opportunity. Do well!"
She stood up, opened a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet, poured two glasses, and handed one to me. "Sister Zhang thinks highly of you. She's mentioned you to me several times."
Her words made me blush. Sister Zhang had flirted with me yesterday under the influence of alcohol. I suspected Lan Ya might have seen it. When she said Sister Zhang thought highly of me, I wondered if it included that aspect.
Lan Ya said, "I'm going to take a nap in Sister Zhang's lounge. You stay here. Sister Zhang will be back soon. Remember, don't show your face outside for now."
After saying that, she entered a side door, which I assumed was Sister Zhang's private resting area.
I put down the wine glass. The effects of yesterday's alcohol had only just worn off, and I didn't want to touch the stuff again.
I leaned back on the sofa, reflecting on Lan Ya's words. I felt a lot of pressure. Given that they dared to defy Brother Leopard and openly challenge him, it meant they had developed considerable power. Shaking them wouldn't be easy.
However, I admired Brother Leopard and Lan Ya. Although their business operated in a gray area, they didn't deal in drugs themselves, nor did they allow their subordinates to do so. This showed they had a long-term vision and a bottom line.
Just then, the door opened. Sister Zhang entered, dressed in professional attire. Seeing me there, she walked towards me with light steps and gently kissed my cheek. "My dear little brother, missing you brought you to me. Why are you just sitting there? I'll make you some tea."
Sister Zhang wasn't that old, perhaps not even thirty. By rights, she should still be considered young. It was just that I was too young, making her seem older.
I thought she must have taken over the family business. As a young woman, no matter how capable, she couldn't have built such a vast fortune on her own.
"Little brother, what kind of tea would you like?"
I replied that I didn't know much about tea and would drink whatever she made.
She didn't say anything, just brought out some black tea and brewed a cup for me.
She didn't brew it like Lan Ya did, which would have driven anyone crazy with impatience.
She brewed a cup for herself and brought it over, sitting next to me.
She was very quiet, lacking the fervor of yesterday, like a girl next door.
"Managing such a large mall all by yourself must be very tiring, right?" I asked.
She replied, "Not really. Each counter has a team leader, and above the team leaders are zone managers, and above them are supervisory managers. I only need to manage the supervisory managers. I just look at the numbers and reports; everything else is handled by them. So, I'm not tired at all; I'm quite idle."
I was surprised. What seemed complicated, she made it sound clear and simple.
I took a sip of the tea; it was much better than yesterday's, slightly sweet and very fragrant.
Sister Zhang asked, "When shall we go gamble on stones? Although we jade artisans are discouraged from gambling on raw stones, I enjoy the thrill of opening them. We don't do it for wins or losses, just for the experience."
I gave a bitter smile. It was the classic case of the well-fed not understanding the hungry. I gambled on stones to make a living, while she, having eaten her fill, was looking for entertainment!
I said, "I still have some matters to attend to. Wait a few days for me, and we'll go for a big one."
Although there were many unknowns in the task Lan Ya assigned me, and I wasn't sure if I could remain unscathed, I wanted to do it well, complete the mission, and then dedicate myself to studying stone gambling, and also to prove my skills to Sister Zhang.