Yangcheng. Provincial Government Compound!
In a small villa, Zhou Rui and his nephew, who had just finished lunch, were chatting in the living room.
Since they were the only two people in the room, Zhou Rui and Zhou Wen spoke quite casually.
Upon learning that Li Yi had not only gone to the black market today but had also spent over four thousand yuan on three household appliances, Zhou Rui was somewhat surprised.
“Wen, why would Comrade Li Yi suddenly go to the black market to buy appliances? That doesn’t really fit his character!”
Zhou Rui had specifically investigated Li Yi and knew he was a man of principle. Buying contraband shouldn’t be something he’d do—after all, legitimate imported appliances were readily available now, albeit at slightly higher prices.
Given Li Yi’s current net worth, he had absolutely no need to go to the black market just to save a thousand or two yuan.
Not to mention, the black market is a den of scoundrels—you never know who you’re dealing with.
And Li Yi is a man of great worth—there’s really no need for him to take risks over such a small sum.
Furthermore, during the investigation, Zhou Rui discovered that Li Yi had an intense dislike for the “basin chicken” from the neighboring island across the sea—so why on earth would he go out of his way to buy their appliances?
“I found it a bit hard to believe too, and I asked him if he had some other motive, but he didn’t say anything. However…”
“But what?”
“But I felt like he was deep in thought when he left this morning, and after he went over to Zhuhai Road, his mood seemed to get even heavier!” Zhou Wen said.
“Could it be that he has some opinion about the black market?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but after he finished shopping, he went to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. I’m not sure if he specifically mentioned this matter, though!”
“Hmm, I’ll have someone look into it. Since it involves Comrade Li Yi, we can’t afford to be careless!” Zhou Rui said.
“It’s good to look into it. He’s always been the type to think three steps ahead—maybe he really does have some thoughts on the black market after all!”
“Right!”
Zhou Rui then added, “Since no one else is here, why don’t you tell Uncle about what’s been going on over in Hong Kong?”
“Sure!”
Zhou Wen then began telling his uncle about what had happened to Li Yi in Hong Kong.
After hearing what his nephew had to say, Zhou Rui was once again stunned.
He knew that Li Yi’s investments in Hong Kong and New York were bound to be extremely dangerous, but he never imagined there were so many people out to kill him.
No wonder their people had received some more bad news; it seemed those bastards weren’t willing to accept defeat just yet…
Just as Zhou Rui was deep in thought, a commotion came from the front door.
He immediately turned and looked out the front door.
Through the window, Zhou Rui saw Li Yi walking in, flanked by Zhang Ziqiang, Yang Zhiwen, and Wu Jianjun.
Zhou Rui immediately stood up and went out to greet him, accompanied by Zhou Wen.
Upon seeing Zhou Rui, Li Yi smiled and said, “Zhou Chu, when did you get here?”
“I got here at half past ten. Banbanhaobang’s been waiting for you for quite a while!” Zhou Rui said with a smile.
“I’m really sorry to have kept you waiting!”
“No problem—I know you’re a busy man!”
Then Zhou Rui continued, “I’ve come to share some good news with you. The higher-ups have approved Comrade Jiang Xue and the others’ application to travel to Hong Kong, and they’ve arranged the next available flight to bring them to Guangzhou to meet up with you!”
“That’s great… When will Xue and the others arrive in Guangzhou?” Li Yi asked happily.
“They’re expected to arrive around six o’clock this afternoon. However, to ensure their safety, National Security has decided to assign a few female agents to accompany your wife!”
Perhaps worried that Li Yi might read too much into it, Zhou Rui immediately explained, “The higher-ups have no ulterior motives. They’re sending people to accompany them because they’re genuinely concerned for their safety.”
Li Yi looked at Zhou Rui without comment. Although his tone was sincere, he absolutely wouldn’t believe that the higher-ups had sent people over without any intention of monitoring his wife and sister.
Seeing this, Zhou Rui immediately gave a wry smile and said, “With Old Jiang vouching for Comrade Jiang Xue and the others, we really have no need for such underhanded tactics. The reason we’ve assigned female agents to follow them is mainly because our special operations department received some rather troubling news!”
“What kind of news?” Li Yi asked.
“We’ve discovered that a man named Dalson Sasson arrived in Hong Kong recently and took over from that ‘Sir,’ becoming the leader of that group of foreigners. Ever since he took charge, the foreigners across the water have started stirring up trouble again—it seems they’re hatching another plot against you!”
Zhou Rui continued, “And now you’re planning to take your wife and children over there. That’s extremely dangerous. We have to be prepared for them to do something desperate!”
Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression finally relaxed slightly.
Li Yi didn’t care what schemes those foreigners had up their sleeves. With his brother-in-law and Yan Guangming’s Divine Shield Security Company on his side, he wasn’t afraid of their petty, underhanded tactics.
What Li Yi truly cared about was the attitude of those bigwigs at the top toward him. He was willing to contribute money and effort for the country, but if even that couldn’t earn their trust, it would be truly disheartening!
“I’ve got this covered. I’ll handle it!” Li Yi said.
“Don’t underestimate your opponent. Ever since we learned of this situation, our people have been investigating this Dolsen deep within Europe. It turns out he’s not only a renowned investment genius in Europe, but he’s also backed by quite a few conglomerates. Compared to him, you’re really outnumbered…”
Before Zhou Rui could finish, Li Yi cut him off and said, “Who says I’m outnumbered? I still have some friends on Hong Kong Island!”
“I know you have a good relationship with the Li family and that Mr. Huang from the Green Dragon Society, but compared to the entire Western conglomerate, your strength is still no match for them!”
“Haha, what if we add the Ho family, the Lo family, the Bao family, the Fok family, and other Chinese clans on Hong Kong Island to the mix?”
“That might give us a fighting chance against those Westerners, but will those major families actually help you?”
“They will, because they’re currently working with me to form the Hong Kong Chinese Capital Group!” Li Yi said calmly.
“A Chinese-funded conglomerate?”
“Right. The goal is to unite Hong Kong’s Chinese families and companies, consolidate capital and resources, and stand up to those Westerners!” Li Yi said.
“Did you agree?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Li Yi then explained the plan to establish the Chinese-funded group to Zhou Rui, emphasizing the conditions he had proposed.
After listening to Li Yi’s account, Zhou Rui said excitedly, “This is absolutely fantastic news for the country! With this Huazi Group in place, we’ll have far fewer concerns when negotiating with the British side!”
“Furthermore, if those Hong Kong businessmen come to invest in the mainland, it will be of great benefit to the domestic economy. I’ll report this matter to the higher-ups as soon as possible…”
“Director Zhou, whether or not you report this is up to you. I’m just telling you this to make it clear: those foreigners won’t be able to use underhanded tactics to pressure me—unless they deploy the regular troops under the British Hong Kong government!” Li Yi said.
“Haha, rest assured—they don’t have the guts to do that!”
Zhou Rui continued, “Besides, there aren’t any regular troops left on Hong Kong Island. Ever since we issued our warning, all that’s left over there are just ordinary police officers!”
“Then they’ll have even less chance of getting the better of me!” Li Yi said.
“Yeah, but we can’t let our guard down. Those Westerners usually look all sharp in their suits and act like total gentlemen, but if they get cornered, they’re capable of anything!” Zhou Rui said.
“Got it, I’ll be careful!” Li Yi said.
“By the way, what made you decide to buy appliances on the black market? That’s not like you at all!” Zhou Rui said.
Li Yi hadn’t intended to discuss this with him, but then he remembered that Zhou Rui worked for State Security—their intelligence-gathering and investigative capabilities were far beyond what his father-in-law’s Discipline Inspection Commission could match.
With that in mind, Li Yi suddenly said, “Chief Zhou, could you do me a favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“Help me track down someone!”
“Who?”
Li Yi immediately whispered a name into his ear!
Zhou Rui’s expression changed, and he said with some surprise, “He’s just a nobody—why are you looking into him?”
“He may be a nobody, but he could be the key to cracking this case. You’d better look into him for me!” Li Yi said.
“Alright, give me three days!” Zhou Rui said.
“I can’t wait that long. It’d be best to have a result by tomorrow afternoon. I’m confident you can pull it off with your capabilities!” Li Yi said.
“We’ll do our best!”
“Alright…”
…………