We all returned to the jewelry mall together. In the office, the girl who helped me with my number patiently taught me how to use the mobile phone. The phone displayed everything in English, and she added Chinese labels for each item, making it easier to understand than the manual.
It took quite some effort to figure it out. Jing Lei used her phone to make a call, and my phone rang. I tested it, and everything was okay.
Jing Lei said, "The housing situation is also settled. My father's friend has a vacant apartment in Myanmar where he does business, and he's entrusted us to look after it. The key is with me, so we can move in for now and change later when we find a better place."
I said, "That sounds fine, as long as it doesn't inconvenience them. We should still pay the necessary fees."
She replied, "You don't need to worry about these things. Just live there for now, and we'll sort out the rest later."
Just then, my pager vibrated. I saw it was from Lan Ya and quickly called back.
Lan Ya said that Brother Bao wanted to see me and asked me to come over immediately.
Jing Lei called her driver and had him drive me in her car.
She said, "Once you get your ID card, go get a driver's license right away."
I nodded, hugged her, and bid farewell.
I arrived at Lan Ya's office. Brother Bao was in his usual spot, and Lan Ya was also sitting on the sofa. They were talking about something. Seeing me enter, Brother Bao motioned for me to sit.
Before, I only stood when I met Brother Bao. I never expected him to be so polite now.
I said, "It's alright, I'm fine standing."
Brother Bao didn't insist and told me, "I have a connection with an elder brother from across the border in Myanmar. He has some influence there and has invited me for a visit. He wants us to gamble on a piece of stone together, and I want you to come along."
I knew that the stones they gambled on were definitely not the kind we played with, or they wouldn't be this serious.
He continued, "It's a small internal tender. They say there's a piece of black python skin jade material, weighing over five tons. It's been opened up, revealing good clarity and a strong band, but it's highly speculative. I'm just not sure; large stones are prone to mutations, and it's useless no matter how well it's opened."
Black python skin again. The piece I got from the Myanmar guy at the club was black python skin, and I was lucky enough to get an imperial green. However, black python skin is too risky to gamble on, having earned the nickname "ten openings, nine failures," especially such a large rough stone.
I nodded. The bigger the stone, the greater the risk. A single stone might have five or six variations. If it turns out well, that's great, but if it turns out dead, it could lead to ruin.
"One cut through burlap" refers to this kind of high-stakes gamble.
Of course, the greater the risk, the greater the opportunity. Before cutting, it's always a fifty-fifty chance.
I told Brother Bao, "I can only analyze it for you. Ultimately, the decision rests with you."
Brother Bao nodded and said, "Actually, I'm worried about my Myanmar friend."
He didn't explicitly say why he was worried about his Myanmar friend, and I didn't want to ask.
Brother Bao said, "Prepare yourself for the next couple of days. The tender conference will be held the day after tomorrow in a wealthy district of Yangon. We'll leave a day early to go to Yangon first, and then head to the tender conference the next day."
I don't have identification. Brother Bao said he would find someone to arrange the exit procedures through a travel agency, so I shouldn't worry.
This is an internal tender. As long as one can exit, the entry threshold on the other side is very low. Having a local accompany you is enough to participate.
I mentioned to Lan Ya if there were any other positions in the Grand World, in logistics or management. I said my former subordinate, Xiao Hong, wanted to transfer positions.
She said if the person is suitable, they could work in finance or as a receptionist on the second or third floor, but the salary would definitely be much lower than before.
I said, "That's fine. If she really can't do it or doesn't want to, and the person is suitable, I'll let her know later."
After bidding farewell to Brother Bao and Lan Ya, I returned to the hotel.
Xiao Hong wasn't in the room, but the door was open. I went downstairs to ask the front desk. The front desk said that about half an hour ago, a man had taken the girl away, scolding and cursing. The girl didn't want to go and was beaten. As she was leaving, he even pulled her hair; she looked miserable.
My head buzzed. She never mentioned having any enemies. She grew up alone, without many connections, so how could someone grab her like that?
I asked, "Did you not stop him? Why didn't you call the police?"
She said, "That guy is very intimidating. We were all terrified and didn't even think to call the police. By the time we reacted, he was already gone."
I asked, "How did that person find her? Did he go straight up?"
I thought to myself, if he went straight up, it might be targeting me, as I've offended quite a few people.
She said, "No, she went out first, apparently to go shopping. When she came back, that person followed her in."
It seems this person isn't necessarily targeting me. So, who could be her enemy to treat her like this?
Based on what Xiao Hong told me, her social circle is very simple. Her mother hasn't been in contact for years, and her grandparents are gone. Later, she stayed with a classmate for a short period, only a few months, so it's unlikely she made any enemies. But now, she's been abducted. Who could it be?
My head was spinning. I had no clue. Back then, there was no internet or surveillance. I walked out of the hotel and sat on the curb, utterly at a loss.
I reviewed her social connections again. Grandparents were completely ruled out. Classmates and their families were mostly ruled out. The only one left was her mother. As the saying goes, even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs, let alone its own mother. So, she should be ruled out too.
The front desk said the man was a middle-aged person, with a local accent, not very tall, and very thin.
I felt that if I ruled out her lack of external connections, then her mother and family were the most suspicious.
She had once mentioned that her mother's marriage didn't go well after marrying this man. He was lazy, loved to gamble, and lost everything, which is why he kicked her out of the house.
Even if this person saw her on the street, he wouldn't abduct her like this!
I felt my brain was overloaded; I couldn't figure out what was going on.
I first need to find out where her mother married to, to find any clues.
She belongs to Zhou Yingying's circle. Zhou Yingying might know something about her background.
I took out my phone and called Lan Ya. I didn't have Zhou Yingying's contact information, so I asked her for it.
Lan Ya might have heard the urgency in my voice and asked, "Did something happen?"
I said, "Something's up, I need to ask her something."
I didn't elaborate. I myself don't know what happened yet. I'll find some clues first.
She gave me a phone number. I drew it on the ground with a small stone and then hung up.
I called the "female devil" using the number.
I said, "It's me, Li Hua."
She acknowledged with an "en." I continued, "Do you know where Cui Chunhong's mother's house is?"
She replied, "I'm not entirely sure. What happened?"
I said, "I just returned to the hotel from outside. The front desk said Xiao Hong was taken away by a man, who was hitting and scolding her. I suspect it's her stepfather, but I don't know where her stepfather lives."
Zhou Yingying said, "Don't worry. I'll find her friend, who is also her classmate, the one she stayed with before. She might know something. I'll ask her and let you know. Is this the number you want me to call back?"
I told her to call back this number, which was mine.
With some leads, my heart felt a little steadier.