The man named Tan, trembling, held the pen and wrote down the seal to be used tomorrow, signing his name below.
I took the slip of paper, glanced at it, and exchanged a look with Lan Ya. I said to the man surnamed Gu, "Regarding our matter, I only ask that you handle it according to the regulations. We will not make any unreasonable demands. If you cannot comply, I have retained all evidence against you, and you will deal with the consequences."
After I finished speaking, Lan Ya took out a small voice recorder from her pocket and handed it to me. I rewound the tape and played it for him.
He begged me to turn it off after only a few seconds, promising to handle the matter properly.
I gestured to Lan Ya, and we walked out. With the recording and the written note as dual assurances, I wasn't afraid of him trying to renege.
The man named Tan never dreamed that not only would he not get the fat prize he had his eyes on, but he would also be caught. This was the first, and only, time.
Lan Ya and I went downstairs, and she accompanied me back to the hotel.
It was rare precious time for just the two of us, and Lan Ya didn't want to waste it.
While in the car, Sheng Hao's phone rang. It was Brother Hui.
Brother Hui: "The goods have been safely received in South America. It seems this channel is very reliable. You need to hurry. We'll try to do the next batch ourselves."
I said, "We now have the personnel and funds. The only thing we lack is the permit to use the international positioning system. Only with it can we build our own system. Without access to the positioning system, everything is zero."
Brother Hui: "So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? How confident are you about securing this license?"
I said, "I've already asked someone to smooth things over with officials from the International Satellite Positioning Organization. I should hear back by dawn at the latest. Uncle Hui, please wait a little longer. Once it's approved, I'll inform you immediately."
Brother Hui quickly said, "Good," and hung up.
Since this whole operation was a charade for them, this license naturally had to be issued to him, otherwise the subsequent plot wouldn't unfold.
That's why I promised him I would do my utmost to obtain the license.
Back at the hotel, I told Lan Ya to go to her room first, and I went to find the senior.
The system platform would be manipulated by Brother Hui, and the senior was needed to help him complete it.
This matter originally belonged to the senior; only he could be relied upon to get it done.
I knocked on the door. The senior opened it, saw me, and said, "Quick, come in. I was just looking for you."
I closed the door behind me and said, "Brother Hui is eager to get on stage. He just urged me."
He said, "I wanted to see you about the same matter."
I asked, "What, did they contact you too?"
The senior: "Yes, your father-in-law, Xie Jiabao."
My face instantly flushed. The senior never joked with me, and hearing this from him was a bit much to take.
I asked, "What did he say?"
The senior: "Let's do a substitution. We can package what we're using and give it to him. No need to build a new one."
It was that simple. The moment I heard Brother Hui talking about the system, my head started to spin. I never expected the senior to resolve the issue so casually.
The senior: "Although it's simple, we can't tell them that yet. If we agree too quickly, they'll think we're playing tricks. You need to tell them that applying for it is very difficult, that there are many channels to smooth over, and that the process is a bit slow. Make them wait patiently."
I nodded. It was like a cat playing with a mouse, not eating it just to toy with it.
The senior: "Looking at your expression, you must have won a great victory! Tell me about it."
I said, "Indeed. Although those guys were making a fuss..."