After seeing off A Gan, I turned and high-fived the elder who had emerged from the inner room. With A Gan's addition, half of our mission was accomplished. Now, the focus was on planning the inaugural platform launch meeting.
First, the meeting venue had to be a secluded location to avoid raising suspicion.
Second, the chosen site needed to be suitable for a large ambush of military and police.
Third, we had to try and get everyone to attend.
I made a list with the elder: the two Xie brothers, Principal Sun, Chen Liben, and either Commander Kang or the Young Master.
With these individuals present, we could completely dismantle the largest drug trafficking syndicate operating along the border.
The Young Master was unlikely to come. I would find a way to have someone from his household attend, even his butler. If he was captured, the Young Master couldn't escape responsibility.
I took out my phone and called the Young Master. "Young Master Kang, we are holding our first shareholder meeting tomorrow afternoon. Since you are unwell, you will need to send someone to represent you."
The Young Master replied, "I need to attend this personally. I'll submit the request now!"
I was surprised. He wanted to attend in person? Was he walking into a trap?
This showed how invested he was in this matter.
I said, "I don't advise you to come in person. If you insist, and the doctor agrees, you must be extra cautious."
The Young Master said, "My leg can already bear weight. The doctor also told me to have my young associate push me out for a walk every day, so attending a meeting should be fine."
I reminded him of a few more things and told him to listen for the phone call regarding the specific time and location.
The remaining task was selecting the venue.
The elder wasn't familiar with Ruili, and I hadn't been to many places myself, so I couldn't think of a suitable location immediately.
I said I would ask someone who would surely have an idea.
Actually, there was a place that was perfect for a meeting, convenient and safe. If we chose that location, it would be quite tricky for Mr. Song and his group to make a move.
It was the Xie Nana family villa. It was sufficiently quiet, hidden, and upscale.
However, it was best not to go there. If we dropped our disguises, I feared Xie Nana wouldn't be able to handle it.
I called Jing Lei, who was familiar with Ruili's locations. Asking her was a sure bet.
Jing Lei asked, "What's up?"
I rarely called her during the day, so she knew I must have a reason.
I said, "We plan to cast our net tomorrow. Think of a place where the military and police can ambush without being detected."
Jing Lei replied, "You're always giving me difficult tasks. Where can such a place be found? These people have sharp senses. If you ambush a large number of people, no matter how well hidden, they'll know. So, the location must be chosen with extreme care."
I said, "There's no time. The meeting is tomorrow noon. We must finalize the location today and make arrangements today."
Jing Lei was silent on the other end. I knew she was contemplating the location, and I waited quietly, phone in hand.
I spent a long time conceptualizing this book. In 2010, I stayed in Tengchong for several months, and that's when my understanding of jade began.
Jade is beautiful, to the point of being exquisite. In the lobby of the Xiangshai Hotel where we stayed, there was a carved jade piece weighing over a ton, which was truly shocking and magnificent.
The jade ornaments in the exhibition hall were even more captivating, a feast for the eyes.
It was then that I suddenly fell in love with jade. Whenever I had free time, I would visit the jade market, although mostly just to browse and admire.
Sometimes, I would buy a small item or two, just to satisfy the urge.
Jade can be addictive, especially stone gambling, where it's truly "one cut to poverty, one cut to riches, one cut to rags." Such events unfolded daily in the stone gambling city.
As written in the book, most stones didn't yield great surprises. Getting even a bit of color was considered good. Yet, people held onto the dream of getting rich and continuously sought the next opportunity.
I wrote about the experience of one person striving in this industry. I hope everyone reads it as just a story. If it can offer some insight or help, I will be content.
The book has been published. I started uploading chapters gradually at the end of last month, meeting the requirements for publication. From now on, there will be locked chapters. If you feel this book is still worth reading, I hope you will spend a few thousand coins to support the author. I wouldn't know until I write a book that writing is a tough job; it requires immense thought, not to mention the daily update quota, which creates significant pressure.
I once missed the last high-speed train of the day because I was writing. I had no choice but to cancel my train ticket and reschedule for the next day, which drew criticism for a long time, with people saying I had become a bookworm from writing.
Sitting in the waiting room, I somehow missed the boarding announcement, and by the time I realized it, the train was long gone.
There are many other interesting things that happened during the writing process, which I will share with you gradually. In short, I hope you will continue to support the author and write more reviews. Your support is the driving force behind my continued writing.