"The future can wait for another day. I'm in a hurry to leave now. Yesterday afternoon was wasted, and I have a lot waiting for me today."
I hadn't contacted Wen Siqiang and the others, so I didn't know what had happened overnight. Based on my judgment, Chen Liben and Principal Sun wouldn't allow these people to stay there peacefully; they would definitely stir up some trouble.
How could I not be anxious?
Xie Nana probably saw my genuine urgency and said apologetically, "Actually, there's a phone here. I lied because I wanted to keep you. You don't blame me, do you?"
I said, "What's the use of blaming you? You arrange for a car first. Let's have something to eat; all this physical exertion has made me hungry."
She playfully punched me on the chest and said coquettishly, "Little Sheng gege, I really don't want you to leave."
I said, "You've read so many books, and you don't know the saying? If two lovers can share a longing that lasts forever, why should they be bothered by day and night? The future is long, and if we are destined to be together, we will be."
I felt that Xie Nana probably didn't know about her father's dealings and simply wanted to be with me.
We got dressed and freshened up. Xie Nana went to call for a car, and I waited for her at the restaurant entrance.
At the entrance, a waiter and a waitress stood with their hands clasped, waiting for us to enter for our meal.
When Xie Nana arrived, the waiter and waitress bowed ninety degrees and invited us in.
Xie Nana said, "The car will be here in thirty minutes."
I grunted and went into the restaurant with her.
It was the same table as yesterday, but it wasn't as lively or extravagant. Still, there was a large spread of dishes, big and small.
There were also various pastries and dim sum, extremely lavish.
Thinking back to myself a year ago, I was racking my brain just to get a mouthful of food. Xie Nana, who was about my age, had such a luxurious breakfast.
We ate to our heart's content. How much could we possibly eat? This huge table was enough for more than ten people.
After we finished our meal, Xie Nana, regardless of anyone nearby, held my hand tightly and refused to let go.
I said, "Alright, the car is almost here. Let's go to the front."
Only then did she reluctantly walk outside.
At that moment, car horns sounded from outside. I hugged Xie Nana and told her, "I have to go back. If I get the chance, I will definitely come to see you."
Honestly, as a friend, I didn't dislike her. She was well-behaved, cute, gentle, and generous—a rare girl. However, her special identity made me hesitant. If she hadn't played this trick, I wouldn't have gotten involved with her, even if I were beaten to death.
I released her and turned to walk away. She held my hand and followed me for a few steps, and we arrived outside the main gate together.
The car was parked at the entrance. A security guard stepped forward to open the car door for me. I squeezed Xie Nana's arm hard and told her, "Stay here if nothing is wrong. Don't run around. I'll come to see you when I have time."
What I said was a little disingenuous. My intention was for her to have less contact with Xie Jiabao and stay as far away from him as possible.
The car drove out of the estate, following the small road we had taken yesterday.
The driver focused solely on driving, saying nothing.
I couldn't be bothered to ask anything, my mind preoccupied with matters at home.
I kept checking my phone. After we passed a mountain, the signal finally appeared.
I dialed Wen Siqiang's number.
Wen Siqiang said, "Boss, you finally called. As soon as you hung up last night, they mobilized, causing quite a stir. We'll talk about it when you get back. We're all at the raw stone base now."
I said, "Okay, I'll be there in about half an hour."
As expected, they wouldn't back down. Especially after what they made us do when we first arrived, they would definitely seek an opportunity for revenge.
I told the driver to speed up, as I had an urgent matter.
I wondered if Xie Jiabao's matter was going smoothly. If his situation was stable, it would hold the entire strategic situation together.
From Wen Siqiang's tone, it seemed Xie Jiabao's situation should be fine.
As the car entered the city, my phone rang. It was Jing Lei.
She said anxiously, "Your phone has been unreachable since yesterday. Did something happen?"
I said, "I went into the mountains. There was no signal inside, and it got too late to come out, so I couldn't contact you."
Jing Lei asked, "You went into the mountains alone? Without anyone?"
Me, alone, going to a remote place—it didn't seem justifiable if I didn't bring anyone.
Even I found it unreasonable.
I said, "There were too many things happening here, and I couldn't spare anyone, so I went by myself."
Jing Lei wasn't fully aware of the current situation. Ever since that time I had frightened her, I hadn't involved her in subsequent matters.
Jing Lei said, "Don't go out alone in the future. It makes people worry so much?"
I said, "I understand," and quickly hung up.
If I said any more, I wouldn't be able to keep the story straight.
The car drove into the courtyard of the raw stone base. I asked him to take me to the office building.
As the car stopped, I asked him how much it cost. The driver said he had an agreement with the estate, and they settled the accounts once a month, so I didn't need to pay.
I didn't insist and let the car drive away. I hurried upstairs.
As I walked into my office, I found it very lively. Elder, Da Kui, Wu Lao San, and Wen Siqiang and Qian Fugui were all there.
Seeing me return, they all smiled maliciously. It seemed they knew quite a bit.
Wen Siqiang knew I had gone to have dinner with Xie Nana, but later lost contact. They didn't know my exact location. If they had, they would have found me by any means necessary.
Anxious to know the current situation, I ignored their gazes and quickly asked them, "What's the situation now? Has there been any progress with Xie Jiabao's matter?"
Elder said, "The online platform is operating smoothly and has been tightly secured. There won't be any problems there for the time being. As long as we play our part well when we make our move there, making it seem like an accidental discovery, he'll have to accept his bad luck, and we'll be cleared of suspicion."
I said, "That's good news. What about here? I heard from Wen Siqiang that they came out of the cave. Did they cause any trouble?"
Elder said, "They didn't move all day yesterday, possibly waiting for us to lower our guard, or perhaps they hadn't decided where to strike. So, it wasn't until the latter half of the night that they made any moves.
When I led people to discover them coming out, I immediately notified Mr. Wu to prepare for combat.
The hateful thing is, they didn't come out all at once, but in pairs. We were already short-handed, and they split into five or six groups. With fewer people, they dispersed after coming out, scattering our men.
There was nothing I could do. I myself followed with two others. While notifying Mr. Wu, I tracked their movements. With their deployment, it wouldn't be a particularly large operation, but by splitting our men up so thinly..."