Liu Chen's presence here was not a planned event. The contents of the safe, however, were deliberately placed there by Liu Chen.
The so-called recipe and data were fake. Not only were the data fake, but the ingredients were also fabricated. If one were to follow this recipe, the resulting product would be inedible!
"Officer Ma, now that this person is apprehended, I'll trouble you to deal with this menace. I have an appointment with a Korean distributor and can't afford to miss my morning flight."
Upon hearing Officer Ma's announcement to wrap up the operation, Liu Chen closed her laptop and stood up from the sofa. As she spoke, she packed the laptop into her bag.
The new officer, Officer Ma, saw Liu Chen's actions and hesitated, wondering if he should say something to keep the victim of the theft there. However, before he could utter a word, the senior officer, Officer Ren, spoke.
"Ms. Liu, you must be exhausted with all these matters. Don't worry, we will rigorously interrogate this thief who committed malicious theft and identity fraud! If you're busy, you can provide a follow-up statement after you return from Korea."
Liu Chen smiled and nodded, "Then I'll leave it to you. Goodbye."
Officer Ren: "Ah, goodbye, Ms. Liu."
After Liu Chen, with Summer and Winter in tow, left with her luggage, the new officer, Little Ma, looked at his mentor, Officer Ren, with dissatisfaction.
"Master, isn't your fawning a bit excessive? Ms. Liu is wealthy, but we are police officers of the people. Why should we act like this? In my opinion, Ms. Liu should have stayed at the police station to give her statement. And look, she clearly did this intentionally today..."
Before he could finish, his master, Officer Ren, shot him a glare.
"Shut up! Am I your master or are you? The person we arrested today is a notorious economic criminal. He's extremely cunning and we haven't been able to catch him in the act before, so we had to let him go. He's also good at hiding. This time, we finally caught him red-handed. You mustn't blabber anymore. If he finds any leverage, he'll get off the hook, and I'll beat you to death!"
Scolded by Officer Ren, Little Ma fell silent, though he felt dejected. Were they, by doing this, essentially aiding and abetting?
Seeing Little Ma's unconvinced expression, Officer Ren understood what he was thinking. He sighed. This kid was as stubborn as a mule, but a bit of stubbornness was good for a police officer.
Liu Chen was unaware of the conversation between the two police officers. She was originally scheduled to fly from Beijing to Seoul. However, while at the airport preparing to collect her plane ticket, she saw the weather forecast for C City: light rain turning into a downpour that evening.
Thinking of her trip to Korea, the factory holiday, and the impending storm, Liu Chen suddenly had a feeling that Cui Jian would make a move that night.
Although it was just a hunch, Liu Chen didn't delay. She went straight to the counter and bought a ticket to C City. After landing at the airport, she immediately went online and opened her computer, only to find Cui Jian in his office.
Liu Chen immediately called the police and even drove to the top of the dormitory building to use binoculars to monitor Cui Jian's route. Seeing Cui Jian resolutely heading towards the dormitory building, Liu Chen then led the arriving police officers to apprehend him at the dormitory.
Thinking about this, Liu Chen shook her head. Cui Jian's arrest was one less thing to worry about, which brought her some peace of mind. However, the mastermind remained hidden, not revealing a single clue, which was quite annoying.
Despite the annoyance, Liu Chen wouldn't let this disrupt her plan to sell Meimei Niu to Korea.
The journey from C City to Seoul took three hours, and it was already noon when they landed in Seoul. As soon as they exited the airport, they were picked up by Ren Yu's car.
Ren Yu had arrived in Seoul a night earlier than Liu Chen. Seeing Liu Chen's slightly dark under-eye circles but energetic demeanor, he realized that the corporate spy must have been caught by their Chen Chen. Looking at Chen Chen humming a tune while gazing out the window, he figured it was a case of being caught red-handed.
When Liu Chen finished admiring the scenery and turned to look at Ren Yu, she seemed a bit puzzled.
"Why aren't you asking me about catching the spy? Aren't you curious about the outcome?"
Before Ren Yu could respond, Shen Hong, sitting in the passenger seat, chimed in.
"Of course, we're curious! But since you didn't bring it up first, we felt too embarrassed to ask..."
Liu Chen chuckled at Shen Hong's words.
"That's why they say women have strong intuition. I figured with such perfect conditions yesterday, Cui Jian definitely couldn't resist making a move. Although he was pursuing Gong Na, she never paid him any attention. Plus, being single and working the night shift constantly, he wouldn't be able to stay any longer."
Ren Yu hadn't known that this corporate spy had the leisure to think about romance while undercover. He mused, "His pursuit of Gong Na was probably for a specific purpose."
Liu Chen smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.
"Whatever his purpose, he failed to achieve it. Oh right, Brother Ren Yu, thanks to the God of Wealth you gave me, catching Cui Jian was so smooth this time. Otherwise, he might have actually escaped. You have no idea how quick he is..."
By the time they arrived at the hotel, Liu Chen had recounted the entire story of chasing the thief for a thousand miles. Shen Hong, who had listened with rapt attention the entire way, wished he could have been there to help catch the thief yesterday. As he followed Liu Chen to check into the hotel, he remembered his main task.
"The boss arranged for a local chain convenience store through an agent here. We're having dinner together tonight. Sister-in-law, remember to bring your Meimei Niu. Oh, and the ingredients for this beverage in Korea..."
Liu Chen nodded.
"Don't worry, I've handled all the necessary permits. We have all the same permits as those local Korean energy drinks, and other permits as well."
Shen Hong nodded, unable to resist giving Liu Chen a thumbs-up.
"Sister-in-law, your strategic foresight of planning three steps ahead is unparalleled. The boss can't even compare to you."
Ren Yu glanced at Shen Hong's antics, and Shen Hong immediately quieted down.
Liu Chen was still sharing a room with Ren Yu at the Seoul hotel this time, while Summer and Winter each had their own room. After checking in and unpacking, since dinner wasn't until later, Liu Chen and Zhuzhu planned to go shopping for clothes in the Gangnam area of Seoul.
Mi Zhuzhu, who had come to Korea for a vacation, had done considerable research. She knew about the top ten most worthwhile brands to shop for in Gangnam, the most cost-effective malls, and those with the most promotions, as well as...
"Hehe, Chen Chen, we're both adults now, and we've never been to a nightclub before! I heard that Korean nightclubs are full of handsome guys and beautiful girls, and there's even a rule that no one over 35 can enter."
Liu Chen was trying on clothes while listening to Zhuzhu ramble. When she heard this, she became somewhat interested.
"You want to go to a nightclub? Are you bringing Lai Jielun?"
Liu Chen wanted to ask first, considering safety was a primary concern abroad.
Mi Zhuzhu's eyes widened as she looked at Liu Chen. "Of course, I'm bringing him! I'm just going to broaden my horizons, not really get involved with any handsome guys. Hehe, I heard you can even bump into celebrities in Gangnam nightclubs!"
Towards the end, Mi Zhuzhu's eyes began to sparkle. Liu Chen remained speechless. She had forgotten that in these years, there were so many young girls who were obsessed with Korean culture, and Zhuzhu was a big fan of Korean dramas. The chance to see Korean celebrities was indeed very appealing to her.
Thinking about this, Liu Chen returned to the fitting room, took off the dress she was wearing, changed into her own clothes, and walked out to Mi Zhuzhu, who was browsing for clothes outside.
"Alright, after dinner tonight, I'll come find you. But it might be a bit late. If you can't wait, you can go have fun first. Send me the address, and I'll meet you there."
Mi Zhuzhu held a pair of jeans in her fingers, measuring them against her waist. They were a bit long, but the waist fit perfectly. As she hesitated, she casually replied to Liu Chen, "What do you mean late or not late? I've already found out that the nightclubs here don't get lively until midnight. If you go too early, you'll just be sitting at a booth drinking, with nothing much happening."
Hearing this, Liu Chen also remembered that in her previous life, she had seen short videos about Korean nightclubs starting very late. But at the time, she never thought she'd actually have the chance to visit one in this lifetime.
The two chatted in their C City dialect while shopping in the Gangnam mall. Coupled with Liu Chen's nonchalant attitude towards the prices of the clothes she was trying on, many salespeople in the mall thought.
Indeed, people who spent money like this were truly wealthy!
Liu Chen shopped for three hours and ended up with eight shopping bags. Mi Zhuzhu had to be more careful with her spending, but as a blogger with nearly 800,000 followers on Weibo, her monthly advertising revenue was close to fifty to sixty thousand yuan. She was also carrying four bags.
Finally, unable to carry any more, they sat down at a cozy cafe by the roadside to have coffee and rest.
Sitting by the window of the cafe, watching the passersby, Liu Chen suddenly recalled her rebirth and the time she had dinner with Mi Zhuzhu and encountered Hu Qian.
Hu Qian had been tricked by her that time, but... who could have foreseen what she would go through later?
While Liu Chen was gazing out the window, her photo appeared on South Korean social media.
'Gangnam Chaebol Heiress'
It was a photo of Liu Chen sitting in the cafe, posted by a photographer specializing in Gangnam street style. Photographers of street style were still a minority in those days, especially in the Gangnam district, where the clientele were basically the upper class of South Korea. Thus, the street style photos were not only visually appealing but also featured luxurious and meticulous attire.
Consequently, this photographer had a following of about 100,000 male and female fans on Instagram. As soon as he posted Liu Chen's photo, everyone received a notification.
Although South Korea boasted advanced medical aesthetics and plastic surgery technology, they actually preferred natural beauty. Liu Chen's profile view perfectly fit the fantasy of natural beauty held by most Koreans.
Thus.
When Liu Chen left the hotel for dinner that evening, she noticed...
"Why do I feel like people are constantly peeking at me?"
As Liu Chen got into the van, she asked Ren Yu with a puzzled look.
Ren Yu also sensed the subtle, inquisitive gazes around them. Initially, he worried that someone might be plotting against Chen Chen. But then he thought, with Cui Jian just apprehended, if the mastermind wanted to act, it was unlikely they could find someone in South Korea so quickly, right?
"It's nothing, they probably just think you're good-looking and want to take another look."
Liu Chen rolled her eyes at his words.
"You're really treating me like a child! I know I'm good-looking, but it's not like ordinary passersby would stare non-stop, is it?"
With their doubts lingering, they got out of the car and entered a Michelin-starred restaurant. Ren Yu had established a branch company in the United States and managed its operations himself. However, in South Korea, he had partnered with the Sunyang Group for operations.
This was a well-considered decision by Ren Yu. After all, most Koreans, from birth to death, are inextricably linked to the Sunyang Group. With Sunyang as their operating company, the game 'League of Legends' could be launched into the market more quickly and earn more foreign exchange.
The dinner engagement today was initiated by the manager of the game department of the Sunyang Group, who connected them with the manager of the chain convenience stores under their group. They were to have dinner together and discuss product placement.
Since it was a business meeting, Liu Chen changed into a white shirt and suit pants for the evening. Her long hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head, making her appear particularly serious.
However, even with Liu Chen's serious attire, upon entering the private room, she was recognized by two people at the table.
"Gangnam Chaebol Heiress!"
"Gangnam Chaebol Heiress!"
Liu Chen did not speak Korean. She only saw the two Koreans exclaim in surprise in Korean, seemingly recognizing her.
Liu Chen couldn't understand Korean, but Ren Yu could both understand and speak it. Hearing "Gangnam Chaebol Heiress," he immediately knew that someone must have posted Chen Chen's photo online. Otherwise, why would these two Koreans call Chen Chen the "Gangnam Chaebol Heiress"?
With this thought, Ren Yu glanced at the eager gazes of the two Koreans and stepped forward, blocking their view of Liu Chen.
"This is my fiancée, Liu Chen. Liu Chen, these are my friends, President Kim."
President Kim, hearing Ren Yu's words, snapped back to reality and then let out a soul-stirring sigh.
"Alas! I didn't expect Boss Ren to be so young and promising, yet already have a fiancée. But... Boss Ren's fiancée is actually Korean! No wonder Boss Ren speaks Korean."
Ren Yu smiled and shook his head upon hearing President Kim's words. As he pulled out a chair at the dining table for Chen Chen to sit down, he said,
"My fiancée is a genuine Chinese national. Although I don't know why you're mistaken, the reason for inviting President Kim to make this connection is for my fiancée's company's health products and beverages."
President Kim was stunned for a moment upon hearing this and then incredulously asked,
"Ah? The Gangnam Chaebol Heiress is actually from China?!"