"Thank you, Kai Dong. Uncle understands; I won’t make things difficult for you," said Zhang Yakun.
"That’s good to hear. I’m also worried about you guys getting shortchanged, especially since this is not our country," said the young man with a nod.
As they talked, the three of them had reached the second floor and came to the door of a room.
The door was ajar, not shut, but there were two men standing at the entrance with dark complexions, not very tall but with a stern expression on their faces.
Through the half-open door, one could see a handsome man sitting behind a large desk, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he leisurely puffed smoke, looking quite content and brash.
When the stern-looking men at the door saw the young man leading Zhang Yakun and the others over, they reached out to stop them.
"Let Kai Dong and the others in," a man’s voice came from the room at this moment.
Upon hearing this, the men at the door silently stepped aside.
"Kai Dong, are these the two fellow villagers you mentioned?" The man in the room asked in a languid tone, cigarette in hand, pointing at the two Zhang brothers.
"Yes, Manager Liu, we’re all from the same village, and I should address them as uncles by seniority. This time, Uncle Ming’s son ran off to Myanmar with a Burmese woman. Myanmar is big in some ways, but absolutely not small in others, and it’s full of conflict everywhere. They’re strangers in a strange land here, and finding their son is very difficult, so they wanted to ask Manager Liu for help. You know Chairman Lin well, and if you could ask him to issue an order, finding someone should be easier," the young man, known as Kai Dong, said with a slight bow.
"Chairman Lin? He is the administrative chief and military leader of our Fourth Special District. Do you think he’s that easy to see? Do you think you can disturb him for just any little thing?" Manager Liu glared at Kai Dong and said.
"Yes, of course," Kai Dong nodded repeatedly and then gave the Zhang brothers a meaningful glance.
"Manager Liu, I’ve heard from Kai Dong that you’re also from Jiangnan Province. I’ve been living in Jiangnan Province for over a decade now; it’s like my second home. I really had no choice but to seek help this way, and I would be grateful if Manager Liu could lend a hand for the sake of a fellow countryman and fellow villager. As for any necessary facilitation fees, we will definitely pay them, but we’re not wealthy people, so I can’t give much. I’ll transfer you 50,000 RMB; please be lenient, okay?" said Zhang Yakun, a businessman used to negotiating, who quickly realized Manager Liu was angling for a payment.
"50,000?" Manager Liu’s eyes lit up slightly and he slowly took his feet off the desk, pointing to a seat in the office and said, "Take a seat. You’re right, I am from Jiangnan Province. Since we’re practically from the same place and both countrymen, I’ll definitely help where I can. But as you know, the situation in Shan State is very complicated, with warlords everywhere, mountains, constant conflict, and finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even if Chairman Lin issues an order on my account, I can’t guarantee that we’ll find the person."
"Ah, if we can’t find the person, can the money be returned to us?" blurted out Zhang Yaming upon hearing this.
"Slap!" Manager Liu slapped the desk.
"Manager!" The two guards at the door rushed in, looking fierce and intimidating, giving the Zhang brothers quite a scare.
Manager Liu waved his hand at the two guards, signaling them to leave, then said with an ugly expression, "Do you think this is child’s play? Do you think meeting Chairman Lin is a joke? Do you know how many soldiers are under Chairman Lin’s command? Three thousand, each armed with a gun. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re fellow villagers and compatriots, do you think 50,000 RMB could really get me to approach Chairman Lin?"
Zhang Yaming was at a loss for words after hearing this, wanting to say that if you don’t go to see Chairman Lin and later claim you didn’t find the person, we wouldn’t know anyway!
However, Zhang Yaming didn’t dare to speak out in the end. Partly he was afraid of angering Manager Liu, as the guards by the door all seemed to be armed, and partly because what Manager Liu said was true. With the complicated situation in Shan State, with warlords everywhere, mountains, and constant conflict, being strangers in this land, finding someone was indeed more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. Apart from Manager Liu, they didn’t know whom else they could turn to.
Zhang Yakun obviously thought of this too, looked at Manager Liu’s handsome face, his eyes flickering, and eventually forced a smile and said, "Manager Liu, please don’t take offense, my brother has lived in the countryside and may not understand certain rules. I will transfer the 50,000 RMB to you in a moment, and please, make sure to ask around as much as possible."
New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.
Stay connected with freewebnovel
"Stop right there, outsiders are not allowed to enter!"
Manager Liu’s expression finally eased, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, just as he was about to speak, the bouncer’s voice rang out at the door.
"I’m looking for my friend," Ge Dongxu said to the bouncer, speaking indifferently at the entrance.
Since they were discussing business, the door was closed at this time.
Neither Manager Liu nor Zhang Yaku could see Ge Dongxu; they could only hear his voice.
But as soon as they heard Ge Dongxu’s voice, their faces all showed expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
"Could it be Dongxu?" Zhang Yaku couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
"Dongxu? Ge Dongxu? Is he your friend?" Manager Liu started, then his handsome face began to twist into a malevolent sneer.
"Yes! How... how do you know his surname is Ge?" Zhang Yaku was still shocked that Ge Dongxu could unexpectedly appear here, and equally astonished that Manager Liu seemed to know Ge Dongxu, without noticing the odd look on Manager Liu’s face for the moment.
"How could I not know him!" Manager Liu sneered coldly, then moved behind the large desk and flopped back into the armchair. He once again raised his legs onto the desk and arrogantly said, "Let him in."
The door was pushed open, and Ge Dongxu, looking at Manager Liu seated behind the large desk, revealed a look of unexpected surprise and asked, "Liu Lihe?"
This Manager Liu was none other than Yuan Li’s despicably shameless ex-husband, Liu Lihe.
In the past, not only had Dongxu exposed Liu Lihe’s deception of his fellow villagers, but he also found and used the last bit of hidden money to settle debts. As a result, Lihe was not only penniless but also scorned and despised in the village, eventually unable to remain there any longer and forced to leave his hometown.
During this time, Liu Lihe was extremely impoverished and down on his luck. At his wit’s end, he decided to take a risk with an old bad influence friend and traffic drugs at the border.
Contrary to expectations, the drug trafficking did not succeed, but due to his handsome appearance and eloquent speech, he managed to hook up with a Burmese woman.
While she was called a Burmese woman, she was actually a descendant of the Chinese.
This woman happened to be a granddaughter among the myriad descendants of the Warlord of Kokang.
It was rumored that almost every member of the Kokang Warlord’s family held a leadership position in the Shan State Special Region One, particularly a firm grip on military power in the hands of brothers and sons, with daughters controlling various casinos across the regions.
The Chairman Lin previously mentioned by Liu Lihe and others was the son-in-law of the Kokang Warlord.
It was because of this connection that Liu Lihe found himself in the casinos of the Golden Triangle, where he served as a betting intermediary. Of course, that description was too refined—what he really did was lend money at exorbitant rates in the casino.
All this aside, observing the surprised and astonished expression on Ge Dongxu’s face, Liu Lihe could not help but laugh triumphantly and arrogantly, "Haha, that’s right, it’s me! Bet you didn’t expect this, Ge Dongxu—that we’d meet here!"