Chapter 750: Chapter 749: What do you need?
"Yes." Ah Wei nodded, then added, "Mr. Wang, if there’s anything you need, just command, and I’ll prepare it."
"No need." Liu Zheng waved his hand and said, "This place is quite good as it is."
Ah Wei hesitated for a moment, then added, "Mr. Wang, you may not realize, our company only has one office. If you don’t stay here, you’ll have to rent another office, and moreover, in terms of price, it might be more expensive."
"It doesn’t matter, I’m not picky about money," Liu Zheng said with a smile.
After hearing Liu Zheng’s words, Ah Wei heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Then, Mr. Wang, if you do need anything, feel free to instruct me."
"Thank you, Brother Ah Wei," Liu Zheng replied.
Ah Wei nodded, turned, and walked out of the office.
Once Ah Wei had gone, Liu Zheng walked over to the desk and began examining the folders on top of it.
"These are the materials for the ’Yanjing Evening News’ and ’Yanjing Daily News’."
Liu Zheng opened a set of materials and began to read.
The materials contained the main information about newspapers like the ’Yanjing Evening News’ and ’Yanjing Daily News’.
After reading carefully for a few minutes, Liu Zheng put the materials back into the folder.
"Considering it’s a newspaper in Yanjing City, it must naturally be the largest newspaper there. Over the years, its fame has only grown, yet I don’t know its exact location, nor do I know where its headquarters are," Liu Zheng mused to himself.
Just at that moment, the intercom on the desk rang.
"Hello, this is Zhao Xueping, a reporter from Yanjing City Daily," came the voice of Zhao Xueping over the phone.
"Oh, Assistant Zhao," Liu Zheng acknowledged before asking, "Are we going to visit your place today?"
"No need, we’re not available to receive you today," Zhao Xueping declined politely.
"Is that so..." Liu Zheng fell silent for a moment, then asked again, "When would be convenient for you, then? Could you give me a specific time?"
"If it’s convenient for you, we can make some time to see you shortly," Zhao Xueping said.
"Okay, it’s a deal."
"No problem."
After hanging up the phone, Liu Zheng’s lips curled into a smile.
...
An hour later, Zhao Xueping drove Liu Zheng to the front of a five-star hotel and said, "Mr. Wang, we’ve arrived, please get out of the car."
Liu Zheng got out and walked into the hotel.
"Hello, your private room is on the fourth floor, please follow me," said the attendant.
"Thank you," Liu Zheng said politely and then followed the attendant to the fourth floor.
Soon, they arrived outside a room.
"Please," the attendant said respectfully.
Liu Zheng pushed open the door and went inside.
The room was a spacious and bright suite with a simple layout: a bed, a sofa, and a few desks, while a bottle of red wine sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Beyond the sofas in the room, there was a desk and a coffee table.
"Mr. Wang, please take a seat," Zhao Xueping said, pointing to the chair opposite.
Liu Zheng nodded, walked over, and sat down on the sofa.
"What would you like to drink?" Zhao Xueping asked with a smile.
After thinking for a bit, Liu Zheng replied, "Brandy."
"Alright," Zhao Xueping nodded, then took out the menu and said, "Mr. Wang, what would you like to eat?"
"Anything’s fine," Liu Zheng said with a smile.
"How about steamed bass and steamed meatballs?" Zhao Xueping suggested.
"Sure, that sounds good," Liu Zheng agreed with a nod.
Zhao Xueping smiled and left. Before long, she came back carrying two plates of fish garnished with scallions, minced garlic, and glass noodles, the aroma was enticing.
Zhao Xueping returned and handed one of the plates to Liu Zheng, saying, "Mr. Wang, try our steamed bass, it’s quite good."
Liu Zheng took the fish, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
"Mmm, it is indeed quite good," Liu Zheng commented.
Seeing this, Zhao Xueping hurriedly said with a laugh, "Then please eat up."
"Sure," Liu Zheng nodded.
Just at that moment, Liu Zheng’s phone rang. It was a call from Li Yundong.
"Hello, is this Yundong?" Liu Zheng answered the phone.
"Yes, it’s me," Li Yundong spoke from the other end of the line, "Liu Zheng, where are you?"
"I’m currently at the Yanjing Daily newspaper office. Are you coming to see me?" Liu Zheng asked.
"Yeah, I actually have something to discuss with you, so I thought I’d drop by," Li Yundong said. "Where shall we meet now?"
"I’m at a restaurant," Liu Zheng replied.
"Okay," Li Yundong nodded, said: "Then I’ll head over right now, wait for me for a bit."
"Alright," Liu Zheng nodded in response.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Zheng turned to Zhao Xueping and said, "Assistant Zhao, I have to step out for a moment. Please take care of these documents for me."
"Okay," Zhao Xueping nodded in agreement.
After speaking, Zhao Xueping turned and left.
Liu Zheng, on the other hand, walked over to the window and looked into the distance.
"I hope I haven’t made the wrong choice, otherwise, I fear I may regret it for the rest of my life," Liu Zheng murmured to himself.
...
"Liu Zheng, we’ll have your Yanjing Daily take charge of this interview," Zhao Xueping said.
"Really?" Liu Zheng was somewhat surprised.
"Of course," Zhao Xueping said with a smile: "Although I don’t like your disrespectful attitude towards our newspaper staff, this interview is for the sake of the newspaper’s image."
"Fine, fine, I’ll follow Assistant Zhao’s arrangements," Liu Zheng promptly responded: "As long as Assistant Zhao thinks I’m suitable."
"Good, that’s settled then," Zhao Xueping nodded, satisfied.
By this time, Li Yundong had already arrived at the hotel entrance in a black Porsche Cayenne.
Li Yundong jumped out of the car and walked into the hotel.
"Excuse me, have you seen a young man named Liu Zheng?" Li Yundong asked the front desk straightaway.
The receptionist looked at Li Yundong with a puzzled expression and said, "I am sorry, but we do not have a client by the surname Liu here."
"No clients with the surname Liu?" Li Yundong was taken aback and then said, "Could he have left already?"
"I don’t know, sir. We don’t have a client by the name of Liu Zheng," the receptionist replied.
"No one with the surname Liu?" Li Yundong frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked: "Then do you have a female reporter named Zhao Xueping here? Is she wearing purple-blue clothes?"
"Sorry, no," the receptionist still shook their head.
"You don’t have them here?" Li Yundong asked again.
"Sorry, no," the receptionist still shook their head.
"Forget it," Li Yundong was already sure of the situation in his heart, and he turned and left the hotel.
Back at home, Li Yundong dialed Lin Yan’s number: "Lin Yan, I’m at the entrance of the Yanjing Daily headquarters building. The reception here says that there is no man named Liu Zheng at all."
"None?" Lin Yan also found it strange.
That being the case, Liu Zhen should not have left Yanjing. Where on earth had he gone?
"Where are you? We’ll come and take a look," Lin Yan inquired.
"I’m at the headquarters entrance, I’ve just arrived here," Li Yundong answered.
"Then wait a moment, I’m coming right over!" Saying this, Lin Yan hung up the phone.
Li Yundong stood in place, his gaze searching through the hotel’s lobby.
Suddenly, Li Yundong’s eyes landed on a painting in the center of the lobby.
In the middle of the painting, there was a protruding stone slab with a handprint on it.
This handprint looked very ancient and must have been the work of a renowned master.
However, there was a turtle lying on top of that handprint.
If it were just an ordinary painting, it would be one thing, but the fact that it was a turtle made it suspicious.
Therefore, Li Yundong immediately focused his attention on the right side of it.
There sat an exquisitely made bronze wine cup, the rim topped with a skull.
On this cup, there was a pattern of a peony flower, and beside it, a line of poetry described: "A cup full of red plum blossoms, two branches of peony."
"This is a painting," Li Yundong thought to himself.
"Miss, could you please point me in this direction?" Just then, a voice suddenly entered Li Yundong’s ears.
