Tracking down Yamaguchi Youko was just the beginning. They could not afford to rest easy just yet.
That night, Huo Shaoheng was unable to sleep, and he did not know why. He tossed and turned on the bed in the guest room, before finally getting up. It was still the middle of the night, but this did not stop him from going to the military archive to look up some old files.
Almost everything could be found on the internet nowadays, but those who truly understood how the internet worked knew that the network was full of vulnerabilities. For example, Zhao Liangze, one of his personal secretaries, knew a hundred different methods to crack network security systems of any kind. It was easy enough for him to break into any computer, phone, or tablet.
The Imperial Military was aware of the security risks to the government network and databases. It was for these reasons that a large number of top secret files existed only on paper. They had never been uploaded to the internet. The archive even had information recorded on bamboo and stone. Those files would outlast them all.
Huo Shaoheng worked in the archives throughout the night. It was only when the morning dawned that he finally laid his head on the table for a quick nap. He was awakened later by the sound of gentle knocking of the archive staff on duty at the door.
The archives were blocked off from all electromagnetic and radio signals. It was not possible to call someone on their mobile phones as long as they were inside and there were no landlines available either. The only means of communication in the archives was good old-fashioned yelling loud enough to be heard through the door and walls.
“Sir! Sir! Your personal secretary is looking for you. It’s urgent!”
The insistent knocking on the door finally awakened Huo Shaoheng, who had just dozed off. He pulled himself together, and went to the bathroom to splash cold water onto his face. Then, he looked at his watch and found that it was already eight in the morning.
Huo Shaoheng’s Bluetooth headset rang as soon as he walked out of the archives.
It was Yin Shixiong, his other personal secretary.
“What is it?”
“Sir, Miss Gu’s interview is today! Her university has been calling non-stop. Even Professor He himself called to ask.” Yin Shixiong’s tone was urgent. He had personally gone to C University’s Faculty of Law department just three days ago to obtain sick leave for Gu Nianzhi; getting Professor He Zhichu to postpone the interview for three days had been no small feat.
If Gu Nianzhi were to be late again, Yin Shixiong did not imagine that Professor He would think favorably of Gu Nianzhi.
And to think he had even gone so far as to butter Professor He up by telling him that Gu Nianzhi had always “admired” him made the matter even more troublesome.
Huo Shaoheng rubbed his brow, and said, “I’ll call Chen Lie.”
Chen Lie took the call. Before Huo Shaoheng could say a word, Chen Lie was already saying, “Boss, Nianzhi still isn’t awake, but her fever has gone down a little.”
“What the h*ll is going on? Please tell me you actually have a clue.” Huo Shaoheng stopped walking and looked up at his house, exasperated.
He got out a cigarette and began to smoke.
Chen Lie was also frustrated with the situation. “Boss, I guarantee there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. I’ve been monitoring her heartbeat and pulse 24/7, and I test her blood every two hours, too.”
“You’ve been drawing blood samples from her every two hours? What do you think she is, your private blood bank? Cut her up and make specimens out of her, why don’t you?” This bit of sarcasm was highly uncharacteristic of Huo Shaoheng, who was known for being calm and collected.
Chen Lie could not refute this. He covered his face and resigned himself to Huo Shaoheng’s verbal flaying.
Huo Shaoheng hung up and was about to call Yin Shixiong when the voice of the call operator came through on his headset. “Sir, Professor He of B University Law School called. He insists on speaking with you, personally.”
Huo Shaoheng thought for a brief moment as he leaned against a tree, his cigarette dangling from one hand, his other hand in a trouser pocket. He said, dispassionately, “I’ll take the call.”
Although Gu Nianzhi had been with him for six years, he had never actually taken a direct approach to raising her. He was her guardian in name only.
Gu Nianzhi had already been 12 years old when he took her under his wing; she had been practically old enough to take care of herself. It had never been necessary for him to get personally involved with the details of her life.
His personal secretary, Yin Shixiong, had been the one to arrange everything related to Gu Nianzhi’s studies. But, this time, the problem was too serious for Yin Shixiong to tackle alone.
His Bluetooth headset crackled as the operator connected the call. Huo Shaoheng did not speak. The individual on the other end was also silent for a full minute before he asked, “Am I speaking to Gu Nianzhi’s legal guardian, Mr. Huo?”
Huo Shaoheng grunted in the affirmative. “Yes. What is it?”
“Today is the day of Gu Nianzhi’s interview, the day we agreed to postpone it to.” He Zhichu said simply, his voice cold. “She’s late. Again.”
“Well, she’ll have to be excused for a few more days. She just isn’t feeling well.” Huo Shaoheng flicked the ash off his cigarette as he spoke, his voice nonchalant.
Over the phone, He Zhichu was very obviously irritated by Huo Shaoheng’s flippant attitude. “Sick leave, again? Don’t cross the line. I’ve already given her a chance. If I have to keep making compromises to accommodate her it would be unfair to the other candidates. You are Gu Nianzhi’s guardian. I am officially informing you, right now, that she does not have a chance in hell to get into B University Law School this summer. She must apply elsewhere.” With that, he abruptly hung up.
Huo Shaoheng frowned, but shrugged it off. He returned to his office to work.
…
The next few days were excruciating not only for those close to Gu Nianzhi, but also for the Feng family.
Things had spiraled out of control.
Fortune Palance, the luxury club in C City, was owned by Feng Yixi’s uncle, the Hu family. Feng Yixi and Hu Chuanxin’s illicit activities in the club meant that the Hu family were faced with a hefty fine. They were also swimming in debt. The bank cancelled their loan and sent letters asking them to repay their debt, effective immediately. Business acquaintances, friends and relatives all avoided the Hu family like the plague.
The Feng’s would have been able to help them—if they themselves weren’t already in trouble.
The Hu family had no choice but to declare bankruptcy, which meant they did not have the money to get an expensive and acclaimed lawyer to bail Hu Chuanxin out.
The investigations found that Hu Chuanxin had drugged and assaulted minors multiple times. He had also set up the den for the purpose of illegal drug use. The evidence was d*mning. He was looking at a life sentence, at minimum.
The Feng family had fallen completely apart.
The Feng family’s Fengting Home Improvement Company was found to have falsified accounts to secure their bank loan. They were also guilty of tax evasion. The company would never go public now. Not only that, Feng Guodong and Hu Qiaozhen had already been convicted and were going to jail.
Feng Yixi’s crimes were not as serious. She was only guilty of taking illegal drugs as well as having an excessive amount of drugs in her possession. She was sentenced to three months of jail time and one year of community service.
Because she had violated the law, she was expelled from C University’s Faculty of Law, in accordance to the school rules. She would not graduate.
The Feng family’s properties and bank accounts had been repossessed and frozen, respectively, by the bank. The only member of the Feng family who had not been hit with a lawsuit or a prison sentence was the eldest daughter, Feng Yichen. The heiress to a multi-million family fortune, one of the luckiest girls alive, had turned into a penniless beggar overnight.
It was too much for her to bear.
It was early the next morning. Feng Yichen looked at the villa she had lived in for over ten years, her face streaked with tears. She was carrying a small Louis Vuitton suitcase.
“Sister Chen, Brother Bin is waiting for you,” said a skinny, twig-like man with bleach-blond hair, smiling as he opened the car door for Feng Yichen. She turned to look at the car, her heart instantly lifting at the sight of the black Mercedes 700. She stepped into it, already in a better mood.
“Sister Chen, Brother Bin told me his heart was always set on you, even when he married. He’s already sent that frumpy wife of his back to her folks yesterday. Sister Chen, you’re the boss’s wife now. I hope you’ll put a good word in for me now and then!”