Though Secretary Peng’s imagination ran wild, his face remained respectfully compliant.

A secretary should be a leader’s capable assistant – sharing the leader’s workload was his responsibility.

Secretary Peng was pleased that Tang Hongen now knew how to take care of his health. However, he had preconceptions about Xia Xiaolan, believing she was deeply calculating… Yet Secretary Peng had also met Liu Fen, who was completely different from Xia Xiaolan.

The contrast between mother and daughter was quite stark. Secretary Peng couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the leader had developed feelings.

It must have been related to Liu Fen cooking for the leader – something Secretary Peng had arranged himself. Looking back, it felt like he’d shot himself in the foot.

While Secretary Peng worried for the leader, he had no right to object.

Not that he completely opposed it – Tang Hongen was actually doing very well now, and Secretary Peng believed Liu Fen’s presence had a positive effect on the leader.

For this reason, when Tang Hongen said he was going to Yang City, Secretary Peng still had to arrange the car service.

When no one was around, Secretary Peng pulled Xiao Wang aside:

“You went with him to Yunan – is there something going on?”

If they suddenly announced their marriage and Secretary Peng only then started currying favor with the leader’s wife, that would be rather passive.

He hoped to learn about any developments from Xiao Wang, but Xiao Wang was even more confused.

Was something going on?

Xiao Wang couldn’t figure it out.

The leader had made quite a show of going to the countryside and even stayed at the Liu family home for the Spring Festival.

When they came to Yang City to get goods, he went to the train station to pick them up.

And then… there was no “and then” – that’s what Xiao Wang couldn’t understand. The leader had been divorced for many years with no plans to remarry. Otherwise, the line of people wanting to introduce potential matches would stretch from Peng City to Yang City.

It was a crude but true observation – not just divorced women, even young unmarried ladies would throw themselves at him.

Yet the leader had gone all the way to rural Yunan, and Comrade Liu Fen hadn’t given an immediate yes.

When Secretary Peng asked if something was going on, Xiao Wang could only chuckle. He couldn’t say yes because there were no signs, but saying no would be disrespectful to the leader.

“Xiao Wang, when will you fix this dim-witted habit of yours? Is this the time to be giggling?”

Xiao Wang scratched his head, “Brother Peng, I’m not just giggling, but what do you want me to say?”

Secretary Peng thought to himself, well, no need to say anything – Comrade Xiao Wang’s accent already had hints of Yunan in it, everything was understood without words!

…

Du Zhaohui truly hadn’t noticed the Xia family’s disappearance.

Xia Dajun taking his family away from the hotel suited Du Zhaohui’s purposes. He was, after all, a young master from a wealthy family – why would he want to mix with some smelly farmers? He wasn’t interested in the Xia family because of Xia Dajun, but because of the mystery surrounding Xia Ziyu.

But to think Du Zhaohui would humble himself to get close to them just for Xia Ziyu’s “prediction” would be underestimating him.

Du Zhaohui’s primary goal now was to secure the Du family’s assets.

Everything else – investing in Peng City, letting Liu Tianquan manage the smuggling business – was all for this main objective.

If Xia Ziyu could help Du Zhaohui achieve this goal, she would be useful. If she couldn’t… even if she really could “predict” things, she would be worthless to Du Zhaohui. Young Master Du wasn’t some inexperienced fool. The Du family was already wealthy enough – would he give up the Du family fortune and start from scratch based on Xia Ziyu’s “predictions”? Damn it, he wasn’t crazy! Why should he give up what was rightfully his?

Up until now, Du Zhaohui’s attitude toward Xia Ziyu had been one of take-it-or-leave-it. When he received news about the robbers from Ke Yixiong, Du Zhaohui simply cast the Xia family aside.

Du Zhaohui was more concerned about the three fugitive robbers. If he didn’t catch them, wouldn’t everyone think they could push him around?

After Ke Yixiong leaked the information, Du Zhaohui had people verify it in Hong Kong, quickly confirming that three mainlanders had indeed landed through the Lu family’s port. Du Zhaohui’s face darkened, but he couldn’t help clapping:

“Brother Ke, impressive! You even discovered this – very thoughtful.”

“Just a small gesture of goodwill. Even without me, Mr. Du would have found out eventually.”

After Ke Yixiong’s modest response, Du Zhaohui laughed heartily, “I like how Brother Ke speaks. We’re friends now – if there’s anything I can help with, just say the word!”

Cao Liu had suggested smuggling.

Ke Yixiong thought, with connections to Hong Kong people, why should he limit himself to smuggling?

“Mr. Du is a talented young man. I surnamed Ke, and don’t have much education, but I’m willing to follow Mr. Du’s lead and try my luck.”

Ke Yixiong stood up as he spoke. Du Zhaohui hadn’t expected this – was Ke Yixiong offering to “pledge allegiance”?

But what use would it be to incorporate a Yang City gang leader? Du Zhaohui had no plans to develop organized crime on the mainland! The 1983 crackdown frightened even people across the water in Hong Kong. The mainland had no soil for gangs to survive, unlike Hong Kong where at least half the police force was involved with the underworld. No matter how powerful you were on the mainland, when the state decided to crack down, everyone was finished.

Not only did Du Zhaohui have no plans to develop organized crime on the mainland, but he also wanted to split the Du family’s semi-legitimate business into clearly separated legal and illegal operations.

That’s why Du Zhaohui recommended Liu Tianquan to handle the smuggling business while he went north to donate to universities.

Now, taking in a Yang City gang leader?

Du Zhaohui mentally crossed it out, but his face showed no hesitation, “Friends definitely help each other, but my business in the Special Zone is law-abiding. Brother Ke, why don’t you think about what interests you? Once you have a plan, we can discuss the specifics, how about that?”

Was this a rejection?

Yet he hadn’t completely closed the door, leaving Ke Yixiong no room to turn hostile. After just two meetings with Du Zhaohui, Ke Yixiong already felt this Hong Kong man was difficult to deal with. Du Zhaohui seemed more like someone from the underworld than himself – smiling on the surface but decisive and ruthless inside. If Du Zhaohui discovered that the Xia family’s kidnapping was a setup, he would surely use it as an excuse to turn against them.

Ke Yixiong didn’t dare push too hard.

He had been too hasty before, wanting to “make friends” with Xia Xiaolan, and ended up in an embarrassing situation!

Cao Liu’s idea made sense – smuggling was the most profitable and simplest option for people like Ke Yixiong. He had no shortage of men to command, and whatever business he did, he couldn’t abandon his current subordinates. Without these people, Ke Yixiong would be nothing in Yang City – without these various ruffians, he’d be a general without an army.

When Du Zhaohui asked for Ke Yixiong’s ideas, it stumped him.

He had originally thought of not asking for money, even willing to take on small projects from Du Zhaohui.

“It’s already noon, why don’t we eat first? We can think about these things slowly.”

After lunch, leaving his contact information with Ke Yixiong and seeing off the gang leader, Du Zhaohui wanted to return to Peng City.

Peng City was still under construction, its roads not as orderly as Yang City’s, and its urban heritage far inferior. But Du Zhaohui felt comfortable there – that’s where he had built his business empire.

When Du Zhaohui said he wanted to go back, Ah Hua approached:

“Young Master, here’s the information you requested.”

Finding information about someone out of thin air wasn’t easy, but with a name and school, investigating Xia Ziyu wasn’t too difficult.

Xia Ziyu’s life story couldn’t fill a single page.

Born in rural Yunan, admitted to Beijing Normal College in 1983, had a boyfriend surnamed Wang whose father-in-law-to-be was originally from the Higher Education Department but recently transferred to the Party History Office.

“Wang Guangping?”

That must be the Deputy Director Wang who had tried to cause trouble?

Du Zhaohui looked it over repeatedly but saw nothing unusual about Xia Ziyu. However, Director Wang had forced him to spend an extra 3 million to back off – there was bad blood there. Could this so-called “prediction” be the Wang family harboring resentment, using Xia Ziyu to set him up… Heh, interesting.

“Where’s Xia Dajun? Call him over, I need to speak with him.”

Ah Hua hesitated, “He went out this morning and hasn’t returned to the hotel. Young Master, I’ll have someone look for him right away!”