As the lights began to twinkle, an SUV drove through the streets of C City ablaze with flowing lights. Outside the car windows, towering buildings stood row upon row, outdoor color screens of various sizes changed alternately, and different lights and shadows flickered back and forth across the young driver's face.
The car stopped in the parking garage of a luxurious building. Zhong Jing, dressed in casual business attire, walked with light steps and directly pushed open the doors of Golden River Club.
Looking around, there were quite a few guests at Golden River Club today, with handsome men, beautiful women, and workplace elites visible everywhere.
After nodding in acknowledgment to several club employees he was already familiar with, Zhong Jing walked directly toward a secluded corner.
As long as there were no other guests, that area was basically his exclusive spot. There was a high-end gaming laptop on the small table - he could play games when bored, and it wouldn't easily disturb other guests.
Glancing at his watch, there was still half an hour before his appointed meeting time with Jiang Yan. Zhong Jing simply opened the laptop, preparing to pass the time.
"Zhong Jing, haven't seen you in almost a month."
Zhao Peng walked over from one side and bumped fists with Zhong Jing, his expression somewhat curious: "Sister Wan might not be back until after midnight today. Why did you come so early?"
"Jiang Yan contacted me yesterday, saying she wanted to handle some money matters. What, has Master started treating both sisters like precious treasures now?"
Zhong Jing lit a cigarette for himself and offered one to Zhao Peng: "Why haven't I seen Jiang Yan? It’s been three months since I last saw her. Though I must say, she’s quite lucky—she encountered Huang Gu and you all during the early stages of blood infection."
Without lighting the cigarette, Zhao Peng just turned his head to glance at the employee passage door deep in the hall, his expression somewhat strange: "Jiang Yan is still eating, but it's not that she was lucky—it's that we were luckier... or maybe unluckier, hard to say."
Zhao Peng left, and the last half of his sentence left Zhong Jing rather puzzled.
"Brother Zhao, you can go eat now."
Jiang Yao walked over carrying a tray with a glass of clear water on it. This was the standard reception service for all guests—after this, there were no so-called services. If guests wanted to eat or drink anything, they could go to the designated bar counter and help themselves.
"Who is he?"
Having noticed earlier that Zhao Peng was chatting with some unfamiliar young man, seeming quite familiar with each other, Jiang Yao was a bit curious.
"Hehe, one of our own."
Zhao Peng smiled as he spoke, then walked away.
One of our own? That meant he was also one of Sister Wan's people...
Jiang Yao had grown accustomed to her male and female colleagues here, especially after experiencing a life-and-death situation. Once she learned from Zhao Peng that someone was "one of their own," her mindset became particularly relaxed.
Today, Jiang Yao wore a sailor JK uniform with white over-knee socks. Her light golden long hair and long legs complemented each other beautifully under the golden lighting, enough to devastate any peer's titanium alloy dog eyes.
This was Zhou Ping's strong recommendation. Jiang Yao had initially hesitated for a long time because she hadn't worn long socks in these three-plus months, and Jiang Yan, who managed their household, hadn't bought any either.
But she couldn't resist her own dual otaku nature for games and 2D culture. Now, as if she had tasted forbidden fruit, she had actually spent several minutes preening shyly in front of the mirror.
"Hey, haven't seen you before!"
Jiang Yao set down the tray and familiarly sat down beside Zhong Jing. Then she immediately noticed the game loading screen on his laptop, and her eyes lit up: "You play this too? We should team up sometime—what's your ID?"
Hmm? A newcomer?
Zhong Jing looked somewhat surprised at the JK girl who had so boldly sat down beside him. That blindingly shiny light golden long hair and faint body fragrance left him momentarily unable to react.
However, based on his stubborn aesthetic stance as a devoted 2D fan, Jiang Yao's appearance hit all his weak spots! More importantly, this wasn't cosplay—this was a genuine blonde girl!
Right, she should be Jiang Yao. She really was prettier than in her new ID photo, especially that naturally light golden long hair... Zhong Jing was stunned for several seconds before he focused on studying her properly.
"You don't recognize me? Just arrived?"
Zhong Jing didn't put on any airs and directly lit a cigarette in front of the blonde girl, with a somewhat playful smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Uh, I just stated less than half a month ago."
Probably thinking she had encountered a senior with deep qualifications here, someone like Zhao Peng, Jiang Yao suddenly felt a bit nervous.
"No wonder, I also thought you looked unfamiliar. Brother Zhao brought you in, right? What's your surname?"
Zhong Jing picked up the clear water and took a leisurely sip, his expression calm.
"Jiang Yao. Sister Wan brought me in—I do some assistant work here." Jiang Yao spoke easily while playing with her golden ponytail. "What about you? What do you do here? I can see you have a pretty good relationship with Brother Zhao."
"Me? I mainly... how should I put it, I handle some money-related matters. Actually, I rarely come here."
Zhong Jing spoke honestly. After all, as Sister Wan's disciple, the resources he controlled had always been key support for Golden River Club's normal operations.
"That's similar to Brother Zhao—you both do the most important work. Sister Wan really trusts you guys."
Jiang Yao nodded as if understanding, and just as she finished speaking, she seemed to suddenly discover something. With an expression of utter shock, she suddenly stood up: "Wait! You're... a normal person!?"
"Hehe, can't sense anything?"
Zhong Jing suppressed the urge to burst out laughing and decided to continue teasing her to the end. He fumbled around in his suit jacket and pulled out a small metal box for chewing gum, casually shook it a few times, then mysteriously put it back in his pocket.
"Oh, I understand now... you took special medication, no wonder."
Jiang Yao suddenly understood and nodded gently.
"My surname is Zhang, you can call me Brother Zhang... How is Xiao Yao adjusting to this place?"
Glancing at Zhao Peng in the distance who occasionally looked their way, Zhong Jing quickly turned sideways to hide his expression.
"How should I put it… I can occasionally chat with Sister Xiao Ping and Sister Xiao Ling. The others look young, but their real ages would probably scare people to death. They don't play games or watch anime much - they can just sit there for hours doing nothing. Very boring. Brother Zhao is the same."
As she spoke, Jiang Yao pulled out her phone and looked around with a mischievous expression: "Brother Zhang, you should have this installed, right? What's your UID? Want to play a round?"
Zhong Jing laughed and quickly pulled out his own phone. The two of them huddled in the corner, playing with complete absorption. After a major victory in one game, in their excitement, they even added each other on social media.
Compared to the inscrutable Jiang Yan, Jiang Yao was quite a simple person. Too bad she was a Blood Clan member... As the second game began, Zhong Jing glanced at the light golden-haired girl beside him, and the smile never left the corner of his mouth.
"Mr. Zhong, sorry to keep you waiting... Hmm? Xiao Yao, you're hiding here playing games during work?"
A familiar voice came. Jiang Yao looked up to see a black-haired girl standing not far away, wearing a sleeveless black-collared white shirt on top, a pencil skirt with black stockings below, and a white jacket draped over her shoulders.
"Ah? Sis..."
Jiang Yao was startled and quickly stood up, while secretly glancing at Zhong Jing beside her.
"I have serious business to discuss with Mr. Zhong. Don't get too carried away with playing."
Seeing that the two in front of her seemed quite familiar with each other, Jiang Yan frowned, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. Her tone toward Jiang Yao became somewhat stern: "Go help at the drinks counter—Sister Xiao Ping is almost too busy to handle everything."
"Mr. Zhong? Isn't his surname Zhang?" Jiang Yao was stunned and slowly turned to stare at Zhong Jing.
"Hey, Miss Xiao Yao's mid-lane play is pretty good! This is a guarantee from Zhong Jing!"
Zhong Jing grinned broadly, as if he didn't care at all that he had been teasing her for half an hour.
"So you're Zhong Jing, the one who handled our new ID cards... You're fucking sick!"
Probably feeling like she had been made a fool of, Jiang Yao's expression instantly turned ice-cold. She picked up the tray that had been sitting on the table for a long time, cursed directly, then walked away with quick steps.
"Zhong Jing, I've noticed you really enjoy toying with people."
Jiang Yan sat down and quietly looked at the young man in front of her who radiated frivolity from inside out. Her tone was cold, no different from their first meeting.
"You're not the first person to say that about me. I can tell you care a lot about Miss Xiao Yao." Zhong Jing nonchalantly lit a cigarette, as if he was already used to questioning like Jiang Yan's. "What, still angry that I scammed you out of 900,000 last time?"
"No, that was just me not understanding. I had no choice but to trust you unconditionally in that situation, not your self-perceived cleverness."
Jiang Yan's tone gradually became calm, as if she didn't care that she had also been toyed with by him once.
"Alright, mainly because I might not get a client like you even once a year. I have to make both the process and result somewhat interesting, right?" Zhong Jing shrugged indifferently and stood up, walking toward the bar area on one side of the hall. "Want to have a couple drinks? We can discuss your plans."
Still needing his help, Jiang Yan had to stop dwelling on his shameless attitude.
Behind the bar counter, Zhao Peng was still smiling as he wiped glass tumblers. Seeing Zhong Jing and Jiang Yan approach, he directly pushed over two cocktails that had been prepared in advance.
"I want to send money to an elder of mine, and it needs to be annual, a relatively large amount, anonymous— at least it can't be connected to me and Xiao Yao. Here's the transfer information."
Jiang Yan gently sipped her cocktail and handed over a piece of paper.
"W District Welfare Institute... Jiang Chunhua..."
Zhong Jing softly read the contents on the paper, then folded it and put it in his suit pocket. "No problem. First withdraw the cash from your bank card and give it to me. Then I'll transfer the equivalent amount to her from a Hong Kong bank using a random account. As for the service fee, ten percent of the transfer amount."
As he spoke, he raised his glass in a gesture celebrating a successful business deal.
"Still want to play games? I'll only give you five percent. If you don't want it, I'll figure out another way."
Jiang Yan clinked glasses with him, then drank the entire contents in one gulp. The liquid moistened her lips, which gleamed enticingly under the golden light.
"First help me transfer 100,000 over, then give me the receipt. After that, I'll give you the cash. Since we're both working for Sister Wan, you don't need to worry about me defaulting."
"I say, it seems like you're the one asking me for this favor, right? And you want me to advance the payment?" Zhong Jing was somewhat amused.
"Nothing much, I just don't like your attitude. Also, thank you."
After saying this, Jiang Yan left Zhong Jing behind and walked away alone.
Hehe, after not seeing her for three months, she seems much more feminine, though her temper is still just as stubborn... Watching her swaying figure walk away, Zhong Jing smiled wryly.
Turning his head, he met another cold gaze from the distance. Looking carefully, it was Jiang Yao at the fruit and beverage area across the way. Zhong Jing was amused again.
......
......
The midnight chimes rang out again in Golden River Club. In the now-empty hall, the lights gradually dimmed.
In a private room on the second floor, Zhong Jing finally waited for Wan Yue's quiet return.
Today, Wan Yue had returned to her avant-garde style of dress, and her expression was cooler too.
"This is some information I've gradually gathered from the group's information center over the past half month. The early archival materials are all very fragmented. I also conducted searches and collections in segments, mainly to avoid my father's suspicion."
Zhong Jing got straight to the point, placing several printed papers on the table and pointing to one line: "This is from 2004, when the group began large-scale expansion of new production lines. They imported large quantities of animal organs from South Australia, declared to customs as raw materials for animal organ extract pharmaceuticals."
"Mmm, I know about this. Your father made a fortune for several years with these types of patented pharmaceuticals. Theoretically, if something from overseas was really brought in, hidden among these disgusting animal organs, it could possibly have fooled customs. Mm, continue..."
Wan Yue lit a cigarette and listened to Zhong Jing's explanation with a very serious expression.
Zhong Jing smiled helplessly and pointed to another line: "This is from 2006. The group obtained relevant licenses and established an animal and plant inspection laboratory. S Province's first private animal and plant pathology inspection laboratory.
"Right after its establishment, it accepted a batch of diseased pig samples from D City, ostensibly for commissioned inspection to determine the cause of the samples' illness. I checked Tiantang Agricultural Trading's business information from over a decade ago. They did indeed establish farmer-commissioned pig breeding supply channels in D City at that time."
"Thirteen years ago... the timing basically matches up. You suspect it was this incident?" Wan Yue furrowed her brow tightly.
"This alone isn't enough to prove your suspicion, Master. Let's look at this next..."
Zhong Jing opened a new printout and pointed to a section specially marked in red: "After the inspection ended, all pig samples used as control groups were returned to Tiantang Agricultural Trading for self-disposal!"
Wan Yue suddenly stood up and paced around the room, her expression becoming increasingly animated: "Hehe, what a clever shell game. If it really was something unspeakable, it should have been hidden in this batch of pigs returned to their original owner!"
"The Tang Family in D City… that's probably when they suddenly became much more active, ruthlessly eliminating Black Blood Clan and Wandering Blood Clan in D City and surrounding areas... Were they breeding poison?"
Wan Yue seemed as excited as if she had opened blocked meridians, but Zhong Jing's expression became uncomfortable.
"Yes, after that, Tiantang Agricultural Trading's farmer-commissioned breeding scale kept expanding. My dad's pharmaceutical group also became the main domestic purchaser of Tiantang Agricultural Trading's animal organs. It was from that time that Zhong Pharmaceuticals' various patented drugs and health products emerged one after another."
"Whether Zhong Pharmaceuticals Group participated in producing several special Blood Clan medications, there's no concrete evidence yet. Even if they did, these medications ultimately flowed into the Blood Clan world, which benefits all of us. I'm only concerned about what that thing the Tang Family obtained from overseas was bred into!"
Wan Yue sat back on the sofa and looked intently at the confidant she had cultivated since childhood: "Xiao Jing, you've already helped me solve the first puzzle. Thank you."
Quietly looking at the woman whose appearance hadn't changed in over a decade, Zhong Jing felt a wave of sadness. He slowly stood up with a confused expression: "Master, am I the legendary human traitor? The kind that targets his own father first..."
"What if your father is guilty? Or rather, what if he indirectly aided evil..."
Wan Yue casually sat back in a single armchair and crossed her legs. At the end of her sexy long legs, her small feet playfully swayed, dangling her high heels: "Maybe your father really is just a well-connected middleman after all. What I'm worried about ultimately points to the Tang Family, to the Blood Clan, not ordinary people. So your anxiety is unnecessary."
"Hehe, Master, you've put my mind at ease again..."
Reflecting on Wan Yue's words, Zhong Jing suddenly felt much of the gloom in his heart dissipate.
"This is as far as the investigation can go. Continue being the Zhong family's young master, Xiao Jing."
Wan Yue smiled as she picked up her small bag, extinguished her cigarette, and swayed toward the private room door. Just before leaving, she suddenly turned back: "However, I must remind you again - don't casually toy with the girls here. You're just an ordinary person. If you're not serious, you can't afford to play..."
Watching Wan Yue leave, Zhong Jing touched his nose and awkwardly turned his head away. The cute face of Jiang Yao glaring at him when she got off work appeared in his mind again.