Actor: Thank you.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the study door.

"Brother Zhang Yuan, the food is ready. Would you like to eat?" the assistant asked from outside.

"We're talking business, wait a minute."

“But I’m hungry,” the assistant replied blankly.

Zhang Yuan: …

So you didn't come to call me, you just came to eat for yourself.

"Alright, we can talk about it later. Even if you don't eat, others still have to." Cheng Hao got up and opened the door.

"They're so disrespectful every day," Zhang Yuan complained with a laugh.

There isn't a strict hierarchical system on his side; everyone is part of a "family."

"Then why don't we just eat separately from now on?" he said as he walked.

"You and Brother Long can eat by yourselves."

"No, we have to wait for you," the assistant replied firmly.

Zhang Yuan was somewhat moved by her attitude.

Most bosses won't eat at the same table with their nannies or drivers. Some people think they're superior as soon as they have a little money. They have to put on airs and ride on other people's heads like lords, only then do they feel they haven't lived in vain and can get revenge for their past hardships.

He was about to say, "At least you have some conscience," when his assistant interrupted.

"Because the food tastes better when I eat with you."

"If we eat separately, we can only afford the cheaper dishes."

Zhang Yuan: …

“You’re not so clueless either.” He patted the back of her head.

Okay, telling the truth is always better than secretly playing tricks.

That's true. When we're together, we can chug Moutai, eat lobsters, and we won't eat any big yellow croaker that isn't wild.

If we eat them separately, I'd probably just have something like shredded pork with eggs.

After dinner, snow began to fall in Beijing, turning the eaves white.

Zhang Yuan asked his assistant to open the outdoor umbrella used in winter, and sat under the umbrella to drink tea and enjoy the snow scene.

The top of this large umbrella is heated, so it's not cold at all.

"I'm thinking." Cheng Hao was still pondering what had happened before.

"Could this letter not have been sent to you by Hua Yi, the mole?"

"It's possible, but unlikely." Zhang Yuan replied after thinking for a moment: "Recently, only a few companies have been paying close attention to Zhang Yimou."

"I've already communicated most of the details."

"Xiao Ma, the lighting has been arranged, and the two bosses are also my buddies."

"With Sister Hua's connections, I'm keeping an eye on Orange Sky. I already knew their asking price."

"The remaining companies are Wanda and Alibaba, but those shouldn't be affected."

This is also a problem with large companies; when something needs to be done by many people, it's easy for information to leak out.

"Moreover, I asked around at Alibaba, and they don't seem to have any intention of starting their own independent business for the time being."

"It's not that we don't want to, but we don't have a team, so for now we're still relying on Huayi."

"And I asked their people about Huayi, but they naturally didn't tell me."

"But if I inquire about information, the higher-ups at Huayi will find out, which increases the possibility that there is a mole inside who knows that I am gathering information."

Words are passed around; nothing stays hidden forever.

So this time, he didn't even know the details of what he was doing; he kept it all to himself.

Unless he's talking in his sleep, no one else could know.

"Oh...wait, that's not right." The older sister nodded after hearing this, but quickly realized what she meant.

"When did you start recognizing people from Alibaba?"

“I had contact with him when I redeemed Ning Hao last time, and in addition…” He winked mysteriously, then beckoned the other party to come closer.

Cheng Hao curiously leaned closer, and he whispered a few words in her ear.

"Oh...aren't you hurting him too much by doing this?"

"If the Wang brothers found out about this, wouldn't they be furious?"

Cheng Hao twisted his shoulders and said.

"Then that's none of my business." Zhang Yuan shrugged. "I'm responsible for killing, not burying."

Cheng Hao shook her head and nudged him, telling him to tone down his slightly wicked smile.

"Is there another possibility?"

"This was given to us by Huayi's people, but it's a trick they used to bewitch us."

"They deliberately gave you false information."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan hesitated.

A counter-espionage plot?
"No, no, that's not the case."

Zhang Yuan counted on his fingers for a long time.

Most people know the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and some can even recite more than a dozen of them. They are also familiar with many of the stories behind them.

However, most people don't know that these thirty-six classic battle tactics are divided into six categories.

The strategies are categorized into six types: strategies for winning battles, strategies for fighting the enemy, strategies for attacking, strategies for chaotic battles, strategies for fighting together, and strategies for losing battles.

When in a superior position, one can employ winning strategies such as deceiving the enemy, relieving the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao, using a borrowed knife to kill someone, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, and taking advantage of a crisis.

This is only useful when you are in a strong position and the other party is in a state of confusion.

Creating something out of nothing and watching from the sidelines are both enemy tactics, used when the strength of both sides is roughly equal.

The tactics used in attack are called offensive tactics. Tactics like "fishing in troubled waters" and "shedding one's skin" are used when it is difficult to distinguish between friend and foe. The tactics used in attack are to deal with "traitors," that is, tactics that betray friendly forces, such as "stealing the beams and replacing the pillars" and "removing the ladder after climbing onto the roof."

The counter-espionage tactic belongs to the last category, which is a strategy for defeating the enemy.

It is listed alongside the Beauty Trap, the Empty City Stratagem, the Self-Inflicted Injury Stratagem, the Chain Stratagem, and the Best Stratagem to Retreat.

These are all tactics used when facing an absolute disadvantage.

The "bitter flesh ruse" refers to the Battle of Red Cliffs, while the "empty city ruse" refers to Zhuge Liang's strategy against Sima Yi.

The most impressive one was Dong Zhuo, who single-handedly escaped both the beauty trap and the double stratagem.

She certainly has a good appetite; she truly deserves the title of "big eater."

What is a counter-espionage tactic? It involves creating a false impression or inciting internal strife within the enemy's ranks.

If we use the I Ching to describe the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the Counter-Espionage Stratagem corresponds to the "Bi" hexagram, with Kun below and Kan above.

Kun represents earth, and Kan represents water. Water needs the earth to store it in order to flow. Water and earth are in harmony, and we should choose the good and follow it.

His recruitment of General Zong was a classic case of counter-espionage, aiming to persuade the other party to choose the better option.

I am the earth, he is the water, and together we become cement.

I know how to use it, but the other person doesn't?

“No, Hua Yi won’t use that trick,” Zhang Yuan replied firmly.

He was so certain because the answer lay in the riddle itself.

This is a strategy of defeat!
It's a tactic used by defeated generals, the weaker side.

I am indeed the weaker party in front of Huayi, and I have no problem with that.

But what kind of temper and personality does the other person have?

Do they consider themselves a defeated army?

They are mismatched in terms of stance, momentum, and mindset.

"They always thought they had a big family business and could just push things along."

"It is the weak who need to resort to stratagems."

Just like pursuing a girl.

People who look like Huang Bo or Wang Baoqiang need to use their brains, rely on their character, and showcase their talent.

Zhang Yuan is like that; he can just stand anywhere.

I didn't know, I just asked if I wanted to rest, and then they came to my room.

For someone who is ugly to ask this question is like Ah Q saying, "Aunt Wu, I want to sleep with you."

The result was the same as Wu Ma's: first "Hesitation", then "Call to Arms".

That's called shameless!

Zhang Yuan calls it "flirting," how adorable.

It's not just women; men are the same way, with an unusually high tolerance for beautiful women.

Anyone who's played games knows that no matter how good your skills or how strong the mechanics, they can't compete with the pure beauty of numbers. Just like a hundred-ton king that never considers whether it can beat others in a collision.

While our predecessors certainly employed various god-like infiltration tactics in Korea, they still enjoyed the thrill of intense firepower once they had the opportunity.

Different conditions necessitate different approaches to handling the same issue.

"Moreover, the contents of my letter are very detailed, and the numbers are almost accurate," Zhang Yuan recalled.

"What if we get infected? What should we do?" Cheng Hao was as cautious as ever.

"Let me think about it..." Zhang Yuan did not deny her statement.

"Hey!" A few minutes later, he clapped his hands and looked at Cheng Hao with a wise gaze.

"I have a way to figure it out by trying it out!"

In the evening, after exercising with her older sister a few times, the two of them rested.

"What are you doing up here?" Cheng Hao asked groggily as he put on his coat.

I picked up my phone and saw it was already past 2 a.m.

"I'm going out for a bit." He returned after zipping up his down jacket.

"It's freezing outside. Let's do whatever we need to do tomorrow. Don't catch a cold."

"It has to be at midnight."

"Aren't you tired?" the older sister asked, squinting her eyes.

But Zhang Yuan's eyes lit up.

"You don't understand, people never get tired when they're doing bad things!"

Treading through the snow-covered alley, Zhang Yuan slid forward, his feet sinking deep into the snow and his feet sinking shallow.

Wearing a mask and hat, he didn't wake Brother Long.

I'm energetic, but others still need to rest.

When it comes to logging, you have to consider other people's feelings.

I drove myself out.

It was past midnight, and there weren't many cars on the road. After about half an hour, he arrived at the gate of a villa community.

"Who are you looking for?" the security guard asked, getting up.

He took off his mask, and the security guard immediately widened his eyes.

"You know who I'm looking for, right?" he said with a smile.

"Oh, I know, I know. Can I take a picture with you if I go in?"

"of course can."

After taking a group photo and signing the papers, we drove into the residential area.

After stopping the car, he raised his wrist to check his watch.

As the clock struck 3:17, he walked to the front of a detached villa.

He placed an envelope in front of the door and then raised his arm.

Bang bang bang... Slamming the door hard!
Woof woof woof.

The noise was so loud that it woke up the neighbor's dog.

"Who!"

"Are you crazy, doing this in the middle of the night?"

Hearing a familiar, cursing female voice, he smiled slightly and glanced at his watch.

It was exactly 3:18.

He then put his mask and hat back on, got back into the car, and drove away.

A minute or two later, a tall, slender woman in a silk nightgown looked through the peephole, found no one outside, and then cautiously opened the door a crack.

Tearing... that's when I noticed the envelope on the ground outside the door.

"What is that... Ouch!"

The woman picked it up, looked at it clearly, let out a strange cry, and immediately closed the door.

With his back against the door, he breathed heavily for a long time before he could calm down a little.

Then, wearing slippers, he quickly went upstairs, his footsteps making a particularly jarring sound on the wooden floor of the stairs in the dead of night.

She rushed into the bedroom and forcefully shoved the man on the bed, who was her husband.

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping soundly," the hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed man on the bed said angrily, baring his large yellow teeth.

"Get up quickly!"

"Haunted!"

"what."

"Look, this letter."

"Ah...ah!!!" The man turned his head in a daze and forgot to look, then let out a strange cry like the woman when she opened the door, and his whole body sprang up from the bed.

It was as if he had seen something that terrified him.

"Where, where, where did you get it?"

"Front Gate".

"Who?"

"I didn't see anyone."

"Is our home security camera on?"

"It's on."

"Quick, come downstairs and take a look!"

"Let's see who brought it."

The couple ran downstairs. These villas usually have security cameras installed at the front gate to protect privacy and prevent theft.

Moreover, as a celebrity couple, they need to be even more careful to avoid paparazzi harassment.

They quickly arrived at the surveillance screen, and after watching the playback for a while, the two turned pale when they saw the figure on the screen.

It's that kind of white that's chilling, that kind of grayish.

It was as if I had seen something indescribable.

And this indescribable thing is called Zhang Yuan.

He deliberately didn't wear a mask or hat when delivering the letter, so that the other party's surveillance cameras could clearly capture it.

I'm letting you know it's me.

The couple's hands were trembling.

How much were you shaking? How much were you afraid?

He was so afraid that he held the letter tightly but didn't open it.

My hands were shaking so badly I wanted to open the letter, but they wouldn't obey me.

Observe repeatedly under the light.

"Is it this one?"

"I think so."

"Why don't we open it up and take a look?"

"You're going to dismantle it?"

"I won't tear it down!"

The couple tried to shirk responsibility.

Finally, the man gritted his teeth and opened the envelope.

"That's true!"

Upon seeing the contents of the letter, the man's eyes widened as he looked at his wife.

Zhang Yuan packed the letters he received back exactly as they were and delivered them here.

"It really is the letter we sent out!"

Looking at the surveillance footage again, it showed 3:18 AM.

It seems that I sent this letter around this time as well.

The timing and method are exactly the same; the other party is imitating me.

The people living in this upscale villa area of ​​the capital are none other than Feng Xiaogang and his wife! (End of Chapter)