Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

Inside the temporary office of Mingzhu Electric Appliances in Changsha, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the bustling night scene of the provincial capital.

Yin Mingzhu stood by the window, a cigarette burning crimson at her fingertips. Amidst the swirling smoke, her cold profile was reflected on the glass.

Lou City, Tan City, and Zhu City are all close to Xing City and belong to the commercial radiation area of ​​Xing City. That's why she chose to come to Xing City to oversee things personally, so that she could keep an eye on the progress of the new stores in Lou City, Tan City, and Zhu City at the same time.

Of course, the real purpose remains unknown.

Just then, the office door was gently pushed open, and the trusted female secretary quickly approached and whispered, "President Yin, the decoration of the stores in Lou City, Tancheng, and Zhu City has started simultaneously. As per your request, the locations have all been chosen in the core business districts of the city center, very close to the sales outlets opened by Lianxiang's local agents."

"very good."

Yin Mingzhu's voice was devoid of emotion, her gaze still fixed on the dazzling lights outside the window.

"Keep it quiet, but be fast."

"Yes."

"However... it seems that Mr. Zhang's people have already noticed that there were unfamiliar faces loitering around the new store in Tancheng Shopping Mall this afternoon..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yin Mingzhu's cell phone, which was on the mahogany desk, suddenly vibrated. The screen displayed a number that she knew by heart, even though it had no name saved in her phone.

Her eyes instantly sharpened like ice blades, signaling her secretary to be quiet.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Yin Mingzhu stubbed out her cigarette. As she turned around, the usual coldness and domineering demeanor on her face receded like the tide, replaced by a deliberately suppressed nervousness and unease.

She picked up her phone, her fingertips even pausing slightly above the screen before pressing the answer button, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

"Hello...Mr. Zhang?"

Immediately coming from the other end of the phone was Mr. Zhang's greasy and smug laughter, like a viper spitting its tongue: "Hahaha, Mr. Yin, you busy man, you've finally answered the phone?"

"Mr. Zhang, you're joking... How could I not answer your call?" Yin Mingzhu lowered her voice even further, with a hint of pleading. "What... what do you need me for?"

"What is it? You surnamed Yin, why are you playing dumb with me!"

Mr. Zhang's voice suddenly rose, the middle-aged man's voice filled with threat, "Lou City! Tan City! Zhu City! Who gave you the guts to trespass on my turf? Who allowed you to put up those 'Mingzhu Electric Appliances' signs?!"

"President Zhang...it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" Yin Mingzhu's voice sounded flustered as she hurriedly tried to explain.

"We just want to...just want to serve more customers in the surrounding area, we absolutely did not mean to overstep our bounds! The market in Hengzhou is almost saturated, and we also have to find a way to survive, Mr. Zhang. Please calm down."

I can't calm down.

"Survive?"

"Hmph! Climbing over my head to get ahead, is that your way of survival, Yin Mingzhu?"

Mr. Zhang chuckled, his tone filled with a cat-and-mouse playfulness and an undeniable ruthlessness.

"Don't give me that crap! Listen, I don't care where you are right now, right now! Immediately! Get rid of those three rotten apples of your shop!"

"Otherwise, I will report to the head office first thing tomorrow morning that you, Yin Mingzhu, have seriously violated the regional agency contract and maliciously seized the market area covered by the company's directly operated system!"

"The head office has directly revoked your agency qualification. Let's see how you're going to open your 'Pearl' store now!"

"By then, you won't even be able to keep your shops in Hengzhou, Yongcheng, and Baoqing!"

"I'll turn you back into a stray dog ​​overnight!"

The threats on the other end of the phone were like ice picks, piercing me with each word.

"Mr. Zhang... please, I beg you, have mercy!"

Yin Mingzhu's voice was clearly choked with sobs, as if she had been completely overwhelmed by the threat, filled with fear and helplessness.

"We're a small business, and the investment was too big... I can't afford the losses from closing down... Please have mercy and give us a way to survive..."

Her deliberately softened stance and humble pleas were precisely designed to provoke Mr. Zhang's nerves.

"A way out? Hahaha!"

As expected, Mr. Zhang laughed even more wildly, smugly pleased with himself. "Yin Mingzhu, Yin Mingzhu, so this is what you've come to? If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? There are ways out, of course, it just depends on whether you know how to choose..."

He paused, his previous lewd demeanor vanishing, and deliberately lowered his voice, which carried a nauseatingly sticky quality: "I'm at the Star City International Hotel, in the 1808 Presidential Suite. The room key is at the front desk. Just give me your name. Now, immediately, come here!"

Let's talk face-to-face... about your 'way out' problem.

"Remember, I'm only giving you one hour. If you dare not come, or try anything funny... hmph, you'll have to consider the consequences!"

The phone was abruptly hung up, leaving only the busy tone echoing in the deathly silent office.

The "fear" and "humility" on Yin Mingzhu's face vanished instantly, as if they had never existed.

She slowly put down her phone, her knuckles white from gripping it so tightly, veins bulging like coiled venomous snakes.

In those icy eyes, only a chilling light remained and a resolute determination to close the net.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently, and then slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel all the polluted air brought by the phone call.

Then, in a chillingly calm voice, she clearly ordered her equally somber secretary beside her: "Did you hear that? Proceed according to plan."

This female secretary was someone she brought back from Beijing. She had been with her for two years and had previously served as her secretary at Zhuzhu Advertising Company. After seeing Yin Mingzhu's misfortune, everyone else left, but this female secretary held on until the end. So, she reciprocated and regarded her as a confidante.

Yin Mingzhu's order was like an ice bead falling to the ground, freezing the last trace of hesitation in the office.

The female secretary, Yu Li, sharpened her eyes and, without the slightest hesitation, quickly picked up a heavy black briefcase with a combination lock that had been prepared beforehand. Inside lay 500,000 brand-new RMB notes, exuding a silent allure and a deadly intent.

"President Yin, perhaps I should go in your place?" Yu Li suggested in a low voice one last time, her eyes filled with worry. "Xingcheng is President Zhang's stronghold, with spies everywhere. What if..."

“There’s no such thing as ‘what if’.” Yin Mingzhu interrupted her, her voice cold and hard as iron. Her gaze was cast through the floor-to-ceiling window at the outline of the neon-lit Xingcheng International Hotel in the distance. “Zhang Shangyi is an old fox. He’s cunning and cautious. He won’t easily step into the depths of the trap unless he sees me in person. Only when ‘Yin Mingzhu’ personally enters that room will he completely lower his guard and show all his fangs.”

She turned around decisively, took off her well-tailored dark gray suit jacket, revealing a simple and easily recognizable off-white long trench coat underneath.

Next, she took out a wide-brimmed black ladies' hat with special ribbon decorations from her desk drawer, carefully put it on, and pressed the brim down just right, which could both cover part of her face and form a distinctive personal silhouette. This was the template prepared for the "stand-in".

"Remember this outfit."

Yin Mingzhu emphasized to Li: "Time is of the essence. Let's set off now. I'll ride in the back car, and you take the front car with the cash. We'll go directly to Xingcheng International Hotel. According to the plan, you'll go in first to 'scout the way'."

Yu Li nodded vigorously, picked up the briefcase, and quickly walked out of the office.

Yin Mingzhu followed closely behind, but did not accompany her. Instead, she quietly went downstairs through a special passage and sat in the back seat of another inconspicuous black sedan that was already waiting in the underground parking lot.

The driver was her absolute confidant; a veteran, silent and reliable.

The vehicle started and drove off silently, trailing far behind Yu Li's car, like a hunter in the dark.

Outside suite 1808 of Xingcheng International Hotel.

Yu Li took a deep breath, trying to make her face show the fear that a "trembling" subordinate should have.

She raised her hand and pressed the doorbell with slightly trembling fingers.

The door was pulled open almost immediately, revealing Zhang Wei's greasy, smug, and impatient chubby face.

He was wearing a bathrobe, revealing his large chest, and was clearly "ready" all along.

Seeing that Yu Li was alone with the box in her hand, his face instantly darkened.

"Where is she?!" he growled, dragging Yu Li into the room and slamming the door shut.

"Tell me quickly, where is your CEO Yin? She doesn't want you to replace her, does she? Let me tell you, I'm furious right now. Don't force me to take care of you first."

"Mr. Zhang...Please calm down!" Yu Li hurriedly placed the briefcase on the coffee table in the living room, her movements deliberately a mix of panic and pleading. "President Yin...she really knows she was wrong! This...this is a small token of her appreciation, 500,000 yuan in cash! Please, have mercy and spare our lives. As long as you promise not to report us, our President Yin said she'll have other plans later..."

"Five hundred thousand?" Zhang Shangyi's eyes swept greedily over the suitcase, then he burst into an even more contemptuous and arrogant laugh. He kicked the suitcase hard, sending it sliding far away. "Hahaha! Trying to fob me off like a beggar? Do you think I need your stinking money?!"

He leaned forward, his greasy fingers almost poking Yu Li's nose, spitting everywhere: "Tell that bitch Yin Mingzhu! Don't fucking refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Money? I want her! Tell her to get up here right now!"

He grinned maliciously and pointed towards the bathroom in the back room, his voice filled with nauseating lust: "I just finished showering and I'm feeling great. Tell her to wash herself clean and come in to wait. If she dares to try anything again, I'll make her bankrupt with one phone call and she'll never be able to recover! Get out!! Before my little blue pill kicks in."

Yu Li was so frightened by his imposing manner that she turned pale and retreated repeatedly, meekly replying, "Yes, yes, I'll go call President Yin right away," and practically tumbled out of apartment 1808.

The door was slammed shut behind her by Zhang Wei, making a loud bang.

Inside a black sedan in the hotel's underground parking lot.

Yu Li opened the car door and quickly sat in the passenger seat, breathing heavily. The feigned fear on her face had not completely faded, but her eyes had regained their composure: "President Yin, he took the money! His attitude was extremely arrogant. He insisted that you come up immediately in person, and... he also said some extremely offensive things, telling you to 'clean up and wait.'" She quickly repeated Zhang Wei's original words.

"Very good." Yin Mingzhu in the back seat curled her lips into a cold smile. The prey was completely caught in the trap. The chain of evidence of greed, arrogance, and impatience had been closed with the money part complete.

Without hesitation, she took off her signature off-white trench coat and black hat and handed them to a woman who was already waiting in the shadows beside the car.

The woman's figure and hairstyle were very similar to Yin Mingzhu's when she took off her hat, and she had already changed into the same style of innerwear.

She took the trench coat and quickly put it on, then put on the crucial black hat, the brim pulled down at the exact same angle as Yin Mingzhu had just worn.

In the dim light, it was almost impossible to distinguish between the real and the fake.

"Remember to keep your head down, walk slightly faster, and show tension and hesitation."

Yin Mingzhu whispered instructions to her stand-in, handing her the room key for room 1808 that she had gotten from the hotel front desk. "Once you're inside, try to provoke him, make him touch you inappropriately, or say something even more explicit. The voice recorder is in the inside pocket of your trench coat; it's already turned on. From now on, you're the vice president of our company. Safety first. You don't necessarily have to let this disgusting guy spit on you. Just stall for five minutes, then find an excuse to go to the bathroom and lock the door. The police will be here soon."

The stand-in woman took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, and her eyes were firm.

Those who work in this line of work never give up halfway.

She took the room key, pulled up the collar of her trench coat, lowered her head slightly, and imitated Yin Mingzhu's cool and slightly tense posture as she walked quickly toward the hotel elevator lobby.

Miniature cameras hidden in the corner of the parking lot and surveillance cameras at the hotel lobby elevator clearly recorded the scene of "Yin Mingzhu" hurrying towards the elevator and pressing the button for the 18th floor.

Inside the car, Yin Mingzhu stared intently at the ticking of her watch's second hand; the atmosphere inside was heavy as lead.

Yu Li gripped a new cell phone tightly in one hand. The screen had already been pre-set with an emergency number. Time ticked by, each second feeling like a stretched steel wire.

As the second hand passed the critical point when the double was expected to have entered the room and made contact with Zhang Shangyi, a cold glint flashed in Yin Mingzhu's eyes, and she decisively ordered, "Call the police!"

Yu Li immediately pressed the dial button and said urgently in a deliberately feigned, trembling local accent, "Hello? Officer, I need to report a crime! Room 1808 of the Xingcheng International Hotel! Someone is conducting a huge cash bribery! I... I think I heard a woman crying and struggling inside! That man, he... he seems to be trying to rape that woman! It's terrifying! You have to come quickly! Any later and something terrible will happen! Yes! Room 1808! Hurry!"

Almost simultaneously, Yu Li pressed the Enter key on her IBM laptop with her other hand. A pre-edited anonymous whistleblower email, containing several photos of Zhang Shangyi accepting the briefcase at the entrance of 1808, was instantly sent to the headquarters' supervisory department and the email addresses of several key executives at Lianxiang Group.

The piercing siren ripped through the bustling night of Xingcheng, as the police car sped toward the Xingcheng International Hotel.
Yin Mingzhu leaned back in her chair, staring expressionlessly at the brightly lit entrance of the hotel.

The flashing red lights of the police outside the window reflected in her cold pupils, leaping like the first flames of hell.

She knew the net had tightened, and Zhang Shangyi's end was near.

However, taking down Zhang Shangyi was merely tearing open a corner of the bloody battlefield in Hunan's electrical appliance market. There was no joy of victory on her face, only the calm and grim atmosphere of an impending storm.

Lianxiang definitely won't hand over the general agency rights for Xingcheng, the provincial capital, to her. They'll certainly send someone down, but there will be a time lag. And that time lag is her opportunity—a chance to break free from Lianxiang's control. (End of Chapter)