Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

It was too dark for Lu Hai to see the person's face clearly, but judging from the direction the person's head was turning, the person was watching him. Could it be a reporter? Lu Hai walked past the car and caught a glimpse of a figure emerging from between the cars in the side mirror of another car, following behind.

Lu Hai's chest heaved violently as he heard the hurried footsteps approaching. He silently counted to three, then suddenly turned around, only to find the person behind him abruptly stopping on the asphalt road.

"What do you want to do?" Lu Hai roared, stepping forward.

The tall, thin man wearing glasses took a step back and raised his hand. His reply was drowned out by the honking of passing cars, the cacophony echoing throughout the street. The streetlights shone on his face.

"What did you say?" Lu Hai hissed.

The man stared at Lu Hai in disbelief: "Uh, brother, I... I think my car door lock is stuck. I wanted to ask you... could you take a look?"

Lu Hai breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, cursed himself inwardly, and swallowed hard. Damn it, had he been brainwashed by Han Fei and Zhang Ruiyi's spy training? He felt like he was being followed even when walking down the street, and every shadowy figure he saw was either a corporate spy or a reporter looking for juicy gossip.

"Sorry," Lu Hai said softly, "I thought... Let me check for you. Which car is it?"

Ten minutes later, Lu Hai stood alone in the hotel corridor, taking a deep breath. He went to the door of his room, inserted the room card into the lock, pressed the doorknob, pushed the door open forcefully, and looked inside.

There was no one inside.

Of course, there was no one there.

He went inside and fastened the safety chain. Exhaustion washed over him; Lu Hai kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed. What was he worried about? The tender documents had been submitted smoothly, without any flaws. He had lived up to expectations, completing the president's task of "clean and flawless," and hadn't brought shame to the company.

Yes, there's nothing to worry about. He'll wake up tomorrow and happily head to the airport to report back. He can get a good night's sleep tonight.

......

Boss Zhou couldn't sleep.

He reassured Lao Fang and promised that Lao Fang would not bear any costs for the Bluebird Magazine that Qian Youde's men had thrown away. He also said that President Han would handle the matter and that Lao Fang did not need to worry about Qian Youde's threats. He then asked Lao Fang to help write a simple statement of the situation, recording what happened that day as evidence.

But after returning from Lao Fang's place, Boss Zhou received calls from four newsstands, all saying the same thing.

This is outrageous, utterly lawless. He painstakingly laid out Qingniao's magazine, one issue at a time, riding his beat-up motorcycle under the blazing sun, building friendships with Lao Fang and his ilk over tea and cigarettes. Why should they just flip the table like that? Boss Zhou despises these kinds of people.

He was curled up on the slightly too-short sofa bed, which he had temporarily moved from his home to the service center. He chose to spend the night there because many newsstand owners only had the service center's landline number. By staying there, he could answer calls from all sides at any time and respond quickly to emergencies.

President Han is a good man; he led him onto the right path and helped him make honest money. Even after this incident, President Han stepped in to protect him instead of leaving him to fight the local bullies alone. He had to secure the evidence, reassure the men whose businesses had been disrupted, and assure them that Qingniao wouldn't let them suffer. These people trusted him; he couldn't let them down.

If he can weather this storm, then his position as "liaison station chief" will truly be established. He, Fatty Zhou, isn't just good at collecting phone numbers and distributing magazines; he can also hold the line for Qingniao on this front. Later, when reporting to President Han, he can stand tall and say: I didn't let you down.

But Qian Youde's men certainly wouldn't let it go so easily; they'd definitely cause trouble at other newsstands tomorrow. Was he really going to just lie in the shop and wait for news? Wouldn't that make him, the "liaison station chief," a useless coward? Shouldn't he do something?

Okay, President Han told him not to go anywhere. But that was because he was afraid he'd go to see Qian Youde and cause some kind of conflict.

Well, instead of going to find Qian Youde, he could stake out newsstands that haven't been disturbed yet and wait for Qian Youde's men to come.

Well, he's just going to take a look. Anyway, those people don't know him. He can just stand across the street or glance at him from a distance from his car, and who would know who he is?

Hmm, he needs to memorize a lot of faces. What do Qian Youde's henchmen look like? What kind of cars do they drive? What kind of accents do they have? ...What if they need it later? President Han told him to keep evidence, but are magazines and receipts enough? He needs to know who's doing this, right?

Yes, he's just keeping an eye on things, not causing trouble. He'll just glance at the place and come right back, without anyone noticing, so things won't get out of hand. If President Han asks tomorrow, he'll just say he was sleeping in the shop. If he doesn't ask, the matter will remain a secret. He's doing this for Qingniao's own good, not because he's disobeying President Han.

Okay, let's do it this way!

Boss Zhou groaned, turned over, and faced the wall.

......

At 6:38 a.m., Lu Hai was having breakfast in the hotel restaurant. He had already checked out, and after breakfast he could hop on a taxi and head straight to the airport.

Lu Hai leaned against the wall at the back of the hall, watching television. The few early risers were gathered around the screen, engrossed in a band performance. The band was blasting deafening music. Lu Hai recognized it as Beyond, a rock band from Hong Kong Island. He liked the band, but not so much the song they were playing.

The band's lead singer pressed his finger to the earpiece, hit the highest note, and sang their nationally bestselling hit from the 1980s.

"No one can sing off-key like Wong Ka Kui and still sound so beautiful," a voice came from beside Lu Hai.

He turned his head and immediately realized he had never seen this woman before, because she was so beautiful that he would never forget her. She was slender and dressed in a grey business suit, reminding him of a famous Hong Kong actress.

Lu Hai coughed and lowered his head to drink his porridge.

"That note is very difficult to sing," the woman said, her gaze fixed on the band's lead singer.

"Um."

"Good morning," the woman said with a smile. "Are you traveling alone for work?" She brushed aside her short hair that fell in front of her face and sat down opposite Lu Hai. She was very charming; her thin cheeks and high, narrow nose gave her a resolute and classic look.

"Yes, that's right," Lu Hai said.

"You like Beyond too?"

"I'm a long-time fan. I didn't expect to hear it so early in the morning."

"It's different here in Guangdong," the woman said. "They like to use old songs to perk themselves up. Which side are you from?"