Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Han Fei sat in the carriage, head tilted in thought, gazing at the verdant trees. A sound of footsteps made him turn around. Ma Yongxing walked into the woods, followed by only seven or eight people. Dry leaves crunched and crumbled beneath their feet.

"Mr. Ma, how is it?"

"It's alright now." Ma Yongxing walked to the car and stood in front of the rear window. "Qian Youde is just a gofer, a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. I made him take the magazines back, compensate for the losses of the stall and Qingniao, and write a statement."

Han Fei looked out the car window at the courtyard gate: "Where are the others?"

"Those small fry, let Elephant and his men stay and teach them a lesson, while keeping an eye on them. Don't worry, we won't lay a finger on them. We just want them to know that this isn't how you make a living. Qian Youde was just used as a pawn in the end. The real problem lies with that so-called Eastern culture behind him. You can file a formal complaint, and I'll also have people investigate them. No one doing this kind of business can be clean."

"Thanks to you for today's events."

Ma Yongxing chuckled a few times, walked around to the other side of the car, opened the door, and got in: "Let's go, let's go back first."

The car drove out of the woods and traveled a distance along the country road before arriving at the newsstand where Boss Zhou worked.

Boss Zhou approached the car and stood by the rear window. His round face grinned, a smile seemingly etched into his features, suggesting both good and bad news. He relayed to Han Fei the location of his meeting with Sun Jianguo and the story about the more than sixty fake letters.

"President Han, I think Brother Sun is a man of his word, he doesn't make promises lightly, but once he's committed to us, he's definitely reliable," said Boss Zhou.

"Okay," Han Fei said, "I'll go see him. In the future, keep an eye out for people like Sun Jianguo. The more people you befriend, the deeper Qingniao's roots will grow. This is a long-term investment; you can't rush it, but you won't lose money either. Also, you didn't embarrass me today. But remember, next time you want to be a scapegoat, tell me beforehand. What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to explain this to your wife?"

"Boss Zhou," Ma Yongxing leaned closer, a slight smile on his face, "Did you take what President Han said to heart? Let me tell you the truth, you were lucky today to run into Old Sun, the newspaper deliveryman. What if you hadn't met him? How many blows could you have taken with that physique? President Han told you to make the call first not because he was afraid you'd cause trouble, but because he was afraid that if you did, he wouldn't be able to save you in time. These days, someone who can back you up is more valuable than someone who's willing to take risks with you. Think about it carefully."

Boss Zhou scratched the back of his ear: "President Han, Mr. Ma, what you two are saying... I'm fine, aren't I? Besides, if I had just waited around in the shop, I would have missed out on someone like Sun Jianguo. Didn't President Han say that the 'Roots-Seeking Project' is about taking root deep in the ground? My roots have been planted deep enough today, haven't they? Next time... next time I'll definitely make a phone call first. Don't worry, although I, Fatty Zhou, care about my reputation, I value my life even more."

"Alright," Han Fei said, "everything's fine here, go back now."

"Uh... I have a small problem..." Boss Zhou said, gesturing with his chin towards the motorcycle that was faithfully waiting for him by the roadside, "My motorcycle needs someone to help me push it to start."

Forty-five minutes later, Han Fei returned to the publishing house and found that Zhang Ruiyi's car was not downstairs. He went into the small shop he frequented on Fuzhou Road Cultural Street and bought a carton of Double Happiness cigarettes, even though he could now easily afford better cigarettes.

As soon as he entered the office, he saw Lu Hai fast asleep in a chair by the door, one hand sticking out from the back of the chair as if waving. Han Fei went to the editor's office to ask Zhang Ruiyi where she was. Zhang Meimei said she had gone to the Administration for Industry and Commerce to check the registration information of that Oriental Culture Co., Ltd.

Han Fei returned to his office and dialed Zhang Ruiyi's mobile phone number.

"Han Fei, I checked. I went to the XH District Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, but I couldn't find anything. There is no registered company called Oriental Culture Media Co., Ltd. in XH District. I've searched through all the companies in the city with the same name, similar pronunciation, or similar names, and none of them match that address."

You can tell from the engine noise and the background traffic sounds that Zhang Ruiyi is driving.

"In other words," Han Fei said, "this company is either not registered at all, it's a fake name, or it's registered not in Shanghai, but somewhere else, or the registration information and the information printed in the magazine are two different things. But no matter what the case is, the conclusion is the same: this is an unregistered company."

"Yes, so I judge that the nature of this matter is clearer and more serious than we thought."

"Okay," Han Fei said, understanding Zhang Ruiyi's meaning. "You drive carefully first, and we'll talk in detail when we get back."

Lu Hai rubbed his sleepy eyes: "President, you're back? I just got back too. I was waiting for you to come back so I could report to you. I fell asleep sitting here."

"You've had a tough time." Han Fei sat down at his desk, took out a pack of cigarettes, opened it, pulled one out, and brought it to his nose, inhaling the sweet aroma. "So, how was the trip?"

"It went very smoothly, the process was very clean. However..." Lu Hai looked at Han Fei and reached out to stroke his beard.

"What's wrong?"

"President, there's something... I don't know if it counts as something, but I feel I should tell you."

"explain."

"I met a woman while I was having breakfast at the hotel."

Han Fei nodded, put the cigarette to his lips, took a deep drag, and found the taste to be excellent.

"She was very pretty, wearing a gray suit, and spoke without an accent. She sat down opposite me and we chatted for a bit. She also liked Beyond, and said that even when Wong Ka Kui sang off-key, it sounded good. You could tell she had great taste."

Han Fei looked at Lu Hai with an inquiring gaze: "If you just want to tell me that you've met a woman who shares your taste in music, I suggest you stop here."

"No." Lu Hai scratched the back of his head. "What I meant was that she used this topic to talk to me about a few industry-related issues. She happened to see me when I was bidding, because she was also looking into bidding. Every question she asked sounded very natural, like casual conversation. But the more I thought about it on the way back, the more uneasy I felt. I think she was trying to trick me into revealing information."

"What did you say to her?"

"No, thanks to the training you gave me before I left. When I heard her ask those questions, I immediately remembered what you said. Whatever she asked me, I deflected her questions, and I left when I could. She didn't bother me too much. On the way back, I kept thinking that if it weren't for your training before I left, I might have really been tricked by her."