The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

She spoke these words in a calm voice, even with a hint of barely perceptible coldness.

These are facts, or at least some of them. She pieced them together from her childhood in the car factory, from the fearful whispers of the drivers, and from the occasional somber look in her father's eyes when he was drunk.

I'm saying this now not to make an accusation, but to prove the possibility that my father is "rich".

"In short, for those ten years or so, he did whatever made money or brought in quick profits."

"He was ruthless and cruel, and he lived in a chaotic world, which allowed him to amass an astonishing fortune."

She glanced at the sea lion and added the most crucial sentence.

"And, Mr. Hai, you know, my father... had no sons."

She spoke those words with exceptional clarity.

"He only has one daughter, me. In his younger years, he had thought about remarrying and having a son, but I don't know if it was because he did too many bad things or what, but it never happened."

"So, he saved all the money he worked so hard to earn for his retirement."

The sea dog finally spoke, its voice still hoarse.

"Arsenal, the King of Hell's tent, gambling dens, human trafficking... Master Liu is truly a jack-of-all-trades. So where did he hide all that money? In the cellar? In a hidden wall? Or buried under some tree?"

He listed the usual places where money was hidden, but his eyes were fixed on Tiger Girl, not missing any subtle changes in her face.

Tiger Girl shook her head.

"That's probably how they used to hide them. But the older my dad got, the more suspicious he became. Besides, hiding silver dollars and ingots takes up space and isn't safe. I reckon... he must have changed his method later."

She paused deliberately at this point, as if reminiscing.

"It was probably... the year before last, or the year before that, I can't remember."

One day, my father had drunk too much and was resting in his room. I went in to tidy him up and pour him a cup of tea.

Her eyes became somewhat unfocused, as if she had truly returned to that afternoon.

"I saw a box on the top shelf of the rosewood cabinet next to his bed."

"That box... I've never seen one like it before. It wasn't one of those ordinary wooden or tin boxes. It was dark brown, hard, with raised, crooked foreign characters on it, and a string of numbers."

"The lock on the box is also special; it's not our usual brass lock, but a small, rotating device."

She described it in great detail, trying to make the image of that "box" concrete.

"I was curious, so I wanted to take it down and take a look. My hand had just touched the edge of the box..."

Tiger Girl paused deliberately at this point, her face revealing a mixture of lingering fear and grievance, as if the terror and bitterness of being distrusted that day were still etched in her memory.

"My dad jumped out of bed as if he'd been pricked by a needle, his eyes wide and bloodshot, like he wanted to eat me alive. He grabbed my wrist with terrifying force, his nails almost digging into my flesh."

"He snatched the box away and hugged it tightly to his chest, as if it were his lifeblood. Then...then he yelled at me, his voice urgent and fierce. I had never seen him so fierce before."

Tiger Girl's voice lowered, with a slight sob, and her eyes seemed even redder, whether from fear or because they had truly stirred up painful memories.

"I was terrified. My wrist was throbbing, and tears welled up in my eyes. All I wanted to do was tidy up his room and pour him some tea to help him sober up... but the way he acted, it was like I was some kind of thief trying to steal some of his most precious treasure."

She sniffed, trying to make her voice sound more real and believable.

"Later I was kicked out. After that, my dad kept a tighter grip on the key to my room and rarely let me in. Even if I occasionally went in to deliver food or pass something, he would keep a close eye on me, his eyes following me as if afraid I would look at it or touch it too much."

"Uncle Hai, think about it, a box, hidden so tightly, not even allowed to be touched, and with crooked foreign writing printed on it."

"We ordinary people don't use those things. I later secretly inquired and heard that some foreign banks, like HSBC and Citibank, have these hard boxes for rich people to store insurance policies and deeds."

She paused, letting the information process in the sea dog's mind, before summarizing in a more confident, as if well-thought-out tone.

"So I reckon that all of my dad's shady money, his wealth that's much more substantial than the car factory's on the surface, might have been... converted into foreign currency and deposited in foreign banks. Only that way is it safe, saves space, and earns interest."

After hearing this, Hai Gouzi stared intently at Hu Niu with his cold, star-like eyes, his gaze devoid of any emotion, only a bottomless chill.

He leaned forward slightly, his voice hoarse yet steady, like a dull knife scraping rough tree bark.

"Do you know exactly which trading company or safe your father kept these things in, or what's written on the box?"

Tiger Girl felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze, as if she had been licked by the tongue of a venomous snake.

She tried her best to maintain the ingratiating, eager look on her face, and shook her head vigorously, her disheveled hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

"Which foreign firm it was, and what the foreign writing on the box was... I really don't know. Only my father knows. He guards against me like a thief, so he would never tell me these things."

She saw a faint, almost imperceptible chill flash across the sea lion's eyes, and she quickly moved forward again, a clumsy and ridiculous movement despite being bound.

"However, Mr. Hai, my father is currently in your hands, locked up at the police station. You have the key."

She licked her chapped lips, trying to make her words sound more convincing.

"All you have to do is... all you have to do is get the police officers to interrogate him thoroughly and use some methods."

"He's old, and even if he's tough, he can't withstand too much torment. We'll definitely... we'll definitely get what we want and make him confess honestly. Then, that money will be yours, Mr. Hai, and the other gentlemen behind him."

After Tiger Girl finished speaking, she stared intently at Sea Dog, trying to find a trace of agreement or reassurance on his face.

This was the only excuse she could think of that might allow her to temporarily escape the situation and perhaps even share some of the benefits.

She treated her father as her last bargaining chip, a piece of meat she could throw away to ensure her own safety.

The room was quiet. The glow of the oil lamp flickered on the sea lion's thin face, casting dim shadows.

The burly men behind him looked like clay or wooden sculptures, their shadows swaying slightly on the mottled wall.