Handong: Sha Li wants political achievements? I'll shut down the entire province.

My gaze drifted away from the Gulfstream jet that pierced through the clouds and headed toward Wall Street.

The night wind in Jingzhou carried the damp chill of early winter, pattering against the panoramic tempered glass of the revolving restaurant.

The saxophone was playing an old, worn-out jazz tune, the melody sticky and mushy.

Lu Yike lowered her eyelids, holding a slender silver spoon in her hand, mechanically drawing circles in the mug.

The black coffee had long since gone cold.

A layer of murky oil floated on the surface.

The spoon tip struck the thick ceramic cup wall, producing a series of crisp "ding-ding" sounds.

She was forced to wear a tight-fitting floral dress today; Wu Xinyi insisted that she change into it.

The zipper around her waist was so tight that she could hardly breathe.

The cold air blew down through the vents above her head, hitting her bare arms and raising goosebumps.

The man sitting opposite me is named Wang Gang.

The owner of a building materials company in Jingzhou is a promising young talent.

He was wiping his hands with a white towel, his slicked-back hair so shiny that even a fly couldn't stand on it.

"Director Lu, oh dear, look at my mouth, I should be calling you Miss Lu now."

When Wang Gang smiled, two deep crow's feet appeared at the corners of his eyes.

He used his knife and fork to cut off a small, still slightly bloody piece of Wellington steak and offered it to the front.

"Want to try some? This meat is air-freighted in, it's super tender. Don't you girls all love this kind of flavor?"

Lu Yike's nose twitched.

The pungent smell of undercooked meat mixed with the spiciness of black pepper hit me right in the head.

A wave of acid reflux rose in her stomach, and she forced herself to swallow.

He reached out and pushed the plate out half an inch.

"I can't get used to the food." She forced a smile, her expression not quite a smile.

Wang Gang didn't feel embarrassed at all and casually stuffed the meat into his mouth.

Cheeks bulged out, juices dripping from them as they chewed.

"That's true. You used to work in the system for a long time, with a secure job, and you valued a simple and frugal lifestyle."

He picked up his wine glass, his Adam's apple bobbed, and swallowed the red wine.

"But to be frank..."

Wang Gang leaned forward, his elbow resting on the pristine white tablecloth.

"These past few months have truly brought about a transformation in Handong. The lives of ordinary people have visibly improved."

Lu Yike stopped holding the silver spoon.

She looked up, her eyes a little cold.

"Thanks to the Lingxiao Consortium! Look out the window."

Wang Gang pointed to the floor-to-ceiling window with his other hand.

The entire city was bathed in dark golden light, and neon lights flickered.

The huge Lingxiao logo hangs atop the tallest building, like a heartless one-eyed gaze fixed on the land below.

"Master Yan's skills are absolutely amazing!"

Wang Gang gave a thumbs up, with a bit of steak still stuck between his fingernails.

His face was flushed, and his tone was filled with fervent excitement.

"My old building materials factory used to do work for the municipal government. We had to beg and plead to get our money back, and at the end of the year we still had to act like a grandson and go out for drinks."

"And now? By connecting with Lingxiao's unmanned logistics network, all payments are made using points from the holographic system."

"As soon as the goods are unloaded, the points are credited to my account instantly. My turnover last month was more than the total turnover of the past three years combined!"

When Lu Yike heard the title "Master Yan," she felt as if insects were crawling into her ears, causing a stinging pain.

She looked at the man in front of her, who was spitting as he spoke.

All that flashed before my eyes was the horrific scene of Hou Liangping being trampled underfoot that night at the train station.

And these past few months, I've felt frustrated by the constant setbacks I've encountered in this city.

"Following Master Yan, you can eat meat, and even the soup base is full of gold nuggets."

Wang Gang took out his phone and swiped the screen twice.

"Ms. Lu, you're currently unemployed. If you'd like, I can arrange for you to work as the financial director at my factory tomorrow. If we were a couple, our lives would definitely be prosperous..."

"A gold nugget?"

Lu Yike scoffed coldly, her voice immediately cutting off his boasting.

She tossed the silver spoon onto the plate with a crisp clang.

Her fingernails dug so hard into her palm that they left several whitish crescent-shaped marks.

"Using the lifeline of tens of millions of people in the province as a bargaining chip, and using a broken code to lock up everyone's money."

She tilted her chin up, her eyes filled with a stubbornness that seemed to say, "What's the use of trying?"

"That's called sucking blood. Sooner or later he'll chew up all the bones of you and swallow them."

Wang Gang's chewing motion faltered.

His mouth was half-open, and a piece of meat tendon that he hadn't swallowed was stuck between his teeth.

He stared at Lu Yike for several seconds, like a duck being choked.

Hearing the commotion, the guests at the surrounding tables all turned around.

His eyes held a hint of wariness and scrutiny.

Wang Gang quickly pulled his neck back and reached out to cover the cup in front of Lu Yike.

"Oh dear, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want!"

He lowered his voice, his eyelids twitching nervously.

"Master Yan's name is practically law in Handong right now. If this gets back to Lingxiao Security, the two of us won't be able to leave here alive."

Lu Yike slapped his hand away.

The pent-up anger that had been building up in my chest for months finally exploded in this greasy, submissive situation.

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if I shout it out in the street, Yan Qingfeng is still a gangster involved in organized crime."

She bit her lower lip, tasting a faint metallic flavor of blood in her mouth.

"I know what kind of person Yan Qingfeng is a hundred times better than you do."

Lu Yike stared at Wang Gang's sweaty face.

"Back when I was in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, I personally led a team to investigate the shady accounts under the Lingxiao Consortium. If Sha Ruijin hadn't compromised and backed down..."

Clang!

The words hadn't even landed.

The silver fork slipped from Wang Gang's fingers and smashed onto the porcelain plate.

The fork tip scraped across the bottom of the plate, producing a harsh, grating sound that made one's back teeth ache.

The color drained completely from his face in an instant.

His lips were covered with an unhealthy bluish-white tinge, and he trembled as he touched his upper and lower teeth together, making a soft clicking sound.

"What...what did you say?"

Wang Gang's voice cracked, sounding like a piece of broken wood being torn apart by a rusty saw.

"You investigated... investigated Ling Xiao's accounts?"

Looking at his ghostly appearance, Lu Yike felt not pleasure, but sorrow.

"I've investigated. He monopolizes the market, and I, as..."

"You're insane! You're a fucking lunatic!"

Wang Gang suddenly jumped up from his chair.

I got up too quickly and my knee slammed hard against the table leg.

The table shook, and most of the red wine in the wine glass spilled out, leaving a glaring dark red stain on the snow-white tablecloth.

He retreated three steps as if he were avoiding a plague god carrying a huge virus.

He frantically reached for his suit pocket.

When I took out my phone, my hands shook like I had Parkinson's disease.

"Clatter".

The phone I had just taken out slipped from my hand and fell onto the thick carpet, flipping over.

Wang Gang bent down, sticking his butt out, and grabbed his phone haphazardly.

He failed to unlock the fingerprint twice, and in his anxiety, he used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his hands on the screen.

Enter the password and open the payment code for Lingxiao Points.

He rushed to the corner of the table and scanned the electronic ordering board.

The internet connection froze for half a second.

In that half-second, beads of sweat from Wang Gang's nose splattered directly onto the screen.

"Beep—Payment successful."

A mechanical beep sounded.

"I...I've already paid for my half steak and the drinks!"

Wang Gang was panting heavily, his chest heaving like wind breaking through the air.

He pointed to the table, not even bothering to pick up the cashmere coat worth tens of thousands of yuan that was draped over the back of the chair.

"Director Lu! Ancestor Lu!"

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling with obvious sobs.

"I have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. Hundreds of my colleagues at the factory rely on those points to buy rice and cook."

"Please don't get me into this!"

After saying that, Wang Gang suddenly turned around.

His shoulder bumped into an empty chair next to him, which fell to the ground with a loud thud.

He stumbled and rushed toward the elevator without even looking back, as if a ghost were chasing him.

The entire restaurant fell silent for a few seconds.

Then a murmur arose.

The diners no longer looked at Lu Yike as a beautiful woman, but as a contagious pile of garbage.

Lu Yike remained frozen in her seat.

The cold wind blew in through her collar, making her bones ache.

The fact that someone had once checked the accounts was enough to scare a multi-million dollar tycoon into fleeing overnight.

Yan Qingfeng's shadow has turned this place into some kind of monstrous sight.

She closed her eyes, her breathing trembling slightly.

The dull thud of leather shoes on the carpet came from the side.

A waiter wearing a vest walked over.

He was holding a black checkout tray, but he didn't clear away the plates or hand out menus.

The waiter had a stern face, his eyes revealing undisguised disgust and wariness.

He threw the tray directly onto the table, making a crisp sound.

"Ma'am, our system just received an alert from Yunxiao's backend."

The waiter raised his chin, his tone as stiff as a stone.

"Please settle the remaining bill. Then, take your belongings and leave quickly."