Chapter 1102: Tail

For those who prefer to use their fists, they often cannot understand why those full of malice are always scheming to plot against others. If there's something they dislike or a problem they can't solve, wouldn't a punch take care of it?

Take Xiao Bao, for instance. He felt that the boss was being overly cautious. No matter how formidable this Zhao guy was, at best he was just a local rich guy in the country. Whatever his abilities, one punch from Xiao Bao would surely make him beg for mercy.

Not to mention that Zhao wasn't alone. According to the information, although Zhao Fusheng's family was elsewhere, he had a girlfriend who was an actress developing her career in the capital, with no security measures around her—perfect for threatening him.

With that in mind, Xiao Bao looked at his boss and whispered to Tong Zhenbang, "Boss, how about Chen Jie and I go kidnap that Zhao's girlfriend?"

Bang!

The answer came as the dull thud of a water bottle hitting him.

"Are you brainless?" Tong Zhenbang stared coldly at Xiao Bao. "We came here to seek cooperation, to have someone launder money and do business for us. Do you even understand what business means? I'm talking about legitimate cooperation, got it? If you kidnap his girlfriend, never mind how the mainland police would react, I ask you: do you plan to force him to work for us like that?"

Xiao Bao fell silent. When the boss blew up, a lowly thug like him could only take the scolding obediently.

"Get out! Tell A-Jie to come in." Tong Zhenbang glared at Xiao Bao in annoyance and waved him away like a fly, driving him out of the room.

Soon, Chen Shijie walked in with a stern face, looking as if he never smiled.

"Boss," Chen Shijie said.

"A-Jie, I have something I need you to do." Tong Zhenbang spoke slowly to Chen Shijie.

"Go ahead." Chen Shijie's icy expression didn't change at all. He had always been like that in the organization—quiet, taciturn by nature, but every task assigned to him was completed well. Over time, everyone got used to his poker face.

"There's a person in this file. Tail him for a few days, and make sure you're not discovered." Tong Zhenbang said slowly. "You should have seen him—the Chairman Zhao we met at Future Investment Fund the other day."

"Understood." Chen Shijie's heart stirred, but his face remained impassive. This was a skill honed by long years undercover—no matter how big the event, he never let his true emotions show.

Tong Zhenbang nodded and waved his hand. "Go. Remember, don't let him find out, understand?"

Chen Shijie turned and walked out. At the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Tong Zhenbang. "Need me to bring him in?"

"Get lost!"

Tong Zhenbang's face changed, and he shouted, "I told you to surveil him. You understand surveillance, don't you?"

"Oh." Chen Jie turned and left, looking like he got it.

Rubbing his head in frustration, Tong Zhenbang felt like his subordinates were driving him crazy with their stupidity. None of them had any brains; all they knew was fighting and killing. They had no idea that under the current circumstances, fists couldn't solve anything.

This was an extremely realistic society, where money meant power.

Tong Zhenbang was well aware that, based on the file, Zhao Fusheng was worth at least one or two hundred million US dollars, arguably the country's youngest billionaire.

For someone like that, kidnapping was out of the question. Even threatening him would be pointless.

This wasn't the era when Zhang Ziqiang could single-handedly extort Li Ka-shing. If pushed too far, a rich man like Zhao Fusheng would put out a ten-million-dollar bounty for revenge.

If that happened, Tong Zhenbang was sure that without anyone else acting, his own backer would personally deliver his head to the other party.

So his best move now was to show his sincerity as much as possible, to move Zhao Fusheng and get him to agree to cooperate.

Alternatively, he could get some leverage on the guy and blackmail him into submission.

That was why, after rejecting Xiao Bao's kidnapping suggestion, Tong Zhenbang sent Chen Shijie to tail Zhao Fusheng.

He believed Zhao Fusheng must have some dirty secret, and once he got hold of it, he could force the man to comply.

Little did he know, he had made a very wrong decision.

…

…

The moment Zhao Fusheng saw Chen Shijie appear before him, he was completely stunned.

"What's going on?" Zhao Fusheng found it strange.

Wasn't Chen Shijie supposed to be undercover? Why had he suddenly shown up so openly nearby?

In fact, Zhao Fusheng hadn't even noticed Chen Shijie's presence until Zhang Qian spotted him and reported it.

"He seems to have let himself be found on purpose," Zhang Qian said, glancing at Chen Shijie's position. "He's been tailing us for a while."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. "On purpose? Tailing?"

Then it dawned on him: the guy probably had something to discuss.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Fusheng said to Zhang Qian, "Find a safe place."

Zhang Qian nodded. Though he didn't know Chen Shijie's identity, Zhao Fusheng's cautious demeanor was rare, so Zhang Qian knew what to do.

Soon, Zhao Fusheng's car stopped at the gate of the Central Academy of Drama.

"Here?"

Hesitant, Zhao Fusheng looked at Zhang Qian in surprise. "Is it safe?"

Zhang Qian nodded. "Go into the school, find a classroom, and talk there. I'll keep watch nearby."

He could tell that Zhao Fusheng and the tail were acquainted; otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a decision.

Zhang Qian didn't know about the matter Cao Jianguo had mentioned, but that didn't stop him from supporting Zhao Fusheng.

Casually brushing past Chen Shijie, Zhang Qian gave him a nod.

Though surprised that Zhang Qian had spotted him, Chen Shijie nodded back and walked toward Zhao Fusheng.

Zhang Qian, meanwhile, hung back at a distance, observing the surroundings. After confirming that no one was tailing Chen Shijie, he pulled out his phone and sent Zhao Fusheng a text.

"No tail."

Receiving the message, Zhao Fusheng walked into an empty study room, turned around, and extended both hands to Chen Shijie, who appeared at the door. "Old classmate, how about a warm hug?"

A smile, like ice melting, broke across Chen Shijie's stern face. "You…"

"What 'you'?" Zhao Fusheng didn't stand on ceremony. He walked over and hugged Chen Shijie, whispering, "You've worked hard."

At that moment, Chen Shijie felt a sudden urge to cry.

For years, he had walked in darkness, with no comrades by his side, unable to trust anyone. The loneliness was beyond words. He couldn't even drink much, afraid that if he got drunk, he might slip up.

That was the life of an undercover agent: precarious, yet duty-bound.

…

…

"You're being watched now." Quickly regaining his composure, Chen Shijie looked at Zhao Fusheng seriously. "Tong Zhenbang sent me to surveil you. He's probably looking for leverage."

"Heh, the guy's pretty clever." Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly. With his experience, he could tell that Tong Zhenbang really wanted to cooperate with him.

"Tong Zhenbang always goes for unconventional tactics. You need to be careful." Having followed Tong Zhenbang for a while, Chen Shijie knew his methods. He warned Zhao Fusheng, "Turn him down as soon as possible. Don't get involved with this man. He's deeply problematic."

"I know. He's a smuggling ringleader, and he's into drugs." Zhao Fusheng chuckled. "Am I right?"

Hearing this, Chen Shijie's face changed dramatically. He shot up, staring at Zhao Fusheng in shock. "How do you know?"

"Of course I know. I also know your handler is Deputy Director Cao of the Narcotics Control Bureau." Zhao Fusheng smiled, waving his hand. "You know, Deputy Director Cao has already approached me. I've agreed to cooperate with you."

This time, Chen Shijie was completely dumbfounded.