Chà Chà Novel

Chapter 168: A-Kuan Seems Like a Different Person

“That’s right,” A-Kuan replied. “On the whole, poorer regions make a little more net profit per order, but they have fewer clients”

The margins were a little lower in more developed regions, but the larger client base made up for it.

Ji Shileng: “…”

If they had so many clients, why were they looking for more in his game?…

“Would you like to see an egg retrieval in person?” A-Kuan asked, giving them fair warning. “To be honest, it can be a little unsettling”

Qin Si left the decision to Ji Shileng. “Would you like to see it, Mr. Leng?”

Mr. Leng would rather not. He was afraid he wouldn’t sleep that night.

When Ji Shileng stayed quiet for a moment, Qin Si took the hint. “I think we’ll skip it today. Mr. Leng looks a little pale”

On one side was the investor the boss himself had told A-Kuan to look after. On the other was his own big client, his personal god of wealth.

A-Kuan couldn’t afford to neglect either of them.

“If you’d like to see it, Mr. Qin, Director Qing can show you around.” His gaze shifted to Coldhearted. “And if you’re feeling unwell, Mr. Leng, I can walk you out first”

Ji Shileng waved a hand. “I’m fine…”

Qin Si’s voice was gentle, but there was no mistaking his resolve. “Sorry, I think we’ll call it a day. I’ll come back to observe another time”

A-Kuan looked at Ji Shileng and waited for an answer.

Since Qin Si had given him an opening, Ji Shileng took it. “Maybe it’s the cold. My stomach feels a little off”

A-Kuan said he understood. He escorted them both out of the building and saw them off with a cordial goodbye.

The moment they turned back, the smile dropped from Director Qing’s lips. “Something’s off”

A-Kuan idly tossed his communicator in the air and gave a noncommittal hum.

The easygoing, ingratiating manner was gone. With that dark look in his eyes, he seemed like an entirely different person.

The assistant dipped his head. “We checked. None of the prominent families in the Federation goes by the surname Leng”

He paused, then added, “He could be an illegitimate son trying to have a child to stake a claim to the family fortune”

They knew perfectly well what the rich got up to. That was precisely why they hadn’t made any sudden moves.

“All right. I got it”

“Should we keep digging?”

“Might as well. It’s not like I have anything else to do here.” A-Kuan gave the order. “Put a car on him”

“Yes, sir”

Director Qing took out a cigarette and held the pack out to A-Kuan. “Want one?”

“I’ll pass.” A-Kuan’s tone was pointed. “I’ve already gone through three packs today”

Director Qing let the remark pass. These cigarettes were expensive. If A-Kuan didn’t want one, he was happy to smoke it himself.

He exhaled a slow plume of white smoke. Once both parties were out of sight, Director Qing spoke with the cigarette still between his fingers. “Seems like more people have been looking into us lately”

“Yeah. Something happened over in the Empire. Someone’s stirring up trouble behind the scenes.” A-Kuan waved the smoke away. He had no interest in breathing it secondhand.

Gaopei Laboratory had started as an illegal moneymaking operation set up by a handful of senior Imperial officials and members of the elite.

Over time, it had grown to its current size.

“Then why did they transfer you here? Haven’t you always worked in management back in the Empire?”

“Because we had a traitor,” A-Kuan said lightly. “Did I ever tell you how I found Coldhearted?”

“Didn’t you catch the traitor before word got out and take him out to sea to feed the fish?” Director Qing stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into the bin. “Come to think of it, wasn’t Coldhearted the one who contacted you?”

“I did catch him and take him out to feed the fish.” A-Kuan stretched. “I was going to let him live, but he really knew how to keep his mouth shut. A shark bit off one of his legs, and he still wouldn’t talk”

If the man refused to give up his accomplices, A-Kuan couldn’t be bothered to keep going in circles. His patience had run out.

So he finished what he’d started and threw the man into the sea to feed the fish.

Management had a handle on the unrest in the Empire, so the fallout would be limited.

There was no one reliable in the Federation’s central district. As Gaopei Laboratory’s most loyal hound, A-Kuan was naturally staying in the Federation for the time being to root out the traitors.

“You still haven’t answered my second question,” Director Qing reminded him.

“You mean about Coldhearted?”

“Yeah”

“The traitor had this game on his communicator. I suspect he used it to get messages to the outside world”

Now that the man was dead, A-Kuan had “inherited” his communicator.

After looking into the game, he opened a Teapot room identical to one the traitor had previously set up.

He left it open for ages. People would come in, find him silent, mutter a curse or two, and leave.

Coldhearted was the only one who came in and persisted long enough to ask him twice.

“You think Coldhearted was the traitor’s contact?”

“Some things fit. Others don’t.” In light of the three gold bars and the million star credits Coldhearted had handed over, A-Kuan added, “I’d expect a contact to have a little more nerve, though”

Coldhearted had scared himself into leaving before he’d even seen anything important.

Director Qing: “…”

He couldn’t resist lighting another cigarette. “We’ll take it as it comes. We’ve made it this far”

“Yeah, we have.” A-Kuan gave up trying to put up with Director Qing’s smoke and joined him. “What about Qin Si? Where did he suddenly come from?”

“Didn’t the order come from above?”

“It did, but don’t you think it’s strange?” Smoke veiled A-Kuan’s eyes. “The timing couldn’t be more sensitive. And he looked like he knew Coldhearted”

“Maybe he was just sizing him up?” Director Qing wasn’t convinced about that last part.

“Whatever. We’ll deal with it when it comes”

---

They parted ways with Qin Si as though nothing had happened. Once Su Ke was sure nobody was around, he slammed the car door shut.

“What the hell is going on with that place?”

Ji Shileng pulled off his mask and took two deep breaths. “It’s just like what you heard”

Su Ke swore a couple of times. “Are they out of their minds? Running an illegal operation like that right in the central district?”

He hadn’t thought much of it at first. He’d never expected the operation to be so well established or to reach so far.

“They’ve been at it for over a decade. They have powerful connections up top.” Ji Shileng had caught his breath, but his heart was still pounding. “Besides, have either of us heard so much as a whisper about it in all these years?”

That was exactly the problem.

They were a bunch of young men from wealthy families who went out all over the Federation, and yet none of them had heard a thing.

That was how well hidden it had been.

Suddenly, the driver spoke up cautiously. “Young Master Ji, Young Master Su, someone’s following us”

Su Ke let out a curse. Ji Shileng pulled the special makeup removal kit from its case and asked, “Can you lose them?”

“I can, but it’ll take a little time”

“That’s fine. Safety first”

Su Ke dabbed the solution onto Ji Shileng’s uneven skin. Once it took effect, he slowly peeled away a layer.

He asked, “And what was Qin Si doing there?”