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墨書 Inktalez
Cheng Yuwan had just delivered coffee to a customer when she caught a glimpse of Tao Ziwen moving outside the door.
At that moment, Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan were outside the café, questioning an older boy about the incident involving a man in black who had kidnapped children.
This boy was a companion of the kidnapped child.
Cheng Yuwan quickly recalled the events of that morning and curiously walked toward the entrance.
Cheng Yuyao called out to her, "Where are you going?"
Cheng Yuwan replied, "There's someone I know outside; I want to check it out!"
The person she knew was Tao Ziwen.
Earlier that morning, Cheng Yuwan had given Tao Ziwen a business card, but he had not shown up. Now that he was at the café investigating, Cheng Yuwan naturally wanted to go over and say hello.
As Cheng Yuwan stepped out of the café, she saw a police officer questioning the boy and patiently taking notes with his back to her. She cautiously approached him from behind and suddenly tapped his shoulder, saying, "Hi, nice to see you again!"
The officer turned around, revealing himself to be Wang Zhiyuan.
Wang Zhiyuan looked puzzled. "Have we met before?"
What was meant to be a surprise turned into an awkward moment as Cheng Yuwan realized she had mistaken him for someone else. Her face immediately flushed red. "I'm so sorry; I mistook you for someone else."
As Cheng Yuwan turned to head back into the café, she spotted Tao Ziwen squatting on the ground.
Tao Ziwen picked up a Thorned Rose dart from the floor and stood up, saying, "There's a Thorned Rose dart here!"
Tao Ziwen's words were directed at Wang Zhiyuan, but Cheng Yuwan happened to be standing between Wang Zhiyuan and Tao Ziwen. Tao Ziwen turned his head and their gazes met.
"What are you doing here?" Tao Ziwen asked in surprise upon seeing Cheng Yuwan.
Wang Zhiyuan glanced at Tao Ziwen and then at Cheng Yuwan, instantly understanding the situation.
After finishing the case, it was already getting dark. The streetlights were just coming on as Tao Ziwen and Cheng Yuwan strolled along the pedestrian street, reminiscing.
"Thank you for last time!" Tao Ziwen said sincerely.
Cheng Yuwan asked, "What are you thanking me for?"
"You helped me resolve my inner conflict. If it weren't for you, I would still be troubled by the previous case."
"Oh! You're so sentimental; you don't seem like someone who would be a police officer. Why did you want to become a police officer in the first place?"
Tao Ziwen sighed softly, "When I was young, my mom was killed by a bad person, and I wanted to become a police officer. I thought that by becoming a police officer, I could catch bad people. But once I became a police officer, I realized that many bad people are beyond our reach."
"What bad people can't be caught?"
"The Thorned Rose, and those kidnappers."
Unintentionally spoken, but with intent to listen. Cheng Yuwan couldn't help but stop and asked seriously, "Do you believe that these children were taken by the Thorned Rose? I've heard that the Thorned Rose only steals some reagents at the port and has never committed any other crimes!"
Tao Ziwen also stopped and looked into Cheng Yuwan's eyes as he asked, "How do you know that?"
Cheng Yuwan stammered, "That's what it says in the newspapers!"
Tao Ziwen nodded, his eyes aimlessly glancing ahead.
Seeing that Tao Ziwen remained silent, Cheng Yuwan tentatively asked, "If 'Thorned Rose' hasn't done anything else wrong, would you still want to capture them?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Tao Ziwen replied, "Of course!"
On the pedestrian street, only Cheng Yuwan and Tao Ziwen stood in the middle. Tao Ziwen gazed resolutely ahead, while Cheng Yuwan looked at his back, feeling a hint of worry.
Cheng Shuping hurriedly arrived at the Zhou family's residence with an invitation in hand and found Zhou Junsheng in the study.
Zhou Junsheng was reading. Cheng Shuping abruptly snatched the book from Zhou Junsheng's hands and tossed it onto the table. "Junsheng Zhou, you are really 'oblivious to the world outside, solely focused on reading sacred texts'! There’s going to be a major upheaval in Shanghai's pharmaceutical industry, and you can still sit here calmly?"
Zhou Junsheng calmly asked, "What happened?"
Cheng Shuping threw the invitation onto the table. "Tomorrow is Zhang Zhaolin's birthday. He has invited all the chairpersons of pharmaceutical companies in Shanghai. Why did the invitation come to you if you plan to decline?"
Zhou Junsheng: "Aren't you the one managing the pharmaceutical company?"
"But you are the chairman of the pharmaceutical company! This time Zhang Zhaolin invited both of us; don't you see this as an opportunity?"
Zhou Junsheng wanted to refuse again, but Cheng Shuping wouldn't let him speak and made a decision: "This matter is settled! Tomorrow morning, I will send a car to pick you up!"
Warlord Zhang Zhaolin. Ever since Zhou Junsheng returned from studying medicine in Europe, Zhang Zhaolin helped him secure the position of chairman of Qilin Pharmaceutical Company. Later, when they collaborated on 'biological' experiments, most of the funding came from Zhang Zhaolin. He hoped that the success of these experiments would yield substantial benefits, but after three years of effort, they ultimately failed.
Although Zhang Zhaolin had not engaged in direct trade with Zhou Junsheng over these seven years, his military influence controlled the entire pharmaceutical industry in Shanghai. Naturally, his birthday would be marked by a large gathering of prominent figures from Shanghai's pharmaceutical sector.
Zhang Zhaolin's birthday was held in a luxurious and grand banquet hall. Under the high-hanging crystal chandeliers, guests filled the room. Warlord Zhang Zhaolin appeared radiant, with his daughter Zhang Xin linking her arm with his. Accompanied by attendants, they walked towards the podium while greeting and shaking hands with guests along the way.
"Hey, isn't this Chairman Zhou Junsheng? And Brother Cheng!"
Zhang Zhaolin shook hands with Zhou Junsheng and Cheng Shuping.
Zhou Junsheng greeted, "General, today is your fiftieth birthday. Shuping and I came specifically to celebrate with you!"
Cheng Shuping added, "If it weren't for General's investment in establishing the Qilin Pharmaceutical Factory back then, it wouldn't have reached its current scale!"
Zhang Zhaolin laughed, "Brother Cheng, you are more eloquent than Junsheng! Hahaha!"
Zhang Zhaolin looked up and saw Tao Gongjin. "Gongjin, you made it too?"
Zhang Zhaolin continued forward, shaking hands with Tao Gongjin in the front row, saying, "Gongjin, your project hasn't been progressing smoothly lately!"
Tao Gongjin replied sheepishly, "General, as you know, a 'Thorned Rose' suddenly emerged in the past few months, repeatedly stealing the drugs we imported from Europe."
Zhang Zhaolin said, "I know about that! I've already instructed the police department to expedite the investigation!"
"General, besides the Thorned Rose issue, I have other matters I would like to discuss with you."
Zhang Zhaolin replied, "Let's wait until after the banquet for those matters! Junsheng, Brother Cheng, after the banquet, I'll have someone come find you! Junsheng, I want to talk to you about a big business deal today!"
"Alright, General!" Cheng Shuping quickly responded on behalf of Zhou Junsheng.
Zhang Xin linked her arm with Zhang Zhaolin's as they walked up to the podium. She glanced around and noticed many young gentlemen were stunned by her beauty, but she was looking for someone else. "Father, I heard that the son of the Tao family solved a major case. Did you invite him over? Why haven't I seen him?"
Zhang Zhaolin replied, "He's a police officer; of course he needs to sit with the chief."
Zhang Xin looked towards the podium and indeed saw the figure of Tao Ziwen in a police uniform, exuding a commanding presence beside the sheriff. Zhang Xin's heart stirred.
Behind the podium was a large photo of Zhang Zhaolin along with a banner celebrating his fiftieth birthday.
Zhang Zhaolin stepped onto the podium and approached the microphone to give a speech: "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues from all walks of life in Shanghai, today marks my fiftieth birthday. I am a straightforward person; I excel in leading troops and fighting battles, but speaking into a microphone is not my forte. So, I won't take up much of your time. Tonight, let everyone eat, drink, and enjoy themselves to the fullest! Your enjoyment is the greatest blessing for me, Zhang Zhaolin!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. After waving for silence, he continued, "Now I declare that my birthday banquet and dance party officially begin!"
In an instant, the venue erupted with excitement, streamers flew through the air, and cheers and whistles filled the space. Then, Western-style dance music filled the hall as men and women stepped onto the dance floor.
While social elites from various sectors entered the dance floor, Tao Gongjin, Zhou Junsheng, Cheng Shuping, and others chose to observe from the side. Tao Gongjin and his pharmacist Sun Pu sat down next to Zhou Junsheng, who was only two rows away.
Tao Gongjin said, "Old Zhou, you are my mentor. If we hadn't developed the 'Biological' project together back then, I might still be accomplishing nothing today."
Cheng Shuping asked, "What exactly do you want?"
"I want to collaborate with you again!" Tao Gongjin replied as he lit a cigar with a match. "Our company has signed numerous sales orders, but our production capacity is limited. I want to allocate some batches of medicine for your company to process. If you are interested in collaborating, I will visit your company soon to discuss the details!"
Zhou Junsheng responded, "Tao Gongjin, it was I who taught you how to be a pharmacist. You should know that our Qilin Pharmaceutical Factory integrates research and production; we never engage in any processing projects!"
Tao Gongjin pressed on: "Your pharmaceutical factory rarely produces new drugs; orders have been declining continuously, and several production lines are basically idle. I don't understand why you wouldn't want them to operate normally?"
Cheng Shuping replied, "Our orders have declined but not as severely as yours. As for your proposed collaboration method, we can discuss it further..."
Before Cheng Shuping could finish, Zhou Junsheng interrupted: "There is no room for negotiation; we refuse to accept this type of collaboration!"
Tao Gongjin shrugged indifferently: "Alright then! Take care!"
Tao Gongjin and Sun Pu returned to their seats.
Cheng Shuping asked Zhou Junsheng, "Junsheng Zhou, don't you think this is an opportunity?"
Zhou Junsheng shook his head, "This kind of cooperation will slowly turn us into a subcontractor for Tao's Pharmaceuticals, which will only lead our company further into decline! Right now, the most important thing for our pharmaceutical factory is to strengthen the research and development of new products. Only in this way can our pharmaceutical factory be reborn from the ashes!"
"You might be right! These days, I've been using the profits from other industries of the Cheng Family Chamber of Commerce to cover the losses of the pharmaceutical factory. I just want the pharmaceutical factory to start making a profit as soon as possible!"
Zhang Zhaolin sat in the center of the podium, with Zhang Xin on his right and the police chief and Tao Ziwen on his left. Surrounding them were several generals and political figures seated on the podium.
A young gentleman invited Zhang Xin to dance, bowing politely in Western style, but Zhang Xin calmly sat beside Zhang Zhaolin and quietly looked at Tao Ziwen next to the police chief, saying, "I'm sorry, I already have a dance partner!"
Zhang Zhaolin and the police chief were discussing public safety in Shanghai and the case involving Thorned Rose, while Tao Ziwen listened quietly.
Zhang Zhaolin said to the police chief, "You are the police; maintaining peace is your duty! Thorned Rose first robbed pharmaceuticals and now is brazenly snatching children in broad daylight. As long as Thorned Rose is not caught, I believe your jurisdiction will never know peace!"
Tao Ziwen finally looked at Zhang Xin, who quickly smiled at him. Tao Ziwen politely responded.
Zhang Xin boldly stood up and walked in front of Tao Ziwen, asking, "Are you Tao Ziwen?" Without waiting for his answer, she continued, "May I ask you to dance with me?"
Tao Ziwen was taken aback, "I... I don't know how to dance!"
"It's okay, I'll teach you!" Without waiting for Tao Ziwen's consent, Zhang Xin grabbed his arm and pulled him to the dance floor. "Hold my waist!"
Tao Ziwen watched the other dancers and imitated their movements as he held Zhang Xin's waist, swaying to her rhythm. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure—Cheng Yuwan.
"Ouch!" Zhang Xin exclaimed in pain. It turned out that Tao Ziwen had stepped on her toe when he got distracted.
"Tao Ziwen" quickly apologized, "I really can't dance! How about I buy you a drink instead?"
"Sure!" "Zhang Xin" replied cheerfully. Just then, a "Waiter" carrying drinks passed by the dance floor, and "Zhang Xin" casually grabbed a glass. However, "Tao Ziwen" walked straight to the bar.
"Tao Ziwen! Tao Ziwen!" "Zhang Xin" called out while chasing after him with the drink in hand.
As "Tao Ziwen" approached, he realized that the person mixing drinks at the bar was indeed "Cheng Yuwan." He exclaimed happily, "Wan'er? What are you doing here?"
"Cheng Yuwan" looked up and replied, "If you can be here, why can't I?"
"I was brought here by our Sheriff. What about you?"
"I’m a bartender who just returned from studying in the United Kingdom. Does this party not deserve my presence?" "Cheng Yuwan" said proudly.
At that moment, "Zhang Xin" arrived with the drink. She asked "Tao Ziwen," "Who are you chatting with?"
"Tao Ziwen" replied, "Let me introduce you. This is a friend I met a few days ago, Cheng Yuwan."
"Zhang Xin" shook hands with "Cheng Yuwan," saying, "Hello, I'm Zhang Dashuai's daughter, Zhang Xin!"
"Hello!"
As soon as "Cheng Yuwan" finished speaking, "Zhang Xin" instructed, "Could you please make a drink for Young Master Tao?"
This request made "Cheng Yuwan" feel quite uncomfortable.
"Sure!" "Cheng Yuwan" responded curtly, looking displeased as she watched "Zhang Xin" act charmingly towards "Tao Ziwen."
Zhang Xin asked Tao Ziwen, "Tao Ziwen, can you tell me about your case-solving experiences? I want to hear!"
Tao Ziwen replied helplessly, "What's so interesting about that? It's quite boring!"
Zhang Xin pouted, "I just want to hear it! Just talk about the process of solving your last case!"
Tao Ziwen hesitated, "I don't think so..."
Zhang Xin insisted again, "Please, please, please!"
Tao Ziwen awkwardly said, "Alright... fine!"
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