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"Ultimately, you should thank yourself." Hearing this from Bai Jingwei, Zhang Qiu became even more confused. Fortunately, Bai Jingwei continued, "The invention of Xueqiu San has saved a group of elderly people nearing a hundred years old. They have long been aware of some troubling situations, but they were unable to protect themselves, let alone care about other matters. Now, some people's health is gradually recovering, and a storm is approaching. The Zhao Family, notorious for their misdeeds, is at the forefront; Old Master Zhao has already been controlled, though it has not yet been announced. The Zhao Family is finished this time; there will be no chance for a comeback. With that, the threat posed by Zhao Yuanjia to you is naturally lifted. Hearing this news, can you not be happy?"
"Happy." Zhang Qiu muttered those two words in confusion, still unable to recover from the shock. Just half an hour ago, the problem that had been troubling him was resolved so suddenly that Zhang Qiu found it hard to believe. However, he also knew that this could not be false news. The colossal entity had collapsed with a bang, leaving Zhang Qiu profoundly impacted. The power of the Zhao Family was enough to make countless people look up in awe, yet such an existence had simply come to an end. Wasn't the phenomenon behind this worth pondering? Now, Zhang Qiu was unsure whether the invention of Xueqiu San was right or wrong.
"What's wrong? I feel like you're not very happy."
"No, I'm very happy to hear this news." Zhang Qiu didn't want Bai Jingwei to know what he was really thinking. "Actually, I came to find you for something else."
"No wonder! So that's how it is; you can't possibly be unhappy. What is it? If I can help you, I definitely will. Right now, your name is quite..." Bai Jingwei started but suddenly stopped midway and continued, "What is it?"
Your name is quite... Zhang Qiu pondered over Bai Jingwei's words carefully; regardless of what followed, being noticed by others was never a good thing. However, Zhang Qiu couldn't worry about that now and needed to address the current issue first.
"There is a well-known company in the city, Jin Hao Group. The chairman, Lu Jinhao's only child, Lu Bin, is currently in the United States. Lu Bin once crossed me; what I can't forgive is that he once kidnapped my woman. By any means necessary, I hope Professor Bai can help me bring him back to the country. I have a plan of my own; of course, if you have a better method, we can implement that as well. All I want is for him to return and accept my punishment." Zhang Qiu had kept Lu Bin's matter in mind all along; he deliberately went into the yard to avoid Jiang Xue while making the call because he didn't want her to worry.
"What’s your plan?" Bai Jingwei neither agreed nor disagreed nor proposed any other plans but directly asked Zhang Qiu.
"My plan is simple: bring down Jin Hao Group. Once Jin Hao Group collapses, Lu Bin will lose his financial support. Without money, he won't be able to survive abroad and will definitely return home." Zhang Qiu thought simply and started from the most basic point. Since Lu Bin lived abroad and Zhang Qiu's influence couldn't reach him for now, he had no choice but to force him to come back voluntarily. For someone like Lu Bin who lived extravagantly, nothing would threaten him more than cutting off his financial resources; Zhang Qiu didn't believe Lu Bin would work hard just to stay abroad.
"That’s doable; it's not difficult at all. We'll proceed according to your plan."
Bai Jingwei readily agreed to Zhang Qiu's request, which made Zhang Qiu feel uneasy. This unease wasn't about the present but rather about the future. Zhang Qiu worried that he might become increasingly entangled in dark rules and that he too could be harmed by them or even repeat the mistakes of the Zhao Family. In an environment lacking fairness and transparency, no one could guarantee their safety.
"Is there anything else?"
Bai Jingwei's question pulled Zhang Qiu back from his thoughts; regardless of what the future held, he had to face reality first—there was indeed one more thing left unaddressed. Zhang Qiu said: "Professor Bai, could you send me some of the next batch of Xueqiu San?"
"Of course, I'll send it over to you today."
After hanging up the call with Bai Jingwei, Zhang Qiu stood in the yard in a daze. The scorching sun beat down on the ground, and beads of sweat formed on Zhang Qiu's forehead. Two sparrows jumped from the treetops in the distance and landed on the power lines outside the yard, chirping away. A gust of wind blew by, causing the two sparrows to fly off, and Zhang Qiu turned to head back inside.
As Zhang Qiu entered the house, Lucia was studying Chinese with Jiang Xue. Both of them paused when they saw Zhang Qiu return. Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "You two continue, I’ll go find something and take you out later. Since my parents aren’t home, we can come back in the evening."
"Out? Where are we going?"
"To the Red-Light District." Zhang Qiu initially intended to mention Black Stocking Woman but changed it to Red-Light District at the last moment to tease Jiang Xue.
"Hmph, I see you're eager to meet Liu Xinru."
"Liu Xinru is back?" After asking, Zhang Qiu suddenly realized that it had been quite some time since the college entrance exams ended, and Liu Xinru should indeed be back for summer vacation.
"You have no idea! Since Liu Xinru returned, she has been going to White Day Fire every few days just to find you!"
Seeing Jiang Xue's annoyed expression, Zhang Qiu stepped forward and hugged her, comforting her by saying, "Alright, alright, we won't go; we'll just stay at home."
"Get off me!" Jiang Xue lightly pushed Zhang Qiu away. "Hurry up and find what you need; we'll go together later. If I were jealous, I would have died of sourness long ago."
"Hehe, my Xue'er is still the best. Come here, give me a kiss." Zhang Qiu leaned in to kiss Jiang Xue, but she pushed him away forcefully and shook her head, saying, "No, no, Lucia is watching!"
"I'll step aside for a moment!" Lucia heard her name mentioned and quickly understood that she should avoid being in their way.
"Lucia, don't go!" Jiang Xue reached out and grabbed Lucia's hand.
Zhang Qiu stood up and chuckled, "You all continue chatting, I'm going to find something." He then turned and went to his parents' room. While in Tanzania, Zhang Qiu had promised to send tea leaves to Prince Banan. He knew that his father's tea was usually kept in the first drawer of the desk, and upon opening it, he found it there. Zhang Qiu took half of the rare tea leaves and all of the more common ones, planning to ask Black Stocking Woman for more when his father returned home.
Zhang Qiu packaged the two sets of tea leaves separately, wrote English labels on them with a black marker, and penned a short letter. He packed everything into a box and then went to find Jiang Xue, saying, "Let's go."
The three of them left the house together, and Zhang Qiu locked the door. As they walked along the road, Zhang Qiu dialed Chen Kun's number while Jiang Xue took the box containing the tea leaves from him. Once the call connected, Zhang Qiu mentioned that he was already home, and soon after, he heard Chen Kun announce his good news. After parting ways in the capital, Chen Kun had rekindled his romance with a girl; they worked hard together to overcome difficulties and got back together, agreeing to spend every weekend together. After exchanging blessings, Zhang Qiu brought up matters that needed Chen Kun's assistance.
"I have two packages of tea leaves and a letter that need to be sent to Africa. I'll send them to you first; you can help me ship them via DHL from the capital. Their express service covers a wide area and can reach Tanzania quickly. I'll send you the address; you just need to receive the package and send it out for me."
"Sure thing, I'll take care of it."
Chen Kun readily agreed to help Zhang Qiu. The three of them arrived at the nearest courier station to send the tea leaves to Chen Kun. The staff at the courier station opened Zhang Qiu's already sealed box for inspection before resealing it. Zhang Qiu reminded them, "Please seal it tightly; thank you." After watching the courier wrap three loops of tape around the box, Zhang Qiu felt reassured and left. They walked a short distance before arriving at Black Stocking Woman's door.
The door to Black Stocking Woman's house was tightly shut, with translucent but opaque paper covering the windows, making it impossible to see inside from outside. Occasionally, passersby glanced over; one man stood in front of Red-Light District's house with two beautiful women, one of whom was a foreign beauty—curiosity piqued anyone who saw them.
Zhang Qiu gently knocked on the door. From inside came Black Stocking Woman's voice: "I'm resting; I'm not taking clients right now."
"It's me, Zhang Qiu."
As soon as Zhang Qiu finished speaking, the door swung open with a bang, and Liu Xinru's stunning figure emerged from inside, exclaiming in surprise, "Zhang Qiu, you're back!"
Liu Xinru's enthusiasm made Zhang Qiu feel a bit awkward as he turned his head toward Jiang Xue. Jiang Xue was more composed than Zhang Qiu; she took Liu Xinru's hand and said, "Sister, we came here to visit Zhang Qiu."
"Please come in, please come in." The Black Stocking Woman walked over to greet everyone. When she saw a blonde foreign beauty following Zhang Qiu, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Zhang Qiu entered the Black Stocking Woman's room and immediately felt a cool breeze. The Black Stocking Woman warmly welcomed everyone into the inner room and invited them to sit down, smiling as she said, "Xinru is back. I was worried she wouldn't sleep well, so I had someone install an air conditioner."
"Sister..." Liu Xinru pulled on the Black Stocking Woman's arm, leaning affectionately against her.
"I heard you went to Africa recently. Was it for your graduation trip?"
"No, no, I went to take care of some matters. Let me introduce you to my friend, Lucia, from America. She's a very kind beauty."
"Hello." Lucia greeted the Black Stocking Woman in her not-so-familiar Chinese.
"Hello, hello." The Black Stocking Woman sized up Lucia while also glancing at Zhang Qiu, her gaze filled with questions. Zhang Qiu understood the Black Stocking Woman's meaning and added, "Lucia became friends with me and Jiang Xue during a school exchange program. She came along to Africa to help with some matters."
The Black Stocking Woman nodded and didn't ask any more about Zhang Qiu's trip to Africa. Africa was a world that did not belong to her; there was no need for her to concern herself with it. At that moment, the Black Stocking Woman was unaware that she would visit Africa more than once in the future.
The group sat in the cool room chatting casually. The conversation was light and free-flowing but soon focused on Zhang Qiu and Liu Xinru. Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue spoke while Lucia chimed in occasionally, but the conversation revolved more around Zhang Qiu. The Black Stocking Woman continually steered the topic toward Liu Xinru, often hinting at things. Liu Xinru was also willing to talk about her campus life, creating a joyful yet slightly awkward atmosphere.
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