A Birthday Gift of a Clock

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the seventieth birthday of Mr. Zheng Jianguo. Let us welcome him with a round of applause…"

Outside Hangcheng, on the third floor of Zhenglin Manor, the spacious banquet hall was magnificent and dazzling under the bright lights. The host stood onstage, delivering one congratulatory speech after another.

"He-jie, is it really okay for us to come investigate like this? Mmm, so good!"

In front of the buffet table, two plainly dressed beauties stood in a corner, sizing up the Zheng Family members gathered in the center of the hall. One of them was younger and apparently rather fond of food, since most of her attention was focused on the various dishes. Every so often, she picked up another piece and stuffed it onto her already overflowing plate before opening her mouth and devouring it.

If Gu Sheng had still been there, he would definitely have recognized these two young ladies: the valiant Lin Qinghe and the elfin, adorable Le Erya. The one currently chewing with her mouth full was none other than the little foodie Le Erya.

"So good! He-jie, have some too. We can’t neglect ourselves just because we’re on a mission, right?"

Le Erya was quite generous when it came to sharing. She did not merely eat by herself; she also remembered Lin Qinghe beside her. Holding a delicate peach-shaped cake, she pushed it toward Lin Qinghe’s mouth.

"Xiao Ya, you really are…"

Lin Qinghe was somewhat speechless. They were here to investigate! But nobody could resist the power of "it really is delicious." Unable to withstand the temptation of the food by her lips, Lin Qinghe took a small bite of the cake, then swallowed the rest in one large mouthful.

Although Le Erya was eating, she had not forgotten her work. While stuffing her face, she said, "He-jie, do you think the information in that file is real? If things really are as it says, wouldn’t Hangcheng have become a den of ‘big tigers’?"

"I’m not sure, but I hope it isn’t true. If it is, then… sigh."

Although Lin Qinghe said that, she had already reached her own conclusions. Unlike Le Erya, who was still an intern and had not experienced much, Lin Qinghe had come into contact with quite a few matters that violated regulations but had forced them to compromise. She had formed her own understanding and opinions about certain things.

"Father, it’s almost time for you to go up and speak."

At the center of the banquet hall, a relatively composed middle-aged man bent down and spoke softly to the old man resting beside him.

"Sigh, you people! I already said not to put on such a display. It’s liable to cause misunderstandings."

The old man looked rather refined and scholarly, appearing to be an upright person. Yet although his mouth said he did not want such a display, his grin was practically splitting his face.

"Dad! I earned this money so I could show my filial respect. Let’s see who dares say anything."

Another middle-aged man, who looked quite well-fed, patted his chest. "I, Zheng Ruilong, am a businessman with tens of billions in turnover on the books. What’s this little bit of money to me? If anyone wants to investigate, they can come to me. They won’t be able to pin it on my big brother."

"You rascal. All you know is how to say nice things."

The old man smiled. His face was ruddy, and he looked radiant and healthy.

The well-fed middle-aged man’s gaze swept over the younger generation. "Little San, what’s wrong with you? Why the long face? Tell your second uncle what’s bothering you. I’ll definitely take care of it for you."

"It’s nothing, Second Uncle. Sorry for the trouble."

Little San looked no more than a teenager, with clearly defined muscles suggesting that he exercised regularly. At that moment, however, he was fidgeting restlessly. The call he had been waiting for still had not come. Could something have happened?

He was somewhat worried. This was a period of strict crackdowns, and if the matter was exposed, it would cause trouble for his family. His Pops would nag him endlessly afterward. At that thought, he looked up at the composed middle-aged man who had spoken first. Seeing that the man was not paying attention to him, he relaxed slightly.

"I’ll head up first!"

After Zheng Jianguo chatted and joked with his relatives, children, and grandchildren for a while, he walked steadily up onto the red-carpeted platform.

"Guests and friends…"

Zheng Jianguo delivered a speech to the crowd below, full of official-sounding rhetoric. Le Erya, who was eating and drinking, was nearly bored to sleep listening to it.

"Now, let us invite today’s birthday star to cut the cake!"

The emcee took the microphone from Zheng Jianguo, and the staff wheeled out a large cake covered by a cloth.

"Mr. Zheng!"

The emcee gestured for Zheng Jianguo to come over and cut the cake. Smiling broadly, Zheng Jianguo walked up to it and pulled down the covering. He lightly pressed a switch, and the outer casing slowly opened.

"Ticktock, ticktock… ticktock, ticktock… clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang~~~~~~~~~"

Inside the opened cake box was not a custom-made giant cake, but a somewhat battered grandfather clock. The hands had reached nine o’clock, and nine connected chimes echoed through the empty hall for a long time. The cheerful music stopped, while the applause and jubilant blessings abruptly fell silent. The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

"He-jie, something’s up!"

Seeing this, Le Erya set down her plate and instinctively reached for her waist. This time, the two of them had boldly taken action—and they were carrying guns.

"Let’s watch for now!"

Lin Qinghe stopped the impulsive Le Erya. Even she found it somewhat unbelievable. Stirring up trouble at a grand banquet like this was something that generally only happened in movies; it was extremely rare in reality.

Not to mention that this was China, a country where firearms were banned. Its safety index ranked among the highest in the world, and it was known as a forbidden land for mercenaries. Very few people had dared cause trouble since the country was founded.

"Cough, cough, cough~~~"

The instant the clock chimed, the brilliant smile on Zheng Jianguo’s face stiffened as he prepared to cut the cake, then gradually vanished. His face turned deathly livid, and he began coughing continuously as though he were having an asthma attack.

"Dad!"

Zheng Jianguo’s sons, Zheng Ruqiu and Zheng Ruilong, immediately rushed over. His relatives and grandchildren hurried after them as well. Zheng Shaotian, who was at the rear, suddenly felt his heart tighten as he ran. He stumbled and nearly fell, overcome by an unprecedented sense of danger.

"Dad, get up!"

Zheng Ruqiu helped Zheng Jianguo to his feet, patting his back with his right hand to help him breathe. Zheng Ruilong also came over, but the irritating ticking beside him instantly drove him into a rage.

"Bang!"

The tall and burly Zheng Ruilong kicked over the old grandfather clock. Then he walked up to the emcee, snatched away the microphone, and shouted angrily, "I don’t know which friend from the underworld is playing a joke on me, but business disputes are common enough. Going this far is crossing the line!

"I, Zheng Ruilong, won’t let this go. If you’ve got the guts, step out and let me see what kind of hero you are…"

Zheng Ruilong assumed this was trouble he had brought upon himself. He ran a food city and had dealings with all kinds of people, so he might not even know when he had offended someone.

"Boom~~~"

Zheng Ruilong had not been making threats for long when an explosion like a firecracker rang through the hall. Le Erya and Lin Qinghe’s expressions instantly turned grim.