Silent gun smoke filled the air, causing everyone to feel a dryness in their throats, afraid to even take a deep breath.
Qiu Fa looked down at Bai Xinran for a few seconds, his gaze filled with danger. “Very well,” he said.
Bai Xinran’s lips were just about to relax when she saw Qiu Fa’s enforcement baton suddenly strike across Mu Wenxing’s face. His glasses flew off, and blood instantly flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Mu Wenyue screamed on the spot, “Brother! What are you doing?!”
Bai Xinran was horrified. How did things escalate to this point?
“Bang!” The baton struck once again from a different angle, causing Mu Wenxing’s head to turn the other way amidst Mu Wenyue’s screams.
“No!” Bai Xinran shouted.
Qiu Fa looked at her expressionlessly and asked, “Who told you about the ‘Green Ribbon’?”
“Xinran!” the Bai family patriarch exclaimed nervously, desperately signaling her. What was she doing? Qiu Fa, the Director of the Adjudication Bureau, was a man who couldn’t be threatened, and he had zero tolerance for crime. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let them take the person away without any struggle. Playing tricks on him would only backfire unless she had complete certainty.
Bai Xinran was terrified because she hadn’t anticipated this outcome. She had been well protected throughout her life due to her lack of ancestral powers. By the age of thirty, the biggest setback she had encountered was her husband’s ulterior motives. She wasn’t foolish; otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted so quickly, thinking of diverting the disaster towards herself. However, she had underestimated her opponent.
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Jing Pei leaned against the head of the bed, a preserved plum in her cheek, humming a song as she tapped on her computer, modifying a small program. She hadn’t deceived anyone. She was a genuine businesswoman, honest to the core. She had indeed provided the information on how to deliver a fatal blow to Qiu Fa. However, whether or not this information could achieve its intended purpose depended on how the user used it.
Clearly, Bai Xinran had hastily used the information without fully understanding what it was or even knowing what kind of man Qiu Fa was.
First, this man was not one to be threatened. Second, he abhorred crime, to the point where he wouldn’t hesitate to take action against even a small baby if they were involved in criminal activities.
But Bai Xinran was merely an information dealer, not a strategist or mentor. Her role was solely to provide information, not to educate or guide others.
Of course, if Bai Xinran hadn’t been in such a hurry to save Mu Wenxing and ended the call as soon as she got the information, she could have talked about the situation and given her some advice. But there was no time for that.
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Bai Xinran looked at her husband, with blood dripping from his mouth as he kept his head lowered, and then at Qiu Fa, fear the only emotion left in her eyes. She didn’t dare to scheme any further, afraid that Qiu Fa might strike again and directly kill Mu Wenxing, who was just an ordinary person.
“I don’t know what the ‘Green Ribbon’ is. I bought this information from someone else. If you want to know more, you can go buy it from the intelligence agency yourself,” Bai Xinran said, fearing that Qiu Fa wouldn’t believe her, and added, “The reason our two families called a truce last night was also because of this intelligence agency.”
“Are you playing games with me? Do you think by introducing another character, you can divert my attention?” Qiu Fa questioned.
Bai Xinran’s already pale face turned so white it was almost transparent. “I’m telling the truth. I don’t know what the ‘Green Ribbon’ means. The price the other party demanded was too high, and I couldn’t afford it. So, I could only buy the three words, ‘Green Ribbon,’ from them. If you don’t believe me, I can give you their number, and you can call them yourself!”
At this moment, Bai Xinran also understood. She realized that it was too idealistic of her to think that she could deceive Qiu Fa by pretending to know the meaning of the “Green Ribbon” and then divert the trouble to the intelligence agency. Perhaps the agency was aware of her intentions, which was why they responded with a cryptic chuckle upon hearing that she didn’t want to buy the inside information but only sought inexpensive yet useful clues.
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Bai Xinran provided Qiu Fa with the phone number. Qiu Fa’s secretary swiftly dialed the number on his mobile phone and put it on speakerphone. Meanwhile, another staff member opened their handheld computer, preparing to trace the call.
“Beep… Beep… Beep…” The suffocating sound echoed in the living room, hitting everyone’s hearts.
“Click.”
The call connected.
Everyone leaned in, their ears perked up.
Bai Xinran nervously held her heart. Did this person know her little scheme? Would they pretend not to be an intelligence dealer?
“Puzzle Intelligence Agency, how may I assist you?” a familiar male voice came from the other end, with a casual tone, like a mischievous teenager.
But no one could be certain whether the person on the other end was male or female. Who knew if they had altered their voice?
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Qiu Fa took the phone, his expression emotionless, and said, “I want to know the details about the ‘Green Ribbon.’ How much will it cost?”
“Please wait a moment.” The person on the other end feigned as if they were searching through files and then said, “Ah, for the full details, it will cost you 10 billion.”
Qiu Fa’s expression darkened slightly. “What if I only want the list of people involved?”
“That will be 5 billion.”
Even the Bai family wouldn’t dare to spend that much money on such a price. What kind of secret could be worth such a high cost? That’s why Bai Xinran decided on the spot to divert the trouble rather than buy the information. But just the three words “Green Ribbon” alone were worth 80 million, and it seemed like she had wasted this opportunity worth 80 million with her mistake.
Qiu Fa’s expressionless face slowly revealed a sinister smile, reminiscent of a carnivorous predator. “Lowly thief,” he uttered.
Suddenly being insulted, Jing Pei raised an eyebrow in confusion. ‘??? If you can’t afford it, then you can’t. Why resort to name-calling?’
Pulling back the words that almost slipped out of her mouth, Jing Pei blinked and curled up the corners of her mouth. “Your voice is quite delightful when it comes to humiliation. Could you please say it again?”
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Qiu Fa’s expression instantly turned terrifying.
The secretary and other adjudicators’ police officers around them showed expressions of shock on their faces. What? Was she flirting with him?!
The secretary looked at the officer who was tracing the call’s source, only to find his fingers swiftly dancing on the keyboard, his brows furrowed. It seemed like they hadn’t obtained any results yet.
“It seems you’re not planning to make a purchase, my guest,” Jing Pei continued. “How is my client, Miss Bai, doing?”
Bai Xinran bit her lip, trembling all over. For the first time in front of a man, she felt utterly insignificant. She wasn’t a great beauty, a wealthy heiress, or even a regular citizen. She might as well be a piece of pork.
Qiu Fa coldly averted his gaze. He hadn’t hung up the phone yet because he was waiting for his subordinates to locate her. Instead, he engaged in a conversation. “Is she not aware?”
“In consideration of her being my first client and bringing me significant business, Mr. Qiu, if you’re willing to hand over the Huang and Bai family case to Deputy Director An for handling, I can provide you with a piece of information worth ten million for free, in order to maintain the relationship between a client and me.”
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Deputy Director An Zui of the Adjudication Office may have a name that seemingly suggests assigning guilt, but in reality, he is a very smooth law enforcer. If the Mu Wenxing siblings were in Qiu Fa’s hands, they might face a death sentence. However, with An Zui, it could potentially be manipulated into a prison term.
Jing Pei’s offer neither implied granting the Mu Wenxing siblings complete immunity like Bai Xinran did, nor did it carry a sense of threat. Since she had no connection with Bai Xinran and the others, she didn’t stand to lose anything if he declined her offer.
Qiu Fa indeed displayed a flicker of hesitation. The “Green Ribbon” held immense significance to him, and he had dedicated his life to uncovering its secrets. If the despicable thief on the other end of the phone could provide any pertinent information immediately, it might be feasible to hand the siblings over to An Zui for handling.
Bai Xinran looked at Qiu Fa expectantly.
Qiu Fa turned to his secretary. “Hand them over to An Zui.”
The secretary paused for a moment. “Understood!”
From the other end, a couple of claps could be heard. “Once Director Qiu has spoken, it’s hard to backtrack. Well then, as agreed, I will reveal this information worth ten million.”
Qiu Fa disabled the speaker and brought the phone to his ear. “Go ahead.”
“That is… I am, incredibly… beautiful.”
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Qiu Fa instantly crushed the phone in his hand.
“Huh? Did he hang up just like that? I haven’t finished speaking.” Jing Pei looked at the call’s termination with a somewhat unfulfilled expression.
Qiu Fa is one of the most important characters in her fantasy novel, and also one of her favorites. She couldn’t help but feel a mischievous desire to tease him. She was quite curious about what he looked like in the real world, in the “3D” dimension. Only at this moment did she have a strange and surreal feeling of being transported into her own book.
After all, Long Ling was someone she hadn’t truly encountered yet. The others were merely cannon fodder, background characters, or minor supporting roles.
However, once she arrived at the Zodiac Academy, she would be able to meet many protagonists and important supporting characters.
She was truly looking forward to it.
On the Bai family’s side, the atmosphere plunged to freezing point, and even breathing became difficult. Everyone wondered if Qiu Fa would go back on his word, especially since it seemed like the intelligence agency had played a cruel trick on him.
Therefore, when Bai Xinran’s phone rang, it was jarringly loud, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Trembling, Bai Xinran took out her phone and glanced at the caller ID before hurriedly answering.
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“Give the phone to Mr. Qiu.”
Bai Xinran, grasping at a lifeline, quickly handed over her phone and said, “It’s… from the intelligence agency.”
Qiu Fa took it with a stern expression. His secretary was mourning the loss of his own phone and hastily remarked, “Be careful with it! That phone costs over ten thousand! We’ll have to…”
Before he could finish speaking, he was silenced by a glare.
“Mr. Qiu, don’t be so hot-tempered. I was just joking with you,” the voice on the other end of the line chuckled. Then, it suddenly became serious and said, “You need to find a woman named ‘Yuan Qing.’ That’s the ten-million-worth information. Our transaction is now complete, Director Qiu. Goodbye.”
Cherry Blossom TLs 