Chapter Nine: Zheng Zhibin

Chapter Nine: Zheng Zhibin

In the end, although Sun Yanjie appeared to conduct an illicit transaction in front of both men, if it ever came under scrutiny, it would likely amount to nothing. Still, his actions won the favor of Bai Zeshou and Liu Xiaobing.

At present, Bai Zeshou and Sun Yanjie seemed like mere newcomers in the special agent bureau, but anyone who made it into the core of such an organization was hardly simple.

Sun Yanjie had long known about Liu Xiaobing’s background. His uncle, Liu Peiru, was the head of the Intelligence Division—a highly coveted post. Tonight’s gesture alone was worth it for that connection.

As for Bai Zeshou, Sun Yanjie had looked into his background earlier that afternoon. Bai had no connections, but his personal abilities and qualities were exceptional. In these turbulent times, such a person was most likely to rise quickly.

Even if neither man amounted to much in the future, Sun Yanjie would lose nothing—he considered it an investment.

Having understood all this, Bai Zeshou’s gaze toward Sun Yanjie shifted subtly.

At that moment, Sun Yanjie suddenly opened the cloth bag Wu Jian had handed him earlier, revealing three gleaming gold bars. He then placed two in front of Bai Zeshou and Liu Xiaobing. “Think of it as a congratulatory gift from your elder brother. Take it.”

Bai Zeshou and Liu Xiaobing exchanged a glance, reading each other’s thoughts and accepting the gold without hesitation. In this era, promises carried little weight; only mutual interests bound people together.

Seeing their astute acceptance, Sun Yanjie broke into a smile. Just then, the waiter brought the dishes they’d ordered.

As the wine flowed and the conversation mingled, the atmosphere at the table grew easy and familiar. During a lull in the meal, Liu Xiaobing casually asked, “Sun, any news lately?”

“There is, actually,” Sun Yanjie set down his chopsticks. “Remember I mentioned a case this morning? There was a shooting at No. 32 Ping’an Road. Two members of the Special Agent Bureau’s operations team were killed—one was even the team leader.”

“No. 32 Ping’an Road?” Liu Xiaobing muttered. “Was it the Red Party?”

Sun Yanjie gave a faint laugh, saying nothing.

“Do you have any leads on the culprit?” Bai Zeshou asked, seemingly unconcerned as he ate his steak.

“From the scene, the killer was quick and agile. Judging by the bullet holes, he fired just twice and took down both agents. The suspect was probably wounded too—we found blood that didn’t belong to either victim. Unfortunately, it’s not of much use,” Sun Yanjie said with a bitter smile.

“That’s true. Plenty of people are wounded these days, even by gunfire—impossible to track them all,” Bai Zeshou breathed a sigh of relief. Because of time constraints, he’d left the scene hastily after handling matters, and now instinctively touched his neck.

After dinner, the ballroom had grown crowded. Liu Xiaobing, eyeing the lively scene, suggested, “Why sit here? Let’s go down and have some fun. Maybe we’ll find a dancer to spend the night with—a little romance, perhaps.”

“You rascal,” Bai Zeshou laughed and scolded.

“What, do you want something serious?” Liu Xiaobing grinned. “Don’t forget what we do. Forget about the rules against marriage—even our job’s danger makes relationships impossible. We live on a tightrope; who knows when we’ll fall?”

“That’s just because you haven’t met the right person,” Bai Zeshou joked.

“Enough talk—live for today, drink for today. Let’s go,” Sun Yanjie interjected.

“Indeed, ha ha.”

The three descended the stairs, mingling with the crowd on the first floor, searching for dancers and taking to the floor. Bai Zeshou, not one for fuss, randomly chose a dancer and joined her.

But after only a short while, Liu Xiaobing’s angry voice rang out nearby. Bai Zeshou hurried over and found Liu Xiaobing arguing with a young man.

“Zheng Zhibin, are you refusing to give me face? Must you fight me for this dancer?” Liu Xiaobing said darkly.

“Give you face? Who do you think you are? Ha ha ha!” Zheng Zhibin laughed wildly.

“You’re asking for trouble?” Liu Xiaobing moved to strike, but as he raised his fist, Zheng Zhibin drew a gun and pressed it to his head. The mood in the ballroom instantly froze.

Bai Zeshou, just arriving, was startled and rushed forward, only to be stopped by Liu Xiaobing’s glance. Liu Xiaobing withdrew his fist. “Zheng Zhibin, if you’ve got guts, pull the trigger. I don’t believe you dare shoot in this place.”

“You…” Zheng Zhibin, provoked by Liu Xiaobing’s words, found himself in an awkward position, the situation slipping out of control.

Liu Xiaobing was right—no one dared fire a gun here. The Rose Ballroom belonged to Qian Yong, the brother-in-law of Fang Yisheng, Chief of Staff at the Shan Ning Garrison Command. Qian Yong was only the nominal owner; Fang Yisheng managed everything behind the scenes.

The reason no one dared fire here was because once, a reckless young scion caused trouble in the ballroom, relying on his family’s influence. The next day, not only was he dismembered, but his family was destroyed.

“Aiya, what’s this? We’re all acquaintances—why so tense?” Just then, Sun Yanjie stepped forward to mediate.

“Oh, Captain Sun is here too,” Zheng Zhibin sneered, “I’m not acquainted with this guy.”

Zheng Zhibin’s bluntness irked Sun Yanjie, but he was adaptable, and showed no sign of displeasure.

Meanwhile, in an office on the third floor, a burly middle-aged man lounged on a sofa, humming a tune. A waiter entered and whispered something in his ear.

“Oh, so Liu Xiaobing, nephew of Liu Peiru from the Special Agent Bureau’s Intelligence Division, and Zheng Zhibin from the CC faction are causing trouble—plus Sun Yanjie from the police is involved. Interesting. But my place doesn’t allow such disturbances. Let’s have a look.” The man rose and headed downstairs.

“Who’s making trouble here?” With these words, Qian Yong appeared among the crowd.

“Hello, Boss Qian,” many greeted him as he passed.

“Put the gun away. You know my rules,” Qian Yong said coldly to Zheng Zhibin.

Zheng Zhibin glared at Liu Xiaobing, then reluctantly holstered his weapon. Liu Xiaobing nodded to Qian Yong.

“I don’t care about your grudges, nor about the rivalries between the Special Agent Bureau and the CC faction. But remember, this is my establishment. Everyone here is a friend, a guest—welcome. But if you make trouble, don’t expect leniency from me.” After his speech, Qian Yong walked away.

“Hmph,” Zheng Zhibin snorted.

“Heh, the future is long,” Liu Xiaobing retorted.

After such a scene, Bai Zeshou and his companions lost interest in further revelry and soon left the Rose Ballroom. Liu Xiaobing and Sun Yanjie, both in poor spirits, parted ways with Bai Zeshou.

Bai Zeshou watched their departing figures, deep in thought. The Special Agent Bureau and the CC faction—clearly, the rift between them runs deep…