novelraw Chapter 60 The Feast at Hongmen Was Not a Feast, the Venomous Fangs of the Beautiful Snake
Chapter 60 The Feast at Hongmen Was Not a Feast, the Venomous Fangs of the Beautiful Snake
In the southern suburbs of Jingzhou, there is a private restaurant called "Tingyuxuan". This place has no signboard, does not accept walk-in customers, and there is not even a greeter at the door. There are only two heavy black lacquered wooden doors that are tightly closed.
Those in the know understand that this is a place the Zhao family uses specifically to entertain their "own people." Those who come and go here are either powerful nobles from Jingzhou or high-ranking officials who hold real power.
At 8 p.m., a black Audi pulled up in front of the house.
Qi Tongwei got out of the car, glanced up at the antique building, his face expressionless. He straightened his cuffs and strode inside.
The waiter, clearly having been instructed beforehand, led him through winding corridors to a private room by the water in the backyard.
As you push open the door, a delicate scent of sandalwood mixed with the aroma of high-end perfume wafts out.
The main lights in the room weren't on; only a few antique-style palace lanterns were lit, casting an ambiguous, yellowish glow. A woman sat beside a rosewood tea table.
Zhao Xiaohui.
Today, instead of wearing a daring deep-V dress, she opted for a moon-white silk cheongsam. But this outfit, ironically, was even more provocative on her than revealing skin.
The cheongsam was cut extremely close to her body, perfectly outlining her mature and voluptuous figure. Her two full breasts seemed about to burst through the silk, trembling slightly with her breath, revealing a breathtaking curve. Her waist, however, was extremely slender, almost too delicate to be grasped in one hand.
She was making tea with her head down, a few strands of hair falling beside her face, obscuring half of it. Hearing the door open, she slowly raised her head, her ever-moist peach blossom eyes looking over.
The most striking feature was the slit in her cheongsam, which went all the way up to her upper thigh. She sat casually, one leg crossed over the other, her fair and delicate thighs gleaming like porcelain under the light, the shadows at the base of her legs barely visible – a sight to behold. She wore nude high heels, her toes swaying gently, as if bewitching.
"Director Qi, you're here?" Zhao Xiaohui's voice was soft and gentle, with a soft, gentle quality typical of people from the Jiangnan water towns. There was no trace of the overbearing tone she had displayed on the phone during the day.
She stood up, the hem of her cheongsam swaying with her movement, revealing a perfectly proportioned waist and hips. She walked to Qi Tongwei and extended a well-maintained hand: "Please sit down."
Qi Tongwei didn't shake the hand; he simply nodded and walked straight to the opposite side to sit down.
"Mr. Zhao, this place is quite nice. It's quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, a perfect hiding place for filth and corruption," Qi Tongwei said bluntly.
Zhao Xiaohui's hand froze in mid-air, then she naturally withdrew it, smoothing the stray hairs at her temples, her smile unchanged: "Director Qi, you're really joking. Here, try this tea. This is Da Hong Pao's mother tree tea; you can't buy it on the market."
She bent down to pour tea for Qi Tongwei.
With that slight bend, the view at the neckline was laid bare before Qi Tongwei's eyes. The bottomless cleavage, dazzlingly white, coupled with the pungent fragrance that wafted straight to his nostrils, would have left any man with less self-control completely disoriented.
Qi Tongwei leaned back in his chair and watched her perform.
[System notification: Advanced charm techniques detected.]
[Current dignity level assessment: Steadfast as a mountain. The other party is attempting to lower the host's guard through body language.]
"Tsk, the same old trick." Qi Tongwei sneered inwardly. Did this woman think he was some kind of country bumpkin who had never seen the world, that showing a little skin and giving a smile would make him lose his head?
"Mr. Zhao, I won't have the tea." Qi Tongwei tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Let's talk about business. Cheng Du is still waiting for his trial at the station, and I don't have much time."
Zhao Xiaohui paused slightly as she poured the tea, then put down the teapot and returned to her seat. The allure on her face faded somewhat, replaced by a businesswoman's shrewdness.
"Director Qi is a straightforward person." Zhao Xiaohui took an envelope from her Hermes bag and gently pushed it in front of Qi Tongwei.
"Chengdu is my younger brother. Although he's a good-for-nothing, he's still a member of the Zhao family." Zhao Xiaohui looked into Qi Tongwei's eyes. "What happened last night was impulsive on his part. Here's a Swiss bank draft, bearer, you can fill in any number you like."
Blank checks.
Qi Tongwei had only ever seen this kind of scenario in movies in his previous life. He never expected that the Zhao family would actually use it to test their cadres in this life.
"Fill it in however you like?" Qi Tongwei picked up the envelope, weighed it in his hand, and said with a playful tone, "President Zhao, you're quite generous. If I filled in a billion or eighty million, would you still give it to me?"
Zhao Xiaohui laughed, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table, creating an even more exaggerated silhouette: "As long as Director Qi is happy, ten billion is not out of the question. After all, we'll be spending a lot of time together in Jingzhou in the future, so consider this a small gift for Director Qi."
She is very confident.
There's no cat in this world that won't eat fish. What's the point of Qi Tongwei, this poor kid who climbed up from the bottom, risking his life to get there? Isn't it all for money and power? Now that the money is practically handed to him, and it's an astronomical sum, she doesn't believe Qi Tongwei won't ask for it.
Qi Tongwei looked at the thin piece of paper, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
"Mr. Zhao, this money is a bit too hot to handle." Qi Tongwei tossed the envelope back onto the table with a soft thud. "If I take it, I'm afraid I'll be in the disciplinary committee for a chat tomorrow, won't I?"
"How could that be?" Zhao Xiaohui laughed heartily, her breasts heaving. "The money goes through an offshore account, its source and destination are untraceable. It's absolutely safe."
"Safety?" Qi Tongwei suddenly laughed, but the laugh was somewhat cold.
He leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes fixed on Zhao Xiaohui, as if trying to see right through her.
"When Mr. Zhao talks about security, are you referring to those three shell companies you registered in the Cayman Islands? What were they called again... 'Blue Ocean,' 'Golden Shield Investment,' and 'Skyline Holdings'?"
Zhao Xiaohui's smile froze instantly, and her pupils contracted sharply.
"How did you know?" she blurted out, her voice filled with barely concealed panic.
The names of these companies were extremely secretive; even Zhao Ruilong didn't know them. They were only known to her and a few key financial personnel. How could Qi Tongwei, a police chief, possibly know these things?
Qi Tongwei didn't answer her question, but continued in that chillingly calm tone, "I also know that the cash flow of these three companies over the past six months has been quite something. Each transaction has jumped between Panama and the Virgin Islands at least five times before finally being deposited into a crypto account at a Zurich bank. The account number ends in... 8896, right?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Zhao Xiaohui's heart.
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and her previous composure and elegance completely crumbled. She looked at Qi Tongwei as if he were a monster.
This is impossible!
This information is absolutely confidential and cannot be found unless Interpol or national security agencies intervene!
"You...you investigated me?" Zhao Xiaohui's voice trembled slightly.
"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place." Qi Tongwei leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "Mr. Zhao, every penny of your money is stained with blood. I don't mind having too much money, but I mind that it's dirty."
Zhao Xiaohui took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. After all, she was a woman who had seen a lot, and she quickly realized that the tactic of bribery had failed.
Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach.
Her delicate face had lost all its charm, replaced by resentment and ruthlessness.
"Qi Tongwei, do you think you're clean?" Zhao Xiaohui sneered, picked up her teacup again, took a sip, and her gaze swept across Qi Tongwei's face like a knife. "Three years ago, when you were on a drug bust at the border, how did you get that 'Lone Wolf' nickname? Don't you know the answer?"
Qi Tongwei raised an eyebrow: "Oh? I'd like to hear more."
"That was a staged crime scene!" Zhao Xiaohui slammed her teacup on the table, her voice shrill. "You didn't actually kill that drug lord; he was killed by his own men in an internal conflict! You fabricated the bullet trajectory to claim credit for yourself! I have a recording of the forensic doctor's testimony from that time!"
This is her last trump card.
Once this card is played, Qi Tongwei's heroic aura will shatter into dust, and his future and his honor will be ruined.
"How about it, Director Qi?" Zhao Xiaohui looked at Qi Tongwei, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Let's make a deal. You release Cheng Du and stop the operation against Shanshui Group, and I'll keep this recording to myself. Otherwise, by tomorrow morning, this recording will be in the inboxes of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and major media outlets."
The room was eerily quiet.
Only the candlelight inside the palace lanterns flickered occasionally, making a "crackling" sound.
Looking at Zhao Xiaohui's distorted face, Qi Tongwei suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
This woman is truly terrible at intelligence work.
There were indeed hidden circumstances surrounding what happened back then, but it was to protect the undercover agents; it was a gag order personally issued by Captain Qin Chuan. The so-called "forgery" was merely a narrative for the outside world. Within the inner circle, this matter was not a secret at all; it was even a meritorious deed recorded in a top-secret file.
She's using this to threaten him? It's like robbing a bank with a water gun.
"Mr. Zhao, you've crafted a pretty good story." Qi Tongwei slowly took out his phone from his pocket; the screen was lit up, indicating that it was recording.
"However, I've recorded what you just said." Qi Tongwei waved his phone. "Extorting the current police chief, obstructing judicial proceedings, and now, let's add defaming a model worker. Mr. Zhao, your charges are getting increasingly serious."
Zhao Xiaohui stared at the phone, her eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
"You...you tricked me?!"
"All's fair in war." Qi Tongwei stood up, looking down at the once arrogant woman. "Zhao Xiaohui, put away your tricks. I don't lack money. I'm tough enough to live. Go back and tell your father that the land of Handong is not the private property of the Zhao family. If you want to play dirty tricks, I'll play along to the end. But next time, it won't be as simple as having tea."
After saying that, Qi Tongwei turned and left without even looking back.
Zhao Xiaohui was left alone in the dimly lit room, trembling all over.
She looked at the returned envelope on the table, then at Qi Tongwei's departing figure, and the fear in her eyes was gradually replaced by madness.
No one has ever dared to humiliate her like this!
No one has ever dared to disregard the Zhao family's authority like this!
"Fine...fine!" Zhao Xiaohui gritted her teeth, grabbed the teapot on the table, and smashed it hard on the ground.
"Splash!"
Fragments flew everywhere, and tea spilled all over the place.
She shakily pulled another encrypted phone out of her bag and dialed an overseas number.
The phone was answered after two rings, and a cold male voice came from the other end, speaking broken Chinese: "Feed?"
"Activate Plan B." Zhao Xiaohui's voice was like a demon crawling out of hell, filled with venom. "I'll ruin his reputation! No matter how much money or resources I have, even if it means digging up all his past dirty deeds, I'll destroy him!"
"Understood. But the price..."
"Double it! No, triple it!" Zhao Xiaohui roared. "I want to see him die!"
……
Outside the door, Qi Tongwei had just stepped out of the "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" when the system interface in his mind suddenly lit up with a bright red light.
[Alert! Alert!]
[A devastating attack on the host's reputation has been detected and is brewing!]
[Risk source: Overseas propaganda teams + local online trolls.]
Risk Level: Extremely High (Level S)!
[Mission Triggered: Eye of the Storm. Host, please prepare for battle.]
Qi Tongwei stopped and looked up at the dark night sky.
The rain, which had stopped, seems to be starting again.
He reached out and caught a drop of icy rain, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Plan B?"
"Perfect timing, my hands' been itching lately, I want to hit someone."
He opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and floored the accelerator. The Audi, like a black cheetah, vanished into the night in an instant.