Chapter 86 The Mastermind (Revised)

That day, He Changyi received an uninvited guest in his office.

She sat behind her desk, leaning lazily against the back of her chair, looking at the other person with a half-smile.

"What a surprise! What brings you here? Vladimir is not close to Moscow at all."

The guest leaned forward enthusiastically, resting his hands on the table, his smile incredibly sweet.

"I think it must have been the wind from Siberia that brought me to your side."

He Changyi said casually, "That must be a cold wind."

She suddenly changed the subject, "However, the cold wind doesn't bring good news. Mr. Mikhail, don't you think?"

The uninvited guest sitting behind the desk was none other than Cheka Mikhail, a laid-off KGB officer seeking re-employment.

When facing He Changyi, he smiled like an innocent college student.

“Miss He, your keen insight is admirable. I can't hide anything from you at all. You are the most beautiful and the most…”

He Changyi tapped the table. "Alright, tell me, Mr. Mikhail, what have you discovered?"

Mikhail showed no displeasure at being interrupted and readily followed He Changyi's lead, saying, "Yes, I have indeed discovered something, and I think it must be very important to you, concerning your career, even your life, so even if it's somewhat presumptuous, I must tell you this news. However—"

He stopped abruptly and looked meaningfully towards the office door.

The office door was wide open, and Xie Xuejun was standing guard outside with two Zhong Guo bodyguards. He Changyi could shout and they would rush in and gang up on the guest.

He Changyi followed his gaze and said as if suddenly realizing something, "Don't worry, they are trustworthy."

Mikhail puffed out his cheeks and complained, "Miss He, do you really think I'm that untrustworthy?"

He Changyi calmly pushed a cup of tea in front of him.

"Don't mind me, the methods of your KGB are so famous that I think unless it's 007, even the US president wouldn't dare to be alone in a room with a KGB agent."

Mikhail sighed dramatically and said regretfully, "That's why I repeatedly advise young people to choose their careers carefully; a bad work history can ruin your resume."

He Changyi offered a half-hearted consolation: "But that doesn't include you. I think many people would be willing to hire a former KGB officer."

Mikhail pressed further: "Does that include you too?"

He Changyi said calmly, "That depends on what kind of news you bring."

Mikhail muttered, "This is not good news. You won't take your anger out on a poor little messenger, will you?"

He Changyi didn't answer, slowly sipping his tea, seemingly not at all agitated by the bad news whose contents he didn't know.

Mikhail also picked up his cup, his eyes peeking out from the rim as he silently surveyed the person opposite him.

Surprisingly, with most of his face covered by the cup, he didn't look lively and sweet at all; instead, he had a strange coldness about him, and his brown eyes seemed to be inorganic.

But after he put down the cup, he transformed back into that endearing young man.

Mikhail said in a light tone, "I really hope I brought good news that will make you happier. However, mortals despise crows that bring bad tidings, but I think crows are more valuable, don't you think?"

Before He Changyi could answer, he suddenly said in a lighthearted tone:

"Miss He, someone is trying to target your store."

The matter is not complicated.

With the help of Andrei, He Changyi pacified both the legitimate and criminal worlds and opened the Zhongguo Store in Vladimir City with great fanfare.

Since its opening, the store has been packed with customers every day, making a fortune. It's no exaggeration to say that it earns thousands of dollars a day. It's a real money-making machine, earning as much as the scrap metal business, and all the money comes in cash with no worries about payment terms.

He Changyi has always been cautious. Even with Andrei as her backer, she was willing to spend money to bribe people in Fuzhou.

The local police station alone received a large sum of money and gifts, creating a sense of kinship between the police and the people in Emei, a country rife with corrupt police. Now, Geng Zhi and Zheng Xiaowei are rarely yelled at or asked to check their passports by the police when they walk on the street.

The two policemen who had tried to extort money from Zhongguo Store hurriedly pulled down their hats to cover their faces after seeing He Changyi talking amicably with the police chief, and ran away along the wall.

Only after walking quite a distance did the two policemen exchange a lingering glance, still shaken.

"I never imagined that the woman from Zhongguo would actually be Director Karamazov's friend..."

"Luckily we returned the money to her, otherwise she would have definitely told the bureau chief, and we would have been finished!"

"I think she's a wealthy businesswoman, she probably doesn't remember us... right?"

The two corrupt cops looked at each other, simultaneously making up their minds—if they were held accountable, they would say that the other party had ordered them to do it!

In short, during this period, the Virginia police have had to think twice before acting when they encounter people with Asian features, so as not to provoke the wrong people.

Xie Xuejun even told Geng Zhi, "I don't think the former league is as scary as you say. The police even greeted me when they saw me on the street."

upright:……

The place where he was beaten back then still aches faintly! How come he's now the last victim of a corrupt cop?

However, there are always two sides to every story.

He Changyi enjoyed the benefits of borrowing the tiger's power, so he must bear the problems that come with it.

For example, her political enemies in the Andrei family set their sights on her.

It wasn't anything intentional; it was just that someone wanted to cause Andrei a little trouble. It was a casual remark, almost like a joke.

After all, the other party didn't intend to physically eliminate her, nor did they allow her to send the videotape to Andrei again; their methods were quite mild.

If it weren't for Mikhail, who was eager to curry favor with his prospective boss, He Changyi probably wouldn't have known that someone was watching her until the situation deteriorated to the point of no return.

In the distant city of Mosk, a giant eyeball hangs atop a tower.

Mikhail humbly stated that it was a very small matter and not worth mentioning, but Panasonic recently released a new tape recorder, and he was short of money but eager to enjoy music, otherwise he would not have bothered He Changyi with such a trivial matter.

He Changyi remained expressionless, listening with her usual smile, though her eyes were cold.

“Mr. Mikhail, thank you for your help. I will have someone deliver the tape recorder to your home so you can enjoy the music.”

Mikhail waved his hands dramatically, "No, no, no, I'm not doing this for an imported tape recorder. You know, I'm unemployed. If it would allow me to use my salary to satisfy my hobby—"

He Changyi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and suddenly brought up another topic.

“You say crows are more valuable because they bring bad news. But crows are scavengers, so they only appear when their prey is dying.”

At this point, He Changyi stopped talking, and the office suddenly fell silent as the two looked at each other in silence.

Xie Xuejun, standing at the door, gripped his gun at his waist and looked warily into the room. Although he couldn't understand Emei language, the atmosphere was off.

Finally, Mikhail broke the silence first.

He complained cheerfully, "Miss He, you really are a very difficult lady to please."

He Changyi smiled brightly and said in a more intimate tone, "Mr. Mikhail, I'm always easygoing, you must have made a mistake."

Mikhail stood up, draped his coat over his arm, and put his hat on his head.

Beneath the brim of his hat, his eyes gleamed with excitement and cunning.

"This time, let me see what you're capable of."

This interview is a two-way street.

At Xie Xuejun's instruction, two Zhong Guo bodyguards flanked Mikhail on either side and escorted him out of the building.

Xie Xuejun immediately went inside and began to inspect all the areas that Mikhail had been in or touched, especially the blind spots under the office. He even touched every inch of the area with his hand, afraid of missing a single spot.

It's well known that the KGB's specialty was wiretapping; they could even plant listening devices in the US embassy.

Who knows if this unemployed Cheka might also try to pull this stunt in He Changyi's office?

He Changyi had already stood up abruptly and walked straight towards the door, saying to Xie Xuejun in a very fast voice, "Prepare the car, let's go to the store right away!"

Something bad is going to happen to the store!

He Changyi rushed to Zhongguo Store in the city center as fast as she could, but she was too late; the scene was already in chaos.

"Damn Chinese people! I want a refund, I want a refund!"

"You deceived us, you bunch of liars, you all should go to hell!"

"You are not trustworthy at all! You have let us down!"

"They've swallowed our money and they won't give it back. Smash it! Smash all the shops!"

The crowd was enraged and surrounded the store entrance, where one could see one ferocious face after another.

"Charge in, smash the store, and take our money back!"

Smash! Smash! Smash!

Geng Zhi, accompanied by several bodyguards, stood at the forefront, sweating profusely as he tried to explain in Ethnic language, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Calm down, everyone calm down! If you keep making a scene, I'm calling the police! You can't bring products from other stores to return to us!"

A plump middle-aged woman rushed forward and spat at Geng Zhi, the broken leather shoe she was holding almost poking his face.

"Isn't this your product? I bought it from your store, how dare you lie! You liar!"

He stubbornly insisted, "They're not ours! We've never stocked off-brand shoes; they're all legitimate brand-name products! Don't try to scam us!"

The crowd grew even angrier. An old man rushed over with a thermos and hurled it at Geng Zhi. He missed and the thermos shattered on the ground, scattering glass shards everywhere.

"This is the leaky thermos you sold! My grandson burned his leg and he's still in the hospital!"

The old man screamed at the top of his lungs, "You bunch of liars! Murderers!"

The crowd erupted in chaos, surging forward like a raging sea, pushing and shoving forward, their anger engulfing the store entrance.

Geng Zhi was so anxious that he jumped up and down, trying his best to explain loudly, but his voice was drowned out by the huge sound waves, as useless as a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

The bodyguards blocking the door were shoved several times, and the more impatient ones started reaching for their guns.

Seeing that something was wrong, but the store entrance was completely blocked by the crowd, He Changyi made a quick decision and immediately went around to the back of the building and ran into the store through the internal entrance passage.

The store was in complete chaos. Yelena tried to calm the panicked staff, while Zheng Xiaowei was frantic, running around in circles like his tail was on fire.

He was still a little dazed when He Changyi grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him away.

"Boss? Boss! Boss, you're finally back!"

Zheng Xiaowei was moved to tears!

He Changyi didn't have time to waste words with him and bluntly asked, "Why didn't you call me?!"

Zheng Xiaowei said with a long face, "I tried calling, but I couldn't get through. Someone cut the phone line..."

He Changyi asked him angrily, "Why didn't you use a public phone for me to make the call?"

Zheng Xiaowei was taken aback. Oh right, there are public phone booths too.

He Changyi shoved aside the guy who was completely flustered and turned to ask Yelena, "What exactly happened?!"

Yelena was also pleasantly surprised to see He Changyi, but she quickly calmed down and organized her thoughts: "There have been people coming to return goods recently, but the items they bring are similar to our products but not the same, so we have refused to accept the returns. However, the number of people returning goods is increasing, and suddenly today many people blocked the store entrance and caused trouble, saying that if we don't accept the returns, we will smash the store!"

Was this incident orchestrated, or was there a genuine product quality issue?

If, as Mikhail claims, someone deliberately attacked the store, then why did she see several familiar faces in the crowd, some of whom had even shopped there when she first arrived in Vladimir?

Even if they can bribe some people, they can't bribe everyone.

The anger on the faces of those people at the door was genuine!

He Changyi was at a loss for what to do, but the most important thing now was not to find out the truth, but to quell the incident.

She immediately instructed Yelena, "How much cash do you have in the store? Pack it all up and follow me to the door!"

By this time, the defenses at the store entrance were crumbling. Even though the bodyguards had drawn their guns, the crowd, in its agitation, had lost its reason. Some even pressed their foreheads to the muzzles of guns, shouting, "Kill me! Cowards, kill me!"

Just as things were about to get completely out of control, He Changyi rushed to the door. She raised a megaphone, and after a piercing noise, the sound from the megaphone drowned out everyone else present.

"Everyone, please listen to me!"

She stood on the chair, facing the dark mass of people without fear, her tone gentle and calm, her voice possessing a calming power.

"I am the owner of this store, and I am very sorry that this happened. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, I apologize for the misfortune that everyone has suffered."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then someone shouted, "We don't need your apology, it's too late! You must be punished!"

Immediately, someone chimed in, "Liar! Smash her shop! Let her know that the people of E'guo are not to be trifled with!"

Then, echoes of agreement rang out from all sides of the crowd, and just as people's anger was about to be reignited, He Changyi's voice rang out again.

"Smashing shops will not only fail to solve the problem, but will also cause bigger trouble. Some people will bleed in the conflict, and some will be imprisoned afterward. Is your life worth ruining by a pair of leather shoes or a thermos? Anger is one of the seven deadly sins. Don't let it taint your faith!"

By the end, she was practically screaming.

"Heavenly Father is watching over you!"

The crowd fell silent.

Before anyone could object, He Changyi continued, "But I have an even better solution—for any product with quality issues, we will compensate you ten times the original price! For any injuries caused by product quality issues, the store will cover all medical expenses and compensate you ten times the loss!"

The crowd fell completely silent.

The plump woman at the front asked uncertainly, "Are you serious? You'll pay me ten times the amount?"

He Changyi said confidently, "Of course!"

As soon as she reached out her hand, Yelena immediately handed over the money, along with a pair of brand-new women's leather shoes.

He Changyi jumped off the chair, handed a stack of rubles and new leather shoes to the plump aunt, and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

The plump woman's expression softened somewhat, and when she squeezed the thickness of the ruble, her expression became even more gentle.

"Alright, alright, for God's sake..."

She muttered something, handed the worn-out shoes to Yelena, quickly stuffed the rubles into her inner pocket, and squeezed out of the crowd to leave.

That's a lot of money! She has to be careful not to get robbed!

With the first person taking the lead, the rest becomes much easier.

The crowd spontaneously formed a queue, one after another, leaving behind the returned goods and taking away brand-new items and ten times the compensation.

Some people came empty-handed and rushed home to get their things, not wanting to miss the chance to make a fortune!

The old man from Eguo stood to one side with a livid face, his feet surrounded by shards of a thermos.

He Changyi handed over the task of distributing compensation to Yelena, and then walked up to the old man.

"I'm so sorry..."

The old man said sharply, "I don't need your apology!"

He Changyi pursed her lips and said gently, "I understand how you feel. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't be able to stay rational either. He's still a child. For a child, this is not only torture for him, but also torture for his family."

The old man glared at He Changyi with hatred, his face tense and silent.

He Changyi could have simply given the old man the medical expenses and compensation and called it a day, but after thinking about it, she said, "Zhong Guo has a secret recipe for treating burns that heals very quickly and doesn't leave scars. If you don't mind, I hope I can use Zhong Guo's secret recipe to help him."

The old man asked suspiciously, "Are you telling the truth?"

He Changyi said, "Yes, China has a history of thousands of years. Its traditional medicine once led the world, and even today, some of its treatment methods are still applicable."

The old man didn't speak for a while, then reluctantly said, "I can let you try..."

Before He Changyi could speak, he added menacingly, "If it doesn't work, I'll smash your shop!"

He Changyi said warmly, "Go ahead and smash it. I'll smash it with you then."

The old man snorted, left his contact information and hospital address, and then left.

The crowd at the entrance gradually dispersed.

But some people lingered outside the queue, neither returning their goods nor rushing home to pick them up. They gathered in small groups, staring at this side and talking amongst themselves, their faces looking quite grim.

He Changyi glanced at them and immediately recognized that some of them had led the commotion while she was speaking.

He Changyi turned to Xie Xuejun and instructed, "Take a few men and follow them."

Xie Xuejun understood immediately.

"Should I bring them all back?"

He Changyi thought for a moment, "Not now. Take your camera and write down everyone they come into contact with."

She wants to find out who's behind it all.

Then, cut it off completely.