0142 151 Resource Curse

Ling Xingzhi tried his best to keep the news under wraps, but the news of Wei Luochen's death still spread like wildfire.

Wei's parents were unaware of this. He wanted to personally deliver this cold, hard news and then bring them over. Even if Wei's parents had any complaints about him, he would accept them.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. Ling Xingzhi was silent for a few seconds before speaking, "Zhou Xiye? You're back in Kunming? I have some personal matters to take care of here, so I might not be able to go back for a few days."

Ling Xingzhi called Zhou Xiye, his voice low and deep.

On the other end of the phone, Qiao Senxi chuckled, "Mayor Ling, Secretary Zhou is currently abroad on an inspection tour and busy with investment promotion. I will definitely pass on your message to her."

Ling Xingzhi was taken aback. He looked up at the gray sky outside the window, but his tone remained unchanged. "Secretary Qiao, thank you for your trouble," he said, and then hung up the phone.

Zhou Xiye did indeed go abroad for an inspection tour, but then again, a country cannot be without a leader for a day. Currently, the people who hold real power in Kunming are Vice Mayor Wu Gao and Qiao Senxi, though Qiao Senxi holds more power. Although his position isn't high, it's equivalent to a combination of the Grand Eunuch and the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial in the Ming Dynasty. Submitting memorials upwards and conveying policies downwards all require the Grand Eunuch's approval. If the Emperor doesn't want to read a particular memorial, then naturally the eunuch makes the decision.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Qiao Senxi was a eunuch, just that their positions were similar.

"Mayor Ling has something to do and can't come back," Qiao Senxi hung up the phone, walked out of Zhou Xiye's office, and looked at the secretaries in front of her. Zhou Xiye's second and third secretaries had accompanied her abroad, leaving only Pan Yun to help Qiao Senxi. "Just do as Secretary Zhou decided before he left. Everyone, go and get busy."

After saying this, he turned to look at Pan Yun, "The investors of Fuxianlou are still waiting in the conference room. Tell her that Mayor Ling is not here either, and we can talk about it when they come back." As he spoke, he buttoned up his suit jacket and walked towards his office.

Pan Yun didn't leave, but stood there looking at Qiao Senxi. "Secretary Qiao, she said she won't leave until she sees Secretary Zhou or Mayor Ling."

Qiao Senxi paused, turned to look at Pan Yun, and said, "One is in Beijing, and the other is abroad. Even if you ask her to talk to me, she won't. Just leave her alone."

Indeed, the investors of Fuxianlou were on the verge of tears as soon as they entered Zhou Xiye's office. When they found she wasn't there, and after hearing from Qiao Senxi that Zhou Xiye had gone on an inspection trip, they insisted it was a lie and refused to see her. A still-attractive young woman glared and stomped her feet, causing her Chanel coat draped over her shoulders to fall to the ground.

"I won't leave until she comes!"

Qiao Senxi's attitude was initially quite good, but the beautiful young woman in front of him was unyielding and insisted on seeing Zhou Xiye. "No one else has the final say on this matter except her. I want to see the person who has the final say."

This shows they don't treat eunuchs like human beings. Qiao Senxi didn't want to waste his time, so he ignored her.

Qiao Senxi returned to his office and sent Zhou Xiye a message: "Mayor Ling is handling personal matters in Beijing and won't be back for a while." After sending the message, he put his phone on the table and immediately noticed the cigar box on the table.

He stretched out his arm, held the cigar box in front of him, opened it, took out a cigar, smelled it along the body of the cigar, and finally let out a satisfied sigh.

These are Havana cigars delivered by a travel agency. Their purpose is for Qiao Senxi to pass a message to Zhou Xiye: once the agritourism project restarts, their agency wants to secure some large contracts. When cooperating with the government, the most important thing is to clarify the terms of the agreement.

This box of cigars is just an appetizer.

Josenxi fixed the cigar with cigar tongs, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

The intense nicotine spread rapidly through his brain. He took a deep breath, his eyes became glazed over, and he was drunk.

A few minutes later, he came to his senses and stared at the cigar box. He found the red cloth strange, so he took out his hand to adjust the position of the cigar while smoking, but unexpectedly, when he picked up the cigar and pulled out the red cloth, a card fell to the ground.

Josenxi stared at the card, motionless. After a few seconds, he bent down and picked it up from the ground, his fingertips scraping against the surface as he struggled to lift it. He blew on the card, removing the unseen dust. It was a gleaming gold card. He looked at both sides; the PIN and amount were written on it. Josenxi's fingers trembled slightly, and he quickly placed the card on the table.

The office door was closed; no one knew, and no one saw.

Josen took the cigarette out of his mouth, held it between his middle and index fingers, rested his hand on the edge of the desk, and kept his eyes glued to the number.

Two million.

It wasn't much, but he'd never seen so much money before. Even when he was a narcotics officer, risking his life and becoming a hero, receiving a first-class merit award, he'd never seen so much money. A life isn't worth that much, but a single word is worth two million.

Qiao Senxi raised his hand to touch his forehead, leaned back in his chair, took another drag of his cigarette, and closed his eyes. After a while, he opened his eyes, stubbed out his cigar, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a number. A ringtone from Yunnan rang out. Qiao Senxi licked his lips upon hearing this, and as soon as the call connected, his expression immediately changed. "Mr. Wang, it's me, Secretary Qiao... Yes, so, are you free tonight? How about we have dinner together? Um... I'll choose the place, you can come..."

After hanging up the phone, he sighed, wiped his face with both hands, looked at the cigar on the table, threw the smoked cigar into the trash can, put the glittering card back in its place, and locked it in the drawer.

After receiving the message, Zhou Xiye called Ling Xingzhi, but the phone rang for a long time without answering. He put down his phone, thinking to himself, "These are turbulent times already, and things are finally getting back on track. With the mayor and the party secretary absent, how can this possibly work?"

But getting angry was useless, so she could only lower her head and continue eating her ice cream. Not far away, children were making a lot of noise. Looking up, she saw a white couple with three children, two girls and a boy. The little boy was laughing and shouting.

The other people in the store saw it and just frowned. Zhou Xiye ignored them, but when he looked down to take the next bite of ice cream, the white boy looked over, put his middle finger between his eyebrows and the corner of his eye, and pulled it along the direction of his temple. His eyes instantly narrowed and flew backward, looking strange and awkward.

Zhou Xiye paused, her hand holding the ice cream, but her expression remained unchanged. A few seconds later, she continued eating with her head down. The parent sitting next to the white boy noticed his behavior, glanced at Zhou Xiye with disdain, and a mocking smile played on their lips.

The other two daughters laughed when they saw this, and their outstretched hands, seemingly to stop the other daughters, were actually just a way to create a lively atmosphere.

Everyone present saw it; some people, with fries in their mouths, shook their heads and looked away. Others, who were talking, were interrupted by their laughter, and although their faces showed displeasure, they simply turned their heads and continued talking.

Only Zhou Xiye remained unperturbed, continuing to eat her ice cream. A few scattered glances fell upon the Asian woman; they were curious. She was beautiful yet remarkably composed, as if nothing could disturb her.

Zhou Xiye finished his ice cream, stood up, and walked to the counter. The person taking orders had witnessed what had just happened. When he saw Zhou Xiye, he moved his lips, "Sorry..."

The beautiful Asian woman didn't look at him; her gaze went past him to the photo wall. "Could I have that photo?" Zhou Xiye pointed to a photo on the wall. The waiter followed Zhou Xiye's gaze. "You..."

Zhou Xiye nodded. "This is my friend. Thank you for your help."

The waiter didn't know what to do. The photos on the wall were, in principle, not to be touched by anyone. He looked at the photos, then at Zhou Xiye, "...Actually, you could have let him come and get them himself..."

Zhou Xiye raised an eyebrow, instantly exuding the aura of a superior. A polite smile appeared on her lips. "If you give me this photo, I won't file a complaint against you," she said, tilting her head slightly. "I won't pursue that matter either."

The waiter opened his mouth, but Zhou Xiye just looked at him calmly.

Finally, the waiter reluctantly took the photos down from the wall and handed them to Zhou Xiye. Zhou Xiye took the photos, didn't look at them closely, and put them in the inside pocket of his clothes. "Check, please."

"good."

Zhou Xiye took out his wallet and pulled out a few green banknotes. "That table, put it on my tab too."

The waiter paused, looked at the table of white people Zhou Xiye was pointing at, and asked in surprise, "Are you sure...?"

Zhou Xiye nodded, placed the green banknote on the table, and with a light tap of his finger, pushed the money towards the waiter.

"That's $170 in total... You've given too much."

Zhou Xiye waved his hand, "No need to look, it's all yours," and turned to leave. Panama and Beijing are thirteen hours apart, and it was already night, but Zhou Xiye was still wearing sunglasses. The lenses reflected the smiling face of the white boy and his father turning to look at him.

Zhou Xiye also smiled, but the smile on his lips was like a sharp knife.

The footsteps grew louder and louder as she approached. The boy raised his hand, his middle finger already extended, about to touch the corner of his eye. In a flash, Zhou Xiye moved the ice cream cake on the table with one hand and grabbed the boy's blond hair with the other, pressing it down hard.

The boy buried his head completely in the ice cream cake. He struggled, but Zhou Xiye pressed him down hard. The white boy felt cold on his nose and face, and the unblown candles on his face created a mixture of cold and fire.

Across from them, the boy's father stood up. Zhou Xiye let go of his hand, picked up a cup from the table and splashed it on the man's face. Then, she grabbed a beverage bottle and smashed it against the man's cheek. "A bunch of stupid white pigs."

The man was stunned, only his two daughters screaming. Zhou Xiye looked at them and smiled, pulled a few tissues from the table to wipe his hands, and threw the tissues into the cup of the drink on the table. The tissues gradually dissolved in water.

Zhou Xiye hurriedly left the ice cream shop, but the white couple still chased after him, saying, "You..."

Before he could utter the filthy words, he saw the gleaming muzzle of a gun in the darkness.

"...We are from America!"

Zhou Xiye chuckled and fired a shot at the man's foot. Violence? There will always be something more powerful than a fist. Passersby screamed and ran. Those inside the glass door watched the woman standing motionless amidst the chaos, her clothes tugged by the wind, a hint of mockery on her lips, her black hair billowing in the breeze—she looked like Satan from hell.

The unarmed American man ran away. Zhou Xiye pursed his lips, turned around, and got into the car.

The black car started, and Zhou Xiye threw the gun to Wang Xiaodong. He picked up the gun; it was very hot and smelled of gunpowder.

"Secretary, what are our plans next?"

Zhou Xiye took off his clothes and handed them to Bai Jialing. "I've looked into the companies that supply agricultural equipment. They all import from the Netherlands. We might have to make a trip to the Netherlands."

“Didn’t we agree to go directly to the Netherlands? Although agriculture dominates the economy here, the equipment isn’t cheap…” Wang Xiaodong muttered. Zhou Xiye looked over, and he didn’t dare to continue, “Have you booked the plane tickets to the Netherlands? How’s the coordination with those factories going?”

“It’s all arranged… Secretary Zhou, there are several factories in Kunming that produce agricultural equipment, but you’re not the owner of any of them, so you don’t need to go to such lengths.”

Zhou Xiye shook his head. "These are two different things. You all know Yunnan's geographical advantages. Although we want to take a step further in creating a civilized city, we also need to combine our geographical advantages with the development of agriculture. Agricultural equipment is even more crucial. Those state-owned enterprises not only have outdated equipment, but they must have also been involved in a lot of corruption."

"What about agritourism businesses?"

Bai Jialing suddenly asked, the light from outside the window flashing across Zhou Xiye's face, "I heard that there's a plan in the province to develop real estate and build luxury villas. This plan is indeed worth considering. In the long run, if we're going to make money from the rich, to rob the rich and help the poor... it's said that 20% of the people control 80% of the wealth," she sighed slightly, "if we take money from those 80% of people to support the entire city of Kunming, that would be considered a blessing for the people."

Wang Xiaodong chuckled after hearing this, "Where do the rich people come from? Aren't they just being taken from 80% of the population? It's like returning something to its rightful owner..."

The three people in the car chatted and laughed all the way.

Those far away in Beijing weren't having such an easy time. Almost simultaneously, many people received messages that Ye Rouxin's belongings left at the Panama Bank had been taken, including Ling Qingyun. After receiving the message, he called Ling Xingzhi.

Ling Xingzhi was at the airport, about to go out to find Wei Luochen's parents.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing Ling Qingyun's words, Ling Xingzhi immediately assumed that the person who took the item must be Zhou Xiye, especially since she was abroad. Only she could help Ye Rouxin like this. After hanging up, a missed call came in from Zhou Xiye.

He dialed back, and the flight attendant stood by, saying, "You can use a satellite phone..."

Ling Xingzhi waved his hand, and the call was quickly connected.

"Zhou Xiye, are you in Panama? Did you take those things?"