When I woke up, Jing Lei was still sound asleep. She was curled up beside me like a little cat, her breathing even and deep.
I didn't want to wake her, so I tiptoed out of bed and went to the bathroom.
The pain in my body was still there, just not as severe as last night. I could move and walk, though stretching the wound still caused a tearing pain.
When I came back, she was awake. She looked at me with drowsy eyes, then suddenly grabbed her phone as if she remembered something. Seeing that it wasn't too late, she lay back down on the bed and feigned sleep.
I lay down again. She snuggled close to me, her hand tracing patterns on my body. A fierce fire was ignited within me. She moved her head closer and whispered, "Endure it, not now!"
She tormented me to the point of agony. Seeing my suffering, she said, "Don't move, I'll do it."
After a long while, she got out of bed to wash up. She returned and sat beside me, asking, "Should I go buy some food first?"
I replied, "We can eat something on the way when you bring the clothes later. If you make two trips, we won't have enough time."
Jing Lei agreed, then pulled the blanket up for me, helped me get dressed, and hurried out to handle things.
As noon approached, we went to the winery together.
The raw stones in the warehouse were already in place. The empty space had been fitted with many shelves, and workers were busy with the installation.
Brother Leopard went to the port to meet Brother Qing. We went to the office area, which was converted from the original office building.
The first floor was a lobby that had become a trading area for finished stones. The second floor housed the finance and administrative offices, and a conference room. The third floor contained the general manager's and deputy general manager's offices, and a VIP reception room.
My office was directly opposite Brother Leopard's, only slightly smaller.
This was my first time in the office. The staff asked us to sit down and went to get us water.
I asked Lan Ya and Jing Lei to sit on the sofa. I stood by the window, watching to see if Brother Leopard would return.
Brother Qing's arrival at this time was likely to check on those two raw stones and see if he could still win the gamble. Brother Leopard hadn't given him shares that day. Although it seemed he hadn't suffered any loss, he was certainly not reconciled. His true intention was still to win the gamble.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so eager to see the site when things were not even finalized.
I felt a vague sense of unease. This stone was a stubborn one; if it were good, all would be well. The problem was that it had yielded high-quality green, far exceeding the value of the raw stone. For Brother Qing, who was short on cash, this was a tricky situation. If not handled properly, it could lead to deep misunderstanding with Brother Qing and possibly cause a rift between brothers.
This wasn't a matter of a small sum; it was tens of millions, even hundreds of millions. In the 1990s, tens of millions was the total annual output of a medium-sized county town!
Remote and impoverished areas didn't have that much; they were in the millions.
Just then, two black sedans drove in. It was Brother Qing.
I hurriedly went downstairs with the two of them to greet them.
As soon as we stepped out, Brother Qing and Sister Xiang got out of the car. Sister Xiang was as alluring as ever, her seductive waist swaying as she walked beside Brother Qing.
My breathing quickened again. I had no immunity to Sister Xiang; I lost my composure every time I saw her.
Brother Leopard, adopting a welcoming posture, gestured for Brother Qing and his entourage to come inside. The rest of us stood by to greet them.
Brother Qing shook hands with each of us. When he reached me, he specifically said, "Little brother, you're gambling two good stones for me this time. I'm in urgent need of money lately."
My scalp tingled. What I feared had come to pass; his visit was indeed related to money.
If he found out the big stone had yielded, he would definitely fight for it.
Brother Leopard invited Brother Qing and his group to the reception room. The two bodyguards did not enter, standing by the door. Da Kui offered each of them a cigarette, but they declined, so Da Kui put them back in the pack. I sat in a seat by the side, with Jing Lei sitting next to me.
Brother Leopard briefed Brother Qing on the winery renovation and the preliminary opening date.
Brother Qing nodded, saying approvingly, "You're fast. You've only been back a few days and already there's a blueprint. But I spend money faster than you. After the battle with Bo Gang last time, the government army took ten million directly, and I still have to support so many people every day. It's driving me crazy."
Over there, everything was tied to money. If troops were deployed, money had to be provided.
Brother Qing said, "In the Kang Gong matter, Bo Gang got the cheap end of the stick. He can profit greatly from the seized timber and sealed warehouses, and even claim credit from the government army."
Brother Leopard said, "We were a bit hasty with the Kang Gong matter, but when that old man Kang Gong demanded Hua Zi's arm the next day, how could I agree? We had to act overnight."
Brother Qing said, "Let's not dwell on the past. The key is to make back the money. Oh, right, where are those two stones? Let Hua Zi take another look. Is there any hope of salvaging them? I put so much hope into gambling on that stone, I never expected it wouldn't yield."
Finally, the main topic was broached. The real intention wasn't about the stones; gambling was just a pretext to bring up the subject.
Since Brother Qing had withdrawn at the time, he could only ask indirectly, even if it meant snatching a bite, he needed a reason.
Brother Leopard looked a bit uncomfortable and was momentarily at a loss for words. I quickly said, "We've been busy since we got back and haven't had time to look."
Brother Qing said, "Today is perfect. Let's just have a simple meal; no need to waste time at the banquet. We can go and see it then."
Brother Leopard's forehead began to sweat. It seemed he still couldn't find a suitable response.
I continued, "Brother Qing, don't worry, we have time today. We still need to eat, right?"
Brother Qing looked at me, nodded, and said, "Ah Bao, let's eat first, and then we'll go see the stones."
Brother Leopard agreed somewhat awkwardly, then stood up and invited Brother Qing to move to the dining area.
Once everyone was seated, Brother Leopard gave me a look, signaling me to come out.
He then said to Brother Qing, "I'm going to the restroom. Do you want to go, Brother Qing?"
Brother Qing waved his hand, "You go ahead. You're still young, unlike this old man. My prostate is doing just fine!" He then glanced at Sister Xiang, who leaned her head onto Brother Qing's shoulder, looking at him alluringly.
I almost got a nosebleed. What kind of monster was this? She could kill a person with just a look.
I quickly stood up and walked out with my head down. Brother Qing called out from behind, "See, here's another young one. He needs to replenish his kidney! So weak at such a young age." He then burst into laughter.
To be honest, my kidneys were a bit weak. First Lan Ya, then Jing Lei – neither of them was easy to handle. It was no wonder I felt drained.
I found Brother Leopard outside. He was pacing anxiously. Seeing me approach, he quickly said, "What should we do? We can't cover it up. The stone has already yielded. Won't he explode when he sees it?"
I replied, "We can show him the unopened one first. We'll figure out a way to make him give up on this one."
Brother Leopard said, "I know his personality too well. The more you try to hide it from him, the more he'll suspect something is wrong. Isn't this like running headfirst into the line of fire?"