How a Salaryman Became an Underworld Boss

“Excuse me?!”

Vice Chairman Tang Guochang’s thunderously astonished voice came through the phone.

Five billion dollars was an enormous sum of money, not something you could just find lying around. If someone offered you that much for free, it was hard to keep your emotions in check.

“Oh, Vice Chairman Tang, I thought I was going to go deaf.”

“Haha. My apologies. I was simply stunned.”

“By the way, that five billion dollars is coming directly from Chairman Zhen Weiliang’s personal funds.”

“Are you implying that I should convey my gratitude to Chairman Zhen?”

As expected, Tang Guochang’s quick wit was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

“You’re absolutely right, Vice Chairman Tang.”

“As soon as the five billion dollars arrives, I’ll immediately express my sincere gratitude to Chairman Zhen.”

“Please do.”

“Still, how did Chairman Zhen manage to obtain such an enormous sum?”

“Chairman Zhen sold gemstones to Politburo member Liu Peiqi for a substantial price.”

I briefly told Tang Guochang about the deal between Zhen Weiliang and Liu Peiqi.

“...And he decided to use most of the profit he made to support you.”

“If my undertaking succeeds, I’ll repay Chairman Zhen generously.”

“He’ll be pleased to hear that.”

“By the way, Directorate Chief Cha, since we’re on the subject, there’s something I’d like to ask. What if we intercept the diamonds Liu Peiqi bought from Chairman Zhen?”

I had expected such a suggestion.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“But if we leave things as they are, that bastard might secure a seat on the Standing Committee!”

“We can deal with him before the National People’s Congress begins.”

“He’s extremely cautious, so we need to account for the possibility that we may fail to eliminate him.”

“Once your undertaking succeeds, Vice Chairman Tang, Liu Peiqi will hardly be able to call himself alive even if he is still breathing.”

“Well... I suppose you’re right.”

Even so, I could hear a faint trace of anxiety in Tang Guochang’s voice. To put his mind completely at ease, I resorted to drastic measures.

“Vice Chairman Tang, there’s a chance Liu Peiqi won’t make it onto the Standing Committee at all.”

“I’d like to hear what makes you think that.”

“Have you ever heard of artificially grown diamonds?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of them.”

“They’re what are known as lab-grown diamonds, diamonds produced artificially.”

I explained in detail the characteristics, composition, price, and current market situation surrounding lab-grown diamonds.

“...Because of them, the natural diamond market is rapidly declining.”

“I see... Does Liu Peiqi know about this?”

“If he did, he wouldn’t have bought natural diamonds from Chairman Zhen.”

“Seems I asked a foolish question.”

“Not at all. He intends to present those gemstones to Chairman Xi Jinping while inflating their value several times over.”

“That sounds exactly like him. That’s precisely what he would do.”

“Cutting the rough diamonds will certainly increase their value, but nowhere near as much as he expects. What do you think will happen when Chairman Xi learns that Liu Peiqi lied to him?”

“Hahahahaha!”

Tang Guochang burst into booming laughter, as though he had read my mind. I waited for his laughter to subside before continuing.

“If Chairman Xi is already well aware of the nature of artificial diamonds, we’ll be treated to quite an interesting spectacle.”

“Oh, yes. Without a doubt.”

Tang Guochang replied confidently, making it clear that he had completely grasped my plan. Deciding that was enough, I changed the subject.

“For Chairman Zhen to transfer the five billion dollars to you, he’ll need your account details.”

“I’ll send them to you in a message as soon as we finish this call.”

After discussing a couple more details, we said goodbye. A message containing the account information arrived shortly afterward. I copied the details onto a sheet of paper and handed it to Chairman Zhen Weiliang. He picked up the internal phone, gave a brief instruction, then hung up.

“Directorate Chief Cha, contact Vice Chairman Tang and tell him the money will be sent within thirty minutes.”

“He trusts you, so there’s no need for a separate call.”

“I understand. Still... Do you really think Liu Peiqi will just let this go?”

Once Liu Peiqi learned about the existence of lab-grown diamonds, he would undoubtedly storm over to Zhen Weiliang and accuse him of fraud. That was exactly what the Chairman was worried about now. I decided to help him out a little.

“If Liu Peiqi makes a scene, simply show him the sales contract.”

“The contract?”

“Page fifteen clearly states that the emergence of artificial diamonds may cause significant fluctuations in natural diamond prices.”

“Wait a moment.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang immediately summoned his secretary and ordered him to bring the contract. A moment later, the secretary rushed into the reception room, breathing heavily, with the document in his hands. Taking the papers from him, Zhen Weiliang found page fifteen and began reading. After a while, he placed a hand over his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew...”

“If Liu Peiqi raises a fuss, just tell him that ‘artificial diamonds’ referred specifically to lab-grown diamonds.”

“Of course. But tell me, Directorate Chief Cha, how did you even know about that clause?”

“To protect ourselves against the worst-case scenario, I asked the lawyers to include that wording.”

“I’m amazed by your foresight. I literally take my hat off to you!”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang leaned back against the sofa and jokingly threw both his hands and feet into the air. We burst out laughing at the sight. Once the atmosphere had relaxed, Vice Chairman Wei Chen spoke up.

“Chairman Zhen, shouldn’t we properly celebrate how beautifully we pulled one over on Liu Peiqi?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

Laughing, Zhen Weiliang rose from the sofa.

***

The next day.

Since the purpose of my business trip to Hong Kong had been completely accomplished, I had planned to fly out that morning. However, Chairman Zhen Weiliang persuaded me to stay for lunch, so I had to postpone my departure until the afternoon.

After the meal, the Chairman said goodbye and left to attend to some business. We returned to our room, packed our things, and headed to the airport together with Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

“Vice Chairman Wei, couldn’t you have returned to Macau by car?”

“Since I’m already here, I should at least personally see you off at the airport, Directorate Chief Cha.”

“Is there something you want to discuss?”

“Haha. You figured it out?”

“Even a three-year-old could figure that out.”

“Hahaha, all right. When are you planning to go to the Philippines?”

Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui had signed a contract to supply North Korean weapons to the Philippine rebels of Abu Sayyaf. However, because of my interference, those shipments had either been intercepted by the U.S. military or destroyed in explosions.

Backed into a corner, Chen Zhihui had offered to supply them with North Korean missiles in an attempt to quell Abu Sayyaf’s growing dissatisfaction. By now, three North Korean submarines carrying sixty missiles and their launchers were already heading toward the Philippines.

Vice Chairman Wei Chen intended to seize this opportunity to eliminate Chen Zhihui once and for all. To do that, he would have to go directly to the island of Mindanao, where Chen Zhihui was hiding.

Unlike him, however, I had no reason whatsoever to go to the Philippines.

And yet Wei Chen was talking as though my trip there had already been decided. I cautiously asked why.

“I spoke with Director Nevers this morning. He told me that he and Director Griffin will be heading to the Philippines soon. They plan to visit President Gonzalez, and he mentioned that you’re supposed to attend the meeting as well.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“The decision was only made a couple of hours ago, so they probably haven’t had time to contact you yet.”

“I see. And why did you call me?”

“An hour ago, Politburo member Liu Peiqi met with Chairman Xi Jinping.”

In other words, Liu Peiqi had gone to an audience with Xi Jinping to present him with the diamonds.

“Looks like Liu Peiqi is too impatient for his own good.”

“The way you say that makes it sound as though you know why they met. Am I right?”

“He bought gemstones from Chairman Zhen. I don’t think I need to say any more than that.”

“Of course.”

“Do you know what they discussed?”

“No. However, I do know that after Liu Peiqi returned to his office, he smashed everything in there to pieces. I’m calling to ask whether you happen to know why he was so furious.”

‘Tang Guochang probably knows.’

“Director Griffin, I’ll call you back in a little while.”

Click.

After hanging up, I immediately dialed Vice Chairman Tang Guochang. The phone had barely rung once when his voice came from the other end, as though he had been waiting for my call.

“Directorate Chief Cha, I’m listening.”

“Vice Chairman Tang, do you know what happened with Liu Peiqi?”

“Hahahahaha!”

Tang Guochang suddenly burst into booming laughter. Not quite understanding what was going on, I patiently waited for him to calm down. After a while, he finally caught his breath and spoke.

“Chairman Xi tore that bastard Liu Peiqi to shreds!”

“What was the reason?”

“Last night, I secretly met with Chairman Xi’s personal secretary, Deng Zhiping, and explained in detail what lab-grown diamonds are.”

Secretary Deng Zhiping had naturally reported the matter to Xi Jinping immediately.

Liu Peiqi, completely unaware of this, presented the stones and inflated their value to the heavens. Chairman Xi, already informed about lab-grown diamonds, had then given him a merciless dressing-down.

Wanting to confirm my guess, I cautiously asked a question.

“Directorate Chief Cha, you should open a fortune-telling shop!”

“Haha. Really? And what happened after that?”

“Chairman Xi simply refused to accept Liu Peiqi’s gifts.”

“Then his chances of making it onto the Standing Committee are practically zero now.”

“Haha. I think so too. Maybe I should take that seat myself?”

But I had a different opinion on that.

“If you decide to compete for a seat on the Standing Committee, you’ll have to enter a vicious struggle with your rivals.”

“Of course.”

“Your competitors will watch your every move, looking for anything they can use against you. Under those circumstances, the undertaking you’re planning could be at risk of exposure.”

“Hmm... I hadn’t thought of that.”

“The Standing Committee member’s term has only two months left. Let someone else have the seat.”

“All right. I’ll take your advice.”

“Then we’ll talk again later.”

Click.

The moment I hung up, Vice Chairman Wei Chen immediately leaned forward.

“Directorate Chief Cha, what’s the situation?”

“If you listen to my conversation with Director Griffin, you’ll understand everything yourself.”

With that, I dialed Director Griffin’s number.