Chapter 6

The few lines of small text next to Ou Changqing's name made Wu Di's head instantly rush with blood. He stumbled and fell onto the bed. After a while, he clutched the blanket and burst into laughter. "There's a reaction, there's a response. God, I'll never be a materialist again!"

Wu Di placed his hand on his chest and took several deep breaths. He gently picked up the Wordless Heavenly Book, which now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. At this moment, next to Ou Changqing's name, there were a few lines of small text:

"Abducted son, Lu Xingfu, from Lujiefang Village, Shantun Township, Yang County, Shu Province."

Wu Di's eyes widened in shock. The son of Minister Ou was abducted? When did this happen? How could this be possible? What exactly is this Wordless Heavenly Book, that it can even reveal such information?

Wu Di read the words three times, one by one. What should he do? If he handed this to the police, they would likely handcuff him first, suspecting him of being involved in the abduction. Telling Minister Ou would likely result in the same outcome. What should he do? This was no longer just about a business deal; it involved the integrity of a family. One could imagine the despair of the parents who had lost their beloved child. Not knowing would be one thing, but how could he stand by after finding out? But what should he do? Send an anonymous letter? Even if it reached Minister Ou, once the son was found, they would certainly investigate the source of the letter. If they traced it back to him, it would only make things worse.

Wu Di found himself in a dilemma. He decided to put the matter aside for now and think of a strategy.

On Monday morning, Wu Di had barely exchanged a few words with Li Qinglong when Wang Jun called him away, along with the branch company's General Manager. Before leaving the company, Li Qinglong gave Wu Di a victory sign. Wu Di slapped his forehead, "Brother, take care. I'll treat you to a big meal when you come back to comfort your trampled heart."

Wu Di decided to first visit the Dahuishan Slum Renovation Project. There were many urgent matters, but life must go on. Without a foolproof plan, Wu Di would not act rashly.

The Dahuishan Slum Renovation Project was a government project, and the construction site was managed by a proxy. Wu Di chatted for a bit but didn't get any substantial information. He then found an office of the construction company, smoked, and chatted idly. The morning passed quickly. He received a call from Li Qinglong, who sounded very dejected. He didn't say much, only that he would treat Wu Di to drinks in the evening. Wu Di knew what was going on and didn't refuse, saying he would make plans after returning to the company.

At lunchtime, several engineers from the construction company went to the canteen with their lunch boxes. Wu Di had become familiar with these guys through cigarettes, and although they didn't invite him to join them for lunch, they didn't chase him away either. Wu Di sat on a chair, feeling a bit hungry but determined to wait. After spending the morning waiting, this was the moment he had been waiting for. Once everyone left, he planned to thoroughly search the office for any useful information.

Just as he was about to start, a guy with a smile walked in. Wu Di sized him up without showing any emotion. He was in his twenties, thin and small, with a long face and a slightly upturned chin. He wore a floral linen shirt and a pair of jeans, looking like someone who could easily become familiar with anyone.

"Hey, you didn't go to lunch? Engineer Fang asked me to wait for them here. What's your surname?"

"Mine is Wu."

"Engineer Wu, you're new here, right? I haven't seen you around the site much. Here's my card, I'm Du Qifang, in charge of equipment."

Wu Di took the card and smiled. A competitor. He looked at the back of the card and asked, "So, you seem pretty familiar. Did you get the deal?"

"Get the deal? This deal is already dead. It was gone from the design stage. A guy with connections to the district construction committee couldn't even get it. I heard the Dah River Company got the district chief!"

"Really? That much influence?"

"Don't you believe it? It's the district chief named Li, I forget his full name, but I looked it up online a few days ago. To be honest, the guy with connections to the district construction committee is me. No luck with the equipment, so I thought I'd try to get some work from your side."

"What's the chief's name? How do I know you didn't just look it up online?"

"By the heavens and the earth, Chief Qian is my fellow townsman. We're related, going back three generations! Don't believe me? Ask Engineer Fang, we've already discussed it."

"Alright, I believe you. Have you eaten? I'm going to lunch. You can stay in the office."

"Sure thing, Engineer Wu, take your time."

Leaving the site, Wu Di laughed. How stupid, almost got sent to the police station by the security guard. He should have checked online. With government transparency, the information of these high officials is all online. Finding their positions and birthdays is a piece of cake.

Wu Di couldn't wait to get back to the company, so he found an internet cafe and looked up the information on the district chief and the construction committee chief. The guy was right; the construction committee chief did indeed have the surname Qian. Both the district chief and the deputy district chief had the surname Li. No problem, he would write them all down. After completing this, he closed the cover and waited for the results.

He played a small game for ten minutes, then opened the Wordless Heavenly Book. To his surprise, the blank space was still empty, with no words displayed! What was going on? Did he not find the key person? Could the decision-maker be at the city level? Or were these people just too influential? Wu Di felt he had used more brainpower in the past two days than in the past two years of work. All because of this Heavenly Book! He decided to have hotpot for dinner, as hotpot has pig brain, and he would order two servings to replenish his brain.

In the afternoon, he rushed to three of his own projects and returned to the company promptly at six o'clock.

He wrote reports, attended a meeting, and reviewed projects. The whole process took until seven o'clock. Looking at Li Qinglong's desk, the guy still hadn't returned. He asked Manager Wang, who said Li Qinglong had taken leave. Wu Di packed up his things and called Li Qinglong, hearing a sleepy voice on the other end. He sighed and said, "Get up quickly, I'm treating you to hotpot!"

Li Qinglong said weakly, "I don't want hotpot, I want to drink."

"Fine, we can drink with hotpot. Let's have white liquor, the spicier it gets, the more we drink, and the more we drink, the spicier it gets. It'll be great. Go find a spot, I'll be there in half an hour."

When Wu Di arrived, Li Qinglong was already drinking, but not white liquor. A bottle of beer was already empty, and no food was in sight.

"Did you order any food? Add two servings of pig brain for me, I need to replenish."

"Sure, I need to replenish too! Brother Wu, I regret not listening to your advice."

"What's wrong with you? It's like you lost your wife and child."

"Damn, are you that vicious?"

Li Qinglong suddenly perked up.

"Come on, your wife hasn't even been born yet! Did you mess up with Old Yuan?"

"How did you know?"

"Your face says it all. Even a pig could tell you messed up."

"I shouldn't have listened to the manager and gone to Old Yuan's daughter. You weren't there, but Old Yuan was pointing at the General Manager, cursing and spitting. He even called us spies and Nationalist spies. Man, I heard that other branch companies also go to clients' homes, but I've never heard of anything this extreme."

"It was fine a few years ago, but now it's annoying. And it's different in different places. People in Beijing especially hate it. Didn't I warn you?"

"Ah, what could I do? The manager told me to go. But the General Manager is a real character. Our manager kept apologizing and explaining, but the General Manager didn't say a word. Once Old Yuan was done cursing, he got up and left, saying he would take responsibility and not let it affect our mood. Our manager couldn't handle it, his face turning red and then green. I thought, 'I better get out of here,' so I took leave."

Perhaps because of the alcohol, Li Qinglong's spirits lifted, and he spoke animatedly, spitting into the hotpot. Wu Di kept pushing him back.

Finally, the food arrived, and Li Qinglong finished his story. He stretched and said, "Comfortable, let's eat!"

After a few bites, Wu Di asked, "How's the project with the Ministry of Construction?"

"Damn, why am I so unlucky? I keep getting these projects. Another set of four, and the connections are even worse than here! I haven't secured anyone! I'm thinking of giving up."

"Who did you try to contact at the Ministry of Construction?"

"Man, if it weren't for Old Yuan's outburst today, we were planning to contact the Minister of Construction in a couple of days! We even got his phone number. Old Wang is really something, he can even get through to a vice-minister!"

"Damn, really? You have his phone number?"

Li Qinglong said proudly, "Of course, I pretended to be from the Xinjiang office and tricked it out. This Minister Ou is a big shot, his family has a long history. But he's also a bit unlucky. He's a high-ranking official, but his family is in trouble."

"How so?"

"Five years ago, his child was abducted. His wife had an accident during childbirth and can't have more children. Now he has no heirs. How unlucky is that?"

Wu Di was stunned. What kind of person is Li Qinglong, knowing all this?