Chapter 81

"Perhaps you can go into business. I can help you. First, it can cover your identity, and second, you can also start your own business."

"In that case, I'll rely on Miss Qiao." Ding Hao had not yet shaken off his gloom. Was this lady doing it on purpose? If she had told him about the thirty million earlier, he wouldn't have gone to Qiao Siping's house, been intimidated by the three of them, and felt like he was joining a criminal gang. Sigh... What a hard life!

On the third day, Qiao Yunna sent a brand new red Audi R8, the same color as Ding Hao's old car. Looking at the two cars in the courtyard, big and small, Ding Hao couldn't help but shake his head. Damn, being rich is really good.

A week later, Liu Yiding came to Xixi Qingyuan and handed him a military ID. It clearly read: Special Forces Colonel, wearing a new military uniform with a yellow shoulder badge with two bars and three stars. Ding Hao happily took it and saluted Liu Yiding in a very unstandard military manner: "Thank you, Commander!"

"Don't thank me. It was Secretary Qiao who helped you. With this certificate, you will have certain privileges, but you will also bear the safety of many high officials and civilians in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. I hope you can handle it!"

"Absolutely, I will complete the task!" Although Ding Hao didn't like being an official, being a military officer was an exception. He believed that every passionate young man had a general's dream, and he had inadvertently become a colonel, just one step away from being a general.

"This is your ID and information. Remember it well. From now on, this is your identity. I will have someone transfer your file to the capital." After saying this, he turned and left.

"General, I'll see you out!"

"No need. Save your money, kid!" Liu Yiding didn't know that the two Audis were from Qiao Yunna, assuming they were Ding Hao's show of wealth.

"Understood."

After seeing Liu Yiding off, Ding Hao opened another bag of documents. Inside was a dedicated mobile phone and contact information for various military and political officials, including the provincial party secretary, deputy secretary, military division commander, political commissar, and public security chief, about twenty to thirty people in total. These were probably the high officials his master had mentioned, meaning he would occasionally be dispatched to protect these big shots.

Another contact list contained the names of the Flame Dragon organization's personnel in East China, a total of thirty-two people across six provinces and one city, with five people in each province and city. Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces had one more person because it was Liu Yiding's jurisdiction. Ding Hao was an external member!

Of course, a pistol was included, but Ding Hao didn't take it seriously because his master had once told him that shooting people was the job of professional soldiers. By the time Ding Hao needed to use a gun, it would basically mean he was in a losing situation.

There was also a detailed record of how to seek help in case of danger, the locations of SEAL and Wolf Tooth units, and the contact information of their leaders, as well as a thick organizational charter that detailed the privileges and obligations of Flame Dragon members. The first rule was to abide by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.

Ding Hao saw this and knew it didn't matter whether he read it or not. He threw it aside.

Flipping through, he found his identity information: Ding Hao, male, 19 years old, French-Chinese.

Damn, I'm a Frenchman now? I don't speak French! What was Liu Yiding thinking? This identity might fool Chinese people, but what if I encounter someone who speaks a foreign language? Ding Hao didn't continue reading but took out the contact list and called Liu Yiding with the dedicated phone.

"General Liu, why did you make me a French-Chinese?"

"What, not satisfied?"

"Not that, but I don't speak French."

"Who says French-Chinese must speak French? Besides, you can learn."

"..."

"Do you have anything else?"

"No, I was just testing the phone. Goodbye!"

You can learn, but Liu Yiding really didn't understand the difficulty. Learning French isn't like playing bumper cars; it's not that easy. Whatever, let it be for now.

For a while, Ding Hao had nothing to do.

Liu Xia came a few times, asking about the Audi. Ding Hao just said it was a friend's car temporarily parked there and continued to drive his old car.

Of course, Ding Hao didn't take the remaining dividends from Yunhe Villa for the rest of the year. He said it was a gesture of friendship and asked Chen Fang to save it for Liu Xia's dowry, making Liu Jiang and his wife feel very uncomfortable. Liu Xia didn't know what Ding Hao was up to.

On one hand, he was indifferent, and on the other, he gave up tens of thousands of yuan without a second thought. As a result, Liu Xia was troubled, and Liu Jiang's wife kept asking her daughter if she had a relationship with Ding Hao.

Liu Xia wanted to, but Ding Hao didn't care. Love can't be one-sided like a barber's pole.

Qiao Yunna also called every few days, asking Ding Hao if he had any ideas or needed help. Ding Hao always said he had no ideas, which made Qiao Yunna angry and call him useless. Ding Hao just ignored it. He had ideas, but he couldn't say them!

One day, Ding Hao received a call from Qiao Yunna, asking him to go to the Shanwai Mountain Restaurant and specifically to drive the Audi.

Ding Hao knew it would be inappropriate to meet someone of Qiao Yunna's level in his old car, but if Qiao Yunna hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have noticed. When Ding Hao arrived at the hall, someone led him to a small room where Qiao Yunna and a middle-aged man in a suit were waiting.

"Miss Qiao..."

Qiao Yunna pulled Ding Hao aside and whispered, "My father might be going to the capital soon, and I will definitely follow. I might not be able to help you in the future. I don't know if you're interested in business. I see you have a villa in Liuxia. If you like the food industry, there's a good opportunity now!"

"What opportunity?"

"Shanwai Mountain is a state-owned enterprise that has been losing money for several years. The Qianjiang municipal government has decided to auction it. The base price has been set. I brought an accountant today. Do you have any questions?"

"..."

Ding Hao knew Qiao Yunna was trying to help him, partly to repay his life-saving favor and perhaps with a hint from Qiao Siping. If they were worried about other families pulling Ding Hao away, they might as well pull him in first and show their stance to others. Ding Hao finally understood what it meant to be in the江湖 (jianghu, a term for the world of martial arts and underworld).

From Qiao Siping's perspective, Ding Hao couldn't refuse. From Ding Hao's perspective, the gold in the magical space needed a legitimate source. If he became the owner of a large company, it would be normal to exchange a few million or even tens of millions of gold each month! Taking over Shanwai Mountain would give him another place to go, and he had considered this when he bought Yunhe Villa. However, his move was much smaller compared to Qiao Yunna's.

Qiao Yunna had indeed gone to great lengths to win Ding Hao over for her father. One day, she saw Ding Hao staring blankly at the Shanwai Mountain building and listened to his vague story. If it were a regular person, they wouldn't have taken it to heart.

But Qiao Yunna was different. Perhaps due to her upbringing, she keenly sensed Ding Hao's heartache and had people investigate. It turned out that Shanwai Mountain was indeed going to be auctioned, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If Ding Hao had this childhood dream, and Qiao Yunna helped him achieve it, he would surely remember it. At Qiao Yunna's level, there were many ways to win someone over!

"Don't worry about the auction. If I talk to other units, there won't be any fierce competition." She then had Ding Hao sit down and said to the middle-aged man, "Mr. Tang, this is Mr. Ding. Have you calculated the total price?"

"Hello, Mr. Ding, Miss. According to our accounting firm's estimate, the total fixed assets of Shanwai Mountain are about 100 million yuan. We also estimated the brand value of Shanwai Mountain, which is about 100 million yuan. Considering the company's actual operating conditions and difficulties, I suggest the auction price not exceed 150 million yuan."

"Thank you. Next, you and Mr. Ding should communicate more to see if he has any other needs."

"Yes, Miss." The middle-aged man, who looked about the same age as Qiao Yunna's parents, was very respectful to her. Ding Hao knew this lady had probably conscripted him on the spot. Hearing the last sentence, he understood that she wanted him to buy Shanwai Mountain.

Shanwai Mountain was well-known, and whether locals or tourists, anyone who came to Qianjiang and visited the West Lake would go to Shanwai Mountain if they had some money. But why was such a popular restaurant losing money? This was a strange phenomenon.

Worse, the accountant said the auction price was 150 million yuan. What did that mean? He only had that much money in the bank, and even if he put all his savings in, it would still fall short. Ding Hao looked at Qiao Yunna and shook his head vigorously.

"Don't worry. If the fixed assets are only 100 million, the final price won't exceed 150 million."

"Then it's up to Miss Qiao." Ding Hao knew Shanwai Mountain was a century-old business, and the business was definitely good. The losses must be due to management. If it became a private enterprise, it should make money. Besides, Qiao Yunna had already made it clear that she would help him a lot before leaving. He wouldn't lose, but the future management was a headache.

Qiao Yunna was really good at guessing. Just because he bought Yunhe Villa, she deduced he wanted to enter the food industry.

However, he couldn't refuse Qiao Yunna's kindness. This wasn't asking him to be a bodyguard, which he could choose, but giving him money. He couldn't hurt her feelings.

Qiao Yunna was initially a bit worried that Ding Hao might be too timid to do it, but seeing him agree, she was very happy and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. If you have any financial problems, I'll help you find a way to borrow money. I'll help you contact several banks for loans."

Qiao Yunna said it casually, but Ding Hao knew the weight of her words. So far, Qiao Yunna hadn't asked for the thirty million back and was now preparing to help him buy Shanwai Mountain. This meant that the Qiao family had started to trust him and treat him as one of their own. At least, it was no longer the stage where Liu Yiding had people watching him day and night! Regardless of whether the auction was successful, Qiao Yunna had shown enough sincerity and goodwill!