455: Chapter 45 The Fish Is About to Take the Bait

[Intelligence Target: T City, 'Binjiang No. 1' Real Estate Development.]

[Intelligence Content: Wang Haidong, owner of Unit 181, Building C, Phase III, is in urgent need of capital turnover due to a rupture in his overseas business chain. He intends to sell this property at thirty percent below market price.]

[Intelligence Note: Behind the painting 'Asking the Boy Beneath the Pines' hanging in the property's foyer, there is a hidden compartment. Inside are the keys and transfer documents for an anonymous overseas trust fund left by the previous owner, with an estimated value exceeding three billion.]

Three billion.

Shen Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.

This was much more direct than that five percent stake in the Qinghe Group.

He picked up his phone and dialed Chen Guangke's internal line.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Hey, Yan Zi."

Chen Guangke's somewhat exhausted voice came from the other end of the line.

"Pack your things; you're going on a business trip with me."

Shen Yan was concise.

There was two seconds of silence on the other end.

Then, a wail erupted that nearly brought down the ceiling.

"Business trip? Where to? As long as it's not to see those Artificial Intelligence experts, I'll go to Somalia to be a bodyguard!"

"Yan Zi, you have no idea what I've been through these past two weeks!"

"Every day I'm listening to them talk about deep learning, neural networks, recursive algorithms... I'm a software developer, and my brain feels like it's about to split open!"

"I feel like my hair is leaving me at a speed visible to the naked eye!"

Listening to his brother's complaints, a rare curve appeared at the corner of Shen Yan's mouth.

"We're going to T City."

"To let you get some fresh air."

"For real?!"

Chen Guangke's voice was filled with the ecstatic joy of a survivor.

"Holy crap! Yan Zi, you're like my own brother!"

"Give me ten minutes—no, five minutes! I'll be ready right away!"

The phone was hung up with a 'snap.'

Shen Yan shook his head, the trace of a smile on his face fading as he returned to his usual calm.

He sent a message to his sister, Shen Ya, telling her he would be away on business for a few days and asking her to take good care of herself and Youyou.

Then, he stood up and grabbed his coat from the back of the chair.

...

Two hours later.

On the high-speed train to T City.

Chen Guangke was like a Husky just released from a cage, his entire being exuding a sense of wild playfulness.

One moment he was looking at the scenery outside the window, the next he was scrolling through short videos on his phone, humming an out-of-tune song.

He formed a sharp contrast with Shen Yan, who sat quietly beside him reviewing data on a tablet.

"Yan Zi, what do you think is good to eat in T City?"

"I just looked it up; their seafood is top-notch, and there's some famous old-brand roast chicken that's supposedly snatched up the moment it comes out of the pot."

"How about we go for a big meal first after we get off the train?"

Shen Yan's gaze did not leave the screen.

"Mhm."

He gave a faint response.

Chen Guangke was long used to his manner and didn't mind, continuing to enthusiastically plan his 'fresh air' itinerary.

The high-speed train arrived at the station.

A heatwave laced with the scent of the ocean hit them head-on.

The air in T City was humid and warm.

It was completely different from the dry air of Jingzhou.

Chen Guangke took a greedy, deep breath.

"Holy crap, I'm alive again!"

He spread his arms and gave an exaggerated stretch.

"Yan Zi, this is a place fit for humans!"

"Sunlight, sea breeze, and..."

His gaze landed on a girl not far away wearing a cool short skirt and showing off a pair of long legs, and he began to chuckle.

"...the scent of freedom!"

Shen Yan glanced at him, said nothing, and walked straight toward the exit.

A black mercedes-benz S-Class was already waiting at the roadside.

Seeing Shen Yan, the driver immediately got out and respectfully opened the rear door.

"Mr. Shen."

The two of them got into the car.

The vehicle pulled away smoothly from the station, merging into T City's bustling traffic.

"Holy crap, Yan Zi, you even arranged a car?"

Chen Guangke looked around the luxurious interior with a face full of wonder.

"That's some high efficiency."

Shen Yan leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"To the hotel first."

Half an hour later.

The car stopped in front of a five-star hotel.

Inside the hotel's presidential suite.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was T City's most prosperous urban landscape; in the distance, one could even see the azure coastline.

Chen Guangke tossed his suitcase aside and sprawled out like a starfish, sinking into the soft sofa in the living room.

"Sweet!"

He let out a long sigh of relief.

"Yan Zi, tell me, what are we really here for?"

He finally remembered the business at hand.

"Did someone blind offend you again? Or is there a big project to discuss?"

"Just point the way, and your brother here will strike; no questions asked!"

Shen Yan walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of water.

"Neither."

He took a sip of water and looked at Chen Guangke.

"I came here this time to buy a house."

"Buy a house?"

Chen Guangke bounced up from the sofa, his face full of disbelief.

"Just to buy a house, you dragged me away from the company?"

"Isn't this... a bit of an overkill?"

Shen Yan didn't explain.

Some things couldn't be explained.

He took a black card from his pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table.

"The password is six eights."

"For the next few days, make your own arrangements."

"Eat whatever you want, play whatever you want, it's up to you."

Chen Guangke looked at the card, stunned.

"No way, Yan Zi, are you... giving me a pure vacation?"

"Mhm."

Shen Yan nodded.

"You've been following that Artificial Intelligence project for half a month; you're tired."

"Take a few days off to recharge."

Chen Guangke's eyes suddenly turned red.

He knew that Shen Yan was doing this because he cared about him.

During this period, for the sake of that plan, the entire project team had been working like clockwork, non-stop.

As Shen Yan's most trusted person, he was responsible for coordination, and the pressure was even more immense.

He slept less than four hours a day and had meetings until he wanted to vomit.

Shen Yan didn't say it out loud, but he saw everything.

"Yan Zi..."

Chen Guangke's voice was a bit choked up.

"Alright, don't act like a girl."

Shen Yan frowned.

"I only have one requirement."

"What?"

"Don't cause trouble."

Chen Guangke burst out laughing, the bit of emotion from before instantly vanishing into thin air.

"Don't you worry!"

He picked up the black card from the table and tossed it in his hand.

"When has your brother ever let you down?"

"Then I really won't be polite!"

"I'm going to the most famous 'Haitian Pavilion' in T City first to try their king crab!"

"Then I'll get a top-tier SPA to relax this body that's about to turn stiff!"

"And tonight, I'll go to a bar to experience T City's nightlife!"

As he spoke, he picked up his coat and excitedly headed out.

"Yan Zi, you're really not coming with me?"

At the door, he turned back to ask once more.

"I have things to do."

Shen Yan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the city outside without turning his head.

"Fine then, don't overwork yourself either."

Knowing Shen Yan's temperament, Chen Guangke didn't try to persuade him further.

"Call me anytime if something comes up!"

With that, he whistled and strode out of the room.

Silence returned to the room once again.

Shen Yan took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, it's me."

"Mr. Shen." A steady male voice came from the other end.

"All the information you requested regarding Wang Haidong, the owner of 'Binjiang No. 1' Unit 181, has been sent to your encrypted email."

"He is currently at the 'Blue Bay' Golf Course in T City."

"Very good."

Shen Yan hung up the phone and opened his email.

A detailed set of information appeared on the screen.

Wang Haidong, forty-eight years old, started in the foreign trade business and was worth several billion.

But in the past year, due to changes in the international situation, several of his most important overseas shipping lines were blocked, leading to a massive problem with his capital chain.

To fill the hole, he had already begun selling off fixed assets under his name.

And this top-floor duplex in 'Binjiang No. 1' was his favorite and the one he was most reluctant to part with.

Below the information were several photos of Wang Haidong.

A middle-aged man with thinning hair and a protruding belly.

At this moment, he was sitting in the rest area of the golf course with a face full of sorrow, smoking incessantly.

A faint, imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Shen Yan's mouth.

The fish should take the bait now.

Now, it was time to reel in the line.

He turned off the tablet, picked up his coat, and walked out of the room.