I hailed a taxi right outside the school gate. It seemed Li Qi had changed quite a bit recently, which was certainly cause for happiness. As for occasionally indulging her peculiar tastes, Yi Xiaorou was actually right the last time—staying the same for too long inevitably leads to fatigue; perhaps a little eccentricity as a change of pace wouldn't be a bad idea.

I unexpectedly spotted Zhu Da's car parked outside the Iron Bull Tofu Company. Upon entering, I couldn't find him anywhere. Father Xu told me, "They're all in the workshop. I'll call them out."

Moments later, Zhu Da was the first to rush out. "Commander Zhao, here to see the MM again? You mysteriously vanish for two days and come back with a great beauty. I truly admire you completely."

"Of course. Have you seen who I am? Why are you hanging around the workshop?"

Zhu Da replied, "It's been a while since I ground grain. I went in to reacquaint myself. This is called remembering the bitterness and savoring the sweetness—thinking back to our days, we ground day and night, and still barely made any money. Now we sit at home counting money until our hands ache. Sailing across the sea depends on the helmsman; Commander Zhao, you are the guiding light for us brothers."

"Don't give me that flattery. How's the selling been recently? Made a lot more, haven't you?"

Zhu Da boasted, "Naturally. A few arms dealers in the Golden Triangle tried to pull a fast one on me a while back. I took ten Super Soldiers, swept them all flat in half an hour. Now, no one dares to cause us trouble."

I clapped Zhu Da on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. Tomorrow, we'll go develop the triads in Japan, Italy, and the US. We must let the triads take root and flourish across the globe."

Zhu Da roared with excitement, "That's my biggest dream! With you leading us, I wouldn't be afraid to take the triads to Mars!"

"Brother Zhao, you're here," Zhou Ni said, leaning against the wall as she slowly emerged from the production workshop.

I stepped forward to help her. "Why are you out of bed? You need a couple more days of rest. Is the room too hot?"

"The air conditioning keeps it cool. I just can't sit still. I came in to see if I could help with anything."

Zhu Da grinned slyly, "Commander Zhao, since our brother is visiting today, shouldn't we ask your father-in-law to give you another physical boost? Look how lively those chickens in the coop are; just looking at them makes my mouth water."

"You go ask him yourself. I can’t bring myself to mention it."

Zhu Da pulled out his phone. "I'll call your wife back. Hehe, saying it to her will be much easier."

Zhu Da seems addicted to eating chicken. Looking at how plump he’s gotten, if this continues, we might need to widen the door frames soon. I supported Zhou Ni. "Let's go; I'll help you back to your room to rest."

After Zhou Ni was seated, I took in her bedroom. The decor was simple yet revealed a girl's delicate sensibilities everywhere. Zhou Ni said, "Sister Jingjing helped me decorate. She is so good to me. She even comes over to sleep with me at night. She says you are her great savior; without you, her family would have been ruined."

I smiled faintly. "It’s not that dramatic. I just lent a small hand. Girls tend to overreact."

But Zhou Ni said earnestly, "Brother Zhao, you are my great savior too. You are a god sent from heaven to save our family. Without you, our family would have been ruined too."

"I say you are the fairy sent from heaven to save me. If you hadn't pulled me out of that fishpond, I might have already fed that giant turtle."

Zhou Ni chuckled. "No way. Even scissors couldn't cut your physique."

I handed the admission letter to Zhou Ni. "You officially start school after the National Day holiday. You don't need to bring anything; tuition is all paid for. You just need to show up."

Zhou Ni’s hand trembled as she held the letter. "Brother Zhao, thank you. You already arranged for Sister Jingjing to advance my mother a year's salary. I need to repay you this money."

"Hehe, I was just doing a favor. Li Qi handled the paperwork. We'll discuss it later. Besides, that little bit of money is no big deal."

Zhou Ni kept her head down. "Brother Zhao, Sister Jingjing actually told me not to worry about how much you give me now, but to study hard and be able to help you solve problems in the future—that is the best form of repayment."

I hadn't expected Wife Jingjing to be so good at ideological work. I said to Zhou Ni, "See? You understand the principle now. Don't say such distant things to me anymore. Study hard; that's what will make Brother Zhao happy."

Zhou Ni nodded seriously. "Don't worry, Brother Zhao, I definitely will."

"Has your brother visited? Didn't he tell you that you were in the Capital?"

Zhou Ni replied, "He did visit, but their school management is very strict. He also has to tutor on Saturdays and Sundays, so his time is very tight."

I said to Zhou Ni, "Let Jingjing arrange something for him here. We have so many businesses waiting for people to handle them; why should he go work for others?"

Zhou Ni couldn't hide the joy on her face. "Sister Jingjing mentioned that before, but my brother signed a contract with them and has to complete the term before he can dissolve it. He is at Renmin University's School of Labor and Human Resources Management. Brother has been studying very diligently; he even won a scholarship last semester. He knows what happened to our family and told me to ask you to tell him next time you come; he wants to thank you in person."

"No need for those pleasantries. You know my temperament. By the way, I have a good friend at Renmin University; his name is Tang Han. He’s a very interesting guy. We fought the Japanese together and shared drinks."

Zhou Ni smiled. "Next time my brother comes, I'll ask him about it. Maybe they know each other."

I reached out and gently touched Zhou Ni’s ankle. "Nini, does it still hurt? Is it better?"

Zhou Ni lowered her head shyly. "Much better. I can walk slowly now. It should recover completely after the National Day break."

"I originally planned to take everyone out together during the National Day break, but now I have to accompany a friend on a long-distance assignment, so it will have to wait. However, I will instruct Jingjing and the others to take you around the scenic spots in the Capital. You need to get familiar with the environment since you just arrived."

Zhou Ni said softly, "Brother Zhao, you are so good to me."

I lifted Zhou Ni's head and gently kissed her cheek. "Brother Zhao likes you, that's why I'm good to you. You need to like Brother Zhao too. If you don't, you must tell me. I said I wouldn't force you."

Zhou Ni's voice was as faint as a mosquito: "I like you."

I chuckled inwardly. Kids are just kids. If it were any of the other women, they would have already thrown their arms around me, teasing and fussing. "Nini, comrades from the Rectification Office reported to me that the judgment on your father's case has been finalized. I'll have them send you an official document with the specific outcome. The criminals have been brought to justice, and Zhang Tiancheng will be executed by firing squad. I have fulfilled the mission you entrusted to me, as expected."

Zhou Ni exclaimed in surprise, "Really, Brother Zhao? Then I must tell Mom this good news!" Before leaving, Zhou Ni whispered close to my ear, "Thank you, Brother Zhao. I will definitely do what I promised you, hehe. I wasn't angry at all about how roughly you treated me that night."

Zhou Ni asked me to avenge her father, and in return, she would be my girlfriend. I didn't agree at the time. After all, I didn't want a girlfriend who was the result of a transaction; I wanted them to truly love me from the bottom of their hearts. Now it seems Zhou Ni is beginning to feel the stirrings of affection.

Just as I reached the courtyard, Xu Jing rushed back driving. She must have heard from Zhu Da that I was here. "Brother Zhao, when did you arrive?"

I told Xu Jing, "I came to give Zhou Ni her admission letter and see if I can wrangle a dinner invitation. You don't know how addicted Commander Zhu is to your dad's braised old hen. The moment he arrived, he was drooling over the hens in your coop."

Xu Jing said, "What's eating a chicken? My dad wishes you guys would come every day. Have you seen Zhou Ni?"

I nodded. "She went into the workshop to find her mother."

Xu Jing blushed slightly. "Then let's go sit in my room."

After we sat down inside, I spoke to Xu Jing with forced seriousness. "Jingjing, how much of the last lesson did you retain?"

Xu Jing looked momentarily confused. "What lesson? I don't recall anything."

I said sternly, "You forgot already after just a few days? It seems you need a couple more review sessions. Come to bed, and let Brother Zhao teach you a few more vocalizations for the bed."

Xu Jing’s face instantly turned scarlet, and she giggled as she hit me. "Bad Zhao Qian, teasing me!"

I pulled Xu Jing into a hug. "Did you miss me?"

Xu Jing answered honestly, "I did. I think of you every night, wishing so much that you could hold me as I fall asleep."

I sighed. "It’s always inconvenient with you living here. How about we buy another place outside?"

Xu Jing objected. "No need, Brother Zhao. I can't monopolize you all to myself. You have time to go to the company; that's more convenient anyway. Besides, Secretary Xiao Li suspects everything now; there’s no need to hide it from her anymore."

We shared a tender moment but dared not linger in the room, as there were still many people outside. In the courtyard, Father Xu was busy slaughtering a chicken, with Zhu Da assisting him—the incentive of eating chicken certainly provided strong motivation.

Just as dinner began, I received a call from the Chairman. The matter was urgent. It turned out the corpse of the assassin who tried to kill Li Qi had been found. The Chairman told me to immediately head to a certain air force base to receive it.

This major event meant I couldn't even spare time for dinner. I immediately contacted Yi Xiaorou and told her to gather the troops and set off quickly. By the time we arrived at the designated PLA air force base, it was already pitch black outside.

I presented my credentials, and the air force base leadership led us to an underground secret chamber. As soon as we entered, a stench of decaying flesh hit us. Yi Xiaorou, Zhao Fen, and Zhao Fang felt nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.

Lifting the covering cloth, we saw that the blindfold was long gone. Based on the physique, it was indeed the bastard whose head I had smashed in with a single punch. Because the weather had been hot, the body had already begun to decompose after being dumped in the wilderness. We could even see maggots crawling in the ruptured flesh holes now.