Chapter 730 - 732: Twist and Turns
Bai Ruozhu was really hoping that she was overthinking it or it was just a facial twitch on the man-in-charge’s part, but the facts proved she was right on the money.
Once he left, she quietly followed him and then hid in the space, thanking her stars that there were no dark guards around him, otherwise she wouldn’t have dared to take the risk.
Once inside the space, she turned on the large screen and saw the man-in-charge ordering another clerk she had met before, "You mustn’t tell anyone about Bai Ruozhu’s visit today, nor let anyone from the Commerce Association find out about it."
"Sir, why not?" The clerk looked baffled.
The man-in-charge glared at him and said, "Are you an idiot? Our elder has always been at odds with Elder Lin, and word is Lin understands business very well. Taking her as his disciple is clearly a push towards making her the young elder. Do you want to stand by while Lin’s power grows and threatens us?"
The clerk took a step back, "But we can’t just do whatever. You know the consequences if the Commerce Association finds out. It could even affect our families."
The man-in-charge scoffed and kicked him, "Look at you, scared over nothing! I’m not saying we kill her, some people are already after her, right? We just leak her whereabouts through them. When she is found, people will presume it’s them who tracked her down, what does it have to do with us?"
The clerk seemed hesitant, but didn’t dare to go against his will, he reluctantly said, "Sir, you’re right."
The man-in-charge leaned over to his ear and whispered something...
Due to the distance between Bai Ruozhu’s hiding spot and the two men, she couldn’t hear what was said next, but she got the chills. The elder they were referring to was Zhong Shubai, another respected figure in the northwest, not exactly an enemy to Elder Lin but, certainly maintaining their own factions behind the scenes.
Once the two men left, Bai Ruozhu emerged from the space, ready to leave, but the clerk she met earlier came back unexpectedly. By the time she attempted to hide back inside the space, he had already seen her.
He looked astonished, his mouth wide open but unable to produce any sound.
The voice of the man-in-charge came from outside, "Zhang Deng, I have to leave for an urgent matter first, you act according to my plan, be careful not to leave any loose ends."
The clerk looked at Bai Ruozhu, his eyes filled with panic, quickly calming down, he told the man-in-charge, "Alright, I will take the silver banknote and leave immediately."
After the departure of the man-in-charge, the clerk finally relaxed, smiling awkwardly at Bai Ruozhu.
"Did you hear everything?" he inquired softly.
Bai Ruozhu, noticing that he didn’t call out for help, knew there was hope. She nodded without a word.
The clerk gave a bitter smile and continued softly, "I’m a coward who’s not interested in doing harm. I can’t take the Commerce Association’s punishment, but I also wouldn’t dare offend the man-in-charge. Please pretend you didn’t hear anything; I won’t spread any information about your whereabouts."
Seeing him shivering, Bai Ruozhu knew he was truly a coward, but such people could easily backtrack due to their fear. She didn’t dare to rely too much on him.
"If you’re afraid to do wrong and also afraid to offend the man-in-charge, why not consider their jobs? I know you’re a coward who dislikes getting into trouble, but if you were in charge here, who could force you to do wrong and violate the rules of the Commerce Association?" she paused, "As for Elder Zhong, he isn’t as malicious as your superiors make him out to be. Otherwise, how could he command such respect?"
Zhang Deng seemed moved by her words and cautiously asked, "You really guarantee that I won’t be punished by our man-in-charge?"
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes, "Are you more scared of his punishment or the Commerce Association’s? Remember, he doesn’t hold all the power here."
Zhang Deng’s eyes slowly lost their fearful and hesitant look, finally, he nodded seriously and said, "Miss Bai, you’re right. Just tell me how to do it and please promise to save my life. My parents, wife, and children depend on me."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, spoke softly, "On the surface, do as the man-in-charge asked and assure him even when he asks, don’t give anything away. Then, try to help me contact Jianqi, the dark guard from the Commerce Association."
It would certainly be easier for someone from the Commerce Association to find Jianqi than Jiang Yichun.
"Alright, I’ll do as you ask," he said, ready to leave.
Bai Ruozhu gave it some thought, took off a ring from her hand, handed it to Zhang Deng and told him, "Give this to Jianqi, he will then trust you. I will go into hiding for now, don’t be afraid. When Jianqi and his men come for me, I will show up."
Zhang Deng seemed relieved, and added, "Please be careful, the man-in-charge is ruthless..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Bai Ruozhu got the gist.
Once Zhang Deng left, Bai Ruozhu walked towards the exit of the Commerce Association but was soon stopped by the guards at the gate.
"Miss Bai, the man-in-charge ordered us to keep you safe from harm, so please, stay in the backyard," they told her.
Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow, "What’s this about? You’re confining me now?"
The guard hastily said, "You misunderstand, it’s the man-in-charge’s order. He’s worried that you might be ambushed."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t insist on leaving, responding calmly, "I do hope there won’t be any ambushes in this yard."
"Rest assured, miss. We will protect you with our lives," the guard declared solemnly.
Bai Ruozhu went back to the backyard. Judging from the clear eyes of the guards, they were clueless about the man-in-charge’s plan. The guards themselves would become victims if the man-in-charge’s plan to attract her pursuers was successful.
People driven by greed really disregard human life.
She went around to the backyard of the Commerce Association, picked an inconspicuous, not so high wall, and making sure no one was around, climbed over the wall and found a hidden spot to slip back into the space.
She turned on the huge screen to keep tabs on the backyard of the Commerce Association. Sitting in the space, she relaxed, munched on some water caltrop, even took out a face mask. It was more like a vacation than anything.
In the afternoon, the man-in-charge returned to find her gone, leading to a fuming tirade at the backyard guards about their incompetence. After a while, Zhang Deng returned as well and was berated equally.
Zhang Deng trembled, "Man-in-charge, didn’t you ask me to leave for work early in the morning?"
The man-in-charge glared at him and resumed scolding the four guards.
Bai Ruozhu really wanted to ask Zhang Deng about the letter, but didn’t dare to take the risk.
As night fell, footsteps were heard outside, one of the guards whispered, "Isn’t that the people the man-in-charge said he’d lead here? Since Bai Ruozhu has run away, it can’t be that we’re the ones in trouble, can it?"
Another guard quickly replied, "Why don’t we just hide then?"