Chapter 323: Insincere Words

“Why did you come without warning?”

Chairman Park Yeongil asked Chairman Zhen Weiliang with a displeased expression.

“You don't need to give advance notice when visiting a friend's company.”

“Tsk, tsk. What manners.”

Chairman Park Yeongil clicked his tongue lightly and turned to Chief Secretary Kang Inhan.

Understanding what his boss wanted, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan immediately spoke.

“Chairman Zhen came to our country at Department Chief Cha's invitation to discuss countermeasures against Politburo member Liu Peiqi and Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan.”

“Now I understand. Introduce me to the people Zhen brought with him.”

“This gentleman is, in effect, the head of the Triad...”

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan introduced Vice Chairman Wei Chen and Director Pan Kai to Chairman Park Yeongil.

Once the introductions were finished, everyone took seats on the sofas, and a secretary served tea to everyone present.

Chairman Park Yeongil moistened his throat with tea and addressed me.

“Department Chief Cha, tell me what was discussed at the emergency meeting.”

Brrr...

Just as I was about to speak, Chairman Zhen Weiliang's phone lying on the table began to vibrate.

He picked it up, checked the caller's name, announced that it was Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan, and answered the call.

“Deputy Secretary Zhang, what brings you to call so early in the morning?”

“Chairman Zhen, my business in the Philippines ended sooner than expected, so I'm planning to take a morning flight to Hong Kong. That's why I'm calling. How about meeting this evening?”

At that moment, cold sweat broke out across Chairman Zhen Weiliang's body.

This was bad.

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan had originally said that he would come to see him tomorrow afternoon.

That was why D-Day had been set for tomorrow evening.

If he suddenly showed up this evening, the painstakingly prepared plan would fall apart in an instant.

“Could we meet tomorrow afternoon as originally agreed?”

“May I ask why?”

“The thing is, I haven't finished gathering all the gold I'm supposed to sell you yet, Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“We can sign the contract today, and I can receive the actual gold tomorrow morning, can't I?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang felt like climbing the walls in frustration.

Half of the gold intended for sale to Deputy Secretary Zhang belonged to the United States government.

Director Griffin had promised to arrange for the gold to be delivered by tomorrow morning.

And now this man was suddenly saying that he wanted to receive the precious metal first thing tomorrow morning.

“Deputy Secretary Zhang, let me check the situation and get back to you.”

Click.

After hanging up, Chairman Zhen Weiliang briefly summarized his conversation with Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan.

“...He says he'll collect the gold tomorrow. Department Chief Cha, how should we solve this problem?”

“Please wait a moment.”

I immediately called Director Griffin.

Without hiding anything, I told him what I'd just heard from Chairman Zhen Weiliang and made a request.

“...Chairman Zhen needs to receive the gold provided by the United States government by this evening at the latest.”

“I'll personally take charge of it. Sorry, I'm extremely busy, so I'm hanging up.”

Beep.

Director Griffin, apparently in a rush, unilaterally ended the call.

Lowering the phone from my ear, I gave Chief Secretary Kang Inhan an order.

“Please summon Vice President Cho Myeongsu immediately.”

Chief Secretary Kang Inhan sprang up from the sofa and rushed out of the chairman's office.

I briefly watched him go before turning to Director Pan Kai.

“Book tickets for a flight to Hong Kong as quickly as possible.”

“I'll do it.”

Director Pan Kai gave a short reply and immediately called someone.

After speaking with the other person for a while, he ended the call and said,

“Department Chief Cha, I've booked tickets on a flight departing at 1:30 p.m.”

“What time are we scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong?”

“We'll arrive at 4:30 p.m. Hong Kong time.”

I nodded and resumed speaking with Chairman Zhen Weiliang.

“The gold entrusted by the United States government will be delivered to you without delay.”

“Phew...”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang finally let out a sigh of relief.

At that exact moment, the door flew open and Vice President Cho Myeongsu and Chief Secretary Kang Inhan rushed into the office.

Breathing heavily, Vice President Cho Myeongsu addressed me.

“Department Chief, you called for me?”

“We don't have time, so I'll get straight to the point. By this evening, gold futures need to rise above one hundred and five thousand dollars.”

“Oh! That's barely any time at all. I'll get to work immediately.”

Vice President Cho Myeongsu gave Chairman Park Yeongil and the others a hurried bow, then quickly left the office.

In total, he had remained inside for barely thirty seconds.

Once the whirlwind had passed, Chairman Zhen Weiliang cautiously spoke.

“Department Chief Cha, I have some spare funds. May I buy additional gold futures?”

“Of course. As much as you want.”

“Haha, understood. And at what price should I sell the futures?”

“I'll tell you the timing and selling price separately.”

“Agreed.”

“Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan is waiting for your call right now.”

“Oh, it completely slipped my mind!”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang cursed in annoyance and began dialing Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan's number.

After a brief conversation, he ended the call.

Then, after saying their goodbyes, he left the chairman's office together with Vice Chairman Wei Chen and Director Pan Kai to return to Hong Kong.

After seeing them off, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan and I returned to the office.

Chairman Park Yeongil immediately looked at me with curiosity.

“Why did Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan go to the Philippines?”

“He went there to find out how his brother-in-law, Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui, died and to retrieve his body.”

“Then why is he returning to China after spending only one day in the Philippines?”

“Just in case, I gave Director Santiago a plan of action in advance.”

“You mean the Philippine government gave him nothing to latch onto?”

“I think exactly the same thing, Chairman. Right now, his mind is occupied by something else entirely.”

“And what's that?”

“He's obsessed with presenting gold to Chairman Xi Jinping before Politburo member Liu Peiqi does.”

“I see. Now tell me what you discussed at the emergency meeting.”

“I already explained Politburo member Liu's intentions, and after that...”

***

That same night.

Having hurriedly moved from Korea to Hong Kong, Chairman Zhen Weiliang, Vice Chairman Wei Chen, and Director Pan Kai waited for Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan's arrival while carefully reviewing the current situation.

“Director Pan, how much have gold futures risen?”

“When I checked five minutes ago, they had broken through one hundred and two thousand five hundred dollars.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang was enormously pleased.

Only a short while ago, he had invested five billion dollars by purchasing gold futures at ninety-three thousand dollars.

Having earned half a billion dollars in just a few hours, how could he not be delighted?

“Director Pan, do you think the price will cross one hundred and five thousand dollars before we sign the contract?”

“If the current trend continues, we'll easily break through that level.”

“Still, just how high will gold futures climb?”

“Should I call Department Chief Cha and ask?”

“As if you don't already know that's exactly what you should do!”

“Hahaha! Understood.”

Director Pan Kai chuckled happily and dialed Cha Jiham's number.

After several rings, his voice came through.

“Director Pan, did you arrive safely in Hong Kong?”

“Of course. We're currently in Chairman Zhen's office, waiting for Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“Excellent. I'm currently with Director Griffin and Director Nevers.”

“I'm curious what you're discussing.”

“A cargo plane carrying six tons of gold is scheduled to land at Hong Kong International Airport in an hour.”

“In that case, you'll definitely receive it tonight.”

“That's exactly what we're counting on. Now tell me what you called about.”

Director Pan Kai thought it would be a little improper to ask directly, so he decided to approach the subject indirectly.

“If gold futures keep rising this sharply, won't the market be flooded with profit-taking?”

“Even now, profit-taking sales are pouring in nonstop.”

“And despite that, gold futures have jumped by more than ten percent?”

“Take that as an indication of just how enormous the sums we've poured into the gold futures market are.”

“Ah, I see. Then how high will the price go?”

“By the time the contract is signed at the latest, I'll push it above one hundred and five thousand dollars.”

At that moment, Chairman Zhen Weiliang held out his hand toward Director Pan Kai.

Director Pan Kai immediately conveyed his intention to Cha Jiham and, after receiving permission, handed the phone to the chairman.

“Department Chief Cha, I have one question.”

“I'm listening, Chairman Zhen.”

“Deputy Secretary Zhang is certain to wonder why the price of gold suddenly surged so sharply.”

“My thoughts are exactly the same as yours, Chairman Zhen.”

“What should I tell him if he asks?”

“Tell him prices soared because Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan and Politburo member Liu Peiqi started aggressively buying up gold.”

“Hahaha! Understood. I'll hand the phone back to Director Pan.”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang let out a satisfied laugh and returned the phone to Director Pan Kai.

“Department Chief Cha, how long will these high gold prices last?”

“They'll remain at their peak exactly until your gold deal with Deputy Secretary Zhang is completed.”

“I understand. By the way, when are you planning to leave for China?”

“Given the circumstances, it looks like we'll have to leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“I'll send you the address of the residence where your group will be staying tomorrow morning.”

Director Pan Kai chatted with Cha Jiham a little longer about various matters before ending the call.

Afterward, he reported the contents of their conversation in detail to Chairman Zhen Weiliang and Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

“...Department Chief Cha said not to rush into closing the deal with Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“And why is that?”

“Because right now, the thirsty one isn't Chairman Zhen. It's Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“Oh! Right. Still, when the hell is that Zhang going to get here?”

Knock, knock, knock.

No sooner had Chairman Zhen Weiliang grumbled than there was a knock on the door and the secretary opened it.

“Chairman, Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan has arrived.”

“Show him in immediately and serve tea.”

A short while later, Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan entered the reception room.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang, Vice Chairman Wei Chen, and Director Pan Kai rose from their sofas and respectfully greeted him.

“Deputy Secretary Zhang, it's been a long time.”

“Likewise. And who are these people with you?”

“This is my nephew, Vice Chairman Chen Yichen. And this is my niece's husband, Director Chen Kai.”

The mortal enemy of the deceased Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui had been Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

Therefore, there was a high probability that Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan had heard about them from Chen Zhihui.

Just in case, Chairman Zhen Weiliang had prepared false names for Vice Chairman Wei Chen and Director Pan Kai.

Naturally, Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan had no idea about his true motives.

After the brief introductions were over, Chairman Zhen Weiliang moistened his throat with tea and spoke with a sympathetic expression.

“Deputy Secretary Zhang, I heard that your brother-in-law, Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui, died in an accident. Please accept my sincere condolences.”

“Could it be...”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan trailed off, as though something had suddenly occurred to him.

Unable to read his thoughts, Chairman Zhen Weiliang merely stared at him in silence.

After thinking for a short while, Zhang Jinan finally spoke.

“Did you learn about my brother-in-law's death from Politburo member Liu Peiqi?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang had learned of Chen Zhihui's death from Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

And he himself had then told Liu Peiqi about it.

‘I wonder how this guy will react if I tell him the truth?’

Burning with curiosity, he answered Deputy Secretary Zhang's question.

“Why would I? I heard about it from a high-ranking official in the Philippine government.”

“I see.”

“But what exactly happened to Vice Chairman Chen?”

“Last weekend, armed robbers broke into the place where my brother-in-law was staying. A fight broke out, and my brother-in-law died in an accident.”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen barely managed to suppress the urge to burst out laughing.

And no wonder.

He had personally shot Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui dead.

While he clenched his teeth to hold back his laughter, the conversation between Chairman Zhen Weiliang and Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan continued.

“Have the criminals who caused Vice Chairman Chen's death been caught yet?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang felt as though thorns were about to sprout on his tongue from uttering such insincere words.

But in order to put Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan at ease, he had no other choice.

“The Philippine police are doing everything possible to catch the criminals.”

“I hope they manage to apprehend them.”

“Of course. They'll definitely catch them.”

“I see. Now let's get directly to the matter of the gold deal.”