Chapter 324: You Should Wake Up from Those Delusions

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan had absolutely no desire to begin negotiating the gold deal with Chairman Zhen Weiliang.

Nevertheless, he brought up the subject only because there were still things he needed to verify.

“Chairman Zhen, I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead. What would you like to know?”

“Is Politburo member Liu really going to give Chairman Xi thirty tons of gold?”

Politburo member Liu Peiqi had already drawn up a plan to eliminate Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan.

In the process, he intended to seize by force the thirty-one tons of gold Zhang had managed to prepare.

With his only competitor frightened and removed from the board, why on earth would he lose his mind and give Chairman Xi Jinping a full thirty tons?

Chairman Zhen Weiliang could only regret that he couldn't simply tell him the unvarnished truth.

“Politburo member Liu knows that Deputy Secretary Zhang plans to give Chairman Xi twenty-five tons of gold. Taking that into account, he'll try to present him with more than twenty-five tons.”

“There is some truth to what you're saying. By the way, how is Vice Chairman Tang Guochang doing? Any news from him?”

Vice Chairman Tang Guochang had originally been aiming for a seat on the Standing Committee as well.

However, after listening to Cha Jiham's advice, he had withdrawn from that struggle for power.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang had not the slightest reason to reveal those facts, nor did he see any need to do so.

“I believe Vice Chairman Tang has virtually no chance of securing a seat on the Standing Committee.”

“Interesting. Why do you think so?”

“It's because of the incident that happened in Dalian...”

“Wait a moment.”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan flatly cut Chairman Zhen Weiliang off mid-sentence.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang, whose words had been cut off before he could finish them, frowned in displeasure and stared directly at Zhang's face.

As though sensing that heavy gaze, Zhang Jinan immediately continued.

“Chairman Zhen, how do you know about what happened in Dalian in the first place?”

The Dalian naval base had been destroyed through the combined efforts of the Triad and Delta Force operatives.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang knew about it from Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

Naturally, there was no chance in hell he would blurt out such a dangerous truth to Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan.

“Politburo member Liu Peiqi recently bought diamonds from me.”

“Bastard!”

A juicy curse, thick with rage, burst from Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan's mouth.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang instantly realized the reason behind the outburst.

Zhang Jinan had mistakenly concluded that Liu Peiqi himself had let slip what happened in Dalian.

But Zhen Weiliang had absolutely no intention of correcting his misunderstanding or showing his hand.

“Deputy Secretary Zhang, you weren't cursing at me just now, were you?”

“No! Of course not! Absolutely not!”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan waved his hands frantically, denying it with all his might.

“Well then, I'll take your word for it.”

“The disgrace in Dalian is an indelible stain on our country's honor.”

“You needn't worry. I'll take this secret with me to the grave.”

“I understand. Now finish what you were saying about Vice Chairman Tang.”

“Because of the Dalian incident, there are all kinds of rumors going around that Vice Chairman Tang has completely lost Chairman Xi's trust. It seems he knows it himself, so he's keeping his head down and staying completely quiet.”

“Vice Chairman Tang isn't even trying to make any moves.”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen added his own remark to lend weight to Chairman Zhen Weiliang's words.

“And how do you know that?”

“To secure a seat on the Standing Committee, Vice Chairman Tang needs to win Chairman Xi over. But he isn't taking any action whatsoever.”

“I see. Chairman Zhen, then what should I do to guarantee myself a seat on the Standing Committee?”

‘You'd be better off waking up from those delusions.’

“First and foremost, it is absolutely critical that you win Chairman Xi's favor.”

There was a hidden implication in Chairman Zhen Weiliang's words.

Move faster, before Liu Peiqi seizes the initiative.

“Ah, I understand what you're getting at.”

“If you don't have any more questions about this, shall we move on to discussing the gold deal?”

“Fine. But tell me, why did gold prices rise so sharply?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang had been one hundred percent certain that Zhang Jinan would ask this question.

That was why he had gotten instructions from Cha Jiham in advance and already knew the correct answer.

“The gold market is extremely sensitive to rumors. Word is spreading everywhere that you and Politburo member Liu are locked in a vicious battle over the Standing Committee seat.”

“You mean rumors are circulating that Liu Peiqi and I are buying gold by the ton?”

“That's exactly right, Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“And how long will the price keep rising?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang realized that the decisive moment had arrived.

What he said now would determine Zhang Jinan's next move.

“The market will continue rallying until the vacant seat on the Standing Committee is officially filled.”

The National People's Congress, where the election was to take place, would not be held for another two months.

That meant precious metal prices would remain at their peak the entire ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) time.

“Haaah...”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan let out a deep sigh, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang decided to toss him the tiniest shred of hope.

“Personally, I believe you're the one currently in the lead in this race for the Standing Committee seat.”

“May I ask why you think so?”

“Because you're planning to give Chairman Xi more gold than Liu Peiqi.”

“He has every opportunity to give him more than I do as well.”

“But he's going into debt and borrowing money from everywhere just to buy gold.”

Hearing that from Chairman Zhen Weiliang, Zhang Jinan couldn't simply feel pleased.

And no wonder.

He himself was in exactly the same miserable financial situation as Liu Peiqi.

If he complained to Zhen Weiliang about his financial problems, that information could easily find its way into Liu Peiqi's ears.

On top of that, if he showed weakness, Zhen Weiliang would start raising the price, so bluffing and pretending to be wealthy wasn't an option either.

“To be honest, my own financial resources are nearly exhausted too, just like Liu's.”

“And yet he borrowed an enormous sum from Secretary Deng Zhiping, Chairman Xi's closest confidant.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

“Liu Peiqi is an extremely proud man. He would never humiliate himself by asking someone for help. If he actually went to Secretary Deng to borrow money, that means he's been driven completely into a corner.”

“Hmm... There really is logic in that.”

To fully achieve his objective, Chairman Zhen Weiliang decided to carefully stroke Zhang Jinan's ego.

“Personally, I'm wholeheartedly rooting for you, Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“Can I really trust your words, Chairman Zhen?”

“Not long ago, I sold Politburo member Liu fourteen tons of gold. At the time, I gave him a four-percent discount from the LBMA quotation. For you, I'm willing to give an additional one-percent discount.”

To Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan, those words sounded like manna from heaven.

He planned to buy twelve tons of gold from Zhen Weiliang.

That extra one-percent discount would save him at least one hundred million dollars.

“I sincerely thank you for such generosity, Chairman Zhen.”

“Oh, it's nothing. Director Chen, what's the current price of gold?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang deliberately distorted Director Pan Kai's surname, knowing Zhang Jinan might recognize him.

That was exactly why he had introduced himself as “Chen” rather than “Pan.”

Director Pan Kai tapped at his smartphone to check the latest figures, then answered Zhen Weiliang's question.

“One million fifty-four thousand dollars per kilogram.”

“I see. Deputy Secretary Zhang, how about we round it off and fix the price at exactly one million dollars?”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan tilted his head in confusion.

Just before he left the Philippines, gold had been trading at nine hundred forty thousand dollars per kilogram.

How had it jumped by more than twelve percent in just a few hours?

“Director Chen, are you sure? Exactly one million fifty-four thousand?”

Director Pan Kai didn't bother arguing verbally.

He simply turned his phone screen toward Zhang Jinan.

After staring at the numbers on the display, Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan felt panic rising into his throat.

When he had checked the quotation himself, it had been nine hundred forty thousand dollars per kilogram.

He had expected that, with some room to spare, he could buy the metal for around nine hundred thousand.

But because of the sudden price explosion, he was now being forced to buy it for one million dollars per kilogram.

The problem was that the money he had on hand was catastrophically insufficient.

But there was absolutely no way he could dump the whole truth about his depleted pockets in Chairman Zhen Weiliang's lap.

“Chairman Zhen, what do you think caused gold to shoot up so sharply in just a couple of hours?”

The reason was a targeted operation carried out by Cha Jiham.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang could only feel frustrated that he had no right to reveal that detail.

“As I said a little earlier, gold has a tendency to react strongly to rumors.”

“You mean information leaked that I'm buying gold from you?”

“Otherwise, there would be no way to explain such a wild price surge.”

“What bastard spread those rumors?”

“Who benefits the most from making you buy gold at an inflated price?”

“LIU PEIQI!!”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan shot up from the sofa and screamed at the top of his lungs.

Chairman Zhen Weiliang and everyone else in the room merely stared at him in silence.

Noticing their puzzled gazes, Zhang Jinan hurriedly sat back down and muttered,

“Chairman Zhen, please excuse my loss of composure.”

“I completely understand how you feel, so don't worry about it.”

“Thank you. When do you think this abnormal spike will start to subside?”

‘As soon as you, you bastard, put your signature on the contract.’

That answer rose all the way to Zhen Weiliang's throat and lingered on his tongue for a long time, but fearing the consequences, the chairman displayed extraordinary self-control and barely managed to keep silent.

“A kettle that boils quickly cools down just as quickly.”

“Can I take that to mean the price will fall by tomorrow?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang needed to protect himself against every possible outcome.

“There's an old saying: stock prices, gold prices, a woman's heart, and the trajectory of a frog's jump are impossible to predict.”

“Whatever the case, I understand. I'm exhausted. Shall we continue tomorrow?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang could see straight through Zhang Jinan's thoughts.

He simply intended to wait for the astronomical gold price to come down.

‘It isn't going to fall, you idiot.’

“I accept your proposal, Deputy Secretary Zhang.”

“The price terms you quoted will still remain valid, won't they?”

“I make a habit of standing by my word.”

“Haha. Excellent. By the way, do you already have the twelve tons of gold you're selling me in your possession?”

Half of the gold intended for Zhang Jinan had been purchased by Vice Chairman Wei Chen from the Philippine government.

The other half was a shipment the United States government had entrusted to them for sale.

But Chairman Zhen Weiliang wouldn't tell the truth even if someone held a knife to his throat.

“We purchased six tons from the Philippine government, and bought the remainder on the open market.”

“From the Philippine government?”

Chairman Zhen Weiliang didn't answer himself and merely shifted his gaze toward Vice Chairman Wei Chen.

Immediately understanding what he meant, Vice Chairman Wei Chen entered the conversation without delay.

“Deputy Secretary Zhang, I personally handled the purchase from the Philippine government.”

“I see. Would you mind telling me how you managed to buy it?”

Vice Chairman Wei Chen decided to mix truth with lies in order to protect himself.

“I'm well acquainted with Director Santiago, the head of the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation. He contacted me himself by phone last week.”

“And?”

“He told me that the Philippine Air Force had carried out an airstrike against the main base of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf on Mindanao. During the operation, they managed to capture the militants' leader, Carlos, alive.”

“And they confiscated the gold that belonged to Carlos?”

“That's exactly right, Deputy Secretary Zhang. The Philippine government decided to sell the gold in order to compensate the residents of Mindanao who suffered losses. Director Santiago asked me to act as the buyer.”

Deputy Secretary Zhang Jinan had long harbored doubts about the true cause of Triad Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui's death.

After all, Chen Zhihui had been hiding at the Abu Sayyaf base.

And yet Director Santiago had claimed that Chen Zhihui had been killed in Manila by armed robbers.

Zhang Jinan had wanted to corner Santiago and expose his lie, but understanding who he was dealing with, he had ultimately decided to let the matter go.

Most likely, Director Santiago had simply lied to keep the destruction of Abu Sayyaf from becoming public knowledge.

And what difference did it make anyway?

Chen Zhihui was already dead.

What would be the point of picking a fight with Santiago now?

“Ah, now everything makes sense.”

“You may continue your conversation with Chairman Zhen.”

Having played his role perfectly, Vice Chairman Wei Chen withdrew into the background.

“Chairman Zhen, I think I'll take my leave for today.”

And so, the first day of negotiations over the gold deal came to an end.