Chapter 432: Creating Suspense

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After returning from the hotel, Zhou Chao lay on the sofa and started playing with his phone. He wasn’t involved in Edward’s affairs anymore. As for tomorrow’s handover ceremony, Zhou Chao and Xiao Yang discussed it and decided not to attend. After all, they still didn’t know what Edward was planning.

In the evening, just as Zhou Chao had prepared a sumptuous meal, Xiao Yang arrived without an invitation, walking in through the open door. He had a slightly angry expression on his face.

“Hey, Xiao Yang, why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to accompany Edward? How did the meeting go this afternoon?” Zhou Chao was somewhat surprised by Xiao Yang’s unexpected visit. Could something have gone wrong during the afternoon meeting?

“The meeting went smoothly, but they had one condition: they don’t want this transaction to be publicized on any of our social media platforms. As for where these things came from, it’s up to us to explain. Fortunately, you didn’t go this afternoon; you didn’t see how arrogant that Duke John acted,” Xiao Yang sat at the dining table and began speaking, leaving Zhou Chao almost speechless.

After Xiao Yang finished his complaints, he noticed the several delicious dishes on the table. He couldn’t help but salivate and said, “Why are you so inconsiderate? Can’t you see I’m here? Hurry up and get me a bowl and chopsticks.”

Seeing Xiao Yang’s shameless appearance, Zhou Chao didn’t know what to say and had to get up and bring a clean bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen.

“Mmm, delicious! These spare ribs are both fragrant and tasty. It’s been months since I had a meal cooked by you,” Xiao Yang exclaimed while quickly devouring the red-cooked spare ribs on the table.

“Brother Yang, that’s a bit too much! 1 haven’t even started eating, and you’re finishing everything,” Zhou Chao complained, looking at Xiao Yang with a hint of annoyance.

“But there’s still a piece left. I’m going to eat it whether you like it or not!”

With that said, Zhou Chao couldn’t possibly let the last piece of spare rib slip away. He immediately scooped it into his bowl with a pair of chopsticks.

“It would have been perfect if we had some wine. Too bad we’re missing that,” Xiao Yang lamented, provoking Zhou Chao to give him a death glare.

Soon, the two of them had cleaned the table, even devouring the rice Zhou Chao had cooked. Xiao Yang praised, “I’ve never had such delicious rice before. 1 could eat two big bowls of just the rice.”

Both of them lay on the sofa, and on the coffee table beside them, there was a pot of freshly brewed pre-rain Longjing tea, specially prepared by Zhou Chao.

“Brother Yang, how did you know the password to my house?” Zhou Chao suddenly remembered that Xiao Yang had entered his house without him knowing.

“I came here to grab some wine before, and I didn’t want to bother you by calling, so I gave Jiang Li a call and asked for it.”

“You say you didn’t want to bother me, but you ended up emptying everything.” “Well, your wine cellar is filled with excellent wines. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken them all.”

Zhou Chao couldn’t believe his ears. He sat up and looked at Xiao Yang, asking, “Are you saying this is somehow my fault?”

“Yep!”

Frustrated, Zhou Chao fiercely hugged Shoufu in his arms, squeezing it a few times to relieve his feelings.

“Last time when you brought someone with you, you knocked on my door so loudly that it nearly broke the door!” Zhou Chao finally remembered how Xiao Yang had knocked on the door so loudly when he came over before.

“This is because there were outsiders here, and we have to be cautious!” Xiao Yang replied lightly.

Zhou Chao was left speechless by his response, but there was nothing wrong with what he had said.

After resting for about half an hour, Xiao Yang suddenly got up from the sofa, rubbed his slightly tired face, and looked at Zhou Chao, who was watching short videos on his phone. He said, “I’ll be heading back now. I have some things to do tomorrow.”

“Alright, 1 won’t see you off,” Zhou Chao said without looking up.

Xiao Yang smiled bitterly at the situation and wondered if he would still be able to enjoy good wine in the future. It seemed that he would have to follow his younger sister’s lead.

After Xiao Yang left, Zhou Chao finally got up from the sofa, took Shoufu in his arms, and went upstairs.

The long night passed quietly, and time slipped away unnoticed. It was already the next day. Zhou Chao, who rarely woke up early, had gone for a run in the morning. By the time he returned to the courtyard, it was already 9 in the morning.

Just after taking a shower, he heard the doorbell ring.

When he opened the door, he saw Lin Wu standing there looking a bit foolish.

“Why are you here? Didn’t 1 ask you to stay in Modu for a few days?”

“Staying in Modu is boring, so I flew back directly!” Lin Wu scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Zhou Chao didn’t say anything in response. Did he really need to criticize such a diligent subordinate?

Back in the bedroom, Zhou Chao sat on the sofa and asked, “What are Todd and the others doing?”

Lin Wu looked a bit embarrassed and finally said, “They go to bars every day and then… then bring some girls back to the hotel.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao’s expression changed slightly. Although he didn’t have a favorable opinion of those who admired foreign culture, he also didn’t want his subordinates to casually engage in such activities.

“Call Todd and the others, tell them they can go to the bar, but they are not allowed to pick up girls. If they are really in the mood, they can go to a club. If 1 find out that they are going against my orders, they will all be in trouble,” Zhou Chao said. He knew that many of the girls going to bars were in their twenties, and avoiding such situations was for their own good.

Zhou Chao had once come across a news article online. It mentioned a foreign fitness trainer in Rong City who had been there for ten years and had dated over 1,300 girls. Calculating it, that was more than 130 a year, basically one every three days. Zhou Chao had no words to express his thoughts about it, but he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy.

Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Lin Wu couldn’t help but shiver and nodded before leaving to make the call.

Meanwhile, Todd, who was still in bed, received Lin Wu’s call. As he listened to Lin Wu’s exact words, he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. He glanced at the girl sleeping next to him and swallowed hard.

“I understand. 1’11 relay the message to the others. Please rest assured, boss,” Todd hurriedly assured.

“Good!” Lin Wu hung up the phone without saying much.

After the call ended, Todd breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the girl next to him and gently woke her up.

“What’s up, Uncle? I wanted to sleep a little longer.”

“Get up,” Todd’s tone became serious.

Upon hearing Todd’s words, the girl reluctantly sat up from the bed. Even as she got dressed, she didn’t manage to catch Todd’s attention, her fair skin remaining unnoticed by him.

Once the girl was dressed, Todd handed her a small stack of money and said, “Take this money and use it wisely. Try to go to the bars less often in the future.”

The girl hesitated for a moment, but she still accepted the cash from Todd without saying much. She did give Todd a few more glances before leaving, carrying her bag.

Seeing the girl leave, Todd quickly sent a message to his subordinates. Soon, he heard the angry voices of several girls in the hallway, but it quickly died down. Meanwhile, Zhou Chao received a call from Xiao Yang.

“Did you say the transaction has already concluded, and Edward is on his way to the airport with their national treasures?” Zhou Chao asked with surprise.

“Yes, the whole process took less than an hour. After both sides had their experts confirm the authenticity of the artifacts, they completed the transaction. 1 called you as soon as I had a moment.”

“Motherfuckers, they were just teasing me about taking Edward around Jingdu? What’s Edward’s plan?”

“You’re asking the wrong person. Anyway, be careful on your end. Since you swindled him this time, he’ll definitely remember it.”

“I know, but even if he remembers, it doesn’t matter much. 1 don’t have any company assets in Eagle Country, so I’m not worried about any tricks he might play.”

“Alright, that’s it for now. I’m really busy on my end,” Xiao Yang said and hung up.

Zhou Chao leaned back and pondered. He couldn’t figure out what game Edward was playing. Initially, Edward had tried to get close to him, but now he was returning to his own country. Zhou Chao decided not to dwell on it.

“Forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore. Perhaps he’s just afraid of having to face too many problems in the future!” Zhou Chao shook his head and decided to put the matter out of his mind.

Just as he placed his phone down, Lin Wu hurriedly entered the room from outside.

“Boss.”

Zhou Chao immediately sat up and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Just now, Zhou Jilong called you, but you were on another call. He told me there’s an urgent matter,” Lin Wu said anxiously.

Zhou Chao immediately realized that this was related to the matter Jiang Lao had informed him about earlier. He had completely forgotten about it in the past couple of days.

“I got it.”

He took out his phone and called Zhou Jilong.

As soon as the call connected, Zhou Jilong’s voice sounded anxious, “Boss, you finally answered. Just now, people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences came to me asking for the nano-level machine tool’s related data and design drawings. At the same time, there’s an armed presence stationed here.”

“I know about the situation. 1 forgot to inform you earlier. You can give them the data, but we won’t provide the research we’re currently working on.” “Boss, did you know? My heart almost stopped. Next time, please give me a heads-up about such important matters,” Zhou Jilong said with a hint of complaint.

“I understand. I’ll be more careful next time. By the way, make sure to accommodate the armed personnel well and meet their needs as much as possible.”

“Got it, Boss.”

“How have our recent research and progress in Phase Two been?”

“Hehe, Boss, you should come take a look when you have the chance. 1 guarantee it will pleasantly surprise you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao laughed and said, “You’re quite mysterious, Zhou Jilong. Alright, I’ll find the time to visit soon. For now, go ahead and handle the data transfer.”

“Looking forward to your visit, Boss!”