Wen Rui had slept badly all night, plagued by a jumble of dreams.
In one, raging waves and pitch-black seawater surrounded them. An enormous snake coiled around Lu Congzhi and dragged him into a bottomless whirlpool.
The wind howled in Wen Rui’s ears, drowning out Lu Congzhi’s cries for help. Wen Rui stood on a great ship and reached out, but Lu Congzhi only drifted farther away.
Wen Rui woke gasping and needed a long time to recover his bearings.
He loved books of every kind and had even read about dream interpretation. A giant snake symbolized adversity, the deep sea signified danger, and sinking meant that danger was unavoidable.
Wen Rui was not superstitious, but he felt that if Lu Congzhi really went to Minnan, there was an eight- or nine-in-ten chance of a mishap.
It was a little after five in the morning. Dawn had not fully broken, and the room was dim. He got up without a sound, went to Lu Congzhi’s bed, and gently lifted a sliver of the curtain with his fingertips.
He needed to make sure Lu Congzhi was safe.
Lu Congzhi lay sprawled in sleep, his white undershirt ridden up over his chest to reveal the faint rise and fall of his abdomen and the lovely definition of its thin layer of muscle. The night had been stifling, leaving him a little sweaty. His pale skin was faintly pink and damp with moisture.
The scent of body wash mingled with a masculine, hormonal smell and drifted in delicate tendrils through the gap in the curtain, quietly reaching Wen Rui’s nose.
Wen Rui immediately dropped the curtain and went to wash his face. Cold water splashing his cheeks eased the lingering heat of late summer and early autumn.
After changing and collecting his phone, Wen Rui slipped out of the dormitory. He had bought several apartments in the residential complex opposite campus; one was over two hundred square meters, beautifully renovated and fully equipped. Nobody knew he lived there. His family circumstances required him to keep a low profile.
He went into the living room, sat on the sofa, and called his older brother. “Brother, you’re awake this early?”
“I’m not awake. Your call woke me up.” His brother sounded aggrieved.
“Brother, I need to go to Minnan. Things are chaotic along the coast. Could you find me a few bodyguards?”
“What are you going to Minnan for?” His brother became serious.
“I have a classmate…” Wen Rui hid nothing, recounting everything that had happened over the past few days, down to the smallest detail of Lu Congzhi’s talents, character, cunning, and methods.
His brother listened carefully before offering his assessment. “Someone like that is worth helping. He repays kindness, values loyalty and friendship, and has seasoned methods, but he’s open and upright. More importantly, he’s willing to take risks and do things other people wouldn’t dare. You’ve been an old soul since childhood. It’s almost impossible to squeeze a word out of you. He’s exactly the complement you need. I approve of the two of you starting a company together.”
Wen Rui asked hopefully, “Brother, about the bodyguards…”
His brother answered generously, “I’ll send you three. They’re all elite retired soldiers. Five hundred yuan per man per day, and you’re paying them yourself. From now on, they’ll work for you. If you ever go bankrupt and can’t afford them, send them back.”
Wen Rui said with complete seriousness, “Brother, you underestimate me. Five hundred yuan a day each is too little. In a few years, I’ll be able to pay them annual salaries of a million yuan.”
His brother burst out laughing. “That’s the ambition I expect from my little brother!”
Wen Rui spoke with his brother a while longer, giving a detailed account of his work and studies. After they hung up, an unfamiliar number called.
He answered politely. “Hello, Wen Rui speaking.”
The caller introduced himself. “Hello, President Wen. I’m one of your bodyguards. Where should we meet you?”
Wen Rui gave him the apartment address and carefully instructed, “Stay out of sight. My classmate wants to bait someone. If they notice we have bodyguards, they probably won’t dare make a move.”
“No problem. The three of us were reconnaissance soldiers. Concealment is our specialty. We’ll be there in half an hour. Goodbye, President Wen.”
Wen Rui waited half an hour, and the three men arrived exactly on time, with the punctuality of career soldiers.
He gave them the apartment keys, exchanged phone numbers, and left twenty thousand yuan for operating expenses before taking an IBM laptop back to campus.
After six, people were already running beside the campus lake. The sound of English recitation came from the English Corner. Morning light pierced the mist and painted scarlet clouds across the sky. The heat was beginning to rise; the scorching weather would not fade until after the National Day holiday.
Remembering how Lu Congzhi had sweated in his sleep, Wen Rui ran to the convenience store for several bottles of ice-cold mineral water. He then went to the cafeteria for steaming buns, mantou, dumplings, soy milk, and fried dough sticks.
Finally, he called an older student from the law department and waited outside the cafeteria.
Mu Zhengqing arrived in a hurry, his eyes swollen and his expression listless. He was pursuing a doctorate, had qualified as a lawyer long ago, and was a partner at Junhe, a prestigious red-circle law firm. He carried considerable influence in the legal profession.
Accepting the water and breakfast from Wen Rui, he began complaining immediately. “Wen Rui, I’m handling the Xingchang–Shengda merger. Do you know I was sorting case files until three in the morning last night?”
Wen Rui handed him a check. “Come to my dormitory today. Some of my shareholders need to sign contracts. I’d like you to serve as legal counsel.”
Mu Zhengqing checked the amount. Ten thousand yuan. Some of the resentment faded from his face.
“Is that my consulting fee for one day or for one year?”
Wen Rui: “One day.”
Mu Zhengqing broke into a bright, cheerful smile. “Junior, call me whenever you like from now on. Even if I’m on top of my wife, I’ll crawl off her to come see you.”
Unable to stand straight men’s jokes, Wen Rui frowned. “Let’s go. I’ll explain the situation on the way…”
After hearing the whole story, Mu Zhengqing sighed admiringly. “Junior, that classmate of yours, Lu Congzhi, is a master. The three firewalls he’s designed are watertight. There’s nothing wrong with them. If I were planning this, that’s about as far as I’d go. I don’t have anything substantial to add. At most, I can draft the actual contracts and spell out the clauses in more detail. Your ten thousand yuan might be wasted.”
Wen Rui shook his head. “It isn’t wasted. I hired you precisely to draft the contracts.”
Mu Zhengqing: …A god of wealth really was something else.
Song Xiuzhu had slept badly, and so had Lin Yuan. The two stood on the balcony, speaking in low voices.
“Xiuzhu, you should withdraw your shares too. Can’t you see they’re targeting you?”
“It’s a lousy company with registered capital of just one million, making network access equipment. There’s no fucking money in that.”
“Your family isn’t rich. Why saddle yourself with more than a hundred thousand yuan of debt at your age?”
“Let’s go to graduate school together, then start a company when we graduate. With our abilities, how could we fail to make a fortune?”
Song Xiuzhu remained silent.
The rustling noises woke Lu Congzhi. He pulled back his bed curtain, stuck out his head, and said lazily, “Lin Yuan, what kind of person do you think Song Xiuzhu is? He values profit more than his own life. He knows better than you whether our company can make money. You’re advising him to withdraw because you care about him. But if he knows the company’s prospects are excellent, why isn’t he advising you to keep your shares? He says he treats you like his own brother, and you actually believe it. He’s selfish to the core and couldn’t care less if you lived or died. Look back in five years and you’ll realize he’s the person you hate most. I won’t even make the list.”
Lin Yuan cursed, “Lu Congzhi, don’t you fucking try to turn us against each other! I’m not falling for that!”
Lu Congzhi shook his head and smiled with contempt.
Song Xiuzhu was deathly pale. He sensed that his friendship with Lin Yuan was doomed too. Five years from now, Lin Yuan really might see him as an enemy.
Outside the door, Wen Rui was taking out his key. He couldn’t help smiling. Lu Congzhi had an extraordinary appetite for battle. He woke up every day ready for a fight.
Mu Zhengqing had grown up with Wen Rui and knew better than anyone what Wen Rui could do. He pointed at the door and whispered, “Does Song Xiuzhu know about your patents?”
Wen Rui nodded gently. Apart from his family background, he had never hidden anything from Song Xiuzhu.
Mu Zhengqing understood. “So he does know. Then you really need to guard against him. If he won’t even help such a good friend, don’t expect him to help you. Your classmate Lu Congzhi is right: when you’re running a company, especially in the startup stage, the most important thing is being united. Firewalls won’t eliminate the underlying risk. I’d advise you to find a way to force Song Xiuzhu out. He’s the root of the problem. Greed has no limits. Once he becomes the second-largest shareholder, sooner or later he’ll turn his sights on you.”
Wen Rui thought for a few seconds and nodded in agreement.
Mu Zhengqing asked again, “Does that Lu fellow know about your family? He seems awfully confident in your company.”
Wen Rui hesitated. “I don’t think he does.”
Mu Zhengqing grew serious. “I recommend looking into him thoroughly. He’s ambitious and skilled at maneuvering. Keeping him close could be far more dangerous than keeping Song Xiuzhu.”
Wen Rui thought for much longer this time, and did not nod.
He inserted his key and unlocked the door. “Lu Congzhi, you’re awake? Come eat breakfast.” Then he introduced his companion. “This is Mu Zhengqing, a senior from the law department. He’s pursuing his doctorate, he’s a qualified lawyer, and he’s a partner at Junhe. I asked him to draft our contracts.”
“Hello, Senior Mu. Come sit over here, by the fan.” Lu Congzhi welcomed him warmly and pulled out the stool closest to the fan.
Yu Binbin and Zhou Ming poked sleepy heads out through their bed curtains.
Only then did Wen Rui call to them. “I bought plenty. Come eat too.”
“I’m going to brush my teeth.” Zhou Ming climbed down.
Yu Binbin emerged and reached for a steamed bun, but Lu Congzhi slapped the back of his hand. “Brush your teeth first, you greedy brat!”
“You haven’t brushed yours either!” Yu Binbin complained.
“Aren’t I waiting for you?” Lu Congzhi invited Mu Zhengqing to sit once more before strolling off to brush his teeth.
Wen Rui opened his laptop and plugged it in. “Senior, go ahead and draft the contracts.”
Mu Zhengqing was holding a bun in his mouth and had not even had time to take a bite. He grumbled inwardly, This junior has the makings of a true capitalist, working people like livestock.
After brushing and washing his face, Lu Congzhi crooked a finger at Wen Rui.
Wen Rui took a bottle of mineral water and followed him outside. They went to the end of the corridor and stood before an open window.
“You sweated a lot. Have some cold water.” Wen Rui unscrewed the cap and held out the bottle.
Lu Congzhi tipped his head back and poured water into his mouth without touching the bottle to his lips, then handed it back. “You have some too.”
This time it wouldn’t be an indirect kiss. Wen Rui lowered his gaze to the mouth of the bottle.
Lu Congzhi suddenly said, “Wen Rui, I have a favor to beg of you.”
He’d actually used the word beg. Wen Rui’s heart tightened. “What is it?”
“Once I go to Minnan, I’ll call you at eight every morning and every evening. If there’s a day when I don’t call, I hope you’ll report it to the police for me. I know your family is important. If you’re the one who reports it, the authorities will take it more seriously.”
Senior Mu’s concern had instantly come true. Lu Congzhi did know something about Wen Rui’s family. Wen Rui couldn’t help asking, “How do you know my family is important?”
Lu Congzhi smiled. “During our first year, the university took us freshmen to visit the Imperial City. One student wandered into a restricted military zone and was detained. Even the teachers couldn’t negotiate his release. You were the one who got him out. You said your brother served in the military there. I never believed that was the whole story. You have a calm assurance about you, because you know that however serious a problem gets, you can solve it. I’ve lived in an orphanage for years. I’m very sensitive to differences between people.”
Wen Rui remained silent for a long time. No matter how discreetly he lived, he couldn’t conceal what was innate to him.
Lu Congzhi looked at him and continued, “I know we come from different worlds. That’s why I’ve always kept a respectful distance. The reason I never gave you that pen wasn’t just the painfully childish inscription. I also knew you wouldn’t care for it. From the time I was twelve until I was twenty, I’ve searched for Tang Hu for eight full years. Only when I was close to despair did I realize how little power I have on my own. I need money, connections, resources. We’ve shared a dorm for two years, and I’ve seen what kind of person you are. You’re the one person with the ability to help who’s within my reach. If I come back alive this time, I’ll work for you for the rest of my life. I’ll be your beast of burden. I admit I’m afraid of dying too.”
When he finished, he couldn’t help smiling bitterly.
He had humbled himself to the utmost. For Tang Hu’s sake, he was even willing to surrender his freedom and dignity.
He too had approached Wen Rui deliberately, but he was so candid about it that Wen Rui couldn’t feel the slightest wariness toward him.
After a silence, Wen Rui spoke slowly. “Lu Congzhi, I’ll go with you. I’ll help you contact the police in Minnan and make sure you have the greatest possible protection without disrupting your plan.”
Lu Congzhi froze, then seized Wen Rui in a fierce embrace, slapping him hard on the back with his palm.
“Good brother!”
Wen Rui coughed softly and gave a rueful, helpless smile. A straight man’s hug really was bad for your health.