Zhao Qiang said, "Who knows? We haven't found any clues lately, so there's no need to worry. We just need to strengthen our defenses. My strength has increased now, and my body has recovered. Even if they make another move, they won't gain any advantage."
Xu Xiaoya said, "We must find them, otherwise I won't feel at ease. I think we should entrust this matter to Yang Shiqi. She is a military officer and is most suitable for security work."
Yang Shiqi said, "I am good at leading troops, but I am not good at intelligence work. It is best for me to stay by Zhao Qiang's side and wait for his orders."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Wang Meng is the most suitable person to conduct the investigation. As long as we don't alert the enemy, there shouldn't be any danger."
Xu Xiaoya said, "He has been carrying out a lot of security business in Dongyang City recently. He went there to inspect the work and also went home to visit his grandmother."
Zhao Qiang said, "Since that's the case, I'll also go back to my hometown. I haven't seen my parents for a long time."
Hu Qian took a step forward: "I'll go with you."
Yang Shiqi said, "I'll go arrange a car."
Xu Xiaoya said, "You can't leave me behind, can you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's go and call Luo Xiaowei and Liu Yiyi together."
Zhao Qiang is becoming more and more open-minded. He thinks that whether he has one sheep or two, it doesn't matter. And if there are many women, he's not afraid of being bitten.
Upon his return, Zhao Qiang was exceptionally busy. Not to mention his search for Xiao Wei, he was also overwhelmed with other tasks: visiting his mother at home, meeting with his teachers and senior classmates at Huaxia University of Technology, replenishing his stock of slimming tea and cosmetics that he hadn't bought before, and outlining the future plans for several companies.
It wasn't until more than a month later that Zhao Qiang finally had some free time. He had searched almost the entire internet, but there was still no trace of Xiao Wei. This puzzled Zhao Qiang. Xiao Wei shouldn't have abandoned him, so why did she leave without saying goodbye?
Zhao Qiang sat sullenly in his office. The weather outside had already cooled down, but the air conditioning was still on inside. When Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei came in, they instinctively hugged their arms. "It's so cold! Zhao Qiang, why did you turn the air conditioning on so high?"
Zhao Qiang remained silent, resting his forehead in his hand as he pondered the problem. Xu Xiaoya put down her bag, walked over, and gently placed her hand on Zhao Qiang's shoulder: "Still thinking about Xiaowei?" Xu Xiaoya was the one who understood Zhao Qiang best.
Zhao Qiang nodded: "She shouldn't have gone so long without telling me."
Xu Xiaoya tried to cheer Zhao Qiang up: "There's a Xiao Wei right here, you can use her as a substitute for now."
Luo Xiaowei gently nudged Xu Xiaoya from the side: "Xiaoya, don't joke with me. The Xiaowei that Zhao Qiang is talking about is different."
Xu Xiaoya said, "You can tell how much Zhao Qiang values you just from Xiao Wei's name. He must have secretly had a crush on you back in college. As the class monitor, I failed to do a good job of talking to the students. What a mistake."
Zhao Qiang blushed at Xu Xiaoya's words, as did Luo Xiaowei; neither of them dared to look the other in the eye.
Xu Xiaoya said, "I don't think Xiaowei will be in any trouble. She will show up at the right time. There's no use in us being anxious."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's the only way to think about it."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Zhao Qiang, you don't look well. You must have been staying up late lately. I think you should get some rest first, so that Xiaowei won't worry about you when she comes back. Maybe she'll give you a surprise when she reappears."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "I hope so. I'll go back to my room and rest for a bit."
Xu Xiaoya said to Luo Xiaowei, "How about we give him a massage again? It's been so long since we did it together?"
Luo Xiaowei blushed and said, "It's been more than a year."
Xu Xiaoya said to Zhao Qiang, "You're in luck! We're both in a good mood today, so we'll do you a favor."
Zhao Qiang eagerly opened his bedroom door, but then his QQ notification rang. He could only turn around to check, as very few people contacted him on this QQ account. Only Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling knew about it, and Xu Xiaoya and others had added it as a friend, but they were all around him, so they would definitely contact him directly if anything came up.
Zhao Qiang opened the message, which contained only a few words: "I'm waiting for you in Beijing. We'll meet again if fate allows." The sender was a stranger.
Volume Two [544] Arrival in Beijing
Zhao Qiang was a little annoyed. Who was this? His QQ account couldn't possibly receive messages from strangers. It seemed the other party was an expert. Zhao Qiang immediately sat down at his computer to investigate, but the other party had already left and disappeared without a trace.
Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei went to Zhao Qiang's computer and were speechless when they saw the message. Xu Xiaoya said, "Who is this again? You haven't explained Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling's matter yet, and now someone is inviting you to Beijing."
Zhao Qiang spread his hands: "I don't even know who it is."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Impossible, with your current technology, it wouldn't be difficult to track down them."
Zhao Qiang said, "The other party is also an expert, and they have already logged off, leaving no trace. I can't find them."
Luo Xiaowei, who had always been silent, suddenly said, "It's a woman who knows you."
Zhao Qiang asked, "What do you mean?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "Since she was waiting for you, it couldn't have been for no reason. Besides, she said 'fate,' which is a bit inappropriate for men to use to express their feelings, so it's more likely that she's a woman."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Chen Xinyu is in Beijing, but she couldn't possibly have such advanced computer skills."
Zhao Qiang said, "If it were her, there would be no need for all this trouble."
Xu Xiaoya asked, "Then who could it be?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't know, but since they gave me a hint, I should go to Beijing."
Xu Xiaoya thought about it more deeply: "Could it be a ploy to lure you away from your mountain, to trick you into coming to Beijing so they can take action against you, or to plot against our businesses in Donghai City?"
Zhao Qiang said, "We must be careful. You don't need to worry about my safety when I go to Beijing, but we must consider your safety if you stay in Donghai City."
Xu Xiaoya has always been a decisive person: "Then let's gather Yang Shiqi and the others to discuss this. Someone who can hack into your computer is certainly no ordinary person. We should also inform Hu Qian to be careful. If the other party intends to attack Rednet Technology, I'm afraid her people won't be able to stop them at all."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's no need to be overly alarmed. We should continue with our normal business operations as usual."
Yang Shiqi and Hu Qian arrived shortly after receiving the call. Upon hearing that Zhao Qiang was going to Beijing to meet the person who had hacked into his computer and left the message, the two women strongly agreed: "Okay, we think we should go and see. If the other party has malicious intent, they would have attacked us directly. There's no need to go through all that trouble in Beijing. So we believe she is a friend, not an enemy."
Xu Xiaoya said, "That makes sense, but if her target isn't Zhao Qiang, but some important place in Donghai City, Zhao Qiang's departure would give her an opportunity. Don't you think so?"
Yang Shiqi said, "That's easy. While Zhao Qiang is in Beijing, Donghai City will strengthen its defenses, and I will continue to send more troops here. However, we will need Zhao Qiang to continue manufacturing equipment, otherwise we won't have enough."
Zhao Qiang reminded Yang Shiqi, "Baiyuan City also needs to be well protected."
Yang Shiqi rolled her eyes at Zhao Qiang: "I know, you can't forget those two girls."
Hu Qian stood up and said, "I'll go back and pack."
Xu Xiaoya asked, puzzled, "What are you doing? What are you packing?"
Hu Qian asked, "Clothes and luggage? Aren't we going to Beijing?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Zhao Qiang will go by himself. Why do you need to pack your clothes and luggage?"
Hu Qian said, "That won't do. Beijing is my hometown. How can I let Zhao Qiang go alone?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Why bother packing? I don't need to. I'll take care of all of Zhao Qiang's expenses and living costs since he went to Beijing."
Hu Qian said, "What responsibility do you have? You can't even manage your own life, and you need others to take care of you."
Yang Shiqi said, "Although I can't take care of myself, I can take care of Zhao Qiang more than enough."
Hu Qian said, "You need to stay and protect the industries in Donghai City."
Yang Shiqi said, "I will arrange for people to strengthen security, so I don't need to stay in Donghai City."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Are you two ignoring me? I haven't even said anything yet, and you're already arguing."
Zhao Qiang also said, "I haven't said anything yet, what are you all arguing about?"
Several girls said to Zhao Qiang, "Then tell us, which of us will go to Beijing with you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course no one else will go; I'll go by myself."
The girls were all very unhappy. Hu Qian turned around and walked out of the office, saying, "I have things to do at my company."
Yang Shiqi said, "I'll contact the military to request personnel."
Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei also walked out, and Zhao Qiang called out to them, "Didn't you say you were going to get a massage?"
Xu Xiaoya didn't even turn her head: "Go rub against the bed by yourself, we're still busy." After saying that, the two of them closed the office door, and low laughter came from outside the door, then faded away, leaving Zhao Qiang all alone in the office.
This strange message made Zhao Qiang tense again. The Chen family didn't need him to deal with anything for the time being; Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling could develop in the south. Although the north was Yang Shiqi and Hu Qian's domain, Zhao Qiang was very unfamiliar with the capital. He not only wanted to find out who left the message and what their purpose was, but he also wanted to see the heart of his country.
Of course, Zhao Qiang couldn't just leave on a whim. A lot of preparation work took him a long time. He had to prepare the catalyst for synthetic rubber, as well as slimming tea, cosmetic mother liquor, and G substance in advance. As the production of these things increased, Zhao Qiang's burden became heavier. He really wanted to find Xiao Wei to share some of the burden. Fortunately, his energy increased greatly after his body restarted, otherwise Zhao Qiang really wouldn't have been able to cope. Even so, the preparation work took more than a week.
When Zhao Qiang arrived at Beijing Railway Station, it was already evening. The city lights were just coming on, and the capital was ablaze with light. It was indeed much more prosperous than Donghai City and Baiyuan City. Zhao Qiang carried a simple bag and walked alone on the street. The air was a bit humid and hot, and he guessed it was going to rain. Zhao Qiang randomly found a hotel on the roadside and checked in.
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Zhao Qiang sat in the bedroom and took out a map of Beijing. Hu Qian had slipped it into his bag before they came. Several place names were marked on it in different colors. These were the places Hu Qian and Yang Shiqi had given Zhao Qiang to stay at; they were all properties under their names. As long as Zhao Qiang went there and mentioned his name, he would be the owner of the place. However, Zhao Qiang had no intention of going. There were also several villas marked by Xu Xiaoya, which were private houses she had secretly bought in Beijing. Unfortunately, Zhao Qiang wasn't bringing anyone with him this time, otherwise the two of them could have gone on their honeymoon.
Zhao Qiang didn't bring them because he was afraid of any unexpected events. Having more people would mean more worries. Also, if the person who sent him the message was willing to meet with the girls, they probably wouldn't choose Beijing as the meeting place. So Zhao Qiang had to take this into account. If he brought a group of people to Beijing, but the person avoided meeting him, it would all be for nothing.
The other party left only one sentence. Zhao Qiang used his super biochip to analyze it tens of thousands of times but couldn't find any code. So where to meet and what code to use to communicate, Zhao Qiang had no idea. However, Zhao Qiang believed that if the other party could hack into his computer, they would continue to give him instructions. He just needed to log on to QQ and wait.
He sent messages to almost every girl he knew, assuring her he was safe. Zhao Qiang checked the time; it was already past 10 p.m. He made himself a bowl of instant noodles, ate it, and went to bed. No one had contacted him since. Had he been tricked?
But who would be so bored, especially when the other party is a master? Masters usually don't bother with pointless things. Zhao Qiang fell asleep with these questions in mind, and when he woke up, it was already bright outside.
Looking at the screen, which showed no information, Zhao Qiang sighed. It seemed he had been too impatient. Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. Wasn't he supposed to see the sights of Beijing? He would start his tour today.
Once Zhao Qiang calmed down, he stopped being in a hurry. He didn't join a tour group, nor did he visit any of the major attractions mentioned in the brochures. On the first day, he decided to stroll around Beijing, going as far as he could, specifically looking for old alleys to explore. The more ancient the style of the houses, the better Zhao Qiang liked them, as that would truly capture the essence of Beijing.
Around 10:30 a.m., Zhao Qiang came across a tea stall and stopped. The sky was overcast and very humid. Although Zhao Qiang wasn't sweating, he was feeling a bit anxious. This tea stall gave him a chance to rest. The owner was an old lady in her sixties who was boiling water in an electric kettle and using old-fashioned tea sets. It looked neither ancient nor modern, but Zhao Qiang didn't care.
"Young man, it's so hot and humid, have a cup of tea," the old lady warmly invited. Zhao Qiang sat down: "Grandma, give me a pot of iced tea, I'm too hot to wait for it to cool down."
As the old lady poured tea for Zhao Qiang from the teapot, she asked, "Young man, are you from out of town?"
Zhao Qiang nodded, and the old lady said, "There's not much scenery around here, so why did you come to this old town?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It depends on whose eyes you're looking at it. In my opinion, the whole of Beijing is a scenic spot, but crowded places are not very interesting."
"Young man, you have a good mindset," the old lady praised, putting down her teapot.
Zhao Qiang chuckled and finished his tea. Although it was far inferior to the tea Xu Xiaoya had brewed for him, he enjoyed it immensely. The ancient courtyard house, the lush locust tree, the kind old man, and a stray dog lying on the ground in the distance, the kettle bubbling as it boiled—everything was so harmonious.
Beep, beep, a Toyota drove into the alley. Because the road was narrow and the Toyota was large, it had to keep honking its horn. Pedestrians had to give way, and some of the scattered stalls even had to lean their goods against the wall to let the car pass.
Zhao Qiang asked the old woman, "Grandma, is this road still allowed to be used by cars?"
As the old lady tidied up her tea stall to make way for the Toyota, she said, "Whether we let the car pass or not, people still have to walk. We're already occupying the road for business, so we have to make way even more. This area was planned a long time ago, but the relocation didn't go smoothly, so it was stopped halfway."
As they were talking, the Toyota pulled up. The first few stalls were selling fried stinky tofu and repairing shoes; they didn't have much stuff, so moving everything made room. But the old lady's tea stall had three tables: a work table with teapots and teaware, two smaller tables for customers to sit and drink tea, and a large parasol. Even though it wasn't sunny today, the parasol was still stuck in the ground. Moving all of that to the wall in such a short time was simply impossible.
The Toyota driver seemed impatient; after a short while, one of the drivers stuck his head out and yelled, "You old hag, how many times have I warned you? You're not allowed to set up a stall on the street anymore! If you don't listen, I'll smash your stall!"
The old woman kept apologizing as she worked, saying, "I'll clear the way right away, right away..."
Zhao Qiang helped out from the side. The Toyota, seeing that the road was almost cleared, began to move forward impatiently. The old lady was busy pulling out the sun umbrella. As people get older, they don't have enough strength. The sun umbrella was top-heavy and thin at the bottom, making it difficult to control. The old lady managed to pull it out, but she didn't hold it firmly. The sun umbrella fell towards the Toyota and hit the rear of the Toyota with a bang.
Volume 2 [545] Eating Peking Duck
The old woman exclaimed and hurriedly tried to move the parasol, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to."
At this moment, Zhao Qiang put the table he had moved in the corner and came over to help. The two of them worked together to move the parasol to the base of the wall and put it down. The Toyota driver heard the noise and observed this scene in the rearview mirror. The car braked with a screech, and then the car door opened with a bang. The driver, a strong and tall man, jumped out of the driver's seat.