Превратись в лебедя и прилети к тебе

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Old Dong also put his arm around Lulu's waist and raised his glass with his other hand, saying, "Come on, I suggest we all drink together."

Nothing eventful happened that night; everyone had a great time, so details are unnecessary. However, when everyone was leaving after Lao Shi paid the bill, something unexpected happened. Lao Shi wanted to take Meng Chen out, and they agreed on a price without any problems. But Lao Dong wanted to take Lulu back to the hotel, which Lulu resolutely refused. She told Lao Dong, "Brother, I only sit on the platform here; I never go out. I'll find you a better girl."

But Lao Dong seemed to have a crush on Lulu and tried every means to persuade her to go out with him. Later, Wei Boxi got angry and said to Lulu, "What kind of person doesn't go out with others? Just name your price, or you can ask your boss to name his price."

Feng Junzi originally didn't want to get involved, but seeing that Wei Boxi was genuinely angry, and knowing that Wei Boxi had connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles in Bincheng, he was someone a hostess couldn't afford to offend. He had already decided that Lulu was an alumna and felt a desire to protect her. He took the opportunity to go out and find the manager, and soon returned with another hostess.

The young lady Feng Junzi brought this time was indeed stunningly beautiful and incredibly alluring, yet possessed a touch of innocence amidst her sexiness, somewhat similar to Lulu. In terms of sheer captivating charm, she was absolutely top-tier. Feng Junzi pulled the young lady into Old Dong's arms and said, "Old Dong, this is Miss Shuangshuang, a star performer at Midnight. What do you think of her?" He then leaned close to Old Dong's ear and whispered a few words mysteriously.

Old Dong's eyes lit up and he said, "Really? Then I'll take her away tonight, and Lulu will come with me too. You two can have a threesome."

Seeing that Lao Dong still wouldn't give up, Lao Shi, who was standing nearby, also advised, "You've had quite a bit to drink tonight, and you have a meeting to attend tomorrow. You should take care of your health. This girl Xiao Feng found is really nice; just take one home."

Old Dong listened to Old Shi's advice and stopped, leading Shuangshuang out. When they were almost at the door, Feng Junzi said to Old Shi, "You go with President Wei and President Dong first, I'll stay a little longer."

Old Shi laughed: "Didn't you have enough fun with that lady earlier? Now you want to have some alone time with yourselves. Well then, we'll be going now."

After Lao Shi and the others left, Feng Junzi asked for a small private room and sat down by himself. At this time, Supervisor Chen came over and asked, "Handsome guy, don't want to leave? Shall I call Yangyang over to sit with you at another table?"

Feng Junzi: "Bring me a fruit platter and two bottles of wine. Don't call Yangyang over. Call Lulu over and have her sit with me at another table."

A short while later, Lulu came in and was surprised to see Feng Junzi sitting alone in the private room. She asked, "Why didn't you leave with them? Let's go to another room and continue drinking. Haven't you had enough yet?"

Feng Junzi patted the sofa next to him: "Come, come, sit with your senior brother for a while. I specially stayed to chat with you. You won't refuse, will you?"

Lulu walked over and sat down, saying to Feng Junzi, "How could I not want to? Besides, what kind of customers don't we hostesses accompany? I'd be happy to sit with you, handsome guy! You don't have something to ask me, do you? Let me tell you, I really don't go out with clients."

Feng Junzi: "Whether you go out or not is none of my business. It's best if nothing happens. I'm staying because I don't want anything to happen."

Lulu poured a glass of wine and held it to Feng Junzi's lips, saying softly, "I'd like to toast you." Feng Junzi took the wine and drank it all in one gulp, saying, "Let's drink slowly. The wine here is too expensive, and there's no one else to pay the bill now."

Feng Junzi and Lulu drank, chatted, and sang. While talking, Feng Junzi kept looking towards the door. Lulu asked him, "Are you waiting for someone?"

Just then, the supervisor knocked on the door and called out, "Lulu, someone is looking for you."

Lulu was about to get up when Feng Junzi grabbed her and pressed her back onto the sofa. Feng Junzi called out to the door, "Manager Chen, if it's someone from President Wei's group outside, just let him in. I'll treat him to a drink."

The person who came looking for Lulu was indeed Chen Xiaosan, an employee of Wei Boxi's company. Chen Xiaosan was originally a fishmonger who had sworn brotherhood with three other men, known as the "Four Great Warriors," who dominated the seafood market. Chen Xiaosan was ranked third among them. Later, the leader of the Four Great Warriors lost his life, the fourth went to prison for some reason, and the second disappeared. Chen Xiaosan somehow ended up working a sinecure at Wei Boxi's company, essentially a henchman and driver.

When Chen Xiaosan saw that the person sitting next to Lulu was Feng Junzi, he was also a little surprised. He said to Feng Junzi, "I was wondering why this girl wasn't going out with someone else. It turns out she's your lover, Lao Feng. Why didn't you say so earlier? We almost had a misunderstanding."

Feng Junzi: "Brother Chen, did Boss Wei send you to warn her?"

Chen Xiaosan: "Brother Feng, I know what happened now, it was just a misunderstanding!"

"Let's not talk about misunderstandings. Come on, Brother Chen. It's not easy following the boss around every day. Sit down, have a drink, and chat with a lady."

And so, Feng Junzi went to two nightclubs at Midnight Club in one night, and didn't go home until the early hours of the morning.

Part Two: Ghost Alley 8 - A Chance Encounter with Her

"Brother Feng, please do me a favor for the sake of these students' thirst for knowledge!"

"They asked your finance university professors for help, why are you asking me? I'm not an expert or professor, I'm not fit for such a high-level position."

"Brother Feng, as you know, the teachers at our school are just all talk and no action. What students want to hear is something that connects to real-world practice. Wouldn't sending them there be misleading them?"

"Professor Song, do you even know what it means to mislead students? Don't use your thirst for knowledge as an excuse. I know that the teachers at your school are all very busy, busy doing side jobs to make money. They wouldn't do something that doesn't bring them any profit. They only think of coming to me for something that doesn't benefit them!"

“Brother, it’s just giving a lecture at the Light Industry College, it’s no big deal, why are you making such a fuss?”

"Wait! Old Song, are you talking about the Light Industry College? Okay, when is it?"

"It's tomorrow, scheduled for 4 PM. As soon as the market closes in the afternoon, I'll have Director Sun from their finance department send a car to pick you up. How much do you want for the lecture? Don't ask for too much, just a token amount will do."

"Lecture fee? Charging too little would lower my status, and charging too much would probably be unacceptable to the school. So, to save face for both them and myself, I'll give it to them for free. Consider it my duty."

"That's wonderful! Thank you on behalf of Director Sun!"

"Old Song, don't thank me yet. I only agreed because I have something to do at the Light Industry College. You also need to ask Director Sun to do me a favor."

"So you have the means? What kind of help do you need?"

"I want to check the files of two students from the class of '97 at their school, one named Qiao Fangsi and the other named Han Shuang."

This is a phone conversation between two people: Feng Junzi and his friend, Professor Song Zhaonan from the University of Finance and Economics. It turns out that Director Sun of the Finance Department at Binhai Light Industry College asked Professor Song to invite an expert to give a lecture on practical securities investment to their students. Professor Song thought long and hard and then thought of Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi was initially reluctant to take on such a task, but upon hearing that it was at the Light Industry College, he immediately remembered the request made by the ghostly woman Piaopiao in Jimo. He figured this would be a good opportunity to inquire at the Light Industry College, so he agreed.

The next day, when the stock market closed, the car from the Light Industry College was already waiting at the brokerage office. The driver, surnamed Zhang, exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Feng Junzi before heading directly to the college. On the way, Feng Junzi asked Mr. Zhang, "How many years have you been working at the school, Mr. Zhang?"

Mr. Zhang: "It hasn't been too long, maybe four or five years."

Feng Junzi: "Two years ago, a big incident happened at the Light Industry College. A female student suddenly died just before graduation. Have you heard about it?"

Mr. Zhang was taken aback and asked, "Teacher Feng, how did you know? Something like that did happen at the school, but the school leaders gave instructions not to spread it around, and the news media didn't report it either. Not many people know about it. I just know that something like that happened, but I don't know the specifics. The school doesn't allow us to talk about it."

Feng Junzi felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this. It seemed that what the female ghost Piaopiao had said was true. Such a thing would be a scandal for the school, and it was normal for them to try to cover it up. It looked like Master Zhang wouldn't know any more. They traveled in silence and soon arrived at the Light Industry College.

Director Sun was very enthusiastic towards Feng Junzi, but there were too many people in the office, so it was not appropriate to ask about Piaopiao. When the lecture time arrived, the group entered the small auditorium. After a brief introduction and applause, Feng Junzi began his lecture.

Feng Junzi was once a student himself, so he knew what these people didn't learn in class and what they wanted to hear. Therefore, he didn't prepare any special handouts. He just picked up the textbooks used by students and talked about a few simple concepts. Then he started to combine some specific and interesting events in the market. The students in the audience listened with great interest.

Generally speaking, the more engrossed the audience is, the more enthusiastic the speaker becomes. Feng Junzi, who lectures every day to gloomy stock market investors, was getting a bit tired of it. But today, facing so many eager eyes, he perked up. As he spoke, a glance out of the corner of his eye caught sight of a female student in the audience who looked very familiar. He looked closer, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind—he recognized her—it was Lulu, the hostess he'd met at the Midnight Club a few days ago.

Lulu clearly recognized Feng Junzi as well. When his gaze fell upon her, she unconsciously averted her eyes, lowered her head, and pretended to take notes, her fair face suddenly turning red. Feng Junzi thought to himself, "Sure enough, few words spoken in the world of pleasure are true. I thought I was clever enough to assume she was my junior, but I was still fooled. She's not a student at the University of Science and Technology after all. She is indeed a university student, but why would a student from the Light Industry College impersonate a student from the University of Science and Technology in a nightclub?... It seems she recognized me too..."

Feng Junzi suddenly stopped his eloquent speech. The students and teachers in the audience watched as Feng Junzi suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at a certain spot in the audience. They all felt a little strange and looked in the direction Feng Junzi was looking. At this moment, Lulu lowered her head even further, and her face seemed to be even redder.

Feng Junzi's reaction just now wasn't intentional; he was simply surprised for a moment. Seeing everyone looking in Lulu's direction, he immediately realized his lapse in composure and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Classmates, I suddenly drifted off during the lecture. The reason was that I suddenly thought of an announcement released today by a listed company regarding asset restructuring. We just talked about the issue of equity transfer in joint-stock companies. Now, I'd like to give you a practical case study: how to acquire a listed company without spending a single penny?"

The audience was indeed very interested in the question Feng Junzi was asking, and they all turned their attention back to him. Feng Junzi felt slightly relieved and continued, "Let me first talk about how Weida Shares in this city implemented an MBO (management buyout). Take a look at the blackboard. Actually, the process is very simple—Weida Shares' management registered another shell company, Weida Group, and then used related-party transactions to create 300 million yuan in accounts receivable from Weida Group. In effect, Weida Group occupied 300 million yuan of Weida Shares' funds. Finally, Weida Group used 300 million yuan to buy Weida Shares from the Binhai Municipal Government. This management buyout implementation model is using the listed company's money to buy the listed company. Of course, the process I described is the simplest model after simplification. The actual situation is much more complex, but the basic idea is like this."

Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Feng Junzi continued, "Management buyouts, in order to use the listed company's money to buy another listed company, can be achieved through several methods, such as the credit method, profit transfer method, and share pledge method. For example, we could have Weida Shares or its affiliated companies provide loan guarantees to Weida Group, which could then use bank loans to acquire Weida Shares. Alternatively, we could delay payment at the time of acquisition, and then pledge the shares to a bank after obtaining them, using the pledged loans to pay for the acquisition. Or, management could intentionally create financial losses for the company, reducing its net assets, and use the transferred profits to acquire the listed company. For cases where major shareholders have occupied a large amount of the listed company's funds, they can acquire shares through debt swaps, that is, assuming the debts of the original shareholders, exchanging debt for shares, and then returning the assets to the listed company after valuation. These methods can all be explained with diagrams..."

It seemed that the students and teachers in the audience had never heard of these things either. After all, the finance major at the Light Industry College had only been established for less than four years, and they hadn't even graduated their first batch of students yet. They even had to invite experts from outside the school to give lectures. Feng Junzi finished explaining the diagrams on the blackboard one by one, and finally drew a conclusion: "In fact, given the loopholes in the existing legal system, as long as someone gains decision-making power and control over economic resources, and lacks corresponding supervision and checks and balances, some people can use this power to seek personal gain, such as putting a listed company into their own pocket."

After Feng Junzi finished speaking, the teachers and students in the classroom began to discuss animatedly, commenting on the merits and demerits of entrepreneurs. Some started asking questions based on what they had heard, while others began to criticize certain social phenomena. Looking at the chaos in the classroom, Feng Junzi couldn't help but sigh, "The standards for judging right and wrong are not so simple. The market is not as well-organized as textbooks describe. In practice, it is difficult for us to distinguish between the virtuous and the wicked!"

Although Feng Junzi's voice wasn't loud, Lulu, sitting in the audience, heard it clearly. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and her previously flushed face suddenly turned deathly pale. Feng Junzi noticed Lulu's reaction and realized that his seemingly unintentional remark might have hurt Lulu's sensitive nerves. He then thought, "Did I really say that unintentionally? If I meant it, then I've been far too harsh."

Part 2: Ghost Alley 9 - It Was Her All Along

9. It was her all along.

After class, there was another commotion. Feng Junzi and Director Sun, along with the others, chatted as they walked out with the crowd. Feng Junzi glanced at Lulu out of the corner of his eye and noticed she remained seated, seemingly waiting until everyone else had left. Lulu's face was still pale; she was looking down, staring blankly at her desk, lost in thought. Looking at her frail figure, Feng Junzi felt a strange pang of pity.

Although the lectures were free, meals were still required, and even if meals weren't eaten, drinks were still expected. After the lectures, Director Sun and another professor from the department, Professor Wang, invited Feng Junzi to dinner at a hotel near the school. Professor Song also joined them. During the meal, they chatted about various things, and Feng Junzi asked Director Sun, "Your major hasn't been established for very long, but the textbooks seem quite outdated. The investment market, especially the domestic sector, is no longer what it's depicted in textbooks. Why is a newly established major using old textbooks?"

Teacher Wang, who came with Director Sun, chimed in, "Who can argue with that? The school's expansion has been too rapid. There are almost twice as many students now as there were three years ago. Classrooms can be built if there's a shortage, but the shortage of teachers is a real headache. Most teachers like me who teach securities investment are self-taught. We just pick up a textbook, do some simple preparation, and go on stage to teach. We can't worry about anything else. This is also a necessity for unconventional development."

Feng Junzi asked, "What did Teacher Wang teach before?"

"I used to teach Western economics, but I started teaching securities market investment last year because of teaching needs."

Feng Junzi: "These two courses may seem very similar to laymen, but in reality, they are quite different."

Teacher Wang: "Who can argue with that? But I have to listen to the leaders, and the leaders have to listen to the higher-ups. Today I listen to this leader, tomorrow I listen to that leader. How well the class goes depends on the students' own fate."

Seeing the complaints in Teacher Wang's tone, and not wanting to embarrass Director Sun, Feng Junzi changed the subject, saying, "Hehe, do you know what the three main reasons are for not doing a good job?"

Director Sun: "Oh? Mr. Feng, please tell us about it."

Feng Junzi laughed and said, "The first reason: widows sleeping together—no one above them; the second reason: prostitutes sleeping together—the people above them keep changing; the third reason: couples sleeping together—it's like family members having sex with each other..."

Everyone laughed. Professor Song took out his phone and said with a smile, "It's more insightful than what the teacher says in class," while rapidly typing on the keyboard.

Feng Junzi: "Old Song, what are you doing?"

"The joke you just told was a classic. I'll save it to my phone and send it as a text message."

After chatting for a while, Feng Junzi, still preoccupied with the matter of the female ghost Piaopiao, took advantage of Teacher Wang's trip to the restroom to say to Director Sun, "Director Sun, actually I came here today to ask you for a favor. This is just a small matter for you, Director Sun, I wonder if you could do me the favor."

Director Sun: "What is it? You need my help again? Are you trying to pick up some female student?"

Feng Junzi: "I'm looking for female students, but I'm afraid I can't pick them up. I want to check the files of two girls from your school's 1997 class, one named Qiao Fangsi and the other named Han Shuang."

Qiao Fangsi is Piaopiao's real name, and Han Shuang is the other girl who went to the bar with Piaopiao on the night she died. Director Sun was not surprised to hear this and replied, "Professor Song told me that you want to see the files of two students. This is simple. I will retrieve them. You can come whenever you are free."

Feng Junzi: "Director Sun, don't be so quick to say it. I have to make this clear to you. This Qiao Fangsi is none other than the girl who died mysteriously two years ago at your Light Industry College. I know your school is very reluctant to talk about this matter. I have no other intentions. It's purely a private matter. I just wanted to take a look at the information. I will absolutely not spread it to you."

Director Sun was taken aback: "So that's what it is. I know about this, but I don't know the girl's name. Mr. Feng, what exactly are you trying to do? The school has already compensated the family, and this matter is now closed."

Feng Junzi: "This matter has nothing to do with your school. It's because when I was in Qingdao, a friend's relative had the same thing happen to him at the university. I'd like to see the relevant information from that time, which might be helpful."

Director Sun: "Qingdao? Which university?"

Feng Junzi had no choice but to continue making things up: "Ocean University, Director Sun, please don't ask anymore. I won't tell anyone else about your school."

Professor Song was also somewhat surprised, but he had seen many strange things done by Feng Junzi, so he wasn't too surprised. He chimed in, "Director Sun, please do me a favor. This Mr. Feng Junzi considers himself a metaphysician and likes to study these bizarre things. It's just his personal research. I can guarantee that it won't have any negative impact on your school."

Seeing that Professor Song also said so, Director Sun had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The matter was indeed very simple; two days later, Feng Junzi saw the two documents. The student files kept by the school were very simple, consisting of only a thin file folder. Feng Junzi opened the file and first saw Qiao Fangsi's photo. Only then did he completely believe that the female ghost Piaopiao had not lied to him. Qiao Fangsi in the photo was smiling and had long, flowing hair; it was indeed the female ghost Piaopiao he had met in Jimo.

Feng Junzi discovered that the file was missing a lot of information. Flipping to the very end, he found several A4 printouts listing the missing documents, indicating that the police had taken them. It seemed the police had also made copies of the remaining documents, suggesting that Piaopiao's case was probably still unresolved. Suddenly, Feng Junzi noticed the signature of the police officer who had reviewed the documents—Chang Wu.

Feng Junzi sighed – what a small world! Chang Wu was his high school classmate, and now he also worked in Binhai. He used to be the director of a police station, but in the last six months, he was transferred to the Ganquan District Public Security Bureau as the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team. It seemed that he had also been involved in Piaopiao's case back then. Feng Junzi was both surprised and delighted. This way, he wouldn't have to bother asking others anymore; he could just go directly to Chang Wu.

Feng Junzi opened Han Shuang's file again. He was stunned when he saw the photo. His first impression was that the girl was very alluring, yet she looked strangely familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before. He suddenly remembered seeing a familiar face, Lulu, inexplicably a couple of days ago while lecturing at the Light Industry College. The feeling was exactly the same as now. So who was this Han Shuang? Thinking of Lulu, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Feng Junzi. He finally remembered—this Han Shuang was the prostitute Shuangshuang who accompanied Old Dong back to the hotel that night!

"Damn it!" Feng Junzi cursed under his breath. The things that had happened recently were too bizarre, with too many coincidences. It seemed that fate had dragged him into this matter.

Part Two: Ghost Alley 10 - Unexpected Gain

Feng Junzi called Chang Wu, only to find that Chang Wu was out of town on official business and wouldn't be back for a few days. Feng Junzi's curiosity was surging like a tide, and he couldn't just sit at home. He decided to go to the Midnight Nightclub to meet Han Shuang. As he left, he thought about how expensive the drinks were and felt a pang of regret for his wallet. But then he thought again, and the thought of being an undercover detective investigating a case added a touch of excitement and novelty.

As expected, Manager Chen of Midnight Nightclub was a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry. Although they had only met once, she recognized Feng Junzi as soon as he entered the door and quickly came up to him, saying, "So it's Brother Feng, welcome, welcome. Are you here alone tonight or with friends?"

Feng Junzi: "I'm all alone, find me a small private room."

Supervisor Chen: "So Brother Feng likes to create a romantic atmosphere. Don't worry, I'll definitely find you a nice room where you won't be disturbed."

The foreman, Chen, led Feng Junzi through a winding corridor and, sure enough, found him a small, intimately intimate private room in a dimly lit corner. He then asked, "Which lady would you like, Brother Feng? Would you like to choose a table?"

Feng Junzi: "No need to choose a channel. Just call Shuangshuang over, and I'll go find her."

Supervisor Chen: "Oh dear, I'm sorry, Shuangshuang didn't come to work today."

Upon hearing this, Feng Junzi became a little anxious and said, "Then call her and tell her that there are guests waiting for her here. Just ask her to come over."

Foreman Chen: "She went home. Her family lives in another city, so she can't come to work for the next few days. Brother Feng, why don't you find another girl? Or I can bring you a few to take a look?"

Feng Junzi's enthusiasm for becoming a detective was dampened. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way, but since he was already there, he felt embarrassed to just turn around and leave. Suddenly, he thought of Lulu and said to the supervisor, "Then you should call Lulu over."

Supervisor Chen agreed and went out, but returned a short while later. He said apologetically to Feng Junzi, "Brother Feng, I'm really sorry, Lulu is currently working and won't be coming down for a while. Why don't you choose another girl?"

Feng Junzi was disappointed again, thinking to himself that he was having a really bad night. He hadn't come looking for a prostitute in the first place. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's okay, I'll wait for her. Lulu can come over whenever she gets off the stage."

Foreman Chen laughed: "Is Brother Feng just infatuated or fickle? One minute he's looking for Shuangshuang, the next he's waiting for Lulu. We have plenty of beautiful ladies here."