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To Feng Junzi, Momoki Rin's story mostly revolved around her relationship with Momoki Kenjiro from sixty years ago, but he was more interested in her relationship with Aoba Masako. Finally, Feng Junzi asked, "You said your maternal grandmother's name was Honda Masako, and Honda was your maternal grandfather's surname. Do you know what your maternal grandmother's maiden name was?"

Tao Muling: "Back then, it was customary to follow one's husband after marriage, and I had never heard of my maternal grandmother's family name before."

Feng Junzi: "So you take your husband's surname when you get married? If you marry someone with the surname Feng, won't you have to change your name to Fengling?"

Peachwood Bell: "Wind Chime is a very nice name, it sounds so good!" Only then did she show a slight smile.

...

After hearing about Momok Rin's background, Feng Junzi decided to meet Momok Ninja. The answers to many questions probably start with why Momok Ninja was tracking Momok Rin.

Part 4: A Pair of Chopsticks, Episode 22: Life's Narrow Path Leads to Unfortunate Encounters

"Feng Junzi, have you learned it? Don't break the camera." This was Lin Zhenzhen saying to Feng Junzi in the elevator of Maolin Building.

"No problem, I understood something so simple right away. Zhenzhen, do I look like a professional photojournalist now?"

"You'd look even more convincing if you wore a vest! I went to great lengths to get this interview opportunity, and it took several KFC meals to appease our station's photographer so you could impersonate me. Don't mess it up later."

"Don't worry, I'm a natural actor, I just haven't been discovered by a talent scout yet."

"Why do you insist on seeing this Momoki Shinobu? And why are you acting so suspiciously... Never mind, I won't ask anymore. You always have so many mysterious things going on with you. Don't forget to tell me the details next time."

Feng Junzi and Lin Zhenzhen arrived at Momoki Ren's office right on time; punctuality is crucial when dealing with foreigners like these. Momoki Ren was younger than Feng Junzi had imagined, around thirty years old, with a pair of small, shrewd eyes that gleamed even brighter when he saw Lin Zhenzhen.

"President Taomu, I'm Lin Zhenzhen, a reporter from XX newspaper. This is our newspaper's photographer. We arranged to interview you yesterday." Lin Zhenzhen handed over her business card as she spoke.

Momoki Shinobu took the business card, but his eyes were fixed on Lin Zhenzhen as he looked her up and down: "I know about the interview, but I didn't expect Ms. Lin to be such a charming lady. Come, please have a seat."

Momoki Shinobu stood up and led Lin Zhenzhen to the sofa, then sat down opposite her without inviting Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi cursed inwardly, "What kind of person is this? So lewd!" Then Momoki Shinobu said, "Miss Lin, what would you like to drink? I have a complete fresh-ground coffee maker from Japan in my office, along with imported Brazilian coffee beans. It tastes much better than the instant coffee you usually drink. I'll make you a cup to try."

Lin Zhenzhen didn't answer, but turned around and beckoned to Feng Junzi: "Xiao Chen, please sit down too."

Feng Junzi was taken aback, only then remembering that his surname should now be Chen. Taomu Shinobu seemed to only then realize Feng Junzi's presence and also invited him, "Mr. Chen, would you like a drink?"

Feng Junzi stood still and replied calmly, "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in coffee. I only drink tea."

Upon hearing that Feng Junzi wanted tea, Momoki Shinobu said with a boastful expression, "Then Mr. Chen has come to the right place. Our Japanese tea ceremony is the best in the world. I have a complete set of tea ceremony equipment in my office. I wonder if Mr. Chen knows how to use it."

Feng Junzi: "Thank you, but no need. I'm afraid you don't have the kind of tea I'm looking for here."

Feng Junzi's words displeased Momoki Shinobu: "How could that be? I have all kinds of top-quality teas in my office, teas that ordinary people can't afford. What kind of tea would Mr. Chen like to drink?"

Feng Junzi: "I'm not that particular. I only drink green tea, but only the new tea of the current year. I don't like the tea sold in the market. I buy the first batch of tea directly from the tea farmers every spring using traditional methods. It's very simple."

Momoki Shinobu seemed surprised by this and stood up to say to Feng Junzi, "Mr. Chen, please have a seat. Please don't mind that my accommodations are limited." Lin Zhenzhen, who was standing to the side, was completely confused. Just now, Momoki Shinobu had clearly treated Feng Junzi like he was invisible. How come his attitude suddenly became so polite after just a few words and some tea?

Feng Junzi: "President Taomu, you don't need to worry about me. I can just stand here and take a few pictures."

Lin Zhenzhen and Momoki Shinobu began their interview, taking turns asking questions, while Feng Junzi pretended to raise his camera and point it at Momoki Shinobu. This professional equipment was indeed useful; the lens was extremely high-end, and by zooming in, every detail of Momoki Shinobu's features was clearly visible, even the fine hairs on his face. Feng Junzi suddenly felt that Momoki Shinobu's face looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

He stood there holding his camera, pondering for a long time, when suddenly a thought flashed through his mind—he remembered the Japanese officer he had seen in his dream. He had a dream in which he seemed to have returned to sixty years ago, becoming Feng Xingzhi, and was eventually surrounded by a group of Japanese soldiers in a valley. The officer commanding these soldiers vaguely resembled Momoki Shinobu. Feng Junzi now knew that Momoki Shinobu's grandfather was Momoki Ken'o, so the Japanese officer he had dreamed of was probably Momoki Ken'o from back then!

Feng Junzi's thoughts were interrupted by Momoki Shinobu's laughter. He was telling Lin Zhenzhen about the experience of Mokuzhao Co., Ltd.'s investment and factory establishment in Binhai—how much tax revenue it generated, how many jobs it created, how good its relationship with the local government was, how much investment it helped them achieve, and so on. Feng Junzi thought to himself: This kid is just a small company manager, how come he speaks like the mayor of Binhai City? Who spoiled him like this? In fact, Momoki Shinobu's company in Binhai was a multilayer printed circuit board manufacturer, using the name of high technology to enjoy more preferential policies than similar companies in China. Feng Junzi couldn't help but want to interject and ask Momoki Shinobu how heavy metal pollution in the production process was solved in Japan, and how it was solved in Binhai. He thought about it and held back, after all, he was here today under a false name to investigate.

After the interview, Momoki Shinobu shamelessly insisted on sitting down with Lin Zhenzhen for a photo, casually placing one hand on Lin Zhenzhen's leg. Feng Junzi felt uncomfortable and deliberately tilted the camera, cutting off half of Momoki Shinobu's head from the lens.

As Feng Junzi and Lin Zhenzhen were leaving, they happened to run into an employee entering the office. The man stared at Feng Junzi for a couple of seconds, then his expression suddenly changed drastically. He turned and quickly walked into Tao Muren's office. Feng Junzi recognized him immediately; he was the guy whose front tooth Xiao Zhengrong had knocked out with chopsticks that day. He pulled Lin Zhenzhen and hurried into the elevator.

...

After posing as a photojournalist, Feng Junzi had to rush back to his office. He was now certain that the Momoki family had returned to Binhai after sixty years and had people operating in the Longwangtang area. The day he and Chang Wu were investigating the mysterious deaths of a family of five in Jinsha Village, Momoki Shinobu's men were also in Longwangtang, doing something unknown. Feng Junzi had deduced that someone was using abandoned air-raid shelters in Longwangtang to store suspicious items, likely nuclear waste, but he wasn't yet certain whether Momoki Shinobu was involved.

If Momoki Shinobu were looking for something from sixty years ago in Longwangtang, she probably wouldn't find the air-raid shelters, because those shelters were only built in the 1960s, a difference of thirty years. However, this is hard to say; Momoki Shinobu might not be familiar with this period of Chinese history.

Feng Junzi thought for a moment and decided to start by checking the information on the turbot fish farm, mainly focusing on the historical data of Nanda Technology, a listed company. Generally, delisted companies don't publish announcements in designated information disclosure media, and their related news has faded from public view. However, today a report appeared in the brokerage's trading information, concerning the latest progress of the restructuring of the delisted company, Nanda Technology. This report immediately caught Feng Junzi's attention.

The report was simple: a private company in Binhai recently acquired the legal person shares of the nearly bankrupt Nanda Technology Co., Ltd., becoming its new controlling shareholder. With the new shareholder involved, there are plans to inject high-quality assets for restructuring, which could potentially give Nanda Technology a new lease on life. Such news isn't exactly breaking in the securities market, but the name of the company surprised Feng Junzi considerably—the company restructuring Nanda Technology is Jinzhou Group, and the owner of Jinzhou Group is Feng Junzi's old classmate, Zhou Song!

Who is Zhou Song? Zhou Song is a rising star in the Binhai real estate industry in recent years. He was a high school classmate of Feng Junzi and Chang Wu, and they used to be very close friends. However, more than a year ago, due to an incident, he had an unspeakable grudge with Feng Junzi (see "Strange Tales of Stocks - Deception by Gods and Ghosts" for details), and they haven't been in contact for a long time.

Zhou Song made his fortune in real estate development, having developed projects in Binhai, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Jianjiang, and other places. In recent years, he established the Jinzhou Group, whose businesses have expanded into many areas. His net worth is now in the hundreds of millions, making him a significant figure in Binhai's business community. However, Feng Junzi was very puzzled by Zhou Song's restructuring of Nanda Technology. He knew Zhou Song was indeed very wealthy in recent years, but probably not enough to clean up the mess at Nanda Technology. Zhou Song was a private business owner; he wouldn't use his entire fortune on such a laborious and potentially unprofitable undertaking, unless there were other reasons behind it!

Generally speaking, in listed company restructurings, equity transfers, board takeovers, and asset control typically begin well before the official announcement, with a time lag of about six months. This means that Nanda Technology's original assets, including the turbot fish farm in Longwangtang, may very well have already belonged to Zhou Song!

Feng Junzi wasn't concerned with the restructuring of Nanda Technology; rather, he was interested in Zhou Song's relationship with the fishing ground. The most valuable part of that fishing ground was its land, and Zhou Song, who made his fortune in real estate, wouldn't have overlooked this after acquiring Nanda Technology. Therefore, Zhou Song should also know about what happened in the air-raid shelter within the fishing ground! Could this be Zhou Song's reason for restructuring Nanda Technology?

It's been almost two years since the feud between Feng Junzi and Zhou Song, and he really doesn't want to face this old friend who would do anything to make money. But the world seems so small, and sometimes you can't escape it even if you want to.

Part 4: A Pair of Chopsticks, Chapter 23: Commoners Are Not Commoners, Like Straw Dogs

"The plan for restructuring Nanda Technology has been finalized. As for funding, you needn't worry. I will raise funds from outside the group, and it won't affect Jinzhou Group's current operations. Is there anything else?" This concluding remark by Chairman Zhou Song in the conference room at Jinzhou Group's headquarters signaled the meeting's nearing its end.

"President Zhou, I have something else to report to you." The speaker was Lao Liang, the chief engineer of Jinzhou Group.

Zhou Song glanced at Chief Engineer Liang: "Is there anything else, Chief Engineer?"

"Recently, the group received a notice regarding strengthening safety protection at construction sites. In accordance with the latest requirements of the Labor Bureau and the Municipal Safety Production Office, all our construction sites must replace the safety nets with the latest ones and purchase personal safety insurance for construction workers."

Zhou Song: "Have you calculated it? How much money will it cost?"

Chief Engineer Liang: "According to the standard requirements, given our company's current business scale, we will need to increase our expenses by approximately 700,000 yuan per year."

Zhou Song snorted coldly: "There's no need for that. This expense is too much."

Chief Engineer Liang: "There are indeed safety hazards at the construction site. What if an accident or injury occurs?"

Zhou Song: "Engineer Liang, you're a veteran in the company. Our company's construction projects have been of roughly the same scale over the past three years. How many accidents have occurred in total?"

Chief Engineer Liang: "There have been a total of five accidents, two of which were reported, resulting in a total of four deaths and two injuries. That's a significant number."

Zhou Song: "How much money was paid in total to handle these accidents?"

Chief Engineer Liang: "The total compensation, funeral expenses, and medical expenses paid to the family members amounted to more than 400,000 yuan."

Zhou Song: "Then you should have studied math. With an extra two million yuan in expenses over three years, you can only save this four hundred thousand yuan. I'm not stupid enough to do something so foolish!"

Chief Engineer Liang: "General Manager Zhou, this is a matter of life and death, the accounts cannot be settled like this!"

Zhou Song: "I don't know what you mean by 'sky,' but the more than one million yuan is mine. You haven't run a business, so you don't understand this principle. Let's not talk about this anymore."

After the meeting, Zhou Song returned to his office. He had just sat down when he heard a knock on the door. Chief Engineer Liang followed him in and said, "President Zhou, we haven't finished talking about what happened earlier. Even if you decide not to follow the instructions, what will we do when the higher-ups come to inspect?"

Zhou Song: "Engineer Liang, actually I already knew about this and had made arrangements. You just did the math. According to the regulations, we need to spend 2.1 million over three years, but in reality, we can save less than 500,000. If I take 300,000 to 400,000 from the extra 1.6 million to communicate with the safety production department, the company can still make more than 1 million in profit. What do you think I should do?"

Chief Engineer Liang: "General Manager Zhou, are you planning to bribe the leaders of these departments?"

Zhou Song: "Old Liang, you're oversimplifying things. Getting things done doesn't necessarily require illegal means, but it's impossible to do it without spending money. And spending money doesn't necessarily mean you're bribing people. There are many leaders who think they're very honest and have never accepted a penny, but they don't realize that their words might cost others a lot of money."

Chief Engineer Liang: "I really don't understand. I'm just a technician. I don't want any more deaths to occur on the construction sites I'm in charge of. Mr. Zhou, you can choose not to take any measures, then I'll resign and quit, okay?"

Zhou Song was slightly surprised by what he heard. He stared at Lao Liang with wide eyes for a moment before saying, "You've been working for me for several years now. You're not only a good person, but also a rare chief engineer. I've always valued you highly. I know why you suddenly said you wanted to resign today, but I advise you to think it over first, at least until tomorrow morning before making a decision. How about you come with me to dinner tonight, and after dinner, accompany me to entertain some guests, and then decide whether to resign or not?"

Chief Engineer Liang: "Who are you accompanying?"

Zhou Song: "I've already said that I knew about this a long time ago and that I had already made arrangements. Actually, the people I'm inviting tonight are the staff from the department that issued that notice. Since you're so concerned about this, why don't you come with me?"

...

The next morning, in Zhou Song's office, the conversation between Chief Engineer Liang and Zhou Song continued: "Old Liang, you've seen it too. In those people's eyes, you and I are just lowly people. They don't value our hard-earned money at all. Our lives and deaths are none of their concern. You may think I'm heartless towards the migrant workers on the construction site, but aren't we in the same situation?"

Chief Engineer Liang lowered his head as if he was thinking about something. Finally, he raised his head and said, "General Manager Zhou, I have decided to withdraw my resignation. I will try my best to improve the safety conditions at the construction site within the limited conditions."

Zhou Song smiled: "President Liang, you're a lot like an old friend of mine named Feng. Your weakness is that you're not as smart and capable as him, but your strength is that you're not as stubborn and aloof as him..." Just then, the internal computer on the table suddenly rang. Zhou Song picked up the phone and heard his secretary in the outer room say: "President Zhou, a Mr. Feng has an appointment but insists on seeing you. I couldn't stop him; he's already inside..."

Zhou Song put down the phone and said with a wry smile, "I have such a bad mouth, I can bring this on the spot. Lao Liang, you can go back to work now."

Chief Engineer Liang pushed open the door and went out. Feng Junzi had already slipped in, saying as he walked, "Zhou Song, you're a big boss now. I have to make an appointment to see you. I was almost turned away at the door."

Zhou Song stood up to greet him: "So it's Immortal Feng who has graced us with his presence. No one here will stop you. You are welcome to come anytime, but I'm afraid you might not want to."

Feng Junzi sat down on the sofa: "Really? I'm afraid I'll feel uncomfortable if someone sees me."

Zhou Song served Feng Junzi a cup of green tea and sat down opposite him, saying, "Our grudges are long gone, let's forget what we should forget. It's been almost two years and you haven't even called me. I'm glad you finally came to see me today."

Feng Junzi: "Do you know why I came here today?"

Zhou Song: "I don't know, I'm waiting for you to tell me."

Feng Junzi: "I've come today to tell you a story. Would you like to hear it?"

Feng Junzi and Zhou Song hadn't seen each other for almost two years. The moment they met, Feng Junzi immediately started telling a story, which seemed strange to others. However, Zhou Song didn't seem too surprised: "Feng Junzi, you haven't changed at all. You start talking about things without any beginning or end. What interesting story did you come all this way to tell me?"

Feng Junzi: "This story is a bit long. I wonder if Mr. Zhou, such a busy person, has the time."

Zhou Song: "I do have time for you." After saying that, he got up and made a phone call: "Notify all departments that this morning's office meeting is temporarily canceled." He then sat back down on the sofa: "Is this alright? We can talk slowly."

Feng Junzi settled into a comfortable position on the sofa, looked around, and said with a half-smile, "Your office is quite impressive, and the layout is very sophisticated. It looks like you consulted a feng shui master. Am I right?"

Zhou Song: "Your judgment, Mr. Feng, is certainly accurate. We in the real estate business all pay attention to this. I'm just following the trend."

Feng Junzi: "There are some people in the world who can't be sure whether they believe in ghosts and gods, but they still enshrine some ritual objects in their offices. Their purpose is not to ask for forgiveness from the gods, but simply to receive the gods' protection. What kind of mentality do you think this is?"

Zhou Song: "It seems you're more knowledgeable than me in this area. Tell me about it?"

Feng Junzi: "There are only two kinds of mentality: one is greed, hoping to get more, and the other is fear, because they must have done a lot of shameful things."

Zhou Song chuckled twice, not taking up the topic, but instead asked, "Didn't you say you were going to tell a story? What story is it?"

Feng Junzi straightened his posture and said, "I recently watched an Italian TV series, it's a police drama, the male protagonist is a police chief, the story is very long, it's about the police chief's struggle against the Sicilian Mafia. Have you seen it?"

Zhou Song: "I haven't watched it. What's so special about this TV series?"

Feng Junzi: "Many parts are the same as typical police and gangster films, nothing special, but the plot before the end is quite interesting. A Sicilian mafia family makes a big deal with an outside Italian criminal organization. They want to buy a small island off the coast of Sicily. There is an abandoned silver mine on this island, with a dense network of tunnels underneath, which can be used as hidden warehouses."

Zhou Song: "There's no need to go through all this trouble to find a warehouse."

Feng Junzi: "Of course, a regular warehouse wouldn't need to go to this much trouble, but this warehouse is used to store nuclear waste. It's said that this kind of business is more profitable than arms smuggling and drug trafficking, don't you think?"

Zhou Song squinted and said, "I don't know either. I work in real estate."

Feng Junzi: "The story isn't over yet; I haven't seen the ending of this TV series. But I'm thinking about a question: what do the Mafia do with the money they make? How do they launder it? They probably need to go through a legitimate company. If this happened in our country, they could acquire a company facing bankruptcy, then restructure and repackage it to make it profitable. That way, they can gain a good reputation and launder their money at the same time. Isn't that a win-win situation? It would be even better if it were a listed company. Zhou Song, I heard you acquired a delisted listed company?"

Zhou Song: "You know about our group's restructuring of Nanjing University of Science and Technology? But I don't have your rich imagination."

Feng Junzi: "I'm not just making this up. I heard that recently, a family of five in Jinsha Village, Longwangtang, died of leukemia at the same time. I don't know how the hospital made the diagnosis. There's only one possibility for this: the family was exposed to strong radioactive contaminants at the same time. As the saying goes, 'There are gods three feet above your head.' Do you believe in karma?"

Zhou Song: "Don't talk to me about these things. I am an atheist and a thorough materialist."

Feng Junzi: "Let's tell the story. The sheriff gave the Sicilian Mafia boss a chance to turn over a new leaf, stopped the deal, and the nuclear waste returned to its original place, as if nothing had happened."

Zhou Song took a deep breath: "What a happy ending! What happened to the sheriff in the end?"

Feng Junzi sighed deeply: "The sheriff is dead, killed by a hail of bullets from the underworld."

Zhou Song also sighed: "What about that reformed mafia boss you mentioned? Tell me the truth."

Feng Junzi: "He's dead too. He committed suicide."