Lin Ning was just about to leave when someone entered, forcing her to hide behind the office desk and listen to the commotion outside.

A man’s voice spoke, “Did you find it?”

This voice was familiar—it was Ma Wenbiao.

Another man replied, “No, we searched near Wugong Tower, Golden Rooster Ridge, and Ziyun Mountain but couldn’t find any ornaments resembling a Ruyi.”

Ruyi?

Lin Ning glanced at the small red mark on her hand. Could they be searching for the Ruyi bracelet?

Ma Wenbiao cursed, “That foreign businessman is really strange. Instead of going to big cities, he comes to this little county. While others buy trendy stuff like watches, TVs, and tape recorders, he’s fixated on those worthless trinkets. What an idiot!”

“Director Ma, Mr. Morita said that as long as it’s a Ruyi-themed ornament, he’ll buy it. In addition, he mentioned that the bath scrubber recently produced in Dong’an County is excellent. He’s confident people in his country will love it and is willing to pay a high price for the design.”

Ma Wenbiao replied, “Let him purchase it through the government. No matter how much he wants, we can ramp up production to meet the demand.”

The man responded, “Director Ma, if he buys from the government, the money won’t end up in your pocket. Nine times out of ten, it’ll land in Dong Yikuan’s hands. He gave you trouble during the day, and now you’re sending him money at night. You’re too generous!”

Ma Wenbiao cursed, “Then what do you suggest?”

The man chuckled, “Director Ma, why let others have it when you can have it yourself? Sell the design and process directly to Mr. Morita. He’ll give you a good price, and the money will go straight into your pocket.”

He raised a finger and continued, “Mr. Morita said that once the deal is done, he’ll give you an additional 10,000 yuan.”

Unexpectedly, Ma Wenbiao wasn’t interested. “Trying to scam our design for a measly sum? Dream on!

“Xu Guangyin, do you know how well these bath scrubbers sell? Lin Ning’s weekly commission alone is 2,700 yuan. That’s over 10,000 yuan a month. If I pocket her share, I’d make hundreds of thousands a year. Why would I care about your petty offer? Don’t insult me.”

Lin Ning gritted her teeth in anger. Damn it! No wonder Ma Wenbiao refused to see me. It turns out he’s been pocketing all my money! And who is this Xu Guangyin?

The listening device silently recorded their entire conversation.

Xu Guangyin was also surprised to learn how profitable the bath scrubbers were. Initially, he hadn’t thought much of them, but Mr. Morita had insisted. Now, it seemed this was a golden goose.

“Director Ma, I’ll go back and negotiate with Mr. Morita to get you a better deal.”

“Tell him I want 100,000 yuan, and it must be in U.S. dollars. Deposit it into a foreign exchange bank account. Not a penny less, or I won’t do it.”

“Understood. I’ll let him know.”

The door creaked open, and footsteps receded into the distance. Lin Ning didn’t move; someone was still in the room.

Sure enough, footsteps approached the desk. This is bad! A few more steps, and they’ll find me.

In a split second, Lin Ning disappeared from her spot.

Ma Wenbiao thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Was that a flash of red light? He must have been too sleep-deprived.

Rubbing his eyes, he sat down. Moments later, someone else entered the room.

“Director, here are the detailed specifications for the bath scrubbers.”

Ma Wenbiao unfolded the document. “Does this include the dimensions and the process for making the twisted nylon cloth?”

“The dimensions are included, but the cloth processing isn’t done at our garment factory—it’s handled at the textile mill. I asked the veteran workers there, and they said it’s just steamed in hot water. However, they didn’t specify how long or what happens afterward.”

Ma Wenbiao nodded. “No problem. In a few days, we’ll arrange a study tour at the textile mill and figure it all out.”

“Understood.”

Ma Wenbiao locked the documents in the drawer, left with the man, turned off the lights, and locked the door. The office fell silent once more.

Inside the Ruyi space, Lin Ning clearly heard every word. It was obvious that Ma Wenbiao wasn’t just embezzling funds—he was planning to sell the factory’s product designs to foreigners. Wasn’t he destroying the country’s livelihood?

On top of that, he was helping a foreigner named Morita search for Ruyi-themed ornaments. No wonder he came to this small county instead of Yongzhou City—it was for convenience!

Lin Ning exited the space, pulled out a thin wire, and picked the lock on the desk drawer. At the top of the stack was a detailed design document for every bath scrubber, with precise dimensions marked. With this blueprint, anyone could immediately start production.

Rage surged within Lin Ning. The bath scrubber might look simple, but the simpler the product, the harder it was to perfect. Even a slight deviation in size would make them inconvenient to use. These dimensions were the result of numerous trials led by Director Cao and the workers, refined after market feedback to ensure quality and sales.

And now, Ma Wenbiao was about to sell it all. Truly despicable!

To avoid alerting him, Lin Ning carefully returned the documents to their original state. This matter couldn’t be rushed—it had to be handled strategically.

She locked the drawer, opened the window, jumped out, and retraced her steps.

Meanwhile, Xu Guangyin went straight to the county guesthouse after leaving the garment factory. On the second floor, he knocked on a door. “Knock, knock, knock…”

The door opened, and Xu Guangyin slipped inside. A middle-aged man in a plaid suit with a bald head and a small mustache sat inside.

When he spoke, it was in awkward Chinese. “How did it go?”

“Mr. Morita, Ma Wenbiao refused.”

“He wouldn’t sell for 10,000 yuan? When did he become so righteous?”

“No, Ma Wenbiao said Lin Ning’s weekly commission alone is 2,700 yuan. He earns over 10,000 a month and doesn’t care about this amount.”

“Who is Lin Ning?”

“She’s the one who invented the bath scrubber. Apparently, she gets a penny for every towel sold. Now, Ma Wenbiao pockets that money himself.”

A gleam appeared in Morita’s eyes. “2,700 yuan for one penny per towel? That means the garment factory alone sells 27,000 towels a week. This small item is quite lucrative!”

“Exactly. That’s why Ma Wenbiao thinks your offer is too low. He wants 100,000 U.S. dollars for the design.”

“100,000? U.S. dollars? Ha! He’s not afraid of choking on his greed.”

Morita lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around him as he said, “Since he doesn’t want the carrot, we’ll use the stick. If we catch him in a scandal, we won’t have to pay him a cent.”

“What’s the plan?”

Morita smiled sinisterly. “There are two ways to manipulate people: reward and punishment. Since he won’t take the reward, we’ll punish him. If we catch him committing a crime, we can control him completely.”

“But, Mr. Morita, Ma Wenbiao is the brother-in-law of the mayor of Yongzhou. He’s not easy to pin down.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve studied your country’s laws. The easiest scandal involves male-female relations. One wrong step, and it’s either prison or execution.

“I’ll find a woman to frame him for a crime. Once he’s caught, we can force him to comply without spending a single cent. This is what your Sun Tzu’s Art of War calls the ‘Beauty Trap’ and the ‘Interlinked Stratagems.’”

Cold sweat broke out on Xu Guangyin’s back. “Haha, Mr. Morita, you really understand our country.”

“Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll win every battle. Now, how’s the search for the Ruyi ornaments going?”

Xu Guangyin shook his head. “No luck. We couldn’t find anything, and asking around hasn’t worked either. People are starting to get suspicious.”

“Mr. Xu, this is our top priority. You must handle it carefully. If the mountainous areas yield no results, try searching in the county. Talk to young women—they might have something useful.”

“Understood. I’ll start asking around the county tomorrow.”