“Factory Director, someone is looking for you.”

“Who is it?”

Xu Guangyin entered the room with a woman. “Director Ma, long time no see.”

Ma Wenbiao quickly shut the door, his expression tense. “What are you doing here? And who is this?”

“Don’t be so nervous, Director Ma. We’re here to discuss a business deal. This is Director Miao Jia from the Changsha County Supply and Marketing Cooperative. She’s here to purchase bath scrubbers.”

Miao Jia, a woman in her thirties with a graceful demeanor, greeted him with a charming voice, “Hello, Director Ma. I’m Miao Jia.”

Ma Wenbiao, being a man with a weakness for attractive women, immediately brightened up. Miao Jia was exactly his type. “Hello, Director Miao. Nice to meet you.”

Miao Jia explained that the bath scrubber from Dong’an County had gained popularity in Changsha County, where they sold exceptionally well. She had come specifically to procure them. Without much hesitation, Ma Wenbiao agreed and offered her 20,000 yuan worth of stock.

The two hit it off quickly and soon arranged to have dinner together, their exchanges becoming subtly flirtatious.

Once the deal was finalized, Miao Jia left first, leaving only Xu Guangyin behind. He leaned in and said, “Director Ma, Mr. Morita has a request for you.”

“What is it?”

“He needs you to keep Lin Ning at your factory for half a day. He has something to do.”

“How am I supposed to keep her here? She’s a grown woman!”

Xu Guangyin pulled out ten bundles of large-denomination yuan. “If you manage to accomplish this, these 10,000 yuan are yours.”

“Just 10,000 yuan…?”

“Director Ma, don’t forget our transactions. You wouldn’t want certain details to be leaked, would you? If anything gets out, we can run, but can you? Can your sister and brother-in-law escape unscathed?”

“…Fine, I’ll figure it out.”

Meanwhile, in Lin Ning’s earpiece, she heard the conversation clearly. Frowning, she wondered, Why does Morita want to keep me at the factory for half a day? What’s he planning?

Ma Wenbiao acted quickly. About an hour later, someone knocked on her door.

“Is Lin Ning here?”

“Who is it?”

Lin Ning opened the door to see Accountant Li standing there, smiling warmly. “Good news, Comrade Lin Ning! The factory director has invited you to visit our factory and the garment factory. Please come with me.”

Lin Ning laughed coldly. “Accountant Li, last time I tried visiting your factory, the security guards kicked me out, claiming they didn’t know me. What’s this about now?”

“That was a misunderstanding! This time it’s different. Please, come with me.”

Lin Ning, curious about Morita’s intentions, decided to follow Accountant Li to the garment factory.

Upon arrival, Ma Wenbiao greeted her with enthusiasm. “Comrade Lin Ning, I invited you here today to tour our production workshop.”

Lin Ning chuckled. “Director Ma, I’m not interested in touring workshops. I don’t even have money to spend right now. I need to go back and earn some. Goodbye.”

“Wait, don’t leave!”

At Ma Wenbiao’s signal, Accountant Li blocked the door. “Lin Ning, didn’t you want to wholesale bath scrubbers? Come, I’ll take you to the workshop to choose.”

“No commission means no sales. I’m leaving.”

Lin Ning turned to leave, but Ma Wenbiao, realizing he couldn’t delay her without making concessions, said, “Actually, I also invited you here to settle your commissions. Accountant Li, how much commission does Comrade Lin Ning have?”

Accountant Li froze. Lin Ning’s commissions had already been pocketed by the director. Seeing Ma Wenbiao’s sharp glance, she quickly responded, “Oh, right! Over the past few weeks, Comrade Lin Ning’s commissions add up to 5,000 yuan!”

Lin Ning sneered. “Director Ma, who are you trying to fool? Even kids on the street know bath scrubbers are selling like crazy. Shipments are leaving the train station non-stop. If you don’t tell the truth, I’m leaving!”

Realizing he couldn’t deceive her, Ma Wenbiao relented. “Bring the account books and calculate her commissions week by week.”

The account books were brought out, and after calculating, Lin Ning’s total commissions over four weeks amounted to 13,897 yuan. Ma Wenbiao felt a pang of regret—he had just received 10,000 yuan but now had to pay more than that.

“Pay Comrade Lin Ning immediately. Not a penny less!”

“Yes, Director.”

Accountant Li brought the money and counted it out slowly, taking half an hour to finish. They were stalling for time, per the director’s instructions.

Watching Lin Ning pack the stacks of cash into her bag, Ma Wenbiao felt a deep sense of loss. If not for Morita’s threats, he wouldn’t have handed over so much money. Now he had to figure out how to earn it back.

“Comrade Lin Ning, there’s not much time left. Let’s visit the textile factory now.”

“Director Ma, weren’t we supposed to tour your factory? Why the textile factory?”

“We’ll have plenty of opportunities to see our factory later. Since you’re here today, let’s check out the textile factory.”

Lin Ning saw through his ploy—he wanted to use her as a cover to inspect the textile factory’s nylon processing methods. She wouldn’t let him succeed.

“Director Ma, what’s so special about the textile factory? It’s scorching hot inside, and the workers are all wearing tank tops and shorts. Isn’t it inappropriate for you, a man, to go in?”

Ma Wenbiao was momentarily speechless. She had a point. If he couldn’t get into the factory, he couldn’t steal the nylon processing technique.

Checking the time, he saw there were still two hours left until the end of the workday. He decided to stall further.

“You’re right. Let’s just tour our workshop instead. Come, I’ll show you around.”

Following Morita’s orders to the letter, Ma Wenbiao stayed with Lin Ning until the end of the workday before finally letting her leave.

At Lin Ning’s Home

While Lin Ning was detained, Morita and his men were searching her house.

The simple padlock on her door was no obstacle. With someone on lookout, another person used a piece of wire to pick the lock. With a click, the door opened, and they entered.

“Search!”

“Yes, sir!”

The house was small—three main rooms, a kitchen, and an outhouse—making it easy to search. After half an hour, they found nothing.

“Mr. Morita, there’s nothing here.”

Since moving in, Lin Ning had only used one main room and the outhouse. She kept all valuables in her hidden space and rarely cooked, eating fruit from her space instead.

Morita paced the house, sniffing the air. “Check the stove in the kitchen. Is there any ash inside?”

“No, sir. It’s clean—doesn’t seem like it’s been used for cooking. There’s only one bowl and a pair of chopsticks.”

“She’s made a lot of money selling bath towels recently. Did you find it?”

“No. We turned the place upside down—no cash, no bank books.”

“What about her household registration?”

“Nothing. None of those items are here.”

“No valuables at all? Could she be carrying everything with her? She doesn’t even cook—what is she eating?”

As he pondered, a sudden realization struck Morita, and he laughed out loud.

His subordinates exchanged confused glances, wondering if he’d gone mad.

Morita stopped laughing and declared, “No need to search anymore. I’ve figured it out. Let’s move on to the next phase.”

Leaving the garment factory, Lin Ning strolled home at a leisurely pace. Once out of sight, she reached into her pocket and transferred the 13,897 yuan into her hidden space.

As she continued walking, a fashionable woman approached her hurriedly. She was stylishly dressed and exuded a charming aura.

“Miss, have you seen a handbag? I think I lost mine,” the woman asked.

Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Ning’s eyes narrowed. She had heard this voice hours earlier—through her listening device.

It was Miao Jia, the supply and marketing cooperative director from Changsha County. But what was she doing here now?