Chapter 49: Pulling Some Strings

Chen Mingjiang called just as dusk was falling.

At that time, he was already outside Wangla Town!

Zhong Yuan had arranged to meet him at a Chinese restaurant in the suburbs.

Half an hour later.

In the suburbs, by the East River, Wang Family Chinese Restaurant.

By now, day had completely given way to night. The surface of the East River looked calm and unruffled, yet the pitch-black water always stirred a sense of unease in the heart.

The pitched-roof wooden restaurant was brightly lit, and the surrounding gardens were draped with strings of glowing lights, making them stand out sharply against the darkness.

Chen Mingjiang had not come alone, but at the moment, he was the only one sitting in the garden.

When Xiaohua and Zhong Da walked through the courtyard gate, he recognized Xiaohua at a glance. However, seeing Zhong Da walking beside Xiaohua, he could not help frowning slightly.

Zhong Da was too young.

Neither his age nor his appearance matched Yu Guang, the person described in the information he had obtained.

With a brief moment of thought, Chen Mingjiang understood. It seemed Yu Guang still did not wish to see him.

Chen Mingjiang waved his hand.

Seeing this, Xiaohua walked over together with Zhong Da.

"Mr. Chen!" Xiaohua greeted with a smile, and Zhong Da beside him nodded in acknowledgment.

Chen Mingjiang gestured for them to sit down.

After they sat, Chen Mingjiang picked up the teapot nearby and poured each of them a cup of tea. As he handed the cups over, he raised his gaze slightly, looked at Zhong Da, and asked with a smile, "How should I address this young brother?"

Zhong Da replied, "Zhong Da. Mr. Chen can call me Dazi!"

Chen Mingjiang nodded, then picked up the menu, placed it before the two of them, and said, "I'm not familiar with your tastes, so just look at the menu and order whatever you like!"

"We aren't picky and eat anything. Mr. Chen, you go ahead and order!" Zhong Da answered.

Hearing this, Chen Mingjiang smiled and said, "Very well then, I won't stand on ceremony!"

Zhong Da let out an affirming hum.

Chen Mingjiang quickly finished ordering the dishes. After the waiter walked away, he picked up his teacup for a sip, then asked quite casually, "Why didn't Mr. Yu come along today?"

He looked at the two people opposite him. Zhong Da's expression was calm, revealing nothing, but Xiaohua was clearly startled for a moment, as if he had no idea who the "Mr. Yu" mentioned was referring to.

Chen Mingjiang instantly understood the situation in his heart.

Without waiting for a reply, he changed the subject. "Those three young people from last time have safely returned to China. They are extremely grateful to you for saving their lives and specially prepared a gift, which I brought with me today. The item is rather large, so I left it in the car and didn't bring it down. I'll have you take it with you when you leave later."

Both Zhong Da and Xiaohua were slightly taken aback.

Zhong Da replied, "We appreciate the gesture, but the gift isn't necessary. Please take it back, Mr. Chen."

Chen Mingjiang laughed. "I've already brought it here, so you might as well accept it. Besides, if I take it back, I won't have anywhere to return it to, right?"

Zhong Da pressed his lips together and said no more.

Before long, the dishes began to be served.

Chen Mingjiang was a talkative person, and Xiaohua was easy-going, so even though Zhong Da did not say much, the atmosphere at the table was quite pleasant.

Half an hour later, the meal was almost finished.

Zhong Da suddenly reached into his pocket, took out a black plastic bag, and placed it on the table in front of Chen Mingjiang.

"The thing you wanted is in the bag," Zhong Da said.

Chen Mingjiang glanced at it and said with a smile, "Alright, thank you very much!"

Zhong Da checked the time and said, "It's getting late, and the item has been delivered. Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your hospitality, but we should be going."

With that, he stood up. Xiaohua, sitting beside him, stood up as well.

Seeing this, Chen Mingjiang said, "Wait a moment. Let me go pay the bill, and then I'll take you over to get your things."

After a brief hesitation, Zhong Da nodded.

While Chen Mingjiang walked away to pay, Zhong Da and Xiaohua walked out together.

Xiaohua couldn't help asking, "Brother, was that Mr. Yu that Mr. Chen mentioned just now actually Brother Yuan?"

Zhong Da raised his eyes to look at the night outside and gave an ambiguous reply, "Not sure. Probably!"

Hearing this answer, Xiaohua became even more baffled. What did "not sure, probably" mean? Was it him or not?

Fortunately, he was not someone who dwelled on things, and this shred of confusion was soon cast to the back of his mind.

Moments later, Chen Mingjiang emerged as well.

The three of them walked together along the riverbank for a hundred meters or so until they reached Chen Mingjiang's car.

As they drew closer, Zhong Da and Xiaohua noticed that someone was still sitting inside the vehicle.

Being cautious, Zhong Da suddenly reached out and pulled Xiaohua back.

Noticing this, Chen Mingjiang smiled and said, "The person in the car is the driver I brought along. It's fine, you wait here while I go get the things!"

Zhong Da glanced at him and said calmly, "Alright."

Chen Mingjiang turned and walked to the rear of the car. Opening the trunk, he dragged out a suitcase.

The suitcase was quite large.

Seeing this, Zhong Da could not help frowning.

Chen Mingjiang dragged the suitcase over to Zhong Da and asked, "How did you come here? Is it convenient for you to carry this? If not, I can give you a ride!"

"No need, we drove here!" Zhong Da said, turning to signal Xiaohua.

Understanding, Xiaohua looked up, smiled at Chen Mingjiang, and reached out to take the suitcase.

At that moment, Zhong Da asked another question: "Is Mr. Chen heading straight back to Mawlamyine tonight?"

Chen Mingjiang shook his head. "No, I still need to make a trip to Trang later on some official business."

"Then please be careful on the road and stay safe, Mr. Chen," Zhong Da said.

Chen Mingjiang smiled and nodded.

Zhong Da gave Chen Mingjiang one last look, then turned and left with Xiaohua. Chen Mingjiang stood where he was, lit a cigarette, and watched the two figures gradually swallowed by the darkness. Then, looking down at the black bag resting in his palm, he let out a soft chuckle.

This Yu Guang was truly interesting! He was setting tests for him!

After finishing his cigarette, he took out his phone and once again dialed a number back in China.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. On the other end, there was a great deal of ambient noise.

Chen Mingjiang shouted, "Find somewhere quiet."

Before long, the sounds on the line quieted down.

The person on the other end asked, "What is it this time?"

"Nothing urgent. Help me look up someone."

"…… Who are you looking up now?"

"A Chinese male in his mid-twenties. His facial features don't look quite like the Han majority; his brow and eyes resemble those of people from the Northwest. He goes by Zhong Da right now, but that's most likely an alias. However, he has a nickname: Dazi." No sooner had Chen Mingjiang finished speaking than the person on the other end began to complain, "My dear Brother Jiang, let alone someone whose brow and eyes merely resemble a Northwesterner's, even if he *were* from the Northwest, do you have any idea how many young men in their twenties there are across the entire Northwest? And among them, how many have 'Da' in their name? With just this little bit of information, you want me to investigate? How is that any different from searching for a needle in a haystack?"

Chen Mingjiang knew very well that with just this scrap of information, investigation would indeed be difficult. But since he had no further details, searching a haystack it would have to be. He would just have to start sifting first and see if luck happened to be on his side.