Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1407: The Dialect That "Exposed Its True Nature"—Who's Behind It? (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"Why didn't you say so earlier? You're only telling me now that you're about to leave?" Fang Yan's tone became somewhat impatient.

In fact, Fang Yan was very calm at this moment. He was actually analyzing why Wang Zhenlin was only saying these things now, and what policies he mentioned. It was obvious that he was talking about reform and opening up. Why was he so sure that he would have a chance to cooperate with Fang Yan in the future?
Was it the latest instructions given to him by the people behind him, or information he summarized based on the people he contacted, or simply analysis given to him by these professors?

We can't figure out his dialect yet, so we need to test him now.

And I didn't give him my home phone number, so how did this guy know it?
Could it be the hotel receptionist?

Or did someone else tell him?
"It's not too late to say now," Wang Zhenlin said calmly on the other end of the phone.

He hadn't changed much from the slightly cold tone that Fang Yan displayed.

Fang Yan decided to start putting some pressure on him, and even "expose" her "true nature".

So he paused briefly, and then said:

"You haven't even told me your identity yet, how can I believe you?"

Wang Zhenlin chuckled and said:

“It’s pointless to say it now; it would only increase my risk. It’s better to tell you later. You’ll find out then, and there are only a few months left anyway.”

He asked in dialect:

"Risk? What risk? Do you want me to do something illegal or against the rules?"

Wang Zhenlin's breathing became a little heavier, but he quickly regained his composure and said with a smile:

"Of course not, I mean business risk."

Fang Yan sneered:
"Hehe, Mr. Wang has been talking to me in riddles for so long."

Upon hearing this dialect, Wang Zhenlin could only say with a wry smile:

"Dr. Fang, please forgive me. I'm just a nobody running errands. Please just remember that I will bring you huge benefits in the future, and we will become the closest partners. That's enough."

Fang Yan, hearing him still going in circles, simply said:

“Mr. Wang, I never listen to empty promises. There are plenty of people who want to cooperate with me. If that’s all you’re going to say, then you can hang up now.”

"..." Wang Zhenlin remained silent for several seconds, feeling a little uncomfortable with Fang Yan's attitude.

After a final moment of silence, he asked:

What does Dr. Fang want?

A cold laugh in dialect:

"I want the Emperor's dog head, will you give it to me?"

Wang Zhenlin was somewhat embarrassed:
"Dr. Fang is joking with me."

A faint response in dialect:
"You were the one who joked with me first."

Wang Zhenlin, on the other end of the phone, took a deep breath, clearly suppressing his emotions, and asked Fang Yan in a calm voice:

"Dr. Fang, I'm being sincere, why don't you believe me?"

The next second, he heard the dialect voice suddenly rise several octaves:

"Is it really worth how much money?"

Then, in a dialect-accented voice, your anger seemed to materialize, and you said through gritted teeth:

"Wang Zhenlin, don't forget what you said on the plane. Now I haven't gotten a single penny, and I haven't even settled the score with you for that loss yet!"

Wang Zhenlin shuddered when he heard the voice. Just from the sound, he could tell that Fang Yan was gritting her teeth.

His momentum immediately weakened, and he said in a pleading tone:

"Dr. Fang, this is a misunderstanding... I actually wanted to help you."

He cursed in dialect:

"You think you're so smart, and that I'm some kind of idiot you can easily manipulate?"

Wang Zhenlin quickly explained:

"Of course that's not what I meant. I mean... well, I'll do it this way, I'll definitely find a way to compensate you for your losses."

As a result, Fang Yan became even angrier and directly cursed:
"Fuck you, what are you going to use to compensate me?"

"I feel like killing you right now."

Dr. Fang, who always appeared very gentle and refined in public, finally "revealed" his most "true" side on the phone.

Wang Zhenlin was immediately stumped.

He paused for several seconds before speaking to Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, please don't get agitated. It's true that I was wrong in this matter... but I didn't expect things to turn out this way. However, please rest assured, I will definitely be able to compensate you. I will bring you wealth beyond your imagination. Really, I absolutely don't lie to you. I swear on my children and grandchildren!"

The dialect voice sounded even colder:
"Stop giving me that nonsense. I want real money, not empty words."

"If you can't do it, when you come back next time, I'll find a way to make sure you can't accomplish anything!"

The threats have begun, and they've started to become blatant threats.

Wang Zhenlin's forehead veins throbbed. He was over sixty years old, and a young man in his early twenties was talking to him like he was being scolded over the phone. The worst part was that he really couldn't do anything about it.

Fang Yan does indeed have that ability. Fang Yan had been keeping an eye on him all along, which had already made it impossible for him to do anything in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. He believed that if Fang Yan really wanted to target him, he could definitely ruin his plans.

Although it won't affect the person behind it much, it would be a devastating blow to him. We have to find a way!

"..." Wang Zhenlin fell silent on the phone, his breathing coming in bursts. He might not have noticed it himself, but Fang Yan could clearly tell.

It should be working.

After about ten seconds, Wang Zhenlin spoke to Fang Yan:

"Here's what we'll do. Give me some time, three days. We know you have a company in Hong Kong. You can designate someone you trust, and we'll arrange for someone to come up with some money as an apology fee!"

Without wasting words, he asked:
"How much? Be specific!"

Faced with the aggressive tone of the dialect, Wang Zhenlin took a deep breath and tried his best to make his tone sound humble and sincere:

"I can't confirm the exact amount right now, but my boss isn't short of money, so he'll definitely make sure you're satisfied."

After he finished speaking, the person speaking the dialect fell silent.

It seemed like he was thinking? Wang Zhenlin couldn't tell; all he heard was Fang Yan's silence. After about ten seconds, just as he was about to ask if Fang Yan was still there, Fang Yan said on the phone:

"I need a reasonable reason for receiving payment."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenlin beamed with joy. He let out a long breath and then said:
"Of course. You've treated so many patients before, so it's reasonable to give you this money as a way of repaying your kindness, isn't it?"

Fang Yan took over the conversation and responded forcefully:
"Remember, you only have three days. If you exceed that, I won't honor the agreement! Even if I take your money, I'll still make things difficult for you."

Wang Zhenlin said:
"I know, I know... Dr. Fang, you can rest assured that I'll handle things well."

He had just finished speaking when he heard the phone hang up.

Wang Zhenlin clenched his fist, cursed in Japanese, then rubbed his temples and muttered to himself:
"Damn it! What kind of miracle doctor is he? He's just like those other people!"

"I bother!"

"One day... one day, I'll make you laugh as you speak to me!"

I was going to say that fortunes change every thirty years, but after thinking about it, I decided against it.

……

On the other hand, after hanging up the phone, Fang Yan immediately went to Director Liao's house across the street.

He recounted what had just happened to Director Liao in person, and even gave him a cassette tape, which was a recording he had made earlier.

The recording equipment that Li Chengzhu gave to Fang Yan was a classic Philips model, invented in 1957. Philips was the leader in this field. Li Chengzhu gave it to Fang Yan mainly so that she could use it to record important meetings. She was also a shareholder, and sometimes she couldn't attend important meetings but still wanted to listen to them, so she had it sent to her in France. However, she never used it. Instead, Fang Yan kept it in her study to use for telephone recording.

Although it's not very advanced, the telephone receiver is large enough when you get close enough to hear what people are saying twice.

After listening to Fang Yan's words and confirming the recording, Director Liao said to Fang Yan:

"This person is very interesting! From what he said, there must be a very important person or team behind him."

He said in dialect:

"He said three days, so it's very likely they'll start contacting each other now."

Director Liao said:
"Zhu Weiguo's side has been keeping an eye on it, but they haven't been able to figure out how he's making the connections. It's very likely that someone in China is helping him."

At this point, the dialect reminded me:
"Even if it is discovered, I would not recommend arresting them now."

"Oh?" Director Liao looked at Fang Yan.

Fang Yan knew that Director Liao was a veteran underground worker, and that it would be somewhat like showing off one's skills in front of an expert, but he still reminded him:
"As he said, he might just be a small fry when it comes to getting things done. Anyone else could do it too. It's better to play the long game and catch a big fish."

Director Liao's gaze fell on the cassette tape box on the table. After a moment's thought, he said, "You're right. If we arrest one, ten or eight more will pop up behind him. We might as well follow this line and see what they're up to in China."

He paused, then looked up at Fang Yan:

"However, we need to keep a close eye on him for the next three days. We didn't find any way to contact Zhu Weiguo before, so he might have used more covert methods, such as through correspondence between overseas Chinese businessmen, or by having some insignificant figure on our side pass on the message. The more professional the method, the more powerful the force behind him."

Fang Yan nodded and added:
"Yes, that's right. I guess his so-called 'compensation' won't be a direct cash payment. It will most likely be processed through his company in Hong Kong, or under the guise of 'donations from overseas Chinese.' I'll have Lao Hu send someone trustworthy to handle this. That way, we can get the money and also find out their contact points in Hong Kong. If possible, I think it's better to let Tang Lao and my fifth senior brother handle it; they're more professional."

Director Liao's eyes lit up: "Yes, it's my arrangement. We must not let the other side see through it."

“Okay, then I’ll leave it to you,” Fang Yan replied.

He paused after speaking, then added:

"In addition, we should also pay attention to Wang Zhenlin's statement that 'there will be a new economic policy in a few months.' The people behind him can know the news in advance, either because they have high-level channels or because they have an extremely accurate judgment of the domestic situation. Either way, it shows that they have been preparing for policy changes for a long time. We need to be one step ahead of them."

Director Liao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the street outside. His tone was grave: "It's a small matter if they want to take advantage of the policy changes to come in and make a profit. What I'm afraid of is that they're using cooperation as a pretext to engage in technological monopolies or intelligence gathering. Those Western medicine professors we contacted before may have already had a lot of information about the industry extracted from them."

“So we need to keep Wang Zhenlin as a lead,” Fang Yan said. “He now thinks I’m a money-grubber and isn’t as wary of me. Next, I’ll play along with what he’s saying, make him feel like he can get something out of me, and slowly draw out the person behind me.”

Director Liao turned around and patted Fang Yan on the shoulder: "You used the tactic of retreating to advance well. But you also need to be careful and not get too close to them, lest you get entangled. I will remind Zhu Weiguo again to send more people to keep an eye on Wang Zhenlin's every move, including who he meets, where he goes, and whether he passes anything on."

Fang Yan nodded: "I know what I'm doing. He's going to Tianjin himself, but he'll definitely have someone contact me after he makes the remittance. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

"Oh, right, also, once that compensation arrives, we need to find a way to keep a good record of it. I don't want them to frame me without my knowledge."

“That’s right,” Director Liao said with a smile. “Your mind works fast, even more meticulous than mine was when I was young.”

Dialectal wave:
"You're joking! How could I compare to you, who was through countless battles back then?"

Director Liao's expression turned serious as he said:
"Same here, a new struggle is coming soon!"

PS: I've gained another 100 monthly votes, so I still owe you 2 words after finishing this chapter.

Continue tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)