It's just a toy, why would you care if it breaks?

After getting off the plane, Wei Xun followed Dou Xuan, carrying a suitcase full of valuable gifts and cash, and visited the homes of several officials in succession.

Wei Xun spent twelve years in the United States, experiencing the ups and downs of the business world; he was not ignorant of the complexities of society.

But the blatant "backdoor dealings" on this day still made him feel uncomfortable.

Dou Xuan is different. After finishing his studies in country B, he returned to China to take over the family business. He has been running the business in China for many years and is already very adept at it.

For example, today's itinerary was arranged by Dou Xuan through his personal connections.

Wei Xun felt nauseous watching Dou Xuan chatting and flattering those high-ranking officials.

As I emerged from the last official's residence, night had already fallen.

Dou Xuan patted Wei Xun on the shoulder, his tone tinged with emotion: "Buddy, I know you look down on my methods. But you also know that the environment has changed in the last ten years. Over the years, the Dou family has been careful in its actions and has been managing relationships with various parties to maintain its foothold."

He paused, then looked at Wei Xun: "Your Wei family is different. From the old man to you, you've all been single-mindedly focused on your career... That's the biggest difference between you and me, buddy."

"Although the crisis your Wei family faced some time ago has temporarily passed, without a strong backing, it's hard to say whether you can weather the next storm."

Looking at his childhood friend who had confided in him, Wei Xun felt a mix of emotions.

The boy who once drank cola with him and boasted about changing the world has now become a cunning old fox who walks between the legal and illegal worlds.

"Dude, that's enough for tonight." Dou Xuan put away his reminiscence. "Let's go back to the hotel and rest. We'll continue gathering information tomorrow. Tomorrow night we're going to visit Minister Qiao Pi of the Ministry of Commerce. That old man likes art, and I've already prepared some antiques and calligraphy to send over."

Wei Xun sighed, "You've been running around taking care of everything the whole way; I haven't been able to help at all."

"That's a good point," Dou Xuan laughed. "The export of precision instruments relies on the Wei family's strong R&D and manufacturing capabilities. I'll handle the connections; our cooperation will be a win-win situation."

Wei Xun didn't say anything more, sighed again, and after a long while said, "You go back to the hotel first, I want to take a walk along the riverside path."

Dou Xuan knew that he couldn't accept these "interpersonal interactions" right away, so he didn't force him and said, "Okay, then take care of yourself."

After saying that, he left with his assistant.

Wei Xun turned to Qing Lin and said, "You should go back and rest too. You don't need to follow me."

"Okay, Mr. Wei." Although Qinglin was very worried about him, she turned around, got into Dou Xuan's car, and left first.

The evening breeze along the riverbank carried a slight chill.

Wei Xun walked slowly alone, the evening breeze blowing on his face, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in his heart.

He took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

The numbing sensation of nicotine sank down my throat, slightly calming my irritability.

I walked to a street lamp and finished smoking.

Wei Xun looked up and saw a trash can a few steps ahead. He walked straight over and prepared to stub out his cigarette in the ashtray inside the can.

As I approached, I caught a glimpse of something curled up in the shadows next to the trash can.

Wei Xun stopped in his tracks and squinted to look closely.

That's a person.

He lay motionless on the ground, his lower body submerged in a dark liquid, barely visible in the dim light of the streetlamp—

That is blood.

Wei Xun looked around. It was late at night, and there were no pedestrians on the riverside path, only the dim streetlights.

His heart sank, and he quickly walked over.

The person on the ground was wearing camouflage clothing, with a black mask covering their face, and their limbs were twisted, clearly indicating that they had suffered serious injuries.

He crouched down and tentatively nudged the person on the ground: "Hey, how are you?"

no respond.

Wei Xun reached out and checked the other person's breath; it was very weak, almost imperceptible.

He gritted his teeth and reached out to rip off the mask from the other person's face.

Beneath the mask was the face of a young woman, her complexion deathly pale and her lips purple.

"Hey, are you still alive?!"

The woman stirred at the sound and opened her eyes with difficulty.

Wei Xun was shocked—there were two bloody, mangled holes where the woman's eyes were.

The holes in the eyes were facing his direction, as if they were looking at him.

"Hey!" Wei Xun's heart suddenly raced. "Hang in there, I'll call an ambulance right away!"

Just as he was about to take out his phone, the woman on the ground let out a faint, bloody gasp: "I... have... something in my pocket... give it to..."

Wei Xun immediately stopped making the call and reached into her shirt pocket.

My fingertips touched something hard. I pulled it out and saw that it was an envelope, one corner of which was soaked in blood and sticky.

"Is this it?" Wei Xun held up the envelope and asked her, "Who should I give it to?"

The woman's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't catch her breath, her head tilted to one side, and she stopped breathing completely.

"Hey!" Wei Xun shook her shoulder. "Just tell me! Who should we give it to?!"

Only the silence of the night answered him.

Wei Xun frowned, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

He unlocked his phone and was about to dial the police when he suddenly heard a sharp screech of brakes coming from not far away on the riverside walkway.

"squeak--"

The sound of the tires rubbing against the ground was extremely piercing.

Immediately following was the sound of the car door being yanked open, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps and the shouts of a group of men:

"Quick! Follow the trail of blood!"

"Damn it, this woman's eyes were gouged out, and she still managed to escape this far!"

"Find her, alive or dead!"

The footsteps grew closer, carrying a fierce and menacing aura.

Wei Xun's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively stuffed the envelope into his pocket and then got up to try to hide.

He looked around; the riverside path was bordered by the river on one side and rows of tall trees on the other.

As the people were about to arrive, Wei Xun looked at the large, leafy tree above him. Its trunk was thick and its canopy was dense enough to cover a person's figure.

Without time to think, he rushed over and climbed up using both hands and feet.

Wei Xun was physically fit from years of exercise, and given the urgency of the situation, he quickly curled up among the dense foliage and held his breath.

Just as I hid, a group of five or six men dressed in black bodysuits and carrying sticks rushed over. They all had fierce expressions.

They quickly discovered the woman's body on the ground and surrounded it.

"Found it! It's here!" a man shouted.

Another person crouched down to examine the body, then stood up and said, "He's dead."

"We'll take him back even if he's dead!" the leader said coldly. "Load him into the car, then clean up this place thoroughly, don't leave any loose ends!"

The group immediately sprang into action. Two men lifted the woman's body and carried it toward the black SUV parked not far away.

The other people took a bucket of liquid from the car, poured it on the ground, and a pungent smell spread. The ground sizzled and bubbled, quickly corroding the blood and excess residue.

The group moved swiftly, clearly repeat offenders.

Wei Xun huddled on the tree branch, barely daring to breathe, his eyes fixed on the movements below.

He was positioned very high, and the branches and leaves provided cover, so the people below didn't notice him at all.

The bloodstains on the ground were quickly cleaned up.

Those people also got into the car.

Just as the car door was about to close, Wei Xun, using the light of the streetlamp, caught a glimpse of the back seat of the SUV—

There was a familiar emblem there—red thorns entwined around a rose.

Thorn Rose Club!

Wei Xun's pupils suddenly contracted.

Could that woman be connected to the Thorn Rose Club?

What was in the envelope she asked me to pass on?

The SUV started up quickly, and the roar gradually faded into the night.

Wei Xun stayed in the tree for a while longer, making sure that those people were completely gone, before carefully climbing down from the tree.

He staggered when he landed, but after regaining his balance, he immediately checked himself.

Thankfully, I didn't get any blood on my clothes, nor were they torn by the branches.

The evening breeze was still blowing, but Wei Xun had completely lost the mood for a walk.

The frustration in my heart had long been replaced by the thrill of the moment, and the envelope in my hand felt like a hot potato.

He dared not linger on the riverside path any longer and quickly walked towards the entrance of the path.

Along the way, he kept looking back, afraid that those people might return.

Reaching the roadside at the entrance, Wei Xun hailed a taxi and gave the hotel's address.

After getting on the bus, he leaned back in his seat, and his tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

The taxi arrived at the hotel entrance quickly.

Wei Xun paid the bill and strode into the hotel lobby.

The receptionist greeted him politely, but he just nodded perfunctorily and hurriedly entered the elevator.

Upon returning to his room, Wei Xun immediately locked the door.

After checking the windows again and making sure they were all locked, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked over to the sofa, sat down, and took the blood-stained envelope out of his pocket.

The bloodstains on the envelope had dried and turned black.

The envelope was flat, and inside it appeared to be something the size of a bank card.

Wei Xun stared at the sealed part of the envelope for a long time, unsure whether he should open it.

He took out his phone, intending to call Dou Xuan, but hesitated for a moment and then put the phone down.

This matter is too bizarre and too dangerous; we cannot let anyone know about it for the time being.

He stood up, walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked at the bustling traffic below the hotel.

Originally, I was just in the capital to handle some business, but I never expected to encounter such a terrifying thing and receive an envelope that could lead to my death.

Well, what's done is done. Let's see what's in the envelope.