The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

The knocking sounded precisely at nine o'clock the next morning.

Lin Che went to open the door, and a local young man in his late twenties was standing outside.

He was wearing a light gray suit, his shirt collar was buttoned up neatly, and he was holding a black-covered notebook and a pen in his hand.

The notebook looked like it had been used for a while; the edges of the cover were worn and frayed.

Her hair was cut very short, close to her scalp, and not a single hair was messy.

"Good morning, Mr. Lin and Ms. He."

His English is very standard, neither too fast nor too slow, and he pronounces each word clearly.

"My name is Kamau, and I have been assigned to accompany you both during your business activities in Kenya."

As he spoke, he took out a document from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed it over with both hands.

Lin Che took it and glanced at it. The document had a photo, a number, and a red official seal.

He nodded and returned the documents.

"Mr. Kamau, please come in."

Kamau didn't come in right away. He first rubbed the soles of his shoes on the doormat twice before stepping inside.

His eyes swept around the room, noting the positions of the doors, windows, and tables, his movements so fast they were almost imperceptible.

He didn't sit on the sofa, but instead sat in a chair against the wall, at just the right distance from them.

Not too far, enough to hear him speak, but not too close, so as not to seem like he wanted to get involved.

He laid the notebook out on his lap, opened it, and rested the pen tip on the paper.

"According to regulations, starting today, I need to record your itinerary, meetings, and every matter you handle."

He raised his head, his tone flat.

"This isn't directed at anyone; it's standard procedure for the project."

He added, "If there are any private matters that are inconvenient to disclose, please inform me in advance, and I will recuse myself."

He Wei sat down next to Lin Che, and paused for a moment while writing.

Like Lin Che, she had anticipated this whole thing last night.

Normally, no one would feel comfortable being watched and remembered like this from morning till night.

She was about to say something to ease the tension when Lin Che spoke first.

"There's nothing inconvenient about it."

Lin Che's voice was calm.

"Mr. Kamau, we're here to do legitimate business; there's nothing to hide."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"Write down whatever you need to."

He said, "I can tell you about our arrangements for today, one by one, right now."

Kamau's pen paused for a moment.

He had probably seen all sorts of people who were accompanied, some unwilling, and others who tried every means to avoid him.

It seems quite rare for someone like Lin Che to proactively report their itinerary.

He quickly suppressed his slight surprise and nodded.

"That would be perfect."

Lin Che took out his notebook and went through it point by point.

In the morning, I went to the partner's office for the first formal meeting, and in the afternoon, I went to the law firm to confirm the materials to be submitted for the site inspection permit.

No plans for the evening; I'll rest at the hotel.

He says one, Kamau records one, the pen tip scratches across the paper.

After explaining the itinerary, Lin Che pushed several copies of documents he had brought with him to the center of the table.

"This is our authorization letter, company qualifications, and project description for this survey. You can take photos and keep them for your records if you want."

Kamau glanced at him, not expecting him to offer even this so voluntarily.

He hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and carefully photographed each of the documents.

He Wei listened from the side and gradually understood Lin Che's plan.

Instead of dodging or hiding, they took the initiative to do even more than the other party requested.

In this way, Kamau couldn't find any fault with them; every step they took was out in the open and perfectly clean.

After reporting the itinerary, Kamau closed his notebook.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

He stood up. "Let's get going then. The meeting starts at 9:30."

The partner's office is located in an office building in the city center.

The car drove on, stopping and starting along the way.

Kamau sat in the passenger seat and didn't say much the whole way.

He only gave brief answers when Lin Che asked about local customs.

He answered very tactfully, saying yes or no without adding a single extra word.

When asked about things unrelated to the project, he would politely smile and say that he wasn't quite sure about it.

Throughout the journey, he maintained a distance from them that was neither too far nor too close.

He wasn't cold, but he was never affectionate either. Like a drawn line, he knew exactly where that line was.

The meeting went smoothly.

Three people from the partner's side arrived, and Old Ao was also present. After the guests and hosts took their seats, they exchanged a few pleasantries about the weather and road conditions.

Once the main topic was discussed, the partner introduced the general situation of the mining area, including land ownership, surrounding villages, and whether it had been developed in the past.

This land is located several hundred kilometers north of Nairobi, on the edge of a county, and is nominally owned by the government.

But if you really want to break ground, you have to deal with the elders of the surrounding villages; this is a rule passed down through generations.

The person from the partner lowered their voice when they said this.

He said that when it comes to local affairs, the government's seal is one thing, but whether the villagers agree or not is another; both things need to be taken into account.

If anyone only cares about the approval documents from above and doesn't appease the village elders, the land will be approved but construction won't be able to begin, and there will be a lot of trouble later.

Lin Che and He Wei listened attentively, with He Wei occasionally taking notes.

Kamau sat at one corner of the conference table, not participating in the discussion, but just keeping his head down and taking notes.

Lin Che glanced over occasionally and saw that he was writing very quickly, line after line, with neat handwriting.

During a break, while the partner went out to answer a phone call, He Wei asked Lin Che in a low voice.

"Is it serious that he remembers such detailed information?"

"It's alright."

Lin Che picked up his teacup.

"The more detailed the memory, the better we are."

He took a sip. "If anyone ever comes to investigate in the future, these records will prove our innocence."

He Wei thought for a moment, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

The meeting lasted until noon.

Our business partner invited us to stay for dinner; it was a table full of local dishes, much more upscale than the small restaurant we went to yesterday.

During the meal, Old Ao recounted many old stories about the area, while Kamau listened without speaking, occasionally jotting down a note.

After lunch, on his way to the law firm in the afternoon, Lin Che noticed one of Kamau's habits.

After he finished writing down each paragraph, he would stop writing and lightly draw something next to that paragraph, like some kind of mark.

The movement was very subtle; the drawing was finished and then flipped over. Lin Che didn't see it clearly and didn't pay any attention to it.

At the law firm, the list of materials for the site inspection permit was confirmed smoothly.

The lawyer was a local man who wore glasses. He was efficient and clearly listed the items that needed to be supplemented.

He Wei took the list, compared it with her compliance notes, and asked a few more questions about the details.

She asked very professional questions, such as which documents have time limits, which steps require local notarization, and how long it takes to process the application after submitting supplementary documents. The lawyer answered each question in detail.

He Wei listened and took notes, matching each item to her own risk list.

Kamau took notes quietly throughout, like a piece of furniture that couldn't speak.

By the time the matter was finished, it was already getting dark.

Back downstairs at the hotel, Kamau stopped and didn't follow.

That's all for today.

He said, "I'll be waiting for you two in the lobby at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, he habitually opened his notebook and looked down to check if he had missed any entries for the day.

Lin Che stood beside him, his gaze inadvertently falling on the open pages of paper.

Amidst the dense local text, a small square is drawn in the corner of the notebook.

Four lines form a neat little box, which is empty inside.

Lin Che simply assumed it was a doodle he had made while recording something and didn't think much of it.

Kamau closed his notebook, politely said goodbye, and turned to walk into the night.

Lin Che turned and walked into the hotel.

He was thinking about something else entirely.

From now on, I'll have an extra pair of eyes watching me, remembering everything I do. I'll have to be more careful in the future.