Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

I told Lin Jianhua not to use that "A Dong".

Although Lin Jianhua was puzzled, he agreed and said he would find another agent.

I thought that was the end of it.

Unexpectedly, three days later, I received a friend request on WeChat.

The profile picture is a black flower, and the nickname is a string of gibberish.

The verification message consisted of only one sentence: "Chen An, long time no see."

My heart skipped a beat.

After the connection was established, the other party sent a message: "Didn't expect that, did you? I'm still alive."

It's Ruan Dong.

I don't know where she got my WeChat account, but given her abilities, it's not surprising.

I didn't reply.

The next day, she sent another message: "I still have your and Qiangsheng's things in my hands, don't you want to talk about it?"

I still didn't reply.

On the third day, she called directly.

My phone rang for a long time. I looked at the unfamiliar number on the screen and finally answered it.

"Chen An".

Ruan Dong's voice came from the other end of the phone, still the same.

With a smile, but revealing no emotion, she said, "You're quite composed."

"What do you want to do?"

"Don't be so cold."

Ruan Dong chuckled twice: "I'm doing very well in Vietnam. I've made a lot of money doing customs clearance, much better than being a public relations professional back home, you know? I have more than a dozen people under me now. I know everyone in the Vietnamese customs, from the section chiefs to the lowest-ranking soldiers."

"Get to the point."

"Okay, then I'll just say it directly."

Ruan Dong's tone changed, no longer joking: "I've run into some trouble recently. A local warlord in Vietnam has his eye on my business and wants to take over my clients and money. I can't hold on here anymore and want to go back to Vietnam."

I didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

"I want to turn myself in."

Ruan Dong said, "I will hand over everything I have, leaving nothing behind, but I have one condition: I want leniency."

I was completely dumbfounded.

"You turned yourself in and went to the police yourself. Why are you coming to me? Besides, whether you get a lenient sentence isn't up to me."

"Because I don't trust the police."

Ruan Dong's voice was tinged with weariness: "The things I have involve too many people. I'm afraid that if I turn myself in, I'll be silenced before I even get to the detention center. You know, even though Fang Liang and Master Hong are in jail, their remaining associates are still around. Those people won't let me go."

"Do you think I'm trustworthy?"

I sneered, "Have you forgotten how you treated me back then?"

"Chen An, I know you hate me."

Ruan Dong lowered her voice: "But I, Ruan Dong, have never taken your life in my life. Every step of the scheme I set up left you a way out. Think about it yourself, isn't that right?"

I was silent.

She was telling the truth.

Although she used and schemed against me, she didn't really intend to kill me.

That time at the dock, she deliberately fell into the river; she didn't fight me to the death.

She even gave me a hint while I was being hunted down.

"So what?"

I hardened my heart: "How many people have you harmed because of what you've done? Zhao Hongqi went to jail because of you, how many families have been destroyed because of you?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"I know."

Ruan Dong's voice was very soft: "So I want to atone for my sins."

"Call the police yourself."

I was about to hang up: "I won't help you."

"Chen An, don't force me."

Ruan Dong's voice turned cold again: "If you're not going to help me, then who knows where all those things I have will end up? You're doing pretty well these days, aren't you? What about Su Wan? Is she alright? Your moving company is doing good business, isn't it?"

I became an instant sensation.

"Ruan Dong, you dare touch her!"

"I won't touch her."

Ruan Dong said, "I just want to tell you that once what I have gets out of my hands, you, Su Wan, Zhao Chujing, Zhang Qiang, Ma Wencai, everyone will be finished. If you help me this time, I will hand over everything and never show up again. You choose."

My hand was shaking as I held the phone.

I hate her, I wish she were dead.

But I can't risk Su Wan and my brothers' future.

"Let me think about it."

"Okay, I'll wait for your call." Ruan Dong hung up the phone.

I sat on the sofa and didn't move for a long time.

Su Wan came out of the bedroom, noticed my pale face, and asked, "What's wrong?"

I told her what Ruan Dong had said.

Su Wan's expression changed after hearing this.

"Are you planning to help her?"

"I have no idea."

I rubbed my temples: "I hate her, but I can't risk you all."

Su Wan was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't need to help her directly."

I looked up at her.

"You can pass on her intention to turn herself in to the police through Lao Zhou's comrade-in-arms, and let the police handle it themselves."

Su Wan's eyes were calm: "This way you won't have to deal with her directly, and you can ensure that what she has is confiscated. As for whether she can be treated leniently, that's a matter for the law, and it has nothing to do with you."

Looking at her, my heart suddenly lit up.

Yup!

Why should I help her myself?

All I need to do is pass on the message, and the rest is up to the police.

"Sister Wan, you're so smart." I hugged her tightly.

Su Wan gave me a push: "Stop being so mushy, hurry up and call Lao Zhou."

That very night, I called Lao Zhou and relayed Ruan Dong's intention to surrender to the anti-drug squad and the border defense through his comrades.

Old Zhou's comrades took it very seriously and said they would report it immediately and arrange for coordination.

"Boss Chen, don't worry, we'll handle this."

He said on the phone, "What Ruan Dong has is very important to us. If she can really hand it all over, it will be a great achievement."

"Um."

I paused for a moment, then asked, "Is she...is she safe?"

"Don't worry, we will protect her."

Old Zhou's comrade chuckled: "What, you still care about her?"

"no."

I said coldly, "I just don't want her to die out there."

After hanging up the phone, I stood on the balcony and looked at the city's night view.

A night breeze blew, and the restlessness in my heart dissipated.

Ruan Dong, this is the last time I'll help you.

From now on, we're even.

Su Wan came over and draped a coat over my shoulders.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I miss Ruan Dong."

To be honest, "Her life is ruined."

"She chose this path herself. She wouldn't have gone to jail if she hadn't really been driven to desperation. Don't think that woman is kind-hearted; she just wants to go in for refuge."

Su Wan leaned on my shoulder: "You've already done more than enough, don't think about it anymore."

I nodded without saying anything.

Yes, she chose this path herself.

From the day she became an undercover agent, from the day she schemed against everyone, her path was already set.

I've done all I can.

The rest is up to fate.

"Don't think about it."

Su Wan tugged at my hand: "Let's come inside, it's chilly outside."

"Um."

……

After sending the message, I didn't contact Ruan Dong for the next two weeks, and she didn't contact me either.

I went about my daily routine of moving goods, running errands, and going home for meals, as if nothing had happened.

But I kept my guard up.

I'm afraid Ruan Dong will change her mind, afraid she'll release the dirt on her, afraid something might happen to her.

There was no news from Lao Zhou's comrades either; they said they were making arrangements and told me to wait.

In the past two weeks, the company's business has become increasingly stable.

The logistics cooperation between Qiangsheng Commerce and Trade has been on track, and Zhao Chujing makes payments on time every month without ever delaying.

Although Lin Jianhua didn't use Ruan Dong, he found another customs clearance agent. Although it was a bit more expensive, it was safer.

As the number of individual orders in the community increased, existing customers referred new customers, and word-of-mouth spread.

I even started thinking about whether I should hire a few more people.

One afternoon two weeks later, Lao Zhou's comrade-in-arms called me.

"Boss Chen, the Nguyen Dong you mentioned surrendered himself on the China-Vietnam border."