For some time now, everyone has been very busy.
Ping An, who was quick and efficient, was quite idle. One weekend in early April, he specially met up with his two disciples, changed into casual clothes, and secretly left the hospital, ready to have a happy "master and disciple day."
The Hechuan Shooting Club is currently the highest standard club in the country, especially for archery, which is completely set up according to international competition specifications. Ping An is a diamond-level member of this club and easily booked the entire venue.
Su Tang had always disliked archery because she believed she only needed to inherit her master's wisdom, and fighting and killing were not suitable for her. Therefore, while Ping An and Zhang Xiao'ao were excitedly "shooting happily," she was content to lounge on the sofa and scroll through short videos.
"Swish!"
"Swish swish!"
After a simple warm-up and shooting a few arrows aimlessly to find her rhythm, Ping An first set up an "80" target at thirty meters.
"Let's start with the ranking match, 4 minutes, six arrows!" Ping An simply requested, then sat on a chair behind the range to watch.
Zhang Xiao'ao had participated in many competitions and was very familiar with various event rules. "Six arrows in 4 minutes" - his master wanted to see his basic skills.
Nocking the arrow, drawing the bow, aiming, and shooting.
Zhang Xiao'ao completed the sequence in one go, and the arrow flew straight towards the target.
Grazing the ten-ring. It looked good, and Ping An nodded in satisfaction. It was evident that his second disciple had come seeking him with solid fundamentals; he only needed to help him maintain his form and identify any weaknesses to prescribe the right remedies, which shouldn't be difficult.
Picking up his bow and arrows, Zhang Xiao'ao was full of confidence. He shot six arrows, scoring a total of fifty-six rings.
"When you shoot, do you look at the arrowhead first, or the target?" Ping An deliberately asked during the break.
"Sometimes I look at the arrowhead, sometimes at the target!" Zhang Xiao'ao, not understanding Ping An's intention, answered thoughtfully.
"Think about this question slowly. When you've figured it out, come back and answer me." After instructing him, Ping An asked Zhang Xiao'ao to shoot a standard 72-arrow round.
After sending off his second disciple, Ping An looked back at his first disciple, who was dozing.
Alas, what to do with this girl?
The case had ended ambiguously, and a "big fish" had been caught in a muddled manner. On the surface, she was overjoyed, having received several calls from the other party requesting a meeting. However, she insisted on "playing hard to get" and had no intention of actually dealing with it. In recent days, everyone thought Ping An was being too strict, but in reality, the girl had been distracted, clinging to her master for comfort, advice, and encouragement every day.
Alas, this foolish girl, why doesn't she set up a trap? Ping An thought helplessly and pretended to take out his phone.
"Hello, this is Ping An. What is it about?" Seeing his eldest disciple's eyelids twitching, Ping An knew she had long been awake. He chuckled inwardly, not exposing her, and pretended to answer a "phone call."
"What? You're saying you don't want to give your exclusive news to others? But I'm sorry, now I don't know what to do?"
"That's simple. Schedule a time to talk. It's not that I won't give it, it's that someone else is also interested. Oh, and about the exclusive news, the price... sorry, you'll have to guess."
"Yes, yes, this way you create time and space to research whether they really want to sell you the news?"
Although unwilling a thousand times over, Ping An still gave Su Tang a strategy. He had taught her how to set a trap; whether she could seize the opportunity and take on the career of a detective depended on herself. In fact, Ping An was reluctant for Su Tang to become a detective, but subconsciously, he wanted to see how capable Su Tang truly was, a conflicted mindset that left him very troubled.
As expected, the intelligent Su Tang did not disappoint Ping An. With just a few hints from Ping An, Su Tang had instantly devised a plan to deal with Diana and her group.
Stretching out with exaggerated effort and fabricating a convoluted excuse.
Ping An frowned as he watched his disciple's impromptu performance of "I suddenly remembered I have something to do," then pointed outside, showing his disgust and signaling her to leave.
"Love you, Master! When you come home, I'll make you sweet and sour fish."
Su Tang used all her strength to pry open her master's hand, gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and then skipped away.
Ping An disdainfully wiped the red mark from his face. Watching his confident eldest disciple gradually disappear, his mood suddenly improved, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
In the milk tea shop, the three older brothers surrounded Su Tang, their eyes gleaming—she was indeed Ping An's disciple, having come up with a safe and sound plan in just a few days.
"This is the battle plan. Let me reiterate, the three of you find a reliable person to act as the boss for me. Da Shu will continue to pretend to be my father. We'll arrange to meet Diana tonight. I'll say that a new boss is also interested in me and wants to send me to Korea for training, offering better terms than Diana." Su Tang said, "Then, I'll pretend to want to sign with Diana, and Da Shu, you'll have to object, saying that the new boss's offer is better. This way, I can gather more information and even see Mr. Ou, whom Diana mentioned, first."
"You two don't worry, I'll bring some brothers with me tonight to ensure your safety," said Lao Yuan. "As for the fake boss, who should we find?"
"That old guy who was bragging in the shop the other day, oh, what's his name, Boss Wan. I think he's good." Su Tang thought for a moment and personally nominated him. "Didn't he brag about investing in the entertainment industry recently? He doesn't need to make anything up, he can just be himself. He's been working with An's Construction for the past two years, right? He can do me a favor."
For the sake of the case, Su Tang was giving her all. The Boss Wan she mentioned was no ordinary person; even Fatty He, the boss of Huajie, would call him Uncle Wan. However, whether he was Uncle Wan or Boss Wan, it was rare for Su Tang to come up with a reliable plan, so the three brothers would tie him up if necessary to get him.
With all preparations in place, Su Tang even changed her clothes and, with a little excitement, called Diana, successfully arranging to meet at Jiudu Coffee House that evening at eight o'clock.
Unaware of anything, Diana, who had taken a liking to Su Tang last time, had tried to contact her several times, but Su Tang had never given a direct reply. Today, she was finally happy and delighted to receive a call from Su Tang and arrived at Jiudu Coffee House early.
At 8:10 PM, Su Tang and Da Shu "arrived fashionably late." After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Diana impatiently opened the conversation.
"Ping Dan, have you considered what I told you last time? If there are no issues, let's sign the contract when you have time. The signing bonus is fifty thousand yuan!" Diana assumed Su Tang's family was in need of money and decided to focus on the financial aspect.
"The terms are indeed good, and I'm quite tempted," Su Tang said, then pretended to glance at Da Shu before falling silent.
"Oh? If you're tempted, then sign it. Look at those young stars on TV; they all started at your age. Debut early and enjoy life." Diana had the contract with her. She confidently believed that since the call came from Su Tang this time, the contract was almost a done deal.
"Hold on! Ms. Diana, as Ping Dan's father, I have a few words to say," Da Shu said solemnly. "As far as I know, the cooperative unit you proposed? Yes, that's how you said it, right? Oh, it's a foreign company, and the training might be abroad, is that correct?"
"Yes! Yes! Where else in the country are there professional star-making companies? Other people would envy such resources!" Diana said.
"But I've asked some friends, and they are certainly more knowledgeable than I am. They haven't heard much about this company." Da Shu pretended to be a bit embarrassed. "Coincidentally, a friend of my friend heard that my daughter was planning to pursue this path and specifically visited our home. They were very impressed, and the terms they offered are, to be honest, more sincere than yours."
"Oh ho! Are you trying to poach from me?" Diana's eyes widened when she heard Da Shu's words. The corners of her mouth turned up, and she slapped the table in defiance. "Are you trying to challenge me, you bumpkin?"
"The bumpkin is indeed myself. And may I ask, beautiful lady, are you trying to wrestle with this bumpkin?" A deep but commanding voice suddenly echoed from within the coffee shop.
A boss Wan, who was already in his sixties, wearing a bright red suit, a black fedora, and leaning on a gleaming gold cane, strode towards Su Tang's table, accompanied by seven or eight subordinates, with a sinister smile on his face.
Indeed, a former underworld boss. What a presence, what a spectacle, what flair.
Diana was clearly intimidated by the Boss Wan before her. She watched blankly as he unbuttoned his jacket, sat down by himself, took out a cigar, had his subordinate light it, took a deep puff, and exhaled it gently onto his own face.
"Oh ho, and who might this gentleman be?" Diana, surprised that the "bumpkin" she had just mentioned had arrived so quickly, did not want to back down when facing Su Tang. She turned her head and pretended to be confused.
"I am Wan Chunsheng, and the people of the jianghu give me face and call me Boss Wan," Boss Wan said to Diana, introducing himself playfully.
"Wan Chunsheng? Boss Wan?" Diana, who made her living in the entertainment industry in the Hechuan area, thought for a moment. She recalled hearing that Boss Wan, who had considerable "seniority" in the Hechuan underworld, was planning to invest in an entertainment company and was actively recruiting people everywhere, causing quite a stir in the industry. She considered herself a "big sister" in this circle, and most companies would not dare to act recklessly upon hearing her name, unless—the person before her was someone who understood nothing but feared nothing, and dared to snatch her people.
However, this young beauty was personally requested by Mr. Ou.
"Boss Wan, you are an elder, and I don't need to tell you that harmony brings wealth." Diana did not want to clash with someone like Boss Wan, but the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired. She could only grit her teeth and say, "This child was clearly spotted by me first. If you disrupt things like this, who will dare to cooperate with you in the future?"
"Wrong! I am not here to disrupt things. Ever since I heard that you, Diana, were also interested in this child, I haven't used force. I am simply discussing terms with them honestly," Boss Wan said. "Isn't business like this? And aren't we discussing it right now?"