Wang Chuang snapped back: “You’ve got the problem! Socks can be bought anywhere. Why do you need to go to Hong Kong? Are they made of Hong Kong dollars or something?”
That night, Jiang Luo, already in Hong Kong, called Huo Zongzuo. Knowing Huo Zongzuo was near Guilin, he asked if he could swing by and bring back some fermented tofu and Sanhua liquor from Guilin.
“Sure, I’ll make a trip to Guilin on my way,” Huo Zongzuo replied.
“Mwah~” Jiang Luo kissed him over the phone. “Thanks, hubby.”
“I’ll be back in Haicheng, waiting for you.”
At the airport, Zhao Mingshi, wearing a trench coat and pushing a suitcase, approached the check-in counter and handed over his ID and passport.
As he walked toward security, he paused, glanced back, and gave a faint, determined smile—he didn’t care about the Zhao family, his parents, or brothers.
He had his green card. In the U.S., he had everything. Let the mess stay with them.
He smiled and turned away, leaving without a trace of attachment.
Jiang Luo returned to Haicheng and unpacked the things he bought in Hong Kong. Most of it was for Huo Zongzuo, including the luxury socks.
He laid everything on the coffee table, planning to let Huo Zongzuo see them first when he returned—he knew Huo Zongzuo would like everything he bought and gave.
Then Jiang Luo went upstairs to change the bedsheets—he liked taking care of the home personally while waiting for Huo Zongzuo to return.
Checking the time, he guessed Huo Zongzuo’s flight wouldn’t land before ten in the evening. It was still before noon—plenty of time.
As Jiang Luo mopped the floor, his phone on the sofa rang. It was the secretary.
“Hello?”
He found it strange the secretary would call at this hour.
On the line, the secretary sounded panicked: “President Jiang! Something’s wrong! Something happened!”
“What happened?” Jiang Luo asked, still holding the mop.
The secretary babbled: “I was with President Huo in Guilin buying things when several police officers came over. They asked if he was… Huo Zongzuo, and if he was the general manager of Zhikun International…”
Jiang Luo’s expression fell immediately. “Calm down! Get to the point!”
“Yes, the point!”
The secretary’s voice shook: “President Huo has been detained by the police! Taken away!”
“I don’t even know which police station they’re from!”
“They confirmed his identity and put handcuffs on him!”
“He even tried to hand me his wallet—they wouldn’t let him. They were aggressive!”
“They took President Huo away like a criminal, straight into custody!”
Jiang Luo was stunned, but he reacted quickly. “You’re in Guilin, so the police detaining him must be from Guilin. Did you get the license plate? Note it down.”
The secretary, with a perfect memory, quickly replied: “Yes, I saw it and noted it. I’ll report it to you.”
Jiang Luo dropped the mop, wrote it down while listening, and said: “Hang up for now. I’ll call you back shortly.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Jiang Luo called a contact he knew in Guangxi, someone with influence in Guilin. The contact promised to check the situation using the license plate.
“Thank you, really.”
Jiang Luo remained calm.
After hanging up, he called Huo Zongzuo—his phone was off. He knew it couldn’t go through and hung up, waiting for the Guangxi contact’s reply.
The contact called back quickly: “I’ve asked. Stay patient. Once there’s news, I’ll let you know immediately.”
“Good.”
Jiang Luo then called his home landline to the secretary: “Go to the nearest police station. Ask if the police detained President Huo. Why? We need to know. Tell them our lawyer will be involved and needs to see him. Any issue can be discussed—we’ll cooperate fully.”
“I’m on it,” the secretary said.
After hanging up, Jiang Luo called the Haicheng police chief, explaining Huo Zongzuo’s detention and asking him to help inquire.
“How did they detain Huo?”
The chief, who knew him well, said, “I’ll check with Guangxi.”
Jiang Luo stayed calm, thinking the issue shouldn’t be serious.
Soon, the chief called back: “The Guilin police acted in coordination with your province. That’s why he was taken.”
“Details? Guilin doesn’t know much.”
“They received a coordinated letter and went along.”
“The person was taken by your province, not held in Guilin.”
Jiang Luo felt a chill run down his spine.
They had businesses across the country—but not in that province. He had no contacts there. Why would the provincial police detain Huo Zongzuo?
Later, the Haicheng police chief confirmed: Huo Zongzuo had been taken to that province. Attempts to call the provincial police headquarters were unsuccessful.
“The headquarters might not know,” the chief explained. “With a coordinated letter, it’s enough. Usually, the headquarters just gets a report. They wouldn’t reject it.”
“Once I get through, I’ll check. Then I’ll let you know.”
Jiang Luo sat back on the sofa, trying to calm himself, thinking through the situation.
Why detain Huo Zongzuo in a province where they had no business?
Did Zhikun have operations there? No.
One of their major businesses was real estate, but that province was mountainous, poor—so they never considered it.
Could they really detain him just for that?
Why?
And now they didn’t even know where Huo Zongzuo was.
The phone rang. It was the secretary. Panicked, he said: “President Jiang, Huo Zongzuo asked me to tell you something when he was taken. They were in a rush and wouldn’t let him speak, but he said a few words…”
“What?”
“He said: ‘Beijing… 61.’”
Jiang Luo froze.
Beijing, 61.
No. 61 Qianfo Temple Front Alley!
A jolt ran through him, cold sweat breaking out—Huo Zongzuo must have sensed danger and wanted him to find someone in Beijing.
If even Huo Zongzuo couldn’t handle it, how serious must the situation be?
Where had he been taken?
Jiang Luo lowered his head, thinking, then slapped himself. He shouldn’t have let Huo Zongzuo go to Guilin to fetch fermented tofu!
Fortunately, Jiang Luo had resources and influence. Soon, the Haicheng police chief called: “We found out. Huo Zongzuo was taken to that province. It was a coordinated letter from Bimu City—but it wasn’t the city’s police who detained him. It was He Xu, a town under Bimu, who charged him with endangering the environment.”
Endangering the environment?
What environmental crime?
Jiang Luo was in disbelief.
Bimu? He Xu? He had never heard of these places.
Jiang Luo calmly asked: “Can you please notify them to release him? If there are fines, we’ll comply. Just release him first. He can contact me once free.”
The chief thought for a moment: “It shouldn’t be a big problem. I’ll call their provincial headquarters.”
Jiang Luo felt a bit relieved.
Then the chief called back: “Jiang Luo, you’ll need to go to Bimu. No, to He Xu—a small mountain town.”
“What happened?” Jiang Luo’s heart leapt.
The chief explained: “Provincial headquarters can be contacted, but Bimu is a small town, and He Xu is deep in the mountains. You understand what I mean? Remote areas like that are self-contained. A phone call doesn’t carry weight. They might not listen. Policies take months to reach them. You’ll have to go in person.”
“I understand,” Jiang Luo said.
“Can you also try to ask the chief to help?”
Jiang Luo thought he had a plan: “Any charges, fines, or penalties—we’ll comply. Just get him released first.”