“Darling. What’s going on?”
Next to Bo Xilai, Ku Kailai rubbed her eyes.
She asked the rising Bo Xilai:
“Ah, Zhou Yongkang is coming. Keep sleeping. I’ll go et him.”
“The Minister of Public Security? At this hour? That’s rude.”
“It seems urgent. Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep.”
“No, I should get up too.”
Bo Xilai reluctantly nodded.
“Then prepare a small table with drinks.”
Seeing Ku Kailai head out, he also walked into the dressing room.
As he took off his pajamas and changed into his everyday clothes, he sank into thought.
Even if Zhou Yongkang was rude, he had never before announced he would suddenly show up at such a late hour.
“What on earth is going on. His voice sounded urgent...”
It felt unpleasant to et him without knowing anything, but he had no choice.
When he stepped out into the living room, the previously quiet residence felt noisy.
After instructing the staff to prepare the drinks, Ku Kailai ca over to Bo Xilai.
“Darling, do you still have no clue what’s going on?”
Bo Xilai gave a small nod with a worried look.
“No. No matter how urgent, he’s not the kind of person who would suddenly call at this hour and say he’s coming to our house. Sothing feels wrong.”
“We’ll know when he arrives. Let’s wait.”
Bo Xilai nodded and t the eyes of his wife, Ku Kailai.
Unlike his unease, she was calm to the core.
A short while later—
Zhou Yongkang arrived at Bo Xilai’s house.
“Welco, Minister of Public Security.”
Ku Kailai greeted him before Bo Xilai could.
“Oh, Kailai! Long ti no see. You been well?”
“Thanks to you, Minister.”
“Haha, what are you talking about. Your reputation has been spreading beyond Dalian all the way to Beijing.”
“You’ve arrived, Minister Zhou Yongkang.”
Bo Xilai stepped into their conversation.
“It’s been a long ti for you too. I think it’s been more than half a year since we last t in person.”
“Yes. The al with President Jiang Zemin was the last ti. Let’s not just stand here—let’s head inside.”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
Bo Xilai and Ku Kailai led Zhou Yongkang to the reception room.
The drink table was already lavishly set; the three sat down.
A few rounds of drinks passed in a warm, pleasant atmosphere.
“But what brings you here at this hour, Minister?”
The one who broke the peaceful façade was Ku Kailai.
Locking eyes with Zhou Yongkang, she boldly asked:
“You know it’s rude to suddenly show up at this ti, Minister. So there must be a reason.”
“Haha, Kailai, your personality is still as direct as ever. Fine, let’s get to the point.”
Feigning generosity, Zhou Yongkang took out a file folder.
He handed it to Bo Xilai and gestured with his chin.
“Read it. We’ll talk after.”
Bo Xilai opened the folder.
Ku Kailai leaned in to read the docunts with him.
Watching the two, Zhou Yongkang quietly sipped his drink.
“Minister, what is this?”
“A special feature article that will be printed in Arican and British newspapers tomorrow.”
“...Why interfere in other countries’ business?”
Bo Xilai lowered the file and frowned.
Ku Kailai imdiately snatched it up and began reading closely.
Massaging his forehead as if it ached, Bo Xilai asked:
“Why are you bringing this to ?”
“You have nothing to do with it, right?”
“What? What relationship would I have with Wanda Group?”
“No need to hide things from .”
Bo Xilai fell silent for a mont. His lips moved, but no sound ca out. Seeing that, Zhou Yongkang sharply asked:
“Did even a little of your influence or your money get tied up with the funds Wanda Group illegally smuggled out?”
“What are you talking about? Why would I do sothing like that?”
“Answer , Bo Xilai. I did not co to arrest you. I ca to save you.”
At that mont, Ku Kailai, who had been reading the file, lifted her head.
“You ca to save Bo Xilai? What do you an by that?”
“I heard they’re preparing a feature article about Bo Xilai as well. And at the center of it is you, Kailai.”
“? What did I...?”
“Stop denying it. If you continue like this, I’ll have to step back from the matter.”
“...”
Ku Kailai placed the docunts down with a long exhale.
“Yes, Chairman Wang Jianlin of Wanda and Bo Xilai are close. But the illegal foreign remittance has nothing to do with us. Why accept sothing so dangerous? If there were a weakness they could exploit, what then? Even if I did it, I’d do it myself.”
Ku Kailai, who had been feigning innocence, suddenly spoke coldly.
Only after long pressing did the truth co out, and Zhou Yongkang sighed.
“As I know it, you’re the one handling Bo Xilai’s finances. Good. I’ll try to block the article about him through negotiations.”
“...Will you be able to block it?”
Bo Xilai asked anxiously. Zhou Yongkang raised his glass and emptied it in one go.
“It’ll be difficult, but I must. But you’ll need to give up one thing. Abandon Wang Jianlin.”
Bo Xilai responded a beat late.
“...That’s impossible.”
“Then you’ll go down to hell together with Wanda Group. Now that foreign dia have raised suspicion, we’ll have no choice but to investigate as well.”
“Is this President Jiang Zemin’s will?”
Zhou Yongkang quietly shook his head.
“I haven’t even reported it yet. But even the president can’t protect you from this. It’s too big. So you must... no—the Princeling Faction must abandon Wang Jianlin for you to survive.”
Hearing Zhou Yongkang speak firmly, Bo Xilai’s eyes widened.
“Who planned this? Who dares pull such a stunt against us—against China—who the hell is this bastard!?”
“If you’re willing to abandon Wang Jianlin, I can tell you. If not, I can’t help you further. But I can tell you one thing. Wanda Group made a big mistake with that person. He’s dead set on crushing Wang Jianlin.”
Zhou Yongkang smirked and refilled his glass.
“What mistake did they make to deserve this?”
“I hear they tried to kidnap that person’s family. I don’t know much else. Only that.”
“Why don’t you just arrest him then?”
“Ha!”
Zhou Yongkang suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Do you think I could sit here in front of you if I could? You think I want to investigate a mber of the Princeling Faction? Do you know how politically catastrophic that is?”
“...What kind of person is he that you’re speaking like this?”
Quietly listening, Ku Kailai finally spoke.
“If we abandon Chairman Wang Jianlin, will we be safe? Will we be unaffected?”
Bo Xilai turned his head toward her. His voice trembled with shock.
“Darling!”
“Let hear him out.”
“Yes. That much I can promise. Not a single line about Bo Xilai will be published.”
“...”
Hearing Zhou Yongkang’s firm tone, Bo Xilai shut his mouth.
Ku Kailai continued questioning instead.
“Fine. Do you know what that special article about us was going to cover?”
“I don’t know the details. But if it explodes, not even President Jiang Zemin nor Bo Yibo could stop it. Did you commit so major cri?”
Bo Xilai unconsciously looked at Ku Kailai.
Zhou Yongkang realized the problem lay with Ku Kailai instead of Bo Xilai, but pretended not to notice.
“That doesn’t matter. Whether it’s a cri or not—we’re the ones who decide that.”
The awkward atmosphere faded again with another sip of alcohol.
“If there’s an investigation into Wang Jianlin, the Princeling Faction won’t intervene, right?”
“...”
“Yes. We won’t take any action.”
Ku Kailai answered before the tight-lipped Bo Xilai could.
But Zhou Yongkang needed Bo Xilai’s personal confirmation.
“Bo Xilai.”
With Bo Xilai remaining silent, Ku Kailai jabbed him in the side.
“...Understood. I’ll make sure, during the next Princeling Faction eting, that no one takes any action regarding him. I can’t speak for others.”
“That’s fine. As long as you don’t move, it doesn’t matter what others do.”
Before the conversation could continue, Ku Kailai cut in sharply.
“Who is it?”
“Do you know Dreamhigh Investnt?”
“Of course. It’s an Arican investnt firm, isn’t it?”
“The real owner is Korean. Jas is just a front. No—that’s not accurate. He runs everything, so he’s not exactly a puppet.”
Bo Xilai nodded, as if he had already known.
“Is it him? That man—Kim Muhyuk or whatever his na is. That’s what I heard. I know he’s close to Premier Wen Jiabao.”
“So you knew. Yes. Kim Muhyuk—that’s who moved.”
“...You’re telling he’s the reason you’re demanding we sacrifice Wang Jianlin?”
“You’re really slow today. Where do you think the article ca from? CEO Kim Muhyuk. From him.”
Bo Xilai’s face hardened like stone.
“That article about ... that ca from his mouth too?”
Zhou Yongkang nodded.
“How dare...! How dare he!”
Bo Xilai slamd the table in fury.
Even as glasses toppled and bottles rolled, he didn’t stop.
Ku Kailai, however, stayed calm. She lowered her gaze, deep in thought.
Soone like that—soone who could stay cold in a storm—was truly frightening, and Zhou Yongkang knew it.
After finishing her thoughts, Ku Kailai spoke.
“Minister, he’s soone even you can’t do anything about, correct? What if China starts «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» investigating Dreamhigh?”
Zhou Yongkang frowned and shook his head.
“Even now, Standing Committee mbers are setting up etings to et Dreamhigh’s Jas Han. Now imagine there’s suddenly an investigation. Dreamhigh will withdraw from China imdiately. All foreign capital will flee too. That’s Dreamhigh’s current weight.”
“For such a trivial reason?”
Zhou Yongkang snorted and t her eyes.
“Trivial? China is opening its markets and begging Arica and Europe to invest. And you want to blow all that up at once?”
Ku Kailai bit her lip hard.
“You’re smart—you know how things work. Money is power in today’s China. That’s why Standing Committee mbers are lining up to et Jas Han—a manager of a re Arican investnt firm.”
“So you’re telling us to just accept this? Did everyone forget who Bo Xilai’s father is?”
“I know. He’s the son of Bo Yibo, one of the Eight Elders. And what? Do you think Bo Yibo can block this?”
Ku Kailai, who had been lashing out fiercely, shut her mouth.
“That’s why you shouldn’t have done anything unnecessary. Or at least pick your opponent carefully. If that Wang Jianlin bastard hadn’t tried to kidnap that person’s family, things wouldn’t have gotten this big.”
“Wait... whose family?”
“Cheon Jiyoung. She ca to China for filming and was almost kidnapped by the Triads. And the one who ordered it was Wanda Group’s Vice Chairman, Liu Lifeng.”
“For sothing that small, he wants to destroy Wanda Group? Is he insane?”
Exhausted by the endless argunt, Zhou Yongkang sighed.
They just don’t get it. This is why dealing with people who live off their parents’ shine is tiring.
“What can you do? For now, we can only retreat. Don’t do anything foolish. This is a warning.”
Neither Bo Xilai nor Ku Kailai answered.
But Zhou Yongkang didn’t push further.
“I’ll be going. Things are about to get busy. See you next ti.”
For a while, only silence filled the reception room.
Even after Zhou Yongkang left, Bo Xilai and Ku Kailai kept drinking.
Their faces—constantly refilling their glasses—were steeped in humiliation.
* * *
I woke up near lunchti.
I drank a glass of water to calm the throbbing in my head and stepped out of the room.
“Boss, you’re awake?”
I nodded and spoke to Chief Ma. My stomach was upset, yet I craved coffee.
“Chief, please bring a warm cup of coffee and a toast.”
After ordering my al, I checked the ti.
In six hours, every newspaper and broadcaster in Arica and Britain owned by the Murdoch Group will simultaneously publish the allegations against Wanda Group.
With the Chinese governnt currently offering all kinds of benefits to attract investnt, they won’t be able to ignore it.
Chief Ma arrived with the toast and coffee delivered by room service.
“Any calls while I was asleep?”
“The trailer van you ordered arrives at Nansa Pier today.”
“Good timing.”
I bit into the toast and lifted the coffee cup.
“No other schedule today, right? Make preparations so Jiyoung and I can go to Nansa Pier.”
If I show Cheon Jiyoung the custom trailer van I prepared myself, I hope she’ll smile.
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