Chapter 130: Smashing with a House

With the clue of Sun Jiacheng, Chu Zhongxin could take the opportunity to push the investigation one step forward.

With this step, the existence of the special task force could continue to be maintained.

Therefore, Ning Weidong arrived very timely today.

There was no need to even verify the Sun Jiacheng lead; just having this lead held up high was enough.

Past eight o'clock in the evening, Ning Weidong came out of the guesthouse restaurant.

A bottle of Fen liquor had been shared between two people, about half a jin each; given Ning Weidong's alcohol tolerance, it was of no consequence.

After saying goodbye, he rode his bicycle west straight toward Garden Village.

Carrying the address Shen Sikui had given him during the day, Ning Weidong left the old city and headed west.

In this day and age, there was no navigation; if you couldn't find a place, you had to open your mouth and ask for directions.

But at this hour, there was no one on the streets, so besides looking at street signs, Ning Weidong could only look for shops along the road that still had their lights on.

It truly took quite a bit of trouble to find the place.

Ning Weidong stopped his bicycle, propped it up with one foot, and sized up the gate of the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

There was a pair of large iron gates painted with green paint, with a large black lock the size of a palm hanging on them.

On the left was a small single-leaf door that could accommodate one person pushing a bicycle through.

Inside the main gate, there was also a gatehouse with its lights on.

This place was rather special, with someone watching at the entrance; seeing Ning Weidong enter, they immediately shouted.

A man in his fifties then came out of the gatehouse, looking him over while asking, "Who are you looking for?"

Ning Weidong smiled and reported the house number An Ning had given him: "Hello, comrade, I'm looking for Comrade An Ning; I'm her friend."

The other party seemed to have an impression of An Ning; he looked Ning Weidong over carefully, as if to memorize his appearance, before taking out a notebook and saying, "Please register."

Ning Weidong didn't have any objections; nowadays, one needed to register at most units, so it was nothing rare.

He wrote his name and unit in the notebook, asked for the location of the specific building number, and got back on his bike to ride inside.

The area of this residential compound was not too large, but the distance between buildings was great, the landscaping was excellent, and the buildings were four stories tall with basements.

Most of the rooms in the compound had their lights on; unlike the incandescent bulbs commonly used now, the lights here were all white fluorescent lamps.

Ning Weidong arrived under one of the buildings and looked up.

According to the address on the slip of paper, An Ning lived on the third floor of Unit 1 in this building.

Ning Weidong kicked up the bike stand, left the bicycle downstairs, and went through the unit door to the third floor.

There was a doorplate above the entrance, so he wasn't afraid of finding the wrong one.

He stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Dong dong dong~" An Ning's voice came from inside, asking, "Who is it?"

"It's me~" Ning Weidong replied.

The sound of high heels "da-da-ing" came, and a few seconds later the door opened, revealing An Ning.

Knowing Ning Weidong was coming tonight, An Ning had clearly dressed up, wearing a dress very popular in Hong Kong during this era, and her hair was permed in large curls, making her look quite fashionable.

Around her neck, she wore a diamond necklace that sparkled under the lights.

Ning Weidong stared for a moment; the An Ning of this moment was like a different person compared to the one in the Tongzi Building—more refined and more beautiful.

Clearly, the changes An Ning had encountered during this period were even greater than Ning Weidong had anticipated.

"How is it? Am I beautiful?" An Ning met Ning Weidong's gaze and spun around generously, her skirt swaying slightly.

Ning Weidong did not skimp on praise: "Very beautiful, very pretty." He stepped through the door, but his heart grew more vigilant.

As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a good drink or a good meeting.

This woman An Ning was never simple, and now that she was pulling this on him, she was definitely up to no good.

Once inside, Ning Weidong asked if he needed to change into slippers.

An Ning pointed to the shoe-changing stool by the door and said, "Specially prepared for you."

Ning Weidong glanced at it; it was a pair of new men's slippers.

After he changed, An Ning turned to walk inside and looked back, saying, "Let me show you around my new home."

Ning Weidong looked around.

The ceilings here were very high, making the space appear very wide and bright.

In the spacious south-facing living room, there was a brand-new leather sofa, and on the high-low cabinet opposite was a 25-inch color television.

In this era, there were no LCD TVs yet, and the largest screen for a CRT "big-bottomed" TV was only 32 inches; a 25-inch color TV now was definitely expensive.

Next to the TV was a floor-standing vinyl record player; judging by the trademark, it should be an imported brand, but Ning Weidong didn't know much about that.

On the other side of the TV sat the latest video recorder, and next to the machine, like a bookshelf, stood over twenty videotapes...

It must be said, An Ning's place was absolutely luxurious for this era.

After Ning Weidong scanned the room, An Ning said with a smile, "How about it, not bad, right?"

Ning Weidong was realistic and sighed: "Not just 'not bad'; have you returned to your status as a young lady?"

An Ning smiled without answering and took Ning Weidong to the north-facing dining room and the bathroom for a tour.

The dining room was connected to liquefied gas, and the bathroom had a direct supply of hot water for bathing.

Further in were four bedrooms; following a small corridor, the master bedroom was at the very end. It was very spacious, with a large European-style canopy bed covered with a very thick American spring mattress.

Ning Weidong followed her around, and the two returned to the living room.

An Ning went to the dining room nearby, opened the refrigerator, took out two Coca-Colas, and gestured with her hand: "Iced, or room temperature?"

Ning Weidong said, "Cola, of course, has to be drunk iced; otherwise, what's the difference between that and drinking Chinese medicine mixed with brown sugar?"

An Ning smiled charmingly: "Your description is quite apt; I find this foreigner's cola isn't as good as Northern Ice Ocean Soda."

As she spoke, she placed the iced cola on the coffee table, took a bottle opener from under the table, opened a bottle, placed it in front of Ning Weidong, and asked, "What do you think of this house of mine?"

Ning Weidong leaned against the sofa, rubbed the bottle mouth with the glass bottle, took a sip, and said, "Look at what you're asking. How could this house be anything but great? Compared to this, where I live now is a dog kennel. I should congratulate you, though; you've finally waited until the clouds parted to see the moon."

An Ning wore a complex expression, took a sip of cola, and said, "I suppose so... It's been over a decade... It wasn't in vain, after all."

Ning Weidong's mood was equally complex, because he understood better than anyone what would happen in the future.

In the coming decades, in order to integrate into the Western-dominated international order, there would be no choice but to compromise and humble oneself, no choice but to willingly debase oneself.

Since the modern era, the backbone that had finally been straightened again would have to be bent once more.

Blind worship of things foreign would be considered righteous and justified, while speaking of patriotism would be something one was ashamed to mention.

Ning Weidong pursed his lips, lost the interest to keep up the pretense, and went straight to the point: "Sister An, we are old acquaintances, so let's not beat around the bush. What advice do you have for me today?"

An Ning was taken aback; she very keenly sensed the shift in Ning Weidong's mood.

He had been fine just a moment ago, so why... She didn't quite understand. But since Ning Weidong was being direct, she could no longer be evasive, and said with composure, "What 'advice' could I have for you? I wouldn't dare. Actually, it's not my business; it's my cousin who came back from Hong Kong a while ago..."

Listening to this, Ning Weidong couldn't help but feel enlightened. No wonder An Ning had suddenly moved from the Tongzi Building to here.

It was indeed because she had made contact with Overseas Relations.

The Overseas Chinese Apartment here is called commercial housing, but in reality, it is only sold to outsiders; without Overseas Relations, it is impossible to trade at all.

As for the price, the domestic side is a commodity economy, while the foreign side is a market economy, and there is a difference in purchasing power. A price of less than two hundred yuan per square meter is certainly unattainable for domestic wage levels, but for those outside, it is quite cheap.

Don't forget, this is real estate in the core urban area of Beijing! Ning Weidong narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Are you saying that this cousin of yours from Hong Kong intends to get to know me?"

An Ning nodded.

Ning Weidong gave a meaningful smile. He didn't think a rich second-generation kid far away in Hong Kong would know his name, and even if he did, he would likely scoff at it and call him a country bumpkin.

Ning Weidong decided to speak plainly: "Sister An, you are putting me in a difficult position. Making contact with outsiders casually is quite taboo; you should understand that."

An Ning hurriedly explained, "You can rest assured about that. They came through normal trade channels this time, passed strict background checks, and are all patriotic merchants from Nanyang. There is absolutely nothing messy about them."

Ning Weidong chuckled. As for such assurances, he would listen to them, but he couldn't take them seriously.

Meeting Ning Weidong's half-smiling gaze, An Ning remained calm and composed, stood up, and said, "Come with me."

Ning Weidong carried a bit of suspicion, not knowing what kind of tricks this woman was up to.

He stood up and followed her to the door.

An Ning didn't even change her shoes; she opened the door and walked out to the door opposite.

Ning Weidong was slightly surprised. She actually used a key to open the door directly, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

An Ning opened the door, went in, and reached out to turn on the light switch by the door.

In an instant, the fluorescent light inside flickered a few times and lit up.

Ning Weidong stepped in after her. The layout of the room opposite was much the same as the one An Ning lived in, but the decoration was more luxurious, and it looked very new. The leather sofa and the television were also the same model...

Ning Weidong didn't walk further in; he stood at the doorway, scanned the room, and said in a deep voice, "What is the meaning of this?"

An Ning said, "As long as you agree, this apartment is yours."

In fact, when An Ning brought him here just now, he had already guessed the clue.

He just didn't expect An Ning to be so lacking in sophistication, trying to win him over by throwing an apartment at him.

Did she think he was shallow and lacked experience?

Ning Weidong chuckled: "What do you mean 'yours'? Sister An, don't take me for someone who doesn't understand policy. I can't buy a house here. Even if you give it to me, it just means I get to live in it; I can't get the property rights."

An Ning was slightly stunned; she didn't expect Ning Weidong to understand these things.

Over these years in Beijing, she knew deeply what the housing conditions in Beijing were like.

Let alone Ning Weidong, even she herself had been shocked by the houses here when she first arrived.

You must know that when An Ning was very young, she was a young lady who had lived in a mansion.

She knew even better that after Ning Weidong returned from the countryside, he lived in a makeshift earthquake shelter and was squeezed in with his nephew.

With such a spacious and luxurious house placed before him, he could still remain unmoved and keep a cool head.

An Ning realized she had miscalculated.

She had originally thought that as long as she threw a house at him, Ning Weidong would definitely lose his composure.

She couldn't help but purse her lips; at this point, talking about the house anymore was meaningless.

Emphasizing that the house could have paperwork processed or be held by a relative on his behalf was useless.

The greatest power of this house was in that moment just now, when she brought Ning Weidong over and said she would give it to him.

Since even that moment couldn't move Ning Weidong, saying anything else would be gilding the lily.

For a time, neither of them spoke.

Until a moment later, Ning Weidong took the initiative to break the deadlock: "Sister An, the old saying goes that one does not accept a reward without merit. You suddenly want to give me such a big house; honestly, even if I wanted it, I wouldn't dare. Let's talk about something real. What exactly does your cousin want from me?"

An Ning revealed a bitter smile, thought for a moment, and said, "I heard you've started a relationship?"

Ning Weidong's heart stirred, and he instantly understood that An Ning's cousin had an ulterior motive. He asked, "Does he want to use me to connect with the Zhao Family?"

An Ning nodded and said, "At first he didn't tell me either, he just said he wanted to get to know you..."

Ning Weidong listened carefully, half-believing An Ning's words; this woman was never a simple person.

An Ning continued, "At first I thought he wanted to find your brother through you, and then connect with your sister-in-law's family."

Ning Weidong could tell that An Ning had done her homework well and knew his family's situation like the back of her hand.

An Ning continued, "I didn't expect that he would end up turning to the Zhao Family, which made me suddenly realize."

"Wanting to find the Zhao Family!" Ning Weidong was also somewhat surprised.

In fact, he had the same thought as An Ning at first, feeling that since this cousin of An Ning's had returned from Hong Kong, he should be hoping to connect with the domestic side.

He just didn't expect that the person the other party was looking for was not the Wang Family, but the Zhao Family.

Then, with another thought, based on the situation of the Zhao Family and the circumstances of this era, he already had a rough idea in his mind.

He said in a deep voice, "Sister An, I can't make the call on this matter. Wait for me to go home and ask before I give you an answer."

An Ning breathed a sigh of relief. She was most afraid of Ning Weidong refusing outright; now that he said he would go home and ask, it counted as leaving some room for maneuver.

Ning Weidong then checked his watch: "It's getting late, I won't stay any longer."

An Ning said: "I'll see you out."

Ning Weidong hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't bother, it's not convenient for you, you might sprain your ankle again," he said, pointing at the high heels on An Ning's feet.

An Ning blushed; wearing high heels at home was indeed too vain.

Ning Weidong gestured a goodbye and walked quickly down the stairs.

Hearing the footsteps fade away, An Ning closed the door and returned inside, then went to the living room, opened the door to the balcony, and watched from above as Ning Weidong got on his bicycle.

The wind was strong at night, instantly blowing up her hair and skirt.

An Ning raised her hand to smooth her hair, and only after he was out of sight did she retreat back into the room and sit on the sofa.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

An Ning got up to open the door, letting in a young man wearing a light gray Zhongshan Suit and black-rimmed glasses.

The young man was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wore his hair in a side part, and gave the impression of being refined and gentle, but when he opened his mouth, he spoke with a heavy Cantonese-accented Mandarin: "How did the talk go?"

An Ning turned and returned to the living room, sat down, and wore a helpless expression: "Not great."

The young man frowned and asked: "What do you mean?"

An Ning said indifferently: "They didn't take a liking to that apartment across the way."

(End of chapter)