Chapter 1018: Identity Exposed

A few days later, He Yuzhu and his party finally rolled into Zhanjiang Naval Port.

The salty, fishy sea breeze on the pier rushed toward his face; he didn't go to the lively welcome banquet held locally, but instead rushed to Secretary Liu's place overnight.

Who would have thought that the moment he stepped through the door, Secretary Liu immediately scolded him: "You brat are just like the Monkey King, causing such a ruckus that M Country is already threatening to use a nuclear weapon!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu laughed instead: "Leader, they are only using this thing to scare people because they can't win with conventional weapons. If they really threw one, it wouldn't be a question of who gets bombed, but a question of the Earth needing a reboot."

Secretary Liu shook his head with a dark face: "Regardless of how you put it, you went too far this time."

He Yuzhu hurriedly stepped forward to explain: "Leader, we were truly driven to a dead end—you think about it, a carrier strike group surrounding one of our warships, wouldn't we suffer a huge loss? If there had been any other way, I wouldn't have taken this step."

Secretary Liu sighed. He Yuzhu was quick-witted and immediately reached out to light the cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Secretary Liu took a deep drag, exhaled a cloud of blue smoke, and his tone finally softened: "I blame you for another reason—you've completely revealed your trump cards this time. Before, we could still shift the blame to Babylon and the Big Bear, but now, M Country has locked onto the fact that it was our people, and they are pinning decades of old debts on your head. You aren't afraid yourself, but what about your family? The country has opened up, and spies can get in at a very low cost..."

He Yuzhu laughed instead, looking completely indifferent: "An elephant can't spend its whole life hiding behind a zebra's backside; when it's time to show one's fangs, one should show them. Besides, my family's businesses are basically all in the country; no matter how long M Country's reach is, they can't reach into my bowl."

Secretary Liu was also amused by him and shook his head: "You think of M Country too simply. They have money, and buying off a few people is a matter of minutes. There were hundreds of people on that warship this time; can you go and plug their mouths one by one? In my opinion, this stunt of yours has invited disaster upon your family."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, his gaze sinking: "If they dare to touch my family, I will touch theirs too, and even more ruthlessly than they do..."

Secretary Liu waved his hands repeatedly: "Your temper is getting more and more explosive; this is not good, you will invite a great disaster sooner or later."

He Yuzhu suddenly changed his expression, his tone as earnest as if he were a different person: "Leader, I accept your criticism. Being able to know you in this life is my greatest blessing; you are someone who truly and genuinely thinks for me."

Secretary Liu was coaxed into a loud laugh by these words: "That mouth of yours is getting better and better at smearing honey; did you learn that from that female Doctor? How old are you now? Mind your influence."

He Yuzhu suddenly felt more wronged than Dou E and hurriedly waved his hands: "I look at her like a granddaughter! That girl saved my life! No, Leader, your information is too well-informed."

Secretary Liu took a slow sip of tea: "Did you forget whose son Captain Li is? Don't tell me you don't recognize his father—the two of them look like they were carved from the same mold."

He Yuzhu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Battalion Commander Li of the Security Regiment, how could I not recognize him! We even caught spies from the Korean peninsula together... I even saved his life once, but this man is unkind; he hasn't come to visit me in all these years."

"He has been in Guangdong Province the whole time, how would he have the time to visit you? Now he's even more afraid to go, because you are a big tycoon, a billionaire! However, I'll host tomorrow, and you all come to my place to have a meal together. Speaking of which, you still need to get your hands dirty; have you forgotten your culinary skills?" Secretary Liu said.

"How could I forget? That's my family's rice bowl. But I have to prepare the ingredients in advance; over these years, I've also learned Tan Family Cuisine from my father, so I'll show off a few tricks tomorrow," He Yuzhu said, patting his chest.

"Then it's a deal; you stay at my place tonight!"

"I can't, I still have to go find some ingredients, so I won't linger at your place."

The next day, although it was called Secretary Liu's family banquet, He Yuzhu was still the one personally manning the stove.

He brought out all his hidden skills, combining Sichuan, Lu, Yue, and Tan Family Cuisine, filling the table completely.

Li Dong picked up a piece of Nine-Turn Intestines, put it in his mouth, and chewed twice; his eyes immediately lit up: "I've always heard the Leader praise your skills, but it's a pity I've never tasted them. After eating this today, I have to say the truth—your ability to cook is far greater than your proficiency in being an official."

He Yuzhu scolded him back on the spot: "Li Datou, you only pick what I don't like to hear! I really wonder how your mouth managed to survive in officialdom until today; let me tell you straight, your son is much better than you."

Secretary Liu laughed so hard he slapped the table: "You two haven't seen each other for so many years, and you still have the old habit of bickering the moment you meet."

He Yuzhu curled his lips and snorted coldly: "Back in the Korean War, he would run to our battalion every three days to beg for food; if we didn't give him any, he wouldn't leave, just like a debt collector."

Li Dong was also amused and rolled up his sleeves to retort: "He Yuzhu, you brat just love digging up old history! Leader, you don't know, his battalion had meat at every meal, while our battalion gnawed on corn buns until our teeth loosened."

He Yuzhu said: "Li Datou, your son has a much better mouth than you, and a better personality; he will definitely be better than you in the future."

Li Dong said: "I just suffered from not having systematic training; my son's generation had formal schooling, so naturally, they are better than me."

He Yuzhu said: "Lao Li, you have a say in the military, you must vigorously develop the navy, otherwise we really have no confidence to go head-to-head with the people of M Country."

"I know this, I have been running around telling everyone. The Leader can testify for me on this matter."

Secretary Liu nodded: "Lao Li has indeed contributed a lot to the construction of the navy."

He Yuzhu said: "The robber nature of the Anglo-Saxons will not change; even if the relationship is passable for now, we will fall out sooner or later, and we must always be prepared for that day."

He Yuzhu then pointed out some things that were worth being vigilant about one by one; Li Dong was also someone who had been through the mill in the military for many years, and some things were understood at a single hint.

The three of them exchanged words, the conversation endless; they had plans for the future and also chatted about the old days amidst the hail of bullets.

Between the clinking of glasses, the three of them felt as if they had returned to the Korean War.

When the banquet dispersed, all three were a bit tipsy.

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu didn't stay in Zhanjiang for even a minute and set off directly for Hong Kong. On this trip, he carried two major matters on his shoulders.

The first was to quickly tell Zhao Ying, Xu Tian, and Zhang Shuying, as well as those close to him, to protect themselves well and guard against M Country acting like a cornered dog and seeking revenge.

The second was that Ma Rui's company was officially listed in Hong Kong, its market value soaring to over 20 billion, and almost the entire company had moved and gathered in Hong Kong. Ma Rui specifically called and insisted that He Yuzhu come over, saying he wanted to introduce him to a few friends because their company was also going to expand here.

As soon as He Yuzhu's plane landed in Hong Kong, he received a lively welcome; all his old friends were there.

Just as he climbed into Zhao Ying's car, he said with a serious, dark face: "We must sell off the M Country assets we hold as soon as possible, the stocks as well, and transfer all the money to the mainland."

"What exactly happened?" Zhao Ying asked, puzzled.

"M Country should be able to find out my identity very soon," He Yuzhu said. "This time, I have implicated everyone."