9:00 p.m.
At a hotel north of Chengshun Road.
Back in his room, Dong Xuebin locked the door, checked the windows, drew the curtains, and carefully placed the combination case containing the pearl necklace where he could keep it in sight. After kicking off his shoes and lying on the bed, he grinned and reached both arms up at the ceiling as if grabbing at it. He was in such a good mood that words could hardly describe it. Once he got back and attended the auction, he would have the money to start a company. Once he got back and made a good showing in front of his superiors, he would get his deputy section-chief position too. It was practically a double harvest of power and wealth!
Right, he still did not know whether Aunt Xuan had finished handling her business.
Eager to share his joy with someone, Dong Xuebin grabbed his phone and called Zhai Yunxuan.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. It rang for a long time before someone finally answered. "...Hello..." But it was not Aunt Xuan's voice.
Dong Xuebin paused. "Huh? Did I call the wrong number? Is this Zhai Yunxuan's phone?"
The woman chuckled. "You're Dong Xuebin, right? Yun Xuan's taking a shower, so she asked me to answer for her. I'm her colleague. Just call me Sister Cao. If there's anything you need, I can pass it on to her..."
"Oh, it's nothing major. Are you still in Suhang? When are you heading back to Capital City?"
"The plan is tomorrow afternoon. Right now, we're following a small tour group around Suhang. Once we finish gathering the written and photographic material for our exposé on illegal tour guides, a car will come pick us up, and then we'll head back." Sister Cao seemed rather