Allergy

While Li Qingye was sharpening his knives.

Let's rewind the clock a few days.

On the same day that the Soldier was secretly apprehending Watanabe and his group, Li Jinglan, following Li Qingye's instructions, had to rush from Darte Port to Manila to catch a flight.

Baffart, who was driving, escorted Li Jinglan, Kang Nan, and others towards Liman City.

Although Darte Port was on Luzon Island, it was about 300 kilometers away from the capital, Manila. There was no railway there, so they had to go to the neighboring Liman City to catch a train.

That evening, Baffart arrived in Liman with the convoy. Homo sapiens Company also had an office there, used to arrange transportation and accommodation for internal staff.

For example, the vehicles escorting the convoy would be temporarily stored at the Liman office and picked up from there upon their return.

The person in charge of the Liman office belonged to the internal affairs department of Homo sapiens Company, and the person in charge was a Soldier.

In the pre-arranged hotel.

Li Jinglan felt something was off about Li Qingye's sudden arrangement. He couldn't call Watanabe on the way because Baffart was present.

Now that he finally had some private time, he quickly picked up his phone.

"Ring, ring, ring... The number you have dialed is out of service... Please try again later... Ring, ring, ring..."

What's going on? Did something happen? A bad premonition flashed through Li Jinglan's mind, and he quickly called his secretary, Lime.

"Lime, use your phone to call this number."

Lime, not understanding what was happening, dialed the number confusedly. It also couldn't get through. Li Jinglan's unease intensified.

He paced back and forth in the living room, extremely agitated.

Lime, standing by, cautiously asked, "Mr. Li, could it be that their phone is broken, or they haven't paid their bills?"

As if grasping a lifeline, Li Jinglan quickly calmed down. Suddenly, he noticed an app on his phone and remembered a function within it.

He quickly opened [AhstsAPP]. Although they weren't friends, this instant messaging software supported communication with non-friends as long as you had their contact information.

This app was widely used in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. Generally, as an executive of a commercial company, even if you didn't use AhstsAPP often, you would install it on your phone or laptop for easy communication with clients.

Soon, Li Jinglan finished composing a message.

More than ten minutes later, Li Jinglan, whose mood had become increasingly heavy, suddenly received a reply.

[Mr. Li, is something wrong? Why couldn't I get through on your phone?]

Li Jinglan's heart relaxed, and he quickly replied.

[Mr. Watanabe, sorry to bother you. I suddenly received news that I have to go on a business trip to Hong Kong for about half a month. I couldn't get through on the phone and was worried something might have happened on your end. We can discuss that matter another time.]

[OK, I will arrange suitable personnel to ensure everything is foolproof. Wishing us great fortune.]

Seeing this, Li Jinglan was completely relieved, and the communication between them ceased.

Just then, Li Jinglan felt a few mosquito bites on his neck. He swatted a few mosquitoes and looked at the blood on his hand. He was also very uncomfortable from sweating due to nervousness.

Suddenly, he saw his secretary, Lime, nearby. Anger surged within him. He threw down his phone and dragged Lime into the bathroom.

As his secretary, Lime naturally understood the unspoken rules of the industry.

Inside the bathroom, a passionate duet of high soprano and low bass soon echoed, as if performing the primal rhythm called life.

The next morning.

Refreshed, Li Jinglan boarded the train to Manila with Kang Nan, Baffart, and others.

"Boss, General Manager Li has departed for Manila. The mission has been successfully completed," the person in charge of the Liman office reported over the phone.

"Mm, continue with your work."

"Yes, Boss."

Since they were using public communication signals, both sides kept their conversations brief and avoided any explicit content.

Li Jinglan and his group disembarked from the plane.

They rested in Hong Kong for another day.

Then, Li Jinglan began the busy work of this mission. This task involved negotiating with Xinhai Company, with whom they had previously cooperated, to procure a batch of research equipment. The deal involved many sensitive devices, and both parties were proceeding with caution.

More than a week passed quickly, and the negotiations were not going very smoothly, mainly because some of the equipment could not be agreed upon.

After all, a significant portion of the equipment was subject to the Wassenaar Arrangement. Although Luzon was not a restricted region, the boss of Homo sapiens Company was Chinese, which presented a problem.

After another fruitless day, Li Jinglan sent Baffart and Kang Nan away and drove back to his home in Hong Kong alone.

Tired from a day's work, he lay on the sofa, idly flipping through TV channels.

Seeing Li Jinglan's exhausted expression, his wife took out the Australian Wagyu short ribs she had just bought the day before, intending to treat her husband.

Half an hour later, the lightly seared short ribs, accompanied by white asparagus and cherry tomatoes, and a bottle of Romanee-Conti were ready.

"Honey, dinner is ready."

"Xiao Kai, stop playing on the computer and come eat."

Li Jinglan turned off the TV and, at the dining table, skillfully cut the beef. The Maillard reaction on the steak produced a rich, caramelized aroma, filling his mouth with the scent of meat and fat.

After a few bites of the small sirloin, he took a sip of red wine.

"Phew, truly worthy of Wagyu that costs thousands per kilogram… Hmm?…"

Mid-exclamation, Li Jinglan suddenly felt difficulty breathing. His face rapidly turned red, followed by dizziness, and his heartbeat directly stopped.

"Honey? What's wrong?"

Terrified and flustered, Mrs. Li quickly called for an ambulance.

Outside the emergency room of Hong Kong Hospital, Baffart and Kang Nan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, stood silently to the side, while Li Jinglan's family members were full of sorrow.

More than twenty minutes later, a light outside the emergency room went out. The doctor in charge of the resuscitation emerged with a look of regret and announced to everyone:

"I'm very sorry, the patient has lost vital signs."

"Wuwuwu… How could this happen?"

"Dad…"

Kang Nan inquired about Li Jinglan's resuscitation situation and discovered that the cause was sudden Anaphylactic Shock, leading to respiratory distress and cardiac arrest. By the time he was sent to the hospital, he was already gone.

He asked in confusion, "Doctor, can allergies be this severe? And according to Mrs. Li's description, Manager Li only ate steak and asparagus. He often ate Western food during his business trips before without any allergic reactions."

The doctor, based on his knowledge, explained to everyone:

"I can explain that. Red Meat Allergy isn't necessarily a congenital condition. It can also occur after being bitten by a Tick, causing the body to develop a Red Meat Allergy. In cases of severe allergic reactions, there is indeed a certain fatality rate."

After understanding the truth, Kang Nan no longer had any doubts. He comforted Li Jinglan's family and then called Li Qingye to report the incident.

Li Qingye, who was in Luzon, upon hearing the news, immediately instructed Kang Nan to take over Li Jinglan's previous responsibilities and to sign the contract with Xinhai Company as soon as possible. The sensitive equipment previously discussed was to be removed from this transaction.

He also asked Kang Nan to represent the company in expressing condolences to Li Jinglan's family and to provide some compensation.

Thank you all for your support (ω｀), please collect, recommend, and monthly tickets.