Pushing open the wooden door, I found the house much warmer than outside, with no howling wind or snow inside.
Cotton Candy jumped off the sofa and ran to the door.
The little fox's tail was wagging violently, and its front paws were tugging at Su Wei's trouser leg.
Su Wei took off his snow-covered down jacket and casually hung it on the coat rack by the door.
He bent down and reached out to rub the little fox's fluffy head.
The fox made quick, shrill cries and followed closely at his feet.
Su Wei walked to the solid wood table in the center of the living room.
He pulled out a wooden chair, sat down, and took out the checks that Charles and Laurent had given him.
That's the key.
A check for $200,000 in membership fees for ordinary members, signed by Laurent.
Charles issued a $300,000 deposit check for Privileged Membership No. 1.
And that blank check with no numbers on it.
Three pieces of paper lay flat on the dark solid wood table, reflecting a faint light under the lamp.
Su Wei picked up the phone from the table.
The camera focuses on the first two checks, each with a specific amount.
He lightly touched the screen to adjust the focus, then pressed the shutter button repeatedly, capturing a clear signature and bank watermark.
Then, he opened the black laptop and pressed the power button.
The screen lights up.
He opened the encrypted video conferencing software, entered his agent Harris's account, and clicked to make the call.
The communication was quickly established.
Harris appeared in the center of the screen, with an office filled with files and coffee cups in the background.
His tie was loose, and his collar was wide open.
"Boss."
Harris's voice was anxious, carrying the fatigue of working overtime for a long time.
"Are the documents ready?"
"The IRS's anomaly monitoring team has begun investigating your bank statements."
Su Wei did not reply immediately.
He moved the mouse, dragged the two photos of the checks into the dialog box, and clicked send.
With a ding, a transmission notification sound rang out.
In the video footage, Harris's gaze shifts downwards to his secondary display screen.
Harris stopped moving after only one second.
He pressed his hands firmly against the edge of the desk, leaning his entire upper body forward until his face was almost touching the screen.
"This is..."
"Two cash checks bearing the highest-level watermark from Citi Private Bank!"
" Charles and Laurent's autographs!"
Harris looked up sharply, his gaze fixed on the camera.
"They really signed it."
There are no additional business performance-based clauses.
There are no complicated investment restrictions.
His speech became very fast, and his tone involuntarily rose.
"A full $500,000 in cash flow with no minimum investment required, which can be unfrozen and deposited into your account at any time."
"This is enough to prove that this is a genuine transaction."
Su Wei's tone remained completely unchanged.
That doesn't prove anything!
Harris retorted loudly.
"In the eyes of those people at the tax bureau, this is the most typical characteristic of money laundering."
"A huge sum of money, a hasty payment method, plus an empty shell club that currently has nothing."
Harris grabbed her hair with both hands.
"The commissioner doesn't believe any sane person would spend $300,000 to reserve a spot in a run-down cabin."
"Because you've been trying to define this money using the conventional principle of equivalent exchange."
Su Wei leaned back in his solid wood chair, his voice steady.
That's why you're stuck in a dead end.
He moved the mouse and opened a folder.
"Ready to receive files."
A compressed file containing several PDF documents was sent.
Harris immediately clicked to download.
Su Wei issued the order.
"Let's look at the first document, the 'Draft Initial Bylaws of the Northern Throne Club.'"
Harris opened the file.
A rapid clicking sound of a mouse wheel scrolling could be heard from the other end of the screen.
Half a minute later, the rolling sound stopped.
The total number of participants is strictly limited to one hundred.
"Never expand; a replacement can only be made when one dies."
"Numbers 001 to 012 are non-transferable privilege numbers."
"Membership requires a recommendation from a current member and a minimum three-month background and asset review."
Harris read the terms aloud, his expression turning strange.
"Boss, this threshold is set too high."
You are facing a group of top-tier old-money family leaders.
"What they hate most is having rules set for them."
"This will infuriate them."
"What can enrage them are the rules that they can easily break with money."
Su Wei responded.
"When money can't buy a rule, that's privilege."
"Ordinary people spend money to buy goods."
"They're paying money to buy the right to exclude others."
Su Wei paused for a moment, giving Harris time to process what he had said.
" Charles's $300,000 wasn't for any services at all."
"What he bought was the number one priority, the only one that didn't require censorship, didn't require waiting in line, and placed him above everyone else."
Harris remained silent.
This reversed class-based consumption logic overturned his understanding as an ordinary tax lawyer.
But he knew that this logic would definitely work in the top circles.
Su Wei continued their advance.
"Look at the second document."
List of services exclusively for the polar wilderness.
Harris clicked quickly.
Exclusive ownership of the only legally designated predator enclosure on the entire Kodiak Island.
"Top-tier one-on-one wilderness survival combat."
Su Wei interrupted him.
"The most crucial point."
"Custom-made complete set of original behemoth specimens, perfect quality, with no risk of chemical oxidation, and permanently cured."