Early the next morning, before dawn, Qi Yun was awakened by a sudden ringing of the phone.

Peng's name appeared on the phone screen. He raised his hand to look at the time—it was just past eight.

The call coming so early made him tense up instantly, fearing that something had gone wrong with the caller.

"Old Qi, something's happened!" Peng's voice was filled with obvious tension on the other end of the line.

Qi Yun immediately sat up from the sofa, his heart contracting sharply: "What happened!?"

"Du Fei just told me that Old Xu's mine was operating illegally, and two people were buried inside last night!" Peng quickly explained.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun's breath hitched, and he found himself unable to speak for a moment.

During the last dinner, Du Fei had mentioned that there was no management at Old Xu's mine, and the workers completely disregarded safety issues, posing significant risks. He didn't expect it to come true so quickly.

"Have the people been rescued?"

"It's still unclear now." Peng sighed, "I heard the rescue started last night. Old Xu is likely done for this time."

"Sigh~"

Qi Yun also sighed heavily. Although he and Old Xu were like strangers now, hearing such news inevitably made him feel like the fox mourning the rabbit's death...

Even if the buried people could be rescued, that mine would surely be sealed off, with no chance to sell anymore.

No money to repay the high-interest loans would mean only running away.

If the rescue fails, Old Xu will face not a predicament but a dead end.

With illegal mining, and expired insurance for the workers, it seems impossible for him to get through this.

Old Xu probably never thought that arrow he shot in Macau two months ago would hit him right between his eyes today.

After hanging up, Qi Yun lost all desire to sleep. He washed up and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Zhao Qing and their daughter.

At this time, Zhao Qing's voice came from behind: "Eh, why are you up so early?"

She was dressed in loose home clothes, her hair casually tied back, carrying a hint of laziness.

Qi Yun snapped back to reality, forcing a smile: "Well, I'm heading out of town today, so I woke up a bit early."

He didn't want Zhao Qing to notice anything strange about him, so his tone was deliberately light.

Zhao Qing came up beside him, reached out to touch his face, and showed concern: "You look a bit off-color, didn't you sleep well?"

Qi Yun held her hand and then gently kissed her forehead: "I'm fine, quickly wake Nuannuan for breakfast."

Although Zhao Qing was full of doubt, she didn't press further and turned to wake Nuannuan in the bedroom.

In a short while, the little girl came to the table rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Daddy, you made my favorite porridge today!" the little girl said happily.

Qi Yun smiled and patted her head: "Yes, Daddy has to go on a trip far away. I won't be home for a few days, so you need to listen to Sister Qing."

The little girl tilted her head, her eyes full of reluctance, her voice dropping: "Daddy, where are you going? When will you come back?"

Qi Yun squatted down, pulling the little girl into a hug, and patiently said: "Daddy has to take care of some very important things, and it will take about five or six days to come back."

The little girl pouted and snuggled into his arms: "Alright, but Daddy, you must come back soon, I'll miss you."

Qi Yun kissed her cheek: "Daddy promises to come back immediately after finishing things."

Zhao Qing then walked out of the bedroom, pushing a suitcase with the clothes she had prepared for him.

"Nuannuan, eat quickly; we have to go to kindergarten after breakfast, and Daddy will be back in a few days."

"Okay." The little girl reluctantly left Qi Yun's embrace.

After breakfast, Zhao Qing hurried to wash up and put on makeup, while Qi Yun was braiding his daughter's hair beside her.

Once she finished tidying up, she snuggled into Qi Yun's arms with a whisper: "Be careful out there, we're waiting for you to come back."

Qi Yun gently rested his chin on her head, feeling the warmth of her hair, took a deep breath, and replied softly: "Don't worry, I'll take care of myself."

"Okay, we have to go." Zhao Qing released him, tiptoeing to plant a kiss on Qi Yun's lips, then called to the little girl, "Nuannuan, put on your backpack quickly, we're going to be late."

After seeing them into the elevator, Qi Yun returned indoors, looking at the suitcase packed next to the coffee table, with a smile of happiness at the corner of his mouth.

He went back into the bedroom to find a thick down coat and stuffed it into the suitcase, then sat down on the sofa to check the day's intelligence.

[Today's Intelligence 1 (Red): Zhang Dayong got a recommendation from an upper-level person, officially promoted to Executive Deputy Director of New District Branch yesterday afternoon.]

[Today's Intelligence 2 (White): Zhong Rui brought back an invoice yesterday, one of which can scratch off a ten-thousand-yuan bonus.]

[Today's Intelligence 3 (Blue): Vice President Liu, aware that his wife has begun to suspect him of keeping a mistress, took the opportunity of a business trip to Hong Kong to convert the embezzled money of the past two years into two kilograms of gold, hidden in the locker at Central MTR Station.

Locker number A386, password 9203]

"Wow! That bastard really hasn't embezzled any small amount." Qi Yun exclaimed in surprise.

Two kilograms of gold, at today's gold price, must be worth 1.4 million, right?

What expression would Vice President Liu make if, after being kicked out by his wife and going to Hong Kong, he finds the gold bars missing?

Qi Yun already began imagining that scene in his mind...

Seeing the time was about right, Qi Yun packed everything, grabbed the suitcase, and set off.

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