It was probably around nine or ten o'clock at night. <br><br>Ziqian Cao was still sitting in his office. In fact, even dinner had been resolved with a boxed meal right there in the office. At home, he had hired an excellent nanny, so he could leave the child in her care without worry during this time. <br><br>The lights outside the office were still on. Having just completed the task at hand, Ziqian Cao suddenly remembered that his secretary, awaiting further instructions, had yet to leave work. <br><br>He was a diligent young man indeed. <br><br>Ziqian Cao rubbed his temples, intending to let his secretary leave when the office door was abruptly pushed open. <br><br>Two people came in: a flustered secretary and someone Ziqian Cao was all too familiar with—Gold Fortune. <br><br>The secretary stammered in panic, “General Manager… The Chairman… I…” <br><br>“It’s fine, you can leave now… you’re off the clock,” Ziqian Cao said calmly. <br><br>The secretary, as if granted amnesty, quickly walked out of the room, gathered his things, and hurriedly left. Only when they could no longer hear the secretary’s departing footsteps did Ziqian Cao speak: <br><br>“Dad, why aren’t you resting at home? You’re getting older. It’s better to rest early at night. Don’t worry about the factory matters.” <br><br>Gold Fortune snorted coldly. “Of course, you’d wish I didn’t come, preferably never again, right? The Chairman title is just an empty name now. In reality, the factory is yours—you can talk without hesitation, can’t you?” <br><br>Ziqian Cao frowned slightly and sat back down. “Dad, there’s no need to lay everything bare. I’ve already left you enough money to live comfortably. We even have a villa in the north. Maybe you could go stay there and not worry about this place.” <br><br>“Our family?” Gold Fortune sneered. “Ha! What family? You have no right to call me Dad! I’m not your father! Ziqian Cao, I’m telling you, from the moment you seized my factory, we ceased to be family! You little rat, I treated you so well! From the time you were a workshop supervisor at the factory, I’ve been supporting you, even giving my daughter to you! And what did you do to me? You dared to take my factory from me!? Do you think, just because you’ve taken over, you can pretend I don’t exist?” <br><br>Ziqian Cao took a deep breath and said, “Dad, you already know. Don’t do anything unnecessary. The factory security is still here. I don’t want things to get unpleasant.” <br><br>Gold Fortune chuckled coldly and pulled out a stack of documents from his coat. “You haven’t dared to make these public yet, have you? But they’re in my hands now! I’m still the rightful owner of this factory. Call the security if you want; I’ll see who they actually listen to—you or me! Here’s just a portion. Take a good look!” <br><br>With that, Gold Fortune threw the documents onto Ziqian Cao’s desk. <br><br>Ziqian Cao glanced over them. They were mostly copies, but he knew Gold Fortune couldn’t possibly have these duplicates. <br><br>“Impossible… I locked all the documents in the bank’s safe!” Ziqian Cao exclaimed in agitation. <br><br>“Nothing in this world is impossible.” Gold Fortune scoffed. “If you’re smart, you’ll leave immediately and never show your face again! Considering your contributions to the factory over the years, I might just leave you a way out!” <br><br>“Old man… you’re forcing me!” <br><br>Ziqian Cao suddenly looked up, his eyes fierce like a wild beast, and lunged at Gold Fortune. Strong and in his prime, Ziqian Cao easily shoved the older man to the ground. <br><br>Without hesitation, Ziqian Cao pinned Gold Fortune down and grabbed him by the neck with both hands. “A way out? What way out do I have left? Fine, you know how much I’ve given for this factory over the years, yet how could you do this to me! Did you think I didn’t know? All that money you borrowed from the bank was in my name! You couldn’t pay back a cent! Not only that, but you gamble compulsively, squandering all your family assets! If it weren’t for me keeping us afloat all these years, this factory would’ve gone under long ago! I’ll never let you take everything from me!!” <br><br>“You… you…” Gold Fortune struggled painfully, his hand fumbling toward his clothing. <br><br>Finding it hard to breathe, perhaps moments away from death, he didn’t hesitate any longer. He regretted coming here alone, especially now that Ziqian Cao had snapped. <br><br>He felt it—the gun! <br><br>Trembling, he slowly pulled it out. Ziqian Cao hadn’t noticed it at all. Summoning every ounce of strength, Gold Fortune aimed the gun at Ziqian Cao’s waist. Just one pull of the trigger, and he’d escape this fatal situation. <br><br>But at that moment, the weapon suddenly vanished from his hand. <br><br>“Mr. Cao, if you kill him like this, you’ll truly lose everything. Don’t you want to celebrate your child’s birthday?” <br><br>A calm voice echoed through the office. <br><br>Ziqian Cao froze, as if doused in cold water. Trembling, he let go of Gold Fortune’s neck and backed away in terror, instinctively looking toward where the sound had come from. <br><br>“It’s you!” <br><br>Not only Ziqian Cao but also a coughing Gold Fortune exclaimed in disbelief. Gold Fortune’s expression was even more horrified, as if he’d seen a ghost. <br><br>He saw them clearly—Xavi and You Ye. But he distinctly remembered that Xavi and You Ye should’ve been killed by him. <br><br>The gun—it was taken by that woman! <br><br>Looking at the Heckler & Koch .45 in You Ye’s hand, Gold Fortune’s terror deepened. <br><br>“Impossible! You two should’ve… Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” Gold Fortune stammered, dragging himself backward on the floor. <br><br>Xavi tried to appear composed, speaking calmly: “Mr. Gold, have you forgotten that our transaction isn’t complete? I recall you mentioned learning about us through your grandfather. Didn’t your grandfather tell you about our rules? You failed to uphold your end of the deal, so I’m sorry. The items you sought will be reclaimed.” <br><br>Perhaps overwhelmed with fear, Gold Fortune stammered, “Impossible! I destroyed all those files the moment I got them!” <br><br>But Xavi began gathering the scattered documents from Ziqian Cao’s desk, one by one, smiling. “Are these the documents you’re referring to? No worries, Mr. Gold. It doesn’t matter how many you destroyed.” <br><br>The once-detailed contracts, complete with signatures, now appeared as blank sheets of paper. <br><br>Gold Fortune gasped, utterly horrified, while Ziqian Cao looked equally baffled. <br><br>How on earth had this pair entered his office? And those files—he’d seen them earlier, yet now they’d turned into blank sheets in some inexplicable manner. <br><br>“You deceived me!” Gold Fortune suddenly roared as if coming to a realization. “From the very start, you deceived me! You don’t keep your promises!” <br><br>Xavi replied indifferently, “I think the one who broke a promise first was you, Mr. Gold. From the moment you stepped into the Buyers Club 66 and stated your intentions, you began weaving a lie, didn’t you?” <br><br>Seeing Gold Fortune’s silence, Xavi continued, “No matter how emotional your words were or how confident your tone seemed, your eyes couldn’t lie. When you told me that Ziqian Cao had seized your factory and that you wanted to seek justice for the workers, I nearly believed you. Unfortunately, I didn’t sense any sincerity from your eyes. Besides, people often reveal unconscious tells when lying.” <br><br>Gold Fortune was incredulous. “You suspected me just because of that?” <br><br>Xavi replied, “At first, it was mere suspicion. Until I came here myself. You must understand, we need to properly assess the value of this factory… Though, that’s not important anymore.” <br><br>Xavi shifted his gaze to Ziqian Cao. “What is important is that I met your factory’s General Manager.” <br><br>He walked over to Ziqian Cao’s desk. “First, I noticed this photo frame. Mr. Gold mentioned your daughter tragically passed away in an accident years ago. Yet, after all this time, this photo remains here.” <br><br>Xavi turned the frame around. In the photograph, a woman cradled a newborn child, her face radiating joy. <br><br>“Of course,” Xavi continued, “this merely suggests that Mr. Cao is a sentimental man. But it did intrigue me enough to want to learn more about the so-called ‘scoundrel’ Mr. Gold described.” <br><br>Gold Fortune said nothing. <br><br>Xavi pressed on, “The desk is piled high with documents. When I visited this afternoon, Mr. Cao was diligently working. Look at that couch over there—stacked with neatly folded bedding, clearly indicating he often sleeps here. Hmm, the secretary is male… don’t get the wrong idea.” <br><br>Seeing no one react to his joke, Xavi shrugged and continued, “I can’t think of any reason more plausible than sheer dedication to explain why someone would work so late they end up sleeping in their office.” <br><br>His expression turned serious as he addressed Gold Fortune again. “I fail to understand how a man who deeply mourns his late wife, works tirelessly for the factory, and whose office is so modest it lacks any luxurious decorations—even the leather chair is cracked—could be portrayed as a scheming villain in your narrative.” <br><br>It seemed like Gold Fortune’s fear had reached its peak. Or perhaps, with his lies exposed, his true nature surfaced. “You’re right! I lied to you. So what! How could I possibly trust your words? And besides, you didn’t even have those files, did you?” <br><br>Xavi shook his head patiently. “No, the files Mr. Gold needed were indeed in my possession.” <br><br>He extended his hand, and with a flash of light, a document folder appeared. “I had every intention of completing this transaction with you… However, it seems you lacked trust in me.” <br><br>Gold Fortune froze, watching as the documents floated out from the folder one by one before returning to it. The surreal sight terrified him even further. <br><br>He had shot this terrifying man! <br><br>At last, Gold Fortune remembered the words his grandfather had spoken when entrusting him with the Elite Card: Never attempt to deceive the club. Otherwise, you will pay an unbearable price. <br><br>He had died from gunshot wounds and yet now stood before him, unharmed. <br><br>Gold Fortune’s legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, trembling as he begged, “I was wrong! Boss, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have deceived you! I’ll complete the transaction! Over Eighteen Years! Take it! Take it!” <br><br>“No.” Xavi replied coolly, “This factory, although run-down and nearing bankruptcy, is still worth a considerable amount when liquidated. However, given your gambling habits and lack of ability, even if I gave you another eighteen years, you couldn’t possibly earn enough. Therefore, if you want this factory, the price is Thirty-Six Years and Ten Months of your time. As a holder of the Elite Card, I’ll give you a discount… Thirty-Three Years, One Month, and Fifteen Days. That is the cost, Mr. Gold.” <br><br>“Thirty-Three Years… Thirty-Three Years…” Gold Fortune muttered to himself. <br><br>Without Thirty-Three Years, how much time did he even have left to live? <br><br>Reclaiming the factory like this would leave him with no time to enjoy it. Clearly, it wasn’t what he had hoped for. <br><br>“No! I don’t want this deal! I refuse! I refuse!” <br><br>Mad with desperation, Gold Fortune bolted toward the door. <br><br>But suddenly, in front of him, a flame of Dark Fire emerged from nowhere, forcing him to halt abruptly. Within the burning darkness, the black card he had thrown away at the Buyers Club 66 began to reappear piece by piece. <br><br>“The Buyers Club 66 Rule Eight: Transactions initiated by the Elite Card cannot be canceled.” <br><br>As Xavi’s voice echoed, the Dark Fire collided with Gold Fortune’s body. <br><br>With a scream, he collapsed to the ground. <br><br>The Elite Card then floated gently into Xavi’s hand. The gold emblem engraved on one side of the card slowly faded away. <br><br>Xavi tossed the folder of documents beside Gold Fortune and said calmly, “Transaction complete.” <br><br>… <br><br>… <br><br>The office fell into an eerie silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. <br><br>Ziqian Cao’s face was pale, his breathing rapid. Xavi’s gaze was now fixed on him.")
