Zhang Ruipu watched Zhang Haiyan walk away down the corridor, the young man didn’t look back. Zhang Ruipu said to the young man beside him, “You see, this young man, once he makes up his mind, won’t be swayed by emotions, yet he is also rare to have loyalty and affection.”

The young man beside him asked, “Will he obediently get on the ship to investigate the case?”

“It’s hard to say. His friend is in our hands. A cunning person will always find a way to solve practical problems—look for opportunities to rescue their friend, and they are less likely to adhere to the rules of the transaction.” Zhang Ruipu glanced at his watch, “However, during the journey to the dock, it should be difficult for him to escape.”

“Does the owner not think it’s uncontrollable? What if he doesn’t return from this trip, or can’t find any clues, or comes back?”

Zhang Ruipu smiled, “Along the way, someone will explain the stakes to him clearly.”

As he spoke, Zhang Ruipu noticed Zhang Haijiao watching them from one side of the corridor. The little girl seemed unafraid, as if the plague had numbed her to life and death matters.

Switching to Zhang Haiyan’s side, he was being escorted by two people, walking through the market, fully aware of the situation. After he stepped out, the people beside him had already explained the logic to him. Zhang Haixia and the others would be taken away from the Nanyang Archives in Malacca, and all traces would be cleared from here. If Zhang Haiyan boarded the ship and then secretly submerged back to this place, he would only find an empty house.

Zhang Haiyan was aware of the vast rubber plantations in Penang, and there were also Zhang Ruipu’s insiders on the ship. If Zhang Haiyan did not board the ship, and a telegram was sent back, Zhang Haixia would be fed to the headhunters.

Thus, his window of opportunity was very short; once he reached the next intersection, he would have to take out the two men behind him and immediately return to save his friend.

But just as he was about to make a move at that intersection, the young man beside him said, “I know your plan, but by the time you reach here, they have already left quickly. The owner is watching you, and there are our informants along this long street. Once you pass this intersection, just focus on investigating the case.”

Zhang Haiyan adjusted his military cap and sighed deeply, but he quickly set aside his thoughts. He was not a person who got tangled up in dilemmas; as long as he could get through, he would choose the most reasonable method as quickly as possible. Zhang Haixia was a meticulous and serious person; one couldn’t say whose approach to life was correct. In the past years, both sides had their rights and wrongs, but now he could only rely on his own judgment.

“If I happen to die during the investigation, will you let Xiazi go?” Zhang Haiyan asked the young man beside him. The young man fell silent and did not answer. Zhang Haiyan forced a smile.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the street corner, and he stopped in his tracks, noticing that the two men beside him were very tense and immediately moved closer to him. Without even seeing clearly, Zhang Haiyan was pushed forward by the two.

Zhang Haiyan frowned, sensing that something was amiss. These skilled young men were frightened by something on the street; he looked toward the street, which appeared normal.

The most terrifying thing in this world is not when a tiger approaches you, but when a tiger approaches you while looking at what’s behind you, then retreats. Zhang Haiyan suddenly had this feeling.

However, as he looked around, he saw nothing.

When He Jianxi was pushed into the street, he knocked over several pedestrians, causing a stir.

He stood up, brushed off his clothes, picked up the ledger, and continued into the shop, only to be beaten out again. He tried to go back inside, but this time he failed because the other party came out directly to hit him. The others spoke Malay, while He Jianxi shouted back at them in English.

Those who knew understood that He Jianxi was there to collect debts; those who didn’t thought he was a scoundrel being caught. He Jianxi was the accountant at the British pub on the corner. It was difficult to learn British accounting; Malacca only had its first Chinese accountant sixteen years ago. However, in fact, during the time of the East India Company, there were already smugglers in Malacca training Chinese bookkeepers. This group of bookkeepers understood stocks and dividends and knew how to manage both positive and negative accounts. He Jianxi’s master was one of these private accountants, and after his master was hanged, He Jianxi was released due to his young age. Most of the smuggling back then involved illicit liquor, and this British pub was engaged in the illicit liquor trade. He Jianxi was familiar with the place and worked there as a bookkeeper.

This pub also supplied liquor to other smuggling points. Some of the liquor from these points was intercepted by customs, so they were reluctant to settle the accounts, leading to collection issues for the pub. But He Jianxi always managed to get the money back. He knew that as a Chinese, there was only survival space in places like this illicit liquor establishment, where there was a high volume of transactions needing a bookkeeper but could not hire international foreigners. If a bookkeeper could only count money but couldn’t recover it, then being a bookkeeper would just be a job calculating losses, which would soon become worthless.

As long as he didn’t back down!

When He Jianxi was knocked down again, he silently repeated this in his heart. He wasn’t very tall, only a little over 1.7 meters, and his body was thin. If he couldn’t collect the money, he would be fired when he returned. As an accountant for illicit liquor, if there was no work to do, death would be inevitable, so he could not back down.

He Jianxi stood up again, though he could no longer see the person in front of him clearly. He shouted loudly in English, “If you don’t want to be hanged, settle the accounts!”

When he was knocked down again, he collided with a vehicle—a rattan chair on wheels with someone sitting on it. Many people were passing by, led by a robust middle-aged man, and beside the rattan chair was a little girl.

He was pulled up by these people, and He Jianxi hurriedly apologized, having lost his sense of direction. Just as he was apologizing, someone behind him came up and kicked him in the back. The kick was powerful, and He Jianxi was nearly sent flying toward the little girl.

The young man in the rattan chair quickly pulled the little girl away, and she was not knocked down. This time, He Jianxi found it hard to stand up again. Those people went around them and continued to beat He Jianxi, who curled up as a rain of fists descended upon him.

He held onto the ledger tightly.

The little girl watched this scene and asked the young man in the rattan chair, “Uncle Xia, will he be beaten to death?”

Zhang Haixia looked at Zhang Ruipu. He could see that these people had lost control. Those who had never really fought before often accidentally kill someone because they didn’t realize how fierce they could be and forgot how fragile the human body is.

Zhang Ruipu didn’t want to respond and said, “Don’t judge a person by appearances; this is a person with iron skin and bones, a special kind of appearance. People like this won’t be easily killed.” After saying that, he was about to leave.

Zhang Haixia frowned and said to the group of attackers in Malay, “No need to hit anymore, I’ll settle your debts for you.” As she spoke, she handed a stack of money to Zhang Haijiao.

The group was momentarily stunned and slowly stopped their assault. Zhang Haijiao looked at Zhang Haixia in confusion. Zhang Haixia continued, “If the owner is willing to let us go back, he will return this small amount of money to us. If we can’t go back, this money won’t be of any use to us anyway. It’s better to save this little brother.”

Only then did Zhang Haijiao walk over and hand the money to He Jianxi. He Jianxi looked up at Zhang Haixia and shook his head, “It’s not like you owe money; it doesn’t work that way. I don’t want it.”

He really didn’t seem to be hurt at all.

Zhang Haijiao turned back to Zhang Haixia, clearly not expecting him to say that. Zhang Haixia said, “Young man, no matter how tough you are, you can still die from such beatings.”

He Jianxi shook his head, looking at his attackers: “Your payment period is up. The total for the West Country Winery is forty-seven dollars. We need to settle the account today—either in cash or with goods; either way is fine.”

Those people immediately wanted to continue hitting him, but Zhang Haijiao quickly grabbed one of the attackers’ hands, placed the money in that hand, and then handed the attacker’s hand to He Jianxi.

“Why bother? Just give him the money, and he’ll give it back to you. That settles the account, right?” Zhang Haijiao said softly to him.

He Jianxi thought for a moment; it was just too painful, and he couldn’t resist anymore, so he accepted the money, opened the already crumpled ledger, and crossed out a line on it.

Zhang Haijiao returned to Zhang Haixia’s side, and Zhang Haixia was somewhat surprised by the girl’s cleverness.

He Jianxi looked at Zhang Haixia and nodded slightly. Just as he was about to ask her something, Zhang Haixia and the others had already continued walking forward. He Jianxi wanted to catch up, but after a few steps, he found he could no longer move. He squatted by the roadside, watching them walk away, feeling utterly helpless.

At that time, He Jianxi had no idea what was hidden within that money, nor did he know what fate awaited him.