Before opening the safe in the secretary’s office, Chen Shen took a long swig of alcohol. If you pieced together his fragmented memories, he had spent half the day at home crafting a key that was no less effective than a Russian master key. Chen Shen then wandered into the Direct Action Squad’s secretary’s office and found a way to send Liu Meina away. Quickly, he opened the safe. The reason he chose to do it during the day was that he felt it was safer than at night. Chen Shen began rifling through the contents of the safe, looking for the Zero Plan. He saw its cover and, at the same time, noticed a small pile of cash in an open tin box. Just as his hand was about to touch the Zero Plan, he suddenly had the distinct feeling that someone was standing at the doorway.
Quickly, Chen Shen put the Zero Plan back in its place and pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet, clutching it in his hand. At that moment, the door swung open, and Bi Zhong Liang appeared, clearly seeing the money in Chen Shen’s hand.
“Put it back!” Bi Zhong Liang said. Chen Shen casually tossed the money into the small tin box and turned to smile at Bi Zhong Liang. "Kill me if you want, or carve me up—it's fine," Chen Shen said with a grin. Bi Zhong Liang, of course, didn’t intend to kill or carve up Chen Shen, but his tone was still laced with strong disapproval.
“If you need money, you can ask me, but you can’t take it from the squad’s funds. It’s not worth it.” At that moment, Liu Meina quietly entered the room, her eyes darting nervously, avoiding Bi Zhong Liang’s gaze.
Bi Zhong Liang said, “You forgot to lock the safe.” Liu Meina’s face instantly turned pale. Forgetting to lock the safe was like going into battle without a weapon. She had no idea what punishment the ever-strict and stern Bi Zhong Liang might have in store for her.
Bi Zhong Liang picked up a rolled newspaper in his hand and used it to tilt Liu Meina’s chin up. Her face lifted, but her eyelids remained lowered.
With slow deliberation, Bi Zhong Liang said, “Make sure the money is secured. If you forget to lock the safe again, you’ll disappear like steam.”
After saying this, Bi Zhong Liang turned and left. Liu Meina watched him walk away, feeling as though she had just been pulled from deep water, her body weak and drenched in sweat. She carefully closed the safe and collapsed into a chair, saying weakly, “Next time you need money, just ask me.”
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