White Moonlight 09

At first, the middle-aged man instructed Ah Yi to drive along the highway and then closed his eyes to rest. Ah Yi offered him a cigarette, but he refused; Ah Ren handed him some tea, but he didn’t drink it. He simply sat quietly in the front passenger seat, occasionally coughing painfully.

Ah Yi didn’t pay much attention and carefully kept driving. It was normal to be cautious with strangers, and this first job had to be completed perfectly—a good beginning is half the success, after all.

Ah Ren, sitting in the back with nothing to do, was driven by curiosity to observe the middle-aged man through the rearview mirror from time to time. Square eyebrows, a square nose, a square mouth, and a square face… the more Ah Ren looked, the more captivated he became. He seemed familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Where could it have been? The face was unmistakably familiar, and Ah Ren fell into deep thought.

After driving for nearly half an hour on the highway, the middle-aged man opened his eyes, glanced at his watch, and then gave Ah Yi instructions: “Watch the left front of the car. If you see a fallen boundary marker, keep going forward. At the first intersection beyond the marker, turn left.”

The instructions flowed smoothly, clearly indicating that this man had traveled back and forth between City G and other places many times.

Ah Yi kept driving attentively. Ah Ren wasn’t paying attention to these details, but the man’s voice suddenly triggered a thought. After pondering, Ah Ren’s heart began racing with nervous excitement.

Could this man be the president of the largest and only steel company in City G?

Ah Ren stared at the rearview mirror and the resemblance grew stronger—it was like the man had just stepped out of the city’s television station.

He glanced at the suitcase. In the lower left corner was a faint line of red characters: “** Steel Corporation” in unassuming printed script, which further confirmed Ah Ren’s suspicion.

He stopped looking at the mirror. He was certain—this was the president. It had been a long time since any news about the company had appeared on TV. How could such a prominent figure be found in that neighborhood?

He remembered his uncle once telling him that every wealthy conglomerate had multiple hideouts and countless mistresses. Even a steel plant manager had several wives and concubines.

Ah Ren knew his uncle had likely exaggerated after drinking, but this wasn’t just his uncle’s opinion. Ah Yi and Ah Biao had complained about similar things before.

The suitcase probably contained something unusual. Money? Jewelry? Antiques or paintings?

Damn it, with the pandemic still raging, workers had lost their jobs and struggled to survive. Had the president given up? Was he already moving his assets elsewhere?

Though Ah Ren was a country boy and had lived in City G only briefly, he knew from the news about the steel plant’s closure that the leaders always found a way to end well. The months of unpaid wages owed to workers were like clouds in the sky—existing, but unreachable. There had even been a failed attempt to demand back pay, sabotaged by management before it could begin.

Ah Ren suddenly thought of Ah Biao’s death. If they hadn’t been forced to resort to illegal activities, Ah Biao wouldn’t have fallen ill and died.

One misfortune after another weighed heavily on Ah Ren’s mind, and a surge of anger rose within him.

The naive Ah Ren felt he might explode. At that moment, he wished he could kidnap the president and seize his belongings, like a righteous swordsman of old avenging his comrades. For Ah Biao, for the workers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the president must pay the price!

The van reached the intersection and turned onto a muddy narrow road that could only fit one vehicle. Alongside the road was a row of cypress trees.

It was just after one in the morning, with a bright full moon overhead. Though there were no streetlights, the moonlight served as a giant spherical incandescent lamp, bathing the path ahead in silvery brightness, making the car seem as if it were traveling through another world.

Suddenly, Ah Ren had an idea.

“Ah Yi, I need to pee. Let’s stop for a bit so I can go.”

Ah Yi pulled the handbrake and stopped the car. After driving so long, he too felt the urge to relieve himself. Both got out and walked toward a nearby field. Ah Yi turned back and asked the president, “Sir, do you want to get out and use the restroom?”

The president shook his head and closed his eyes again. Seeing this, Ah Yi didn’t press further and followed Ah Ren behind a haystack, into the shadow cast by the moonlight.

Just as Ah Yi was about to undo his belt, Ah Ren hurriedly said, “Yi, do you know who that guy in the car is?”

“Why? We’re earning our money, who cares who he is?”

“He’s the president of the steel company!”

Ah Yi was startled, his hand trembling so much that he accidentally wet his pants. “Are you serious? Don’t joke with me!”

Ah Ren told him everything he had discovered in detail. Ah Yi then asked, “If he’s really the president, wouldn’t our job be pointless? Can we even ask him for money? After all, he used to be our direct boss!”

“I have an idea, Yi!” Ah Ren’s voice trembled, whether from anger or the cold wind in the field, he couldn’t tell. “Why don’t we kidnap the president, grab the treasures in his suitcase? Forget two million—the stuff might be worth billions! After this job, we could…”

Ah Yi abruptly interrupted, “Brother, you’re crazy! We’re just drivers; we’ve never done anything like this!”

“Aren’t you the one who hates breaking the law the most? Why are you thinking like this now?”

“Now it’s different. If it were anyone else, maybe I wouldn’t consider it. But he’s the president. Doing this is justified!”

Ah Yi was frightened by Ah Ren’s words, and the two quickly began to argue. Just then, they suddenly heard the van start up and speed down the narrow road.

Both were stunned. “Yi, didn’t you take the keys when you got out?”

“I thought it’d be a quick pee. Who knew you’d go crazy and want to kidnap the president!”

They chased after the car, too shocked to shout. But soon, the van disappeared from their sight.