Chris's father looked at his daughter's eager expression and sighed.
He didn't say anything, but turned and fetched a document from his study, handing it to Chris.
"What's this?"
Chris was puzzled. She took it and glanced at it.
A prenuptial agreement?
She skimmed the contents.
Article One: After marriage, Chi Heng voluntarily transfers all assets under his name to Chris.
Article Two: During the marriage, Chi Heng will do his utmost to take care of Chris, and he guarantees that none of his actions will ever jeopardize Chris's personal safety or property.
Chris read through each article; almost every single one was in her favor.
Except for the very last one: Before formally holding the wedding ceremony in Gaul, both parties must observe propriety and refrain from any intimate behavior exceeding that of an engaged couple.
"Dad, did you add this?" Chris asked.
"Yes, I did," Chris's father admitted frankly.
Did they think he couldn't tell something was off between these two?
He hadn't asked because he knew his daughter liked him.
He was willing to compromise for his daughter's sake, but he wasn't willing to let her get hurt in this relationship.
Although, comparatively speaking, their Gaulish customs were relatively open.
But as a father, he still hoped they would marry because they were deeply in love.
"Chris, I did this for your own good. I'm afraid you'll get in too deep and end up getting hurt later."
Chris knew all this.
Of course she knew her father loved her dearly.
But she couldn't help muttering to herself, "Getting hurt? This is more like getting a treat!"
As if sensing her thoughts, Chi Heng sneezed over a dozen times in a row on his way back.
He didn't go home. Instead, he detoured to the courtyard house where Third Uncle lived to meet up with Jiang Si, Deputy Minister Huo, and the others first.
The plan had changed; he had to tell them everything that happened tonight in minute detail.
After listening, Huo's fourth uncle frowned deeply.
The person mentioned was Deputy Minister Yuan from the Investigation Department.
The Investigation Department was primarily responsible for overseas intelligence work. Deputy Minister Yuan was also a veteran comrade; who would have thought he'd been turned as well!
Fortunately, he wasn't part of their public security system, otherwise all their previous work would have been for nothing.
But with the change in circumstances, the arrest operation scheduled for two days later had to be temporarily canceled.
If they missed this opportunity, finding the people on that list again would likely be extremely difficult.
Speaking of the list, Jiang Si spoke up thoughtfully, "Did you search Takeda's room, and the rooms of his subordinates, thoroughly?"
She had a feeling that someone as cautious as Takeda, even if he didn't have the list on him, should have some account books or compromising materials in his possession.
This point was actually gleaned from Deputy Minister Xu's testimony.
Back then, they had brought over a hundred pages of documents to see Deputy Minister Xu.
"We already searched them."
This was what Chi Heng found strange too. "After Takeda was captured, Uncle Da and I immediately went through the rooms where they were staying, turning them upside down. But apart from some spare clothes and daily necessities, there was nothing in their rooms."
After hearing this, Jiang Si's brow furrowed.
Something felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on it right away.
After Takeda was captured today, the public security comrades searched him.
The most useful thing on him was that work ID from a certain planning agency in Gaul.
"Do you think he might have hidden the materials in his office?"
"No, his job was just a cover to hide his identity. The planning agency didn't assign him a private office."
Jiang Si pondered, "Then is it possible he has another residence in Capital City?"
Chi Heng wasn't sure about that, but he felt it was unlikely.
He also explained why.
After listening, the strange feeling in Jiang Si's heart grew stronger.
If he had no other place to stay, and no office, then where did that batch of gold bars in Deputy Minister Xu's possession come from?
Jiang Si didn't believe that blackmail alone could control so many people.
A large part of it must have been inducement with benefits.
Moreover, daily operations, bribery, special operations—all these required substantial funds.
Take this instance: Deputy Minister Xu had prepared a batch of specific steel types and other construction materials a long time ago; all that together cost a considerable sum too.
Furthermore, foreign exchange controls were so strict now; it wasn't realistic for the money to have been wired from abroad.
So this money must still be within the country, and likely all in gold bars.
This could also be inferred from Deputy Minister Xu's testimony.
Because all their transactions over the years were conducted using gold bars.
So where were these documents, funds, and intelligence hidden?
Even after washing up and lying in bed, Jiang Si kept turning the problem over in her mind.
Seeing her deep in thought with a furrowed brow, Huo Tingzhou offered some comfort. "Don't worry too much. Let's wait and see. Perhaps Chi Heng will have an unexpected breakthrough after meeting that person."
As he spoke, he gathered up the things scattered on the bed and floor.
These were all thrown by the two little ones today.
After tidying things up, Huo Tingzhou opened the chest of drawers against the wall, put everything inside, and casually took out a lock.
Jiang Si: "What are you doing?"
Seeing her question, Huo Tingzhou explained, "I don't know if their gums are itchy, but now they put everything they get into their mouths to chew. Since I'm home these couple of days, I plan to correct this bad habit properly."
"I'll lock these toys away first. If they don't see them, they won't think about them."
Hearing this, Jiang Si couldn't help but laugh. She pointed at the scraps of paper on the floor.
"Then while you're at it, correct their bad habit of tearing things up too. These past few days they've been really..."
"Wait a minute!" Jiang Si suddenly sat up straight. "What did you just say? Lock away?"
"Yes."
"You think... could Takeda have locked all those things in a bank safety deposit box?"
The reason Jiang Si thought of this was because her family had used this bank service a long time ago.
Of course, the major valuables were hidden in the basement; renting a bank safety deposit box was just for show.
Jiang Si remembered this service wasn't open to the general public.
Mainly because ordinary families had no need for a safety deposit box.
After all, the fee wasn't cheap either.
Back then, the box her family rented was quite large, costing dozens of yuan per month in rent.
The smaller boxes cost about two or three yuan per month. These were mainly rented by government agencies and large state-owned factories, generally used to store important documents or account books.
Thinking of this, a scene suddenly flashed through Jiang Si's mind.
When she tore up Takeda's work ID this afternoon, Takeda had been extremely agitated.
A work ID, once torn, was just torn. His reaction, no matter how strong, shouldn't have been that extreme.
If Takeda had used this work ID to rent a bank safety deposit box, then everything would make sense.
Because accessing the box required presenting the work ID or an introduction letter.
If that's really the case, then Takeda should still have one key in his possession.
Because the bank regulations require a dual-key system for this, and this key has a very distinctive shape, and is much heavier than an ordinary key.
