No matter how high the salary is, it is unlikely to get rich by relying on it. Zhang Lei's salary has not increased much in the past eight years because he was relatively simple during that period and did not seek extra income like he did the first time.
Zhang Lei spent most of his savings on the yacht. Other miscellaneous expenses may not seem like much, but they add up to a considerable amount. When traveling, especially abroad, he buys this and that, and it seems like he needs everything. Since there's plenty of space on the boat, the space on the boat gets smaller and smaller, and the money in Zhang Lei's card gets less and less.
Moreover, he left in a hurry, or rather, it was intentional on Zhang Lei's part. He didn't sell the house either, just to avoid people noticing the ominous signs.
In short, Lord Zhang Lei is currently short of money, extremely short of money!
"This is a lot of money! Now I'm even thinking of playing a pirate for a bit!" Zhang Lei's eyes suddenly lit up. "Damn it, why can others do it, but I can't?"
"Hey, Tie... you had a miscarriage, right? Come tell me, is being a pirate any good?" Zhang Lei got excited and sat down at the bow of the ship, ready to discuss the life of a pirate with Tie Liu.
"Um, sir, could you please take me off first, or switch me to another head? It was fine with the wind just now, but now the wind direction has suddenly changed, and I'm a little..." Tie Liu's words were clearly incoherent.
Having broken through the encirclement, Wu Chen veered the boat slightly, and with the wind direction possibly changing as well, Tie Liu, whose internal energy had been dispersed by Zhang Lei, found it difficult to breathe.
"Hehe, that was my oversight. Since we're on the same side now, eat this first!" Zhang Lei didn't wait for his reply and threw the specially made gray dumpling into his open mouth, which was agape because he couldn't breathe.
"Cough cough!" Tie Liu, who had been untied, coughed and gagged. He didn't need to ask what it was anymore; it tasted sour and rancid, and it certainly wasn't anything good.
"Alright!" Zhang Lei wasn't one to show mercy. "I don't need to tell you anything! You should just tell me about your pirate days!"
If Tie Liu hadn't told him, Zhang Lei would have thought being a pirate was a good profession. Only after Tie Liu explained did Zhang Lei realize that being a pirate was actually quite difficult.
First, you can't hijack ships with powerful backers, otherwise your competitors might gang up on you. And those who make any money are basically all backed by powerful figures.
Secondly, items on board generally cannot be converted into cash on their own, and tourists do not carry large amounts of cash on board. Big pirates are fine, but for small pirates like them, they are usually lucky if they can sell something worth a hundred dollars for ten dollars.
As for kidnapping, forget about it. They said it's better to kill than to kidnap. The more Zhang Lei listened, the more he felt that this industry was hard to enter!
Episode 4: An Eye for an Eye, a Blade for a Teeth - Chapter 89: No Return Until Fallen (Part 1)
"Brother Wang, Brother Zhang, I've come to see you!" Zhang Lei opened his arms to the two shareholders of the diamond mine. "We made a promise that if I ever went to my wits' end, I would come to you for help. Now that I'm here, you can't go back on your word!"
"Of course not, don't worry, we'd love to welcome you, wouldn't you say, Lao Zhang!" The shareholder surnamed Wang was particularly enthusiastic.
"Hmm!" Zhang Lei's relative, however, seemed rather indifferent.
"Brothers, I'm really desperate right now. You have to take me in no matter what!" Zhang Lei wasn't usually this outgoing. He put his arm around each of their shoulders, feeling the subtle throbbing in their skin.
No matter how calm a person is, when they feel guilty, their hormone secretion will be abnormal, unless they have hypnotized themselves. This hormonal abnormality can be manifested through subtle changes in the skin.
"Hehe, little brother, did you come alone? Didn't you bring any family or friends?" Tongzong looked behind Zhang Lei.
A glint flashed in Zhang Lei's eyes. "No, no, they were too much of a burden. They couldn't endure any hardship in the forest, how could they have made it this far? Especially those two women, crying and wailing, it was as if I had kidnapped them. If I got angry, I would have killed them both, it would have saved me the trouble!" Zhang Lei put his arm around the two of them and walked inside. "Let's not talk about them, they're such a nuisance. Aren't you going to help your brother get rid of them?"
The shareholder surnamed Wang glared fiercely at Zhang Lei's relative, then turned to Zhang Lei and laughed, "Yes, yes, women are like clothes. If they're uncomfortable, of course you should change them. Let's go inside and have a drink!"
He had no doubts about Zhang Lei's words. Although Zhang Lei had saved their lives and they had a close relationship, they had only spent three to five days together. His understanding of Zhang Lei would probably have to rely on rumors. He didn't know if the rumors about Zhang Lei would reach their area, or how many.
In fact, over the past eight years, Zhang Lei has been a celebrity in the world. His fame is so great that he probably can't even imagine it himself, except that it's not a good one.
Based on Zhang Lei's rumored image, it would be normal for him to do that kind of thing; it would be abnormal if he didn't.
…………………
"Come on, Brother Zhang Lei, let's have a drink!" The shareholder surnamed Wang raised his glass and gestured to Zhang Lei.
They seemed genuinely welcoming of Zhang Lei's arrival, with an outrageously large table laden with all sorts of delicacies. Let alone in this remote mountain forest, even in a bustling city with convenient transportation, it would probably take quite a bit of effort to prepare such a feast.
The table itself wasn't particularly well-made, but it was huge. It was so big that when people toasted each other, they could only offer a toast by invitation. If they really wanted to clink glasses, they would have to climb a few steps onto the table.
"Brothers, you're really too kind. Look at this feast, it must have taken a lot of effort. But did you two already know I was coming? How come you prepared everything in advance?" Zhang Lei raised his glass in response.
"Hehe, as soon as we got up this morning, we heard magpies calling. It was a stroke of good luck, and we knew in our hearts that Brother Zhang would be coming today! Come on, let's drink, let's drink!" The shareholder surnamed Wang raised his glass again.
"Hehe, then maybe my two brothers and I really are on the same wavelength!" Zhang Lei downed the wine in his cup in one gulp. It wasn't poisoned! Zhang Lei was naturally the most qualified to speak on this point. "Two brothers, I'm not bragging, but I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Today, let's drink until we're both completely drunk!"
"You have no sense at all! Hurry up and go to the cellar and bring us our treasured wine!" The shareholder surnamed Zhang barely spoke; it was entirely Wang who made the arrangements. "Brother Zhang, make do with this for now. The good wine will be served soon. It's top-grade Moutai that we've been treasuring for over ten years, isn't it, Lao Zhang!"
The shareholder surnamed Wang also seemed to have noticed the unusual connection between Zhang Lei and his relatives. When trying to get information out of Zhang Lei, he didn't forget to mention his own associates.
"Oh? Oh, yes!" Zhang Lei's relative hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.
"Good wine, brother! You're too picky. This is the best wine I've ever had, no need to change it!" Zhang Lei's drinking habits were utterly nonsensical; he'd never liked alcohol since childhood, and he'd never learned to drink it. However, while alcohol wasn't a poison, it could be processed like one, and no amount of it would actually get Zhang Lei drunk.
"Come on, fill it up, fill it up! Quickly pour wine for Brother Zhang. I love your generous spirit. I remember you were always so bold since you were a child, and now you're even more so!" The shareholder surnamed Wang was full of compliments, and Zhang Lei seemed to feel a little lightheaded listening to them.
Before long, the servant who had gone downstairs brought up a pot of wine. Regardless of the quality of the wine inside, the pot itself looked quite expensive.
"How stingy! You even poured a small pot. This isn't enough to drink. Bring up the wine jar later!" The shareholder surnamed Wang seemed very excited about Zhang Lei's arrival. "Come on, Brother Zhang Lei, try this dish. You didn't get to eat it last time you came because it wasn't the right season. This is a local specialty. I've never heard of it being found anywhere outside of Africa, let alone outside this forest!"
Zhang Lei was indiscriminate in his tastes, and he really had to thank Xiao Bailang for that. He didn't know where Xiao Bailang was now. For so many years, Zhang Lei had no news of him. Of course, Zhang Lei couldn't have thought of looking for him during that time.
Thinking of Xiao Bailang, Zhang Lei naturally also thought of Linghu and Liu Yun, Liu Yun also died in this forest.
Zhang Lei's expression darkened, and he raised his glass as if to gulp it down, but by then his glass had already been refilled.
"Wait!" Zhang Lei's relative suddenly threw the wine glass in his hand at Zhang Lei.
"Are you crazy? What are you doing?"
Zhang Lei stood up, but the words were not spoken by Zhang Lei; the shareholder surnamed Wang had already shouted them out before Zhang Lei could.
"That's right, your son died at Zhang Lei's hands, but he did save our lives after all. And no matter how I look at it, I feel uncomfortable with your cooperation with the Japanese. Do you really want to harm us Chinese people with the Japanese?" Zhang Lei's relative spoke completely for the first time today, and unexpectedly, he dropped a bombshell.
Episode 4: An Eye for an Eye, a Blade for a Teeth - Chapter 89: No Return Until Fallen (Part 2)
"What nonsense are you talking about? You're drunk, you're drunk!" The shareholder surnamed Wang looked cautiously at Zhang Lei. "He's drunk, he can't hold his liquor, and he's just talking nonsense here!"
"Yeah! That's how drunk people are, talking nonsense!" Zhang Lei nodded, throwing his glass away. "But I don't like to be taken advantage of either. If someone hits me, I'll hit them back!"