I had no time to hesitate; I could only follow this woman. Xiao Xuan was extremely familiar with the area. She led me around, turning left and right, and we quickly lost track of the footsteps behind us.
“The whole building is after you.” She pulled me into a small room, a storage room filled with dust and cleaning supplies like brooms. Once inside, she immediately closed the door, pressed her body against it, and listened for a while before letting out a sigh of relief. Then she looked at me, frowning, and asked, “You…you’re injured?”
"No." I shook my head, glanced at the blood on my body, and said with a wry smile, "This blood isn't mine."
"You... killed the second-in-command, didn't you?" Xiao Xuan's voice suddenly sounded strange.
"..." I didn't speak, but squinted at the woman. Because I had heard Shen Shan say that this Xiao Xuan was the second-in-command's woman!
A strange glint flashed in her eyes before she coldly said, "Well, you killed him... fine!"
"Who exactly are you?" I took a deep breath and stared at her. "Why are you helping me?"
I stared intently into the woman's eyes. If she made any sudden move, I would knock her unconscious without hesitation!
"Fifth Brother..." she said with a wry smile, "I mean you no harm... I didn't expect to see you here today. This isn't the place to talk. Let me find a way to get you out of here first. Once we're out, I'll answer any questions you have!"
After saying that, she sighed and said, "Wait here for a while, and whatever you do, don't wander off... whatever you do, don't go out this door! I'll make some arrangements and then find a way to get you out."
After saying that, she turned to pull the doorknob. I hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to trust this strange woman and let her open the door.
"Remember my words, whatever you do, don't go out!" Xiao Xuan reminded me again before leaving. "Just now, the second-in-command was trying to help Jin He assassinate Shen Shan, so he managed to turn off all the security cameras here! That's why they didn't catch you when you ran around earlier! But now most of the cameras outside are probably on again, so if you go out and run around, you'll definitely be discovered!"
After saying this, she hurriedly ran away.
I was stunned!
Judging from this woman's last few words... she's clearly in cahoots with Jin He! She knows that the second-in-command conspired with Jin He to assassinate Shen Shan! She knows everything! Could she also be one of Ye Huan's people?
I know Ye Huan... but why don't I remember having this woman I know with Ye Huan?
However, I'm certain that she didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards me. While she was speaking, I kept my eyes on her; her gaze was steady, and her eyes didn't flicker, dart away, or show any sign of panic.
More importantly, I now have no choice but to believe her.
Oh shit!
I couldn't help but sigh. When I came out of the private room, I had completely forgotten to bring my phone. Now, even if I wanted to call for help, I couldn't.
And then there's Tu... He went after Jinhe, I wonder what happened to him.
My mind was a mess. I pressed myself against the door, listening intently for any sounds outside. Each time I heard footsteps approaching, I tensed up. I knew perfectly well that if these people caught me, they would be convinced I had killed their two leaders! No one would believe a word I said!
Damn it, it's really humiliating to take the blame for this!
I waited for almost an hour, growing more and more anxious. Just when I was about to lose patience, I heard footsteps outside, followed by two soft knocks on the door: "Brother Wu, it's me!"
I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I heard Xiaoxuan's voice.
Upon opening the door, one could see Xiaoxuan standing outside, with a young girl beside her. This girl was dressed extremely flamboyantly and was quite beautiful, but there was a hint of worldliness about her, suggesting she might be a prostitute here.
Two women walked in, and Xiaoxuan immediately closed the door, whispering, "These are my sisters, it's alright."
I didn't say anything, but Xiaoxuan sighed: "I used some tricks to deliberately expose Jinhe's escape route and tracks. Jinhe opened a window on this floor, and a steel cable was hanging from the window. He ran out from that place. I deliberately led people to look at that place, and now they think you have escaped from there. Most of them have already chased after you. I'm taking you away now."
After saying that, the two women started to fuss over. They led me out, through the corridor into a storage room, and then brought out a small cart with several boxes and a large laundry basket on it. I squatted down in the basket, covered with sofa covers, blankets, dirty uniforms, and some garbage bags.
Then, the young lady-like woman Xiaoxuan brought immediately ran to the end of the corridor, heading in the opposite direction from us, shouting at the top of her lungs as she ran: "Help! There's...there's something here..."
Xiao Xuan pushed the cart all the way to the freight elevator. Luckily, she didn't encounter anyone. The other woman was carrying my blood-stained clothes that I had taken off. She deliberately shouted to distract everyone.
We went down the freight elevator to the building's underground parking lot, and then Xiaoxuan drove up in a red Ford sedan. I got into the trunk, and then Xiaoxuan drove off.
The car had just pulled up to the parking lot entrance when it was stopped. I lay in the trunk, my head under the back seat, and heard voices coming from the front.
"Second sister-in-law... what's going on?" It seems that the one blocking the parking lot door is one of Qing Hong's men.
Xiao Xuan deliberately spoke in a sorrowful tone: "Has the second-in-command's body been taken away? I'm going back now to get him some clothes... so that when he's cremated, he can leave this world with some dignity..."
After all, she was still the "second sister-in-law" here, and those Qinghong men didn't dare to stop her, so they let her pass smoothly.
Once the car was on the road, my heart finally settled down.
Five or six minutes after the car started moving, I crawled out from under the back seat. Then I climbed to the front and sat in the passenger seat.
Xiaoxuan remained silent, carefully watching the road as she drove. The car wound its way through the streets of Shanghai, trying to find more secluded spots. Finally, she found a quiet alleyway, seemingly deserted, and drove directly into the courtyard of an apartment complex before parking and turning off the engine.
We looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, you're safe now." Xiaoxuan seemed a little scared too, and couldn't help but lean on the steering wheel. She took a breath.
“…Thank you.” I looked at the woman, my voice complicated, and slowly said, “Now, can you tell me what exactly happened?”
"Hmm... today's assassination was planned." Xiao Xuan said in a low voice, "The second-in-command distracted Shen Shan's personal men outside, and then Jin He went in through the side door of the private room to assassinate Shen Shan. According to the original plan, after Jin He died, the second-in-command would take over everything. Then... he could then join Ye Huan's side."
"Hmm... I think I understand all that... But what about you? Who are you? And you seem to know me?" I stared at the woman's face.
She smiled, a weary smile: "Fifth Brother, you really don't remember me?"
Seeing my somewhat puzzled look, Xiaoxuan whispered, "Well, maybe you really don't remember me, but I will never forget you! Do you... do you still remember when you were still the manager of that nightclub in Nanjing, Brother Wu?"
Xiaoxuan seemed to frown slightly as she spoke, a hint of sadness showing between her brows.
"Back when you were a manager at the nightclub, everyone called you Brother Xiao Wu. You might not remember me, but you should remember this: A few years ago, there was a young waitress at the nightclub. The manager, A-Qiang, and a madam named Xiao Feng both took a liking to this pretty young girl and tried many ways to get her into prostitution, but she refused. Then one day, some customers A-Qiang brought to the nightclub, and they took a liking to the waitress. A-Qiang then conspired with those customers to get the girl drunk... Then, that night, the waitress was taken away by those scumbags and didn't return all night... The next day, when the girl came back, she was covered in bruises... She cried for a day and a night and even thought about dying. In the end, she gave up on herself and simply went to work as a prostitute under the madam Xiao Feng's wing." As she said this, a deep resentment and malice emanated from Xiao Xuan's voice, and her body trembled violently.
I suddenly remembered!
"Ah! You're the girl who was tricked into this mess by the gigolo and Xiao Feng!" I remember this. I didn't know about it at first, but Yan Di told me. Later, I used this incident as an excuse to teach the gigolo a lesson, beat him up, broke both his legs, and kicked him out of the nightclub.
"Yes, it was me." She seemed to smile slightly, and whispered, "Brother Wu, later, you dealt with A-Qiang... No matter what your reasons were, you at least avenged me... I really wanted to thank you then, but I had nothing. The only thing I could do was repay you with my body. But Sister Mary said that your Brother Wu isn't that kind of person. So I've kept this kindness firmly in my heart! When I have the chance, I will definitely repay you!" She paused, then gritted her teeth and whispered, "That A-Qiang, he ruined my whole life!"
I sighed and didn't say anything.
After a long while, Xiaoxuan whispered, "Later, you left the nightclub. I thought I'd never have a chance to repay you... Later, Huan sold the nightclub. But before he sold it, a very beautiful woman came to the nightclub; that was Cangyu. She picked out several of the youngest girls, those with no family background, and the prettiest ones. I was chosen by her too. Sigh, about that incident back then... I was still in school. But after that incident, my boyfriend dumped me, and my father disowned me after he found out I was in this line of work. I was all alone anyway, and after Cangyu picked me, I went with them to that club in the suburbs."
A thought struck me.
Sure enough, Xiaoxuan slowly said, "Cangyu trained us for a period of time, teaching us many things. How to coax men, how to serve men, how to get men to talk... even how to please men in bed. Later, I worked with Cangyu in a casino for half a year. The customers there were much richer and more generous than those in nightclubs. I saved a lot of money in less than half a year. Later, Cangyu personally selected three girls, and I was one of them. I was sent to Shanghai, and my task was to secretly cooperate with Cangyu. Cangyu arranged for me to get close to the second-in-command here, and I managed to charm him. Then I got close to him, and then Ye Huan's people contacted him through me. I think you can understand what happened next without me having to say it."
Hmph! A honey trap!
Ye Huan, what a shrewd schemer! He sent Cang Yu to win over Shen Shan, while simultaneously turning the second-in-command against him—a two-pronged approach, double insurance! A brilliant plan! A brilliant plan!!
After thinking for a moment, I said, "Now that Shen Shan and the second-in-command are both dead... then Ye Huan's plan has failed. What about your mission?"
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I really don’t know. Over the past year, the more I did this, the more terrified I became. Because I know that if I were just entertaining customers in the casino, making them happy, and sleeping with them, I would at most be a prostitute… But this time, they want me to turn the second-in-command against him. And the plan they’re planning is so big… I know that if I’m not careful, I could lose my life. I’m just a tool they’ve trained, someone they can kill at any time.”
She glanced at her watch. "Fifth Brother, it's getting late. I need to go back. Otherwise, those people will get suspicious. Hmm... You're safe now. You'd better leave Shanghai quickly. Because you're going to take the blame for this, and no one will believe you... and no one can testify for you. Even if I were willing to help you, it wouldn't matter. Because no one will believe the words of a lowly woman like me."
I sighed. "Why would you go back? Are you looking for death? You might as well just leave. You must have saved a lot of money over the years... If you don't have any, I'll give you some! After all, you just saved me. If you're willing, I can give you some money and arrange for you to go abroad. You'll be free and unrestrained there, no one will know you, no one will know your past. You can find a man who truly loves you, and you can live out the rest of your life in peace abroad."
Xiao Xuan lowered her head and thought for a while, then smiled bitterly: "What can a woman like me hope for? To find a man who likes me? I've long since given up on men. But thank you anyway, Brother Xiao Wu!"
I frowned: "Are you going back? Don't you want to live? Although no one has found out yet, if this gets discovered, you'll die a horrible death! And Ye Huan's people might kill you to silence you... Since you helped me, I can't just watch you die. Just do as I say, I'll send you to Canada. I have a big company there; you can work for me there..."
At this point, I noticed a strange look in Xiaoxuan's eyes, and knew she had probably misunderstood. I quickly smiled and said, "Don't get the wrong idea. My company isn't some kind of nightclub. It's a legitimate trading company. Once you join, I'll give you a proper position. You can live an upright life and work with integrity. You're still young, you have decades of good life ahead of you. Don't you want to live the rest of your life comfortably?"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Sixty-Three: The Trusted One
A glint appeared in Xiaoxuan's eyes, as if she had been persuaded by what I said.
After thinking for a moment, she said softly, "Brother Wu... thank you. But I still need to go back a bit... I need to go back to my place to get some things, my documents, my bank account, my passport. Also... the girl who helped me arrange your departure is a good friend of mine, and I'm still a little worried about her. I have some things to take care of in Shanghai, and I'll come find you after I'm done!"
I had no choice but to leave her a few phone numbers; I gave her my own number and my company's number.
"Take care of yourself. When you get back, make arrangements for your friends. Don't worry about anything else, like money or your passport." I said goodbye to her. But then I remembered something and said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "Do you have any money on you? I don't have a single penny in my pocket right now."
Xiaoxuan immediately took out her wallet, gave me a credit card, and all the cash in her wallet.
"Thank you!" I didn't refuse politely. I've lost contact with everyone around me and I really need the money.
Xiaoxuan then left me in the neighborhood and drove back.
I left the residential area and walked back along the road. I found a public phone and tried to call Tu, but to my disappointment, I couldn't get through.
I started to worry. Would Tu be in danger chasing Jin He? But then I thought, this human weapon is so skilled, he should be fine. It's just that if he can't find me when he returns, he might clash with Shen Shan's men again.
It was still afternoon, and thankfully, there weren't many pedestrians on this small street during the day. I deliberately walked along a row of large trees by the roadside, avoiding the people around me. I must look a bit strange right now. I was wearing a wrinkled coat, which I'd taken from the back seat of Xiao Xuan's car. I guessed it was probably left there by the second-in-command a while ago; it'd gotten wrinkled from being there for so long. My own jacket had been taken by the hostess at the nightclub to distract others. I wrapped this jacket tightly around myself, afraid that my shirt underneath would show.
My shirt was stained with a lot of blood and had a pungent smell of blood.
I'm still a bit confused, after all, something so serious has happened. I'm well aware that this matter will likely cause a lot of trouble!
Shen Shan is dead; he originally planned to join another faction within the Qinghong organization. The second-in-command is dead. He originally planned to join Ye Huan. Now, both of their schemes have failed.
But I was inexplicably burdened with a false accusation!
The fact that the head and second-in-command of the prestigious Qinghong gang died at my hands—if word got out, I'd probably become Qinghong's public enemy in no time!
Sigh... Shen Shan, Shen Shan... that guy died so suddenly!
I paused for a moment. Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I ran a few steps quickly. I saw a phone booth by the roadside, went inside, blocked the door with my body, took a deep breath, and dialed a number.
The dial tone went on for a long time, and as I waited anxiously, someone finally answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Brother Fang, this is Chen Yang." I breathed a sigh of relief.
The phone was noisy and somewhat chaotic. Fatty Fang's voice was a little hoarse, but still had that same carefree air: "Ah, it's you... Wait a minute, it's too noisy here, wait a bit, don't hang up yet." I heard him shout something to the person next to him: "Give me half a pork cutlet, a bag of broccoli... and this... be careful not to crush it!"
A moment later, the background noise disappeared, and Fatty Fang laughed on the phone, "Alright, I'm in the car now, you can talk."
"You're at the farmers' market?" I couldn't help but smile wryly.
“Yes, you know my public persona.” Fatty Fang’s voice was still as cheerful as ever. “You’ve been back in the country for quite a while now, haven’t you? How’s everything going?” He paused, then chuckled, “You’re in Shanghai, right? Have you seen Shen Shan? I gave him a heads-up. Although he’s with the Green Gang, he won’t make things difficult for you… But be careful, Shen Shan is a smiling tiger, a ruthless killer. He looks reckless, but he’s actually incredibly cunning…”
"Brother, something's happened." I interrupted him and whispered, "Shen Shan is dead."
"..." The voice on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped...
After a long while, Fatty Fang suddenly raised his voice eight octaves, almost screaming, "What did you say?!"
"Shen Shan is dead." I stood in the phone booth, glancing around every now and then. "He just died an hour ago."
The fat man seemed very agitated. He suddenly shouted, "How did he die? How could he die? He was such a shrewd person... Who killed him?"
“Ye Huan’s people.” I answered in a deep voice, and then I tried to recount everything that had happened to me today in a concise manner.
After I finished speaking, Fatty Fang's voice on the other end of the phone suddenly became outrageous: "Ye Huan! Ye Huan! I'll skin you alive!! And Jin He!! That blind bastard! I'll skin him alive!!!"
In his agitation, Fatty Fang started cursing, then his voice was filled with anger: "Chen Yang! Did you see Jin He kill Shen Shan with your own eyes?"
“I was right there.” I sighed. “Jin He sneaked in disguise, and he caught me completely off guard. And… Shen Shan’s second-in-command has also been bribed by Ye Huan… Things are really complicated here… I know Shen Shan is a key figure in the Big Circle in Shanghai, and now…”