My expression turned serious: "Are you sure? There's no mistake, is there?"
“I’m sure!” Xiao Zhu nodded. “The brothers I sent were all brothers who had seen him at the wedding and remembered his appearance. All three of them said it was definitely him! Fifth Brother, don’t worry. If it were just one person, they might be mistaken, but since three brothers saw him clearly from different angles, there’s absolutely no mistake.”
"And now?"
“They’ve split into two groups now. One group continues to keep watch outside the villa. I told them to report back immediately if they have any news, but Allen is still inside the villa and hasn’t come out yet… As for the princess… she…”
"How is she? Why are you hesitating?" I frowned.
"She... seemed to be injured. The people who were with her said that the princess seemed to need help even to walk, and after she left the villa, she went to a hospital."
I smiled. The princess was covered in whip marks; others might not know, but I was well aware of it. However, I didn't explain any of this to Xiao Zhu.
"Have our men keep an eye on Allen! Report any movement he makes to me immediately... Hmm, you'd better send a few more men. This is the top priority right now. If you don't have enough manpower, have Siro transfer some! Everything else can wait. But this man might be a matter of life and death for us! Be extremely careful!"
After a pause, a thought suddenly struck me: "That's right, let's find out who owns that villa. That might be useful information."
I then went back to my room, got dressed, and prepared to leave. Yan Di was already awake on the bed. She watched me quietly, and only after I was dressed did she whisper, "Are you... leaving?"
I chuckled, bent down, and gently kissed her nose: "What are you saying... From now on, you have to call me 'husband,' got it?"
"Mmm..." Yan Di's cheeks flushed slightly as she murmured softly, "Husband...mmm, husband...are you leaving?"
I smiled faintly: "Honey has to go out to work. After you are discharged from the hospital today, go straight to Senior Brother's place. You don't need to worry about anything. I've left a few brothers to protect you, so there won't be any more danger."
"You...you should be careful," Yan Di said softly.
"Hmm." I raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry... However, since someone actually dared to cause trouble at my wedding, I must repay such a kind offer!"
After saying goodbye to Yan Di, I left the ward.
I left a few people in the hospital to protect Yan Di, and only took Hammer, Xiao Zhu and the others with me when I went out. Just as I reached the elevator in front of the corridor, I heard a laugh from the side: "Xiao Wu, where are you going?"
I turned around and saw Qiaoqiao standing there, holding a thermos in her hand.
"What's this?" I was taken aback.
Last night, I sent Qiaoqiao and the other two to stay at a nearby hotel, but I didn't expect Qiaoqiao to come over so early this morning.
"I made you breakfast..." She looked at my surprised expression and glared at me: "Don't worry! I didn't make it! I bought it!"
I finally breathed a sigh of relief... Qiaoqiao's cooking skills... well, in Aze's words, "Normally, we use Qiaoqiao's food as rat poison. But if she occasionally goes above and beyond, then it can be used as a laxative."
"Where are you going?" Qiao Qiao suddenly frowned. "You...you're not going to see that flirtatious princess again so early, are you?"
I froze for a moment, then immediately turned around and glared at Hammer and his friends. I hadn't told Qiaoqiao or the others where I'd gone last night, but Qiaoqiao knew, which meant Hammer and his friends had obviously told them!
Sigh, it was my carelessness; I actually forgot to tell Hammer and the others to keep it a secret.
"Don't blame them." Qiao Qiao pouted. "I can't believe you went to see that woman on your wedding night... Humph, after you came back last night, I smelled a woman's perfume on you... My nose is always the most sensitive, especially to women's perfume. I knew immediately that it wasn't Yan Di's! That's when I became suspicious, and after we went out, I pulled Hammer aside and questioned him carefully. That's how I found out you actually went to see the princess last night!"
Hammer stammered, "Fifth Brother... I... I didn't know this had to be kept secret... Miss Qiao asked me, so I told her..."
I glanced at this clueless young man and sighed. It wasn't his fault; it was my own carelessness.
"Sigh, I don't have time to explain in detail right now, but I do have something to take care of... Someone planted a bomb at my wedding yesterday, and I need to find out about it as soon as possible." I quickly said, "I'm going out to run some errands now, we'll talk about it when I get back."
Qiaoqiao's eyes darted around: "Don't try to hide it from me! I bet... you're going to see the princess, right?"
"Yes, that's right." I simply told the truth: "This matter is related to the princess."
Suddenly, Qiaoqiao handed the thermos to one of my men: "Take this and take it inside for me."
I glared at her, but Qiaoqiao smiled and said, "I'll go with you to see the princess."
"Stop joking... This is not a joke," I said in a deep voice.
Qiaoqiao shook her head: "I'm not kidding, taking me there will definitely be a use." Then she suddenly smiled and said, "Besides, if you swagger out of the hospital like this, I'm worried you'll be watched immediately! And you won't be able to shake them off!"
"What's the meaning?"
"Please!" Qiaoqiao pointed at me and laughed, "Have you forgotten who you are? You're a big celebrity now! A bomb was planted at your wedding yesterday! How could such shocking news be kept secret? There were so many guests at your wedding yesterday, over a hundred people! Someone must have already told everyone! You're so famous now, how could the media let such a big news story like your wedding being bombed go unnoticed? Let me tell you, when I came up here just now, I already saw reporters' cars driving up outside the hospital! And I'm sure that right now, not only at the front and back gates of the hospital, but also at your home, your company, and even the police station, there are a lot of reporters watching you! If you swagger out now, you'll definitely be surrounded by reporters, and even if you don't say anything, those reporters will keep a close eye on you! They'll follow you wherever you go!"
That's when I really frowned.
Being followed by reporters is a real headache. If it were an enemy watching me, I could just secretly send someone to take them out... but reporters... you can't exactly shoot a reporter, can you?
"The hospital's front and back entrances are heavily guarded?" I frowned. "How are we supposed to get out?"
Qiao Qiao looked at me and suddenly sneered, "Chen Yang, I think you've been a boss for too long and have forgotten your origins." She shook her head and sighed, "If you can't use the main gate, can't you even climb over a wall?"
I smiled and said, "You're right! I almost forgot about that."
After I finished speaking, I was about to go downstairs when Qiaoqiao stopped me and insisted on coming with me. At first, I refused, thinking she was just being silly, but then Qiaoqiao became extremely determined, and I had no idea what she was up to.
But thinking about it, I figured I wouldn't cause any more trouble since I'm meeting the princess today. There's no way there would be any SM-themed scene like last night. The princess and I are meeting for morning tea in a public place; nothing embarrassing should happen. If Qiaoqiao insists on coming, I won't mind taking her. Besides, judging from her expression, she seems to be up to something…
Afterwards, our group went downstairs and found a place inside the hospital with a fence. We climbed over it, and Qiaoqiao's skills were as sharp as ever. She was even more agile than my men when she climbed over the fence. Once we got outside the fence, someone had already called my men to pick us up in a car in a secluded spot, and then we drove away.
As I passed by the hospital entrance, I saw a large group of media people gathered in front of the gate. Reporters had already set up their equipment and were craning their necks to wait. If it weren't for the hospital's rule against media personnel entering, these people probably would have already rushed into my ward.
While we were on the road, Xiao Zhu, who was ahead of me, suddenly received a phone call. He spoke to the person on the phone for a while with a serious expression, then suddenly turned around and looked at me, frowning as he said, "Fifth Brother... something's not right."
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Zhu slowly said, "The call was made by the brothers I arranged to keep an eye on the princess... They said the princess has come out and is on her way to the place where you are supposed to meet her, but... they discovered that besides our people watching the princess, there seem to be other people following her in a car!"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Sixteen: Who says foreigners don't know how to use tricks?
I thought for a moment, then a hint of menace appeared on my face: "Who's with the princess now? Can they be trusted?"
“They’re old buddies from the old repair shop, absolutely reliable. Now, the four of them are following the princess in one car.” Xiao Zhu noticed my strange expression in the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but ask, “Fifth Brother… what are you thinking?”
I nodded: "Let them make their move, cause some trouble, stop the other group of guys who are with the princess, deliberately create some traffic congestion on the road. Then bring them back to me!"
Xiao Zhu nodded, picked up the phone and was about to dial a number when he asked again, "There's more than one person in the other car. If a fight breaks out... will we be okay if we cause any trouble?"
I sneered, "Let the brothers go all out! If they resist, just use weapons!" I paused, rubbed my temples, and said calmly, "This is Vancouver!"
As the car drove along, Xiao Zhu made that phone call and then instructed my men to do their work. I didn't say anything more. Qiao Qiao next to me looked at me with curious eyes, and several times she couldn't help but open her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.
The place where I met the princess was a very famous hotel near the southern coast of the city. The hotel is famous for its sunny morning tea, and many wealthy people like to come here for a two-day weekend vacation.
Upon arriving at the hotel, I went up to the second floor, where a very spacious terrace was set up with many tables and chairs. On such a sunny morning, with the sea breeze blowing and the vast, calm ocean not far away, the scenery was beautiful. The environment was pleasant, and enjoying a delicious seafood breakfast in such a setting would undoubtedly be a wonderful experience. When I arrived, the princess had already arrived.
She sat at a table by the railing on the seaside side of the terrace, a cup of specially brewed black tea in front of her, a silver spoon in her hand, stirring it casually, her face gazing at the ocean. A chef pushed a small cart over to the table and carefully fried one of the restaurant's signature delicious pastries for her.
I noticed that this time the princess finally had attendants. Two men who looked like bodyguards stood not far away, their postures upright. Their eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, and they subtly created a space around the princess's seat.
As I walked over and sat down, the princess looked at me, then at Qiaoqiao who had come with me, but she didn't seem to care much. She just paused slightly, then gave Qiaoqiao a wry smile and said, "Qiaoqiao, hello."
Xiao Zhu and Hammer were standing not far away. I pulled out a chair and sat down with Qiao Qiao opposite Princess Land.
Today, the princess was dressed extremely conservatively. She wore a blue turtleneck top with long sleeves, covering herself completely. This woman, who usually dressed so alluringly, suddenly looked even more peculiar in her conservative attire... But only I knew that it wasn't a change of heart. Rather, it was because I had whipped her last night, and now her arms, neck, and shoulders were covered in welts, which she could only conceal by dressing conservatively.
The princess's eyes were a little swollen, obviously she hadn't slept much last night, and there were also some bruises on her face, left by the slap I gave her last night. Although you could tell she had carefully applied makeup to cover them up, one night wasn't enough time for these marks on her face to disappear.
"What? You're not happy to see me?" Qiao Qiao smiled, but her eyes were sharp. The princess's expression became a little unnatural, but she didn't say anything.
"Don't worry, I'm just here for breakfast. You can talk things over as you please." Qiaoqiao acted as if nothing was wrong, and even asked the chef to make her a fried egg. She picked up her knife and fork, deliberately sharpened them a few times, making a clanging sound, and then started eating without any restraint.
I had no appetite, and I didn't come here for food. After thinking for a moment, I looked directly at the princess and said, "You asked me to meet you today, and now I'm here. I think I can tell you what you promised to tell me now."
The princess looked somewhat troubled and seemed to glance at Qiaoqiao. I slowly said, "It's nothing. You don't need to hide my affairs from her. Just tell her."
Seeing that the princess remained silent, I raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Your Highness, did you invite me here just to sit here like this, staring at each other, for the entire morning?" I stared into her eyes, "Or perhaps, what you're about to tell me is something you find difficult to say?"
“Alright…” The princess sighed, looking at me with a deep gaze. She bit her lip hard, a resolute look on her face: “I’ll tell you… actually, the person who paid someone to kill you and planted the bomb at your wedding was…”
“It’s Allen, right?” I smiled before she could finish, then abruptly cut her off. The princess paused, looking at me in surprise: “You… how could you…”
I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing her, this woman. My voice was soft, my tone increasingly slow: "Are you planning to tell me that it was Allen who sent someone to kill me at the wedding? Are you also planning to tell me that Allen hates me because he knows about my agreement with your father, and that if I die, your father will have no outside support, no one to back you up, so even if he doesn't immediately abandon his plan to make you his heir, he'll at least slow down and temporarily stop trying to kill Allen, giving him a chance to breathe… After all, old Thorin doesn't actually hate Allen; on the contrary, he might even admire this young man, otherwise he wouldn't have planned to make him his heir in the first place. If I die, then the 'external factor' that prompted old Thorin to make you his heir will disappear, and old Thorin might hesitate… At least that would be very beneficial for Allen, right?" I spoke to myself, then quickly glanced at the princess: "That's all you're planning to tell me. Is that it?"
"Yes...yes." The princess seemed somewhat surprised, even more unexpected: "You...you already knew?"
"Hmph! I know?" I laughed deliberately, but anyone could tell there was no real joy in my voice! I looked at the woman in front of me and slowly said, "Are you still planning to tell me that the best way to resolve this trouble is for Allen to kill you? But you're old Thorin's own daughter, so Allen can't touch you. He can only let you continue being a dissolute princess, while losing all external support. That way, old Thorin will slowly give up... So, in this whole affair, the only one who needs to die is me. Right?"
I calmly finished speaking, then looked at the princess with an almost effeminate smile: "Is this what you were planning to say to me?"
The princess's eyes flickered with panic. But she quickly took a sip of tea and sighed, "How...how did you come up with all this?"
I shrugged, a mocking tone in my voice: "These are all easy to guess... and it makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"
The princess lowered her eyelids and gritted her teeth, saying, "That's right! You guessed very accurately!"
“But… I have a question.” I smiled deeply. “If Allen was the one who targeted me, why would he send two men from the American Huaqing Gang? Allen has been with the Hell's Angels for so many years, surely he has at least a couple of assassins? Hmm… even if he was worried about being exposed, he could at least find one or two assassin organizations in Canada willing to take the job. Why go all the way to America? And… the assassins he hired weren’t white, they weren’t black… they were Chinese!”
The princess opened her mouth, then slowly said, "This is because...because...Allen investigated you..."
I laughed, a genuine laugh this time, a cruel laugh, as if I'd seen prey walk right into a trap. I interrupted her again: "Alright, let me continue... Are you trying to tell me that Allen investigated my background? That he found out that I, the Fifth Master of the Big Circle, actually smuggled myself in from mainland China over two years ago? He also investigated my background and found out that I offended a very powerful gang in mainland China... And, coincidentally, that mainland Chinese gang has some blood ties with the Huaqing Gang in America... So, he chose to pay the Huaqing Gang to deal with me, so that if I die, the blame will fall on my Chinese enemies, not on Allen... And even if he fails, I'll most likely suspect my Chinese enemies seeking revenge, not Allen."
I leaned forward slightly: "Your Highness, am I entirely correct? Shouldn't you tell me: Correct answer, ten points added? Hmm?"
My tone was too strange, and the princess finally couldn't take it anymore. Her expression changed slightly: "You... what do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean? Nothing." I leaned back in my chair, took a deep breath, suppressing my anger, but with a mocking smile: "So, Your Highness, the answer is now revealed. If this were a movie, then according to the script... should I act all furious, then angrily gather my men to settle scores with Allen? Or should I say a couple of powerful lines, hmm... let me think, like... I glare at him, slam my hand on the table, and yell, 'Damn it, daring to disrupt my wedding! I will never let this guy leave Vancouver alive!'—Should I say that? This is Vancouver, should I immediately take a large group of men to tear Allen to pieces! Or throw his body directly into the sea to feed the sharks?"
My appearance frightened the princess. She looked at me with a complicated expression, seemingly not understanding what I meant at all.
I chuckled coldly, then gently raised my hand. Xiao Zhu, who was standing behind me, immediately came over, handed me a cigarette, and lit it for me.
I took a deep breath and then exhaled the dark blue smoke through my nose...
"Ha!" I chuckled dismissively. "Well, fine, let's assume I really did that... I believe you, and I'll send someone to kill that Allen... This is Vancouver, my territory! Killing someone here is incredibly easy for me! But the question is... what happens after I kill him?" I looked at the princess with a playful smile, a knowing look on my face.
The princess shuddered, the color draining from her face instantly, and then looked at me with a very complicated expression.
I flicked my cigarette ash, my eyes fixed on the sea, a smile on my face, and muttered, "Hmm, let me think. If things go according to the script, what would the next part of the story be like... Oh, right, I killed Allen. I killed the godson of the great Mr. Thorin of the Hells' Angels! I killed his most valued young man, his most capable assistant! Haha! Isn't that right? Now everyone knows how much Thorin trusted Allen! He even entrusted him with the entire smuggling business on the East Coast! Even though it wasn't done well, even though Thorin was very angry, even though Thorin changed many subordinates, he never touched Allen! Doesn't all this show how much Thorin favored Allen? If such a young man, valued by Thorin, dies in Vancouver, on my turf... then what happens next? Let me think... Haha! Of course, I'll face the Hells' Angels' fierce revenge! Hehe! Whether Thorin really wants revenge for his godson, or is just putting on an act... he'll definitely do something!"
I spoke slowly, pretending not to see the surprise on the princess's face, and continued, "And then? Oh, right, I believe the great Thorin would never completely destroy me. Because if I were to be completely wiped out, it wouldn't benefit him either... However, he could take the opportunity to blackmail me, give me a good warning, and also suppress the rapidly growing power of the Big Circle! Maybe he could even get me to 'voluntarily' and 'willingly' give him some more shares in the smuggling company! And me? At this point, I'd be completely in the dark, and instead of hating him, I'd be grateful to Mr. Thorin for showing me mercy and letting me go... From then on, I'd be wholeheartedly devoted to protecting Your Highness as she ascends to the throne... right?"
I sighed and smiled slightly: "What a perfect script... Oh, by the way, you should know that I now own a Hollywood film company, right? Do you think a script like this would be a box office hit if it were made into a movie?"
If the princess was merely nervous before, she was now completely panicked. I stared coldly at her, then deliberately sighed loudly, "Damn it, who says foreigners can't use strategy? Old Thorin's scheme is truly brilliant! Heh heh! This whole scheme includes four stratagems: 'using someone else to do the dirty work,' 'framing someone else,' 'removing the ladder after someone has climbed onto the roof,' and 'profiting from someone's misfortune'! Oh, and right, there's also the 'honey trap' and 'self-inflicted injury' you used on me last night, Your Highness… My God, this scheme actually incorporates six of the Thirty-Six Stratagems… Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! It's fucking brilliant! If I really fell for it, I'd probably be sold out by Old Thorin and still be a fool counting his money!!!"
My gaze was sharp, and under my intense scrutiny, the princess seemed unable to withstand it; her expression grew increasingly stiff...
Just then, a discordant sound broke the awkward atmosphere and stalemate. Qiaoqiao let out a loud burp, put down her knife and fork, and with a satisfied expression, sighed, "Burp! I'm full..."
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Seventeen: A Game Within a Game, A Series of Schemes