Guo Yang immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He was a public figure, and if he really went to the police station, it would affect his reputation. Moreover, Liu Ming was a local tyrant, and it was impossible for him not to have dealings with the people at the police station. If he went in, wouldn't he be like a lamb entering a tiger's den?
Wang frowned: "What, are you going to resist arrest?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't try to scare us with these things. I'll let this father and son off the hook today because of you, but what I just said stands. If you don't go to the hospital tomorrow morning to bring money and apologize, you'll bear the consequences."
“You…” Wang pointed at Zhao Qiang with a furious expression. This was a blatant threat. “Arrest them and take them away,” Wang said to the police. He had originally planned to give the two men some face, but it seemed they wouldn’t appreciate it, so he decided to handle it officially.
Guo Yang was standing at the back, so two plainclothes officers came up first to arrest Zhao Qiang. One of them was holding handcuffs, and the other was preparing to subdue Zhao Qiang with all his might. However, the two never expected that Zhao Qiang would just casually swat at them, and they would lose their balance and fall to the ground with a thud. One of them was a fat man with a considerable weight, but he was as soft as a block of tofu when Zhao Qiang pushed him.
Seeing this, Wang shouted, "Make a call and notify the station to send backup!"
Another police officer in uniform immediately took out his phone to report to the station, requesting backup. Guo Yang was terrified; this was a huge mess. How could Su Su have chosen such a boyfriend? He hadn't helped at all; in fact, he'd only made things worse.
Zhao Qiang could see Guo Yang's worries, and he said, "Guo Yang, do you still want to resolve this matter by ordinary means?"
Guo Yang said, "I know that normal methods won't solve this, because we have no evidence."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's settled then, so we're going to take an unconventional approach, but it seems you're unwilling to do so."
Guo Yang said, "I don't know what you're planning."
Zhao Qiang said, "If you trust me, or rather, if you trust Su, then don't worry about it."
Guo Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, it's all up to you."
Wang Suo pulled out his pistol; he was qualified to carry a gun. Seeing Zhao Qiang and Guo Yang talking privately without any remorse, he waved his gun and said, "Don't move. Stand still and behave, or I'll shoot."
Zhao Qiang glanced disdainfully at the gun in Wang Suo's hand. Guo Yang had already closed his eyes in fear. This was the first time he had experienced anything like this, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid. After all, he was just an ordinary person, so his reaction was understandable.
Wang waved his gun, feeling incredibly cool. Controlling other people's fates was a truly exhilarating thing. "Cuff them and take them back," Wang ordered his officers.
Two plainclothes officers got up from the ground and raised their handcuffs again as they approached Zhao Qiang. They were smug, knowing that once they had the two handcuffed, they would definitely give them a good beating. Otherwise, their fall would have been a huge loss.
However, the two plainclothes officers never expected that just as they were about to handcuff each other, Zhao Qiang suddenly pulled and pushed them, causing them to fall down again. This time, the fall was quite forceful, leaving them dizzy and unable to get up. Upon seeing this, Wang immediately raised his gun, pointed it at Zhao Qiang's head, and pulled the trigger. He was going to fire a warning shot, and if Zhao Qiang ignored the warning, he would shoot him.
But Wang never expected that the trigger under his index finger was so hard it felt like it was connected to the gun body, and he couldn't pull it no matter what he did. He thought the gun was broken and took it to examine it. What he saw shocked him. The trigger was completely gone; it had really become one with the gun body. What was going on? Had the gun been switched? Was this a fake gun?
Wang immediately ejected the bullet and saw that it was still a real gun. But how could the trigger be integrated with the gun body? He remembered to check the gun before he came out, and everything was fine. Could he have encountered a ghost? When there is something inexplicable, people will naturally think of this. At this moment, the light outside dimmed, and the office was dimly lit. This scene made Wang even more frightened, and cold sweat soaked his back.
Zhao Qiang calmly walked past Wang Suo, and even turned back to call out to Guo Yang, who still had his eyes closed, "Guo Yang, let's go. What are you doing here? We'll come back tomorrow morning."
Guo Yang opened his eyes and saw two men lying on the ground. Zhao Qiang had used some subtle force on these two plainclothes officers, so they wouldn't be able to get up for a while. The police chief, Wang, was staring at the gun with an unpredictable expression on his face. The other man in police uniform glanced at the chief and then at his two teammates on the ground, unsure of what to do.
Seeing that Zhao Qiang and Guo Yang were about to leave the office, Liu Mingzhen became anxious and shouted to Director Wang, "Director Wang, we can't let them go!"
"You, you all stop right there!" Wang Suo pretended to be calm and brandished his gun to threaten Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang turned around and gave a cold smile: "Is your gun still usable? Who are you trying to scare?"
Wang was shocked again; he actually knew that there was something wrong with his gun. How could this be?
The man in police uniform stepped forward and blocked Zhao Qiang's path. "Stop!"
Zhao Qiang shoved him in the chest, and the man slammed against the wall like a piece of cotton. He screamed and lay on the ground, unable to get up. Wang Suo shrank back in fright, knowing that his old arms and legs couldn't take a beating.
At this moment, Wang Suo was still holding a gun. Those who didn't know the situation couldn't understand how someone with a gun could be intimidated by someone who was unarmed.
Volume 2 [715] Eyebrows
【715】Eyebrows and eyes
Liu Mingzhen was more confused than anyone else. In his view, Director Wang had a gun, so who wouldn't be afraid of a gun? But why wasn't Zhao Qiang afraid? And looking at Director Wang, the three men he brought had all been beaten, and their injuries were probably quite serious, but why was his hand holding the gun trembling? Was he afraid? Or was he angry? If it was anger, he should have exploded.
Despite his doubts, Liu Mingzhen did not interrupt rashly. Since even the police station chief couldn't handle the situation, Liu Mingzhen believed that observing from a distance was the best course of action. However, his son Liu Zhi did not think so. Young people are hot-tempered. Seeing that Zhao Qiang was very arrogant and that there was an officer holding a pistol in front of him, Liu Zhi rushed forward.
"Are you looking for death?" Liu Zhi cursed, pushing and shoving Zhao Qiang.
With a single, light slap, Zhao Qiang subdued Liu Zhi, knocking him unconscious. Liu Zhi collapsed to the ground with a thud. Liu Mingzhen was too late to stop his son; panicked by his son's unconsciousness, he was preoccupied with treating him and ignored Zhao Qiang's calm departure from the company. Although Director Wang wanted to stop Zhao Qiang, his gun was rendered useless, and given the strange circumstances, he was left speechless and could only watch silently as Zhao Qiang left with Guo Yang.
After leaving Qiushi Trading Company, Guo Yang couldn't help but ask, "Zhao Qiang, we've offended everyone at the police station. What are we going to do now?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No need to do anything. Let's go back and wait. If Liu Mingzhen doesn't come to deliver money and apologize tomorrow morning, then we'll proceed with the next step of our plan."
Guo Yang said, "I'm afraid we don't need to go back and wait. The police station will definitely ask for help. We might have to stay at the police station tonight."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then what are we dawdling for? Let's run! Otherwise, we'll be waiting for people to come and catch us."
Guo Yang panicked, jumped into the car and started it. Zhao Qiang got in, and he immediately stepped on the gas and sped off. The sound of police sirens came from behind, indicating that the police station was sending reinforcements, but they couldn't find Zhao Qiang for the time being.
Guo Yang and Zhao Qiang checked into the hotel. Not long after, his mother called, "Yangzi, did you do something? The police came to find you and your friend, claiming that you assaulted the police and resisted the law, which is a serious crime. What exactly happened?"
Guo Yang said, "Mom, don't worry about it, just keep an eye on my dad."
Madam Guo said, "Yangzi, don't be impulsive. Your father is in this state now. If something happens to you, how will your mother live?"
Guo Yang said, "Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Anyway, things are already like this, so don't worry about me anymore. We will definitely teach Liu Mingzhen a lesson, and then our little problem won't matter anymore."
Madam Guo said, "I really can't control everything, but you must remember, my greatest wish is for you and your father to be safe and sound."
After hanging up the phone, Guo Yang looked frustrated. He felt he had been ruined by Zhao Qiang. Instead of things becoming clearer, the situation had gone awry, dragging the police station into the mess. Now he didn't even dare go to the hospital. Guo Yang was afraid the police would take him away without asking any questions, which would only make things worse. The police officers were Liu Mingzhen's friends, and they certainly wouldn't care about him.
Zhao Qiang naturally saw through Guo Yang's thoughts. He said, "Guo Yang, don't worry. I won't let things escalate and then just leave it at that. Let's eat first, and then we'll find evidence to take Liu Mingzhen and his son to court."
Guo Yang was overjoyed: "Really? You can find evidence?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "As long as what you said is true, I don't believe we can't find someone to prove that Liu Mingzhen made a promise to your father."
Guo Yang said, "At the time, the only outsider present was probably Liu Mingzhen's mistress. Liu Zhi might have been there too, but he certainly wouldn't testify against his father. Liu Mingzhen's mistress is the woman we met at the front desk today. Her name is Deng Xiaofu. The reason she might know what happened is because she has always handled Qiushi Company's money."
Zhao Qiang said happily, "Look, things are starting to look promising! We'll go find her after we finish our meal."
Guo Yang said, "No way, you're going to ask Deng Xiaofu to be a witness against Liu Mingzhen? That's a huge joke. Who are we? Would she cooperate with us as a witness?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Guo Yang, you don't understand Chinese people. If she is unwilling to do something, it's not because she has a strong belief, but because the conditions we offer are not enough to entice her."
Guo Yang said, "I understand what you mean. We need to use money to overwhelm her."
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, there's a premise that I think you understand better than I do. We're not trying to get that investment back from Liu Mingzhen, but to make him acknowledge his promise to your father. Even if we have to pay for it ourselves, that's fine. The key is to appease your father's resentment so that he'll cooperate with the treatment. Don't you think so?"
Guo Yang said gratefully to Zhao Qiang, "Yes, you're right. I was confused for a moment."
Zhao Qiang stood up and said, "Since that's the case, why are we wasting any more time? Let's go down and eat."
Zhao Qiang and Guo Yang went to a restaurant for dinner. At that moment, Liu Mingzhen, her son Liu Zhi, and the company's secretary Deng Xiaofu were also having dinner. The three of them were plotting how to deal with what happened that evening.
Liu Zhi said, "Dad, why don't we close the company and hide for a few days? People come to collect debts every day, it's so annoying. And then there are those tough guys like today, who aren't even afraid of the police. Aren't we going to live in constant fear?"
As Liu Zhi spoke, he kept touching his face. Zhao Qiang had slapped him hard, knocking him unconscious on the spot. His face was still swollen like a big steamed bun, making it difficult for him to eat and speak. Deng Xiaofu was a little frightened by the sight. Fortunately, she hadn't provoked Zhao Qiang too much, so she only ended up falling down the stairs twice and wasn't seriously injured. If Zhao Qiang had slapped her like that, Liu Ming probably would have kicked her out with that pig-headed look.
Liu Mingzhen said, "You cowardly coward, you saw it yourself. Guo Yang offended the police station and fled to avoid punishment. I estimate he'll be a wanted person by tomorrow at the latest. What are you afraid of? Let me tell you, the more afraid you are of them, the more they'll come to collect their debts from us. I think we can use Guo Yang's case to scare off those poor bastards who come to collect their debts. We can have Chief Wang speak up for us, and at most, we can give him a 10,000 yuan bribe. These officials, as long as you have money, they'll treat you like their own father."
Deng Xiaofu said, "I'm telling you, you two have already taken a lot of benefits, so don't try to swallow up other people's savings. Otherwise, you won't be able to stay in Jiangquan City anymore. Once your reputation is ruined, you'll never be able to recover."
Liu Mingzhen slammed his fist on the table and said, "You stupid woman, do you even know the difference between close and distant relatives? I paid a high price to hire you in the company not to listen to your lectures. If you give them the money, how am I supposed to make a living? You manage the company's finances, so you should know better than me. The company doesn't have a single penny left. How are we going to pay them back?"
Deng Xiaofu wasn't too afraid of Liu Mingzhen. She said, "Since you knew there were risks, you shouldn't have agreed to their investment with guaranteed principal. Otherwise, would they still be pressuring you to pay back the money?"
Liu Mingzhen said, "If I hadn't promised those poor bastards that they would have obediently handed over their money to me, would I have done so?"
Deng Xiaofu said, "In short, I think that Zhao Qiang is not simple. He is not afraid of the police at all. You should be careful not to fall into his hands. It would be a waste. If all else fails, return Guo Zhen's money. He definitely won't give you more than a million. Just give him a few hundred thousand to save face. Don't tell me you don't have money. I know exactly what you and your father have been up to. It's not that I'm siding with outsiders, but I really don't want to be implicated by you."
Liu Mingzhen flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "You bastard! I've raised you for so many years and spent so much money, and I still can't tame you, can I...?"
When Liu Zhi saw his father and Deng Xiaofu arguing, he knew perfectly well about their shady dealings at the company. He couldn't decide who to side with, and he was caught in the middle. So, Liu Zhi wisely chose to step aside. He quietly opened the door and went out, letting the two of them argue, since they wouldn't be able to resolve anything anyway.
After Zhao Qiang and Guo Yang finished their meal, Guo Yang was quite impressed with Zhao Qiang's appetite. This meal cost him over 500 yuan, and it's worth noting that this was a roadside restaurant with a low standard of food.
"Wait here for a while," Zhao Qiang said to Guo Yang.
Guo Yang has already paid the bill. "Where are you going?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I have something to take care of, I'll be back in a bit."
Guo Yang could only sit and wait patiently for Zhao Qiang. About twenty minutes later, Zhao Qiang returned carrying a large nylon bag containing a large package wrapped in newspaper. Guo Yang asked, "What is it?"
Zhao Qiang smiled but didn't answer. He waved to the shop owner, who was free at the moment and had a good impression of this gluttonous "good-for-nothing." The shop owner scurried over, "Boss, what can I do for you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let me ask you, who around here can protect us?"
The restaurant owner was taken aback: "Boss, are you planning to meet up with some underworld connections?"
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "You guessed right. We're here to take care of some business, but we haven't had a chance to visit our friends here. You usually associate with people from all over the country, so how about you help us make some connections?" As he spoke, Zhao Qiang took something out of his net bag and threw it on the table with a thud. It was a bundle of RMB, each bill worth one hundred, which should be exactly ten thousand yuan. It turned out that Zhao Qiang had gone out to collect the money.
The restaurant owner never expected such a good deal. Although his restaurant was considered high-end in the area, earning 10,000 yuan was not easy. Now, he could easily get the money by helping to introduce those thugs. Why wouldn't he do it? "Boss, don't worry, I'll call them right away."
Guo Yang actually had a lot of savings. As a celebrity, although he wasn't very famous, he made movies and released records, so he was considered one of the better celebrities. Taking out a hundred or a hundred thousand yuan was definitely not a problem for him. But he never thought of spending the money like this. Someone just made a phone call and got ten thousand yuan. It was really outrageous.
"Zhao Qiang, how can I let you pay for this?" Guo Yang took out his credit card. Regardless of how easily Zhao Qiang spent the money, he was here to help him, and Guo Yang had no reason to let Zhao Qiang pay.
Zhao Qiang waved his hand and said, "Alright, Guo Yang, you're Su's friend. If I don't help you get things done, Su will definitely blame me when we get back. You already said you'd follow my arrangements, so there's no rush to settle scores now. We'll talk about it later."
Guo Yang realized it wasn't appropriate to discuss money outside, so he took back the credit card, determined to pay back whatever amount Zhao Qiang had stolen, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain it to Su Su.
With a bang, the restaurant door was pushed open, and a group of tattooed men barged in, shouting, "Who has business with us?"
Volume 2 [716] Friends on the Road
[716] Friends in the underworld
When the restaurant owner's underworld acquaintance arrived, Zhao Qiang stood up and said, "Friends, my name is Zhao Qiang. Thank you for arriving on time." Zhao Qiang stepped forward and shook hands with the tattooed guy, a smile on his face. Meanwhile, the restaurant owner, having successfully made his way back, had already taken the ten thousand yuan and returned to the kitchen, secretly rejoicing.
"My name is Nine-Dragon Tattoo. I wonder what brings you here?" said the man with nine dragons tattooed on his body.
Zhao Qiang pointed to the table: "Sit down, let's eat and chat." It turned out that while waiting for Jiu Wenlong, Zhao Qiang had ordered another table of food and drinks. Guo Yang couldn't eat anymore, but Zhao Qiang could. He opened a bottle of baijiu and poured it for everyone. Then everyone clinked glasses, and Zhao Qiang downed his drink in a hearty gulp.
Before arriving, Jiuwenlong had already heard on the phone that these people were very generous, so he didn't dare to put on airs. Besides, it would be foolish not to eat when there was wine and meat. Everyone raised their glasses and drank a toast, then started eating the dishes with gusto.
*Snap* Nine-Dragon put down his chopsticks. “Just tell me what it is. I don’t like beating around the bush.”
Zhao Qiang pulled a large bag from under the table and displayed its contents, bundle by bundle, on the table. Each bundle he showed made the thugs' eyelids twitch, because it was stacks of bright red banknotes. Zhao Qiang could easily slap out ten thousand yuan at a time. These thugs, though usually appearing respectable, had never seen so much money before.
Nine-Dragon finally understood what the restaurant owner meant by "generous spending." He was indeed extraordinary. In just a short while, he had already spent nearly 100,000. Did he intend to give him all of this money? Or was he planning to have him kill someone?
Zhao Qiang said, "I didn't come here to kill anyone." Zhao Qiang seemed to have seen through their thoughts, so his first sentence was an explanation. Upon hearing this, Jiu Wenlong and the others were immediately overjoyed. As long as it wasn't about killing anyone, this money was enough for them to do anything.
"Mr. Zhao is indeed a generous person. Please feel free to speak your mind." Nine-Dragon waved his hand domineeringly.
Zhao Qiang asked, "Do any of you know about Qiushi Trading Company?"
Nine-Dragon nodded and said, "Liu Mingzhen, right? We often eat together, so of course I know him. I even helped him resolve a few debt collection issues these past few days. He's a good guy in every way, except he's a bit stingy and not generous enough."