Unfortunately, they were only half a day too late. By the time they received confirmation from Zhang Lei, he had not only obtained the credentials from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, but had also already met with Linghu Zaichong.
"Third Brother, what should we do? Should we make a move?" As Zhang Lei and Linghu Zaichong walked into the Meishihui Grand Hotel, a young man in a car turned around and asked the man who was resting with his eyes closed in the back seat.
"Make a move? With Linghu Zaichong around, are you just going to throw your life away? Report to the clan leader, it's too late. Zhang Lei has not only joined the National Bureau of Disorder, but Linghu Zaichong is also personally acting as his mentor. The operation has failed!" Then he waved to the driver, "Drive, don't follow anymore, there's no point in following any further!"
"Third Brother, are we just going back like this? What about Ah Jian's revenge?"
"What else can we do but go back? Are you going to rush in and fight Linghu again? Even if hundreds of you attacked together, you might not have a chance. Do we have that many people here? Besides, since Zhang Lei is already a member of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, openly attacking him is like pulling the strings of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs. Do you think our Zuo family can stay in China? Do you know why I was sent to lead the team this time? It's because I know how to assess the situation. If something is impossible, then we shouldn't do it. Let the higher-ups figure out a new way!"
At this moment, Linghu Zaichong, who was in a private room upstairs, lifted a small corner of the curtain beside him. "Hmph, at least you know what's good for you!"
Since Linghu Zaichong knew that Zhang Lei was making a phone call, how could he not know that Zhang Lei's grandmother had just passed away? His insistence on having Zhang Lei have dinner with him tonight showed that he knew the Zuo family hadn't given up yet.
With his skill level, did he really think he could hide in a car and not be discovered? Linghu Zaichong should be renamed Stupid Chicken Zaichong.
Linghu knew their plan. Even if Zhang Lei joined the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, they still intended to take action. Once they succeeded, they would claim that they had not been notified and did not know that Zhang Lei had joined the Bureau of Foreign Affairs. At that time, even if they did it out of respect for Zuo Ying in the Bureau, they could not do anything to the Zuo family.
Therefore, Linghu Zaichong had to bring Zhang Lei out in public to show them, shutting down their excuses. That way, they wouldn't be able to stay even if they wanted to. And what about the future? Would the possessor of self-reflection always be weak? With a little guidance, it wouldn't be long before the Zuo family, if they wanted to live well, would better not even entertain such thoughts. However, for now, these people should really think about how to leave Shanghai. Earlier, Lord Linghu accidentally made a short phone call to the Kong family, inadvertently revealing a tiny bit about the Zuo family's trip to Shanghai.
"Third Brother, since we're not going to fight, and it's a rare opportunity to come to Shanghai, why don't we spend a day having fun before heading back?" Another young man sitting in the back seat, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
"Play? What are you thinking? This is the territory of those three families after all. Those three families are not on good terms with our Zuo family. Since we're not going to make a move, it's better to go back sooner rather than later. If they find out, it'll be another problem!"
Just then, a voice came from behind the car, "You're right, you're in trouble. Let your clan leader come and take the people away himself!"
Other people's fates were none of Zhang Lei's business. He went home with a full stomach. Linghu Zaichong said the meal was paid for with public funds, and no one held back. Eating and drinking wasn't illegal, after all. Ever since he used public funds to participate in competitions as a child, Zhang Lei had developed a fondness for this special form of consumption—eating the wealthy. What kind of tycoon could be richer than the public? During the meal, he kept asking Linghu Zaichong about his authority and reasonable limits on public funds.
The aunties had basically finished discussing the funeral arrangements yesterday. They decided to use the same burial plot as Grandpa's, and now they're just waiting for Zhang Lei's mother to come back.
The nanny should have already gone to her room to sleep by now. Zhang Lei was considering using public funds to install a telephone at home, as it was indeed a bit inconvenient not having a telephone.
Zhang Lei left through the back door, taking the opportunity to check on Xiao Wuzi's house. The police had finished their investigation and removed the security measures; they couldn't leave people outside indefinitely. However, Xiao Wuzi's house didn't have that bustling atmosphere today; all the lights were off.
At this time of year, this couple used to frequently invite people to play mahjong, keeping everyone up at night. Now, however, things are finally peaceful. I just wonder if ghosts will actually come looking for them to settle scores.
"Hmph, I can kill you all if you're alive, and I can kill you all again if you're dead!" Zhang Lei mustered his courage and walked into the dark alley. This was also a knot in his heart. Zhang Lei's decision to walk this way might not be without the intention of overcoming this knot in his heart. Perhaps this was the most favorable place for vengeful ghosts to appear, as it was both eerie and close to the crime scene.
Zhang Lei was opening the door when he suddenly felt something pressing down on his side. He was so startled that his heart jumped. Luckily, his mental strength had been enhanced several times, otherwise he might have really become a vengeful ghost. What else could it be but being scared to death by a vengeful ghost?
"What is that!" Zhang Lei actually understood. There were no ghosts. Otherwise, during the Nanjing Massacre, wouldn't so many Chinese souls have wiped out the Japanese divisions long ago? In this world, you have to rely on yourself for everything. You can't depend on ghosts and gods, whether it's killing or taking lives.
After opening the back door and turning on the light, Zhang Lei realized that this was the little girl from Xiao Wuzi's house whom he had been quite drooling over. Of course, it was acceptable for people to call Zhang Lei a little boy at his current age, but if Zhang Lei didn't draw out the internal energy from the extra muscles in his face, people wouldn't have the desire to call him that.
For some reason, the girl had fallen asleep in the corner behind Zhang Lei's house. When Zhang Lei opened the door, she simply lay down on his lap, which startled him.
"Little sister, little sister, wake up, wake up!" Zhang Lei gently patted the little girl's pink face and felt several swollen and hard spots on it. Then, under the light, he looked closely and, sure enough, the marks of his fingers were still clearly visible.
Touching the little girl's forehead, it was burning hot. This family really was heartless after the mother's death. The mother had only been dead for two days, and they were already treating the girl like she wasn't human. "Damn it! They're bastards!" Zhang Lei cursed angrily, seemingly forgetting how the mother had died.
It's true that people, especially girls, often have an advantage when they're pretty. Xiao Wuzi's eldest daughter isn't pretty, so Zhang Lei gave her a hard time. This little girl, on the other hand, is adorable, so Zhang Lei felt a long-hidden sympathy for her.
Zhang Lei put the little girl on his bed, hesitating for a long time about whether to take her to the hospital. Although a little sympathy welled up in his heart, it wasn't to the point of overflowing. Raising a little girl was a tempting idea, but the girl's relatives, even if not real relatives, were right next door to his house, so it probably wasn't very safe to keep her.
It was at this moment that Zhang Lei first had the idea of wanting his own base, where he could raise whatever he wanted—lolis, mature women, big-breasted girls—no one would know, and no one could interfere. Perhaps this is how everyone's desire to possess real estate arises, Zhang Lei concluded, judging others by his own standards.
This little girl has most likely caught a cold, but seeing that she's already delirious with fever, the usual medicines at home probably won't be effective. In this situation, she should go to the hospital for a strong fever-reducing injection, otherwise it would be troublesome if she developed pneumonia.
But thinking about the injection, Zhang Lei couldn't help but glance at the little girl's bottom. It hadn't developed much yet, but it looked round and cute! Zhang Lei couldn't resist reaching out and secretly touching it. It felt so good. He gently patted it a couple of times, and it was so bouncy. It was definitely a girl; it felt so much better than patting his cousin!
'That's it then. Take her to get the shot. As for the rest, this old man now has official connections!' Zhang Lei also wanted to experience the feeling of using someone else's influence to his advantage.
"Leilei, you're back! Have you had dinner yet? Let me heat it up for you!" The nanny's voice came from the small room next door. Perhaps seeing that Zhang Lei had turned on his light, she also turned on her own light.
"No need, Auntie, you can go back to sleep. I've already eaten out, I'm fine, you don't need to get up. I'm going out for a bit, so don't worry about me!"
As he spoke, Zhang Lei found a blanket, wrapped the little girl up, carried her horizontally in his arms, and walked out, but this time he went through the main entrance.
The First People's Hospital is a municipal-level hospital, and its fees are at the municipal level. People like Zhang Lei, without full medical insurance, couldn't afford to come here before, let alone someone like Wu Yining who was practically adopted. However, Zhang Lei is now wealthy; he's already received his first operating fund, commonly known as public funds. Using it to save lives can be considered public use, right?
"What were you parents thinking, bringing him here when he was burning up like this!" Actually, this is a standard line from doctors, and Zhang Lei, who is his age, has heard the same thing more than three times.
This approach has multiple benefits: it can evoke a sense of guilt in the patient's family, making them more willing to pay for any medication. Similarly, if any problems arise, it can be said that the patient arrived too late, so it's not their fault, etc.
"Doctor, we can talk about other things later. Please bring this child's fever down quickly, or I'm afraid she'll get burned!" Zhang Lei had finally decided to raise a little girl, which took a lot of determination. He couldn't let her turn into a sickly child. Lin Daiyu might be okay to look at, but raising her at home would be pointless. She'd just be a walking medicine cabinet, constantly wasting a little bit of red liquid. You couldn't scold her or touch her. Even porcelain dolls don't have so many rules.
Zhang Lei had made up his mind that if she was left with some serious, incurable illness, then he would simply let her go; Zhang Lei's compassion was selective.
"Now you're in a hurry? What were you doing all this time? What's your name?" The emergency room doctor said to Zhang Lei for wasting time, but his hands were still moving slowly.
Perhaps when doctors see too many dead people, they really start to disregard life. Zhang Lei thought it was possible. Wasn't it because he had killed people that he became more and more ruthless? Zhang Lei believed that next time there was a situation like that, he would act more decisively and in less time.
"Wu Yining!" Zhang Lei still felt a little uncomfortable mentioning this surname. If he really took her in, he would have to change her surname. Having the surname Zhang was out of the question; it would imply too much of a sibling relationship and wouldn't be conducive to further development. If not Wu, then Liu (or Lu, Liu), or even Qi (or Qi)?
"It's nothing serious, just a fever. She fainted from the fever, but thankfully it's not too hot anymore. She'll be fine after an IV drip. Also, these bruises on her face and body, did you hit her?" The doctor stared at Zhang Lei, looking as if he was about to call the police at the slightest provocation.
"Me? Doctor, you've misunderstood. She's not my child. Do you think I could give birth to a girl that big? Even if she developed early, it's impossible. This is the neighbor's child, but it seems she's not my biological daughter. I often hear her being beaten and scolded, and the beatings are so severe. She cries like a banshee!" A little embellishment isn't too much, right? Xiao Wu's wife is quite fierce. When she's around, this little girl, although not very popular, doesn't seem to get beaten much. The beatings probably started in the last couple of days.
"I saw her huddled at the door as soon as I opened it tonight. I guess she was kicked out. I saw she had a high fever, so I brought her here!" Have you ever seen such a compassionate person? That's exactly what Zhang Lei was like right now. Even the doctor was somewhat moved by him.
"Oh, what a pitiful child. By the way, you don't look very old. Where are your parents?" The doctor's maternal instincts kicked in, and since there weren't many patients behind her, she listened to Wu Yining's heartbeat while chatting with Zhang Lei.
“I’m in my first year of high school. My parents are both in Northeast China. I’m the child of educated youth sent to the countryside. I used to live with my grandmother, but she passed away the day before yesterday. Now I live with a nanny. She’s a country woman, and she does these things even less well than I do!” Zhang Lei said, his eyes reddening.
"Oh, I see. You're quite remarkable too. I wish my child were as sensible as you!" The doctor put away his stethoscope. "Nothing else wrong, thank goodness. I'll prescribe some bruise ointment for you later. You can help her—oh, it might be a little inconvenient—just have her apply it so there won't be any bruises. Such a pretty little girl!"
"Auntie Doctor!" After chatting for a while, their relationship had become much closer, and Zhang Lei naturally called her "Auntie." "Could you change the IV drip to a direct injection? I don't have much time; I have to go to school tomorrow. Also, I want to get her medical examination done. This child can't go on like this. She gets beaten every day and isn't even fed. If they still abuse her after we get the medical examination report, I'll report them!"
"Alright, you're quite the helpful kid. You haven't fallen for that girl, have you?" The doctor wrote with a flourish. "There are a few expensive medications on this list. I'll get you a few different ones; they have the same effect, just different packaging. Even so, it'll still cost a lot. Have you brought enough?"