hey-hey!
My brother Huan is truly still going strong for his age!
I chuckled coldly, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Mr. Qiao, that Shen Shan was so respectful to you...you..."
“I’m not a member of the Green Gang. I have absolutely no connection with them.” Qiaoqiao’s father saw my concerns and said calmly, “It’s just that I’m a mahjong partner with the big boss of the Earth Gang, and we often play cards together.”
Uh... it seems that Miss Qiao's arrogance in the past was quite justified.
"Don't go back to Nanjing for now," Qiaoqiao's father said. "I know, people are homesick. You've been away from home for too long, and you must really want to go back to your hometown as soon as you get back. But you heard what happened just now, your brother Huan is riding high right now, so don't go into his stronghold."
I nodded. Actually, I hadn't planned to rush back to Nanjing; I wanted to establish myself in Shanghai before making any further plans. But Qiaoqiao's father meant well by saying that.
Thinking of this, I paused for a moment and said, "Mr. Qiao, how about this? I understand your good intentions and am very grateful. However, I really can't agree to this matter concerning Fang Nan's company. Please consider my perspective; from my point of view, unless Fang Nan agrees, anything I do would be too unfair to her." With that, I stood up. "Well then, I'll head back now. I suppose you won't be returning to Shanghai so soon. I'll invite you for tea another day and listen to your advice."
"Hmph, in such a hurry to go see Fang Nan?" Qiao Qiao's father suddenly snorted coldly. I didn't dare to speak, and smiled bitterly to myself. After all, he was Qiao Qiao's father, the father of my woman! He squinted at me for a while, and then said slowly in a tone that was both stern and ambiguous, "Young man, being a little flirtatious isn't a bad thing. You're quite like me when I was young... Hmph, one woman after another around you."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Fine, I won't bother with your messy affairs anymore... Remember to pass on my message to Qiaoqiao. No matter what, I'm still her father!"
I couldn't refute these accusations, so I could only listen with my hands at my sides before taking my leave.
After I got out, I immediately called Qiaoqiao. She was still very nervous and told me that she had driven onto the overpass and was fleeing towards Pudong.
"Xiao Wu, I'm going to Pudong to buy some things first, and then I'll go straight to Suzhou today. I'll stay in Suzhou for two days, and I'll come back after my father leaves Shanghai."
I sighed, and suddenly a thought struck me, leading me to utter a statement that even I found strange:
“Qiaoqiao, actually I think... your father is a really good person. He's very open-minded... even I think he's a little too open-minded.”
Even after hanging up the phone, I still felt a little strange.
Honestly, I can't help but admire Mr. Qiao a little.
If it were me, and I had a daughter who was having an affair with a married man... Humph! I would have taken men to break that kid's legs long ago!
Upon reaching the outside of the business center, I saw several men in suits standing near the elevator entrance; they were none other than Shen Shan's men. It seemed that although Shen Shan was wary of Qiao Qiao's father and had withdrawn his men from inside, he didn't dare let Cang Yu go and had sent people to keep watch outside.
I ignored them and walked to the elevator to wait. The two men next to me were smoking, and one of them was scrutinizing me. After looking at me a few times, Tu Yan, who was next to me, noticed that I frowned slightly, so he took two steps forward and stood next to me, blocking the man's view.
Tu, this humanoid weapon with blood on his hands, stood to the side without making any move, but with just a glance, his murderous aura was palpable! This chilling aura immediately made Shen Shan's two subordinates shudder, and they dared not look at me any longer.
While waiting for the elevator, I noticed that not only were there people standing at the elevator entrance, but it also seemed that there were people guarding the fire escape staircase along the corridor.
Just then, with a ding, the elevator arrived.
I thought about it for a moment, but didn't go into the elevator. I just stood at the elevator entrance, lost in thought.
"Not going in?" one of the two people guarding the elevator, the one who had been staring at me, suddenly spoke up.
I didn't say anything, but Tu glared at the man and then whispered, "Boss, the elevator has arrived."
"Wait a minute." I sighed and finally made a decision: "I'll wait for a friend."
Tu stopped talking and stood quietly beside me. I took out a cigarette and lit it.
Seeing my strange behavior, Shen Shan's men immediately became wary and nervous.
I had smoked half a cigarette when I finally heard the sound of a woman's high heels clicking on the floor of the business center. The crisp sound of her footsteps was followed by the emergence of a woman in an elegant black dress. Her hair was styled in a high bun, a hairstyle that, far from making her look old, perfectly accentuated the curve of her rounded chin. Her long neck was as graceful as a swan's, and despite her aloof expression, her graceful gait was still evident in her movements.
Cang Yu, indeed it is Cang Yu.
I sighed, lost in thought.
Cang Yu was still as mature as ever, exuding the charm of a mature woman. Especially her calves, which were perfectly accentuated by the strappy high heels.
As soon as Shen Shan's men saw Cang Yu come out, they immediately surrounded her, while I was still lost in thought...
The first time I met Cang Yu was when Huan Ge took me to that casino club. Cang Yu showed me around the entire casino, and it was then that I met this beautiful woman who possessed both elegance and aloofness. Her eyes were always so lonely, as lonely as fireworks. Afterwards, scenes from when I met Cang Yu flashed through my mind.
I remember at that auction, the two of us hid in the women's restroom to chat, only to stumble upon Minister Kim, a South Korean, and his female companion having sex in the restroom... haha.
I remember after I was injured and hospitalized, Cangyu arranged for a caregiver to look after me and even came to visit me, telling me that I could ask her for help if I ever had any difficulties in the future.
I remember when I had just committed a terrible crime, Cangyu risked being discovered and drove to my house to inform me. Although she was cold at the time, just the fact that she still risked her life to come and tell me in that situation is a kindness I can never forget!
As I recalled the memories, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Cang Yu was surrounded by several of Shen Shan's men. Through the gaps in the crowd, I could see that her face was cold, but there was a hint of anger in her eyes.
Should we help her?
She's Huan Ge's subordinate... um, no, she's "Ye Huan's" subordinate. Yes, she should be called Ye Huan now. But why do I always instinctively call her "Huan Ge"?
Yes, it's a habit, everything is a habit.
Okay, she's Ye Huan's subordinate, doing things for him. And now Ye Huan and I are enemies. If I help Cang Yu, it's the same as helping Ye Huan, which is the same as helping my enemy... Logically speaking, I should pretend I didn't see what happened here, and then coldly walk into the elevator, ignoring everything.
but……
She is Cang Yu, a woman I know, a woman who was once very kind to me and even helped me! In fact... don't forget, it was Cang Yu who found me the job at Fang Nan's company!
She is a woman who once did me a great favor.
Putting aside those complicated matters...
I am a man, I am Xiao Wu! When Xiao Wu sees a woman who once helped him being bullied by others... will Xiao Wu pretend not to see her and turn away?
Xiao Wu would stand indifferently to the side, carefully considering the pros and cons, whether it was beneficial or harmful.
I suddenly grinned. Yes, perhaps I've changed a lot while I was abroad.
But now, I'm back!
I am still Xiao Wu! The passionate, impulsive, even somewhat rigid Xiao Wu! The Xiao Wu who didn't hesitate to smash a bottle at a customer to protect one of his waitresses!
I patted my cheeks and chuckled to myself, "What am I thinking! I'm still me."
I walked over, forcefully shoved aside one of Shen Shandi's men standing in front of me, ignoring his surprised look. I grabbed him and threw him away.
"Don't meddle with Boss Shen's people!" A guy who seemed to be the leader realized I was there to cause trouble and tried to scare me away with some polite words.
I didn't speak, I just raised a finger. Tu immediately pounced like a leopard!
With a few cracking sounds, the guy was already lying on the ground. Then, exclamations and curses rang out at the same time, followed by a few short cries of pain.
In no time, less than ten seconds later, five people were lying on the ground. Tu, however, remained standing in the middle like a rock. He glanced back at me and then quietly walked behind me.
I nodded with satisfaction.
Very good. Tu acted with great restraint, only temporarily incapacitating these guys without actually harming them. After all, this is Shanghai, and a high-class place at that.
Cang Yu stood there, her face full of surprise. Just now, Tu suddenly pounced on her and instantly took down those guys with incredible speed. Then Cang Yu finally saw me clearly.
Her expression froze instantly. For a long while, it was as if she had just woken from a dream, her face shifting from shock to drastic change, then from drastic change to disbelief, and then from disbelief to bewilderment…
I stood quietly in front of her until her expression finally calmed down, then I smiled and said, "Cangyu... Hmm, I think I should call you Sister Cangyu, right? Long time no see, how have you been?"
Cang Yu's lips seemed to move a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but after several attempts, she couldn't utter a word.
I walked over, slowly making my way through the people lying haphazardly on the ground to her side, then pulled Cangyu, who was still somewhat dazed, and led her to the elevator door...
bite!
A crisp ringing sound signaled that the elevator had arrived.
Only after we stepped into the elevator and watched the doors close did Cang Yu finally utter a single sentence behind me.
"Chen Yang, why did you come back..." What followed was a soft sigh.
I didn't turn around to look at her, but I saw her complicated expression in the elevator mirror. I couldn't help but smile: "What's meant to come back will come back."
Cangyu and I left the Four Seasons Hotel directly, then retrieved our car from the underground parking lot. Cangyu got into my car, and we waited until the car had left the hotel and been driving on the highway for a full ten minutes before we started talking again.
"Where to?" I asked, sitting down next to her, in a seemingly casual tone.
"have no idea."
I glanced at her: "Do you have a place to stay in Shanghai?"
“Yes… but there’s no need to go back now.” Cang Yu thought for a moment, a bitter smile appearing on her lips. “Shen Shan’s men are definitely guarding my place right now.” She glanced at me. “You know who Shen Shan is, right?”
"A branch manager in Shanghai for the Qinghong Gang, specifically the 'Ren' branch." I shrugged. "I also learned that Ye Huan was originally a member of the Qinghong Gang, also belonging to the 'Ren' branch, and was the head manager of the Ren branch in Jiangsu. Of course, he's now independent, having taken over Jiangsu and broken away from the organization. And the reason he went independent is because I came back." I pointed to myself. "Because back then, to protect his daughter, I beat the only son of the Ren branch's head into a eunuch!"
Cang Yu sighed, "You seem to know quite a lot." She paused, glanced at me, and sneered, "Oh, so you call him 'Ye Huan' now, is that right?"
"What else should I call him? Should I still call him Brother Huan?" I said coldly, then turned to look at Cang Yu: "Back in the streets of Guangzhou, I was chased by a group of people with machetes, shot in the back, my flesh was mangled. Jin He pointed a gun at my head... From that moment on, Brother Huan in my heart was already dead."
Cang Yu remained silent for a while, then asked me, "Can I make a phone call?"
"Of course." I smiled. "You are my guest. I just saw someone blocking your way and helped you out. I didn't mean to kidnap you."
Cang Yu didn't respond to me. She took out a small, black women's cell phone from her handbag, dialed a number, and I heard her say briefly into the phone, "It failed. Shen Shan refused to cooperate. My job is done. You can have someone take over this matter."
Then, she seemed to hesitate for a moment, and whispered into the phone, "I... saw Xiao Wu."
She didn't say anything else, and quickly hung up the phone.
"Should we call Ye Huan?" I asked casually.
"Xiao Wu." Cang Yu didn't answer my question. Instead, she sighed and looked at me. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth... I'm not surprised to run into you here. I already knew you were back in the country. But... you actually helped me. I don't understand... I'm Huan Ge's man!"
“And I am Xiao Wu.” I smiled and pointed to my head: “Xiao Wu is Xiao Wu, the young man who often does silly things, isn’t he?”
Then, my smile faded. "Now I'll give you two choices... First, you can call for the car to stop anytime, and then you can get out and leave. It has nothing to do with me. You don't need to thank me for helping you, because I already owe you a favor." I looked at Cang Yu's expression, and seeing that she didn't seem inclined to call for the car to stop, I continued, "As for the second... let's find a place to have a drink and chat. Let's put aside all that Huan Ge or Qing Hong stuff for now. Let's put aside all that mess. Just think of me as an old friend who's returned from abroad after many years. A simple chat between two old friends reunited. I won't mention Qing Hong, and you won't mention Ye Huan. We'll just chat casually, nothing more." Saying this, I looked at her. "What do you say?"
Cang Yu pursed her lips tightly, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and finally sighed. Then she looked at me and said, "Okay, I know a place with a nice atmosphere, but the wine there is a bit expensive. Of course, you probably don't care about the price anymore, right?"
I laughed because I suddenly remembered that when I first met Cangyu, I had repeatedly said the same thing to her.
I remember back then I was just a lowly manager working for Brother Huan, but I stepped into that bizarre and luxurious circle for the first time. I saw those big spenders in the casino, those beautiful "canaries", and that luxurious life that seemed so far away from me.
At the time, I seemed to be somewhat naive, and I earnestly and repeatedly clarified one sentence to Cangyu:
"I'm really not a rich person."
Cangyu and I exchanged a glance; it seemed we both remembered the story of when we first met.
She smiled and said, "Now, you're very rich, aren't you?"
"I'm not exactly rich. Compared to Bill Gates, I'm still poor." I shrugged. "But buying an old friend a drink is no problem."
Cang Yu stared at me quietly for a while, then suddenly said in a strange tone, "I really don't understand... Logically speaking, I think you should have changed a lot, but now, it seems like you haven't changed at all."
"That's just how the world is..." I stopped looking at her and looked out the car window, then whispered as if talking to myself, "Some things will never change; some things will definitely change!"
Going back to China is great, isn't it?