Yang Wei and I got out of the car at the same time. My expression was still a bit strange. Yang Wei sighed and said in a low voice, "You'd better calm down. The Chen Yang I know isn't the kind of person who can't let go of things like this."
As she spoke, she had already walked past me, striding forward and laughing loudly, "Mr. Qiao, Mr. Ouyang, I wonder how the battle is going now? I'm afraid the ten thousand dollars I bet is no longer mine, is it?"
I shook my head and smiled bitterly.
Yang Wei, Yang Wei... how can you control your emotions so well at any time?
With such a critical matter at hand, I could only suppress my thoughts for the time being and follow her up.
Qiaoqiao's father saw us approaching and stopped, but laughed loudly, "Miss Yang, I'm afraid you've guessed wrong this time! As for big names, I'm naturally not as good as Ouyang. But when it comes to golf... Hmph, I'm in the same club as Tiger Woods! Ouyang is bound to lose now, it seems that the ten thousand dollars you bet today won't be lost."
Yang smiled slightly but didn't say anything.
Qiaoqiao's father then waved to me and said with a smile, "Chen Yang, you're so late! I've been waiting for you for ages. Come, come, come quickly, let me introduce you to a distinguished person."
The bespectacled, refined-looking middle-aged man next to him waved his hand and said, "Are you kidding me again? I'm no important person at all."
Then he stopped, squinted, and scrutinized me closely.
As I walked towards him, I felt a gaze fall upon me. This gaze was peculiar, showing no sharpness whatsoever, yet it seemed to see right through me. I knew that this middle-aged man must be no ordinary person, so I immediately perked up.
“Chen Yang, come here, let me introduce you. This is my old friend, Ouyang… well, I won’t say his name. Just call him Uncle Ouyang, it’s not like you’re taking advantage of him!” Qiao Qiao’s father chuckled. “So many people beg and plead to call him Uncle Ouyang, and he might not even acknowledge them.” Then he turned to the middle-aged man with glasses and said, “Look, this is the young talent I was talking about earlier, Chen Yang… a rising star in Canada! A new darling of Hollywood…”
"Indeed extraordinary." The middle-aged man nodded, said calmly, and withdrew his gaze.
"Alright, I've brought the person, and my work is done. I'm not interested in this golf game. It's no fun for you men to chat, and it's quite boring for me, a woman, to stand here alone." Yang smiled slightly. "I'll go down first, Mr. Qiao. If you lose in the end, my bet is still valid."
After saying that, Yang Wei glanced at me and said, "I'm going to go see the pretty girl you brought, so she won't be worried all by herself."
I opened my mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Actually, it's better that she left. With Yang Wei beside me, I couldn't help but think of what she had just said... Sigh, it hurt so much!
"Alright, Chen Yang, come and play a few rounds with us two old folks." Qiao Qiao's father laughed, then glanced at Ouyang: "You're bound to lose today, so why don't you let this young man play a few rounds for you? Maybe it'll have a miraculous effect."
Ouyang Youyou said, "I don't mind. I'm not good at golf anyway, but you dragged me here today, so I'll have to play a few rounds with you. But tonight, you'll have to play a few rounds of mahjong with me."
Playing mahjong?
Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I remembered something Qiaoqiao's father had said.
The identity of the middle-aged man named Ouyang in front of you is obvious!
Ouyang was quite friendly as he handed me the club. I took it, waited for the caddie to set up the ball, squeezed it in my hand, and then got into position... and swung...
call out!
The white ball traced an arc in the air and flew far away. Qiao Qiao's father and Ouyang both looked into the distance at the same time. Ouyang laughed and said, "Huh? That's a pretty good shot. It seems that if you had come a few steps earlier and helped me take a few more shots, this old Qiao wouldn't have been so arrogant today."
I casually handed the club to the caddie and laughed, "I'm not very good at it either. I'm just younger and stronger, so I can hit it a little further, but my accuracy is lacking."
"Chen Yang, don't be shy. If you need anything, just tell them. You must be tired after your long journey. Would you like some drinks?" Qiao Qiao's father said with a smile.
I thought for a moment, then turned to the caddie following behind me and said, "Excuse me, I need to make a phone call. I don't have my phone with me."
The caddie immediately went down and returned shortly with a brand new cell phone: "Sir, the number inside is also new, please feel free to use it."
I nodded. Looking at the brand-new Nokia phone in my hand, I sighed. The service here was indeed top-notch.
I took two steps back and called Tu. This time, I finally got through to Tu's number.
As soon as the call connected, I immediately lowered my voice: "Tu? Where are you? How are you?"
Tu's voice on the other end of the phone was steady: "Boss, I'm fine, but that guy got away, I'm sorry." The noise around Tu was loud, clearly he was outside: "Boss, that guy was pretty good. I could have killed him, but you said you wanted him alive. I chased him for a while, and I was almost there, but then a few more people showed up to help. Those guys were all very skilled. I killed four of them. But in the end, that guy still got away..."
I stopped him and said in a low voice, "Okay, I know. You don't need to feel guilty, you did a great job."
"Where are you?" Tu frowned. "I went back to that place to look for you, but you weren't there. I had a little conflict with those people, and I injured a few of them before I came out. I'm very worried about your safety, but I can't get through to you on the phone."
"I'm fine now." I thought for a moment, "Come find me now... Oh, and Hammer and the others will be coming too. You should meet with them first. You have Hammer's phone number, so contact them and then come see me together. My address is..."
I waved to a caddie next to me and asked him to tell me the address. Then I read the address over the phone.
After hanging up the phone, I said to the caddie, "Could you please have someone go outside and meet my bodyguards and my men? Otherwise, I don't think they'll be able to get in... Hmm, they're easy to recognize; there are several Chinese men and one Black man."
The caddie nodded repeatedly and quickly left.
I walked back to Qiaoqiao's father and Ouyang, and smiled, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
“Your men must be looking for you everywhere.” Qiaoqiao’s father smiled. “But you’ll be very safe here. I can’t think of a safer place in all of Shanghai.”
We chatted and laughed, and then I helped Ouyang play ball, with the caddies following behind us.
We played for over half an hour before finally finishing a game. Actually, my golf skills are quite poor, but it was obvious that Qiaoqiao's father was deliberately throwing the game. Ouyang was already far behind, but after I helped him play for a while, we turned the tables and won.
Afterwards, Qiaoqiao's father laughed heartily: "The younger generation is truly formidable!" With that, he raised his hand, and one of his men immediately came over, took out a checkbook, and Qiaoqiao's father quickly wrote a check and handed it to Ouyang.
Ouyang handed it to me without even looking at it, saying, "You helped me win this, so you can keep it."
I shook my head and laughed, "That won't do."
Ouyang didn't mince words and laughed, "Oh, it's just a small bet. Since you don't want to take it, just leave it here for now. We'll play mahjong tonight, and if you lose, I'll lend you the money."
Just as I was about to agree, Qiaoqiao's father teased, "Silly boy, don't you dare nod! This guy's money is not easy to borrow! You don't know how he made his fortune, do you? Borrowing money from him? You'll probably be skinned alive!"
Ouyang laughed and said, "Only you always dig up my secrets!"
Qiaoqiao's father shook his head: "It's fine to joke around... but since someone helped you win a game, you should at least show your appreciation."
Ouyang squinted at me for a while, then glanced at Qiaoqiao's father a few times, and shook his head: "Forget it, I knew it. You were just pretending to ask me to play ball, but you really wanted to get something from me... Hmph, old man, you're always so cunning in scheming against me. One day I'll see how I repay you properly!"
After he finished speaking, he looked at me and said slowly, "Alright, since that's the case, I won't go back on my word. Young man, I heard you've run into trouble. Tell me about it, and perhaps I can help you."
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Sixty-Seven: The True Colors of a Tyrant
I knew that Ouyang's identity must be extraordinary. When I saw Qiaoqiao's father give me a subtle nod, I immediately understood what he meant.
“It’s like this, Mr. Ouyang, I have indeed encountered some trouble… related to the Qinghong.” I said tentatively first, then observed Ouyang’s expression.
Ouyang's expression was calm, but when I mentioned the words "Qinghong," a serene smile flashed in his eyes.
He raised his hand and waved it, and immediately the caddies beside him all stepped back. Then Ouyang pointed to a few rattan chairs under the shade of a tree in the distance: "No rush, let's sit down and talk."
The three of us walked over to the wicker chairs and sat down. Soon someone brought over a box of cigars, probably at Qiaoqiao's father's request. However, Ouyang didn't use the cigars; instead, someone brought him an old-fashioned pipe and lit it for him.
“Chen Yang.” Ouyang took a drag of his cigarette and looked at me. “Actually, I’ve heard of your name a long time ago. You’re really famous! I’ve never seen a young person your age achieve such success… Well, maybe some scions of wealthy families are good, but none of them can compare to you, who started from scratch.”
I smiled and said, "Mr. Ouyang, you flatter me."
“I never praise people indiscriminately.” Ouyang shook his head, then looked at me: “Actually, I know a little about your situation… Well, let me make this clear first. If you’re asking me to mediate your feud with the Qinghong gang, you don’t need to ask. I, Ouyang, don’t have that kind of influence. You turned someone’s only son into a eunuch; that kind of hatred, which leads to the extinction of their lineage, is not something I can resolve. It’s not that I’m going to offend Old Qiao, but this matter is beyond my control.”
His words startled me. Qiao Qiao's father immediately spoke up, "Ouyang, you're confused too. Do you think I, Old Qiao, am the kind of person who doesn't know the gravity of things? Don't worry, I didn't call you here to ask you to mediate that matter. I know that matter is a deadlock, and no one else can resolve it."
"That's good." Ouyang's expression remained unchanged: "I'm a man of my word. If I can help, I won't refuse if I agree. But if I can't help, don't blame me for refusing someone's request."
“Mr. Ouyang,” I took a deep breath, “this matter just happened this afternoon. Let me make one thing clear first. After I finish speaking, you don’t need to give Mr. Qiao any face. I don’t want to put Mr. Qiao in a difficult position. I just want him to help me make connections so I can speak to the higher-ups in Qinghong. Regardless of the outcome of what I say later, at least you’ve sat down to listen to me today, which is already a great favor. As for whether you will help me or not after I finish speaking, or whether we will be friends or enemies in the future, that’s all up to you. I, Chen Yang, will have no complaints.”
I spoke in a humble yet assertive manner, and Qiaoqiao's father couldn't help but sigh, giving me several meaningful glances, implying that I shouldn't be so forceful.
Sure enough, a cold glint flashed in Ouyang Di's eyes. Behind his glasses, he stared at me with what seemed like great interest: "Ha! What a fine young man! You know, it's been a long time since I've heard such words. Hmm... friend or foe, are you threatening me? Do you think I won't dare to touch you? Do you know, the last person who dared to speak to me in this tone is already eating ingot candles in the underworld."
I remained expressionless, staring directly at him: "Of course I wouldn't dare, nor did I intend to threaten you. I can more or less guess Mr. Ouyang's identity. With your status, how could you possibly be threatened by me? My little achievement is utterly insignificant compared to Mr. Ouyang's deep-rooted power. However, in this matter I'm about to discuss, I am definitely not the one in the wrong! I've merely suffered an undeserved calamity; in other words, I've taken the blame for someone else. I have no intention of being enemies with Qing Hong, but if Qing Hong insists on causing me trouble, I have no reason to sit idly by and wait to die… Am I right? Mr. Ouyang, what do you think?"
Ouyang squinted at me, his expression shifting between light and dark. After a long while, he suddenly smiled and turned to look at Qiaoqiao's father: "Good! Old Qiao, your junior is very interesting! Hmm, this child will surely achieve great things in the future."
After saying that, he turned around and looked at me: "Alright, Chen Yang, tell me, what is it?"
I sighed and then recounted everything that happened that afternoon: I was invited to meet Shen Shan, then everything happened at Shen Shan's nightclub, Shen Shan was assassinated, the second-in-command colluded with Ye Huan, I killed the second-in-command, and then I was wrongly accused of being the murderer, and I had to run away.
Of course, I kept quiet about Shen Shan's secret connections to the Big Circle. I only said that I had some misunderstandings with Shen Shan's people at the hotel, and that Shen Shan, knowing I knew Qiao Qiao's father, didn't act rashly against me but instead asked me to come over and talk to him, to give him an explanation. That explanation makes sense.
As I spoke, I carefully observed Ouyang's facial expression. This middle-aged man was clearly the type who didn't show his emotions; his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, revealed not a trace of emotion. Even when I mentioned Shen Shan's death, he merely raised an eyebrow slightly before returning to normal.
I finished speaking in one breath, and Ouyang remained silent for a long time before nodding: "Hmm, so Shen Shan is dead, is that right?"
“Yes. Just about two hours ago.” I sighed.
"Shen Shan's subordinate, that second-in-command... hmm, you killed him, didn't you?"
"Yes." I nodded.
Ouyang closed his eyes, as if thinking carefully for a while. When he opened his eyes, he didn't speak to me immediately. Instead, he raised his hand, and one of his men immediately walked up to me, bowed, and leaned over.
"Go and find me the person in charge of relaying messages in Shanghai..." Ouyang glanced at his watch: "I want to see him in front of me within thirty minutes."
Ouyang's subordinate nodded immediately and then left expressionlessly.
Ouyang didn't speak to me either, just quietly smoked. Occasionally, he would casually turn his pipe over to tap off the ash, then take a sip of tea, but he never uttered a word.
Qiaoqiao's father and I exchanged a glance, but neither of us said anything.
Half an hour passed quickly. The sun was almost setting and it was getting dark, but Ouyang didn't seem to want to move. Instead, he leaned back in his chair even more leisurely.
A moment later, Ouyang's subordinate could be seen striding over from a distance, followed by another person.
When the two men approached us, I could finally see clearly that the man Ouyang's subordinate had brought was a fat man in a brown suit, sweating profusely. He was nervously wiping his brow as he walked, and upon seeing Ouyang, his legs suddenly gave way, and he knelt down with a thud.
Ouyang remained silent, simply picking up his teacup and downing the tea in one gulp. He then slowly removed his glasses, pulling a cleaning cloth from his pocket and gently wiping them. His movements were slow and gentle, his expression calm. The fat man kneeling there, however, seemed terrified, trembling uncontrollably, his face covered in cold sweat, yet he dared not even wipe his eyes.
"Shen Shan is dead, do you know that?" Ouyang asked softly.
"Hehehehehe... I know." The fat man's teeth were chattering as he managed to answer.
“This happened more than two hours ago.” Ouyang sighed, put his glasses back on, and looked at the fat man in front of him. “Such a big thing. But I only just got the news. And it came from an outsider.”
"Giggle giggle giggle..." The fat man didn't dare to speak, his teeth still chattering.
Ouyang snorted, raised his chin, and looked at the subordinate he had just sent out: "Where did you find him?"
The subordinate approached and whispered something in Ouyang's ear. Upon hearing this, Ouyang's face immediately darkened, his expression turning chillingly cold!
"Fine, very well!" His tone was icy. "I give you millions of dollars every year to keep an eye on things in Shanghai, to keep an eye on Shen Shan... and then this huge thing happens, Shen Shan's body is cold, and you're still in a woman's bed!!"
"Mr. Ouyang..." The fat man was almost crying, his knees scraping against the ground several times. He almost wanted to rush up and hug Ouyang's leg. His body was trembling as he cried out, "It happened so suddenly, I was really unprepared... I have always been loyal to you and have never dared to be negligent in the slightest, but today..."
"But today, this was an accident, wasn't it?" Ouyang said calmly.
The fat man nodded repeatedly, but Ouyang sneered, "It's your duty. Such a big thing happened, and I didn't receive any report. Instead, an outsider told me! Hmph, in just a few hours... do you know how much things can change in just a few hours! You..."
As Ouyang finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand, and one of his men immediately pulled out a gun from his pocket and handed it to him.
Ouyang stood up, gun in hand, and walked to the fat man's side, coldly saying, "The rules I set have never been violated! Do you understand what I mean?"
“…I understand!” The fat man suddenly raised his head, his face ashen, and his eyes filled with despair.