Zhao Qiang accepted the cheongsam-clad woman's business card, waved his hand, and said, "Okay. I'll contact you if I need anything. Go ahead and get busy."
The mahjong games were in full swing, attracting many onlookers. Zhao Qiang found it hard to believe that he could see ordinary people playing mahjong in such a so-called high-end place. Did the owner of this place really make money from this kind of thing?
"Five thousand!" A fat man threw down a card, and a woman playing next to him immediately shouted, "I win!"
The fat man cursed, "Damn it, why didn't you win with seven 50,000s? Are you kidding me?"
The woman in her forties said, "If I didn't pay 50,000, what nonsense are you talking about? Give me the money, give me the money."
Zhao Qiang was so focused on listening to the conversation inside that he didn't count the money carefully. But the fat man pulled out at least five hundred yuan, and only then did Zhao Qiang realize that these ordinary mahjong tables were anything but ordinary; this was high-stakes gambling, and the owner's commission was probably quite high. With dozens of mahjong tables in this hall, the owner must be making tens of thousands of yuan a day.
In Zhao Qiang's eyes, tens of thousands was nothing, but even the rich don't earn money so easily; tens of thousands a day is a large sum. Like the batch of processing work Liu Yiyi did for Haicheng Trading, the actual processing fee was only a little over fifty thousand.
After paying, the fat man said, "What bad luck! I should have known better than to go to the Great Wall Hotel for lunch today. Those guys, Blackie and his gang, made me lose four thousand in one hour! They kept losing, I'm practically a prolific loser myself."
A skinny man standing nearby said, "Blackie really went all out today, bringing out all his weapons, both light and heavy. But I heard he's in big trouble this time. Apparently, he was blown to bits by a cannon, not even a bone was left. Poor thing, his two mistresses, the one of them is supposedly a college student."
A young man sitting above the fat man said, "Who's so ruthless that they even dare to mess with Blackie?"
The fat man cursed, "Who does Blackie count for? He and his henchmen are all dead this time. His name will be forgotten in our provincial capital from now on. What are you all worshipping him for?"
The skinny man with the shrewd eyes said, "People die for money, birds die for food. Blackie and his gang are all after money. It's said that a master from the South offered Blackie 500,000. Do you think Blackie wouldn't be tempted? But he doesn't seem to realize that if a master from the South won't even lift a finger, how good can it be? Sure enough, the other side had a rocket launcher. Blackie fired for a while but didn't even scratch them. Instead, he got blown to bits by one shot. It's so boring. If they fought for half an hour, that would be exciting. If the police joined in, that would be truly earth-shattering."
Zhao Qiang secretly rejoiced. He hadn't expected the woman in the cheongsam to actually know the inside story; she could overhear this information in the noisy mahjong parlor. It was worth spending over two hours there, and almost getting yelled at by the patrolling security guards.
However, Zhao Qiang still had some questions. He now knew the gunmen were the gangsters from the provincial capital, but they were dead. The person who paid them was a skilled fighter from the south, logically speaking, Cold-Faced Fox. But Yang Jie said Cold-Faced Fox was down on his luck. Where did he get such a large sum of money? Just for the task Wang Xiaoliang hired him for?
Thinking of this, Zhao Qiang interjected, "The expert from the South gave 500,000? That's a lie, isn't it? Didn't they say that Fox was in trouble? He doesn't have any money. Is he just trying to trick Blackie and the others into going to their deaths so he can take over Blackie's territory in the provincial capital?"
The young man looked up at Zhao Qiang, but didn't see anything wrong with him. He said while playing mahjong, "I can't rule out the possibility you mentioned."
The skinny man seemed to be the most well-informed. He said, "What do you know? It's Cold-Faced Green Fox, not some other fox. You don't even know its name and you're making wild guesses. Cold-Faced Green Fox is in trouble. But it's said that the Luo family is the one who paid for it this time, and Cold-Faced Green Fox will make at least half of it. He's an assassin, why would he care about territory? It's said that the one who connected them was the eldest son-in-law of the Luo family. They used to have some connections in the south."
Damn, so that's how it is. Zhao Qiang finally figured out the general situation. The Cold-Faced Fox attacked him because the Luo family paid money, not because Wang Xiaoliang failed in his mission. The Blackie attacked him because the Cold-Faced Fox hired them. The Luo family paid money because Luo Pingping's husband introduced them. That kick he gave her earlier was really too light.
Volume 2 [256] Smashing the Car
Now that everything is clear, there's no need to stay in Qiliba any longer. Looking around, it's only a little past 5 PM; the afternoon has flown by! I should go back and check on Liu Yiyi's situation. I need to help her resolve the three million yuan compensation issue first, otherwise she'll be in serious trouble. Zhu Haicheng has lustful intentions towards Liu Yiyi; if I leave her to die, Zhao Qiang won't be able to live with himself, and Xu Xiaoya and Luo Wei won't forgive him when he gets back.
As Zhao Qiang exited the lobby, he ran into several people—it was Young Master Liu, who had bumped into him at the Great Wall Hotel! However, Zhao Qiang kept his head down and covered his laptop bag tightly, so the other party didn't recognize him at all.
"Liu Chan, shall we go upstairs and add some rooms to play?"
"I'm not going up there, damn it. I've had a really bad day. I almost got taken down by Blackie's gang at the Great Wall Hotel. I'll just play a couple of rounds down here before having dinner. I don't know how much I'll lose if I go up there. It's not worth it. After dinner, let's pick up a few girls to calm our nerves."
Judging from this, it seems that this black wine bar is not owned by Young Master Liu. And to be able to openly gamble like this in the provincial capital, he must have a powerful backer. Besides gambling, there seem to be other places that Zhao Qiang hasn't checked. Perhaps he would be even more surprised if he did. Big cities are indeed big cities. They can't compare to Donghai City. This makes Zhao Qiang yearn for Beijing even more. He heard that the Sanlitun area is a bar street, and its prosperity is beyond Zhao Qiang's imagination.
Zhao Qiang left the Black Grape Bar. The woman in the cheongsam had probably finished get off work; otherwise, she might have followed him out. Given Zhao Qiang's generosity, she might have offered herself to him tonight.
Zhao Qiang first went out and ate a lot before returning to Liu Yiyi's branch office. Otherwise, eating too much at the company would make Liu Yiyi and Xu Zhimeng speechless again. In addition, Zhao Qiang also needed to call Xu Xiaoya to tell her that he might not be able to make it back tonight.
Zhao Qiang hoped to find Cold-Faced Fox tonight and have a showdown. Even if it didn't work out, it was better than having that guy stab him in the back. Luckily, they were in the provincial capital, and Zhao Qiang didn't know many people around him. If it were in Donghai City, it would be much harder to defend against such a thing. So, it was best to settle things here. Zhao Qiang wanted Cold-Faced Fox to know that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Liu Yiyi and Xu Zhimeng drove to Tianyi Group. Tianyi Group is located in the bustling main urban area of the provincial capital, and there is a huge ground parking lot in front of the building. Being able to acquire land in the provincial capital where land is extremely valuable to build a ground parking lot demonstrates the company's wealth and power.
Liu Yiyi parked the car, and Xu Zhimeng led the way. However, the two did not notice that a Chevrolet had followed them along the way. Five men got out of the car, each holding a steel pipe and a hammer, and headed straight for Liu Yiyi's Mercedes-Benz.
Crash! The sound of shattering glass was followed by a loud thud as a hammer smashed a large dent into the roof, then another crash. The rear windshield shattered as well.
Liu Yiyi turned around abruptly, stunned. Her beloved car had been smashed in broad daylight!
Xu Zhimeng hadn't expected this. There were security guards maintaining order in the parking lot, but when they saw someone smashing cars, they didn't dare approach. They were instead using walkie-talkies to report to their superiors and gather their companions. By the time they arrived, the vandals would probably be long gone.
The Mercedes' alarm had already gone off, but the group smashed things even more vigorously. They even pried open the trunk, throwing out Liu Yiyi's personal belongings that she had brought from Donghai City. Some of them were even underwear. A lewd man grabbed one and put it over his head, while his companions chuckled and laughed. Liu Yiyi was so humiliated that she wanted to kill herself!
"Stop them!" Liu Yiyi shouted to Xu Zhimeng. As her boyfriend and as a man, Liu Yiyi believed that Xu Zhimeng should take the initiative, otherwise she would have no sense of security.
But Xu Zhimeng dared not; the other side was armed and numerous. He could only pull out his phone and say, "I'll call the police!"
Before Xu Zhimeng could even type in the three numbers, the group of car vandals had already finished. They didn't need to smash it all; the windows were shattered. The car was badly damaged, with the roof and sides riddled with dents. Even if it could be repaired, it would still be an old car. After completing their vandalism, the men naturally came after Xu Zhimeng and Liu Yiyi. Seeing this, Xu Zhimeng stuffed his phone into his pocket, grabbed Liu Yiyi, and ran into the company building.
Liu Yiyi was devastated. She had originally planned to sell her car to raise a few hundred thousand yuan, but their actions had shattered even that hope. Who were they? Liu Yiyi wondered to herself as she ran.
Finally, before being caught, the two rushed into the Tianyi Building. Those people probably knew this building wasn't one to be trifled with, so they stopped. After circling the entrance once, they left. Because more and more security guards had gathered, the people smashing the car were losing control; if they didn't leave soon, they would be chased and beaten by Tianyi Group's security guards.
Liu Yiyi's phone rang, and she answered it somewhat blankly.
"Hehe, how about it, Mr. Liu? Did you smash the car loudly enough? I, Zhu Haicheng, am not someone who's easily bullied. This is just a warning. Don't try to scare me with such despicable methods as assassins. Tonight at 8 PM, you'll be in room 808 of the Haitian Hotel, or even more severe punishment awaits you!"
Liu Yiyi put away her phone and said to Xu Zhimeng:
Xu Zhimeng slammed his fist on the corridor wall: "I knew that guy was going to make a move! Damn it."
Liu Yiyi asked Xu Zhimeng, "What should we do then? He told me to go to the Haitian Hotel tonight, or he'll continue to retaliate."
Xu Zhimeng absolutely would not allow Zhu Haicheng to defile Liu Yiyi. He said, "Let's go upstairs and find our boss."
This was their only hope, and Liu Yiyi naturally agreed.
Fan Yi, the CEO of Tianyi Group, is a young and promising man of only thirty-one. He is the only one in the entire provincial capital to have built such a successful career in his early thirties. Of course, those with family connections don't count. After acquiring wealth, Fan Yi naturally began to cultivate his own background. Now, he is a prominent figure in the provincial capital, and he can speak to many high-ranking officials. This is what is known as the exchange of power for money, a normal social phenomenon.
Using his position as assistant, he entered Fan Yi's office without an appointment. Actually, Fan Yi doesn't work in the afternoon because he inevitably has social engagements at noon, and he tends to drink too much. So Fan Yi usually just rests in his office with his female secretary and doesn't see outsiders. However, Xu Zhimeng is an exception because Fan Yi values him highly.
Fan Yi lit a cigarette, his face flushed, looking like he'd had quite a bit to drink at lunch. "Zhimeng, this beautiful lady is the girlfriend you specially took the day off to pick up, right? Please have a seat."
Xu Zhimeng said, "Yes, Mr. Fan, this is my girlfriend, Liu Yiyi, the manager of Donghai Yiyi Fashion Apparel Co., Ltd. She is a strong woman, and she has opened another branch in our provincial capital."
Fan Yi praised, "That's right, I admire a woman for achieving such great things."
Liu Yiyi bowed respectfully to Fan Yi and then sat down on the sofa with a stiff expression. In her current state of confusion, Fan Yi was her only hope. If he was willing to step forward, there might still be a chance for things to turn around. If he refused to help, she would really be at her wit's end. Even if she paid Zhu Haicheng three million in compensation, he would not give up.
Xu Zhimeng said, "But it's not easy for a woman to run a company. That's why I've come to trouble you, President Fan, with something."
Fan Yi showed some interest: "Oh, what else could possibly be difficult for President Liu?"
Before Liu Yiyi could answer, Xu Zhimeng introduced her, "It's like this, Mr. Fan. A batch of export goods from Haicheng Trading was being processed at Yiyi's branch factory, but unexpectedly, the machinery malfunctioned, delaying the delivery. Now, Mr. Zhu is furious and insists that Yiyi compensate him three million. He even made some rude remarks, telling Yiyi to go to the Haitian Hotel tonight."
Even without Xu Zhimeng saying it, Fan Yi already knew what he meant. He was a normal young man, and he had done this kind of thing quite often, especially after he gained money and status. Young and vigorous people always need to find a place to vent their anger. Many female business managers from various companies often used their bodies to approach Fan Yi to discuss cooperation. In this society, this kind of thing is nothing. These days, if you don't go out with a female secretary, people will look down on you. If you don't keep a mistress, you can't show your taste.
Fan Yi flicked his cigarette ash, glanced at Liu Yiyi, and then looked at his female secretary who was sitting at the desk by the door pretending to be busy. Compared to Liu Yiyi, his female secretary was much less attractive. This Xu Zhimeng really has good taste; he was able to find such a top-quality mature woman!
Fan Yi said somewhat solemnly, "Zhu Haicheng is known as Zhu Biaozi in his circle of friends, which means he's decisive and efficient. Of course, when he gets angry, he doesn't care about the consequences. It's best not to provoke him. He has a bunch of drinking buddies in society, and if something happens, he can summon dozens of people with just one phone call. They're all ruthless characters who don't care about their lives, so it's very troublesome."
Liu Yiyi felt a sense of despair. Did Fan Yi's words mean he couldn't control the situation? What should she do then? Zhu Haicheng had already sent people to smash the car; would he send people to smash the factory next? Thinking of this, Liu Yiyi was terrified. If the branch factory was smashed, all her hard work would be wasted!
Liu Yiyi almost knelt down before Fan Yi, and said in a tearful voice, "President Fan, please help me."
Fan Yi squinted and remained silent for a while before saying to Xu Zhimeng, "Zhimeng, get your girlfriend a drink. Let's discuss this further."
As he spoke, Fan Yi flicked his cigarette hard on the ashtray. Xu Zhimeng's expression changed. He hesitated and did not do it immediately. Fan Yi then said, "Zhimeng, I have faith in you."
Xu Zhimeng glanced longingly at Liu Yiyi, gritted his teeth, and went to get a drink. He quickly handed her one, but Liu Yiyi had no appetite for it. She didn't even notice Xu Zhimeng's trembling hand handing her the drink. She was still pleading with Fan Yi: "President Fan, you're a influential person in the provincial capital. Please, please talk to Zhu Haicheng. I'll compensate him three million yuan for the goods, and ask him to stop."
Volume 2 [257] The Sale
"Suddenly!" "Hey, Sister Jia, don't cry. Have a drink to calm your nerves. I'll contact someone for you, but I reckon Zhu Haicheng is angry too, otherwise he wouldn't have sent someone to smash your place. Have a drink and rest, and then once Zhu Haicheng calms down, I'll talk to him. Maybe this matter will be resolved."
Xi Yiyi thought about it and realized that Zhu Haicheng must be extremely angry right now because of the incident. He just smashed his own property, so maybe he can get back at him soon. Then Fan Yi can step in and maybe settle the matter with three million. As for where the three million will come from, well, we'll see.
Xi Yiyi reluctantly accepted Xu Zhimeng's drink, took a small sip, and placed it on the coffee table. She was feeling particularly down because nothing tasted good to her.
Fan Yi said to Xu Zhimeng, "Help your girlfriend to my room to rest for a bit, she looks tired."
Xu Zhimeng, his face pale, led Xi Yiyi to the office suite to rest. Xi Yiyi was indeed exhausted, her mind a complete mess; rest was the perfect thing for her. Once inside, Xu Zhimeng hesitated, his expression revealing deep pain and reluctance, yet he was powerless to do anything. Fortunately, Xi Yiyi was also currently in a daze, otherwise he would have definitely noticed something was wrong.
Xi Jiaoyi didn't lie down on the large bed in the center of the room. She was just leaning against Shan Qingtian's body, their eyes twitching and their movements almost instantaneous. They were locked in a struggle for less than two minutes, her eyelashes fluttering, her arms wrapped around her chest, huddled at the back of her body. She looked utterly pitiful, a far cry from her usual strong, independent woman persona.
Xu Zhimeng sighed and walked out of the room, gently closing the door. Shi Yiyi was still leaning against him, but her mind hadn't completely calmed down. She was worried about whether the branch factory would have problems. She was worried that if they really used three million to settle this incident, should they use that three million to sell the main factory in Donghua? If they let the branch factory in the provincial capital escape, and Zhu Cheng really appealed, then she wouldn't be able to escape legal punishment. Could it be that her decision to go to the provincial capital was a mistake?
In the office, Mang Yi sat with his legs crossed, looking utterly dejected. Xu Zhimeng and Fan Yi said, "Zhimeng, don't be so listless. How have I always treated you?"
Xu Zhimeng said, "President Fan's trust in Huang is beyond question."
Fan Yi said, "Isn't that fine? Will I ever let you down in the future? Wait until I'm done before you go in. When she wakes up, she'll just think she slept with you and won't say anything. It'll just be like she's your girlfriend."
Xu Zhimeng said, "President Fan, as far as I know, she is still a virgin. Don't be too anxious."
Fan Yi was taken aback: "Oh dear, this is an unexpected bonus. Zhi Meng, how about you go first? We're brothers, I can't let you win. I just couldn't resist. A woman as stunning as her, a mature beauty, I'd never be able to keep her for one night. I'd never be satisfied with that for the rest of my life!"
Xu Zhimeng gritted his teeth and thought, "Damn it, I'll go all out. Anyway, it's all about letting others have their fun. You can't get anything if you don't give up your child, and you can't get anything if you don't give up your wife." He said, "President Fan, why are you being so polite with me? If a woman is not convinced, brothers are like limbs. You go first, I'll hold off. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong. Your happiness is my pursuit."
Fan Yi gave Xu Zhimeng a thumbs-up: "Zhimeng, you are the person I admire and trust the most. Don't worry, I won't treat you badly!"
The two were politely deferring to each other about who should go first when suddenly the suite door creaked open and Xi Yiyi rushed out, her face flushed. Her leather shoes stomped on Xi Yiyi's buttocks, making a rapid thud. Xi Yiyi rushed to Xu Zhimeng's face and slapped him repeatedly across the face.
"Xu Zhimeng, you're worse than a beast!" Xi Yiyi shouted with red eyes, then grabbed a cup from the coffee table and threw it at Fan Yi. Fan Yi was quite agile, and although the incident was sudden, he still managed to dodge the cup by dodging it. Only a few drops of water got on his body before the cup shattered with a bang.
Without a word, Xi Yiyi flung open the office door and rushed out, leaving behind only a sudden, loud bang. Fan Yiyi, his face pale, demanded, "What's going on? Zhimeng, is it because you disagree with Xiaofei? Just say it! What's with this nonsense?"
"
Xu Zhimeng was slapped across the face. Seeing that Fan Yisheng had begged him to stop, he immediately explained, "Impossible, President Fan. My loyalty to you is as clear as day. Something must have happened. Look at this food, it definitely has enough medicine in it!"
Fan Yi waved his hand at his female secretary, who had been sitting silently at her desk by the door, then picked up the drink on the table and said, "Drink it!"
What was this "female private" thing? She wasn't worried about the drug; she'd drunk plenty of it before. At worst, she'd let two men play with her; Fan Yi wouldn't mistreat her. So, she tilted her head back and took a big gulp. Xu Zhimeng naturally knew that Fan Yi was checking if he'd really been drugged. If he hadn't, he was truly in deep trouble.
Fortunately, after a short while, the woman's body began to tremble and her face flushed. She said to Fan Yi, "The medicine cauldron is still very hot."
Xu Zhimeng sighed deeply, "President Fan, you should know that my loyalty to you is something no girlfriend can compare to." A woman can regain her talent, but finding such a respectable and lucrative job is incredibly difficult.
Fan Yi said, "I believe you. It's really strange. Your girlfriend's willpower is too strong. She's really got this fire burning inside her. Why didn't you bring her to see me sooner? If you had, we wouldn't have made a move. Now look what happened."
Xu Zhimeng was terrified. Who would have thought he'd brought his girlfriend here if he'd known it would be like this! But he still forced a smile, cursing himself for not bringing his girlfriend sooner so Director Fan would suffer.
Fan Yi, pinching his female secretary whose face was already as red as her buttocks, said, "Get her in..."
Fan Yi said, "They're already gone, what's the point of chasing after them? What if someone catches me? Where would I put my face then? Besides, this medicine won't be very effective if it's exposed to wind or bathwater. Forget it, let's get back to what we need to do."
Zhao Zhi ate over 300 yuan worth of food at Da Pai Gan, which surprised a group of people watching nearby. Zhao Qiang didn't care, paid the bill, and set off. As night began to fall, two or three pedestrians strolled leisurely along the road. What a beautiful picture of life! If only there wasn't so much darkness after nightfall.
"Hurry up, the beauties are coming, they're about to run naked, it'll be a real spectacle!" Fang Ren shouted at the entrance, attracting a crowd of curious onlookers. Zhao Qiang was swept along by the surging crowd. In reality, he himself was only a small man, and this was a very exciting thing. He wondered if running would cause a rippling sensation. Alas, the great saint had nothing to do with Comrade Zhao Qiang. No matter how great his abilities were, he was still just an ordinary person with ordinary thoughts.
Zhao Qiang pulled the two visually impaired people aside, and they turned around angrily. But Zhao Qiang glared at them, and they were so frightened that they stepped aside to make way. It seems that this world is more about the strong than the weak.
A group of people were closely following a woman. This woman was undeniably sexy; her hair was disheveled, and her overall appearance was undeniably beautiful. She was walking with one shoe missing, barefoot, her skirt ripped open at the back, revealing her snow-white skin and the waistband of her thong. Although it was only partially visible, it was precisely this that made it most alluring, just as the ancient poem describes: "Holding a pipa, half-concealing her face."
Upon closer inspection, her eyes were unfocused, like a soulless walking corpse. But everyone's attention wasn't on her; it was all on her body. Her full breasts were so prominent because of the movement of her clothes, swaying with each step. The two young men boldly approached, intending to pull down her skirt so that her full breasts would be exposed, giving everyone a feast for the eyes. The men watching secretly cheered them on: "Pull, pull! Pull it down and you'll be truly naked! This is just the beginning! It would be best to pull down her pants too!"
Suddenly, two young men were slapped hard across the face. Their stomachs were twisted, and they coughed up blood with a loud thud, a few teeth mixed in. This showed just how powerful the slaps were! The sound was as loud as a large-dose firecracker. The crowd following the woman abruptly stopped, but the woman seemed oblivious, continuing her erratic behavior.