Every day, Xu Zhengyang would sit in the afternoon sun, squinting and holding a teacup, watching the bustling scene in the company courtyard. His mind would wander endlessly, thinking how wonderful the future truly was!
At times like these, the company's employees would look at the young chairman and strangely feel that he looked a bit like an old man.
A week has passed...
A phone call came from home. The renovation of the new house was halfway done; the doors and windows were already installed. According to Xu Zhengyang, the walls weren't covered with smooth, glossy tiles, but rather with dark-toned, stone-like tiles. Next, they would paint the interior walls, install the ceiling, and then level the yard with concrete. Xu Zhengyang reiterated his opinion: no need for concrete; just lay stone bricks. He also wanted to leave some soil to plant a few pomegranate trees and grapevines… His parents listened to his every word; their son was capable, and whatever he said was always right.
That afternoon, in the living room of the room where Ouyang Ying and Xu Rouyue were staying, Xu Zhengyang sat shoulder to shoulder with the two girls on the sofa, pointing to the picture displayed on the laptop screen on the coffee table, and said with a smile:
"Yes, yes, just like that, that's how it should be..."
"Brother, isn't your taste a bit too retro?" Xu Rouyue asked in surprise.
"I love this kind of place. It's elegant and tranquil, with a unique beauty in its simplicity. Imagine sitting under a grape trellis in a courtyard like this, playing the guzheng... How beautiful!" Ouyang Ying tilted her chin up, looking utterly captivated and dreamy.
On the computer screen, various architectural images were displayed, naturally retrieved through "Huatong Search".
Considering that the renovation of our new house is already halfway done, it's time to finalize the exterior design, such as the eaves, the gate, and the overall style. So today, after visiting my sister and having dinner, I gave her a general description of what the new house will look like after it's completed.
Ouyang Ying and Xu Rouyue excitedly turned on their computers and, following Xu Zhengyang's general description, found a large number of pictures.
There's nothing I can do; Xu Zhengyang's descriptive skills are just too poor. No matter how he explains it, it's always unclear what he's trying to achieve.
A search revealed images of the architectural style that Xu Zhengyang found idealistic.
This made novice Xu Zhengyang deeply realize how powerful the internet is.
However, although there is a slight retro trend nowadays, the decorating style that Xu Zhengyang prefers is really too retro. He shook his head and sighed with a regretful expression, "I didn't think of this when I was building the house. Now I really regret it. It would have looked much better if it had been a tiled house."
“Brother…you’ve become an ancient person.” Xu Rouyue laughed.
"It's fine as it is. If it were really built as a tiled house, with this retro exterior and decoration, wouldn't people suspect that your house has become a temple?" Ouyang Ying said with a smile.
“Yes, right, we can’t build tiled houses.” Xu Zhengyang nodded repeatedly, his words truly enlightening those in the situation.
The three continued browsing the pictures, laughing and joking. Chen Chaojiang, sitting in a corner of the living room, was engraving with a dagger in his hand. It was partly out of hobby, and partly because Ouyang Ying and Xu Rouyue had heard that his carving skills were comparable to those of a master, so they asked him to carve a few objects for them, anything would do. Chen Chaojiang, who was already considered a repressed and brooding man by Xu Zhengyang, naturally sculpted classical beauties.
But whenever Chen Chaojiang glanced up at the three hip-hop enthusiasts over there, he would slightly purse his lips.
Because Xu Zhengyang was sitting in the middle. The two beautiful women, Xu Rouyue and Ouyang Ying, were sitting on either side, shoulder to shoulder, laughing and joking intimately.
At first, Xu Zhengyang didn't notice anything amiss. But after sitting for a while, he suddenly felt something was off. Slightly embarrassed, he sat up straight and said, "Um, I want a smoke. I'll go to the balcony for a smoke." With that, he squeezed between Ouyang Ying's legs and the coffee table. Xu Zhengyang felt a little nervous as their legs touched.
The two beauties naturally noticed the embarrassment on Xu Zhengyang's face. Xu Rouyue didn't seem to care much, after all, she and Xu Zhengyang were siblings. However, Xu Rouyue pursed her lips and looked at Ouyang Ying with a slightly joking expression.
Ouyang Ying hadn't really cared about these things at first. After all, times had changed, and where could she find a rare animal like Xu Zhengyang with such an antique mentality? But after Xu Rouyue's meaningful look, Ouyang Ying suddenly felt a little embarrassed and ashamed. Just now, she had unintentionally gotten too close to Xu Zhengyang, too crowded...
"What are you looking at?" Ouyang Ying pouted and muttered with a red face.
"Huh? I was thinking someone's trying to steal my brother from me, sigh..." Xu Rouyue said with a smile.
"You're so annoying! Who's trying to steal your brother?" Ouyang Ying pushed Xu Rouyue away, a little embarrassed.
"Huh? If you're not trying to steal my brother, then what kind of person do you think my brother is?" Xu Rouyue asked, feigning surprise.
Ouyang Ying was extremely embarrassed and started playfully fighting with Xu Rouyue, waving her little hands: "You're so annoying, you wretched Rouyue! I'll strangle you!"
Unable to bear the sight, Chen Chaojiang felt it was inappropriate for him to remain seated there any longer. He put down the dagger and the wooden block in his hand, got up, and walked towards the balcony. Perhaps noticing the two women's questioning gazes, he muttered under his breath, "I'll go have a smoke too."
The two beauties couldn't help but burst out laughing. They found that Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang were both quite funny! They were both easily embarrassed and shy! I wonder if Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang, these two incredibly tough guys, would give each other a good look of disdain if they knew about these two beauties' thoughts?
Standing on the balcony, Xu Zhengyang squinted as he slowly smoked, looking out at the slightly gloomy sky. He had already put aside the awkwardness he felt inside the room earlier and was now thinking about other things.
Chen Chaojiang remained silent. Although he had some doubts, he was too lazy to ask now. He figured that listening to Xu Zhengyang was the right thing to do.
Admittedly, given Chen Chaojiang's personality, he felt that Xu Zhengyang was being rather slow in handling this matter. Wouldn't it have been easier to have his ghost messengers possess Huo Zhendong and Zhang Tianshun sooner, and then have them jump off buildings or lie on railway tracks to commit suicide? Why go through all this trouble?
Xu Zhengyang had certainly considered this point. However… if he were to act this way every time he encountered a problem, it would be too boring. He even wondered if those so-called immortals were simply living happily and carefree lives because they possessed supernatural powers and could get whatever they wanted?
It's really boring. Why not add some more fun?
Besides, the crime doesn't warrant death! Taking lives at the drop of a hat violates the Heavenly Laws and will reduce one's merits. Who knows if this reduction in merits will lead to a demotion? Xu Zhengyang curled his lip, cursing inwardly: "Damn the city officials, they're really meddling." It seems he'll have to go back to his old books and learn some basic criminal law.
Xu Zhengyang frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "The ghost messenger reports that a powerful figure has arrived in the capital tonight."
Chen Chaojiang was slightly surprised, but he didn't ask.
...
At the same time, in the living room of that villa, Huo Zhendong said with a sneer, "Dapeng, arrange accommodation for the two of them tonight, and also give them the gun and bullets. I won't see them."
"Okay." Dapeng nodded.
"Sometimes, many people just can't see things clearly. They have a path to heaven but choose not to take it, and they insist on barging into hell when there's no way out!" Huo Zhendong leaned back on the sofa, chuckling with a confident and composed air.
The ghost messenger Su Peng, sitting next to him, nodded and muttered in agreement, "Yes!"
Xu Zhengyang, standing on the balcony, also sighed softly: "Yes!"
Huo Zhendong is going to kill someone, shouldn't he be sentenced to death?
Cheng Juan replied: There was a motive, but no crime has been committed yet.
Xu Zhengyang spat and cursed, "Bullshit! We must nip crime in the bud! Don't you understand?"
Cheng Juan blinked, ignoring Xu Zhengyang.
Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to pay attention to it anymore. Anyway, he didn't want to kill anyone. Although he had been a god for so long, he had never killed anyone with his own hands. Even those six guys who wanted to break into his house and commit violence were made to kill each other. It was the ghosts who did it. He didn't have any blood on his hands.
That evening, around 10 p.m., the two habitual murderers arrived in Beijing from Jingbei City in a freight vehicle belonging to Speedy Logistics Company, and went to the parking lot opposite Jinghui Logistics Company.
No one knows the real names of these two men for the time being; all that is known is that one is nicknamed "Silly Qiang" and the other "Old Guang." Silly Qiang is about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, wearing a baseball cap, with a face full of fat, and his eyes under his stern eyebrows always revealing a fierce light. Old Guang is a man in his forties, dressed and looking like a simple and honest countryman. He doesn't talk much, but occasionally his eyes will reveal a ruthless murderous intent, even with a look of having seen through life and death.
Behind the warehouse of Speedy Logistics Company was a row of two-story buildings, which were actually hotels built inside the parking lot. Da Peng arranged for them to go to the westernmost room on the second floor.
The two rarely spoke, and when they saw Dapeng, they merely nodded, showing a slight respect.
Sha Qiang sat on the bed, leaning against the wall, and lit a cigarette. Lao Guang, on the other hand, sat trembling beside the bedside table, took out a small packet of heroin, rolled a small tube with tin foil, stuck it in his nostril, took a greedy deep drag, tilted his head back, and plopped down on the bed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head slightly, looking like he was enjoying himself.
Seeing this, Da Peng sneered and, without saying a word, tossed two brown paper bags over, saying, "There are guns and bullets inside, as well as 15,000 yuan for each of you."
"Where is the target?" Sha Qiang asked, a cigarette dangling from his mouth and his drooping eyebrows.
"The owner of Jinghui Logistics Company across from the parking lot drives a white Audi A4. He's a young man in his twenties, and his driver also looks to be in his twenties. He has a very pale complexion and often has a stern face. But you should be careful, that driver is extremely skilled!"
Old Guang lay on the bed, blinked, and sneered, "Can it outrun a bullet?"
Da Peng ignored him and simply said, "Just be careful. Rest tonight, and start keeping watch tomorrow. Once you've identified your target, it's up to you when to make your move, but Brother Dong said the sooner the better."
Both nodded; for them, killing was a simple and familiar task.
Since the target was not far away, all they had to do was wait at the door for the other party to come out; they didn't care whether it was a murder in broad daylight.
In a hotel not far from the parking lot, Xu Zhengyang lay on the bed, idly flipping through a book on criminal law. After listening to the reports from the ghost messengers Wang Yonggan and Su Peng in his mind, he nodded and instructed, "Keep an eye on them. If nothing unexpected happens tonight, proceed as planned tomorrow morning. Hmm, Su Peng, when it comes to this kind of thing, you should learn more from Wang Yonggan..."
Volume 4, City God Chapter 163: These two assassins are incredibly powerful.
Huo Zhendong felt he could finally get a good night's sleep.
He has bodyguards like Da Peng protecting him. With two ruthless killers acting as his weapons, what is there to worry about? You know, in today's society, there are very few people who actually dare to kill with a gun. And those two young men named Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang probably never imagined that he would directly use an assassin to kill them with a gun, right?
So, after venting his pent-up frustrations on his alluring mistress that night, Huo Zhendong slept soundly. He woke up around 8 a.m. the next morning, refreshed and energetic. He turned his mistress, still half-asleep from his ordeal, over and continued their passionate encounter, all the while awaiting the good news that might not arrive for several days.
However, just as he was sweating profusely and his naked mistress beneath him was making perfunctory moans, his phone rang; it was a text message notification.
Huo Zhendong didn't stop, reaching for his phone. But what he saw shocked him so much that his lower body shrank, and he sat up on the edge of the bed, stunned for a long time.
The text message on my phone contained only a few words: "Boss Huo, wishing you good luck today."
It was the same phone number that had sent him threatening text messages a few days ago. Huo Zhendong paused for a moment, then hurriedly put on his pajamas. He opened the door and went out: "Dapeng, Dapeng!"
"Brother Dong!" Da Peng, with a gloomy expression, was sitting in the living room downstairs. Hearing Huo Zhendong's somewhat nervous tone, Da Peng stood up.
"Oh, it's nothing..." Huo Zhendong breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had been a bit out of line, so he sat down on the sofa and tried to keep a calm tone as he asked, "Did Sha Qiang and Lao Guang say anything else last night?"
"No," Dapeng said, shaking his head.
Huo Zhendong breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "How are the arrangements for the rest going?"
"Don't worry, Brother Dong. After this is resolved, we'll have them temporarily hide on the side of the Badaling Expressway. Our company's truck will pick them up tonight," Da Peng nodded and said.
"Yes, tell them to be careful."
After saying this, Huo Zhendong felt very agitated and got up to go back upstairs.
Da Peng watched Huo Zhendong go upstairs with some surprise, then lowered his head and pondered for a moment before taking out his phone and dialing a number: "Are you up yet?"
Old Guang's somber voice came through the phone: "Sha Qiang just went into Jinghui Logistics Company and checked. He didn't see Xu Zhengyang or Chen Chaojiang, nor did he see their car. Could they have left Beijing?"
"No way," Da Peng said, but he had some doubts in his heart.
"Wait, I saw that car, it just drove in!" Old Guang said excitedly. "Let's wait for news."
Having said that, without waiting for Da Peng to say anything, Lao Guang hung up the phone.
Da Peng frowned, then relaxed. With two skilled gunmen like these, no matter how skilled Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang were, they were doomed.
...
Across from Jinghui Logistics Company, in a small restaurant to the right of the parking lot gate on Jingfang Road, Sha Qiang was eating wontons and a steamer of xiaolongbao with his head down.
The bowl in front of Lao Guang was empty. He hung up the phone, stuffed it into his pocket, lit a cigarette, and turned to look at the gate of Jinghui Logistics Company with a cold smile.
Sha Qiang finally finished eating, the two paid the bill, walked out of the restaurant, and stood on the side of the road.
"Should we wait at their door or go directly to their place?" Sha Qiang asked, grinning as he smoked, as if discussing something very casual.
"We'll talk about it later." Old Guang yawned, smacked his lips a few times, and sniffed hard a few times.
"Damn it, are you getting addicted again?" Sha Qiang glared at Lao Guang with disdain.
With his head down, Lao Guang turned and walked into the grove of trees not far away, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small packet of heroin, seemingly intending to take a couple of puffs in the woods.
Sha Qiang looked at him with disdain.
Suddenly, Lao Guang trembled, stopped and turned to look at Sha Qiang, his eyes glazed and his expression numb.
"Damn it..." Sha Qiang only managed to utter two words before his slightly open mouth slowly closed, and then his body trembled slightly. His facial expression became as numb as Lao Guang's, and his eyes became vacant.
Then, the two looked at each other and revealed eerie smiles that were terrifying.
Then, the two walked side by side through the parking lot entrance, completely ignoring the cars pulling out of the parking lot. With a screeching sound of brakes, the driver angrily honked his horn a few times, but the two ignored him and walked straight into the grove of trees on the north side of the road.
The two walked through the woods until they reached the Dougezhuang Police Station, a kilometer away.
Two men, one in his thirties and the other in his forties, with vacant eyes and numb expressions, yet exuding a ferocious and terrifying aura, walked step by step into the courtyard of the police station.
"Hey, what do you want?"