Choses dans l'étang

Chapitre 18

Han Shuang: "Why did you specifically call Li Datou?"

Feng Junzi: "Piao Piao told me that Li Datou had contacted Chen Xiaosan more than once a few days ago, asking about you. Moreover, as far as I know, Li Datou was the head of Xiaowei's department when she got into trouble. I suspect that Xiaowei's situation is probably related to him as well."

Han Shuang sighed inwardly, then asked Feng Junzi in a low voice, "The situation with Piaopiao is becoming clearer, but do you know exactly how Xiaowei got into trouble?"

Feng Junzi: "I still have no clue. But it doesn't matter. No matter what happened to Xiaowei, in the end, Wei Boxi will be held accountable. Even if I can't find out the truth, I won't let Wei Boxi off the hook."

Han Shuang: "If Piaopiao's matter is finally investigated and clarified, wouldn't Wei Boxi be brought down?"

Feng Junzi glanced at Han Shuang and said, "It's not that simple. Even if the truth about Piaopiao comes out, there's nothing we can do about Wei Boxi."

Han Shuang: "Why?"

Feng Junzi: "At Wei Boxi's level, he doesn't need to lift a finger. He doesn't even need to say a word. As long as he reveals the slightest meaning, someone will arrange everything for him. Even if the truth about Piaopiao comes out and the police have everything, Wei Boxi will still find a way to clear his name completely."

Han Shuang: "Can he really absolve himself of all responsibility?"

Feng Junzi: "If I were Wei Boxi, I would have a way to completely deny everything. The real Wei Boxi is far superior to me, Feng Junzi. How could he not have a way?"

Han Shuang: "Is he more cunning than you? I don't believe it."

Feng Junzi: "That's because you haven't dealt with him. This kind of person can be described as a demon. I can't beat him."

Han Shuang smiled and asked Feng Junzi, "Knowing you can't beat him, why do you still oppose him?"

Feng Junzi: "If we don't fight when we can't win, what's the point of this world? I'll just do what I should do, and I believe that God still has eyes."

Han Shuang: "That's right, so what if I can't beat him? As long as I'm not afraid of him, that's fine! I've already suffered enough, can I get any worse? At worst, I'll just die again. -- But -- you're different from me, you should be careful."

Feng Junzi smiled wryly, then suddenly changed the subject, asking Han Shuang, "What are your plans after this matter is resolved?"

Han Shuang was silent for a moment, as if she was considering it, and then replied, "I really haven't thought about this question, but it seems like I've been thinking about it all along. To be honest, I should thank you."

Feng Junzi was taken aback: "Thank me for what?"

Han Shuang: "Actually, I didn't want to be a prostitute anymore, but I hadn't decided when to leave. I was just being carried along by a kind of inertia, and I was afraid I would need some external force to change things. Your sudden appearance that night was an opportunity for me, and I took this opportunity to get rid of the past. I had been hesitating about whether to stay quietly for a while before thinking about the future, and you just happened to give me that time."

Feng Junzi: "That's interesting. You actually want to thank me. In fact, you've helped me so much, I should be thanking you. But I'm afraid things will get more and more dangerous in the future. You'd better think about your way out as soon as possible."

Han Shuang answered irrelevantly: "Actually, everyone in our line of work as prostitutes has thought about saving some money one day to change their identity and become a respectable person. But thinking about it is easy, doing it is not. I have seen too many examples of this, and most of them are unsuccessful. I originally thought that Xiaowei had successfully gotten rid of it, and I was very relieved. But I didn't expect that Xiaowei would do such a thing. From my point of view, I also hate Wei Boxi."

Feng Junzi felt a pang of pain in his heart when he thought of Hu Shiwei, and sighed, "Actually, I also bear some responsibility."

Han Shuang stared at Feng Junzi, seemingly trying to see through his inner thoughts, and then said, "You are a really strange person. When you were with her, you were not truly sincere towards her. Now that her life or death is unknown, you are actually spending so much energy to avenge her. Do you regret it? Or do you feel guilty?"

Feng Junzi was hit where it hurt by Han Shuang's words and lowered his head in silence. But Han Shuang did not let him off the hook and continued, "I am very grateful that you once told me the theory that there are only black and white in the world. But in your opinion, even if it is white now, can the black of the past never be washed away? Have you thought the same way about Xiaowei?"

Feng Junzi: "That's not what I meant."

Seeing Feng Junzi's dejected expression, Han Shuang felt a little guilty and changed her words, saying, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that just now. Actually, you're a good person. At least you thought about my future, and you didn't just use me. Why think so much about the future? Isn't it good as it is now?"

Feng Junzi: "Everything eventually comes to an end."

Han Shuang: "You don't need to worry about me. I've made some money over the years, I'm confident I'm still young, and I'm not bad looking. As long as I change myself, there's still a lot I can do in this world. If I go back to my hometown now, I'll be considered a small success story. What do you think?"

Feng Junzi suddenly laughed: "Then why don't you just go back to your hometown and spend some money to erect a memorial archway for your chastity?"

Han Shuang's expression changed abruptly, and she angrily said, "You're such a spoilsport." With that, she turned and went back into the house, ignoring Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi sat alone for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. He didn't understand why he had inexplicably said such hurtful things to Han Shuang; perhaps it was because Han Shuang had inadvertently grown closer to him, making him uneasy, and he had unintentionally revealed his sharp edges.

...

Chen Xiaosan had been feeling paranoid for the past few days, constantly sensing that someone was watching him. His intuition was correct; at least one ghost—Piaopiao—had been monitoring his movements intermittently. But it wasn't just one ghost watching Chen Xiaosan; there were at least two others. Piaopiao had also discovered the two people spying on Chen Xiaosan and informed Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi was secretly delighted, knowing that Li Datou had taken the bait.

Feng Junzi said to Piao Piao, "You once told me that ghosts cannot directly change the world, but they can influence a person's behavior at the right time. For example, you said you could make a restless person drop their water glass. Why don't you try this on Chen Xiaosan? I remember you said that Chen Xiaosan has a lot of evil energy and is not easy to approach. I wonder if you can do it."

Piao Piao: "It's strange, ever since that night, Chen Xiaosan has lost all his fierce aura. He's been restless and weak all the time, and it's easy to get close to him."

...

Li Datou recently heard from his subordinates that Chen Xiaosan had been acting suspiciously lately, which made him even more suspicious. While Chen Xiaosan's behavior was indeed unusual, "sneaky" was another matter entirely. However, his constantly restless demeanor certainly gave others the impression of something suspicious.

Chen Xiaosan has been having a lot of bad luck lately. For example, one day while drinking water, he was so distracted that he dropped his glass, startling everyone in the office. Such an occasional slip-up wouldn't be so bad, but Chen Xiaosan broke three glasses in a row, which everyone found strange.

After work that day, Chen Xiaosan inexplicably tripped and fell on the stairs, scraping his forehead. Then, as he entered his home, he tripped again on the threshold. As he fell, he looked up and suddenly saw two pairs of feet in front of the sofa in the living room—clearly, someone was waiting for him at home. Looking up further, he noticed that both men had bulges around their waists, indicating they were carrying weapons.

Although Chen Xiaosan's murderous aura had vanished, his experience in the underworld remained. Almost without thinking, he scrambled to his feet, turned, and ran. As he stumbled down the stairs, he heard someone shout behind him, "Chen Xiaosan, stop right there!"

Chen Xiaosan didn't dare to stop. He rushed forward like a madman. Just then, a police patrol car passed by on the side of the street. He waved to the police officer as if he had seen a savior and stopped him. He said breathlessly, "Officer, someone is chasing me..."

The two people following behind Chen Xiaosan saw him run to find the police from a distance, then quickly turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

The next day, the police called Weida Group, telling them to send someone to take Chen Xiaosan back. It turned out that one of the three patrol officers Chen Xiaosan had stopped the previous night recognized him and, seeing his strange behavior, took him to the police station. After questioning him for a long time, they couldn't get any answers. Chen Xiaosan, trembling, dared not leave, so they had to keep him overnight.

After hearing about this, Li Datou was very worried and went to the police station to inquire about the situation. The police officer there impatiently told him, "Don't mess with the police. I think this guy from your company has some kind of mental problem."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by Li Datou. His eyes lit up and he quickly continued, "Yes, yes, yes, something happened to this person's family recently. He's not mentally stable. We'll take him out and send him to Dongshan Mental Hospital for examination immediately."

The other party said impatiently, "If you're going to deliver it, then deliver it quickly!"

Chen Xiaosan was indeed sent to Dongshan Mental Hospital, personally escorted by Li Datou. The examination confirmed that Chen Xiaosan's mental state was indeed somewhat abnormal. In fact, Li Datou had already decided on the way there that even if Chen Xiaosan didn't have a mental illness, he couldn't leave Dongshan Mental Hospital. The fact that Chen Xiaosan really did have a mental illness was an unexpected stroke of good luck; Chen Xiaosan stayed behind when Li Datou left. Before leaving, Li Datou specifically instructed the hospital on many things, so it seemed Chen Xiaosan wouldn't be getting discharged.

Upon hearing the news of Chen Xiaosan's "madness," Feng Junzi felt a pang of sadness, secretly thinking that perhaps Dongshan Hospital was a good place for him. Only Han Shuang said bitterly, "That kid got off too easy!"

Part Two: Ghost Alley 20 - The Gentleman and the Prostitute's Feast at Hongmen

When Feng Junzi returned home that day, his face was very pale. Han Shuang noticed his unusual expression and asked if he was feeling unwell. Feng Junzi shook his head, then beckoned to Han Shuang, calling her to the window. Pointing to a car parked downstairs, Feng Junzi said to Han Shuang, "Did you notice how long this car has been parked?"

Han Shuang shook her head and replied, "I really didn't notice. It seems to have been parked here since this morning. Is there anything wrong with it? There are often cars parked downstairs."

Feng Junzi: "Of course not. No car has ever been parked there. It would be inconvenient to park there and get in and out, and no one would park their car in the blazing sun on a hot day. There are plenty of empty parking spaces nearby, and they are all under the shade of trees. If this car just moves back one space, it would be much easier to get in and out, and it wouldn't block the way."

Han Shuang: "Why is that?"

Feng Junzi: "There are no inexplicable things in the world. Everything that seems to defy common sense must have a reason. This car is parked one body length in front of a normal parking space. Just from that position, you can clearly see the entrance to our building and the pedestrians coming and going in front of the door. The car window is also directly facing the window where we are standing now."

Han Shuang: "You mean someone's watching us?"

Feng Junzi: "That's right. I really didn't expect it to be so fast. It seems that Wei Boxi has finally noticed this matter. Only he has such efficient methods to track me down so quickly."

...

Chen Yidao was dead, and Chen Xiaosan had gone mad. Li Datou appeared relieved, but in reality, he was even more anxious. He could ignore Chen Yidao's situation, but Chen Xiaosan was, after all, Wei Boxi's henchman, and he had to report the whole story to Wei Boxi. That day, he was in his office considering how to report this matter to President Wei when President Wei's secretary called and asked him to come over, saying that Wei Boxi wanted to see him.

Li Datou was a returnee from overseas, a master's degree holder at least. Initially, he looked down on Wei Boxi, a fisherman by trade with limited education. However, after working with Wei Boxi for a while, those thoughts completely disappeared. He discovered that Wei Boxi wasn't just ruthless; he was also shrewd and calculating, even adept at navigating complex social circles. He was a highly capable figure in officialdom, business, and both the legitimate and underworld, far surpassing Li Jinkui. He not only admired Wei Boxi but was even somewhat afraid of him.

When Wei Boxi saw Li Jinkui enter, he calmly asked him to sit down and casually inquired about the upcoming clarification announcement from Weida Shares, as well as the progress of the investigation into the online rumors. Li Datou honestly reported that the clarification announcement would be released in a few days, and that he would send the draft to Wei Boxi for final review that afternoon. As for the investigation into the online rumors, there were still no results, but he was certain that clues would be found if the other party made any new moves in the future.

Wei Boxi remained noncommittal, and after listening to Li Datou talk for a while, he suddenly said, "You handled Chen Xiaosan's matter very well. What are your plans for the next step?"

Li Datou was taken aback and stammered, "So President Wei already knows about this. I was just about to give you a detailed report and see what your instructions are."

Wei Boxi snorted and said, "Do you think I'm just sitting around doing nothing? I know about Chen Yidao and Chen Xiaosan's affair. I was too busy to pay attention the other day, but I've found out everything now. You, on the other hand, don't even know how you got tricked."

Li Datou quickly explained, "Of course, President Wei is much better than us, but I still don't understand this matter. Could President Wei explain it to me?"

Wei Boxi: "The affair between Chen Yidao and Chen Xiaosan was orchestrated by two people. One is Han Shuang, who used to be a hostess at a nightclub, and the other is Feng Junzi, who is a stock commentator."

Li Datou: "Han Shuang? I've heard Chen Xiaosan mention him. So Boss Wei already knew about him. I've also heard of Feng Junzi in the securities circle. How did he get involved?"

Wei Boxi: "I don't even know how the guy surnamed Feng got involved. These two, a prostitute and a stock commentator, are a truly despicable duo. They actually want to go against me? They must have taken the wrong medicine!"

Li Datou quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, these kinds of people are simply overestimating themselves by going against Weida. Don't worry, Mr. Wei, I will definitely teach them a lesson."

Wei Boxi's words seemed to contradict himself: "Forget it, you're no good. That bitch is one thing, but that Feng Junzi is also a character. When it comes to being cunning and treacherous, you combined probably can't compare. I've dealt with him before."

Li Datou: "Oh? So what does Boss Wei suggest we do?"

Wei Boxi: "There's no need to play dirty tricks with this kind of person. It's best to be straightforward and leave him with nowhere to vent his bad intentions."

Wei Boxi then gave Li Datou a series of instructions, telling him to take care of them immediately. As Li Datou got up to leave, Wei Boxi suddenly asked, "How is Xiao Hu, who had the incident at the securities department a little over a month ago, doing now?"

Li Datou: "Still in a coma in the hospital, what instructions does General Wei have?"

Wei Boxi: "It's nothing, you can go and take care of your business."

...

Feng Junzi and Han Shuang were deeply worried about being monitored, but unfortunately they couldn't show themselves in the bright sunlight, so they had to wait until sunset. Just then, Feng Junzi's phone rang; it was Shi Dan from Tianlu Securities calling.

Stan said to Feng Junzi on the phone, "Brother, you absolutely have to make time to come out tonight. I'd like to treat you to a drink."

Feng Junzi: "Old Shi, can we do it another day? I can't get away today."

Stan: "I know you probably have something to do today, but you still have to come. I have something very important to discuss with you. There is someone very important who wants to see you, but it's not about me; it's about you."

Feng Junzi: "Old Shi, can you explain yourself more clearly? Who is it? What do you want with me?"

Stan: "You'll understand once you get here."

Feng Junzi: "Can't I not go?"

Stan: "Then why bother? If you hadn't come today, they would have come looking for you again. I think some things are better discussed over drinks. Since I'm the host, at least I won't make things difficult for you."

Upon hearing Shi Dan's words, Feng Junzi vaguely guessed what it was about. He suspected the matter concerned Weida Shares or Piaopiao's case, but he wondered who was behind it. After a moment's hesitation, he agreed to meet Shi Dan at a restaurant at 7 PM that evening.

While Feng Junzi was on the phone, Han Shuang listened quietly. After Feng Junzi finished his call, Han Shuang stood by the window looking at the suspicious car downstairs and asked Feng Junzi, "Are you really going tonight? Shouldn't you make some preparations beforehand?"

Feng Junzi then thought of Han Shuang. He was going to a banquet that night, and there were people watching outside the door. Would Han Shuang be in danger if she was home alone? He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I'm going. I believe they can't do anything to me in a place like that. You—you—you—come with me. Let's go together. If anything happens, you might be able to help me."

Han Shuang: "Are you really going to take me with you?"

Feng Junzi: "What do you mean, 'really' or 'fake'? We're comrades now, so of course we'll go together. Piaopiao will come too, since no one else can see her anyway."

Han Shuang's expression seemed to be a mixture of surprise and delight as she asked, "What clothes should I wear? Can you help me pick one out?"

Feng Junzi smiled wryly. Women always manage to make even the biggest problems seem small and simple, but he doesn't have it so easy.

...

Feng Junzi deliberately arrived ten minutes late, observing the area along the way for anything unusual. There was nothing particularly unusual or noteworthy outside the restaurant or in the lobby. When he entered the private room, Shi Dan and the others were already there. The first thing Feng Junzi saw was Wei Boxi sitting properly in the main seat.

Although Feng Junzi had anticipated encountering Wei Boxi tonight, his heart still pounded when he actually saw the man standing before him. He was extremely reluctant to face someone like Wei Boxi, and although he knew he would have to confront him sooner or later, he hoped it would be as late as possible. He had dealt with Wei Boxi once before, and they were rivals in that encounter; that's how they met. Unfortunately, Feng Junzi had already suffered a crushing defeat almost before even meeting Wei Boxi (for details, please refer to the first part of this book, "Deception by Gods and Ghosts").

There were already three people in the private room: Wei Boxi, Shi Dan, and Li Datou. When Feng Junzi entered, all three politely stood up to greet him. They then seemed momentarily surprised to see Han Shuang beside Feng Junzi, before politely inviting Han Shuang to sit down and asking Feng Junzi to introduce them.

Feng Junzi was a little embarrassed, so he could only vaguely introduce him: "This is my friend..."

Before Feng Junzi could finish speaking, Han Shuang spoke up: "My name is Han Shuang."

When Han Shuang introduced himself, Shi Dan didn't react much, but Wei Boxi, Li Datou, and Feng Junzi were all taken aback. Feng Junzi had just been thinking of giving Han Shuang a random name, but it seemed unnecessary now. Judging from Wei Boxi and Li Datou's expressions, he could tell that the two of them had already heard of Han Shuang. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down.

Part Two: Ghost Alley Episode 21 - Qiao Fangsi's Ghost Eyes Show Their Supernatural Powers

After symbolically ordering the food, Feng Junzi didn't directly ask Wei Boxi's purpose for coming. Instead, he asked Shi Dan, who had invited him, "Old Shi, didn't you say you had something to discuss with me today? What's the important matter? Or is it about me?"

Stan blushed slightly and did not answer. Wei Boyi, who always got straight to the point, took over and said, "Actually, I asked Old Stan to invite you here today. There is something I would like to ask Mr. Feng for help with."

Feng Junzi thought Wei Boxi was quite direct, but he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "What help can a nobody like me be to Boss Wei? Just tell me what you need, there's no need to come in person and go to all this trouble."