Летающий генерал Фэнчэн

Глава 12

Feng Junzi smiled bitterly. It seemed all his hard work had been in vain. Although Han Shuang had left, she hadn't actually gone. She rummaged through his things and became even more dumbfounded. Han Shuang hadn't taken all her own belongings, but she had taken the house key. If he had known Han Shuang would do this, he should have... Piao Piao noticed the strange expression on Feng Junzi's face, blushed, and disappeared again.

...

Feng Junzi thought Han Shuang would return soon, but he was wrong. For several days, there was no news of Han Shuang, as if she had vanished into thin air. The longer Feng Junzi waited, the more uneasy he became. When he heard that Wei Boxi would be returning to Binhai soon after dealing with matters in Hong Kong, he worried even more about Han Shuang's safety. That day, he had a nightmare in which Han Shuang fell into the hands of Wei Boxi's men and was tortured. He woke up in a cold sweat. He found Piao Piao sitting by his bed, looking at him with a strange expression.

When Piao Piao saw that Feng Junzi had woken up, she asked softly, "You were dreaming, weren't you? Did you dream about Han Shuang? I heard you calling her name."

Feng Junzi: "Yes, it was a nightmare. Piaopiao, did Han Shuang encounter any danger?"

Piao Piao: "Good people are rewarded, but I don't think so. I haven't been able to find her these past few days."

Feng Junzi suddenly remembered something and asked Piao Piao, "I saw you when I woke up today. How come I've never seen you while I was sleeping before?"

Piao Piao: "You used to sleep in the study. I couldn't get into your study, and I thought you were deliberately preventing me from going in."

Feng Junzi was puzzled and asked, "No, why would I not let you into my study? What's going on?"

Piao Piao: "Don't you know? There's something on your desk that prevents me from getting close to it."

Feng Junzi: "What is that?"

Piao Piao: "I don't know, it's a book."

Feng Junzi suddenly remembered that there was a copy of the Diamond Sutra on his desk. He hadn't expected that this sutra could keep ghosts away. So he said, "That's a copy of the Diamond Sutra. So you're afraid of Buddhist scriptures? Then you can't even get near bookstores that sell Buddhist scriptures or craft shops that sell Buddha statues?"

Piao Piao: "No, Buddhist scriptures and statues are just inanimate objects, nothing more than paper and clay. There's nothing to be afraid of. But your book is quite special. Where did you get it?"

Feng Junzi: "Now that you ask, I remember. I bought it for three yuan at a used bookstore. There was a temple incense ticket tucked inside the book. It looked like an old item that had been chanted by monks. I don't know how it ended up at a used bookstore."

Piao Piao: "I understand now. There must be something similar in Wei Boxi's office. I've been unable to get in. This kind of thing might be the magical artifact that other ghosts are talking about."

Upon hearing Piao Piao's words, Feng Junzi became even more worried. If Piao Piao had limitations, could there be a powerful figure by Wei Boxi's side? Wouldn't Han Shuang be in even greater danger? The more he thought about it, the worse his mood became.

4-2, Gentle Breeze Sweeps the Moon

Feng Junzi was determined to get Han Shuang to leave, but his efforts backfired. Although Han Shuang left, she didn't seem to have gone far. Feng Junzi's original intention was to prevent Han Shuang from being in danger with him, but now that she wasn't around, he started to worry about whether she was in even greater danger. He was in a bad mood for several days. But no matter how he felt, life had to go on, and he continued to go to work and come home as usual.

That evening after dinner, his phone suddenly rang. It was his old friend, Yang Hongliang. Yang Hongliang was the deputy general manager of the investment department at Tianlu Securities. They had previously worked together at the same consulting firm, and he and Shi Dan had met through Yang Hongliang's introduction. Yang Hongliang never called him for anything serious; he simply said on the phone, "Xiao Feng, are you free tonight?"

Feng Junzi: "What's the matter first?"

"A friend of mine who works as a fund manager is visiting from out of town. We'd like to go out for a chat, how about we all get together? Do you have any recommendations for fun places to visit?"

Feng Junzi knew that was the case. He had been in a bad mood these past few days and wanted to take this opportunity to go out and relieve his boredom, so he asked, "Is it public funds or are you hosting this personally?"

"Just consider it as me paying for it personally!"

What would you like to play?

"What do you think? Of course, we'd prefer something more relaxing and exciting."

Feng Junzi said irritably, "You're such a scoundrel. I'll take you somewhere. It's not very high-class, but it's cheap and the entertainment is good."

Since meeting Hu Shiwei and Han Shuang, Feng Junzi had never set foot in any nightclub-like entertainment venues. His visits to Han Shuang at midnight and Chen Yidao in the Red Forest weren't for entertainment. However, Feng Junzi had indeed frequented many places of ill repute before, mostly accompanying people like Yang Hongliang. Today, he took Yang Hongliang to Jinmei Love Song City.

Jinmei Love Song City is only considered second-rate among the many entertainment venues in Bincheng, but it has its own unique features: the drinks are inexpensive, and the girls are quite uninhibited, making it a good value for money. Yang Hongliang brought his friends here looking for some fun, probably looking for this kind of place as well.

Yang Hongliang's friend, Xu Feng, is a fund manager at Qiangmin Fund. He's two years younger than Feng Junzi and has been a fund manager for two years. Judging from his expression, he's quite successful at the moment, and he's very cheerful and talkative. The three of them arrived at the Love Song City, selected a girl, and sat down to chat. Here, all the girls call their clients "husband," and after sitting down, you hear them calling him "husband" repeatedly—it's quite a lively scene!

While drinking and singing, Feng Junzi casually asked Xu Feng about his purpose for coming. Xu Feng replied, "I'm here to conduct research on Weida Shares. I plan to build a position in Weida Shares, and now is the perfect time."

Feng Junzi had only asked casually, but as soon as the other party mentioned Weida Shares, he immediately perked up and asked with feigned interest, "Weida Shares just had such a big incident in Hong Kong, how dare you buy its stock now? Aren't you afraid of being dragged down with it?"

Xu Feng smiled and said, "Weida can handle this little thing."

Seeing Feng Junzi's puzzled look, Yang Hongliang explained from the side: "Wei Boxi naturally has no way to deal with the Hong Kong ICAC, but he has a way to deal with things on Jianjiang's side. He himself is about to come back. Although this matter has an impact, it is an opportunity for us."

Xu Feng continued, "Yes, Weida's stock price has fallen by more than 20%, which is obviously undervalued. Wei Boxi is probably thinking about how to bring the stock price back up. He has a lot of money in it himself, so we can go there now to negotiate terms."

Feng Junzi: "Is Weida Technology really undervalued?"

Xu Feng: "You don't know this. Weida laid a lot of groundwork a couple of years ago. When it was doing the management buyout, it tried every means to lower its asset value. Its net assets were almost 60% lower. As far as I know, the profit it concealed in its financial statements was more than one yuan per share. It was just waiting to boost its performance in the next two years in conjunction with the stock price."

Yang Hongliang jokingly added, "The most interesting thing is their company's accountant. In the past, when they falsified accounts, they would make the performance look good. But in the last two years, the leaders have been telling them to make the performance look bad, which has left them wondering what's going on."

In fact, Feng Junzi already knew all this, but he decided to play dumb and asked again, "What do you want to talk to Wei Da about this time?"

Xu Feng: "Naturally, we should let them reveal the secrets they've been hiding. We shouldn't have any problem building our positions before then."

Feng Junzi didn't want to leave too much of a trace, so the group chatted for a while longer. Then, Feng Junzi noticed Yang Hongliang winking at him. Feng Junzi chuckled inwardly; Yang Hongliang meant he wanted some entertainment. Feng Junzi thought to himself: These people come here to have fun, yet they put on airs and act like upright gentlemen. What's the point?

So he raised his glass to the three hostesses and said, "Ladies, it's time for some entertainment. My two older brothers are getting impatient."

The lady in red beside Feng Junzi said, "What game would you like to play, honey? Shall we roll the dice first?" She then got up and brought six sets of dice, saying to Feng Junzi, "Honey, how shall we play?"

Feng Junzi: "According to your old custom, if I lose a glass of wine, you lose a piece of clothing."

The other two young ladies also pulled Yang Hongliang and Xu Feng to play dice. Yang Hongliang pointed at Feng Junzi and said, "You all play with him alone. Don't rush, one at a time."

The dice game here isn't about betting on big or small, but a guessing game called "blowing the liar," which is a psychological game. The ladies were clearly skilled at it, but Feng Junzi was even more adept. After a dozen rounds of dice rolling, Feng Junzi hadn't drunk much wine, while the three ladies were already completely naked, looking like freshly steamed pork belly. The atmosphere in the private room reached a climax.

Yang Hongliang and Xu Feng were completely different from their previous aloof demeanor, now joking and teasing each other to their hearts' content. These kinds of things only require a starting point; once it's set, things can easily escalate. Feng Junzi had already started, so he stopped paying attention to them. Seeing everyone's "enthusiasm" rising, Feng Junzi felt a sense of dejection, finding the scene utterly uninteresting.

Unfortunately, the young lady beside him wasn't very perceptive. She leaned against him, placed her hand on Feng Junzi's most sensitive spot, and said with a hint of surprise, "Honey! Why aren't you reacting at all?"

Feng Junzi replied calmly, "Reaction? What kind of reaction do you want from me?"

"You're so mean! Of course it's that kind of reaction! Most people wouldn't react at this point. They're either saints or impotent. Which one are you?"

Feng Junzi was both amused and exasperated, and replied, "You're wrong. I'm neither of those things; I'm just not interested in you."

The young woman was clearly angry, but dared not show it, and still smiled and said, "Really? It seems my charm isn't enough. Honey, what type do you like? I can help you find someone else."

Xu Feng, who was standing to the side, also noticed that Feng Junzi wasn't very excited and asked, "What's wrong with Lao Feng? Why is he sitting there pretending to be a gentleman?"

Feng Junzi: "I wasn't pretending. I was thinking about something."

Xu Feng: "What's so important? You're still thinking about it?"

Feng Junzi was clearly thinking about Wei Boxi's situation. If the Weida Group didn't collapse, he would be in trouble, and what he was doing now wasn't helping Xu Feng's plans. Although he and Xu Feng were meeting for the first time, he felt that their friendship over drinks was a kind of fate, and it was necessary to remind him. So he said, "Xu Feng, I think I should warn you that the Weida Group may be going to experience some major changes in the near future. You should be careful."

Xu Feng: "What major change? How did you know?"

Feng Junzi: "I can't say for sure, but I can tell you that there are people behind all the recent incidents at Weida."

Xu Feng: "I understand, I will be careful."

Seeing that Xu Feng didn't seem to care much, Feng Junzi didn't say anything more. The group continued drinking and singing until nearly midnight before finally stopping. When it was time to leave, Xu Feng wanted to take one of the girls with him out, and Feng Junzi, worried that Xu Feng didn't know the local rates, proactively negotiated the price for him.

As Feng Junzi watched the young woman change her clothes and walk out with Xu Feng, he was suddenly reminded of Han Shuang. He was all too familiar with this scene. The first time he went to the Midnight Nightclub, he was also a colleague of Xu Feng's, looking for Hu Shiwei to go out with. Feng Junzi, trying to help Xiao Wei out of a predicament, inadvertently brought Han Shuang along. That was also the first time he met Han Shuang.

While Midnight doesn't offer nude escort services, it does provide prostitutes, and Han Shuang was undoubtedly one of the best among them. Perhaps Feng Junzi didn't think much of Hu Shiwei's experience working as a hostess at Midnight, but Han Shuang's past was a shadow over her life. Feng Junzi might not have known this, but that's how they met. He didn't initially have a good impression of her, but Han Shuang's later changes surprised him greatly. Feng Junzi suddenly realized that the vicious words he had spoken to Han Shuang a few days ago might not have been intentional; perhaps they reflected his true, hidden thoughts.

He then thought of Hu Shiwei. He hadn't visited her in the hospital for a while. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, but he didn't want to cause trouble for her. If someone saw him frequently visiting her, they might associate her with him, which would be very detrimental to her, since she was lying unconscious in bed and had no ability to protect herself. However, his memories of Hu Shiwei were becoming increasingly hazy.

Feng Junzi returned home in this state of rambling thoughts.

4-3, Beauty Saves the Hero

Do you believe in coincidences? Many people in the world believe in coincidences, but Feng Junzi doesn't. He believes that everything has a cause and effect, and some things that seem like coincidences may not actually be. For example, if you see someone at a bus stop, then at a supermarket, and then at a restaurant, is that a coincidence? Of course not. It only means one thing—you're being followed!

Feng Junzi realized he was being followed after drinking with Xu Feng and others that night. Actually, shaking off a follower in the city is quite simple: you could suddenly flag down a taxi and leave, or you could wander around a complex public place with many exits, like Triumph Square in Binhai City. However, after trying this twice, Feng Junzi gave up on the idea because it would be easy for the follower to find him. He always had to go to work or go home to sleep; by guarding those two places, Feng Junzi would surely reappear.

Discovering he was being followed confirmed two things for Feng Junzi: first, Wei Boxi had returned to Binhai; second, someone must have seen Li Datou meet with him before his escape, and he had been exposed. Feng Junzi's situation shifted from proactive to reactive. He couldn't imagine what methods Wei Boxi would use against him, so he could only take it one step at a time. He was also relieved that Han Shuang was no longer by his side. He figured Wei Boxi's goal was simply to find out where he had been and who he had contacted, so he simply did nothing during this period.

Those who were following Feng Junzi didn't seem to have it too easy either. Almost every night, they encountered some strange things near Feng Junzi's house, such as inexplicably seeing the wrong person and following the wrong one, or getting lost on a very simple road. Needless to say, this was Piao Piao's doing, but during the day, nothing happened. Feng Junzi's biggest worry was returning home at night, so he tried not to come home late. With Piao Piao secretly reminding him, he felt much more at ease.

But something seemed off that night. He had to go home late that night, and it was quite late when he returned. Feng Junzi realized he was being followed again after getting off the bus. This wasn't unusual in itself, but the people following him today were clearly not ordinary; they seemed quite professional. This time, there were two people following Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi didn't turn around, but he repeatedly observed the rearview mirrors of many parked cars along the roadside to spot them. These two people had almost no distinguishing features; if Feng Junzi hadn't been paying close attention, he probably wouldn't have noticed them.

The two men's tracking method was also strange; they basically alternated between the left and right sides of the road, repeatedly overtaking Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi was secretly alarmed. This was a tracking method called "frog leaping," which he seemed to only employ in the memory of professional spies and special agents. It seemed that these two men were no ordinary individuals.

As he approached the bottom of the building, there was no one else around, and the two people had blocked Feng Junzi's path from both sides. At that moment, many thoughts flashed through Feng Junzi's mind. The best course of action was to take advantage of their separation and quickly run away from them across the crosswalk, bypassing another building in the shortest possible distance to return to the more crowded area at the exit of the residential complex.

Just as Feng Junzi was about to do so, Piaopiao suddenly emerged from the shadows and walked to his side, causing Feng Junzi to breathe a sigh of relief. Piaopiao then told him in a very anxious voice, "You're being followed, by two people, one in front and one behind."

Feng Junzi: "I know, one is at the back corner and the other is at the front entrance of the building. Can you find a way to block them?"

Piao Piao: "I tried it, those two people have a very strong murderous aura, you can't get close to them."

Feng Junzi: "Then I'll just have to run as fast as I can from this crosswalk."

Piao Piao: "But Sister Han Shuang is right next to me."

Feng Junzi was taken aback: "What? Han Shuang is behind us?"

Piao Piao: "Yes, she was following behind the first person, but the bad thing is, those two seem to have noticed her too."

Feng Junzi sighed and abandoned his plan to escape. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pen, tossed off the cap, and held it with the nib pointing forward in his right hand, secretly assuming a thrusting stance in his sleeve. At the same time, he took out his keychain with his left hand, fastened the key rings in his palm, and let the tips of the keys peek out from between his fingers. He clenched his fist and slowly walked towards the stairwell entrance.

Because Han Shuang was there, Feng Junzi couldn't hide alone. Since the person tailing him was using the methods of a secret agent, he was using the self-defense and attack methods of a spy in an emergency, so he had no choice but to fight back. Feng Junzi walked to a dark and deserted spot in front of the building. The guy in front of him was obviously waiting for him there, and he seemed a little surprised to see Feng Junzi walking straight towards him without any hesitation.

Feng Junzi didn't stop walking. As he approached the person, he muttered, "Brother, what's the meaning of staying up so late to go shopping with me?"

When the man saw that Feng Junzi had revealed his identity, he sneered and said, "You know it, why are you asking? Someone wants me to teach you a lesson." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket with his right hand to take something out.

At this moment, Feng Junzi was already close enough to anticipate what the man was trying to pull out. No matter what he reached for, Feng Junzi wouldn't let him. The tip of his pen silently pierced the man's right wrist, eliciting a low cry of pain, followed by a clatter as something fell to the ground. Feng Junzi's sudden attack clearly caught the man off guard. The man reacted quickly, swiftly throwing a left punch at Feng Junzi while simultaneously sweeping his right leg across. At such close range, Feng Junzi had no chance to dodge.

But Feng Junzi made no attempt to dodge. As the opponent's fist came hurtling towards his chest, he instead lunged forward to meet it, the fist landing squarely on his chest. As the saying goes, a punch strikes in a straight line; hitting the target before the opponent's arm is fully extended prevents the punch from exerting its maximum force. Feng Junzi had taken advantage of this, essentially using his chest to block the punch and prevent the opponent from using their full strength. Even so, the pain made him gasp. If that punch had landed, it might have broken Feng Junzi's ribs. It all happened in an instant. The man's left fist landed, followed closely by his right kick. Because Feng Junzi had suddenly moved forward, he actually met the opponent's thigh, a point where a kick couldn't generate power. Feng Junzi straightened his left arm, his fist striking the opponent's knee with tremendous force. The opponent's movement was like smashing his kneecap onto the exposed tip of a key between Feng Junzi's left fingers—a blow that would at least result in a minor injury.

A cry of pain rang out as the other man clutched his leg, losing his balance and collapsing to the ground. The danger ahead was temporarily averted, but Feng Junzi heard a whoosh of wind rushing towards him from behind. The man who had been following behind had rushed forward, brandishing a gleaming dagger, and swung it at Feng Junzi. Feng Junzi had only managed to take down the man in front by a clever trick, catching him off guard. If they had truly fought, the man would have been no match for him, and now there was no way he could dodge the slash from behind.

Just then, almost simultaneously, a figure leaped out of the roadside bushes, landing squarely in front of Feng Junzi's chest. The assailant's dagger was slashing at the person. Feng Junzi recognized the person as Han Shuang and couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Han Shuang, having taken the blow for Feng Junzi, still displayed remarkable agility. She turned and swung something at the assailant, striking him squarely in the cheek. The assailant clutched his face and staggered backward, emitting a sound of great pain. Only then did Feng Junzi realize that Han Shuang was holding a high-heeled shoe, and it was the heel of this shoe that had struck the assailant's cheek.

Han Shuang was struck hard, but lost her balance and fell into Feng Junzi's arms. Feng Junzi reached out to hold her shoulder, but his fingertips touched something warm and sticky—Han Shuang's blood. At that moment, Feng Junzi couldn't care less about anything else. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fire!—It's terrible!—Everyone run!"

At that shout, all the lights in the buildings in front and behind seemed to turn on at once. Many people opened their windows and peered out, and the hallway lights in several units also came on. Seeing the situation, the two men said to Feng Junzi, "Kid, we're just teaching you a lesson today. Don't meddle in other people's business in the future." After saying that, they hurriedly turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

Feng Junzi knew that the other party didn't seem to have any murderous intent. The dagger the man behind him had swung diagonally instead of thrusting straight, which makes a big difference in combat. But he didn't have the mind to think about that now. What he was most worried about was Han Shuang's injury.

4-4. Knocking on the mountain to scare the tiger

"Luckily you called me first before calling the police. When you give your statement later, remember not to mention Wei Boxi or being followed these past few days," Chang Wu solemnly told him after Feng Junzi finished explaining the whole story.

“I know this will complicate things and make it harder for you to investigate. So just pretend you know nothing and treat it as a regular public security case, arresting those two people,” Feng Junzi replied.

Chang Wu: "That's right. If Wei Boxi knew that the police were looking for these two people, he would be more restrained during this period and wouldn't dare to target you again. This is also a warning to others. When you give your statement, treat this as Chang's robbery. Wei Boxi will definitely worry about what will happen after the police catch these two robbers, but he can't say anything to them."

Feng Junzi: "From this perspective, it's actually better for me if we can't catch these two people, as long as Wei Boxi knows that the police are still looking for them."

Chang Wu: "According to you, these two people are not ordinary people, so the search area is not too large. One of them has an injury on his face, and his features are very obvious."

Feng Junzi interjected, "The other person was injured on the back of his right hand near his wrist. I stabbed him with the tip of my pen, and the ink seeped into his flesh. A black dot will be left in the middle of the wound, making it a very distinctive feature."

Chang Wu: "You're really lucky, kid. Those two didn't really intend to hurt you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had the chance to hurt them. They'd probably be dead by now."

Feng Junzi: "I also sensed that those two were sent to warn me, so they didn't use any killing moves when they made their move. I really didn't expect Wei Boxi to hold back."

Chang Wu: "You don't know this. Someone like Wei Boxi wouldn't easily get involved in murder. He's now very wealthy and has cleaned up his ways from the underworld. He won't use those old tricks anymore. In many of the cases we've handled, the downfall of many former underworld bosses was due to murder cases, rarely purely for economic reasons. Wei Boxi knows this better than anyone."