[Urban] Urban Loss of Virginity (Complete) - Chapter 37

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Chapter 20 The Beauty's Power
Shang Rong looked at the people in neat uniforms and felt a little more at ease. It seemed he was luckier than Zi Hui! After all, those who arrested him were real police officers, and they knew perfectly well why they had arrested him. Unlike Zi Hui, who didn't know who had arrested her or why she had been arrested. Shang Rong had imagined Zi Hui's fear and despair more than once. Police officers were different from kidnappers; even when dealing with criminals, they showed some humanity. For example, as he walked out of the building, a policeman put a hood over Shang Rong's head, which made him very happy. Otherwise, what if he ran into an acquaintance? Where would he put his face? It wasn't until he felt himself being pushed into the car and driving forward that Shang Rong truly felt that he was getting further and further away from his familiar life. However, during the drive, although his mind was constantly in a state of excitement, with all sorts of thoughts rushing in and bizarre questions swirling in his head, the few words he had whispered to Zi Hui that morning still made him uneasy. Ever since Shang Rong got involved in Zheng Gang's case, he had been extremely careful to keep his women out of it. Even when they became suspicious, curious, or even pressured him, he remained tight-lipped. Even out of his twisted psychology, he hadn't completely dragged Qi Xiaoya into his inner circle. However, this morning, he had been forced to urgently assign Zi Hui several tasks that could potentially drag her into his criminal quagmire. Shang Rong knew Zi Hui's personality; although the kidnapping incident had made her more restrained, once her competitive spirit was ignited, it was impossible to predict how far she would go. Shang Rong sighed deeply. He didn't even have his freedom anymore; how could he care about so many things? He just hoped to get out soon, otherwise, the consequences would be unpredictable. But could he even get out? Shang Rong was startled by his own thoughts. Thinking about what he had done, his previous optimism vanished. His mind uncontrollably went through Jin Sheng, She Tianlang, Zhang Ming, and even the several dead policemen one by one, and cold sweat broke out on his back. At this point, he hoped Zi Hui would perform exceptionally well outside. Zi Hui began to act. After the family meeting, she left the women in the house alone, refusing Qiao Fei's offer to drive her. She went to the entertainment center alone. Yang Jun, the general manager of the entertainment center, had just received a call from Wang Shili at headquarters, informing him that Shang Rong had been taken away by the police. He was secretly surprised, knowing without a doubt that it was related to Zhang Ming's case. Although Zhang Ming was nominally the deputy general manager of the entertainment center, he and Yang Jun had almost no close relationship, as Zhang Ming reported directly to Shang Rong. Yang Jun knew virtually nothing about what Zhang Ming did daily; at most, they were just old acquaintances he saw frequently. Yang Jun couldn't understand why Zhang Ming would travel all the way to San Gong to shoot a police station chief he had no connection with. Now that Shang Rong had been arrested, could it be that Shang Rong had instructed Zhang Ming to do it? Had the police already obtained evidence of a crime between Shang Rong and Zhang Ming? Yang Jun was sitting in his office at the entertainment center, lost in thought, when he heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was just an employee looking for him, he casually called out, one leg still propped up on his desk, "Come in."
When he saw who it was, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took his foot off the desk, nearly tripping in the process. "
Oh, Mr. Lin is here,"
he said, noticing Zi Hui's icy expression, and quickly composed himself. Although Zi Hui was the general manager of Huiya Company, this was her first time in Yang Jun's office, and she hadn't expected it to be even more impressive than her own. She didn't speak, but instead looked around the office and sat down on a sofa. Looking at Yang Jun, who stood bowing and scraping before her, she slowly said, "You must have heard about Shang Rong's situation."
Yang Jun nodded and said, "Fatty told me on the phone just now. How could such a thing happen?"
His eyes darted around, trying to guess Zi Hui's purpose. Zi Hui had never liked Yang Jun. Although he and Fatty Wang Shili were Shang Rong's childhood friends, in Zi Hui's eyes, Wang Shili, though a bit dull, was a decent person, while Yang Jun, though clever, was of low character. She especially resented Yang Jun for his past gossip in front of her. If it weren't for Shang Rong's consideration for their past relationship, Zi Hui would have fired him after the project went wrong. "
How could this happen? Don't you know? Shang Rong is always holed up in the entertainment center. What kind of shady things have you two been doing?"
Zi Hui said irritably. Yang Jun was well aware of his position in Zi Hui's eyes. So, after the last incident, he was grateful to Shang Rong for not holding a grudge, but also intimidated by Zi Hui's cold indifference. Therefore, he hadn't made any mistakes at work and had even received several praises from Shang Rong. However, he couldn't shake his old habit of womanizing. After becoming the general manager of the entertainment center, he had even more access to women, sometimes sleeping with two or three prostitutes in one night. Someone reported this to Zi Hui, only to be met with a severe scolding. Yang Jun was naturally indignant, thinking, "Why don't you care about your man sleeping with so many women? I'm paying for my own prostitutes, what business is it of yours, Lin Zi Hui? Isn't that like a dog chasing a mouse?" However, he only grumbled inwardly, maintaining a respectful demeanor towards Zi Hui on the surface—after all, she was his boss. "
Oh dear! President Lin, you've wronged me. I stay in the entertainment center all day, barely leaving, I practically lose track of day and night, how would I know what's happening outside?"
He moved closer to Zi Hui and whispered, "After Zhang Ming's incident, President Shang came to see me. Later, when the police spoke to me, I only spoke according to President Shang's instructions; I didn't act on my own."
Yang Jun was eager to clear his name, guessing that Lin Zi Hui suspected he had told the police something. Zi Hui glanced at her watch, not wanting to continue the pointless conversation with Yang Jun. After pondering for a moment, Zi Hui said, "Yang Jun, I've come to tell you that I've decided to sell the entertainment center."
Zi Hui's words startled Yang Jun. Sell the entertainment center? What was this all about? The entertainment center was thriving, bringing in a lot of money. Why would she think of selling it? Had she been blinded by Shang Rong's situation? "
Sell the entertainment center? Is that President Shang's idea?"
Yang Jun asked cautiously. "
It's my idea."
Zi Hui seemed angered by Yang Jun's words. This guy only cared about Shang Rong; did she, the general manager, not have the final say? However, in this critical period, Zi Hui didn't want to push Yang Jun to the brink, and besides, she still needed his help with some matters.

Chapter 21 An Eye-Opening Experience
Zi Hui softened her tone and said, "Actually, the entertainment center is doing quite well. To be honest, it took a lot of courage for me to make this decision. You and Fatty are both shareholders of the company, and I've already consulted Fatty, and he agreed. I'm here today to tell you my reasons for selling the entertainment center."
Hearing Zi Hui's words, Yang Jun hesitated. It turned out she had already convinced the fat man that since she was just a minor shareholder, what was the point of opposing? He was only asking for her opinion out of politeness; if she disagreed, who knew what other tricks this woman might have up her sleeve? She'd better listen to her reasons first. "
President Lin, I'm also reluctant to let it go. Isn't there any other option?"
Zi Hui could tell from Yang Jun's tone that he had basically compromised. So, she said gently, "Zhang Ming used to be the deputy general manager of the entertainment center. Now that such a big thing has happened, the police won't let it go easily. The entertainment center has become a thorn in their side. Besides, this place is a mixed bag, and the police might dig up something. Then it will be too late. It's better to sell it sooner rather than later, and have one less eye on us."
She paused, noticing Yang Jun's seemingly reluctant expression, and continued, "After selling the entertainment center, you can focus on running the restaurant well. As long as you have money, you can easily take on any good project that comes your way. You won't have to worry about having nothing to do."
Seeing Yang Jun's gradually calming expression, Zi Hui spoke as if she were speaking from the heart: "Actually, running an entertainment center isn't doing you any good. Look at you, you're over thirty, spending all your time fooling around with those shady women. You'd be better off doing legitimate business and finding a suitable woman to settle down with. If you could control your temper, maybe I could even help you out."
Yang Jun was actually a little moved by Zi Hui's last few words. Regardless of Zi Hui's motives, her words touched a nerve. He'd been divorced for so long, living a nomadic life. On the surface, it seemed glamorous, but who knew his loneliness and helplessness? Yang Jun lowered his head, feeling a burning sensation on his face, unsure what to say. Seeing the opportune moment, Zi Hui pressed her advantage, saying, "It's settled then. I'll have the head office send someone to clear out the assets as soon as possible."
"Is there already a buyer?"
Yang Jun asked. "
You don't need to worry about that. There's an important matter you must handle immediately,"
Zi Hui said, standing up. Yang Jun felt flattered and hurriedly asked, "President Lin, please just give me your instructions."
Zi Hui looked at Yang Jun and said in a low voice, "You were in charge of that project for the prison bureau before. I heard from Shang Rong that you know Director Yang and Yu Yongming. Go find them right away. Before we have a concrete way to rescue Shang Rong, at least make his life in there a little better. Besides, there are many places we might need to trouble them with in the future, so go ahead and do what you need to do, don't worry about the money."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but recall what Shang Rong often said to comfort her, so she added, "We're not short of money right now."
In Shang Rong's memory, the car had been traveling for nearly two hours before stopping. When he first left home, the police put a black hood over his head, which he thought was quite humane. However, he was annoyed that they didn't take it off for the rest of the journey, which he felt was very much like the style of kidnappers. Did they think they were afraid he would recognize them? It wasn't until the car stopped that someone roughly ripped off the hood. The blinding sunlight made Shang Rong squint, and after a while, he realized he was being led into a large courtyard surrounded by walls. As two policemen pushed him forward, he couldn't help but glance back. A row of small houses near the entrance looked familiar. When he recognized one of them, a flash of insight struck him—he instantly understood where he was. That small house was the very place where he had met Zheng Gang years ago. Shang Rong couldn't help but recall that distant winter afternoon, standing outside the detention center gates, waiting for someone to come out and take him in. From that day on, he was inexplicably drawn into Zheng Gang's case, and the situation spiraled out of control, leading to the terrifying cases that followed. Was this all preordained by fate? How could such a coincidence happen? Zheng Gang had gone out, but he had unexpectedly entered. Where was that unseen hand of destiny leading him? "
What are you standing there for? Take off all your clothes and shoes!"
Shang Rong was lost in thought when a shout suddenly rang in his ears. Take off his clothes? Weren't we allowed to wear clothes here? Shang Rong was confused, suddenly feeling like he was in a strange world, completely different from the world he had ever lived in. Just as Shang Rong hesitated, someone shoved him from behind and yelled, "Scared out of your wits? Didn't you hear the officer tell you to take off your clothes?"
Shang Rong turned around and saw a tall man with a shaved head, wearing a red vest, glaring at him menacingly. So, without further hesitation, he began to take off his clothes. "
Empty out all your pockets. Is there anything valuable?"
another policeman shouted. Shang Rong thought for a moment and realized that he didn't have anything valuable on him except for the starry watch. So, he took off the watch, put it on the table, and said, "Does this count?"
The policeman picked up the watch, looked at it for a long time, and asked, "How much did you sell this watch for?"
Shang Rong answered truthfully, "More than 600,000, I guess?"
"How much?"
the two policemen asked loudly, almost in unison. Shang Rong hesitated for a moment, then said humbly, "I don't remember the exact amount, but it was over six hundred thousand."
The two policemen exchanged glances. One of them took the watch and examined it closely for a while, even listening to it. He asked, seemingly disbelieving, "This watch costs over six hundred thousand?"
Before Shang Rong could answer, the burly man in the red vest standing behind him kicked him in the butt, cursing, "Damn it, a piece of junk worth six hundred thousand? Do you think the officials here are all idiots..."
Before the red-vested man could finish speaking, a policeman rushed forward and slapped him twice, yelling, "Fuck you! You've been here so long and you don't even know the rules? Do you have any right to speak here? Get over there!" Shang Rong's
anger instantly subsided. It turned out that the man in the red vest was just like him—how ignorant he was! Another policeman put the watch into a bag, then opened a black leather wallet on the table, took out a wad of cash, glanced at Shang Rong who was taking off his clothes, and muttered to himself, "Looks like you came prepared, carrying so much." He then counted the money one bill at a time and continued, "Five thousand six hundred yuan in total, I'll transfer it to your card later."
Transfer it to my card? Shang Rong didn't understand what the policeman meant, but he didn't dare to ask. Whatever, it would be best if the two of them split the money, then they wouldn't treat him like a monster. Shang Rong was now standing there barefoot in his underwear, not knowing what the next procedure would be.
He saw the policeman who had slapped him kick the man in the red vest and curse, "Don't you have any sense? Why aren't you getting your uniform and shoes?"
In no time, Shang Rong was a prisoner wearing a gray coat, a red vest, and black cloth shoes. The only difference between him and the man in the red vest was that the man in the red vest was bald, while he had thick hair. However, Shang Rong knew that his hair wouldn't last more than a few days.

Chapter 22 First Arrival
When Zi Hui called, Gao Yan had just entered the teahouse. When he woke up this morning, he found that the man was no longer in bed. Looking at the time, he wondered why he was up so early. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: could it be…? Gao Yan dragged his body, which was weak from the man's actions, to Ai Lin's bedroom door. He listened for a while, but there was no sound. He slowly pushed open the bedroom door. It was quiet inside. In the dim light, he could only see the girl sleeping soundly alone in bed. Gao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and stood there in a daze for a while. Thinking about his behavior, he felt ridiculous and bored. So he lazily climbed back into bed and went to sleep. The man never told her where he went. Who told her to fall in love with such an elusive man? However, the lingering soreness in her body reminded her of the shameful things the man had done to her the night before, his infatuation with her body, and the secrets shared only between them. Gao Yan felt her face flush and her heart race. She pulled the blanket over her head, as if someone were watching her. Gao Yan hadn't expected Zi Hui to call her. Hearing Zi Hui's voice, she felt a little uneasy, thinking she was being questioned about Shang Rong and her situation. But Zi Hui simply said coldly, "Shang Rong was taken away by the police at home this morning."
She fell silent, as if giving Gao Yan some time to process her words. Just as Gao Yan was pondering the meaning of those words, Zi Hui continued, "Regardless, I felt it was necessary to tell you."
She hung up after saying that. Gao Yan held the phone, her mind replaying Zi Hui's words, as if Zi Hui's unspoken message was telling her, "Your man doesn't want you anymore!" A chill ran down her spine. First, Zhang Ming's image flashed in her mind, then the outline of the events gradually became clear. They had done it together. Gao Yan felt her body go limp and slumped into a chair. She remembered what her man had said last night about how unsafe her place was. If it wasn't safe there, why had he gone so crazy as to run home so early in the morning? Wasn't that just walking into a trap? A wave of regret washed over Gao Yan. Why had she slept so soundly this morning? If she had woken up earlier and clung to him with her warm body, perhaps she had changed his mind about going home so early, and then this might not have happened. Gao Yan twisted her hair with both hands, filled with a strong urge to cry. She desperately wanted to talk to someone. She even wanted to call Zi Hui to ask where her man was now, what to do next, and what he had said when he was taken away. Deep down, Gao Yan hoped the man had mentioned her name at that moment. At the same time, she also wanted to do something for him. "
Sister, what's wrong?"
Gao Yan knew it was Ai Lin who had come in. She looked up at the girl, pulled her into her arms, and tears finally streamed down her face. "Ai Lin, your older brother has been arrested by the police."
She sobbed uncontrollably, her grief as profound as if she had lost her parents. "
Sister, sister. Why did the police arrest my brother?"
Ai Lin shook Gao Yan, asking. Gao Yan then realized she shouldn't have told Ai Lin this; there were things she didn't understand. Wiping away her tears, Gao Yan stood up and said, "I don't know either. You stay here, I'm going out for a bit."
She turned to leave. "
Sister..."
Ai Lin called out timidly, her expression hesitant. Gao Yan turned around and looked at her, asking, "What is it?"
Ai Lin said hesitantly, "This morning... my brother came to my room..."
Gao Yan's heart skipped a beat. She walked back, put her hand on Ai Lin's shoulder, and whispered, "What... what did he do?"
Ai Lin blushed and lowered her head, saying, "Nothing much... just... just looked at my... body..."
Gao Yan couldn't help but scold, "Then why didn't you keep him..."
Suddenly realizing her words were a bit too blunt, she stopped, sighed deeply, and said as if talking to herself, "I don't know if he'll be able to..."
Before she finished speaking, she hurriedly left. One of the two policemen led Shang Rong through the lobby and onto a long corridor. The corridor was quiet. Shang Rong walked ahead, hearing the clatter of a large bunch of keys in the hand of the policeman behind him. On one side of the corridor were rows of rooms, each with two doors: one a round steel gate locked with a large iron padlock, and the other a thick steel plate door with a small window of about 20x30 centimeters. This must be the prison cell. Why can't I see anyone inside? "Isn't everyone saying the jails are overcrowded?" Then he thought he was worrying unnecessarily. Even if there were more people, it wouldn't make a difference if he were one more. A jail cell isn't a hotel; if a hotel is full, they'll kick you out. Even if a jail cell is full, they won't let you go. "
Stand there! Facing the wall! "
Just as Shang Rong was lost in thought, he heard the policeman behind him shout loudly. Shang Rong happened to be standing by a door, with a bright red "8" on the wall. Damn, the number is quite auspicious. Looks like this is the place. "
Zhang Wangcai!"
"Here!"
A red vest suddenly appeared from nowhere and stood straight by the door. "
Adding someone for you,"
the policeman said. There was a clanging sound, and the gate creaked open. Without waiting for instructions, Shang Rong walked inside. He had just taken a step when the red vest shouted, "Stop!"
Shang Rong was startled. Damn it, are they not letting me in? "
Shout 'Report!' before you enter. Remember that!"
the red-vested officer yelled. Damn it, so much trouble! This isn't the military, why do we have to shout 'Report!' Though he thought this, he didn't show it on his face, because in those short ten minutes, Shang Rong had gradually grasped a little of the secret here: following the rules would avoid trouble. "
Report!"
Shang Rong shouted. "
Louder!"
the red-vested officer yelled. "
Report!"
The sound echoed in the empty corridor. "
Come in and stand by the wall,"
the red-vested officer said, seemingly satisfied. Shang Rong went in and stood by the wall near the door when the policeman slammed the gate shut, locked it, and said to the man named Zhang Wangcai through the door, "Teach him some manners."
He then picked up the jingling keys and left. From the moment he entered the courtyard, Shang Rong was overwhelmed by what he saw and heard, feeling almost breathless. Only now did he have a chance to carefully observe his new home.

Chapter 23 Civilized Management
Shang Rong roughly estimated that the cell was about five or six meters long and four or five meters wide, with an area of about twenty square meters. A communal bed took up four-fifths of the room, leaving only a narrow passage the same width as the door. At the end of the passage was a closed iron door, its destination unknown. No wonder he couldn't see anyone inside earlier; all twenty-odd people were sitting cross-legged on the communal bed, four in a row, hands on their knees, all with their backs straight, as if practicing some kind of martial arts. On the wall opposite the communal bed were two recessed cupboards. The top cupboard was neatly stacked with dozens of quilts, all folded into perfect squares with sharp edges. In the bottom cupboard, toiletries were arranged in a line; all the towels were white, folded into squares, and placed on top of toothbrushes. Anyone who didn't know better would think they'd wandered into a military barracks. "
What's your name?"
Shang Rong turned his head and saw Zhang Wangcai had already climbed onto the communal bunk. However, his seat was different from the others; while the others sat in a row of four facing the door, Zhang Wangcai sat alone with his back against the wall. "
Shang Rong,"
Shang Rong replied, feeling his mouth go dry. "
Shang Long?"
What a ridiculous name! Zhang Wangcai looked at the others and said, "What do you guys think we should call him?" "
Shang means 'do,' so I think we should call him Lao Gan (Old Dry), the 'Gan' in 'doing women',"
said a burly man sitting in the front row. "
Lao Gan, Lao Gan! Great! Did you hear that? From now on, we'll call you Lao Gan,"
Zhang Wangcai laughed heartily, seemingly very happy. Shang Rong remained noncommittal, simply nodding. Arguing with these bastards was idiotic. Lao Gan it is. These bastards have good taste; I've indeed done quite a few women. Zhang Wangcai picked up a book on criminal law beside him and flipped through a few pages idly. He continued slowly, "You heard it too, the cadre told me to teach you the rules properly. There are so many rules, you can't learn them all in one day. But..."
Zhang Wangcai scrutinized Shang Rong for a moment, then continued, "But there are several ways to learn the rules, and it's different for everyone..."
He paused again, flipping through the book. Although dozens of people were sitting in the cell, it was eerily quiet. Shang Rong listened intently, waiting for the hoodlum to continue. After a while, Zhang Wangcai threw the book onto the bed and suddenly asked, "Do you have anyone at home to take care of you?"
Shang Rong didn't understand his meaning at first and looked at Zhang Wangcai with a puzzled expression. A shrewish, weasel-faced boy sitting closest to the edge cursed, "Idiot, the boss is asking if someone in your family regularly sends you food money."
This time, Shang Rong understood, not only the meaning of Zhang Wangcai's words but also his underlying message. A sense of relief washed over him. Damn it, no matter where you go, money talks. These bastards are giving me nicknames and calling me an idiot now. One day I'll make them all call me Grandpa Shang. Shang Rong humbly replied, "Someone's in charge, but it might be a few days before my family sends the money. However, I have some money with the police. I don't know..."
Sure enough, Zhang Wangcai's eyes lit up, and he leaned over the bed, hurriedly asking, "How much?"
Shang Rong thought for a moment and said, "About four or five thousand."
Zhang Wangcai whistled, slapped his thigh, and said, "I was wondering why my left eyelid was twitching this morning; apparently, a distinguished guest has arrived."
Suddenly realizing he'd lost his composure, he coughed and straightened his face, saying, "Although the prison is now implementing..." "It's clearly managed, but new recruits have several obligations they must fulfill upon entering the cell. First, they must scrub the floor every day with a toothbrush, leaving not a single speck of dust. Second, they must clean the toilets until another recruit comes in to relieve them; they have to clean the toilet every time someone has used it. Third…"
Just then, the iron door in the corridor slammed shut, and Zhang Wangcai suddenly yelled, "Class dismissed! Liu Zi, hurry up and get your things out, I'm bursting!" With that, he
jumped off his bunk and ran towards the door, dragging his cloth shoes. Immediately afterward, everyone on the bunk jumped down and rushed towards the door. Shang Rong stood there, unsure whether to follow them out the door or stay where he was. However, he decided to wait; the rules here were strict, and he could easily break them. After a while, a short man came in, who seemed to be the one called Liu Zi. He called out to Shang Rong, "
Come out, the boss wants to see you."
Shang Rong quickly followed him out the door. It turned out that outside the door was a small exercise area, about ten square meters in size, similar to a courtyard. At this moment, the dozens of people were sunbathing in the exercise area. Zhang Wangcai was sitting on a large plastic bucket, smoking a half-smoked cigarette with relish. Shang Rong seemed to only then get a good look at Zhang Wangcai. It turned out that Zhang Wangcai was a fat man who was nearly forty years old. Damn it, even his eyesight is failing in this godforsaken place. "
Old man, where were we?"
Zhang Wangcai asked at the top of his lungs. Shang Rong cursed inwardly: We were talking about your mother's ass. But he said aloud, "We were on the third one."
Zhang Wangcai slapped his forehead and said, "After a few puffs of cigarettes, I'm like a god, I can't remember anything."
He then called out to the big, burly man, "Blind Thief, here, everyone take a puff."
He handed the cigarettes to the one called Blind Thief. Turning back to Shang Rong, he said, "Come in."
He then stood up and walked into the house. "
No need for the third thing,"
Zhang Wangcai said, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at Shang Rong. "Actually, I can tell you're the kind of pampered rich person. Forget the third thing, if you really got serious, you wouldn't be able to handle the rules just to get in
. You'd be skinned alive in a month." Shang Rong grew increasingly impatient. "You just want to take advantage, don't bother with all this nonsense about rules. Just spit it out. I have rules too. If you keep acting tough, I'll make you pay later." Shang Rong had already seen through Zhang Wangcai's little tricks, so he smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, I don't know much about the rules of this cell, but I do know some basic principles of conduct. Since we've all come together, we should naturally help each other. Those with money should contribute money, and those with strength should contribute strength, so that everyone's lives will be a little easier. Here's the deal: I don't know the specifics of the situation here yet, but from now on, I'll take care of anything that requires money. I mean what I say."
Zhang Wangcai listened to Shang Rong's words, squinted at him for a long time, jumped off the bunk, patted Shang Rong on the shoulder, and said, "Good, I didn't expect you to be such a straightforward person. You wasted so much of my breath. Since you've contributed money, someone will naturally do the work for you."
He then leaned closer to Shang Rong with a mysterious look and said, "You must have gotten yourself in here for this, right?"
He rubbed two fingers together on one hand, as if counting money. Shang Rong smiled, and suddenly felt a craving for a cigarette, so he instinctively reached for his pocket. Zhang Wangcai, a master of reading people, immediately recognized Shang Rong's unconscious movement as a craving for a cigarette. He said, "Come outside."
Shang Rong followed Zhang Wangcai outside, where Zhang Wangcai called out, "Liu Zi, make an exception and light one more today."
A moment later, Liu Zi produced a cigarette from somewhere, and everyone stared in astonishment as Zhang Wangcai handed it to the new recruit. Then, even more astonished, they watched as Zhang Wangcai actually lit the cigarette for the recruit. This was something unprecedented since the unit's inception.

Chapter 24: A Human Farce
Qi Xiaoya was excited about her new role at the head office.
However, after the company's high-level meeting that morning, her excitement waned.
Judging from the attitudes of the attendees, she didn't seem to be given the respect she deserved.
Especially Fatty Wang Shili, this seemingly benevolent man, repeatedly interrupted Xiaoya's speech and offered corrections to some of her proposals.
Another important figure—the company's CFO—disregarded her, as she kept her eyes closed as if dozing off during Xiaoya's speech, and the other managers showed her no respect.
While slightly disappointed, Xiaoya fully realized that even with Shang Rong in prison, he was still the true boss of the company. From the fat man to the highly paid CFO from Shanghai, and all the other key managers, they were all handpicked by Shang Rong.
Xiaoya couldn't help but wonder why everyone was so subservient to Zi Hui when she was general manager. Was it simply because she was Shang Rong's woman? Wasn't she nominally Shang Rong's woman too? Why such a huge difference? Xiaoya concluded that regardless of whether someone was Shang Rong's woman or not, anyone who wanted to control the company needed the man's approval and his personal intervention with the company's upper management. It seemed that
Zi Hui's appointment of her as deputy general manager was at best a symbolic supervisory role.
In that case, if Shang Rong didn't get out, her position in the head office wouldn't last long. She
might even have to leave that home sooner or later.
If that were the case, everything she had sacrificed would be in vain, and the ideals buried deep within her heart would never be realized. From the day she met Shang Rong, she believed this man would provide her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She thought that if she seized it, with her intelligence and beauty, she could live a life that most people envied within a few years, just like her mother.
Since Zi Hui's kidnapping, Xiao Ya, through that night alone with the man, believed that they had reached a tacit understanding, and that it wouldn't be long before he would let her take charge of the head office's business.
Unexpectedly, Zi Hui was released, and Xiao Ya was naturally disappointed. However, she didn't expect that Zi Hui, through this blow, would develop a desire to withdraw and no longer want to manage the company's business.
This rekindled Xiaoya's hope. She knew that Shang Rong had no siblings, and his women were from all walks of life. Qiao Fei, though a year older, was merely a professional, lacking the qualities of a manager. Meanwhile, Sun Xiaoyu, the former undercover agent who had impersonated her, was managing the company in Beijing. Zhang Yan was just a plaything in Shang Rong's bed, utterly uncompetitive. Aside from Zi Hui, only Gao Yan was a true rival, but fortunately, she had always been excluded from the family by Zi Hui.
Unfortunately, when opportunity knocked again, the man had unexpectedly stumbled at this crucial juncture.
Xiaoya couldn't help but think of her beastly father, and hatred welled up within her.
As the saying goes, father and son are sworn enemies; Qi Shundong, that beastly father, was her true nemesis. Why did he have to do this at this crucial moment, as if he had calculated it to make her suffer? It seemed she would never escape his shadow.
When Qi Xiaoya left the head office, she was filled with resentment. She suddenly thought of Li Manyuan. For some reason, she felt that she and Li Manyuan, or rather, Li Manyuan and herself, were the same kind of people.
Beautiful appearance; unhappy childhood; rebellious personality; ambitious pursuits and a strong yearning for material life.
This made them stand out in a crowd, and they were mutually attracted. Li Manyuan's unresolved story seemed like a deliberately left cliffhanger, a convenient excuse for Xiaoya to visit her. At this moment, Xiaoya felt a strong urge to see Li Manyuan, not only for the ending of the story, but more importantly, because she needed to confide in her and vent her frustration.
Xiaoya took out her phone and dialed Li Manyuan's number without hesitation… Shang Rong truly couldn't understand it. He was a heavy smoker, having started at sixteen, and his addiction was unparalleled.
However, after he finished the cigarette Zhang Wangcai gave him, he felt dizzy and lightheaded. If Liu Zi hadn't caught him in time, he might have fallen to the ground. He sat on the ground against the wall for a while before gradually recovering. He looked at Zhang Wangcai suspiciously, wondering if they had tampered with the cigarette.
Zhang Wangcai seemed to have known Shang Rong's thoughts all along. After a burst of laughter, he patted Shang Rong on the shoulder and said, "Brother, it seems you're really new to this place. Otherwise, how could you not even know this little bit of common sense? Let me tell you, everyone who's been brought here, the first time they take a puff of a cigarette, they all feel dizzy for a while. I can't explain why. I've never seen anyone smoke a whole cigarette in such a short time without passing out, like you. There are many more strange things that follow. For example, you won't feel hungry for three or four days, you won't feel the urge to urinate or defecate for two or three days, and also, your manhood won't move at all..."
As he spoke, he lewdly rubbed his crotch a few times and continued, "We call these phenomena pre-interrogation Parkinson's syndrome. Almost everyone has experienced it, just for different durations." After listening to Zhang Wangcai's long-winded explanation, Shang Rong gradually understood the reason. What Parkinson's syndrome? That was all nonsense from these ignorant people. In the end, it was just a physiological reaction to a psychological phenomenon.
Just then, two people in the corner seemed to start fighting without any warning, which attracted the jeers of several people.
Zhang Wangcai jumped up, pushed through the crowd, and shouted, "What's wrong with these two idiots? Are they itching for a fight because the prison has been a little easier these past few days?"
The burly man called Blind Thief spoke first, "Boss, this kid actually kept half a cigarette." He then spread out his palm to show everyone the cigarette handle.
Zhang Wangcai hissed, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, looking like a hissing viper flicking its tongue. He barked at the trembling young man, "Where did you steal it from? Confess!"
The young man, pressed against the wall, whispered, "The day before yesterday... I found it on the ground during the interrogation..."
"Well, you've got some nerve," Zhang Wangcai said, his chubby finger almost poking the young man's face. "The day before yesterday, I kept asking you if you'd gotten the goods, and you dared to lie to me." He then yelled at the blind thief, "Make him bend over!" The blind thief and several others pounced on him, quickly flipping the young man to the ground with his buttocks sticking out. One of them reached down and pulled down his trousers, exposing his white buttocks to the sunlight.
Zhang Wangcai lifted one foot, pulled off the shoe, and swung his arm, whipping the young man's buttocks a dozen or twenty times, making the young man scream in pain.
Zhang Wangcai cursed and swung until his wrists ached before stopping. He put his shoes back on, his eyes searching the crowd. He muttered, "Who was in charge of cleaning Yaozi's body when he came back from interrogation the day before yesterday?"
A fair-skinned man in his thirties said, "Boss, I cleaned it. I really don't know how he hid it..."
Zhang Wangcai glanced at him sideways and said, "Is he pretending not to know or really not knowing? Did the two of you conspire to..."
"No, no,"
the man waved his hands frantically, refusing to listen.
Zhang Wangcai sneered, "I can't do that to you." Suddenly, he kicked the man in the buttocks and shouted, "Go hang it on the wall yourself!" He then turned to the blind thief and said, "You supervise. If it's not hung properly, whip him." The man, muttering "Yes, yes..."
, walked to the wall, first stretching out his arms to press his entire body against it, then raising one leg as high as possible to stick it against the wall, his posture resembling a gecko climbing a wall.
Shang Rong watched these events unfold in that short moment, feeling both amused and uneasy. She
couldn't help but sigh.
Look at how depraved she had become, actually associating with these scumbags. But what was so strange about it? Wherever there are people, there is struggle, only the methods differ.
She really didn't know how much longer she would have to stay in this mental hospital.

Chapter 25 Dangerous Person
Zi Hui's car was parked in a corner of the People's Park gate. Because it was Sunday, there were many people at the park entrance.
She didn't understand why Pangolin had chosen this noisy place to meet her, but Pangolin's cautious tone on the phone made Zi Hui feel uneasy.
Zi Hui had met Pangolin a few times at the opening ceremony of the entertainment center, and later occasionally heard the name from Shang Rong. In her memory, Pangolin was like a character from a movie:
taciturn
, with a somber expression and
cold eyes.
However, Shang Rong had repeatedly praised Pangolin's competence and resourcefulness, considering him a reliable person.
Otherwise, the man wouldn't have given her his phone number this morning.
But Zi Hui truly didn't know why she was looking for Pangolin; she hadn't even figured out why the man was in trouble.
In her mind, she should go to the police station and ask what crime her man had committed and where he was being held.
However, they could easily dismiss her with a single sentence: "
Who are you, Lin Zi Hui, to Shang Rong?" But Zi Hui had her own plans since she was there. She wanted to apply her past suspicions and unfounded rumors to Pangolin and see what kind of shady dealings the men had been up to.
From the moment the man was arrested until now, Zi Hui had never doubted her judgment: the police hadn't wrongly arrested Shang Rong; they couldn't have made a mistake.
She meticulously analyzed the man's every word and action over the past year, connecting it to Zhang Yan's escape, her own kidnapping, and Zhang Ming's recent inexplicable death. Adding to this the subtle clues of the man's occasional bouts of erratic behavior, she arrived at a chilling conclusion: Shang Rong had been engaged in criminal activities, and possibly heinous ones. A
knocking sound from the car window startled Zi Hui from her reverie. She recognized Pangolin through the glass immediately.
Those familiar, cold eyes were watching her warily.
Zi Hui gestured to her side, indicating for Pangolin to come in.
Pangolin was wearing a short trench coat, which he had taken off and was holding in his hand before getting into the car.
With a slam of the door, silence fell over the car.
"It all happened so suddenly. He asked me to find you..."
Zi Hui finally broke the silence after a long pause.
Pangolin gazed sadly at a little girl bouncing around with a balloon outside the car window and said, "I shouldn't have let him come back, it was my oversight..."
Zi Hui turned to look at Pangolin and noticed a hint of pain on his face, which stirred something within her.
Who else could it be but him? That guy surnamed Zhao was supposedly fired, and who knew if the guy called Map had gotten a share? Her own company actually had a small team, and even Yang Jun hadn't noticed. What were they after? What did they want to achieve? Money? Was Shang Rong short of money? "I don't know why Shang Rong sent me to you, but you must tell me the truth, what really happened?"
Zi Hui said coldly, looking out the window.
Pangolin remained silent for a long time, his face as expressionless as a wooden statue.
Zi Hui knew he wouldn't tell her the truth without putting some pressure on him.
She sneered, "Pangolin, do you think I, a woman, am not worthy to ask about your affairs? Or do you not want Shang Rong to get out as soon as possible?"
Pangolin reacted slightly to Zi Hui's words, but he wasn't provoked by her.
He thought for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "I can't tell you anything without the boss's permission." He glanced at Zi Hui and continued, "If I could tell you, the boss would have already done so. It's not my place to make decisions on my own." Zi Hui was speechless for a moment, a surge of anger rising within her. She shouted at the pangolin, "Then get the hell out of here! Find somewhere to hide! Shang Rong really misjudged you, making me come looking for you..." "I... I'm in charge of everything related to Shang Rong now." Pangolin seemed surprised by the woman's temper. Although he hadn't directly interacted with Zi Hui, he had heard that the boss's woman was very shrewish and knew that she had even dared to commit suicide by banging her head against a wall when she was kidnapped. However, he could somewhat guess the boss's intention in sending the woman to find him, so he said in a low voice, "The boss isn't here now, so I'll naturally listen to you. Just tell me what you want me to do." Zi Hui took a breath, calming her agitated emotions slightly.
He softened his tone and said, "What do I want you to do? I just want to know how to get Shang Rong out of that godforsaken place. Do you think I want to get involved in your petty affairs?"
The pangolin thought, "Finally, they've hit the nail on the head. "
He turned to the side and saw that the woman's eyes seemed to be filled with tears. His heart softened, and he patiently said, "I've thought about it. Things aren't that serious as they seem. They've only criminally detained the boss. As long as they don't arrest him, it means they don't have solid evidence and are just hoping for a confession. I believe the boss can hold out. They won't get anything of value." Seeing Zi Hui's tearful eyes fixed on him, Pangolin suddenly felt his face burning. He quickly looked out the window, took a deep breath, and continued, "Find a lawyer and go to the police station every day to inquire about the situation.
Also, find a woman named Li Qing." As he spoke, Pangolin took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Zi Hui, saying, "This is her phone number. She might give you some advice." Zi Hui looked at the phone number, lowered her eyelids, and asked, "Does Shang Rong have anything to do with this woman?"
Pangolin didn't understand what the woman meant at first, but then he realized and thought, "Women are just damn emotional creatures. Even at a time like this, she's still jealous. "
“This is an inside agent the boss has been cultivating,” Pangolin explained cautiously. “I don’t know much about her, but the boss said she has connections with higher-ups and can put pressure on Qi Shundong if necessary.” As Pangolin mentioned Qi Shundong, Zi Hui immediately thought of Xiao Ya and Zhu Hong, seemingly understanding the true purpose behind the man’s efforts with the mother and daughter.
This rascal actually saw so far ahead.
“President Lin, didn’t the boss mention Zhang Ming’s wife to you?”
Since hearing the news of the boss’s accident, Lu Feng had become a headache for Pangolin. If it weren’t for Zhang Ming’s involvement, Pangolin would have taken it upon himself to make the woman disappear as well.
Now that Zi Hui was involved, he might as well let her handle it; women’s matters are best handled by women.
Zi Hui slapped her forehead and said, “I almost forgot, is her… is that child Zhang Ming’s?”
Zi Hui didn’t understand why she had blurted out this question.
Pangolin was taken aback, looking at the woman’s flushed face, knowing that the boss must have instructed her about this.
Unexpectedly, even in his haste, the boss was still thinking about this. No wonder the woman was so suspicious; what man would have time to care about another woman's unborn child at such a moment, unless the child was his own?
Thinking of this, Pangolin couldn't help but be moved by the boss's fearless spirit.
He hurriedly said, "That child is definitely Zhang Ming's. The boss swore to Zhang Ming that he would raise his child..."
Zi Hui nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Where...where are you and your men?"
Pangolin avoided the woman's gaze and said, "President Lin, please don't ask about this.
It's better for you." Saying this, he opened the car door and prepared to get out.
Zi Hui hurriedly asked, "Then what are you planning to do?"
Pangolin turned back to look at Zi Hui and said darkly, "We have our methods." Zi Hui said seriously, "I don't care what you do, but remember one thing: you must never let the police find any more evidence against you." Pangolin stared at the woman for a while without saying a word, opened the car door and got out. Behind him, the woman's voice came: "Pangolin, what's your real name?"
Pangolin thought to himself with annoyance, women's curiosity is really damn strong.
He didn't even turn his head, and soon disappeared into the crowd.
Zi Hui was left alone in the car, staring blankly at his retreating figure.

Chapter 26 Introducing
One ear-piercing bell suddenly rang.
Zhang Wangcai yelled at the top of his lungs, "Sit down! Sit down!" Then he kicked the person climbing the wall like a gecko and cursed, "You got off easy! Get back inside now!" A group of people hurriedly rushed back into the room, followed by a series of thumping sounds as they climbed onto the bunks. Soon, more than twenty people were sitting neatly on their bunks, just as Shang Rong had seen earlier, and began practicing their skills.
Just as Shang Rong was wondering what to do, Zhang Wangcai pointed to someone in the third row and said, "You move back, Lao Gan, sit here.
Liu Zi, you damn well better hurry up and put your shoes away." Shang Rong quickly took off his shoes and climbed onto the bunk, mimicking the others' posture.
"Lao Gan, look at your shoes!" Liu Zi yelled at him.
Shang Rong looked down and saw dozens of cloth shoes neatly arranged in a straight line, toes facing outwards and heels inwards, except for his own shoes, which were carelessly tossed about haphazardly.
He muttered an apology and was about to get up to
arrange the shoes when Zhang Wangcai said, "I'll let it go this time, but be careful next time. Liu Zi, go and arrange the shoes properly." In an instant, the room fell silent. Shang Rong looked at Zhang Wangcai, who was sitting against the wall, eyes slightly closed, like a fat monk in meditation. "
Is this what they call sitting at work? Damn it, I don't know how long I'll have to sit like this, motionless.
I can't take it anymore." "I have to endure it," a voice inside him cried. "
Who told you to be so stupid as to come here?"
Zheng Gang used to sit like this before, didn't he?
Just then, the sound of jingling keys came from the corridor. Shang Rong had entered by the sound behind him.
Sure enough, Zhang Wangcai opened his eyes wide and said in a low voice, "Checking shifts is starting. Sit up straight, old man, straighten your back.
Today is Warden Wang's shift. Anyone who causes trouble, I won't let them off." Before Zhang Wangcai finished speaking, the clinking of keys grew closer, and soon a thin policeman in his thirties appeared outside the gate.
Zhang Wangcai jumped to the ground, grinning broadly, and reached through the gap in the fence to take the key from the policeman. He skillfully unlocked the padlock and then stood ramrod straight by the gate.
The moment the gate opened, more than twenty people in the cell shouted in unison, "Good day, Warden! Welcome to the inspection!"
The sudden sound startled Shang Rong.
What kind of procedure was this? Welcome to the inspection? Shang Rong couldn't help but want to laugh. Could they not welcome him? It seemed this was Warden Wang, the one Zhang Wangcai had mentioned.
The warden, Wang, his face ashen, paced back and forth from the doorway to the inside, his hawk-like eyes scanning everyone's faces. When he saw Shang Rong, his gaze lingered for a moment, causing Shang Rong to shudder involuntarily.
"What's your name?"
Warden Wang suddenly asked, pointing at him.
Shang Rong hesitated for a moment before answering, "Shang Rong." No sooner had Shang Rong finished speaking than Zhang Wangcai shouted, "Say 'Reporting, warden!'" Shang Rong reacted quickly, correcting himself, "Reporting, warden, my name is Shang Rong." A deathly silence fell, and Shang Rong felt a little suffocated. Just as he was feeling uneasy, Warden Wang walked to the door, seemingly uninterested in this trivial matter. His sharp gaze fixed on the ramrod-stiff Zhang Wangcai, and he said, word by word, "I rested yesterday, but I didn't expect that today, another warden would report to me that you have a lighter here.
Do you want me to conduct a thorough search, or will you hand it over voluntarily?" He then swept his gaze across everyone's faces again.
A tense atmosphere filled the cell; no one dared to breathe, yet no one stepped forward to hand over the lighter.
Warden Wang calmly said, "I expect someone to hand over the lighter before lunch.
Otherwise, your shopping privileges will be revoked this month, and your exercise yard will be closed for a month." He then walked towards the door. As soon as he left, Zhang Wangcai quickly reached out and locked the padlock. Immediately afterward, the twenty-odd men shouted, "Thank you for the inspection!" Then the clinking of Warden Wang's keys faded into the distance.
Zhang Wangcai immediately jumped onto his bunk, gritting his teeth and cursing, "Damn it, whose mouth is so fast? Who's been taken out recently?"
He then scanned each person's face with the same ferocity Warden Wang had shown, seemingly trying to identify the informant.
The blind thief said, "Boss, it wasn't anyone in the cell who did it.
I think it was Warden Li from cell number 6 who told Warden Wang." "How did Warden Li know we had water guns (lighters)?"
Zhang Wangcai asked.
The blind thief said, "We often use it in the exercise yard. Those bastards next door probably heard it and then told Warden Li." Zhang Wangcai nodded thoughtfully and said, "No wonder. Yesterday, the 6th instructor was making sarcastic remarks in the exercise yard, saying he wanted to borrow our water guns. So that's why..."
Liu Zi interjected, "Anyway, Warden Li and our Warden Wang are at odds. He'd better be careful when he's on duty. If he catches you doing something wrong, it'll be troublesome." Zhang Wangcai said resentfully, "I don't believe the 6th is so clean. Everyone, be smart and find some trouble for them so Warden Wang can vent his anger." Shang Rong listened to the conversation but only half understood what they were saying. He just felt that although the place was small, it was also a place of great interest. "Old man, you're lucky today," Zhang Wangcai said, looking at the dazed Shang Rong. “Remember, from now on, you must call out ‘Report!’ before speaking to any cadre.
It’s strange today; even though Warden Wang was in a bad mood, he didn’t slap you.” The blind thief laughed, “The old cadre acts like a big boss, so the cadres are giving him face.” "Nonsense!"
Zhang Wangcai scoffed. "What face? What kind of people haven't these guards seen?
Last time, that Zhang what-his-name, the bank manager, the one who embezzled hundreds of millions, just because he didn't report it, he got slapped so many times by Guard Wang that his nose bled, and he was even punished by cleaning toilets for a month.
Even if you're a big shot, can you compare to that bank manager? Old man, I advise you to keep your cool. I've seen through your type. Physical suffering is one thing, but I'm afraid you can't afford the humiliation." He sighed and continued, "But since you're already in this situation, just accept it." Shang Rong didn't know what Zhang Wangcai did before, or what he'd done to get here, but he could tell this man was a cunning old fox. He'd actually read his mind, seemingly discussing matters but secretly issuing a warning. Shang
Rong felt a surge of unease. Facing the unknown future, a deep sorrow welled up inside him. He couldn't help but think of Zi Hui. What was she doing now?

Chapter 27 A Soft Yet Firm Touch
Li Manyun seemed to have just woken up, wearing a semi-transparent gauze nightgown, revealing her dark bra and pale yellow panties underneath.
However, she appeared to have already prepared to welcome Xiaoya in her apartment; several kinds of fresh fruit were laid out on the coffee table. As
soon as Xiaoya entered, Li Manyun opened her arms and gave the girl a deep hug, as if the other were a sister she hadn't seen in years, making Qi Xiaoya blush.
"Hey! Xiaoya, what's wrong? I could tell you were in a bad mood on the phone." She said, pulling the girl's hand to sit on the sofa.
"Come on, tell your sister what's on your mind." Xiaoya felt the woman's warmth, and the almost naked body made Xiaoya unsure where to look.
She could only stare at the fruit on the coffee table and say softly, "I'm like this, but I came here today to hear your story." Li Manyuan stared at the girl with her beautiful eyes and slowly shook her head, saying, "I don't believe you. Can't you tell your sister what's on your mind?"
This was the second time Xiaoya had heard Li Manyuan refer to herself as "sister." She thought, "Isn't she about to marry that person? Why is she still calling me 'sister'? Isn't this all messed up?" "It's nothing, I'm just feeling down," Xiaoya finally admitted.
Li Manyuan pressed on relentlessly, "Then tell me what's bothering you, or you'll be stuck with it forever." Saying this, she stood up, walked to a small wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine with a foreign label, returned to the sofa, and said with a smile, "No rush. Anyway, it's Sunday today. Let's have a good chat, sisters. Look, this is an imported wine that a good friend gave me. I heard it costs several thousand yuan a bottle. Let's try some, but I don't drink alcohol, I'll only have a little bit." Saying this, she poured a little into each of two stemmed glasses.
Xiaoya was secretly surprised to hear that the wine cost several thousand yuan a bottle. She thought to herself, "Shang Rong is considered a wealthy man, but the wine he drinks only costs a few hundred yuan a bottle. I never expected there to be such expensive wine. It seems I'm really ignorant."
Partly out of curiosity, and partly because she really wanted a drink, Xiaoya imitated Li Manyuan, picking up her wine glass and slowly pouring
a little wine into her mouth. After finishing, she smacked her lips, savoring the taste.
Li Manyuan looked at the girl and asked, "How is it? Do you like it?"
Xiaoya nodded and said, "The taste is quite good, but the alcohol is too strong." Li Manyuan laughed, "This is also my first time drinking this kind of wine. It's definitely strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't see those foreigners in movies jumping and singing in the street after drinking it. However, it's much better than our strong liquor, which is like a 'sharp knife.' Drinking even a little too much of it will damage your heart and lungs. I think this wine is good." She then poured two more glasses.
Xiaoya felt a warm, comfortable sensation from her chest to her stomach. She couldn't help but think, "Foreign things are so good! No wonder imported goods are so popular now." She wondered if her country bumpkin had ever tasted this kind of wine.
Thinking of Shang Rong, Xiaoya's melancholy returned, and her recently relaxed brows furrowed again.
Unconsciously, she picked up her glass and took a small sip.
Xiaoya's emotions didn't escape Li Manyuan's notice. She chuckled inwardly, "This little thing is trying to drown her sorrows in alcohol." She leaned closer to Xiaoya and whispered, "Little sister, can you tell me now? What happened?"
After a little wine, Xiaoya seemed to relax completely. She half-reclined on the sofa, feeling drowsy from the woman's subtle fragrance.
She was a policewoman; perhaps she knew something about Shang Rong. Why not ask her?
"I... um... my boyfriend was arrested by your police this morning..."
"You mean Shang Rong?"
Li Manyuan seemed surprised.
She couldn't help but curse inwardly, "That old man, he's so tight-lipped. He was so wild in bed last night and didn't utter a single word. If it weren't for the little one being so distraught, she'd still be completely in the dark." "Why did they arrest him? Was it the city's criminal investigation team?"
Li Manyuan seemed even more anxious than Xiaoya.
"It seems like one of his subordinates got into trouble and it implicated him, but I don't know the specifics.
I think it must be related to... him." Xiaoya could tell from Li Manyuan's expression that she didn't know anything about the matter, so she didn't want to continue.
Li Manyuan softened her expression, adopting a teasing look, and whispered in Xiaoya's ear, "No wonder you look so distraught. So your own father arrested your boyfriend. This is like the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple! You're really something else!" She finished, smiling as she watched the girl's reaction.
Seeing the woman's gloating expression, Xiaoya was displeased, snorted, and turned her head away.
Suddenly, she felt a slight tingling sensation on her neck, followed by Li Manyun's slightly magnetic voice in her ear.
"Why don't you beg him to let your boyfriend go? He's always been so..."
Xiaoya sat up abruptly from the sofa, her face flushed, and demanded sharply, "What did he say to you? Tell me!"
Li Manyun was startled, reaching up to adjust the strap of her pajamas that had slipped off her shoulder, moving slightly away from the girl, looking at her with suspicion. Just a moment
ago she was as docile as a Persian cat, how did she suddenly turn into a tigress?
However, Li Manyun was a worldly person, and instantly calmed down, chuckling, and said, "You wouldn't be interested in what he told me, and besides, I can't let a little girl like you hear it!"
She then seemed unable to suppress her laughter and giggled again.
Xiaoya's earlier anger vanished immediately at Li Manyun's laughter; it turned out she was just teasing her.
Xiaoya put down her wine glass and pounced on the woman, yelling, "You dare make fun of me? I'll teach you a lesson..."
Li Manyuan was knocked down onto the sofa by Xiaoya, her nightgown lifted up, revealing two dazzlingly white thighs flailing about beside the sofa. Even Xiaoya couldn't help but feel a ripple of desire at the sight of her pale yellow panties covering her lower body.
"Good sister... you're crushing me... let me go..."
Li Manyuan seemed weak and powerless in her resistance, one hand tightly wrapped around the girl's slender waist, while the other hand seemingly unintentionally caressed Xiaoya's buttocks and legs.
Xiaoya seemed to sense something was wrong. Although she seemed to have the upper hand on Li Manyuan, one of her arms was so strong that she couldn't move. Xiaoya felt something softer rubbing against her breasts, and in an instant, Xiaoya sensed the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
"I'm done... you... let me go..."
Xiaoya cried out, struggling to break free.
But just then, Li Manyun flipped over and easily pinned Xiaoya beneath her.
She gazed at the girl's flushed face and panting lips, gently calling out, "My little darling..."
Then, with a swift movement, she captured the girl's mouth. Amid the girl's soft resistance, one hand reached down to undo her belt, then slipped between the girl's legs through her waistband—a swift movement that even a man couldn't match.
Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, perhaps it was the youthful body yearning for comfort, perhaps it was the lonely soul with nowhere to rest; in any case, after a period of whimpering resistance, Xiaoya's delicate body trembled, and she felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into an abyss of unparalleled pleasure…

Chapter 28 Clear Divide
When the piercing bell rang again, it was finally lunchtime. Shang Rong felt that his legs were almost numb. He hung his legs on the edge of the bed and swung them, hoping that the excruciating numbness would be relieved a little. At this moment, he saw Zhang Wangcai call a young man in his twenties into the exercise yard, while the blind thief blocked the door, preventing anyone from leaving. After about five minutes, Zhang Wangcai and the young man returned to the house.
Suddenly, someone whispered, "Stand still! Stand still! Warden Wang is here." As soon as the words were spoken, Warden Wang appeared in front of the gate.
Zhang Wangcai quickly ran to the front, stood at attention, and said loudly, "Reporting to Warden Wang, the lighter has been handed over." As he spoke, he opened the lighter he was holding in his hand.
"Who brought him in?"
Warden Wang asked sternly.
"Report, it was prisoner Xu Liang who was brought in during an interrogation." He then shouted to the back, "Xu Liang, come here!"
The young man who had been called to the exercise yard by Zhang Wangcai earlier walked over with a bitter face,
standing with his head down in the doorway.
This time, Warden Wang opened the cell door himself.
Shang Rong looked at Warden Wang's ashen face, expecting a storm to break.
Strangely, nothing happened. Warden Wang simply gestured with his chin, and Xu Liang went out, locked the door, and followed Warden Wang away.
Zhang Wangcai suddenly sighed and said to the blind thief, "Who knows when we'll be able to get another water gun?" The blind thief replied, "Yeah, we're going to be savages again." The rest of the people stood in the passageway, chattering amongst themselves. Zhang Wangcai shouted, "What the hell are you all making! Leave two people to get the food, the rest of you get out!" Shang Rong was about to stand up and go with the others to keep watch when Zhang Wangcai stopped him, saying, "Old Gan, from now on you'll be in charge of getting the food.
Observe how others do it first." Shang Rong had no choice but to stand there, watching two people, one carrying a bucket and the other a basin, standing at the door.
Another person lifted the sheet on the bed, revealing half of the wooden bed.
Could this be the dining table? Shang Rong guessed.
But there were no chairs.
Just then, a clear and pleasant clanging sound of metal came from the passageway.
Shang Rong was certain that this wasn't the sound of the guard's keychain. Sure enough, Xu Liang appeared in front of the gate, his hands behind his back, and dragging a pair of shackles on his feet.
Shang Rong had only ever seen such things in movies when he was a child, but those shackled were always Communist Party members, admirable heroes. What was Xu Liang? Did he deserve to wear that? Suddenly, he realized that times had changed. Now people were divided into good and bad, not heroes and cowards. Besides himself, who among the people here was a good person? Just as Shang Rong was lost in thought, Guard Wang appeared at the gate and opened the cell door.
Shang Rong felt Guard Wang clearly scrutinize him for a moment, then said to Zhang Wangcai, "I have something to say to you." Zhang Wangcai quickly shouted to the people around him, "You all get out, quickly!" After shooing them out, he went to the gate and closed the exercise yard door tightly.
The exercise yard was now packed with people, including Xu Liang, whose hands were cuffed behind his back and whose ankles were shackled. What surprised Shang Rong was that Xu Liang showed no sign of grief; instead, he exuded an arrogant air, like a general returning victorious from the battlefield.
"Xu Liang, how many days have you been in this mess?"
someone asked.
Xu Liang spat on the ground and said disdainfully, "Only a week.
Damn it, even my postpartum confinement won't last long." Someone laughed, "So who are you planning to have as your personal maid?"
Xu Liang's eyes darted around the crowd. Shang Rong felt those shifty eyes glance at her face several times, so she quickly lowered her head and turned away, her heart pounding.
Fortunately, the gate to the exercise yard opened in time, and Zhang Wangcai called out, "Food's ready! Food's ready!" Shang Rong remembered that Zhang Wangcai had taught him how to serve food, so he quickly ran inside and stood by the door. Just then, with a rumbling sound, a metal cart was pushed to the gate, and a small window in the gate opened. The person carrying the bucket quickly reached out with both hands and saw people outside scooping things into the bucket, one spoonful at a time. Shang Rong craned his neck to look and saw that it was just vegetable soup with a few vegetable leaves floating in it.
Then the person carrying the basin walked to the front of the gate and said, "Twenty-five people." Steamed buns were thrown into the basin one by one.
Shang Rong noticed that the steamed buns were a bit bluish in color.
After getting their food, when Shang Rong turned around, he was surprised to find that everyone had been divided into two groups: one group was sitting on the beds, and the other group was squatting on the ground along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), with a white porcelain bowl in front of each person.
It was obvious that those sitting on the beds had a higher status than those squatting on the ground.
Only then did Shang Rong remember what Zhang Wangcai had said. He truly had no appetite. Watching that man carry a bucket and ladle the vegetable soup into everyone's bowls, he even felt nauseous.
He looked at Zhang Wangcai and saw him still sitting in his original spot, but in front of him, besides the steamed buns, were two bowls containing what appeared to be fried peanuts and leftover stir-fried vegetables.
In a fleeting glance, Shang Rong saw Xu Liang sitting in the middle of the bed, a pile of iron chains between his legs, his hands behind his back.
Was he going to eat directly from the bowl with his mouth? That was quite an eye-opener.
Just as Shang Rong was curiously about how Xu Liang would eat, Zhang Wangcai clapped his hands, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Then, shouting at the top of his lungs, "I have two announcements before dinner.
First, Xu Liang will be in confinement for a week starting today. Wang Feng, you'll be in charge of taking care of the confinement nanny. If you don't do a good job, I'll skin you alive.
The second thing—"
He glanced at Shang Rong and continued, "Wang the warden just personally instructed that although Lao Gan is a new recruit, he won't be on duty or on shifts. He'll sit at the second table for meals and sleep in the second bunk at night. Don't say I broke the rules.
However, Lao Gan won't treat you all unfairly. We might even benefit from Lao Gan's treatment in the future. Did everyone understand?" Everyone looked at Shang Rong with surprise and envy, wondering who this Lao Gan was, receiving such treatment on his very first day in the cell.
Zhang Wangcai waved to Shang Rong and said, "Lao Gan, what are you waiting for? Take off your shoes and come up here!" Only then did Shang Rong notice the empty seat between Zhang Wangcai and the blind thief. It turned out that it was reserved for him.
He waved his hand and said, "I...I'm not hungry at all." Zhang Wangcai laughed, "I know you're not hungry, but you must sit down, that's the rule." Helpless, Shang Rong had no choice but to take off his shoes, climb onto the kang (heated brick bed), and sit in the so-called second seat.
He couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
These people actually made such a pointless trick seem sacred; no matter what, people never forget to put shackles on themselves and others.
However, Shang Rong knew very well that this treatment was something Zi Hui had fought for for him outside; otherwise, who would he be among these people?
He hadn't expected Zi Hui to act so quickly. Thinking back to how helpless he was when Zi Hui was kidnapped, Shang Rong couldn't help but feel guilty, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.

Chapter 29 The Dark Realm
Xiao Ya had been passively involved in several fake sexual encounters with Qiao Fei in bed before, and had some understanding of the methods involved. After moving into Shang Rong's house, she also longed for what happened in Zi Hui and Qiao Fei's bedroom, but she hadn't fully accepted it psychologically.
At this moment, from Li Manyun's eyes, her hand movements, and her fiery body, Xiaoya clearly understood the woman's intentions towards her. She had initially intended to resist, but the wine she had drunk seemed to have undergone a change; it was no longer just the numbing effect of alcohol, but also made her body unbearably hot.
Although Xiaoya had been teased by Shang Rong before, experiencing more excitement and stimulation than shyness, she had never felt this way before. She could hardly believe her desire was so intense.
When Li Manyun's hand touched the muddy area between Xiaoya's legs, she knew the substance she had added to the wine had worked. Looking at the girl beneath her, her alluring drunken state and the soft moans escaping her throat, she knew the girl had no chance of resistance. So, she propped herself up, panting, and admired the girl's disheveled and alluring appearance for a moment before reaching under the girl's body and easily lifting her up like a man, then walking towards the bedroom.
It was a huge bedroom, almost a hundred square meters.
A thick pure wool carpet covered the floor, and the entire wall was covered with solid wood. The ceiling, more than half a meter thick, was decorated with winged cherubs. At the far end of the room was a four-poster mahogany bed with a crown, and the snow-white sheets on the bed were dazzling.
Li Manyu gently placed Xiaoya on the bed, her eyes almost brimming with tears.
She first stroked the girl's delicate face for a while, then pulled down the jeans that were already hanging on her legs.
Xiaoya made a "mmm" sound and stretched out a soft little hand to push away in vain, until she felt a chill in her lower body, then helplessly covered her burning cheeks with her hands and gave up resisting.
Looking at the girl's smooth and slender legs, Li Manyu didn't bother to take off her other clothes, but instead fondled them up and down, the sound of her palms sliding across the skin like a woman's sighs.
Finally, her hand grasped the pink panties, and her movements were no longer as gentle as before. Amid the girl's intoxicated moans, she almost ripped them off in one swift motion. Before the girl could react, her hands quickly spread the two jade legs apart, and her fiery eyes were fixed on the high, snow-white mounds.
She let out a soul-stirring exclamation.
God! Why is there such a huge difference in this area between women? Those men actually spouted nonsense about comparing looks; if they had seen Xiaoya's private parts, they wouldn't have made such foolish exclamations.
Li Manyuan stretched out her nipple and licked her dry lips, her hand trembling as she carefully covered the smooth, warm jade-like vulva, her eyes slightly closed, seemingly trying to feel the living texture.
She asked herself repeatedly, was she really going to give such a wonderful thing to that pregnant man to play with at will? If this little thing knew her intentions, she might fight her to the death; judging from her personality, it was hard to predict the consequences.
Li Manyuan looked up at the girl's face; the little hands seemed to have lost even the last bit of strength to cover her shame, sliding down her face and helplessly sprawling on the pillow. Only the restless trembling of her long eyelashes indicated that the girl was conscious.
A maternal tenderness welled up in Li Manyuan's heart. She climbed onto the bed, pulled the girl into her arms, and covered their two burning bodies with a thin blanket from the headboard. She whispered in the girl's ear, "Oh, my little darling... I won't let anyone touch you... You belong to me alone..."
Night enveloped the earth, and the early spring night was as cool as water. A few streets away from Gao Yan's teahouse, there was a newly built residential area. Since the developer had just started selling, the basic construction of the area was not yet in place, so most of the houses were still vacant. Only a few windows in the dozen or so buildings had lights shining through, and the entire area was immersed in darkness.
Ailin's brother, Aishan, practically ran into an apartment building. By the time he reached the fifth floor, he was panting heavily. He stood before a door, took a few deep breaths as if to calm his excitement, and then knocked five times. After a while, no one answered. Aishan muttered something and knocked five more times. Soon, a deep voice from inside asked, "Who's looking for?"
Aishan leaned closer and replied, "From the teahouse." The door opened, and light streamed in, revealing a man standing in the shadows. He looked at Aishan, then peeked up the stairs, said, "Come in," and turned to walk into the apartment. Before entering,
Aishan cautiously glanced up the stairs a few times and closed the door.
It was an ordinary two-bedroom apartment; the rooms were unfurnished, and the newly painted walls still smelled of paint.
The living room wasn't brightly lit; only a small table lamp illuminated a corner cabinet, against which sat an old sofa. Aside from these few items, the living room felt empty despite its small size.
The man who opened the door appeared to be in his thirties or forties, wearing wide-rimmed glasses, an old gray-white sweater, and loose casual pants.
He seemed indifferent to Aishan's arrival, making no attempt to greet him.
He sat in the shadows of the lamp, engrossed in a thick book, ignoring Aishan standing before him.
As soon as Aishan entered the room, before even sitting down, she impatiently said to the man, "Well, that's it, all that work for nothing! What a waste!" The man seemed taken aback by Aishan's words, unable to concentrate on his book any longer. He looked up at Aishan and asked in a deep voice, "Who told you that?" Aishan approached the man, waving her hand excitedly, "Who else could it be? Ailin told me herself when I went to the teahouse this afternoon. I waited until dark to see Gao Yan, and she admitted it, but she was in a bad mood and didn't want to talk to me. She doesn't know the specifics yet." The man couldn't hold back any longer. He threw down his book, stood up from the sofa, and ripped off his wide-rimmed glasses. His eyes glared fiercely at Aishan, as if Aishan had kidnapped his wealthy patron. In the dim light, one could vaguely make out that this man was none other than Zheng Gang, who hadn't been seen in a long time.

Chapter 30 A Hero's End
When Zheng Gang left that small mountain village, he took Ai Shan and her brother, who were eager to make a quick fortune, with him
. After several twists and turns, they finally sneaked back to the city. Zheng Gang carefully considered the matter of Ai Shan and her brother traveling with him.
It wasn't just a matter of personal safety, but also a matter of finances.
The 100,000 yuan he had initially invested in a business with Ai Hua hadn't yielded much profit yet, so when they left, they had only managed to scrape together 10,000 yuan. Zheng Gang knew how long 10,000 yuan could last for three people, and given his status, unexpected expenses could arise at any time.
However, from another perspective, precisely because of his status as a fugitive, he couldn't be in the public eye all the time. He would inevitably need someone to run errands for him, and hiring people was not an option for him, neither from a safety nor financial standpoint. Ai Shan was different; he was not only an informant but also an accomplice. Zheng Gang warned Ai Shan, "If anything happens, you'll be an accomplice." Subsequent events proved that Zheng Gang's decision was correct.
When Zheng Gang first arrived in the city, he was very nervous. He knew that even ten years later, the police wouldn't shelve his case. The few days he spent in the village were just the time it would take for the police to hold a few case analysis meetings.
At the same time, Zheng Gang didn't dare underestimate his old classmate, Shang Rong.
From a public and private perspective, the police were doing their job when they arrested him. For an individual policeman, whether he was caught or not wouldn't cause Zheng Gang any major problems.
Shang Rong was different. The huge sum of money he held was like a hot potato—he couldn't swallow it, and he couldn't bear to spit it out. He was constantly on edge, afraid of being caught by the police and also afraid of causing trouble for them. Therefore, he only had one option: to disappear from the face of the earth. Only in this way could Shang Rong enjoy his wealth at will.
Therefore, Zheng Gang was more wary of Shang Rong than of the police.
However, Zheng Gang was quite proud of his decision to return to his old haunts.
In his mind, all major criminals always tried every means to escape the scene of the crime, getting as far away from the investigating police as possible.
Few people would dare to return like him, and if he guessed correctly, the police probably thought he was long gone and would never dream he'd be back under their noses.
His old classmate, Shang Rong, probably thought the same.
Therefore, Zheng Gang's return was a long-term strategy. He didn't intend to disturb Shang Rong until things were completely settled. He wanted to lurk quietly like a hunter beside his enemy, while also being as careful as prey to avoid being tracked by hunting dogs.
However, money was a constant problem.
For safety, he had to frequently change hiding places, and with the added burden of feeding and caring for three people, Zheng Gang soon ran out of money.
No money meant he couldn't stay there any longer, and even Ai Shan began to mock him.
He complained about being a beggar while guarding a god of wealth, even feeling cheated, and wanted to take Ailin home.
Without money, Zheng Gang couldn't be forceful and could only try to persuade Aishan while simultaneously trying to find a way to get money.
For a while, he almost couldn't resist calling Shang Rong. He believed that if he asked for 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, Shang Rong wouldn't dare refuse. However, doing so would expose his whereabouts, and Shang Rong would definitely search for him while giving him the money. In their current situation, doing so would only bring unexpected danger.
But the problem of feeding the three of them still needed to be solved. Helpless, Zheng Gang had Aishan call Aihua for help. Aihua did send 5,000 yuan, but her intention was to live a peaceful life with Zheng Gang and didn't want him to do dangerous things. Besides, thinking about her brother and sister being involved in this matter, Aihua had already begun to regret it.
She asked Aishan to tell Zheng Gang that this was the last time she would send him money; if things didn't improve, they should all go home.
Hearing Aishan's words, Zheng Gang felt a surge of resentment towards women, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
His immediate priority was to find a way to feed himself. He painstakingly persuaded Aishan to find some temporary work, sometimes earning ten or eight yuan to supplement the food expenses for several people. However, Aishan's words were often harsh, frequently making sarcastic and insinuating remarks, leaving Zheng Gang feeling both ashamed and angry. Helpless, he was now dependent on Aishan for support, so besides continuing to paint a rosy picture of the future for her, he could only patiently endure her provocations, transferring all his hatred onto Shang Rong.
It was all this heartless old classmate's fault that had driven him to this point.
That night, Zheng Gang paced anxiously back and forth in his rented room. It was already eleven o'clock, and Aishan still hadn't returned. Ailin, her eyelids drooping, had gone to sleep.
This had never happened before.
Could something have happened? Zheng Gang felt a surge of tension. He went to the window and furtively peered outside. The streets were deserted in the cold night. Zheng Gang felt his heart pounding. If Ai Shan had been in trouble, he would be in grave danger—a life-or-death situation.
Nearly a year on the run had honed Zheng Gang's keen sense of smell and quick reflexes.
Five more minutes.
If Ai Shan didn't return in five minutes, he had to leave immediately.
He quickly gathered his few belongings and went to the small room next door. He saw Ai Lin lying on the bed, fast asleep. Zheng Gang reached out to wake her, but then a thought struck him: wouldn't she be a burden? His hand froze in mid-air.
Only one thought occupied his mind: leave immediately, alone.
Just as Zheng Gang reached the door, ready to flee, a series of loud knocks echoed in the quiet night, each one striking a chord in his heart, making him tremble with fear.
"Who is it?"
Zheng Gang asked in a trembling voice.
"Damn it, open the door!" came Aishan's voice from outside.
Zheng Gang relaxed his tense nerves slightly, then opened the door. A blast of cold air and the strong smell of alcohol hit him, and then Aishan's tall figure stumbled in. He didn't even glance at Zheng Gang, went straight into the room, and collapsed onto the bed without even taking off his shoes, falling asleep immediately.
So he was drunk.
That bastard scared the hell out of me.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zheng Gang's mind: Aishan couldn't have been drinking like this alone. Who was he drinking with? He didn't know anyone in this city, and he hadn't heard him mention making any new friends recently.
Zheng Gang went over and shook Aishan's body vigorously, trying to find out what was going on. He couldn't be careless about safety.
But Aishan was like a dead man, just snoring loudly, showing no signs of waking up.
He couldn't have come back alone in this state; someone must have brought him.
Zheng Gang rushed to the window and peered into the dark night for a while before sitting down in a chair, listening to Ai Shan's snoring. He was so anxious that he didn't sleep all night.

Chapter 31 Audacious Astounding
The next morning, as soon as Aishan got out of bed, Zheng Gang impatiently asked, "Who were you drinking with last night?"
Aishan rubbed his aching temples and mumbled, "You wouldn't know even if I told you." Zheng Gang followed him to the bathroom door and said sternly, "Aishan, let me tell you, this is no joke. I won't argue with you about other things, but when it comes to safety, you have to listen to me, or I'd rather do it alone." Seeing that Zheng Gang was angry, Aishan didn't dare to be willful anymore. While washing his face, he mumbled, "Yesterday, on my way back from the construction site, I ran into a fellow villager on the street, and we had a few drinks at a small restaurant and chatted. Is it as mysterious as you make it out to be?"
Zheng Gang felt relieved after hearing Aishan's explanation. Seeing that Aishan had finished washing up, he handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.
He casually asked, "What does your fellow villager do?"
Aishan took a puff of the cigarette Zheng Gang had lit for him, and his mood seemed to improve, so he became more talkative.
“I haven’t seen that kid for four or five years. His real name is Gao Yugen, but everyone in the village calls him *gen. He only has one father. You met him when you were in the village; he’s the one who carves characters on the wrists of the neighbors next door. He also has two younger sisters who went south a few years ago and we haven’t heard from them since.” Just then, Ailin came out from inside, still half asleep. Aishan immediately said to Ailin, “Ailin, isn’t it a coincidence? I ran into *gen from our village on the street last night. You remember him, right?” Ailin raised her chin and snorted, “Of course I remember. That year, he stopped my sister and me by the irrigation ditch, trying to molest us…”
Aishan immediately interrupted his sister and continued to Zheng Gang, “Don’t let his father’s pitiful begging in the village fool you; this kid is doing pretty well. He actually owns a big teahouse on South Street.
Isn’t he a scoundrel? So much money and he doesn’t even care about his own father, just hiding here enjoying his life.” “You went to his teahouse last night?”
Zheng Gang asked casually.
Aishan, still indignant, said, "I didn't want to go, but he dragged me along. Wasn't he just trying to show off in front of me? But it seems this kid doesn't want to keep it anymore; he wants to
sell the teahouse and go to Shenzhen to make his fortune." Zheng Gang squinted, puffing on his cigarette, his mind replaying every word Aishan had said: a prodigal son who had left his hometown years ago, a sizable teahouse, selling it to make his fortune in Shenzhen.
*Gen? That nickname perfectly encapsulated his character.
Who would care if such a person disappeared? Even his own family had almost forgotten him.
Just as Aishan was puffing away and telling his sister about *Gen's various misdeeds, a bold idea formed in Zheng Gang's mind.
"Ailin, go buy some breakfast outside," Zheng Gang suddenly said to Ailin.
As soon as Eileen left, Zheng Gang stubbed out his cigarette and said to Aishan in a very decisive tone, "We're taking over this teahouse." Aishan was taken aback by Zheng Gang's words, then burst into laughter, as if laughing at his brother-in-law's delusional dream. After
laughing enough, he said, "Even if you sold the three of us, it wouldn't be enough money!"
Zheng Gang stared intently at Aishan, ignoring his mockery, and said in a deep voice, "Let's see if you have the guts. We'll take his life too." Aishan stood there, speechless with astonishment. He understood what his brother-in-law meant, but he never expected that his casual jokes would lead Zheng Gang to such a terrifying idea.
For a moment, Aishan felt he didn't understand his brother-in-law.
How could Zheng Gang not understand Aishan's feelings? Although his brother-in-law was bold and ruthless, Aishan wasn't lacking in the qualities to kill; the key was how to guide him, and most importantly, what promises to make.
Hadn't his empty promise lured him from his distant hometown to this unfamiliar city? Besides, as long as Aishan sank even deeper into his quagmire, he wouldn't be afraid of being led by the nose.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Zheng Gang's first words told Aishan the importance of seizing the moment.
Seeing his brother-in-law still standing there in a daze, Zheng Gang continued to coax him, "Think about it, *gen hasn't been home for so many years. Who over there knows his whereabouts? Even his father probably doesn't know what he's doing out there, just like his two sisters. If someone like that disappears, I'm sure no one will report him missing to the police station for two or three years." Listening to Zheng Gang's words, Aishan slowly walked to a chair, sat down, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.
Zheng Gang observed his brother-in-law's expression and continued, "Once we get the teahouse, we'll sell it immediately, truly without anyone noticing.
Then, we'll have money in hand. You can do some business to make money, and I'll slowly plan for Shangrong's matter.
Even if Shangrong's plans fall through, you'll still have the capital to start a business, so you won't go home empty-handed." After saying this, Zheng Gang fell silent, only watching Aishan, who was engrossed in smoking, waiting for his response.
After a long while, Aishan spat the cigarette butt out of his mouth onto the ground and stomped it out with his foot. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Zheng Gang and asked, "How do we do it?"
Zheng Gang cheered inwardly. He knew he could persuade his brother-in-law, but as for how to do it, he only had a general idea. However, he had some ideas about the preparations.
Zheng Gang walked over to Ai Shan and whispered, "You have to meet with him a few more times. Didn't he invite you for drinks? You should return the favor. Try to find out about his acquaintances in the city, and most importantly, find out about his family situation.
For example, whether he has a wife, children, where he lives, whether his house is bought or rented... You have to find out all of these things, but you absolutely cannot let him become suspicious." Ai Shan spat on the ground and said, "He has no wife whatsoever. He goes to prostitutes every day. I just wonder how this guy made his fortune?"
Zheng Gang added fuel to the fire, "A man like him must have ill-gotten gains. We can take it without feeling guilty." Seeing Ai Shan's eager and excited expression, Zheng Gang added, "Once you figure these things out, we can make our move. This matter cannot be delayed, or he will sell the teahouse to someone else." "Then we have to hurry," Ai Shan said anxiously, standing up as if afraid that someone else would get there first.
Zheng Gang chuckled inwardly, then calmly said, "Go to his teahouse tomorrow, take Ai Lin with you. Tell her Ai Lin isn't studying properly, and you're bringing her out to find a future. Say a big boss is infatuated with her, and you won't let him get her easily. The condition is that the big boss must arrange a good life for you and your sister in this city." Zheng Gang became more and more excited as he spoke, while Ai Shan listened with increasing admiration. He hadn't expected his brother-in-law to be so resourceful, almost like Zhuge Liang.
Zheng Gang continued, "You can test him a bit. Ask him how much he wants for the teahouse. If the price is right, have your sister talk to the big boss. Tell him the teahouse is good, and with it, you and your sister can live a peaceful life. Then, just listen to him and try to say as little as possible."
"What should I say if he asks what the big boss does?"
Ai Shan asked.
"Just say you're a southerner who works in the steel industry, you have a wife at home, and you want to find a concubine here.
You must act like you really don't want to part with Ai Lin, and you must make that boss pay the price before he agrees." Following Zheng Gang's guidance, Ai Shan's mind conjured up the image of the magnificent teahouse he saw and the bundles of cash he was about to receive. He could barely contain his excitement.

Chapter 32 Better Luck Than Bad Luck
The next evening, around nine o'clock, Ai Shan returned with Ai Lin. Because Zheng Gang had specifically instructed him, Ai Shan wasn't drunk like last time.
Ai Lin entered with a long face and a pout, looking unhappy.
Although Zheng Gang was eager to know what had happened when Ai Shan invited Gao Yugen for drinks, he couldn't discuss it in front of Ai Lin.
So, he grabbed Eileen's hand and laughed, "What's wrong? Your little mouth looks like it could hold a soy sauce bottle.
Who bullied my little Eileen?" Ever since that old monk cast a spell on him, Zheng Gang had been incredibly fond of this little girl, but unfortunately, he was completely powerless inside her. He could only look but not touch. He would sometimes hug and cuddle her when he felt aroused, but overall, it was more like a sibling-like intimacy. However, the old monk made it clear that his old classmate was her destined master.
Eileen had already gotten used to Zheng Gang's affection.
At this moment, she nestled in Zheng Gang's arms like a wronged young wife, coquettishly saying, "I never want to see that old scoundrel again." Suddenly, she remembered what Ai Shan had said to Gao Yugen at the dinner table, and asked Zheng Gang with dissatisfaction, "What are you two up to? What big boss has taken a liking to me?"
Zheng Gang naturally wouldn't tell the girl the truth, so he half-jokingly said, "That big boss is me!"
Ai Lin pushed the man away, wrinkled her nose, and snorted disdainfully, saying, "You..."
Before she could finish, she ran into her small room and slammed the door shut.
"Damn it, that guy *Gen hasn't changed. He's like a wolf seeing a rabbit when he sees Ai Lin. His lustful eyes never left Ai Lin's body all night, and he even said some crazy things because of the alcohol. If I wasn't afraid of delaying things, I would have been rude to him long ago." Ai Shan grumbled angrily as he lit a cigarette.
Seeing Gao Yugen's lustful look at Ai Lin, Zheng Gang, though not witnessing it firsthand, could easily imagine it. After all, how many men wouldn't be tempted by a beauty like Ai Lin? He lamented his own lack of such luck and cursed the old monk in his heart. He chuckled at Ai Shan, saying, "Let him have his way with her. That's the effect I wanted. Otherwise, how can he believe a man would be willing to pay such a high price for Ai Lin?"
Seeing Ai Shan's dejected expression, Zheng Gang asked, "What did you find out?"
"Nothing much," Ai Shan spat, "This kid's still single, but he said he has a girl, definitely not a good one." "Where does he live? Does he own a house in the city?"
Zheng Gang asked.
"Bullshit!"
Ai Shan said disdainfully, "He lives in the basement of the teahouse.
So stingy! He runs such a big teahouse, and he can't even afford to buy a house." "So, did he buy the teahouse or rent it?"
Zheng Gang interrupted Ai Shan's nonsense.
“It’s rented. They said they prepaid two years’ rent, a total of 200,000 yuan,” Aishan replied.
That’s for the best. If he had bought it, it would have been more troublesome; this way, there’s one less step in the paperwork.
“What did he say after you told him about that big boss?”
Zheng Gang asked in a low voice.
“What else could he say?”
Aishan replied, “He seemed quite eager. On one hand, he leered at how lucky Ailin was, and on the other hand, he couldn’t wait to inquire about the big boss. He even told me to take this opportunity to bleed the big boss dry.
He said he’d even trade a teahouse for a beauty like Ailin.”
He said he wanted me to give him an answer as soon as possible and also wanted to meet the big boss. Zheng Gang, after hearing Ai Shan's words, narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
Meet? It was too dangerous for him to show his face in public right now, but without meeting him, Ai Shan's few words might not be enough.
It seemed he had to take the risk, but where should they meet? The meeting place had to be befitting his status as a big boss, but not too extravagant, since he was currently short of money and needed to appear wealthy, not letting him see his poverty. It seemed there was only one way.
"What exactly are you planning to do? If we drag this out too long, the teahouse will be gone." Ai Shan's impatience was showing again. "
Tomorrow you go and tell him that the boss has agreed," Zheng Gang said decisively. "Tell him the boss is very busy and doesn't have time during the day, so find an evening for him to come and see the teahouse in person. If he likes it, set a price on the spot and have him prepare a transfer agreement in advance." "An agreement?" "
Aishan asked, puzzled.
"Not only do you need an agreement, but you also need to have him call the landlord over for a meeting. Just say the boss wants to confirm the landlord's intentions." Zheng Gang leaned closer to Aishan and whispered, "You need to make *Gen think we don't care about the price, we just want to get things done quickly, because the big boss is very busy and doesn't have much time to deal with these kinds of small things." Aishan rubbed his hands and said, "Why bother with all this? Just find a place to take care of him. That year in Shanxi, I did..."
He suddenly realized he had let something slip and quickly stopped.
Zheng Gang gave Aishan a meaningful look and said, "Don't rush. Once we've gone through all these formalities, it'll be your turn to show your expertise." Saying this, he stood up, walked to a small cabinet, opened a drawer, took out a stack of money, counted it, and said, "There's a little over four thousand yuan here. How much do you have?"
Aishan took out a handful of money from his pocket, counted it, and said, "Six or seven hundred." Then he looked at Zheng Gang in confusion.
"That's enough for us to live on for a few days." "Zheng Gang tilted his head back and pondered for a moment before saying, 'Consider the four thousand yuan an investment.' He then pulled out a few bills and handed them to Aishan, saying, 'Here's a thousand yuan. Go to Wangjialiang this afternoon and rent a house for a month. It has to be a house with a yard, preferably far away from other houses.' 'Why do we need to rent a house there? Aren't we going to stay here?'
Aishan asked, confused by Zheng Gang's intentions.
'Because Wangjialiang is where the steel market is! We won't be staying here tomorrow. In a few days, we'll stay in the basement of the teahouse. Soon, we'll be living in an apartment building like city people,' Zheng Gang said confidently.
Aishan only half understood and muttered, 'I hope you're right this time.' Zheng Gang sneered, 'As long as you do as I say, there won't be any problems. You should go take care of your business. I need to give Ailin some instructions, so don't let anything slip.'" Watching Aishan leave, Zheng Gang tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and mumbled a few unintelligible words before entering Ailin's small room. He found the girl lying on the bed reading, seemingly oblivious to the man who had entered.
Zheng Gang forced a smile, walked to the bedside, and whispered, "My little darling, brother has something to tell you." As he spoke, one hand reached towards the girl's body…

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