Today, on the street outside the Zhang Family's residence, twenty or thirty men who looked like laborers and thugs were divided into five or six groups, standing or squatting on the street not far from the Zhang Family's residence. Were they Likang Kang and Chu Xiaoxin's men, or were they arranged by the third brother Zhang Yulin?
Zhang Yuliang didn't rush out to verify. Instead, he first saw his sister-in-law, his second sister-in-law, his wife, and others who were going to work out of the house. Then he greeted his mother, who was chanting Buddhist prayers in the temple, and instructed the servants to take good care of her. Finally, he straightened his tie and stepped out of the Zhang Family's gate.
As soon as he stepped outside, a group of six or seven people closest to the Zhang Family immediately approached him. The burly man at the head of the group had a fierce face, but he did not disrespect Zhang Yuliang and said politely, "Young Master Liang, I am Lao Fu's Fishhead Biao. Please go home and rest."
"Likang Chu Xiaoxin's men?" Zhang Yuliang's expression remained calm. He turned to look at the other groups watching from a distance before smiling and asking Fishhead Biao, "What if I insist on going out?"
Fishhead Biao lifted the hem of his undershirt, revealing a weapon tucked into his waistband, and said threateningly, "Secretary Song Young Master Liang, don't make things difficult for us errand runners."
Song Tianyao is still alive!
Zhang Yuliang's eyes narrowed. Dai Feng hadn't returned, Song Tianyao was still alive, and his third brother Zhang Yulin, hadn't come home last night. In an instant, he considered the worst-case scenario for everything, then flashed a bright smile at Fishhead Biao, "Break my arms and legs? I'll go home right now and call the Five Counties gang leader who works for the Zhang Family, and tell them I, Zhang Yuliang, am being threatened by some Lao Fu guy. Guess what will happen to you?"
"Zhang Yulin Young Master Lin instructed the Five Counties Youth Society last night that no matter what happens on this street today, the Fuyixing people will be in charge, and the Five Counties Youth Society members will not be present," Fishhead Biao said firmly.
After listening, Zhang Yuliang nodded and poked the Fishhead Biao's chest with his finger. "Good, very good."
After saying that, Zhang Yuliang walked back to the Zhang Family. Once he entered his bedroom, his face darkened. He lit a cigarette, sat down at his desk, and slowly considered the current situation.
Not only was Song Tianyao not dead, but he had also been in contact with his third brother, Zhang Yulin. The fact that Zhang Yulin tacitly allowed Song Tianyao to arrange for Fuyixing's men to keep an eye on him meant that all of his affairs had been exposed.
She made two mistakes. First, she shouldn't have underestimated Song Tianyao when he came to see her that day, and been deceived by his short-sighted appearance. Then, she took advantage of the trap he had set for her and casually handed the money over to Zhang Weilin.
The second step, arranging for Dai Feng to kill Song Tianyao, was a bit too impulsive. Looking back now, I realize that at the time, I was so afraid that my plan would be exposed that I only wanted to kill him quickly to silence him. This step was too ruthless. I should have gone to see Song Tianyao instead.
One wrong step, two wrong steps, and it's the same as making mistakes every step of the way.
Since Zhang Yulin hasn't confronted me about my plan to quickly extract cash and incidentally damage the Zhang Family's reputation, he must have called my elder brothers in Australia to inform them. And those two should be getting impatient and preparing to take the fastest flight back to Hong Kong, probably by this afternoon or evening.
This is probably why Song Tianyao and Zhang Yulin had him blocked; their purpose was to hand him over to their elder brother, Zhang Yujie, for disposal.
Thinking back to the beatings I endured as a child under so-called family discipline, and then looking at my own simple bedroom.
Since he had already gone this far, he had no regrets. If he couldn't kill Song Tianyao, then he would cooperate with him to destroy the Zhang Family! A man of honor couldn't just sit here and wait to be beaten into a dog like he did when he was young!
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuliang went up to the living room on the second floor and started making phone calls. He first called Lawyer Pan's firm, but no one answered. Then he called the secret club in Tsim Sha Tsui that was compiling stock indices, but the line was busy.
The second call was busy, causing Zhang Yuliang's hands to tremble slightly. That clubhouse held the fruits of his labor over the past few days; if anything went wrong with the data and information he had painstakingly compiled...
This weak thought flashed through Zhang Yuliang's mind: what good is feeling sorry for someone if something goes wrong? He can just start over!
He dialed the third number to his business partner, speaking humbly, "Mr. Wei Fan, I just learned that Dai Feng and the club may have encountered some problems."
"I already know. The club was set on fire. The people downstairs said it was a fight between the Hong Kong 'He-prefix gangs and Li Caifa's men from the Green Gang, which affected our little business. Yuliang, neither of us is very lucky." On the other end of the phone, Du Weifan, who was often scolded by Du Yuesheng for being useless and unambitious, yet still highly regarded, said in a calm tone, "I've spent half a year organizing and editing, and I originally wanted to let my old man see my abilities. Unfortunately, heaven probably won't give the old man another six months. Oh well. It's just a pity about Dai Feng, who followed me for two years."
Zhang Yuliang was stunned by the first sentence. The club had been set on fire. Even if it was burned, it should have been Likang's men who did it. Why did Du Weifan bring up the He-prefix gangs and the Green Gang? Moreover, judging from the following words, Du Weifan was disheartened and prepared to quit rather than start over. Without Du Weifan to absorb the wealth of those Shanghai tycoons as a backing, what use would it be if he could rebuild without sufficient momentum?
"Mr. Wei Fan, even if those documents are burned, I can arrange more manpower. Three months should be enough," Zhang Yuliang said, still undeterred.
Du Weifan sighed on the phone, "Forget it, Yuliang. Father doesn't have much time left. He just specifically instructed us to keep a low profile and be cautious. Moreover, he has arranged for many people around him to go to Taiwan. Even I, his eldest son, have been helped to get a position as the director of the Taiwan Bank Economic Research Office. I'm going to Taiwan to visit some of Father's old friends and give them a heads-up. Forget it, it's fate. Let it go."
Du Weifan said "forget it" three times and hung up the phone. Zhang Yuliang let out a heavy sigh and muttered, "No wonder Du Yuesheng scolded you for being unambitious! You had a gold mine but went to Taiwan to beg for food! Is it fate? Your father was just a country bumpkin, but he knew how to rise to prominence in Shanghai Bund! Fate? I, Zhang Yuliang, don't believe it!"