"Four hours..." Qi Weiwen stared blankly at Lam Kong: "He only took four hours to come up with such a comprehensive plan?"
Song Tianyao calls it rushed? He can come up with one move after another in four hours? Enough to force the Britain to shift their focus and quickly cool down the whole affair—and that's called rushed? If given enough time, what would he have done?
Lam Kong took a deep breath, held up four fingers, and said to Qi Weiwen, "Forty minutes. Mr. Song sat quietly in the teahouse for forty minutes, and then started arranging with Mr. Chu to have afternoon tea with those Foreign Devil and discuss donations. The reason I came so late is that after Mr. Song spent three hours personally setting up this scheme, he spent another twenty minutes teaching me how to kill someone."
Yan Hung, who was listening from the side, was stunned. He had previously thought that Song Chengqi was not as ruthless as Song Tianyao, but now that Lam Kong had finished speaking, he couldn't help but want to applaud his correct guess. Not only did Song Tianyao not personally kill anyone, but he also devised a series of follow-up moves to Po Leung Kuk the Britain into a panic, and even took the opportunity to incite the Po Leung Big Brother to cause trouble for the Britain Red Cross Hong Kong Branch. This was practically letting Song Tianyao kill the Foreign Devil doctor, and the Britain should thank Song Tianyao for killing the Foreign Devil doctor in time, well done! What a ruthless move!
For some reason, two lines from a Cantonese opera aria about Fan Li and Fan Li during the Spring and Autumn Period popped into Qi Weiwen's mind. He felt that these two lines, when put together, perfectly described Song Tianyao:
"A ruthless warlord conquers Wu and Yue, while a righteous gentleman sails on a boat."
He harbored loyalty and righteousness in his heart, yet acted ruthlessly.
Chapter 244 A Fateful Encounter
When Lam Kong met Song Chengqi, Yan Hung, Qi Weiwen and others at the Liwan Welfare Institute, they were actually at the Liwan Small Pier, less than two kilometers west of the welfare home. Song Tianyao, wearing a black trench coat, and Lei Yingdong, who had come wearing a black rubber raincoat, were standing on the beach. Several of Lei Yingdong's men were standing in front of and behind them, and two of them were standing on the pier, constantly looking at the distant sea with binoculars.
"Thank you for your help." Song Tianyao offered Lei Yingdong a cigarette, lit it for both of them, and then said this while looking at Lei Yingdong.
Lei Yingdong took a drag of his cigarette and smiled nonchalantly, "We've been working together for so long, and you've been very considerate of me regarding drug prices. Now that some small matter has arisen, it's not like I'm the one rushing to the front to kill for you, just someone to keep an eye on things. Of course, it's no big deal. Even if the police investigate, they won't find me. No need to rush. I called Mr. He in Macau, and he promised to help arrange for reporters to come. They'll definitely be here. My people have already arranged a speedboat at the Sheung Wan Pier. As soon as the Macau passenger ship docks at the Sheung Wan Pier, the speedboat will immediately pick them up and drive directly here."
Song Tianyao called Lei Yingdong to ask if he had any ships unloading cargo in Macau, and if so, whether he could bring a few reporters to Hong Kong. Lei Yingdong asked Song Tianyao why, and Song Tianyao recounted the story of the welfare home, only mentioning that there was a welfare home in Lai Wan selling China person's blood and lives, and that he planned to have Macau newspapers publish an exposé. He didn't mention killing a Foreign Devil doctor; he had been a bit impatient. Lei Yingdong keenly noticed the inconsistency in the phrase "the welfare home sells China person's blood and lives" and asked if it was done by foreigners, and whether Song Tianyao wanted to kill Foreign Devil to eliminate the threat. After being pressed further, Song Tianyao hardened his heart and simply admitted it to Lei Yingdong, making it impossible for Lei Yingdong to pretend ignorance.
After learning the whole story, Lei Yingdong on the other end of the phone only asked for the address of the orphanage, and then reminded Song Tianyao to remember to arrange for Lam Kong to be silenced on Dengba Road, Kowloon. He then told Song Tianyao to meet at the Liwan Small Pier to talk more.
So after Song Tianyao finished instructing Lam Kong, Lam Kong set off for the welfare home, Song Tianyao himself drove to Lai Wan to meet Lei Yingdong.
"Besides reporters, I've also thought of other things for you. Killing Foreign Devil requires witnesses to definitively prove the whole thing. You want to shoot the kidnapper in a busy area, making it look like Foreign Devil doctor was kidnapped? There's no guarantee the Police Force won't investigate and have witnesses from people on the street nearby testify. Drive your two cars to Dengba Road, Kowloon to make the move. I've already had a friend arrange that street. Hongkong Land is preparing to build a building there, and most of the tenants have already moved out. You can't see any pedestrians or residents anymore. Only his gold smelting plant hasn't finished moving yet because he's looking for another place to rent. When your men make the move, he'll leave four or five trusted men on that street. When the Police Force go to investigate, they'll testify and help you cover up the whole thing. With both witnesses and physical evidence, it'll be safe." Lei Yingdong said to Song Tianyao, a cigarette between his fingers.
Song Tianyao, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said, "You have a lot of friends. An ordinary gold shop owner wouldn't dare commit perjury."
"Those who can be my friends are all like me, daring enough to risk their lives. Whether it's you, my friends from Macau, my friends from Dunbar Road, or myself, we all have guts first, then brains. Otherwise, if we were all cowards, how could we be friends? When they arrive, I'll introduce you all." Lei Yingdong smiled at Song Tianyao, "That guy from Macau and I were initially enemies. I almost led my brothers to take him down. Later, Mr. He. He Xian mediated for us, clearing up the misunderstanding, and then we became friends again." My friend, besides co-owning a shipping company, also deals in pharmaceuticals and gold, and owns an oil refinery. He's now worth four or five million. As for my friend on Dunbar Road, sometimes when my shipments go to Macau or Shenzhen, because the mainland doesn't have enough Hong Kong Hong Kong dollars, I'll use gold tuna to pay. Trading gold tuna privately in Hong Kong is very difficult; many greedy scoundrels treat it like stolen goods and drive down the price. This friend on Dunbar Road is very loyal; he's willing to buy my gold at 90% of the market price. As for you? As for me? No need to say more, right?"
Standing on the coast for a while in the winter month, it gets rather chilly. Just as Song Tianyao wrapped his trench coat tighter, one of Lei Yingdong's henchmen, standing some distance away on the beach, suddenly pointed to his binoculars and exclaimed, "A small boat has arrived!"
Before Song Tianyao and Lei Yingdong could even follow his gaze, he called out again, "There are two boats, both ours, Brother Zai. Two small boats from Sheung Wan Pier and Tsim Sha Tsui Pier have arrived at the same time. The men on both boats have already signaled that the seas are calm and all is well."