Candid and Honest Conversation

As usual, a triple plea! Votes, recommendations, and collections, please!!

Just as Shen Chen was calling the police, a sudden clarity dawned in Yang Tang’s mind.

Indirectly causing the death of a human: five points of sin.

The fake security guard in the duty room, affected by the grenade, had managed to cling to life until now, finally succumbing—an impressive tenacity.

Immediately receive one merit and fifty-one sins carried by that person.

Preventing that individual from murdering another nine people in the future: ninety merits gained.

Receiving a total of 1.5 secondary merits from the nine others; secondary sins are negligible.

Yang Tang wasn’t overly concerned with merits and sins. What mattered was that he had been captured on camera, his face clearly seen by a group of ruthless criminals who had appeared out of nowhere. For his father and mother, this would be a considerable risk.

Perhaps the criminals were currently more concerned with Fang Yuhua’s customized Cadillac, but after this incident, it was entirely possible some of them would remember Yang Tang. If any of them decided to seek revenge, given they were in the dark and he was exposed, it would be a most unpleasant situation.

Thus, Yang Tang had made up his mind. If the military police in Shenhai couldn’t catch all the criminals in one sweep, he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate any who slipped through the net.

Of course, there were two points beyond Yang Tang’s control.

First, he couldn’t guarantee that the images of him captured on surveillance wouldn’t be immediately transmitted by the criminals.

Second, the best outcome for the Shenhai police rushing to the scene would be to wipe out most of the criminals and capture the rest alive. But those captured wouldn’t be executed on the spot; they’d be taken in for interrogation. Who could guarantee none would escape during detention?

Such is the way of the world; sometimes, events are utterly indifferent to human will. You can see the flaws but are powerless to mend them.

The only consolation was that, in this world, the police response was remarkably swift. Only three minutes after Shen Chen’s call, more than a dozen armed officers from the Flower Garden Substation had arrived at the site of the Cadillac.

Seeing the vehicle riddled with bullet holes, the lead officer was startled. He immediately sent half his men to keep the Flower Building under surveillance, while the rest inspected the bullet holes and the rear windshield blown out by a rocket.

“Captain, all the traces are fresh. This car was attacked only recently!”

Hearing this, Fang Yuhua sneered, “What, you think we’d call in a false alarm just to make fools of the police?”

The captain, clearly experienced, took no offense. “We have to clarify the situation. From what I see, the criminals in the Flower Building are heavily armed, with rocket launchers and possibly sniper rifles!”

Yang Tang wasn’t surprised by the police assessment—he’d have been shocked if they couldn’t figure it out. His mind was whirring, thinking how to deal with any who might escape.

Hopefully, the criminals in the Flower Building wouldn’t retreat immediately just because the Cadillac got away.

Yang Tang made a silent, pessimistic “prayer,” then reconsidered. It seemed unlikely—their timing had been too coincidental. They’d arrived just after Shen Chen’s reported early departure time, meaning the criminals probably got there before them and had trapped the event committee staff in the building.

“Hey, Miss Shen, do you have any cash? Lend me a thousand yuan!” While the captain was on the phone reporting the situation, Yang Tang sidled up to Shen Chen and whispered.

Shen Chen blinked, then remembered the fifteen thousand she’d promised him was still in her office drawer. “Why borrow? I’ll go to the ATM and withdraw the full fifteen thousand for you.”

“No, no!” Yang Tang waved his hand, gesturing toward the criminal and SWAT officers arriving. “With things in chaos, who knows if the event will even open tomorrow. Just lend me a thousand now; I’ll pay Bai Keqing back later and have her transfer it to you.”

Shen Chen hadn’t expected Yang Tang to be so precise about accounts. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “Alright, as you wish!” She reached for her wallet.

Unexpectedly, Fang Yuhua handed over a stack of crisp hundred-yuan bills. “If you need money, take this!”

Yang Tang paused, declining. “Thank you, Miss Fang, but a thousand from Shen Chen is enough. You should keep yours.”

“What, my money isn’t good enough? Is it dirty?” Fang Yuhua’s tone turned prickly.

Yang Tang rolled his eyes. He knew this rich girl was overthinking, but if he tried to explain, her stubbornness might only make things worse.

So he gently pushed Fang Yuhua into the car, got in himself, and shut the door, staring at her intently.

Though strong-willed, Fang Yuhua was still a woman. Under Yang Tang’s wolfish gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of fear. “What do you want?”

“Nothing,” Yang Tang replied calmly. “You’re Jiani’s friend. I just want a chance to talk openly with you. I won’t do anything to you.”

Fang Yuhua relaxed a little, then silently cursed herself for showing weakness to a man. “So, what do you want to say?”

“Not yet; it’s not quiet enough in here.”

“What do you mean, not quiet?” Fang Yuhua didn’t understand, but Yang Tang pointed to his ear and made a listening device gesture, causing her face to change dramatically.

“Three inches below your seat, in the right rear window frame—above the firing port by four inches—and inside the driver’s seat back, dead center and deep,” Yang Tang listed every bug in the car with hawk-like precision. Watching her angrily carve them out with a knife, he said, “Alright, now let’s talk.”

“You speak; I’ll listen. I won’t interrupt!” At last, Fang Yuhua understood why she felt off-balance around Yang Tang: somehow, she’d come to respect him.

“Then I’ll begin. I’m sure you know from Jiani that my real reason for coming to Shenhai is to sell the Power Saver.”

“That I know—I could buy your Power Saver myself—” Fang Yuhua forgot her promise not to interrupt, but Yang Tang’s stern look reminded her.

“If you truly consider yourself Jiani’s friend, please do not interfere in this matter at all. Don’t get involved, not even a phone call to those venture capitalists!”

“Why?” Fang Yuhua was confused.

Yang Tang gave a bitter laugh. “This is the helplessness of us ordinary folk. No matter how much I might earn in the future, my first pot of gold must be clean and above board. Only then will I not fear anyone digging up my past or trying to ruin my reputation.”

Fang Yuhua was stunned.

Indeed, in this world, reputation was an intangible yet vital asset. Reputation was like virginity—strip it away and throw it into a public men’s bathhouse, and no matter what happened inside, who would believe it was still intact afterward?

“As for how to keep it clean,” Yang Tang went on, “it’s simple. I’ll follow the principle that personal legal income is sacred and inviolable, entering into a formal contract to sell the Power Saver to Baidu, Tencent, or some other company. But if you get involved, it changes everything. Later, those digging into my past will say, ‘Look, his fortune wasn’t clean either—he got his first pot of gold through his friend He Jiani’s connections and made a killing!’”

Though born into wealth and with a temper, Fang Yuhua understood the ruthless, senseless infighting of capital. “But even if your first pot of gold is clean, couldn’t someone just fabricate evidence against you?”

“That’s for the future. For now, just don’t interfere with my sale, alright?”

“Fine, I promise. I won’t go against you anymore. But I really do want to compete with you in the fourth round—”

“The fourth round?” Yang Tang cut her off, weary of the subject. “What exactly does this fourth round involve?”

“On the water, behind that valley we visited, there’s an artificial waterfall and a pool beneath it. When we compete, we stand on separate boats with apples on our heads and shoot at each other. If both hit, and the number of shots is the same, we switch to kiwis, then plums if it’s still a tie—”

“Stop, stop!” Yang Tang waved dismissively. “Just a few ripples to make shooting harder? That’s child’s play. If you really want a fourth round, let’s do it at sea—set up poles on another boat, hang coins, and only come to me if you can hit a hundred shots out of a hundred.”

“At sea?” Fang Yuhua’s eyes lit up. “Thanks for the tip. Oh, by the way—how good is your marksmanship, really?”

Yang Tang smiled modestly. “Just lucky guesses.”

“Hmph, pretending again? It’s that fake modesty I can’t stand!” Fang Yuhua grumbled, just about to press her advantage when a knock sounded sharply at the door. “Who is it?”

“Miss, it’s Xiao Gang.”

“What is it?” Fang Yuhua’s tone was sharp.

“Master called—he wants you home.”

“That Captain Liu said he needs to take our statements. I’m not going back!” Fang Yuhua, aware how serious things were, knew that going home now meant she’d have trouble leaving again. Besides, the bugs she’d just found in the car were likely her father’s doing—she couldn’t not be angry.

Xiao Gang heard her determination and resorted to the trump card Lord Fang had given him. “Master said, if you don’t come home, he’ll announce a son-in-law selection for the Fang family on the first of next month!”

“He can select a son-in-law for all I care!” Fang Yuhua exploded, instantly flinging the car door open.

Too busy at work—this update is even later than usual! The second update will go up tonight as always.