Chapter Eighty-Nine: Calamity Lurking in the Shadows

Jiang Xinyue pulled Zhang Qinglin aside and said, "I think they just want to return the goods. There’s definitely something wrong here. We should wait until my father comes back and talk then."

"Having them camped out here like this isn’t a solution either. I can’t wait for your uncle Jiang anymore. I’ll go with them and take a look first. If it really is our shipment, I’ll bring it all back. Xinyue, you stay here at the teahouse and wait for Uncle Jiang. If anything comes up, I’ll call you," Zhang Qinglin said softly.

"Brother, I just feel uneasy. How about I go with you?"

"It’s fine. In broad daylight they won’t dare do anything reckless. Chitan, go home quickly so your grandmother won’t worry."

Zhang Qinglin turned to the two men in front of him and said, "All right, I’ll go with you. Xiaoan, come with me."

Wu Cheng'an had been watching for a long while. His eyes flickered, then he stepped forward, took the luggage from his hand, and followed Zhang Qinglin out of the teahouse.

Chitan tugged at Jiang Xinyue’s sleeve. "Sister Xinyue, why do I feel like I’ve seen those two somewhere before? I remember now—Sister Xinyue, the bag is yours!"

Muttering to himself, Chitan shoved Wu Cheng'an’s backpack into Jiang Xinyue’s arms and hurried out.

Zhang Qinglin got into the van they had parked at the intersection. There were two men sitting inside. Once Zhang Qinglin and Wu Cheng'an climbed in, the van started up and sped away. At the same time, Zhang Qinglin saw the two men who had been tailing him that morning hail a cab in a panic and follow behind.

The van drove steadily and fast. Zhang Qinglin glanced around the interior, then exchanged a look with Wu Cheng'an, who was sitting beside him.

After a moment, Zhang Qinglin asked, "Mr. Feng, may I ask something? Are you from Longnan?"

"You’re really sharp, Mr. Zhang!"

For the rest of the ride, no one spoke. Zhang Qinglin watched the scenery flash past the window. The van had already entered the North Fourth Ring Road. When he saw the sign for Wangjing, the vehicle turned into a golf course. Zhang Qinglin immediately sensed something was wrong.

If they were going to inspect the goods, the place should have been a company office or some other business location. Instead, they had driven to a leisure resort.

Seeing the scarred man in front answer a phone call, Zhang Qinglin leaned slowly toward Wu Cheng'an and glanced again at the two men in the back seat. In a low voice, he said, "This is wrong. Once we get out, I’ll find an excuse and we’ll slip away."

Wu Cheng'an kept his face calm and stared ahead without speaking. His eyes opened and closed as if he were thinking about something.

Then the van stopped. The scarred man said, "Get out. We’re here."

"Mr. Feng, isn’t this a golf course?" Zhang Qinglin looked out.

"Yes. My boss is already waiting for us. Come on, Mr. Zhang."

With a wary glance, Zhang Qinglin got out with Wu Cheng'an. "Mr. Feng, sorry, I forgot something. We’ll go back for a moment and come again later."

Just as Zhang Qinglin was about to turn and leave with Wu Cheng'an, the man behind them drew a pistol and pressed it against Zhang Qinglin’s chest. Zhang Qinglin’s face changed drastically. "Mr. Feng, what does this mean?"

The scarred man sneered. "Move."

In the quiet of the golf course, Zhang Qinglin and the others had been taken hostage.

"This is bad."

Wu Cheng'an said slowly, "Don’t worry. We’re safe for now. If they wanted to make a move, why bother talking so much? Looks like someone wants to see you."

"See me? Who would go to such lengths to see me?" Zhang Qinglin asked in confusion.

In the clubhouse of the upscale golf course, Zhang Qinglin noticed that there was not a single person at the entrance or in the lobby. Not even a staff member was in sight.

Past the front desk, a right turn led to a large hall. Before Zhang Qinglin even stepped inside, he vaguely heard voices.

"Interesting. You really think I don’t know it was you, Young Master Zhao, stirring things up behind the scenes?" The woman’s voice sounded familiar to Zhang Qinglin.

Then a man’s voice rang out.

"Sister Xiao, that’s a harsh way to put it. I wouldn’t resort to little tricks behind your back. I just don’t know whether the people under me acted on their own. Still, Sister Xiao, look—Green Flag has already won one round. If it wins this one too, you’ll have to keep your word."

"Until the very end, no one knows who will win or lose. Don’t get too pleased too soon."

The scarred man pushed open the half-closed door and brought Zhang Qinglin and the others inside.

As soon as Zhang Qinglin entered the hall, the first person he saw was Li Qingpeng. After that came Chen Shengxiao, sitting on the sofa in a neat suit, elegant and composed. Across from her, by the floor-to-ceiling window, stood the Second Young Master Zhao.

The scarred man walked up to the sofa and said, "Sister Xiao, I’ve brought them."

Chen Shengxiao slowly swirled the wine in her glass and said nothing.

Behind her, Li Qingpeng gave the scarred man a look. The man nodded, then pushed Zhang Qinglin and Wu Cheng'an over to the side of the sofa before turning and heading out.

He had just reached the door when two men rushed in, flustered and visibly anxious as they looked at Second Young Master Zhao.

Second Young Master Zhao’s face darkened further. He spat out one word at the two men who had just entered: "Get out!"

At that very moment, on the huge screen in the hall, Red Flag scored a goal. Everyone in the hall, except for Second Young Master Zhao, who kept staring fixedly out the floor-to-ceiling window, turned toward the screen at the sound of the ball hitting the ground.

Far beyond the window, Red Flag had won the match.

A wicked smile curled at the corner of Second Young Master Zhao’s mouth. His brows lifted, and the ugly scowl he had just worn vanished in an instant, replaced by easy laughter. "As expected, Sister Xiao still has the upper hand!"

Chen Shengxiao slowly raised her chin, set the wine glass on the coffee table in front of her, and rested her slender hands on her lap. Her bright eyes looked toward Second Young Master Zhao by the window as she replied, "You’re not bad yourself, Young Master Zhao. Young and promising. Today, sister is giving you a sincere piece of advice: don’t sink too deeply. The more people you offend, the worse your end will be."

"Haha, Sister Xiao, is that praise or criticism? Since Sister Xiao has already invited the people here, I won’t disturb you any longer. We can talk another day."

Chen Shengxiao smiled faintly. "I don’t think there’s any need to talk again. Go back and tell Chairman Zhao that one should not be too greedy. I, Chen Shengxiao, may not have been in the underworld for long, but I don’t need Chairman Zhao to teach me how to do things."

"Very well. I’ll pass your words along, Sister Xiao. Please excuse me."

Chen Shengxiao watched as Second Young Master Zhao walked past the coffee table. "Take care."

Second Young Master Zhao stopped in front of Zhang Qinglin and looked him over from head to toe. "You’re one tough bastard. Too bad I won’t get to watch today’s show. Good luck."

Zhang Qinglin and Wu Cheng'an had been standing off to the side for some time, listening to Chen Shengxiao and Second Young Master Zhao exchange words. Zhang Qinglin was growing increasingly panicked.

Chen Shengxiao turned her head and rose from the sofa. Looking at Zhang Qinglin, she shook her head, disappointment showing on her face. "Qinglin, how have you been these days?"

Zhang Qinglin said nothing. He only stared at her in a daze. Chen Shengxiao went on, "Don’t overthink it, and don’t be afraid. Everyone isn’t here yet. But the young man behind you should go rest in the next room."

"Leave it to me, Sister Xiao," Li Qingpeng said.

"Sister Xiao, he has nothing to do with this."

Wu Cheng'an did not change expression. He stood where he was, motionless, looking at Zhang Qinglin and Chen Shengxiao.

Chen Shengxiao paid no heed to what Zhang Qinglin said. With a light wave of her hand, Li Qingpeng pushed Wu Cheng'an toward the door.

Then two men came up behind Zhang Qinglin, one on each side, guarding him. Zhang Qinglin did not dare make a move. He could only watch Wu Cheng'an being taken away.

When the hall door closed, Chen Shengxiao walked back to the coffee table, poured herself a glass of red wine, and held it in her hand. At that moment, the hall door was pushed open again.

"Let me go, let me go! I’m just here for fun. What are you doing?" Hearing the voice, Zhang Qinglin looked over and saw Chitan being escorted in by two men.

Chitan’s appearance made Zhang Qinglin even more uneasy. He cursed inwardly that the brat had been making trouble for no reason and had actually followed him here. The boy was truly a handful.

Seeing a bruise on Chitan’s right cheek, Zhang Qinglin knew he must have been punched. "Sister Xiao, show mercy. He’s my younger brother. Don’t hurt him. He doesn’t know anything."

Chen Shengxiao slowly turned around and glanced at the captured Chitan. "If he’s your younger brother, then we must treat him even better. Hmm, take this little brother next door to find Pengzi."

"Brother Qinglin, where are they taking me? Let go of me! Help me, Brother Qinglin!" Chitan shouted.

"Don’t be afraid, Chitan. Wait here—I’ll come get you in a moment."

Chen Shengxiao pressed her lips into a smile. "Qinglin, you really do have quite a few relatives and acquaintances, don’t you? You don’t need to be so nervous. I’m just having them keep out of the way. I don’t want them hearing our conversation."

"Cousin, I’ve brought the people!" Wanqing walked into the hall.

Behind her, Cheng Che stepped in as well. When he saw Zhang Qinglin, he was stunned. He had told Wanqing that the money her cousin had taken had nothing to do with Zhang Qinglin and that they should not trouble Zhang Qinglin. He had not expected them to still bring Zhang Qinglin here.

Zhang Qinglin was not surprised to see Cheng Che. Seeing that he was unharmed, he felt a little more at ease.

Chen Shengxiao’s gaze fell on Wanqing. Wanqing nodded, then gave the others in the hall a look. After that, they all left.

"Old Zhang, you came too? You didn’t even tell me. If you were coming to see Sister Xiao, we should have come together. Hi, Sister Xiao, long time no see. You’re getting prettier and prettier."

Chen Shengxiao lifted her wine glass and sat back down on the sofa. "Quit grinning like a fool in front of me. I’m sure you all know why I had you brought here today."

Cheng Che raised his brows and said at once, "Sister Xiao, the five million is with me. Don’t make things difficult for my brother. Let him go back. I’ll bring the money to you later. Back then, you asked us to track down the painting of Tang Bajie, but that painting has already been destroyed, so I’ll return every last cent."

"Did I say I was here to ask you for money? You make that sound awfully righteous. That five million has already been used to patch up the cash shortage in your Cheng Group. Even if I wanted it now, you couldn’t take it out. Besides, I know everything about every move you made after leaving Beijing. The painting may have been destroyed, but didn’t you still make a rubbing of it?"

"Sister Xiao, those things were all snatched away by Young Master Zhao’s people!" Cheng Che said.