Chapter 251

“The big brother says he doesn’t want you anymore!” Jin Rong grew more and more pleased as she thought about it, her big eyes narrowing into slits. “Childish!” Peng Ling snorted. Though she said that, she had to admit that Jin Rong was indeed a naive and charming girl, full of liveliness and innocence that she lacked. As if not hearing her, Jin Rong stepped forward, pretending to be very mature, lifted her foot, patted Peng Ling on the shoulder, and said in a condescending tone, “Forget it. You look pretty pitiful. I’ll listen to the big brother and patiently accompany you to watch the ice lanterns!”

Although Peng Ling felt an instinctive aversion to Jin Rong as a woman, she was also amused by her adult-like demeanor. She shook her head and asked seriously, “Little kid, are you already an adult?”

“Can’t you watch by yourself?” Peng Ling said, puffing out her chest. However, her undeveloped chest couldn’t show any ‘power’ beneath her thick down jacket. Seeing Peng Ling’s slender yet mature and full figure, Jin Rong immediately lost her confidence, her shoulders slumping as she fell silent, only occasionally glancing at Peng Ling out of the corner of her eye. Peng Ling couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her reaction. Jin Rong, like a child caught stealing candy by an adult, turned red all over and grumbled indignantly, “What’s there to laugh about?! Crying and laughing—what a crazy woman!” What an interesting little girl! Peng Ling sighed deeply. No matter who it was, being around Jin Rong made one feel her unique charm. No wonder Wen Dong was so affectionate toward her! Her mood calmed down a bit as she watched the childlike face trying to act mature. Suddenly wanting to tease her, she pinched Jin Rong’s cheek and said with a smile, “I really wonder who your parents are—how could they raise such a child!” Then she walked away quickly. “Don’t touch me!” Jin Rong, as if her tail had been stepped on, jumped as high as she could—only the big brother could pinch her cheek. Fuming, she puffed out her cheeks and charged at Peng Ling. “Don’t run! If you dare pinch my cheek again, we’re done for!” The two disappeared into the crowd one after the other.

As soon as they left, a figure emerged from behind a large tree not far away—it was Xie Wen Dong, who had walked away quickly earlier. He chuckled and casually flicked the cigarette butt from his hand. He hadn’t gone far; he had just circled back quickly. How could he risk leaving two like-magnetic people together? While he was struggling to resolve the conflict between them, things took an unexpected turn. Watching the two gradually walk away, he came to the conclusion that like-magnetic people could also attract each other.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Secretly, figures in tree-like attire appeared among the crowd. Xie Wendong said nothing either; he simply looked up in the direction the two women had disappeared. The men immediately understood his intention, nodded at him in unison, and casually chased after Peng Ling and Jin Rong. Only then did Xie Wendong let out a long sigh. Without time to exit through the main door, he went to the base of the wall, ignored the possibility of drawing attention, leaped up, grabbed the top of the wall with his palms, and pushed himself over with strength. As soon as he jumped out, two more black figures shot out behind him with swift movements. One was tall and the other short; he didn’t need to turn around to know who they were—the tall one was Ren Changfeng, and the short one was Jiang Sen. It was the first time in Ren Changfeng’s life that he had seen ice lanterns, and he found them fascinating. He looked around, gaining a lot of knowledge. After coming out, still not satisfied, he grumbled, “Beautiful women bring disaster!”

Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow. Ren Changfeng continued, “If it weren’t for Girl Rong suddenly showing up, we might have been able to stay longer! What a coincidence—meeting so many people here too.” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Even if Rongrong hadn’t appeared, I couldn’t have stayed any longer.” “Why?” Jiang Sen was puzzled. He also thought Xie Wendong had fled because of the chance encounter with Jin Rong. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said slowly, “A few of our businesses have been shut down.” “What?” Jiang Sen thought his ears must be failing. Xie Wendong’s businesses had been shut down at home? “What a joke! If the police wanted to make a show, they wouldn’t have to wait until New Year’s Day!”

“Hehe!” Xie Wendong sneered. “Liu Dexin doesn’t have the guts for that. But still, I need to ask him. After all, he’s the head of the city bureau.” When the three of them arrived at the city bureau chief’s house, it was filled with guests. It was New Year’s, and as a powerful bureau chief, countless people came to flatter him and build connections. The gifts, big and small, totaled well over ten thousand yuan. Liu Dexin was busy everywhere, sweating profusely, but his face showed no sign of fatigue. The piles of red envelopes in his arms made him happy. Just as he sent off one guest, three men in black appeared, radiating a stern aura, which made him shiver. But when he took a closer look, he burst into laughter and hurried forward to greet them, “Brother Xie, it’s been days since you left—why did it take you so long to come here?” Before, he had considered himself an elder to Xie Wendong, but now they were on equal footing.

Xie Wendong laughed and said, “Director Liu is really well-informed!” “Come on!” Liu Dexin waved his hand, his expression stern. “You were chased as soon as you returned, and your whereabouts were unknown. I had to mobilize all the police in the city to find you.” Xie Wendong sighed, “I really owe you trouble, Brother Liu. It seems I was wrong not to come and pay my respects right away upon returning.” “Ah, there’s no need for such formalities between us!” Liu Dexin said as he led Xie Wendong and the others into the inner room and closed the door tightly. He knew Xie Wendong would never come to his house unless there was a serious reason, and their matters couldn’t be known by others. Xie Wendong sat down slowly, pretending to be embarrassed, and said, “How can there be no formalities? I just received news that five of my businesses have been seized by the police. Brother Liu, you can’t possibly not know about such a big move!” “Huh?” Liu Dexin was shocked, his mouth opening so wide that an egg could easily fit in. He asked in surprise, “There really is such a thing? Brother Xie, I really had no idea at all.”

Xie Wendong shrugged and smiled faintly, narrowing his eyes. “But you’re the city director!” Liu Dexin’s heart trembled. Xie Wendong’s smile was even more terrifying than his anger. “Brother, don’t worry. Let me find out what’s going on.” Liu Dexin picked up the phone and quickly called the bureau, whispering secretly to the person on the other end. His expression grew increasingly grim. After hanging up, he took a deep breath before speaking slowly, “This time, it was people from the provincial department who did the inspection. There was no hint of it beforehand.”

“People from the provincial department?” Xie Wendong frowned and asked, “Who from the provincial department?” “You should know this person,” Liu Dexin said with a bitter smile. Xie Wendong had no patience for his evasions and asked sharply, “Who exactly?” “Peng Ling’s father, the head of the provincial department—” Liu Dexin said seriously, “Peng Shulin.”

“Is it him?!” If it were someone else, Xie Wendong could use some tactics—persuading or intimidating them—to handle the situation. Even if they refused to cooperate, making them disappear forever wouldn’t be difficult. But with Peng Ling involved, could he do that? Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes, silent. The room was dead silent, the quiet so oppressive it made one feel suffocated. Liu Dexin forced a smile, chuckled to change the subject, and asked, “Brother, have you figured out who’s looking for you?” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow. “You know?” Liu Dexin quickly shook his head. “If even your brother can’t figure it out, let alone me. I’m just wondering—who else in City H could have such boldness!”

Jiang Sen interjected, “Brother Liu, do you still remember there’s a sizable gang in District D called the Fire Gang?” Liu Dexin nodded. “Of course I remember. The Fire Gang is an ancient-style gang; its leader, Guan Delin, used to be very powerful for a while, until Brother Xie took over. What? Is this related to him?” “Mm!” Jiang Sen smiled and said, “He has a son named Guan Pei.” “Where is he now?” Liu Dexin asked with a darkened expression. Jiang Sen waved his hand nonchalantly and said, “We handled it with our own methods.” “Oh!” Liu Dexin sighed deeply. “It seems I can’t be of any help.” Xie Wendong, who had remained silent until then, suddenly laughed loudly and said, “If you want to help, it’s simple—there will definitely be a place for you to contribute.”

In the car, Jiang Sen started the engine and asked, “Brother Dong, where are we going?” Xie Wendong closed his eyes calmly and replied, “Back to the villa.” Although Ren Changfeng only had a superficial understanding of the situation in City H, Jiang Sen had often explained things to him. He knew about the relationship between Xie Wendong and Peng Ling, as well as that Peng Ling was Peng Shulin’s daughter, who was even a special envoy appointed by the central committee. He realized he couldn’t do much to help against Liu Dexin. Puzzled, he asked, “Brother Dong, what role can that director play?”

Xie Wendong pointed at his own head and smiled without saying anything. Ren Changfeng was even more confused and urged, “Brother Dong, tell me!” Xie Wendong rubbed his head helplessly and said, “Can’t you see? I’m thinking about it too.” “Whoa!” Ren Changfeng almost slipped off his seat. Xie Wendong added, “Although I don’t know where we can use him, he’s the city director. No matter what we do, we’ll need his help. Giving him a heads-up in advance will make things easier later.”

“Sigh!” Ren Changfeng sighed and couldn’t help but say, “Brother Dong, you really think far ahead.” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “If you have a broader vision, your life will be longer too.” After a pause, he became serious and thoughtfully said, “Actually, life in the underworld is very exhausting.” Jiang Sen, driving the car, nodded in agreement.

Returning to the villa, he didn’t enter the house but saw that the yard was already crowded. Cars, vans, and trucks at the entrance almost blocked the road, with men in black coats standing in the gaps, occasionally mixed in with young women. Upon seeing the license plate number of Xie Wendong’s car, everyone made way and stood on both sides, saluting him. Amidst countless looks of excitement, curiosity, and a hint of fear, the car slowly drove into the villa’s compound. There were also many people inside, but they were much more orderly than those outside, standing in groups, whispering secretly. Seeing Xie Wendong return, they quickly threw away their cigarette butts, lined up neatly, and bowed together, shouting, “Brother Dong!”

Most of these people were brothers who had left City J with him; they were relatively familiar with each other. Though they weren’t as afraid of him as the newcomers outside, their eyes held more respect and admiration. In their minds, Xie Wendong was a god—an immortal being who could do anything. In just a few years, he had established the largest criminal gang in the Northeast. It might not be said that no one could follow in his footsteps, but certainly no one had done it before. Getting out of the car, Ren Changfeng experienced the strength of Wendong’s gang for the first time. He had seen a lot in his life, but under the gaze of so many strong men, he felt a bit uneasy. Xie Wendong, used to this, nodded at everyone and quickly walked into the villa.

As soon as he pushed the door open, white smoke rushed out, making Xie Wendong’s hair flutter. Frowning and covering his nose, he entered and scolded, “How much smoke have you smoked? Are you about to set the house on fire?!” “Brother Dong, you’re back!” No fewer than thirty people in the hall stood up. Sanyan rushed forward at lightning speed, raising his eyebrows high and asking, “Brother Dong, what should we do? The police have gone too far this time. It’s the end of the year, and I agree they want to achieve some results, but shutting down several of our venues without warning is really disrespectful! Has Police Chief Lao Liu had enough already?!” As soon as Sanyan finished speaking, a bald man stepped forward with a loud noise. He was a high-ranking member of Longtang and always agreed with Sanyan. He said, “Sanyan is right. The police come to cause trouble during the New Year. If we don’t take revenge, won’t other gangs laugh at us? How can we survive from now on?”

“Oh?” Xie Wendong glanced past Sanyan at the bald man behind him, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, asking, “Then what do you suggest?” The bald man looked around at the others, who all gave him subtle nods, seemingly encouraging him. He narrowed his eyes and declared, “Go to the city police station and destroy their base. Let the police know we’re not easy to mess with!”

“Hah!” Not only Xie Wendong laughed, but everyone else in the room couldn’t help but laugh as well. This guy was truly arrogant, thinking the police station was his own property. When the bald man saw Xie Wendong laughing, he scratched his head and started laughing foolishly. He laughed heartily, but the three-eyed man couldn’t stand it, his face turning red as he turned around and slapped him, shouting angrily, “This isn’t where you can talk! Get lost!” The bald man was utterly confused by the slap and stood there dumbfounded, staring at the three-eyed man. By then, some people were already laughing out loud, especially Li Shuang, who wouldn’t miss the chance to tease the three-eyed man. Holding his stomach, he laughed loudly, saying, “Brother Three-Eyes, the underlings you’ve picked are really all talents!” Seeing that the three-eyed man was embarrassed, Xie Wendong waved his hand and got back to the point: “It’s not Liu Dexin who’s investigating us this time—it’s Peng Shulin from the provincial department!” “Huh?” At those words, everyone was stunned. Li Shuang, still laughing, didn’t even manage to close his mouth; instead, it opened even wider as he asked doubtfully, “Isn’t that Peng Ling’s father?” The three-eyed man was also puzzled and shook his head. “We’ve never had much to do with Peng Shulin, but we’ve always kept to ourselves. We provide him with stable security, and he gives us a peaceful environment. It’s a mutual understanding! So why suddenly now…” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “No need to guess. No matter how much we think, it’s better to ask him directly.” “Right!” Jiang Sen nodded. “It’s not hard to meet him through Peng Ling. We’ll ask him what he really wants. If he’s just trying to put on an act for higher-ups, we can tolerate it. But if he really wants to go to war with us, hehe…” Jiang Sen let out a strange laugh, but when he thought of Peng Ling, he retracted his gleaming fangs.