chsdbacks Chapter 67: Endless Potential Problems
Chapter 67: Endless Potential Problems
The warehouse fell silent instantly.
Wang Yue's face darkened completely as he stared intently at Zheng Yuanpei, the scar on his face appearing particularly menacing under the steam lamp.
"Master Zheng, I respectfully address you as a senior. But today's matter concerns the Wild Wolf Gang. Are you sure you want to interfere?"
His hands were behind his back, clenched into fists.
Zheng Yuanpei didn't even glance at him. He slowly walked into the warehouse, leaning on his cane, his shoes crunching on the broken bricks and tiles.
"Intervene? I don't have time for that."
He stopped beside Lao Fang, looked down at the bruises on Lao Fang's face, and frowned.
"However, if word gets out that your Wild Wolf Gang kidnapped my chess friend, where will I put my face?"
fellow chess player?
Wang Yue's eye twitched, and his gaze swept back and forth between Fang Shuwen and Zheng Yuanpei twice.
I felt nothing but absurdity.
That must be an excuse.
That old scoundrel Zheng Yuanpei has gone too far!
However, the other party's reputation still made him dare not disobey for the time being.
"Lord Zheng, this brat killed my own brother!"
"Do you have any evidence?" Zheng Yuanpei interrupted him.
"If you have evidence, take it to the Public Security Bureau and report it to Zheng Kui so he can arrest people. If you don't have evidence, why resort to kidnapping? Do you think Xikou County is your Wild Wolf Gang's territory?"
Wang Yue choked for a moment, his face flushed red, and his lips trembled twice, but he couldn't say a word.
He had no evidence, but the Wild Wolf Gang's arrests were enough to raise suspicion.
If someone else had asked him for evidence, he would have had someone slap him across the face long ago.
But the one speaking now is Duke Zheng.
"Alright, that's enough for today. I'm taking him away. If you're unhappy, just keep it to yourself."
After saying that, he casually flicked his cane, and the ropes binding Old Fang snapped open.
At the same time, Fang Shuwen rushed over.
"Dad, it's alright now."
Old Fang's mouth was still stuffed with a rag, so he couldn't speak and could only make indistinct sounds.
Her eyes were red, and tears streamed down her bruises.
Fang Shuwen ripped the rag out of his mouth, and Old Fang coughed twice. His first words were:
"Shuwen, are you... are you alright?"
When Lao Fang spoke, his first concern wasn't for himself, but for Xiao Fang.
Fang Shuwen felt a pang of sadness and shook her head: "It's alright, let's go."
He helped Lao Fang into the car with Zheng Yuanpei.
The car door slammed shut.
The car started, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Wang Yue stood at the warehouse entrance, watching the black Ford disappear at the end of the dirt road, his face ashen.
"Boss, are we just going to let them go like that?"
The square-faced man leaned closer and asked in a low voice.
Wang Yue didn't say anything, turned around and walked back to the warehouse, kicking over the armchair.
The chair rolled twice on the floor, making a screeching sound.
"check."
He squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.
"Find out exactly what this kid's relationship is with the Zheng family!"
……
In the car.
Fang Shuwen sat in the back row, and Old Fang leaned on his shoulder, already asleep.
I was tied up all night, and I was both shocked and scared.
If I relax now, I just can't hold on any longer.
Zheng Yuanpei sat in the passenger seat and glanced at Fang Shuwen in the rearview mirror.
"Young man, you owe me a favor."
"I'll remember that. When we play chess again, I'll let you win a few times."
"Hmph, do I need you to give way?"
Zheng Yuanpei glared at him in the rearview mirror, his goatee twitching.
Fang Shuwen smiled but didn't reply.
This old man had a great reputation, but in reality, he wasn't imposing at all; on the contrary, he was rather arrogant.
"Lord Zheng, there's something I'd like to trouble you with in the next few days."
Fang Shuwen cupped his hands slightly, deciding to send Old Fang to stay at the Zheng family's house for a few days.
Although the Wild Wolf Gang can't afford to offend Master Zheng, they might not be able to catch him in time if he attacks Lao Fang again.
"No problem."
.......
The driver was an experienced one; he drove the car steadily, without any swaying when turning.
About 15 minutes later, the black Ford pulled up in front of the Zheng residence.
Zheng Yuanpei pushed open the car door and got out, slamming his cane on the ground: "We're here. Help your father down."
Fang Shuwen gently patted Old Fang's shoulder: "Dad, we've arrived."
Old Fang opened his eyes groggily, paused for a moment, as if he didn't realize where he was.
"Where...where is this? This doesn't look like the Zhao residence."
"Please stay at the Zheng residence for a few days."
Fang Shuwen helped him out of the car.
As soon as Lao Fang's feet touched the ground, his legs went weak and he almost couldn't stand up.
Fang Shuwen quickly grabbed his arm and half-supported, half-dragged him inside.
Zheng Yuanpei walked ahead, turned past the screen wall, crossed the front yard, and stopped at the door of a south-facing wing room.
"This is the room; it's quiet and close to the kitchen."
He pushed open the door and found the room spotless, with new bedding and a pot of hot tea and two plates of snacks on the table.
Old Fang stood at the door, somewhat at a loss.
He worked as a gatekeeper at the Zhao residence for decades, always living in the most secluded and remote rooms in the backyard.
I've never seen anything like this before.
"This is too much trouble, we...we shouldn't trouble them..."
"Dad, it's alright, you can rest assured. We'll go back in a few days when things are better."
"Shuwen, tell me, who exactly did you mess with? That scarred-face guy... is he the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang?"
"It's okay, I can handle it."
Fang Shuwen gently pressed his hand down: "Don't overthink it, just take good care of yourself."
Old Fang looked at him, his lips trembling for a long time, and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence:
"Be careful. If you can't handle it, don't try to tough it out. We can always go back to our hometown."
"Um."
Fang Shuwen turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Zheng Yuanpei stood in the courtyard, a pipe that had appeared in his hand at some point, which he was puffing away on.
Seeing Fang Shuwen come out, he raised his chin and said, "Come on, let's go to the study and sit for a while."
……
The study is in the east courtyard; it's not large, but it's elegantly decorated.
A row of bookshelves against the wall holds thread-bound books and a few antiques.
A desk with all the traditional writing implements is placed by the window.
Zheng Yuanpei sat down in the armchair and gestured for Fang Shuwen to sit down as well.
"I've dragged you into this mess. I never imagined that the person who saved Shulan would be you."
Fang Shuwen was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant.
He told Zheng Shulan not to tell anyone about the time he rescued her at Qingshuihe Bay.
But given Zheng Gong's abilities, it's not unusual for him to guess the truth of what happened today.
"It was nothing, sir, please don't take it to heart."
"It was just a small favor?"
Zheng Yuanpei snorted and tapped his pipe on the table.
"When that girl came back, her face was all white. She said she was stuffed into a sack by two scumbags from the Wild Wolves Gang. If it weren't for you, she'd probably be in some brothel right now."
"So, you don't need to worry about the Wild Wolf Gang anymore. It'll be fine in a few days."
Upon hearing this, Fang Shuwen did not ask why the Zheng family had not taken action against the Wild Wolf Gang for so long.
Even on this occasion, Duke Zheng still did not make a move.
It's likely that there are other details he's unaware of.
"Hehe, young friend, do you wonder why I didn't take action against the Wild Wolf Gang after Shulan returned?"
"It's not that I don't want to, but that Wang Yue has powerful backers. If we don't wipe them all out in one fell swoop, there will be endless troubles in the future."