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墨書 Inktalez
I knew this much about him already, and there was one more thing: my dad had told Xiong Li not to let anyone know that Zheng Yu was under his wing. Linna said this, and after hearing it, I nodded. Given Linna's past behavior, knowing this much was already impressive. Since Lin Tianfeng also wanted to keep it under wraps, it could be inferred that he didn't want Zheng Yu to ride on his name; otherwise, Zheng Yu could easily dominate in Kyoto. Why would Lin Tianfeng do this? Could it be that he is your father's illegitimate son?
"Get lost!" Linna shot me a glare, refusing to continue the conversation as she turned to cook. I shrugged helplessly. It seemed possible; why else would Lin Tianfeng care? But Zheng Yu didn't resemble Linna at all. My wife had much more delicate features than Zheng Yu—there was no comparison.
The night passed without further discussion. The next day, as I headed to work at Tianchi, I still pondered how to establish a relationship with Zheng Yu. Regardless of my speculations about him, I needed to interact with him to confirm anything.
Just as I hesitated in my office about whether to use the same old tricks again, someone knocked on my office door.
"Come in!"
I expected it to be Wang Meng, but when the door opened, it was Zheng Yu! I was taken aback.
"Yu Ge? What brings you here?"
I was incredibly surprised; Zheng Yu's sudden appearance felt almost like a gift delivered right to my doorstep.
"Why can't I come?" Zheng Yu grinned. He still had that cool demeanor, but there was something different about him today compared to yesterday—he seemed less distant.
"That's true! Haha! Please take a seat, Yu Ge. I'll brew you some tea!"
I laughed heartily and said this while Zheng Yu smiled back without saying much and sat down on the sofa, waiting for me to prepare the tea.
I took out the treasured tea from the former general manager Liu Fei and brewed a pot for Zheng Yu. Meanwhile, I wondered why he would come here out of the blue. Yesterday, when I invited him to dinner, he seemed uninterested.
So what could he possibly want?
"You'll be able to drink it soon."
I placed the tea on the coffee table. Zheng Yu nodded with a smile but then fell silent. This created an awkward pause. I began to speculate—was he not speaking because...?
"Yu Ge, thanks for yesterday. I don't have much to offer in return, but I have a watch here for you."
I cheerfully pulled out a watch from my desk; it was also left by Liu Fei and brand new—a nice Omega. Giving it to Zheng Yu wouldn't be considered inappropriate.
However, Zheng Yu smiled and shook his head, pushing the watch back towards me on the coffee table.
"No need for such formality. I'm here today just for a casual chat since we have work-related ties."
After hearing this, I felt even more confused. He wasn't here for a gift? Just for a casual chat? That didn't seem likely at all.
"Want to smoke?"
Zheng Yu pulled out a pack of soft Chinese cigarettes and handed one to me. I lit it up and started smoking. If we were just chatting casually, I honestly wouldn’t know what to say.
"Right? I know you just joined Tian Ye Group a few days ago," Xiang Dong said. "You also know that in my position, there’s not much going on. Besides occasionally taking on some side jobs, I mostly help you nightclub managers handle various matters. If you need any assistance, feel free to ask."
Zheng Yu smiled as he spoke. I nodded in response, appreciating his kindness, but inside, I felt puzzled.
I had some understanding of the side jobs Zheng Yu mentioned; they were mostly about collecting debts and the like. While it was clear he would benefit from overseeing my venue, why was he so invested? Why today? He had turned down my dinner invitation yesterday. Did he have something else going on? It didn’t seem likely; yesterday, Zheng Yu gave off the impression that he wasn’t interested in engaging with me at all.
But I didn’t dare to ask—there was no way to bring it up. Afterward, Zheng Yu talked a lot with me. He even mentioned that since I had just joined Tian Ye Group, he was worried I might not understand certain things and went on to explain quite a bit.
For instance, he told me who I shouldn’t offend and mentioned a few people under Xiong Li’s command. We chatted for over an hour before he finally left.
After Zheng Yu departed, I reflected on our conversation. I already knew the people he warned me not to offend; they were well-known figures in Kyoto—not someone like Heihui could mess with. He told me about Xiong Li's subordinates: there was him, Lu Qiang, and He Wei—no one else. Why did he come to tell me all this?
I didn’t understand.
I called Wang Meng to ask about the relationship between Zheng Yu and Liu Fei when Liu Fei was around. Wang Meng told me that not only Liu Fei, but Zheng Yu rarely visited his subordinates’ venues unless there was something important; otherwise, he wouldn’t come by uninvited.
“Dong Ge, Yu Ge is quite a prominent figure under Xiong Laoda! With Yu Ge looking out for you, your prospects are bright!” Wang Meng exclaimed.
I ignored him and sent him away. There’s no such thing as unearned favor in this world; why would he care about me? He’s not gay! And neither am I!
After Zheng Yu left, I realized he had accidentally dropped his lighter here. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a limited edition—not cheap at all.
I dialed Zheng Yu’s number to let him know he had left his lighter behind, but when he answered and asked what was up, he surprisingly said it was a gift for me.
What the hell? Could he be gay?
The thought sent chills down my spine. I hung up the phone and looked at the lighter Zheng Yu had left behind. It was just an ordinary lighter—nothing special at all.
What a strange person.
I couldn’t help but feel perplexed by him. Since I couldn’t figure him out, I decided to take things one step at a time. After all, maintaining a good relationship with Zheng Yu wouldn’t hurt me; it might even help me get to know Lu Qiang!
After two days of preparation, Wanfei Distillery was finally ready to start production. I called Xu Jiao to inform her that she should deliver the liquor every day before meeting Xiong Li at our agreed location.
Xu Jiao also shared a lot with me, mentioning that the hygiene conditions at the factory had improved significantly and invited me for an inspection. I declined; if she wanted me to inspect it, it meant she had tidied up everything already—what was the point? Just to show off?
Meanwhile, tracking Liu Sen’s activities was progressing steadily. Liu Sen was meticulous; he kept detailed notes on where Cao Minghui went each day and what he did, along with photos that he sent me daily.
That evening when I returned home, Linna couldn’t help but ask what had happened throughout the day. I recounted my encounter with Zheng Yu to her, and Linna seemed equally puzzled.
“I think there’s something off about him,” she said. “You’re not exactly a beauty; what could his intentions be?”
Ahem!
I coughed twice unconsciously. I couldn't analyze Zheng Yu for the time being, and I didn't want to overthink it; that would only hurt my appetite. There was definitely something off about Zheng Yu, but let’s not discuss him for now and just take things as they come.
I said this, but Linna disagreed.
"How can you just take things as they come? What if he has ill intentions towards you? By the time you realize it, it might be too late. Heihui is very dangerous, Xiang Dong."
"Are you teaching me, Linna?"
Linna's words left me speechless. I used to be an undercover agent myself, didn't I? I knew all too well how treacherous Heihui could be. But what could I do about it? Right now, I had no way to judge the situation! No matter how much I thought about it, it wouldn’t help.
Linna shot me a glare. I realized I was being a bit argumentative, which annoyed her. After a moment, she said, "Then why don’t you let Liu Sen follow him and see what’s going on? You already have news from Cao Minghui, right? Didn’t you decide to get it from Lu Qiang?"
"What’s the point of following him? Zheng Yu is different from Cao Minghui. I want to find something useful from Cao Minghui's daily life, but what does Zheng Yu want from me? How can I figure that out by following him?"
I opposed Linna's suggestion. Following him would only yield trivial information like his daily habits—like which women he liked or who he was currently interested in. That was something I could potentially use, but deeper insights couldn’t be grasped through mere surveillance.
"Well, I won’t interfere! Do as you please," Linna said with a hint of frustration before turning to cook. I shook my head helplessly; it wasn’t that she didn’t want to help; she just felt powerless and handed the problem over to me.
But whether someone else took charge or not, we were just going to take things one step at a time. After all, I needed Zheng Yu's help right now. Besides, I still couldn’t figure out his intentions or what he could possibly gain from me. As a newcomer with no power or influence, he had no reason to harm me.
After a night of silence, the next day I went to work as usual. Starting today, Wan Fei would be delivering alcohol to me every day. At ten in the morning, after Wan Fei dropped off the drinks and came into my office, he expressed surprise when he heard that Zheng Yu had actively sought me out yesterday. But Wan Fei never overthought things.
"Since that's the case, Dong Ge, why don’t you just call him directly and say you want to meet more people? Ask him to introduce some for you."
"Are you kidding? Do you think I don’t know that?"
I replied without holding back. In fact, that was exactly what I had planned for today. It was perfectly normal for a newcomer like me to want to meet more people.
If Zheng Yu had still been unwilling to engage with me like before, maybe I'd have needed to put in some effort or use some tricks. But judging by his attitude yesterday, that shouldn't be necessary anymore; he had briefly mentioned some local power dynamics.
Wan Fei shrugged and said nothing more. After hanging around for a while, he left. I deliberately waited until noon to make the call since freelancers like Zheng Yu usually slept in.
"Hello? Xiang Dong? What’s up?"
When I finally dialed Zheng Yu's number, his groggy voice came through.
"Yu Ge! Are you still asleep? Sorry for disturbing you."
I exchanged pleasantries with Zheng Yu and made small talk for a bit before casually bringing up my reason for calling: "So yesterday you mentioned that Lu Qiang has territory over there on the street? I have a friend who opened a shop in that area, so I wanted to ask if you could introduce me to Lu Qiang."
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