Chapter 695: I Know What I’m Doing.
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The gunshot still lingering in his ears, Zhan Haoze woke up from his dream. His head hurt a little. He rubbed his forehead, but he couldn’t suppress the headache.
Ever since he returned to Qing City, he couldn’t control the nightmares. Nightmares came one after another. Even if he wanted to resist, it was useless.
He got up and looked at the gloomy night outside. He took out his phone and unlocked it. He looked at s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s phone, but he didn’t pull it out.
The sky was getting brighter. He got up early and went downstairs to the gym to exercise. He was used to getting up early. He had the habit of doing morning exercises every day.
Not only did he do morning exercises, but he also did boxing. The guards at Cherry Blossom Villa were quite good. This villa was even more heavily guarded by him. He had arranged many people in the open and in the dark.
When he came out of the gym, the people below had already prepared breakfast. While he was eating breakfast, he read through the financial news.
Just as he put down the bowl in his hand, Tang Hua entered the door with a rare solemn expression. “Boss, something happened to sixth brother.”
Zhan Haoze looked at Tang Hua with a sullen expression. “What happened? Tell me clearly.”
“The last time you asked sixth brother to keep an eye on the club under the Zhan family’s name, he seemed to have found a breakthrough. The day before yesterday, he told me that he wanted to go in and investigate. But even today, I still haven’t heard from him.”
Tang Hua’s expression was a little anxious. They had been together since they were young, so they knew each other’s ways very clearly.
“Boss, sixth brother isn’t the kind of person who doesn’t know the gravity of things. If nothing happened to him, no matter what, there would definitely be news brought out. Right now, he hasn’t given out any news for a whole day. I’m afraid that –”
Tang Hua didn’t say that something bad happened, but he believed that Zhan Haoze would understand.
Zhan Haoze was silent. He thought of Uncle Chi’s words last time and the death warrant. His expression was very serious.
“Have you looked for it?”
He knew about the clubhouse that Tang Hua mentioned. Previously, sixth brother had said that he wanted to check it out. He knew that it wasn’t easy. He tried to stop sixth brother, but he didn’t get what he wanted.
“I’ve looked, but there’s no news for now.”
Zhan Haoze’s expression was solemn. He sat there with his brows tightly knitted together.
The Zhan family couldn’t be dealt with in a day. For so long, he had been slowly laying out his plans and slowly pulling in the net. From the moment he decided to go against the Zhan family, he knew that this was a path full of thorns.
The Zhan family was, after all, a family that had been established for so many years. It was impossible to topple them in a day. He had this understanding.
However, this understanding didn’t include sacrificing the lives of those whom he regarded as best friends.
“Let old seventh brother people to find out where sixth brother is and bring him back.”
“But –” Tang Hua looked like he wanted to say something, but he hesitated. He didn’t say anything else, but Zhan Haoze understood what he meant.
If seventh brother brought people in to get sixth brother out, he might even be dragged into it.
If that was the case, then that wouldn’t be a good thing.
Zhan Haoze also realized that it wasn’t suitable for seventh brother to look for someone. Perhaps he should directly look for a breakthrough from the Zhan family.
At this moment, the phone rang again. The person on the other end of the phone was Uncle Chi.
“I think we can meet now.”
“I don’t see why there’s a need to meet.” Zhan Haoze had a very bad impression of Uncle Chi.
“Is that so?” Uncle Chi smiled and said a name. Then he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to see me?”
Zhan Haoze’s expression was unsightly. He clenched the phone in his hand tightly and resisted the urge to throw it out.
Two hours later, Zhan Haoze met Uncle Chi in the office of Qing City Company.
Uncle Chi’s expression was much more smug than last time.
Zhan Haoze was expressionless. Even though he was in a weak position, he wouldn’t admit defeat in front of the Zhan family.
Uncle Chi wasn’t in a hurry to speak. He slowly took out a few photos from his pocket and placed them on Zhan Haoze’s desk.
In the photos, a man who looked to be less than thirty was tied to a chair. The man was obviously injured. He seemed to have been beaten up.
No matter how calm Zhan Haoze was, his expression still changed slightly when he saw sixth brother in this state.
However, he quickly calmed down. He looked at Uncle Chi coldly. His narrowed eyes were sinister and dangerous.
Uncle Chi wasn’t annoyed by his glare. He chuckled. “How about we discuss the terms now?”
Zhan Haoze frowned. His expression was very cold.
“I don’t think we have any terms to discuss.”
“Why do you say that? I don’t believe you don’t know what the situation is like now.”
Zhan Haoze didn’t respond to him, Uncle Chi leaned forward slightly. “I can say for sure that you can’t eat this big cake of the Zhan family in one go, but if you’re willing to take a step back and you can get it, why don’t you take a step back and we’ll both be happy?”
If he could, Uncle Chi really didn’t want to beg a junior like this.
But he had no choice. Zhan Yi, Zhan Li, Zhan Yang, and the others, since the last time, not only did they not unite as one, but they also became more and more unruly.
Zhan Lie’s ability wasn’t bad, but the Zhan family’s business was big. He didn’t carry all the burden in the past, and there were many things that he couldn’t make a decision on. He was too cautious in doing things. He really didn’t have the decisiveness that Zhan Kun had in the past.
If it weren’t for the fact that Uncle Chi really couldn’t find anyone, he would not have abandoned his pride and come here to beg Zhan Haoze.
Zhan Haoze curled the corners of his lips. “Take a step back? How?”
“You take over the Zhan family and let the Zhan family become yours. How about that?”
“Are you sure that you can make the decision? Zhan Kun isn’t dead yet.”
He really called Zhan Kun’s name. His expression was full of mockery and didn’t have the slightest bit of respect. Uncle Chi wasn’t angry either.
“I don’t believe you don’t know what the old man is like now, so I can make the decision now.”
Uncle Chi had been by Zhan Kun’s side for more than thirty years. In the Zhan family, he had absolute authority. He was also confident that as long as he was around, those people wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble.
Zhan Haoze was silent. He didn’t respond to Uncle Chi’s words. Uncle Chi wasn’t in a hurry. He was extremely patient today and was waiting for Zhan Haoze to compromise.
Tang Hua, who was standing beside Zhan Haoze, saw the conflicted look on his face. His lips moved and he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.
As if sensing his thoughts, Zhan Haoze picked up the stack of photos. Looking at the confident and smug look on Uncle Chi’s face, he tore up the photos one by one.
“I refuse.”
“You –”
Uncle Chi, who had never expected such an answer, was stunned on the spot. He was stunned for almost an entire minute. When Zhan Haoze asked Tang Hua to chase him away, he suddenly put his hands on the desk.
“Zhan Haoze, are you sure?”
“There’s nothing to be unsure about.”
Sixth brother’s life wasn’t in danger for the time being. Uncle Chi was afraid that he would resort to extreme measures and wouldn’t dare to hurt Lao Liu for the time being, and he was confident that he could bring sixth brother out.
“Don’t you want Lu Tao’s life anymore?” Lu Tao was sixth brother.
“He’s just a subordinate. But if you dare to hurt him, I will repay the Zhan family tenfold, a hundredfold.” Zhan Haoze wasn’t afraid of Uncle Chi’s threat. “You can give it a try.”
“Is that so?” Uncle Chi sneered and took out a few photos from his pocket. “En, you’re amazing. You don’t care about Lu Tao’s life. Then, you don’t care about her life either?”
This time, the photos on the desk were of s.h.i.+ Mengwan.
On the top was a single photo of s.h.i.+ Mengwan. The second photo was of Zhan Haoze and s.h.i.+ Mengwan dancing together on the dance floor when they were in France.
Zhan Haoze’s gaze became sinister and dangerous. He almost couldn’t help but stand up, but he quickly sat down again.
“If you dare to touch a single hair on her head, do you believe that I will let you have a taste of what it’s like to be unable to live and beg for death?”
“Don’t be so agitated. “Uncle Chi didn’t care about his threat at all. “If you’re so agitated, you won’t be able to calm down after this, don’t you think so?”
Zhan Haoze knew that he had lost control just now. He should have acted calmer.
He felt very unhappy that this weakness was grasped by someone else.
“What exactly do you want to do?”
Uncle Chi smiled. “Stop all your revenge and go back to the Zhan family to support the overall situation.”
Zhan Haoze’s expression was quite unsightly. Uncle Chi wasn’t in a hurry. He had been by Zhan Kun’s side for thirty years, and he had been able to walk step by step in the Zhan family until now. He wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
“What if I refuse?”
“I think you don’t have much of a choice.” Uncle Chi didn’t mind stating the truth. “Yes, you can also refuse. However, I can’t guarantee the lives of Mr. Lu and Miss s.h.i.+.”
Looking at Zhan Haoze’s gloomy face, Uncle Chi chuckled. “Of course, you can also kidnap me now and use me, an old fellow, to exchange hostages with the Zhan family. However, I’m already so old. If I really die, there’s nothing to regret. If I really have the two of them to die with me, it’ll be worth it. Don’t you think so?”
Zhan Haoze glared at Uncle Chi’s face. He didn’t restrain his aura at all. That pressure made even an experienced person like Uncle Chi feel a little shaken.
However, the more Zhan Haoze acted like this, the more Uncle Chi was determined to let him return to the Zhan family.
Only a person like this could support the Zhan family.
The atmosphere in the office was rather silent. Zhan Haoze sat there without moving. Behind him, Tang Hua completely listened to him. Naturally, he wouldn’t disturb him at this time.
He didn’t speak, and Uncle Chi wasn’t in a hurry either. Originally, he didn’t plan for Zhan Haoze to agree immediately, so he was gambling.
After all, he was Zhan Lie and Qiao Ruoliu’s child. Zhan Haoze was like Zhan Kun, but not like him. His methods were similar, but psychologically, there was still a soft spot.
And this soft spot was enough for Uncle Chi to make use of.
Ten minutes later, Zhan Haoze finally said, “Okay, I agree. But I have a few conditions.”
“Speak.”
“First, the old man is old. Since his body isn’t healthy, don’t keep coming out. Rest well.”
This meant that he was going to separate Zhan Kun. Uncle Chi hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. After all, he was Zhan Kun’s spokesperson now.
He would do whatever Zhan Kun ordered. As long as he kept an eye on Zhan Kun, no one would go in front of Zhan Kun.
“Sure.”
“Second, I’ll take over the Zhan family. I don’t want to see the other members of the Zhan family.”
“This is a bit too much. After all, they’re all doing their jobs. For the time being, they won’t hinder you.”
“If you don’t agree, then there’s no deal. I’m that person’s grandson. If you provoke me, at worst, we’ll fight to the death.”
“Okay. I agree.”
Those useless trash wouldn’t be of much use in the Zhan family anyway. It didn’t matter if they stayed or not.
“Third, let my people go. Also, you have to promise that you’ll never touch my people. You’re not allowed to hurt them.”
“No problem. Since you are willing to take over the Zhan family, then you are my master. Not only will I get people to revoke the a.s.sa.s.sination order against you, but I can also get people to protect the people you care about.”
Protect? What did this protection mean. Zhan Haoze knew that very clearly.
He looked at Uncle Chi coldly. “Give me a week. I will arrange things properly and I will enter the company.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you for a week.”
Uncle Chi, who had received an affirmative reply, was very easy to talk to. “If you think a week isn’t enough, you can have more time.”
After Uncle Chi left, Zhan Haoze sat on the chair and rubbed the s.p.a.ce between his brows. Tang Hua asked worriedly, “Boss?”
Zhan Haoze didn’t look at him. He half-closed his eyes and said very softly, “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
..
s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s life returned to peace. After that day, Zhan Haoze never came to look for her again.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had pa.s.sed. Su Qingsang’s belly was already big. She wanted to fly to Rong City to see her a few times, but she had too many things on her hands.
The studio recruited two new people and slowly started to get used to the job, but many of the clothes were requested to be ma.s.s-produced on Weibo.
They had always been making custom-made clothes. Of course, there wasn’t much difference, but there was still a little bit of meaning to it.
If they wanted to be big, they had to ma.s.s-produce. s.h.i.+ Mengwan understood this principle.
In the following period, she went to a few factories and went to a few manufacturers that produced raw materials. Her busy schedule made it impossible for her to take care of her own matters.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s mother had probably guessed something. Ever since the last blind date was ruined, she didn’t mention the matter of her being asked to go on a blind date.
This way, s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s life was much more tranquil. That day, she finished her last factory run. When she returned to the city, it was already very late.
Although this stretch of road had been repaired, there weren’t many cars.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was in the middle of her drive. She didn’t know if there were stones or other things, but the car jolted a little. s.h.i.+ Mengwan reacted quickly and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
After she finally stabilized the car, she was about to continue driving. However, she realized that the car seemed to have broken down or something. It actually stopped moving.
She tried to start the car several times but failed. After that, she hurriedly got out of the car. She wanted to see what the problem was. If it didn’t work, she could only call a tow truck.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan got out of the car and opened the front cover. She didn’t understand much about the problem with the car, and this action was just to see how to solve it.
It was already late, and she was alone in the middle of nowhere. Just thinking about it was a little scary.
She lifted the front cover and checked the car with the light from her phone. With her level, she couldn’t find anything wrong with her car.
After checking for a long time, s.h.i.+ Mengwan really couldn’t see that she was thinking of calling for a tow when a voice sounded from behind her.
“Miss, the car is broken. Do you want me to take a look?”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was shocked by the sudden sound. She turned around and saw a few young people who seemed to be in their early 20s gathered behind her.
The person who spoke was the leader of the group. He was wearing a black jacket. He seemed to think he was handsome and shook his head.
“Miss, come, let us examine for you.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan swallowed her saliva. The situation in front of her didn’t seem too good. “No need, I’ve already called a tow truck.”
She held her phone in her hand and wanted to call the police without a trace. However, the leader of the group took her phone away at this moment.
“Miss, don’t be so ungrateful. No matter what, we brothers have good intentions.”
As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him. “Come, you guys, examine this beautiful lady properly.”
Under the night sky, s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s face was pale. She forced herself to remain calm and stretched out her hand towards that person. “Give me back my phone. I don’t need you to examine me.”
“Miss, who knows, you might need it later.”
The man in the black jacket smiled wickedly. The few people he had brought with him were already approaching s.h.i.+ Mengwan.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was really frightened this time. She was alone, but there were six of them.
She pressed her body tightly against the hood of the car and was still thinking about how to escape. Suddenly, the sound of a car came from behind her.
She turned around, and making her squint her eyes, the light of the car shone on her face.
Thinking that they would continue after the other party left, the man in the black jacket and the others weren’t in a hurry to move.
Who knew that the car stopped beside them. At this moment, the man in the black jacket saw clearly. The other party wasn’t a car. It was five cars.
Two Bentleys in the front and two Bentleys in the back. In the middle was a Rolls-royce Phantom.
Even people without common sense were stunned when they saw this row of luxury cars, not to mention punks.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan saw it clearly now. She saw many tall men in black suits getting out of the cars.
Someone opened the back door of the Rolls-royce. A pair of extremely long and powerful legs got out first.
Under the lights of the car, the owner of the legs walked towards s.h.i.+ Mengwan step by step.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan swallowed her saliva. Before she could react, the owner of the legs had already walked in front of her.
The young men were so scared that they didn’t dare to open their mouths. Zhan Haoze looked at s.h.i.+ Mengwan and stretched out his hand towards her.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t know what she was thinking, but she unexpectedly moved her hand back and pulled it back.
Not only that, she even took a step to the side. She had forgotten that there was someone beside her. As she stood there, she b.u.mped into the hooligans beside her.
This time, s.h.i.+ Mengwan wanted to dodge in time, but she lost her balance and fell to the side.
Zhan Haoze’s hand caught her waist in time. In the next second, she was carried horizontally.
Pressing her head into his chest, Zhan Haoze gave the leader of the black-s.h.i.+rted men a look.
That man understood. The man in the black jacket realized that something was wrong and wanted to escape, but it was too late. Soon, sounds of wailing and fighting could be heard behind Zhan Haoze and the others.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan wanted to poke her head out to take a look, but she was already carried into the car by Zhan Haoze.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan and Zhan Haoze hadn’t seen each other for almost two months. Sitting in the car, she didn’t have time to look outside. She just looked at Zhan Haoze and discovered that the Zhan Haoze in front of her seemed to be different.
She didn’t have time to think about what was different about Zhan Haoze because he had already pulled her body into his arms again.