A Chan – CH 133

Chapter 133: A Smooth Sailing Life (2)

So this was Xu Yi’s real purpose in bringing her here today.

Li Weiyi suddenly smiled, her gaze as intense as if she were gazing at a deeply loved one. Xu Yi was startled, and Li Weiyi pulled his collar, forcing him to lower his head. She looked up, pressed her neck against his, and kissed him, her breath lingering around him.

Xu Yi’s smile finally vanished, and even the lines of his neck became noticeably stiff.

Li Weiyi said softly, “Ah Chan, you’re overthinking it. How could I refuse you? But you smell of sweat. Go take a shower; otherwise, I don’t want to hug you.”

She loosened her grip on his collar. Xu Yi stared intently at her, then turned his head away, a self-deprecating laugh escaping his lips. He released her, straightened up, sniffed his collar, and said, “I do smell of sweat; I’m sorry.” He took off his watch and tossed it onto the sofa, then threw off his coat, kicked off his slippers, leaving only his socks, and said, “I’ll listen to you; go take a shower. You’ve always been very clean; you don’t like the smell of sweat, alcohol, or cigarettes on me. I remember.”

He walked towards the inner bedroom, as if performing some kind of ritual for himself. Li Weiyi sat motionless, gazing towards the bedroom, casually picking up his watch, and holding it in her hand for a moment before putting it down.

Until the sound of the shower began, Li Weiyi quickly got up, opened every drawer, and looked inside, only to find it empty. She had no choice but to leave the bedroom, return to her original room, lock the door, and, feeling that wasn’t enough, use all her strength to push the cabinet against the door.

Then she sat down on the edge of the bed in frustration. Now she didn’t know what to do; she could only take it one step at a time.

—

Zhang Jingchan and Zhang Fengming navigated a maze of twists and turns, painstakingly avoiding all police checkpoints, weaving through old residential areas and narrow alleys, and finally arriving at the gate of a primary school on the city’s edge, by the river, just before 10 a.m.

Zhang Fengming parked the car in a dark corner, turned off the engine, and got out. Zhang Jingchan looked up; the primary school was small and looked very old, dark, and dimly lit, with only a few buildings vaguely visible. The guardhouse at the entrance was lit.

The two walked along the wall surrounding the primary school, the path growing darker and darker, overgrown with weeds, gradually leading towards the river. Then, they turned a corner, revealing a very hidden path tucked away in the fields beside it.

On the other side of the fields was a cliff four or five stories high, below which lay the riverbank.

The two crossed the fields, following a dirt path to the other side. This side was the back of the school; two men in black stood guard at the end of the dirt path, completely invisible from a distance. Upon seeing Zhang Fengming and Xu Yi, the two nodded.

Zhang Jingchan noticed many exposed rocks on the earthen slope. To their left, as they passed, there was a natural cave with an oil lamp lit inside, and two of his men were playing cards. Zhang Jingchan realized this was indeed a well-hidden hideout.

After passing the cave, a short flight of stairs led to a dilapidated two-story building with a sign that read “Gymnasium.”

Zhang Jingchan followed Zhang Fengming inside.

The gymnasium was only about a hundred square meters, half of which was filled with equipment. Several blankets lay scattered on the old rubber floor. A square table stood in the middle, where two men sat facing each other, drinking beer and eating a late-night snack. Looking out the window, they could see a large, old clock from the 1980s or 90s hanging high on a school building across the street.

Hearing footsteps, the two men looked up; Cheng Chuan’s expression remained cautious. Liu Ying stared at Zhang Jingchan, aka “Xu Yi,” standing beside Zhang Fengming, her expression one of utter disbelief.

That day, Zhang Jingchan had just transmigrated. After Liu Ying and her brother discussed it, they disregarded everything else and tried to catch him, but he escaped. Since the chase took place outside the office building, by the time Cheng Chuan and Zhang Fengming ran out, Zhang Jingchan was long gone. Liu Ying only vaguely said, “Suspicious people were spying on us, but we couldn’t catch them. Xu Yi went after them.”

Later, Xu Yi remotely directed everyone. Only Liu Ying knew about the swap.

Zhang Fengming pulled up a chair and sat down. Zhang Jingchan sat opposite him with an extremely natural expression and said to the other two, “The person is back. Leave peacefully tonight.”

Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan both nodded. They had been incredibly frustrated these past few days. Fortunately, Xu Yi had taught them how to transfer some of their assets abroad every year. Now, they just wanted to get out and live a carefree life as soon as possible.

Liu Ying stared coldly at Zhang Jingchan, then suddenly smiled and said, “Ah Lan, come with me. I have something important to tell you.”

Zhang Jingchan’s expression was indifferent; he even picked up a peanut and peeled it, saying, “Let’s talk here. We are all family.”

Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan exchanged a glance.

Liu Ying raised her voice, “Third and Fourth Brothers! My brother’s drunk too much. Take him next door; I’ll sober him up!”

The two henchmen who had been drinking in the cave rushed in. Zhang Jingchan grabbed a wine glass and smashed it on the ground, but like Xu Yi, even in anger, his voice remained calm and unhurried: “What can’t I say in front of them? Are you afraid they’ll find out about what you and your lovers have been doing?”

Liu Ying was immediately stunned.

Zhang Fengming: “Wait!” Turning to his two subordinates, he said,

“You two go out first; the siblings are arguing.”

Zhang Jingchan said, “Tell them to stay away.” He gave Zhang Fengming a wink, and Zhang Fengming immediately understood. The following conversation couldn’t be overheard by outsiders, so he ordered, “Stay away.”

Liu Ying reacted and was about to stop her subordinates from leaving when she heard Zhang Jingchan say, “300 million! A whole 300 million! Not a word was leaked, not even from me. What exactly is your relationship with that Wang Ming guy? Are you playing us for fools?”

Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan exchanged a quick glance, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. Cheng Chuan spoke up: “Xu Yi, what 300 million? Explain yourself.”

Zhang Jingchan gestured with his chin towards Liu Ying: “You’ll have to ask her.”

Of course, they’d had to ask her. Because Ding Chenmo had already received news that the police in another region had apprehended Wang Ming, since the 30 million they used to buy futures came from Fuming, and the huge profits were naturally illegal. After the police interrogation of Wang Ming, the existence of the investment was confirmed. Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan were unaware of it; it was a private operation by Xu Yi and Liu Ying.

Liu Ying panicked completely. She hadn’t expected this person to be so blatantly deceitful, suddenly revealing the truth and pinning everything on her. But what could she say? Should she claim it was clearly a joint effort between the siblings? Or should she say he wasn’t Xu Yi but Zhang Jingchan? Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan would only think she had lost her mind.

Her speechless outburst only further confirmed Zhang Jingchan’s claims to Zhang Fengming and Cheng Chuan. There really was 300 million yuan they didn’t know about; otherwise, how could the two siblings, who were usually so close, have turned against each other? That was 300 million yuan.

Liu Ying was about to deny it was a misunderstanding when Zhang Jingchan spoke first: “I’ve been hiding these past few days, but I also have connections with the police. Otherwise, I couldn’t have hidden for so long, and I wouldn’t have been able to pick you up tonight.” He glanced at Zhang Fengming.

Zhang Fengming nodded immediately; his return tonight had indeed gone smoothly.

Liu Ying: “You’re talking nonsense! Old Cheng, Old Zhang, don’t listen to him!”

Zhang Jingchan, as if he hadn’t heard, continued, “I heard some news: the police arrested a man named Wang Ming in Guangzhou. He’s suspected of using 30 million yuan embezzled from Fuming with her to buy the same futures contracts as Zhang Moyun and then making 300 million yuan in profit. Sister, the police only found 40 million yuan from Wang Ming; what about the remaining 260 million? So in the end, everyone was just a tool and a stepping stone for you to amass wealth, even me. Is that Wang Ming your confidant or your true love?”

Liu Ying was furious. Wang Ming was their cousin! No, he was her and Xu Yi’s cousin.