“Of course.”
“If you are unconvinced, you can report it to the police and let them arrest me.” Chen Jinzhao said lightly. Hearing this, He Haixiong quickly endured the pain and said, “We wouldn’t dare, how could we. Thank you, Mr. Chen, for sparing our lives.”
Even with their legs broken, the He family father and son could still live comfortably with their vast fortune.
It was much better than dying.
It was also possible that the two dared not speak out. Chen Jinzhao naturally did not care about their thoughts.
“If there’s nothing else, you can get lost now,” Chen Jinzhao said.
He Haixiong hesitated, seemingly unwilling to leave. After a long while, he asked, “Mr. Chen, the reason you wanted to see us father and son was to avenge He Xiaohu, wasn’t it?”
“You’re not that stupid after all,” Chen Jinzhao chuckled.
He Haixiong finally gave up hope.
Now, he finally felt the frustration of being crushed by power. He used to be the one who treated others like this.
The tables have turned, and it was his turn.
He said bitterly, “Alright, I understand. Lastly, thank you, Mr. Chen, for sparing our lives.”
“Let’s go.”
The bodyguards moved to drag the He family father and son away.
Chen Jinzhao would not let the He family father and son off so easily. When the time was right, he would have Tao Qiyue investigate the He family thoroughly. For the actions of this father and son, even if they couldn’t be sentenced to death, they would at least receive a life sentence.
The previously noisy restaurant instantly became silent.
The restaurant owner, who had witnessed the entire incident, appeared before Chen Jinzhao in disbelief after the He family father and son left. He weakly said, “Honored guests, those people broke your wine glasses just now. Let me replace them for you. Also, whatever wine you wish to drink, just ask. This establishment has everything.”
These words were clearly meant to appease Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao glanced at He Xiaohu, then said to the restaurant owner, “Boss, we’re not eating anymore. Your place also suffered some damage. How much do I owe you?”
The owner immediately refused. “This wasn’t caused by you, so you don’t need to pay. Consider this meal on me.”
Chen Jinzhao refused to budge.
He walked to the counter, scanned the payment code with his phone, and generously transferred ten thousand yuan to the restaurant owner, which was more than enough.
The owner couldn’t stop him and changed his tune. “That’s too much, too much. Two or three thousand would have been enough. The tables and chairs here aren’t worth much.”
“Boss, if you’re this polite with me again, you’re not giving me face,” Chen Jinzhao said.
The owner looked troubled, and finally said, “Then, then fine, I’ll shamelessly accept this ten thousand yuan.”
Chen Jinzhao nodded, then left with He Xiaohu.
Watching their receding figures, the owner suddenly shivered. He then lit a cigarette and started to smoke, sighing with emotion, “Truly amazing. I never thought such an influential figure would emerge from our small town. Hmph, the He family always acts like they own Leyang County, and finally, someone has put them in their place.”
“If they dare to be so arrogant again in the future, I’ll report them directly to this influential figure.”
At that time.
He Xiaohu and Chen Jinzhao had already left the town and were returning to the village.
All the way, He Xiaohu was absent-minded, finding it hard to believe that his elementary school classmate had become such a formidable figure.
Chen Jinzhao escorted him to his doorstep, then patted He Xiaohu’s shoulder. “Xiaohu, thank you for providing me with the clue. Don’t overthink it. We will always be friends.”
He Xiaohu asked incredulously, “Chen Jinzhao, have you truly become the King of Jiangnan, as the He family father and son said?”
“Why do you suddenly ask this?” Chen Jinzhao asked.
He Xiaohu said dejectedly, “I just want to understand clearly and satisfy my own ridiculous curiosity.”
Chen Jinzhao did not hide anything from He Xiaohu. He truly treated him as a friend. “How could I be the King of Jiangnan? They are all talking nonsense. However, in Jiangnan Province and even the Yangtze River Delta, I can indeed have a say. As for the King of Jiangnan, I dare not accept the title.”
“It seems what they said is true then,” He Xiaohu was even more shocked.
Chen Jinzhao patted his shoulder again. “Don’t overthink it. Get some rest. I will find a renowned doctor to see if your leg can be treated.”
He Xiaohu stood there in a daze, failing to respond to Chen Jinzhao.
“Rest early, goodbye.”
Chen Jinzhao said his farewells and turned to leave.
Seeing Chen Jinzhao about to disappear into the night, He Xiaohu gritted his teeth and limped after him, shouting, “Chen Jinzhao, wait a moment!”
Chen Jinzhao stopped in his tracks, then turned back to look at He Xiaohu who was catching up. “What is it? Is there something else?”
He Xiaohu clenched his fists, his face filled with conflict.
Before Chen Jinzhao could ask again, He Xiaohu suddenly knelt down before him. Chen Jinzhao reached out to help him up, but He Xiaohu refused to get up, sobbing, “Chen Jinzhao, I’m sorry!”
Chen Jinzhao’s expression froze. He said, “What are you sorry for? You and I are friends. Get up first and then we’ll talk.”
“No!”
“I deserve to die. Only by kneeling before you can I find peace.” After saying this, He Xiaohu suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.
Chen Jinzhao frowned. “You have nothing to apologize for. Get up and then we’ll talk. Otherwise, I’m leaving right now.”
He Xiaohu no longer hid anything. While wiping tears with his sleeve, he said, “Actually, I know who has your father’s remains. I accepted money from them. They told me to drug you when you weren’t paying attention. From their demeanor, they seemed to want to kill you. I am truly a scumbag, my conscience clouded by money.”
Chen Jinzhao stood in the night, silent for a long time.
He had felt something was off about He Xiaohu earlier. Why would he appear at his doorstep so coincidentally when Chen Jinzhao was about to return to Ninghai?
It was just that Chen Jinzhao had never thought about it in that direction. As he said, he had always treated He Xiaohu as a friend.
How could there be suspicion between friends?
“Chen Jinzhao, I am truly a beast. Hit me to vent your anger,” He Xiaohu continued.
Chen Jinzhao sighed, still reaching out to help He Xiaohu up. “How much money did they promise you?”
He Xiaohu was pulled up, lowering his head. “One million.”
“Did you receive it?” Chen Jinzhao asked again.
He Xiaohu nodded. “They gave me half, and also promised to arrange top-tier medical treatment to heal my leg.”
Chen Jinzhao nodded. “Then their offer was quite good. If I were you, I would have agreed. Then why did you change your mind? You know that healing this leg is very important to you.”
A deep sense of guilt rose within He Xiaohu.
As he had said before, when he was at his lowest, he couldn’t find a true friend. Initially, he thought Chen Jinzhao was like everyone else. Only later did He Xiaohu realize that Chen Jinzhao truly treated him as a friend, giving him money and helping him get revenge. Even if He Xiaohu’s heart was made of stone, it would have been softened long ago.
In comparison, he felt he was truly despicable.
Chen Jinzhao remained silent for a long time. He Xiaohu continued to sob, “I was blinded by profit. That was my fault. From now on, consider me no longer your friend. I am not worthy of being your friend.”
Chen Jinzhao couldn’t bring himself to hate He Xiaohu for his actions.
Perhaps it was because He Xiaohu had not caused any disaster, or perhaps it was because He Xiaohu was too pitiful, abandoned by the world. Doing such a thing seemed understandable.
“You said they asked you to drug me. Did they give you the drug?” Chen Jinzhao asked.
He Xiaohu nodded. “Yes, they did. Wait for me here, I’ll go get the drug for you.”
Watching He Xiaohu limp into the house and then bring out a bottle of medicine and hand it to him, Chen Jinzhao felt a heavy heart. He took the bottle and was about to open it when He Xiaohu quickly said, “Don’t open it. It’s a colorless and odorless gas. Once inhaled, you’ll be unable to move and become like a helpless lamb to the slaughter.”
“I understand. Thank you,” Chen Jinzhao said.
He Xiaohu’s awakening at the last moment was equivalent to helping Chen Jinzhao. Chen Jinzhao had been wondering where to find these people.
He stared at the small brown bottle, narrowed his eyes, and murmured, “It seems they aren’t very confident in their own abilities, otherwise, they wouldn’t resort to such crooked methods.”
He Xiaohu quickly said, “I can help you lure them out.”
“But you’ll need to call more people, because the ones who asked me to do this are fierce-looking and seem like trouble.”
Chen Jinzhao snapped out of his thoughts and said to He Xiaohu, “There’s no time like the present. Do you have their contact information? I plan to act tonight.”
Chen Jinzhao understood the principle that delays could lead to complications.
He Xiaohu hesitated. “Won’t that be too hasty?”
Chen Jinzhao said grimly, “Let it be hasty, to prevent these people from escaping. Do you remember how many of them there were?”
“If nothing unexpected happens, there should be three of them: two men and one woman. Originally there were seven or eight people, but later I heard that some of them had already left Ninghai City, leaving only three,” He Xiaohu replied. Chen Jinzhao nodded. The people who left must have taken Chen Yangfu’s remains with them.
With the remaining three people, Chen Jinzhao was confident he could handle them.
“Contact them now. Tell them I’ve been poisoned and they should hurry and come find me,” Chen Jinzhao instructed He Xiaohu.
As He Xiaohu was about to contact the people, Chen Jinzhao stared at the small brown bottle and suddenly thought of something. He said to He Xiaohu, “No, those people didn’t act personally, which means they are very cautious. They claimed that the gas in this small brown bottle can paralyze the body and said it’s colorless and odorless, making it impossible for us to verify their claims. If the actual effect is direct poisoning, and you tell them I’ve shown symptoms of paralysis, they’ll know I’m trying to lure them out and will immediately retreat.”
He Xiaohu listened, dumbfounded. If what Chen Jinzhao said was true, then those people were too meticulous. What made him even more terrified was that Chen Jinzhao was even more meticulous than them!
“Then what should we do?”