"I've hired sixty more formidable bodyguards this time; we won't be afraid even if they make a move again."
"Where did you find them?" Zhang Liunian felt a surge of happiness upon hearing about the new bodyguards.
"Just through an old friend's introduction..."
As they were chatting, Gu Sanqing, who had been following behind them silently, suddenly interrupted, "Comrade Zhang Liunian, could I stay with you for a couple of days? I'll leave once Chen Jiayuan and his group are taken down."
He dared not stay alone now. Chen Jiayuan wanted him dead, and if he failed once, there would be a second and third attempt. Staying by Zhang Liunian's side was the safest option.
After all, Zhang Liunian was the person he knew with the highest combat ability. If he couldn't survive by Zhang Liunian's side, he wouldn't survive anywhere else.
Hearing this, Zhang Liunian stopped and looked at Gu Sanqing. Seeing his awkward expression, and remembering that Gu Sanqing needed to testify and couldn't be harmed, he nodded. "Alright. We'll need you to help us bring down Chen Jiayuan. Tomorrow, you'll accompany me to meet someone. You can tell them everything you know, and we'll aim to bring Chen Jiayuan and the others down in one go. What do you think?"
Originally, he worried that presenting evidence would make Comrade Sun think he had premeditated this. Now, with Gu Sanqing as a witness, he could shift all the blame onto Gu Sanqing.
"No problem, he must be eliminated." Gu Sanqing agreed without hesitation, as Chen Jiayuan was far worse than those in the National Business Association. The National Business Association might have hindered his ventures, but Chen Jiayuan was constantly threatening his life.
If his life were gone, nothing else would matter.
As long as he was alive, he could always find more opportunities, even if targeted by the National Business Association.
Even if he couldn't operate openly, he could still do so in secret.
Moreover, Gu Sanqing preferred making money discreetly to earning it openly.
Therefore, when he heard Zhang Liunian wanted to eliminate Chen Jiayuan, he was more than willing.
"Let's go. Get a good night's rest, and we'll set off tomorrow." Zhang Liunian saw that it was getting late and knew it was time to rest.
However, upon returning, he still called Zhang Ya, informing him to contact Comrade Sun for a meeting the next morning. He had crucial evidence to present to them.
This was evidence that could dismantle the entire Hong Kong Merchants Association and fulfill the project's attached conditions.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ya readily agreed. He immediately relayed the information to Comrade Sun, who was also looking forward to his third meeting with Zhang Liunian the next day.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Jiayuan, who had already received news of the failed assassination attempt, was furious. When he got angry, he would laugh, and he was currently laughing heartily, causing Little Yellow Hair and President Ren to break out in a cold sweat.
The Chairman is angry!
This thought simultaneously flashed through their minds, as only they understood what these laughter from Chen Jiayuan represented.
They dared not speak, only waiting for the Chairman to finish laughing.
They didn't have to wait long. Chen Jiayuan finished laughing.
He walked back to his seat, sat down, and then looked forward, gritting his teeth. "Zhang Liunian is truly resilient. To survive that… it seems I need to resort to extreme measures."
President Ren was Chen Jiayuan's echo. Hearing that he wanted Zhang Liunian dead, he immediately chimed in, "Chairman, this Zhang Liunian is truly going too far. We kindly sent him on his way, but not only did he not appreciate it, he caused trouble. We absolutely cannot let him off lightly. We must make him understand the consequences of offending us Hong Kong merchants, and that failing to finish him off was his biggest regret."
After President Ren spoke, Little Yellow Hair, not to be outdone, also chimed in, "Yes, yes, we absolutely cannot let Zhang Liunian get away with this. We must make him understand the consequences and his fate for offending us."
Little Yellow Hair would never miss an opportunity to slander Zhang Liunian, simply because he disliked him.
Of course, the main reason was that their Chairman disliked Zhang Liunian, otherwise, he wouldn't be targeting him like this.
"Naturally. However, Director Sun wants us to hand over the person responsible for dealing with Zhang Liunian. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"
The matter of dealing with Zhang Liunian was personally approved by Chen Jiayuan, and it was handled by Little Yellow Hair and the others. Thus, they couldn't hand over Chen Jiayuan or his confidants. They had to select an inconspicuous person from the association who wasn't one of them, to serve as a scapegoat.
"I have two candidates."
"I have one candidate."
President Ren and Little Yellow Hair answered in unison upon hearing this.
"Tell me who they are?" Chen Jiayuan didn't care much about the people in their association. He only cared about who his confidants were and whether anyone opposed him.
Since they were being asked to choose people, the priority would be those who had opinions of him or were insignificant minor characters.
Because he didn't value such people, they could be utilized as disposable tools.
As for using his confidants as scapegoats, that wasn't necessary yet.
He wouldn't sacrifice his confidants just to find a scapegoat.
"Lame"
"Lame and the little foreigner"
President Ren and Little Yellow Hair named their candidates simultaneously and then all looked at Chen Jiayuan, waiting to see his choice.
Chen Jiayuan fell silent for a moment, then looked at them and said, "Lame. That's him."
This person had a very low presence, rarely interacted with others, and his identity was not prominent. He was only included because he held the status of a Hong Kong merchant.
However, this person hadn't invested much in their previous projects, and his financial capacity meant he couldn't do much, only maintain a familiar presence.
But, they hadn't kept any of their past plans a secret from any association member.
That Lame person was fully aware of how many people they had tricked, so they would have to employ some tactics to make him confess obediently.
First, he must not be able to speak, and his hands must not be able to write. As long as they rendered him disabled, he could confess his guilt.
"Later, you two go deal with Lame. Don't let him speak, and don't let him act. Do you understand?"
Chen Jiayuan instructed Little Yellow Hair and President Ren. He could only feel at ease entrusting such matters to them.
"Yes," Little Yellow Hair and President Ren replied in unison.
"As for Zhang Liunian, I will send someone else to harvest his life. For now, I'll let him live a few more hours. We'll continue tomorrow."
Chen Jiayuan would not let Zhang Liunian go. If it weren't for Zhang Liunian, he would have already killed Gu Sanqing, and wouldn't have to worry about his affairs being exposed.
Wait, Gu Sanqing is also with Zhang Liunian now. Could they have reported him?
No, he couldn't wait another night. He had to harvest both of their lives right now.