Chapter 74: The Account Book

It wasn't that Zhang Dajun was all that famous, but a man like Bata'er had to know the score.

To make a living in Xicheng, besides connections in the underworld, one had to be clear about the situation at the Police Station.

Zhang Dajun was considered a prominent figure at the Suifu Border Police Station, and of course, Bata'er knew that.

If the three big labels Ning Weidong had just slapped on him were just bluffs, then bringing up Zhang Dajun's name changed the nature of the situation entirely.

Once Zhang Dajun arrived, he wouldn't even need to bother with "attempted murder" or "attempted rape"; a single charge of "home invasion robbery" would be enough to put him in a world of hurt.

Most importantly, he wouldn't be able to run at all.

All it would take was stuffing a few hundred yuan into his overcoat later, and the crime would be completely set in stone.

Thinking of that scenario, Bata'er's not-so-bright brain suddenly became exceptionally clear, and he forced a grin to concede: "You're tough, I give in."

Ning Weidong saw that this was an old hand; despite looking rough and burly, he knew how to read the room.

That was fine; it saved a lot of trouble. Talking to a smart person was always better than running into a blockhead.

Ning Weidong didn't take his foot off, asking: "Tell me, who sent you?"

Bata'er was very forthcoming: "It was Zhang Minghui from the freight station..."

Ning Weidong hadn't heard of this person and looked at An Ning.

An Ning hurriedly said: "Zhang Minghui worked with Wang Jingsheng and was in charge of the transport side of things."

Ning Weidong suddenly understood. So they were on the same line. Now that the line was gone and Wang Jingsheng was inside, this Zhang Minghui had lost a source of income.

Even so, it didn't seem necessary to come and cause trouble for An Ning. Ning Weidong frowned and looked at An Ning again, his gaze severe.

The meaning was clear: don't play games with me, what did this person come here for?

An Ning didn't dare to hide it and immediately said: "He said Wang Jingsheng had an account book and insisted I hand it over, but how would I know where it is!"

"An account book?" Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow, took his foot off Bata'er, and said: "Get lost."

Bata'er scrambled to his feet, rubbed his aching chest, looked at Ning Weidong with fear in his eyes, didn't dare to say any more harsh words, and slunk away.

As for calling Zhang Dajun over, Ning Weidong had just been bluffing.

When it came down to it, Ning Weidong had only met Zhang Dajun twice and dealt with him once; it didn't count as a friendship, and rashly dumping the matter on him would only be annoying.

Moreover, this involved previous matters at the Red Star Factory.

If he caused more trouble, what would the Manager think? Besides, this was originally An Ning's business, and Ning Weidong had only been called in to save the day.

Driving Bata'er away was doing more than enough; there was no need to handle the aftermath.

That was a different matter.

Bata'er was quite polite; he closed the door on his way out.

Rubbing his chest and letting out a long breath, he cursed inwardly. Beijing really was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Luckily, he didn't have the habit of hitting women, otherwise, today might not have ended well.

Thinking this, he walked quickly downstairs, pushed a "28-inch" bicycle onto the road, and rode away fast.

He didn't notice that in the shadows downstairs, someone had been watching the entrance all along and immediately rode a bike to follow, trailing from a distance—it was Ning Wei.

Ning Weidong hadn't come alone; just in case, he had called Ning Wei to stay downstairs and keep watch.

Before going upstairs, Ning Weidong had already agreed that if anyone came down, Ning Wei should follow them to see what kind of background they had.

Meanwhile, inside the room upstairs.

Seeing that Bata'er had really left, An Ning hurried to check on the fainted young man, pinching his philtrum to wake him: "Sikui—Sikui—"

She didn't forget to explain to Ning Weidong: "This is my cousin Shen Sikui, from my third aunt's family."

Ning Weidong had some impression of Shen Sikui; when he was looking for things at the construction site last time, he was one of the people working in the room.

Shen Sikui groaned and slowly woke up, sitting down on the sofa.

He had blacked out earlier and hadn't seen Bata'er, so seeing Ning Weidong instead left him confused. Ning Weidong ignored him and asked directly: "What's this about the account book he mentioned?"

An Ning, who had just said she didn't know, didn't say a word this time; she immediately went to the window, stepped on the nightstand, climbed onto the windowsill, and reached up to push the ceiling above the room partition.

The ceiling of the Tongzi Building was made of square fiberboards embedded between wooden strips. That piece was loose, and with a little effort, she pushed open a hole and took out a black-covered account book tied with a string.

"It's this—" An Ning handed it to Ning Weidong: "Take a look, is it of any use?"

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "For me?"

An Ning was blunt: "You saw it just now, I can't keep it at all. Rather than letting someone else take it, I'd rather give it to you."

Ning Weidong took it.

An Ning was smart; this account book was a burden in her hands, but it might not be in Ning Weidong's.

At the very least, giving it to Chu Zhongxin or Li Peihang could earn him a favor.

However, Ning Weidong was more concerned about Xu Jinshan. He set the account book aside and said calmly: "Tell me, what's going on with Xu Jinshan?"

On the other side, Ning Wei followed Bata'er through the night.

Bata'er rode in one breath to the vicinity of the South City Railway Station and arrived at an alley.

He had been pedaling the bike hard, but he stopped in front of a courtyard gate, gathered himself for a moment, and began to walk with a stagger.

Upon entering the door, he leaned against the wall and called out "Brother."

Bata'er looked quite wretched after being slapped twice by Ning Weidong; his weak voice and staggering steps were even more deceptive, making people think he had been seriously injured.

Soon, two people came out of the room.

The leader was about thirty-five or thirty-six, with a cigarette in his mouth and his hair slicked back—it was Zhang Minghui.

The other person was actually Lu Zhou!

Zhang Minghui was startled when he saw Bata'er's appearance: "Old Ba, you... how did you get like this?"

Bata'er pulled a bitter face: "Brother, I ran into a tough one at that woman's place."

Zhang Minghui frowned. He knew Bata'er's fighting ability; saying he was invincible in Beijing was an exaggeration, but he was definitely one of the top experts in the underworld.

Otherwise, why would a poor kid from East Mongolia, who couldn't even afford to eat at first, be calling him brother?

He helped Bata'er into the room to sit down and asked about the specific situation.

Half of Bata'er's face was swollen: "Brother, it's my incompetence..."

Zhang Minghui was unhappy in his heart; usually, he boasted to the heavens about how formidable this was and how powerful that was, but when it came to the critical moment, he dropped the ball.

But he knew he could not vent his emotions; the more it was this kind of moment, the more he needed to soothe and comfort him, so he patted Bata'er on the shoulder: "Victory and defeat are common matters for a soldier; it is good that you are unharmed."

Bata'er was very moved: "Brother, I... I..." The man, over one meter eighty tall and weighing over two hundred jin, choked up, and tears came as soon as he spoke.

Watching this, Zhang Minghui felt secretly pleased, thinking that Bata'er's loyalty to him must have risen to at least ninety or above.

Bata'er also knew when to stop and recounted the situation once.

When the name Ning Weidong was mentioned, both Zhang Minghui and Lu Zhou were startled; they had not expected Ning Weidong to get involved.

Especially Lu Zhou, who muttered the name "Ning Weidong" in his mouth, his gaze becoming increasingly sinister.

This time, it concerned whether he could be promoted to Deputy Section Chief.

Whoever blocked his path, he would fight them to the death.

(End of this chapter)