Chapter 75: A Clever Hunter Always Appears in the Form of the Prey

Inside An Ning's room.

After dealing with Shen Sikui and seeing that he was not in any major trouble, he was sent away.

Before leaving, Shen Sikui's right eye was so swollen he couldn't open it; he looked at Ning Weidong with his left eye, mumbled, and whispered, "Brother Ning, thank you for coming to save my sister."

Ning Weidong did not respond; Shen Sikui likely had some misunderstanding about his relationship with An Ning.

He had come this time entirely because of Xu Jinshan, but since explaining that would be hurtful, he let the misunderstanding be.

An Ning understood Ning Weidong's thoughts better and did not say anything unnecessary; after Shen Sikui left, she went straight to the point: "Actually, I have known Xu Jinshan for a long time..."

Ning Weidong listened patiently to her chatter, not expecting that she had such a connection with Xu Jinshan.

It turned out that Xu Jinshan's father was the original butler of the An Family, and two generations had served the An Family.

Even until the sixties, when An Ning's father passed away, there was still close contact with the Xu family.

When Xu Jinshan was able to enter the Red Star Factory and become a State-owned Worker, the An Family had also contributed effort.

It was precisely because of this relationship that when Wang Jingsheng first approached Xu Jinshan, he was able to successfully gain the other party's trust.

It was just that all along, An Ning had kept her guard up and never revealed her relationship with the Xu family to Wang Jingsheng.

Ning Weidong was half-believing after hearing this.

An Ning continued: "The reason Xu Jinshan came to me this time is actually because he was forced into a corner. According to him, he committed a major offense this time and only managed to escape by relying on someone above."

Ning Weidong knew for certain that this must have been an arrangement by Li Peihang's side.

However, Xu Jinshan was quite shrewd; knowing Li Peihang could not be trusted, he surely did not follow the arrangements completely and instead found another way to approach An Ning.

It was just that Ning Weidong did not understand: given An Ning's current situation, did she really have the ability to help Xu Jinshan? No matter how wealthy and powerful the An Family used to be, everything had vanished into thin air by now, otherwise An Ning would not have been reduced to marrying Wang Jingsheng.

Ning Weidong asked: "Where is he now?"

An Ning shook her head: "I don't know for the moment. He is very cautious; he is always the one who comes to find me."

As expected, if he hadn't been this cautious, Xu Jinshan would have been disposed of quietly long ago.

Ning Weidong pondered and asked: "What are his thoughts?"

"He knows my family has Overseas Relations and wants me to find a way to help him get to Hong Kong." An Ning said with a bitter face: "Our family did have people go overseas back then, but he doesn't stop to think how many years have passed; the old people from back then are mostly gone, and the younger generation that grew up later wouldn't know who I am. Yet he is fixated on me as his straw to clutch at, and even threatened me that if I dare not help, he will drag me down with him, implicate me in the case of speculation and profiteering, and send me to prison..."

Ning Weidong fell into deep thought; this situation was something he hadn't expected either.

In fact, at the very beginning, Ning Weidong was more inclined to believe that Xu Jinshan, as a key chess piece, would disappear without a trace.

Neither hide nor hair to be found, dead or alive.

Now it seemed he had overestimated Li Peihang's operational capability.

To actually let Xu Jinshan break free and run away halfway.

Ning Weidong did not know that, in fact, this matter could not be blamed on Li Peihang's incompetence; it could only be said that Xu Jinshan was too cunning.

Previously, Li Peihang had promised to send Xu Jinshan to the Southwest, change his name, settle down, and secure a job... but in secret, he was also meant to disappear without a trace.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jinshan kept his guard up and had long been wary of being silenced; after leaving, he did not go to the safe house arranged by Li Peihang, but instead found another place to stay, which was how he escaped with his life and secretly sought out An Ning.

Who would have thought that An Ning was just being harassed by Zhang Minghui and, in her desperation, was looking for Ning Weidong's help, but suffered from having no bargaining chips.

With Xu Jinshan delivering himself to her door, An Ning's mind turned, and she served him up as a dish on the table.

She could use him as a bargaining chip to get Ning Weidong to help solve the Zhang Minghui problem, and simultaneously resolve Xu Jinshan's threat.

And from beginning to end, An Ning appeared as a victim.

Wang Jingsheng deceived her, Zhang Minghui bullied her, and Xu Jinshan coerced her.

Unfortunately, Ning Weidong did not buy her act.

An Ning was quite skilled, but Ning Weidong was an old fox even before he transmigrated; although he did not know the full situation, he could still see the big picture through a small hole and grasp the main point.

He said indifferently: "I help you solve this trouble with Xu Jinshan, what is in it for me?" An Ning pursed her lips, seemingly having made a great resolution, and whispered: "I can be your woman."

She did not say she would remarry Ning Weidong; she knew very well that with Ning Weidong's situation, it was impossible for him to marry her openly, so it could only be a relationship without status.

But An Ning did not care; in reality, her marriage to Wang Jingsheng was itself the result of a balance of interests.

Now it was just changing to a different man.

She was not a loose woman; if Wang Jingsheng were still around, she certainly wouldn't consider it.

But now that Wang Jingsheng was inside, it was estimated that it would be tough for him to get out for ten or twenty years.

An Ning had no intention of living as a widow on the outside.

Who would have thought that upon hearing her say this, Ning Weidong scoffed: "Is it such a hardship to be my woman?"

An Ning was stunned, not expecting Ning Weidong to take this angle.

Ning Weidong added: "I am a young man in his prime, physically robust, with my primordial yang unspent; how is you being my woman anything but you taking advantage of me? What kind of benefit is this?"

An Ning was so angry her face turned blue and white; if she weren't begging for help, she would have loved to slap Ning Weidong's punchable face.

She took a deep breath, calmed her mood, and said: "Then what do you suggest?"

Ning Weidong curled his lips: "What do I suggest? Is this the attitude when begging someone for a favor?"

"You..." An Ning felt angry and bitter, holding back her tears.

Just now, she had taken the initiative to say she would be Ning Weidong's woman, having already stripped away her own dignity.

Who knew this dog of a man, Ning Weidong, would have no sympathy and would even rub salt into her wounds.

At this moment, she deeply realized that this twenty-one-year-old man in front of her, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, always smiling when he spoke, was truly cold-hearted.

Those methods for dealing with men she had learned from her mother were useless against Ning Weidong.

To move this man, she had to bring out something more practical.

Thinking this through, An Ning suppressed her useless emotions, and her brain began to calculate rapidly how much of a price she would have to pay to move Ning Weidong.

After about two minutes, she took a deep breath and said: "I can give you money."

"Money?" Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "Do you think I am very short of money?"

Setting aside meaningless emotions, An Ning was much more composed and said faintly: "Aren't you?"

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Originally it was very scarce, but thanks to you and Wang Jingsheng, it is no longer scarce now."

An Ning choked, hearing Ning Weidong's implication that he had obtained what Qi Jiazui had left behind; her chest heaved with anger, making her look even more striking: "Can you speak properly? Would you be happy if you angered me to death?"

Ning Weidong smiled, indicating that he really hadn't done it on purpose.

An Ning could do nothing about him and could only continue along her own train of thought: "It's not just an ordinary amount of money, it is a very, very 'large' amount of money!"

The emphasis on the word "large" was very obvious.

Ning Weidong's expression turned serious.

If it were ten years ago, money would truly have been of little use.

Because of the public-private partnership, Capitalists could still obtain income far exceeding that of ordinary workers through dividends.

To prevent a small number of people from excessively occupying basic social consumer goods, the ration coupon system was introduced.

Although the extra ration coupons brought quite a bit of trouble, they could, to the greatest extent, isolate the exploitation of the broad masses of the people by capital.

Unable to be directly exchanged for essential consumer goods, the value of money was greatly discounted.

But now the situation has changed again; money will soon restore its original attributes.

It was just that Ning Weidong was not sure what exactly the "very, very large amount" that An Ning spoke of meant.

(End of this chapter)