Chapter 425: Wen Han Agrees

After finishing a cigarette, I stood up and wiped away my own tears.

I lifted my head and stared into the darkness of the staircase,

I strained to raise my fist into the air,

I am just like that indestructible little cockroach,

and stood up again,

I must face the pressure and challenges bravely.

I returned to my room,

Daybreak was near.

I talked with Kong Shi through the night.

In fact, when we talked, we both knew that it was mutual exploitation.

Then we cooperated with each other.

There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests; likewise, there are no eternal enemies, only shared interests.

That statement is spot on. In the face of interests, enemies can become friends, and friends can become enemies; Kong Shi exemplifies this best.

He has always been my friend, but he schemed against me for profit and became my enemy.

Now we share a common interest, so the enemy will soon become a friend.

Of course, all of this is merely superficial.

Can a broken mirror ever be whole again?

Even if the shattered mirror is mended, a huge crack remains in the middle.

My hatred toward Kong Shi is already buried deep in my heart,

Now is not the time for hatred, but the time to join forces against him.

There will be a day of reckoning for Kong Shi.

I thought of these things, standing by the window and looking outside,

Outside the window was pitch black; this must be the darkness before dawn.

I recall that on the construction site at Niushiling, I especially liked watching the sunrise,

It rose slowly from the horizon, blazing red like a balloon, leaping upward.

Whenever I see that rising sun, my heart fills with strength.

That strength carries the resolve to overcome any difficulty.

Now, within my heart, that sun is slowly rising.

I feel no drowsiness,

Shi Yong's snoring echoes throughout the house.

Shi Yong is always like this; no matter how big the matter, it never delays his sleep.

Listening to Shi Yong's snores, I wondered, if everyone lived like Shi Yong, would that be happiness or not?

I don't know; sometimes I envy Shi Yong, living carefree and thoughtless,

and sometimes I fear becoming like Shi Yong, thoughtless and heartless.

Perhaps this relates to one's upbringing.

A person's character forms not only from genetics but also heavily from life experiences.

My past hardships forced me to mature early, to learn responsibility, and to shoulder life's pressures.

Lost in idle thoughts, I quickly passed an hour.

By now, the sunlight outside had risen a pole's height; that's how summer sun is,

It always rushes. From dawn to daylight seems like an instant.

I went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and decided to take a proper shower; I was exhausted last night.

After showering, I came out to find Ding Li already awake,

"Zhao Ge, you're back. We've been waiting for you a long time, and we hadn't seen you return, wanted to call and ask, Shi Yong said it's unnecessary; now is the safest time for you."

I laughed, "Shi Yong is right; now is the safest moment for us."

At that moment, Shi Yong's voice rang from inside the house: "Brother, you're back. You don't know, yesterday I looked at Hou Laoban's phone; its contents were too flashy.

Damn, I never even dreamed there were so many ways to use it.

Sigh, compared to them, it seems I still have a lot to learn."

Early in the morning, I didn't want to discuss those matters with Shi Yong.

"Shi Yong, hurry up, go outside and buy me a few fire‑bread; if you return to Zaocheng without eating fire‑bread, it's as if you never came back."

"Sigh, this hotel serves breakfast; what fire‑bread would you eat? Honestly, I'd rather have baozi." Shi Yong lay on the bed, unwilling to get up.

"Zhao Ge, I'll go buy it," Ding Li said.

"Ding Li, bring me a basket of meat baozi. Looking at the phone last night was damn exhausting. Need to replenish," Shi Yong said from the room.

I'm too lazy to bother with this Shi Yong.

Ding Li went to buy fire‑bread.

He returned after about half an hour, carrying baozi and fire‑bread.

As soon as Ding Li entered, Shi Yong smelled the baozi, jumped out of bed without washing his hands or face, and grabbed a baozi to eat.

Ding Li said, "Brother Yong, wash your hands; they've certainly not been idle all night."

"What's the matter? My own stuff isn't dirty," Shi Yong said, putting a baozi into his mouth.

Ding Li was about to say something more,

I said, "Ding Li, stop. Shi Yong is like that; he never washes his face or hands. It's an old habit that's lasted years."

"From now on, don't use my cup to drink water," Ding Li shouted.

"What's the matter? I don't have any contagious disease," Shi Yong said, picking up another bun and eating it.

I grabbed a huoshao and took big bites, fragrant—

The pork‑head meat inside the huoshao was especially oily, and chewing it was extremely satisfying.

I ate two huoshao,

and felt much better.

I glanced at the time; it was already past seven in the morning.

I need to get in touch with Wen Han to explain Kong Shi's plan,

in order to win his consent.

There are some matters I cannot decide on my own.

Designing to capture Liu Shiru now—could that affect the overall situation and Wen Han's plan on his side?

Some things, when considered from the big picture, shouldn't be done just for a momentary thrill.

If we follow Kong Shi's plan and capture Liu Shiru, I could avenge myself, but it would anger the Zhou Family.

Then if the Zhou Family comes on the offensive, what should we do,

if the Wen Family can no longer handle it and pushes us out again, that would be a loss.

Kong Shi might also shift all responsibility onto me.

This move is a risky gambit; we must be careful.

Actually, I should first call Xiao Yan, seek his instruction, then contact Wen Han; I know there is a connection between Xiao Yan and Wen Han.

But I decided to contact Wen Han personally,

to explain my importance.

I took out my phone, found the number Wen Han called me on last night, and dialed it.

But it wouldn't connect.

It was the busy tone. Looks like Wen Han is occupied.

I'll try again later.

Just as I put the phone down, Wen Han called back,

I quickly answered,

"Good morning, Mr. Wen."

"Good morning, Brother Jianqiang. Calling me so early—what's the matter?" Wen Han said, yawning.

"It's like this, Mr. Wen: we have already returned to Zaocheng. The items belonging to Zhou Fuhai, we have secured them overnight.

Kong Shi came to see me specifically in the middle of the night.

and guaranteed our safety.

Mr. Wen, thank you for the assistance you provided."

"Brother Jianqiang, you're too kind. Since we have the items, bring them back quickly. Keeping them with me is safer," Wen Han said.

"There's another matter: Kong Shi's plan is to capture Liu Shiru," I said.

"How to capture Liu Shiru?" Wen Han asked directly.

"Here's the plan: Kong Shi intends to use me as bait to lure Liu Shiru to Zaocheng, then capture him there.

After capturing him, we will send him to you, believing he holds more evidence about the Zhou Family." I said.

After I finished speaking,

there was no response on the other end for a while.

After a while, Wen Han finally said to me, "Brother Jianqiang, don't act on this plan yet; I need to seek approval. Wait for my call."

"Alright, Mr. Wen. I'll wait for your call," I said.

Wen Han hung up.

It seems he needs to discuss it with his father, Old Master Wen.

Because the risk is too high, he's not confident.

About half an hour later, my phone rang; I hurried to answer,

"Brother Jianqiang, the plan looks good and can be executed,

but it must be done with utmost caution and not be exposed. Capture Liu Shiru and send him directly to the Sijiucheng Douqu Hall."