Chapter 1228: Go See Your Nephew Off

On a rainy day, a convoy of four off-road vehicles sped along a muddy, potholed dirt road, churning up mud and water, making a mess of the entire path.

Leading the way was a black Hummer.

Wang Yan sat in the passenger seat, propping open the window, a cigarette dangling from his lips, boredly gazing out at the unchanging wilderness...

Mao Pan was not an honest man; after hiding outside for two months, he could no longer endure a life where he couldn't do as he pleased. He had known long ago that Wang Yan had reached an agreement with Chen Hao, but at that time, his fear of Wang Yan was at its peak, leaving him terrified and unable to find peace day or night.

As time gradually passed, that fear faded, and his perverted thoughts once again took hold of his mind, making him increasingly eager to return to Sanbianpo, where he was familiar and could act lawlessly.

So he went back.

As for Chen Hao, he had returned during the period when the forestry farm encountered trouble; his forestry farm was the largest in Sanbianpo, generating truly substantial wealth every year, so naturally, he wanted to find a way to take it back, and while he was at it, save his nephew...

The reason Chen Hao dared to return was, of course, the effect of that pigeon-blood ruby. Before this, although the two had already reached an agreement, he feared Wang Yan would not keep his word. This time, having produced a pigeon-blood ruby worth tens of millions, he finally felt at ease.

So, generally speaking, Wang Yan was not such an unreasonable person, nor would he stoop to snatching someone's valuable treasure; it was all because he possessed empathy, understood Chen Hao's difficulties, and was helping Chen Hao overcome his psychological barriers.

Presumably, Chen Hao did not understand his good intentions; as they say, being human is hard, but being a good person is even harder...

Thus, the journey continued all the way to Daqu Forest; after ordering his accompanying subordinates to locate Mao Pan's position, Wang Yan went alone directly to the Jin Cui KTV.

As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Jincui dressed in flashy clothes, still wearing a tight, low-cut top that exposed large patches of skin on her not-so-abundant chest, her hair still that same dyed yellow.

She spotted Wang Yan walking inward at a glance, paused for a moment, then immediately broke into a smile, trotting eagerly to meet him, wrapping her arms around his arm again and rubbing vigorously against him with her "treasure."

"Boss Wang has become Mr. Wang; I thought you had long forgotten me."

"How could that be? I'm just quite busy. Running such a huge operation in Xiaomo, every single matter requires my presence. Plus, having offended Chairman Chen, would I casually travel this far to Daqu Forest to look for trouble? Besides, you haven't been idle either."

"Whether I've been idle or not, is that the same thing as whether you've forgotten me?"

"I'm asking if you've missed me."

"Oh my, heaven have mercy, let's not talk about me; even Seeing Minmin has missed you terribly."

"Then what are we waiting for? Call her to join us; let's settle this hundred-million business deal first before we talk."

The business negotiation was, of course, very enjoyable, truly exhilarating, a comfort from the inside out.

After finishing, Seeing Minmin tidied herself up and walked out limping, leaving Wang Yan and Liu Jincui to talk in the romantic private room.

Liu Jincui dawdled as she put on her clothes, very sensibly helping Wang Yan, who was bare-chested, pull up his trousers, then poured wine and lit a cigarette for him.

She asked, "What brings you to Daqu Forest this time?"

"I missed you."

"As expected; a man's mouth is a lying ghost. Just earlier you said, would you casually travel this far to Daqu Forest to look for trouble if there was no matter?"

"See, you misunderstood; didn't I come specifically to find you and seek pleasure?"

"That's more like it." Liu Jincui rubbed against Wang Yan in a seemingly coquettish manner, then changed the subject, "Seriously, what are you actually doing here?"

"Just having a chat with Chairman Chen."

"No way, you haven't dealt with him yet?"

"Do I look like such a petty person?"

"Doesn't look like it."

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement: "Mainly to find Mao Pan, and secondly to pay respects to Chairman Chen, after all, we haven't seen each other for several months."

"Did Mao Pan provoke you again?"

"This time, he has to die."

"Good! Let me tell you, how many people are hoping for his death. If his uncle weren't Chairman Chen, he would have died countless times already. A person like that simply isn't human."

Wang Yan smiled: "Most people around here are like that, aren't they? It's just that they don't have power as great as Chen Hao's, so they can't support their perverted ideas."

"You make a good point." Liu Jincui agreed solemnly.

People really shouldn't be talked about; just as the two were chatting, a girl from the club came running in eagerly: "Sister Cuicui, Mao Pan is here."

Clearly, Mao Pan was not a welcome guest here.

He didn't just play with women; he ruined them. The key issue was that Chen Hao was a major shareholder here, so Liu Jincui couldn't control him, and Chen Hao wasn't willing to manage such trivial matters. The result was that every time Mao Pan came, some girl would suffer; once or twice might be tolerable, but over time, everyone began to view Mao Pan like a plague god.

Unlike Wang Yan; whenever he came, the girls welcomed him. Because they wanted to witness firsthand just how good he was in bed, to the extent that after every visit, Liu Jincui wouldn't seek out men for several days, and Seeing Minmin would also need to rest for a few days...

Upon hearing the news, Liu Jincui immediately looked at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan chuckled and said to the girl at the door: "Go, tell Mao Pan to come over. Don't mention that I'm here, otherwise he won't dare to come."

"Why are you looking at me? Don't you know who he is? Do my words carry any weight? Hurry up and go!" Liu Jincui scolded the oblivious girl a couple of times, then turned to Wang Yan and said, "Still needs discipline."

"You've said it all."

Wang Yan ignored her, continuing to smoke and drink on his own.

"Are you really going to kill him?" Liu Jincui asked uncertainly.

"Do I look like someone who likes to joke?" Wang Yan said very considerately, "Rest assured, I won't make a move in your place; how could I cause trouble for you? I'll make Chen Hao do it."

"Hiss..."

Liu Jincui couldn't bear to imagine how furious Chen Hao would become; he might even be angered to death. After all, a figure like Chen Hao probably had never suffered such immense anger in his entire life.

Shortly after, the private room door was kicked open with great force; Mao Pan swaggered in, hands in his pockets, swaying his neck back and forth.

"Liu Jincui, what's this? Tired of playing with your trashy men, wanting to with Grandpa I..."

Mao Pan fell silent; his throat seemed to be squeezed shut, his mouth agape as he trembled, unable to utter any coherent words. He stood dumbfounded in place, then began to shiver uncontrollably, followed by a loud crash as he fell backward, propping himself against the wall.

His legs had gone soft, unable to support his weight; he could only flail his arms randomly for support. But it was to no avail; eventually, he collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

The fear of being dominated, that powerlessness nearing death, that damned memory surfaced once again in his mind; he was at a loss, his heart beating rapidly, his pupils beginning to dilate...

Several burly men followed behind Mao Pan, but none of them dared to make a move; they had all seen Wang Yan's photo, and they all knew more or less about the previous events, understanding Wang Yan's track record. Therefore, they dared not move; Mao Pan might not die, but they certainly would.

"You."

Wang Yan pointed at the lead subordinate of Mao Pan and said, "Hit him."

"Mr. Wang, I..."

"Crack!"

The crowd didn't see how he moved, but suddenly a handgun slapped onto the glass coffee table.

"I told you to hit him!" Wang Yan looked at that man indifferently.

"Yes! Mr. Wang!"

The guard gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks on Mao Pan. He struck with considerable force, revealing deep-seated grudges accumulated over time.

The ailment of nearly being scared to death was beaten back by this pain. Instinctively, he hugged his head, bent over, curled up, and gasped for breath in huge gulps.

After taking such a beating for quite a while, he seemed to finally wake up completely.

He shouted loudly, "Mr. Wang, I was wrong, I was wrong! Let me go, let me go! My uncle is rich; don't you want money? He'll give you however much you ask, he'll give it all! Let me go, I was wrong!"

After another minute of brutal beating, Wang Yan waved his hand: "Enough."

The guard immediately stopped, exhaling a long sigh of relief. He obediently stood aside with the others, standing perfectly straight—straighter than he had ever stood before.

Wang Yan asked with a smile, "Mao'er, you should know Shen Xing, right?"

Mao Pan was stunned for a moment, then shouted loudly, "Mr. Wang, don't listen to Shen Xing's nonsense! He attacked me first; I was just defending myself..."

Gradually, he stopped shouting, his voice fading into silence.

Wang Yan continued speaking in a lukewarm tone, "He said that after learning you were President Chen's nephew, he told you he knew me. Yet you paid no heed, continuously targeted him, and even tampered with things during the tree-felling, intending to kill them outright. Because of this, Shen Xing's uncle lost a leg, became disabled, and is still lying in the hospital at Xiao Monong."

"Mr. Wang, I'm innocent! He never told me, and I didn't do it myself; it was my subordinates. Yes, it was all my subordinates! Knowing I disliked Shen Xing and the others, they targeted them to curry favor with me. Truly, Mr. Wang, I'm not lying to you."

"Do you believe that yourself?"

"Mr. Wang, what I say is true, it's all true! At that time..."

He frantically argued aloud, striving desperately to convince Wang Yan to believe him. However, under Wang Yan's gaze, he gradually fell silent again, daring not to speak further.

"Is President Chen here?" Wang Yan turned and asked Mao Pan's subordinates.

"Yes, yes, yes! He's right here at Elephant Dragon International," the man replied hurriedly.

Wang Yan took a drag of his cigarette, flicked his forefinger, and flicked the cigarette butt onto Mao Pan. The latter dared not even dodge; he merely let out an "Ah!" cry, then slowly shook the butt off his body.

"Take him to Elephant Dragon International." Putting on his coat, Wang Yan walked straight out the door, got into the car without hesitation, and headed directly for Elephant Dragon International.

By the time he arrived at Elephant Dragon International, Chen Hao was already waiting at the entrance, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Mr. Wang, wasatli."

Seeing Wang Yan step out of the car, he warmly pressed his palms together in a gesture of greeting from Sanbianpo.

He said, "To think I didn't know Mr. Wang had come to Daqulin! Truly a sin, truly a sin."

"Truly didn't know?" Wang Yan looked at him with a smiling expression.

"Truly didn't know. Otherwise, I, Chen, would have immediately gone to the highway outside Daqulin to await Mr. Wang's arrival, so as to fulfill my duties as a host."

How could Chen Hao possibly not know? Whenever Wang Yan left Fengdan Fengdan Sihai Hotel, where he went each day and what he did, Chen Hao knew clearly. Of course, he wouldn't actually go to meet Wang Yan; he was praying that this damn thing wouldn't get involved with him.

He thought Wang Yan had other matters unknown to him to handle, but never expected he had come to seek revenge against Mao Pan.

He swore he truly knew nothing about these matters...

He stood too high up; Uncle Cai hadn't intended to stick up for Shen Jiandong, so the matter was never even mentioned...

Ignoring his beloved nephew, who was being held up by subordinates, already covered in wounds and beaten into a pig's head once again, Chen Hao stepped aside and said, "Mr. Wang, I have already had meals prepared. Today, you must allow me to fulfill my duties as a host. Please!"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, hands clasped behind his back, strolling leisurely as he followed Chen Hao into Elephant Dragon International.

Behind them, Mao Pan was carried along by others. Wang Yan said nothing, and Chen Hao dared not speak either. With Chen Hao silent—or even if he did speak—those people dared not defy Wang Yan's will.

They arrived at the dining room; it was truly a large room.

The space was extremely spacious, decorated luxuriously with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. In the center stood a huge round table capable of seating more than twenty people.

After Wang Yan sat down, various delicacies began to be served.

Chen Hao, sitting a short distance across from Wang Yan, personally poured aged Moutai for him, adopting a sufficiently humble posture and giving ample face.

A group of people stood watching silently at the doorway. Mao Pan had been set down and sat slumped on the floor, utterly bewildered. He knew his uncle was fighting to save his life.

"Mr. Wang, I toast you. As I said on the phone earlier, we became acquainted through conflict. We met too late; otherwise, such a huge misunderstanding might not have occurred."

Wang Yan smiled and clinked glasses with him, taking a polite sip to save face, and said, "President Chen, one shouldn't only look at the past; one must look forward. I said the misunderstanding is over, and you are sitting here safely drinking with me, so there is no misunderstanding. If you speak of it again, I'll take it as you holding a grudge."

"Yes, yes, yes, it is my fault. I punish myself with a cup. Mr. Wang, please eat more. These chefs I found domestically can cook dishes from every corner of Tiannandibei in Huaxia, and foreign cuisine is no problem either. They are all highly skilled; Mr. Wang, please offer some guidance so they can improve."

As he spoke, he tilted his head back and downed a huge mouthful of wine, finishing the entire decanter in one go. The old fellow wasn't young anymore; this gulp of liquor was quite strong, causing him to cough involuntarily.

"If you can't drink, don't force it; you're just wasting good wine. I didn't force you to drink."

Wang Yan ate heartily, glancing at him sideways.

Chen Hao accompanied with a forced smile, "I wanted to express my apologies. Isn't it often said back home that the sincerity of one's heart is shown by whether one can down it in a single gulp?"

Wang Yan chuckled, "I keep my word. We are good friends now, and you have helped me quite a bit; you coordinated the tourism business and contributed greatly. Come, let me return the toast."

"No..."

Before Chen Hao could finish, Wang Yan likewise drained the white liquor in the decanter in one gulp.

Chen Hao helplessly exhaled a long sigh, revealing his despondent mood. He knew his beloved nephew was likely beyond saving. Silently, he picked up the wine bottle and continued pouring for Wang Yan, awaiting his next words.

Wang Yan did not dawdle, speaking while eating.

"This nephew of yours remembers the food but forgets the beating. You know about the incident, don't you?"

"I know. Regardless of how you look at it, it is all Mao Pan's fault. Alas..." Chen Hao sighed heavily, saying, "You have met my older sister. This child was indulged from childhood; I could neither beat nor scold him. Moreover, in an unstable place like Sanbianpo, learning to be good is as hard as ascending to heaven, but learning to be bad takes only a day.

To speak plainly, over these many years, he has caused no end of trouble. If not for the little face I still have, he would have been beaten to death long ago. Dying early might have been better; without such an unworthy creature, he wouldn't have offended Mr. Wang, causing our previous unpleasantness.

But, Mr. Wang... having said that, I am, after all, his biological uncle. This is a child I watched grow up from infancy..."

"Click!"

Chen Hao abruptly halted his emotional pleading, staring at the handgun Wang Yan had slapped onto the table beside him.

Wang Yan said, "President Chen, you also know that I am a man who values reason above all. How I reached today is something you know clearly.

That Shen Jiandong, whose leg was broken by your precious nephew, was the boss of the construction company when I first arrived. He provided food and lodging, and implicitly advised me that Sanbianpo was no place for kindness, telling me not to stir up trouble. Although his words weren't pleasant, ultimately, he meant well for me.

Later, I took over the ready-made construction company from his nephew, and step by step, achieved what I have today. Although I paid for it, having ready-made personnel and equipment versus starting from scratch makes a significant difference, a relationship you understand. They were indeed helpful to me.

"I am a man who, besides reasoning with people, values loyalty and trust; I am a good person. You say someone shares such a deep connection with me, and now that they are in trouble, how could I possibly ignore it?"

"Especially since they had already told your precious nephew about knowing me, yet this nephew of yours still went looking for trouble, wanting to kill them. This isn't about killing them; it's about wanting to kill me."

"President Chen, you aren't still holding a grudge, are you? Waiting for some opportunity to dry me out? How many people did you bring this time? A thousand?"

"Oh dear, Mr. Wang, I absolutely have no such intention. Regarding this matter, I was completely unaware from start to finish. Had I known earlier, I would have gone to Little Mo immediately to apologize to you in person. Think about it; we finally resolved our misunderstanding and are living in peace, cooperating in the tourism business to make money together. How could I possibly destroy my own foundation? It is all the fault of this good-for-nothing creature, acting inhumanely behind my back."

Wang Yan nodded very seriously and said, "Since that is the case, let us not speak further of this matter. Incidentally, President Chen, you just said that this person was raised under your watch since childhood, that you spoiled him into becoming a nuisance, a good-for-nothing creature. So, resolve this trouble yourself. The gun is here, loaded. Pick it up, walk over, and bang..."

Wang Yan watched him with a smiling expression: "I will leave after I finish my meal."

Having said this, Wang Yan stopped looking at him, attending only to drinking wine and eating dishes, truly appearing carefree and content.

"Uncle, Uncle, you cannot kill me, you cannot kill me! Think of my mother, think of my father! Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang..."

"Shut him up!" Chen Hao shouted angrily.

The subordinates over there hurriedly rushed forward, tightly covering Mao Pan's mouth, allowing him to struggle frantically.

Chen Hao's cheeks bulged, blue veins protruding on his forehead; it was a sign of gritting his teeth, suppressing immense rage.

He looked at his struggling precious nephew, then looked at Wang Yan who was eating heartily, and after remaining silent for a long time, he slowly reached out his hand toward the pistol.

He picked up the pistol, holding it straight out with a bent arm, and again looked at Wang Yan, who was picking up food with his chopsticks, seemingly paying no attention whatsoever to his movements.

He remained silent...

In a daze, it seemed as though he had returned once more to his first meeting with Wang Yan.

The dense sound of gunshots, the gushing fresh blood, and Wang Yan's calm and indifferent smile emerged, merging with the smiling face before him...

He jolted awake, coming face to face with Wang Yan's meaningful gaze.

He swallowed hard, stiffly turned around while holding the gun, and slowly, gradually, step by step, walked toward his frantically struggling precious nephew.

He pressed the muzzle of the gun against Mao Pan's forehead.

Mao Pan's eyes were already bloodshot, crimson red, and bulging outward from exerting too much force, looking as if they might pop out at any moment; it was terrifying indeed.

Mao Pan's trousers were wet; urine had soaked through the breathable fabric, forming a puddle beneath him, and a faint stench drifted over, extremely unpleasant.

President Chen frowned, holding the gun, standing right there.

He remained silent...

Bang!