Chapter 260

Half a year later, in a small village near Shenzhen, some distance from the Northern District.

Ding Xie held a rope in one palm, with a pile of scrap tied behind it, and supported himself with a crutch in the other hand, walking slowly along the road. Looking closely, his gait was staggering. The bend in the forefoot of the worn-out leather shoes on his feet was much worse than that of an ordinary person, and the non-original shoelaces on the leather shoes were tied together with his ankles. With every step he took, the shoes were somewhat unstable.

All of this was because he only had a small section of his palms left on both hands, and only half of his feet left. Although half a year had passed, it was obvious that he was not very accustomed to it. It took him seven or eight minutes to slowly shuffle a hundred-meter distance. His lips parted and closed, and although one couldn't hear what he was saying, observing the indignation on his face, one knew it wasn't anything good.

Arriving in front of the dilapidated house near the foot of the mountain, Ding Xie laboriously placed the dragged scrap in the corner, then drank some water to quench his thirst. With a cigarette in his mouth, he used his two palms to pinch the lighter against the edge of the table, laboriously striking it for a long time until it lit, then leaned in to light the cigarette in his mouth. Sitting on the steps in front of the door, he began to puff away.

After a while, four people walked over from afar. Two of them were leaning on crutches with one hand and holding things with the other, while the other two were only holding things with one hand.

When the four people got close enough to see their faces, they were exactly the four Ding brothers. Eldest Ding Xiaoxie had lost his right foot along with half his lower leg; second Ding Yixie had lost his left foot along with half his lower leg; third Ding Wangxie had lost his right hand along with half his forearm; fourth Ding Lixie had lost his left hand along with half his forearm. What they were carrying in their hands were the fish and seafood they had just caught, as well as some green vegetables bought at the village entrance to make breakfast.

The five people who had lived in luxury long ago lost the high spirits they had half a year ago. The huge disparity and the incompleteness of their bodies had long ago sapped their spirit. Now they were unkempt, in tattered clothes, with hollow eyes, just lingering on in a steadily worsening condition.

The four brothers walked to Ding Xie, who was sitting there. Ding Xie raised his head and glanced at them, ignored them, and looked into the distance, lost in thought, muttering to himself.

There was no communication between the four brothers; they just silently went about their own business, preparing breakfast. They had no habits, no adaptation, but they had to be this way because they had to live.

As for Ding Xie, it was impossible to say they had no resentment. But that resentment was because Ding Xie had beaten Fang Jinxin to death in his early years, leading to today's disaster, causing everything they had worked so hard to build to be washed away, and having their hands and feet cut off while still having to linger on. It was definitely not because they felt there was anything wrong with Ding Xie beating Fang Jinxin to death; this was very important.

After a busy time, the food was set on the table outside the house. Ding Lixie helped Ding Xie, who was sitting on the steps, to sit by the dining table, while Ding Yixie impatiently ate on his own while holding a spoon to feed Ding Xie.

If one didn't know the truth, just looking at these people who were physically disabled but strong in spirit, relying on themselves to make a living and taking care of their father—if it weren't for that silent eating and some laughter, this scene could really be considered true human affection.

The few people ate their meal steadily, turning a blind eye to a black luxury sedan parked on the side of the road for a long time, which obviously didn't belong here and wouldn't even pass by, covered with one-way perspective film.

They knew who was in the car, but what could they do about it? Fight? They couldn't win. Run? They couldn't escape. Curse? That would only make their already bad situation worse.

Didn't you see Ding Xie, who always prided himself on being a man of integrity, didn't dare to look over there once all morning? Although the Ding brothers looked down on their father, when facing that man, they weren't much better. Being thick-skinned and not afraid of death was useless. At first, they begged for death and provoked him, and they still remembered that feeling; just thinking about it made them shiver.

Who else could be in the car besides Wang Yan?

Holding his daughter who had just turned a hundred days old, Wang Yan glanced at Luo Huiling, who looked like she was crying and laughing in the passenger seat, and lowered his head to continue teasing the little one. He hadn't caught the birth of this child; she had grown up a bit more and developed over there, and only returned the day before yesterday. He named her Ru.

In fact, he had intended for Luo Huiling to stay there with the child until she was half a year old. After all, besides not having him, this good-for-nothing man, everything there was of the highest standard, and the child could develop more healthily without having to endure the suffering of traveling thousands of miles too early. Although he had bought a private jet and the environment was much better, children were too young and would always suffer.

It was still his own fault for having a loose tongue; of course, it was also to put Luo Huiling's mind at ease, telling her he had dealt with the Ding family father and sons. Luo Huiling, who was still heavily pregnant at the time, remembered the past events and immediately wanted to come back to see the Ding family's end with her own eyes, and also wanted to personally offer incense and burn paper for Fang Jinxin. He had to persuade her with all sorts of arguments, took Fang Zhanbo, Fang Fang, and Fang Min to see the end of the Ding family father and sons, and sent Luo Huiling some daily life photos of the Ding family father and sons as consolation.

This time, after the child turned a hundred days old and her body had recovered, she wouldn't listen to anything and insisted on coming back. Yesterday, she rested for a day to get over the jet lag, and seeing the child was fine, she came over early this morning to watch the daily life of the old Ding family, crying and laughing there, not knowing what she was thinking.

Seeing her mother cry, the little one also joined in, grinning and wailing. It was fortunate that Wang Yan was highly professional and experienced, and was good at handling children; if it were an ordinary person, they would definitely be in a panic. He handled children no differently than handling toys; they were very obedient.

As for Fang Ting, who was still in France and whose due date was more than a month later than Luo Huiling's, she wouldn't be back for a few months. Of course, although he was quite a piece of work, since they hadn't seen each other for so long and she was giving birth to his child, he had gone there a few times in between.

Truth be told, Wang Yan hadn't been too harsh on the old Ding family; he just really made them achieve "brotherly unity" and "father and son of one mind," but compared to the evil the Ding family father and sons had committed, it was nothing. The harsh part was when they were lying in the hospital enjoying themselves, these people sought death and he used some means to torment them. He did it himself, which was much harsher than breaking their hands and feet, and they had long since been scared out of their wits.

The Ding family old lady had rheumatism and was paralyzed from a stroke. Wang Yan kept his word and treated her. Because the illness had already broken out and had been delayed for a long time, even if he took action, it wasn't very effective and she couldn't recover as before. But he was, after all, the Divine Physician Wang, and he managed to treat the old lady so she could move, which was much better than before, allowing her to suffer less and live a few more years. Now, back in their hometown in the country, he had sent people to take care of her.

And the Ding family father and sons were generally okay, or rather, after the initial period, they no longer had the courage to commit suicide. After all, they had already endured the initial suffering, and they couldn't bring themselves to end it all; it was better to live in misery than to die.

So, it was more of a psychological torture. It made them feel that living was meaningless, had no hope, and they had no motivation to commit suicide, just living in such a numb state.

To talk about a comeback was impossible; they could only live like this, had to live like this, day after day, year after year.

And if it weren't for Wang Yan blocking it, the Ding family father and sons wouldn't have lived long. Because they had already started contacting outside gangster groups, helping with money laundering and such—although not as big as what they did in the nineties in the original drama, it wasn't a small amount either. This time, all the industries under the Ding family father and sons' names were sealed, and not a single cent could be recovered; if they couldn't give an account, they definitely wouldn't have a good end.

"Ah Yan, thank you."

Luo Huiling wiped the tears from her face and thanked him.

Wang Yan grabbed the girl's two little hands, opened them, and closed them. The little one grinned with her toothless mouth and giggled, her little dimples looking very beautiful: "I've already told you, even without the Fang family's matter, the Ding family father and sons wouldn't have had a good outcome."

Luo Huiling smiled and shook her head, looking at Wang Yan affectionately: "Give me the child, let's go."

"Don't want to look anymore?"

"There's nothing to look at. Knowing they aren't living well, I'm at ease." Luo Huiling reached out to take the child, hesitating: "I want to take the child to see Jinxin."

"Let's go, I'll go with you."

While speaking, Wang Yan started the car and left. Let alone that Fang Jinxin had been dead for many years, even if he were alive, it wouldn't be a big deal; he wasn't a narrow-minded person. Luo Huiling's hesitation somewhat underestimated him, Wang Mou.

The Ding family members eating together heard the sound of the car starting, and looking at the departing rear of the car, hatred flashed in their eyes, but there was more emptiness. Just looking once, they withdrew their gaze and lowered their heads to eat the not-so-delicious food...

Because Luo Huiling brought the child back, Wang Yan was busy for a while. There was no help for it; the two children at home were rolling on the floor all day long looking for their father, there was another child outside to take care of, and he also had to comfort the two women, and occasionally take care of Long Jiwen, who was two months pregnant—he was quite busy.

"I want to go back to school to work."

This day, at their home in the Shatin Center, the family was sitting around the dining table eating lunch, and Ruan Mei bit her chopsticks and said this out of the blue.

Wang Yan looked at his children sitting in a row, leaning against the edge of the dining table, one holding a milk bottle and sucking hard while reaching out to grab food on the table, and said: "Bored at home?"

"I just feel like I have nothing to do."

"Isn't taking care of children something to do?"

"They are both so big, and they rarely cry or make a fuss, and Mother-in-law takes good care of them," Ruan Mei said. "I don't know what to do at home every day."

Wang Yan had long seen that she was bored, because now she cooked both lunch and dinner, and she fought to do it. Children were cute, but taking care of them too much was also annoying. And Ruan Mei was only twenty-four this year; although she was with him, didn't have to worry about food and drink, and lived a wealthy life, the diligence she had cultivated for many years was still there, and it was normal that she couldn't stay idle.

And it was still that saying: he, Wang Mou, would not stop his own woman from doing things; she could do whatever she liked.

"Alright, if you want to go, then go," Wang Yan smiled. "I don't know how many people want to live the life you're living, but you, on the contrary, don't want it."

Ruan Mei rolled her eyes: "What's so good about staying at home every day? It's settled then, I'll report to the school tomorrow and go to work the day after."

"Why do you need to run there yourself?"

Wang Yan got up, went to the side, took the phone, and called Long Teng's assistant, the gist being to go talk to the principal, inform them of this matter, and let them make arrangements.

After giving the order, he raised the phone in his hand: "You can go whenever you want."

"Wow, Brother Yan, you're so powerful..."

Although she said that, Ruan Mei gave Wang Yan a big eye-roll. She was already used to him ordering others to do everything.

Just as Wang Yan was about to speak, the phone in his hand rang. He took a look and answered: "Hello?"

"Hmm."

"Go to Taiwan?"

Frowning and pondering for a while, Wang Yan said "Okay" and hung up the phone.

"You're going to Taiwan?" Ruan Mei looked at Wang Yan, who had just sat down.

"Hmm, I'm going over there tomorrow."

"How long will it take?"

"Not long, just a day or two," Wang Yan picked up his chopsticks to eat. "Some business matters, don't worry."

Ruan Mei curled her lips: "Cut it out, is that what you call proper business..."

Wang Yan was too lazy to bicker with her and didn't respond at all, just eating on his own, occasionally teasing the two children who also wanted to eat.

The one who called just now was Long Jiwen, saying that Long Chengbang wanted to see him, and incidentally, Zhou Jisheng wanted to invite him to dinner. Connecting the two, it was clear: Zhou Jisheng had found Long Chengbang and expressed through Long Jiwen that he wanted to find him to talk.

This brought up Long Teng's development in the last half year.

After that night, Hong Kong and Kowloon were under Long Teng's control. After two months of dealing with small-time gangsters, collecting management fees, driving away the low-level drug dealers, including settling his former base, the Kowloon Chengzhai, and a series of other things, it was thoroughly cleared up.

Of course, the Chengzhai matter couldn't be solved overnight; small-time gangsters, tough guys, and such were definitely kicked out, and the place itself was supposed to be demolished and developed. In fact, ever since the declaration was signed and announced, there had been the idea of cooperative demolition of the Chengzhai; in 1987, there was a resolution, and Long Teng was already very powerful by then, so Long Teng took over. However, he didn't force the demolition; beating them into submission was enough, and the tens of thousands of people inside were being resettled slowly.

And after clearing up Hong Kong and Kowloon, according to Wang Yan's previous idea, he crossed the sea to Macau, Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia, fighting on multiple fronts relying on his massive capital.

Macau was such a small place that it didn't even hold out for a month before being taken. The advance teams went to Japan and Southeast Asia and managed to gain a foothold. Taiwan, because Long Teng was too dominant and didn't give others room to survive, and with a bunch of gangster bosses who had been beheaded and dumped in the sea beforehand, the resistance was relatively fierce. But likewise, Long Teng's overseas energy was especially focused on Taiwan, beating the local gangsters into a retreat. Half a year passed, and they had already taken Kaohsiung and Tainan, and were advancing toward Taichung.

This was still because someone there was helping out, and Long Teng was in a very passive situation. If it weren't for those messy things, they would have already fought to Taipei half a year ago. Of course, they couldn't help but help; every election depended on these people running around. If Long Teng were to come over, who knew what they would think. And Long Teng's style, Wang Yan's stance, coupled with his strength, meant every move had a huge impact.

So this time, Zhou Jisheng showed his face.

Although he had some strength in Taiwan, he wasn't tolerated by the local big bosses, and their relationship had never been very good. In Taiwan, he just had his own little territory, enough to protect himself but unable to advance. Of course, Zhou Jisheng was also old, and didn't care much about those things; relying on his former reputation, he could still have a bit of face, had no ambition, and just sought to die of old age.

As the controller of Long Teng, Wang Yan's every move was naturally watched by someone. Besides, he didn't hide his whereabouts, and the places he went were just those few, so it was no surprise that Long Jiwen knew.

Thus, connecting with Zhou Jisheng and finding Long Chengbang was a matter of course. They wanted to take the opportunity to find Wang Yan, bleed a little to seek peace, and continue to live in peace and make a fortune.

It was a real fortune, not a fake one. Because Wang Yan banned drugs in Hong Kong and Macau, the scene from the Infernal Affairs world long ago was staged again, and a large number of low-level gangsters, unable to control themselves, had no choice but to cross the sea to Taiwan in large numbers. The most intuitive point was the soaring number of illegal criminal incidents in Taiwan in the last half year. So, one could imagine what the market in Taiwan was like.

Wang Yan's thoughts on the matter of peace talks were biased toward being soft. It wasn't that he was giving face to some old bastard or Long Jiwen, but because of the international situation. Long Teng was very strong, that was true, but it was just a group company after all, far from being an opponent of a great power.

Long Teng's actions easily shifted America's gaze from Big Brother Soviet Union to himself. He didn't fear individual American financial groups and arms manufacturers—after all, disputes had never stopped—but it was better not to provoke the overall national will.

In the afternoon, Wang Yan had nothing else to do, staying at home warmly with his wife and children; of course, he mainly teased the two children for fun.

The next day, at noon, Wang Yan and Long Jiwen, who was slightly showing a small belly, arrived at Kai Tak Airport, boarded the plane painted with the Long Teng logo, and went to Taiwan.

As the former Chief Chinese Detective, the former big landlord, Long Chengbang, and Zhou Jisheng, along with a bunch of people who fled to Taiwan, were naturally located in Taiwan's largest city, Taipei.

That place was at the opposite end from what Long Teng occupied. Wang Yan only brought a dozen people this time, but last night, hundreds of people had gone from Tainan to Taipei.

Of course, it wasn't that he, Wang Mou, was afraid of anything, but just in case the talks broke down and he, the big boss, had to do it himself, it would be a bit embarrassing. And since it was someone else's territory, one couldn't guarantee that other forces wouldn't have ideas, so having some men was also good for getting things done...