Chapter 1967: Bearing Sin, Spending the Rest of One

The plane had not yet landed, but the city's oppressive and urgent atmosphere was already palpable.

"Ding ling…" The phone suddenly rang. Zhang Zhiqiang quickly picked it up and answered.

A excited voice came through the line: "Hey, Qiangzi, you're back?"

"Mm."

"When are you coming back?"

Zhang Zhiqiang froze. How did Zhao Guodong know he would arrive in Beijing today—and why had he called? He asked: "How do you know I'm coming back today? Did you go see Liu Dapeng again?"

Zhao Guodong laughed, smugly saying: "That guy's already been taken care of by me!"

It turned out that shortly after Zhang Zhiqiang left, Zhao Guodong contacted Liu Dapeng again, informing him that Zhang Zhiqiang was returning to Beijing, and warning him that if he wanted revenge, he'd better act fast. Liu Dapeng took Zhao Guodong's words seriously, for he considered Zhang Zhiqiang a threat. He immediately ordered his men to search for Zhang Zhiqiang and sent two underlings to tail Zhao Guodong.

Although Zhao Guodong had warned him, Liu Dapeng still refused to let it go.

And now, just now, Liu Dapeng called Zhang Zhiqiang again, inviting him to meet and talk.

Zhang Zhiqiang hesitated. He knew he was no longer suited to get involved in these matters—he feared that if he mishandled things, he might endanger Zhao Guodong. But then he thought: since he was about to return anyway, why not meet them first, find out the situation, and perhaps resolve the crisis?

"Fine, let's pick a place."

"Hah! Great! I've been wanting to beat you up for ages!" Zhao Guodong said happily before hanging up.

After putting down the phone, Zhang Zhiqiang fell into deep thought.

Several years ago, Zhao Guodong had once pursued him. But Zhang Zhiqiang had no interest in him, and because Zhao Guodong was reckless and impulsive, he never accepted his advances.

Zhao Guodong had never let go of that resentment; he even believed that if Zhang Zhiqiang hadn't rejected him, he might have had a chance to pursue Li Jingxian.

Zhao Guodong had once threatened Zhang Zhiqiang: if they ever met again, he'd beat him up.

Zhang Zhiqiang knew Zhao Guodong wasn't bluffing. These past days, Zhao Guodong's behavior had terrified him. Around twenty hoodlums had gathered around him. Every evening at dinner, Zhang Zhiqiang always spotted Zhao Guodong's gang in the restaurant. And lately, Zhao Guodong's crew did nothing legitimate—they spent all day plotting how to settle scores with him.

"Ding ling…"

The phone rang again.

Zhang Zhiqiang picked up the phone and answered.

"Hey, Qiangzi, it's me, Zhao Guodong. What's your decision?"