Chapter 2675

"But!" Gu Tao said: "The allies of the Yin family—how could they betray the Yin family and go to war with them over a few worthless juniors?"

Zhou Andong smiled faintly, looking at Gu Tao and said: "Is that important?"

"Not... not important?" Gu Tao was stunned, his brain struggling to keep up as he said: "You've done all this—wasn't it just to stir up a rift between the Yin family and their allies?"

Zhou Andong chuckled lightly: "You just said it yourself—how could they possibly turn against the Yin family over a few worthless juniors?"

"Then just now..." Gu Tao's mind completely short-circuited, his face blank as he looked at the others, then his gaze landed on Gu Haitang's face: "Big sister, do you understand?"

"Smack!" Gu Haitang slapped her palm down hard on Gu Tao's head, her face dark: "What are you asking? I've told you how many times—use your own brain."

Gu Tao wanted to cry but had no tears as he covered his head and said: "I bet you don't know either."

Gu Haitang raised her hand, and Gu Tao shrank his neck in fear, hastily running to the old lady's side: "Grandma, look at my sister."

The old lady glared at Gu Haitang: "Can't you act like an older sister?"

Gu Haitang made a fist gesture toward Gu Tao, the threat unmistakable.

"Andong!" Gu Xun said helplessly: "Don't mind them—keep going."

Zhou Andong said with a smile: "Even if they're worthless, they're still their own juniors, of the same root and origin. Naturally, they wouldn't believe their worthless juniors would be foolish enough to come to Jiangzhou and kidnap me. But their juniors were all brought to Jiangzhou by Yin Mo, so that's why I set the trap."

Zhou Andong held a cigarette in one hand and raised his wine cup with the other, taking a sip: "The whole thing—Yin Mo is the cause, and I am the result. Without Yin Mo as the cause, how could their juniors possibly have come to Jiangzhou? How could so many things have happened? And how could I, as the result, have set this trap?"

"More importantly, their juniors were first caught for visiting prostitutes—this loss of face isn't just borne by the juniors who were caught; even the families are dragged into shame. I'd estimate that during this time, these families have become the gossip and jokes of many in the know."

"So they will be furious, wishing they could devour me, this result, and hate Yin Mo, this cause, to the bone. Yet they won't break with the Yin family over this, but a thorn will have taken root in their hearts. And this thorn—who knows when it might be pulled out and become a weapon to stab the Yin family."

The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed around them, and the looks directed at Zhou Andong were like those reserved for a monster. This kid had meticulously laid his plot for so long, just to plant a thorn in the hearts of the Yin family and their allies, waiting for some future day when that thorn would suddenly turn and strike at them.

"Just..." As everyone was still digesting this, Zhou Andong continued: "The Jiangzhou police press conference was still a bit early—letting the curses against me ferment a few more days would have been better."

"Right!" Gu Yun said: "You still haven't said—why did you pay people to curse yourself?"

Zhou Andong took a drag of his cigarette, then used the hand holding it to tap his head: "You should all know—Yin Zongquan, that old fogey, still has a younger son named Yin Mingfei, right?"

Gu Xun nodded: "I know this—Yin Mingfei was sent to his uncle's in the countryside at age three, and only brought back to Jingcheng in 1977. In June 1983, he was sentenced to seven and a half years for hooliganism."

"This is because Yin Zongquan knew the leadership's determination to crack down strictly, so he performed a 'righteous sacrifice of kin,' imposing a harsh and swift sentence before the official crackdown began, thus avoiding a peanut."

"And on the day Yin Mingfei's verdict was announced, he declared in court that he was severing all ties with the Yin family, causing a major uproar at the time. Yet Yin Zongquan remained silent, as if acquiescing to Yin Mingfei's words."

"After the crackdown eased, the Yin family began to act. Yin Mingfei was released after serving four and a half years, and this fellow immediately changed his name upon release—calling himself Yin Mingfei."

Zhou Andong added: "After Yin Mingfei changed his surname, he collaborated with the Qu family to jointly establish Zishan Mining. They control three gold mines, plus an unknown number of silver and copper mines."

"We know this," Gu Yun said, nodding: "But what does this have to do with you paying people to curse yourself?"

"Stirring up热度!" Zhou Andong pressed his cigarette butt into the ashtray, then said: "Everyone in the country knows I, Zhou Andong, donated only two million at the charity gala. But they don't know that Zishan Mining hasn't donated a single cent."

Saying this, Zhou Andong sighed: "Originally, the Yin family had already jumped into the pit I dug for them, but what I didn't expect was that after just splashing a few drops of water, the Yin family scrambled back out of the pit, damn it. No choice—since the Yin family won't jump into the pit, I have to jump myself."

Third Uncle Gu Ming'an's eyes narrowed as he looked at Zhou Andong and said: "Andong, is your target the Qu family?"

Zhou Andong gave a hey laugh: "To be precise, I'm killing two birds with one stone—taking care of both the Qu family and the Yin family together."

Gu Yun asked, confused: "Do you also have a grudge against the Qu family?"

"Grudge? Not really," Zhou Andong shook his head: "It's just that the Qu family is too greedy—they've reached into Ganzhou and picked my peaches. Moreover, because of the Qu family's meddling, Tong Huaiyu, whom I'd already driven to desperation, managed to escape. So I will certainly make the Qu family pay a heavy price."

"No!" Gu Xun, who had been deep in thought, suddenly lifted his head and said: "Andong, you're not telling the truth."

Zhou Andong blinked: "What aren't I telling the truth about?"

Gu Xun pondered: "You've gone to all this trouble—it's definitely not just to deal with the Yin and Qu families."

Zhou Andong's eyes flashed: "If it's not to deal with the Yin and Qu families, what else could it be for?"

"Zijin Mining!" Gu Xun laughed, his tone very certain: "It's for Zijin Mining."

Zhou Andong shook his head in denial: "Besides rare earths, I won't invest in minerals."

Gu Xun insisted: "You don't have to invest—you can just leave it to others. That way, you not only earn favors, but also win people's hearts."

"That's killing two birds with one stone!" Gu Yun exclaimed, suddenly enlightened: "Not only do you deal with the Yin and Qu families, but you can also use Zijin Mining to earn favors and win hearts."

"The Qu family isn't that easy to handle," Gu Haitang said: "Whether it's financial power or connections, the Qu family is no match for Andong."

Zhou Andong picked up a piece of elbow meat, put it in his mouth, and said while chewing: "Big sister, do you believe or not—the Qu family will not only personally deliver Zijin Mining into my hands, but they'll also withdraw from Ganzhou and stop meddling in the rare earth industry."