Chapter 225: The Challenge

However, despite this, I believe Xu Hongzhi will still put on a show of superficial courtesy, so I just need to be careful at all times. Zhang Longtao is a guy who still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Moreover, I still don't know how to tell Zhang Yinuo about this; after all, the person I'm dealing with is her brother. Even if I hide it for now, she will have to know eventually, and it would be even worse if she found out later.

"Fourth, have you thought about how to deal with Zhang Longtao?" Xu Hongzhi asked me curiously.

"I plan to go there directly, get straight to the point. There's no point in beating around the bush so much!" I said indifferently.

Hearing my words, Xu Hongzhi gave me a thumbs up and said, "Bold. Good, since you have the guts, I, as your third brother, will accompany you on this trip!"

I did not object to Xu Hongzhi coming along. Xu Hongzhi's status alone acts as a deterrent; while bringing him isn't exactly foolproof, it does have its uses.

I had someone inquire, and Xu Hongzhi is still at his old place, though it's hard to say when he's actually there. So, at this moment, I felt I should ask Zhang Yinuo; after all, she would have to know about this sooner or later.

When Zhang Yinuo heard that I wanted to ask about Zhang Longtao's whereabouts, she was incredibly surprised and said to me, "Are you trying to investigate what happened before?"

I nodded without speaking, indicating my stance. Seeing my reaction, Zhang Yinuo sighed helplessly and said, "Since you are so persistent, I won't stop you. But I truly don't know Zhang Longtao's whereabouts. I don't really keep in touch with him, and I don't want to deal with him!"

"Then do you have his contact information? The matter regarding Su Xueyan has dragged on for too long, and I want to find him and get it cleared up!" I said to Zhang Yinuo.

"This, I'm not sure either. I haven't dialed this number in a long time, but you can try!" Zhang Yinuo found a number on her phone for me and sent it to my phone.

Seeing the number, I happily prepared to dial it, but Zhang Yinuo poured cold water on me from the side: "Don't get your hopes up too high. I saved this number ten years ago; he might have changed it long ago, for all I know!"

"That's not necessarily true. I can tell that your brother actually cares about you quite a bit; perhaps he hasn't changed it!" After saying that, I dialed Zhang Longtao's number, and it was answered before long.

"Who is this!" A male voice came from the other end. Although I hadn't heard Zhang Longtao's voice in a long time, I recognized it immediately—the voice that has haunted my dreams.

"It's me, Yang Yun!" I replied to Zhang Longtao simply and clearly.

"Yang Yun? I heard recently that you didn't die and popped back up. I thought those people were just bragging; I didn't expect you to actually be alive!"

"Does that disappoint you?"

"It is a bit disappointing. Did you come back just to harass my sister again, you brat?"

"Uh, I didn't!" Zhang Longtao's sudden question left me completely stunned.

"You didn't? Hmph, then where did you get this number of mine?"

I remained silent for a long time.

"What's the matter? Nothing to say? Yang Yun, let me tell you, if you dare to harass my sister again, I will kill you immediately!"

"Fine, since you want to kill me, find a place for us to meet tomorrow at eight!"

"Since you are looking for death yourself, don't blame me. It'll be on my turf—do you dare to come?"

Even so, Zhang Longtao remained extremely cautious. There is a reason he has been able to stand firm for so many years, but I am not afraid.

"Fine, I'll do as you say. Tomorrow night at eight, on your turf. We'll see each other there!"

After saying this, I hung up the phone. Zhang Yinuo, who was beside me, looked at me and said, "Do you really have to go and meet him?"

Seeing Zhang Yinuo's expression, I knew her current situation was the most awkward. On one side is me, and on the other is her family. She is caught in the middle, torn between the two. On the surface, it seems her relationship with Zhang Longtao is poor, but in reality, Zhang Longtao has always cared for her deeply, and she isn't so heartless that she wouldn't care if Zhang Longtao died.

I sighed, gritted my teeth, and said, "I'm sorry, but I must investigate the matter of Su Xueyan thoroughly!"

Seeing my persistence, Zhang Yinuo said nothing more.

Just at this moment, I suddenly received a call from Xu Hongzhi.

"What's wrong? Third Brother, is something the matter?"

"Don't be shocked by what I'm about to say!"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"You're planning to deal with Zhang Longtao these next few days, right? So I specifically went to keep an eye on Zhang Longtao's recent movements. Guess who I found? You definitely won't expect this person!"

"Who?"

"Su Xueyan! I found Su Xueyan!"

Xu Hongzhi's astonished voice on the other end left me completely bewildered. Then, I shouted in disbelief, "What did you say? Is that for real?"

"I couldn't have seen wrong, it was definitely Su Xueyan. But that person didn't seem to recognize me at all; when I went to find her, she treated me like a hooligan!"

Hearing Xu Hongzhi's words, I calmed my emotions, thought for a moment, and said to him, "Could it be that you saw Su Xueya? They look very similar. You didn't mistake her for someone else, did you?"

"How could that be? Even if it were Su Xueya, she would know me. Besides, isn't Su Xueya in another city? How could she appear here?"

Xu Hongzhi's words were not without reason, but I still found it hard to believe: "But you and I both watched Su Xueyan's burial together!"

"That's right, I also find it incredibly unbelievable, but what I said is true. I really saw her!"

"Oh, I see. Wait until I go meet Zhang Longtao tomorrow to see what exactly this guy is up to!"

"What? You're going to see Zhang Longtao tomorrow? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I've already made an appointment with Zhang Longtao to meet him on his turf tomorrow!"

"What? His turf? Fourth, aren't you being too arrogant? It won't be easy for us to make a move on someone else's territory. Even if Zhang Longtao isn't as strong as he used to be, he still has his foundations. We won't get the upper hand on his turf!"

"It's fine, I have my own ideas. Third Brother, will you come with me then?"

When I said this to Xu Hongzhi, I wanted to force him to make a choice. If he comes, he can hold his head high in front of his subordinates; if he doesn't, his image in front of them will certainly suffer. Although I knew that even if he came with me, it might not be of much use, I still wanted him to come because I still prefer to believe that Third Brother is the same Third Brother I used to know, not the current Xu Hongzhi. A bond of brotherhood doesn't come easily. If possible, it's best to keep it going. If he has truly changed, then there is nothing I can do. ===== CHAPTER 226 =====