Chapter 195: Hanging by a Thread

Xu Damao's face flushed, but inside he sneered, "So damn childish! Never mind calling him 'Dad' once, even if I called it a hundred times, would I lose a piece of meat?" He piled twelve parts of sincerity onto his face and called out respectfully, "Dad!"

"Aye!" Luo Jiangtao responded loudly, feeling incredibly comfortable inside. He squinted his eyes and said casually, "Done. Come by at this time tomorrow to hear the news."

"Alright! Thank you for your trouble, Dad!" The moment Xu Damao turned around, his smiling face instantly froze, and he spat viciously in his heart: "Pah! Old thing, just you wait! Once I, your grandfather, turn things around, see how I finish you off!"

In Qin Family Village, the clamor of the wedding banquet had just dispersed.

After He Yuzhu finished working the banquet, he felt as if all the bones in his body had fallen apart; he was sore and heavy. He figured it was because he had been running around for these past few days and hadn't had a single sound sleep. He quickly found an empty room and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun outside the window had already sunk in the west, leaving only a smear of residual red on the horizon.

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat—"Oh no! Tomorrow is January 10th, Su Qing's ship is returning to the United States!" There were still over three hundred miles to cover! He scrambled up in one motion and hurriedly sent a telegram to Liu Rusi to arrange a meeting place.

The reply came quickly, with only a short line: "Tomorrow morning at ten, see you at the old place."

He Yuzhu dared not delay and immediately went to find Chen Qingshan to say goodbye.

"Siqiang, there's an urgent matter in the city, I have to head back first. You just settle into your bridal chamber with peace of mind, put in some effort, and hurry up to give Sister Daya a younger brother! And give me a junior fellow apprentice!"

"Nothing good ever comes out of a dog's mouth! Get lost!" Chen Qingshan scolded with a laugh.

"Siqiang, since that group of people isn't looking for trouble with us anymore, you and your wife should return to the city early. Maybe after the New Year, 'He Ji Restaurant' can reopen."

Chen Qingshan shook his head: "There are only a few days left until the New Year; I plan to spend the New Year in the countryside and return after the holiday."

The road to Tianjin was pitted and bumpy, exceptionally difficult to travel.

He Yuzhu drove that truck, jolting for over ten hours, and it wasn't until 9:45 the next morning that he finally arrived at the place where he had last met Liu Rusi.

As soon as the truck was parked, he saw Liu Rusi leaning against a sedan alone, smoking, her expression dazed.

He Yuzhu parked the truck in a position near the sea; this was to find a retreat for himself, in case Liu Rusi was being followed, there would still be the ocean to escape into.

He jumped off the truck and walked over quickly: "Sister, why are you alone? Where is Pingping?"

"She had diarrhea last night, so I didn't let her come along." Liu Rusi asked urgently, "Where is my godfather? Is he in the truck?"

He Yuzhu nodded: "He is. But don't be anxious, we must first see if there is a tail following us. I always feel that your father's side won't compromise easily!"

"I checked carefully, there isn't!" Liu Rusi said with certainty.

"Better to be careful. Wait a moment, I'll tidy up."

He Yuzhu turned and ran toward the truck. After getting in, with a thought, he released several large wooden crates from his space and placed Mayor Tian in the largest one.

Liu Rusi climbed into the back of the truck, and upon seeing that Mayor Tian was actually placed in a large wooden crate, she immediately flared up: "He Yuzhu! You bastard! I told you to take good care of my godfather, is this how you take care of him? By locking him in a crate?"

"My good sister, this is the only way! Coming from Si Jiu Cheng, there are several checkpoints along the way; without doing this, could we have snuck through?" He Yuzhu explained helplessly.

"Godfather! You've suffered!" Liu Rusi helped Mayor Tian out.

Mayor Tian slowly regained his senses, and upon seeing it was Liu Rusi, he asked with a complex look in his eyes: "Xiao Si... it was your father who sent you to kill me, right?"

"What are you saying! How could I harm you? I risked my life to save you!" Liu Rusi hurriedly explained.

"Save me? Calling it saving me by locking me in a crate? If you were truly good to me, send me to Nanjing!"

"Godfather, isn't sending you to the United States safer than going to Nanjing?" Liu Rusi persuaded him earnestly.

"I'm not going to the United States! I'm going to Nanjing! I want to fight them to the end! This group of people is too filthy, too shameless! They can't win on the surface, so they play dirty! Your father is one of them too..." The more Mayor Tian spoke, the more agitated he became, and he pushed Liu Rusi away.

"If you insist on going to Nanjing, even if I wanted to send you, you would never arrive alive!" Liu Rusi said with a darkened face.

"You're talking nonsense! You and your father are clearly in cahoots!"

He Yuzhu suddenly interjected, his tone carrying sarcasm: "Mayor Tian, we spent an enormous amount of effort just to rescue you, and because of this, my family's business has been sealed off. And you, you're playing the 'kill the donkey after the millstone is put away' game with us? Fine, I'll send you back to Beiping right now, you can continue being your mayor and see how many more days you can sit firmly in that seat!"

Mayor Tian suddenly raised his head and stared fixedly at He Yuzhu: "I remember now! You, you're the one who knocked me out on the train!"

"Your memory is quite good. Then do you know that at least three of the guards around you want your life?" He Yuzhu countered unceremoniously.

"You're talking nonsense!"

"I'm talking nonsense? Ask my sister if what I said is true!"

Mayor Tian looked at Liu Rusi suspiciously.

Liu Rusi nodded heavily and whispered three names.

After hearing them, Mayor Tian's body went limp, and he slumped onto a small crate, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Just at this moment, a sudden change occurred!

From the shipping containers in the distance, a massive crowd of people suddenly emerged, at least two hundred of them, each holding a Submachine Gun, slowly pressing in from three sides.

"Sister! You still brought a tail!" He Yuzhu lowered his voice, his tone grim.

"Impossible! I absolutely did not!" Liu Rusi retorted agitatedly.

"Look outside!"

After seeing the soldiers outside, Liu Rusi kicked a crate, hurting herself quite badly.

"Sister, hurry and get off the truck to ask what they want, I'll guard Mayor Tian in the cargo bed!" He Yuzhu ordered.

"This... will it work?" Liu Rusi hesitated slightly.

"You get off the truck and deal with them, and under no circumstances admit that Mayor Tian is on the truck. Also, let Mayor Tian see for himself what these people are here for!"

Liu Rusi took a deep breath, jumped off the truck, and walked toward those people.

A tall, fierce-looking Regimental Commander of the Bald Party walked up to Liu Rusi, stood still, and said with a fake smile: "Miss Liu, let's not speak in riddles. Please hand over Mr. Tian. For the sake of Mr. Shen, I can spare your life."

Liu Rusi sneered: "Who sent you?"

"You don't have the qualifications to ask that." The Bald Party Regimental Commander curled his lips in disdain.

"My truck is full of cargo, there is no Mayor Tian at all! As far as I know, he was already killed by your people!" Liu Rusi scolded angrily.

"We are both crows standing on a pig, same to you! Brothers, get on the truck and search!" The Regimental Commander couldn't be bothered with nonsense and gave the order directly.

Liu Rusi spread her arms to block them: "By what right are you searching my truck?"

The Bald Party Regimental Commander stepped forward and roughly pushed Liu Rusi to the ground: "Get lost! Search it for me!"

Liu Rusi looked at He Yuzhu anxiously.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu jumped off the truck and said loudly: "Brothers, you just want to search, right? I agree, the truck is right here, it can't run away. But I only want to ask the Regimental Commander one thing: if you find Mayor Tian, how do you plan to deal with us? And if you don't find him, how should that be settled?"

The bald Regimental Commander gave a sinister smile: "I almost forgot to tell you. If we find it, Miss Liu can leave, but you must be the primary culprit, so you will be executed on the spot! If we don't find it... Miss Liu can still leave, but you will still have to die!"

"You bastards! I will definitely tell my father!" Liu Rusi scrambled up from the ground and screamed hysterically.

He Yuzhu, however, showed not a trace of fear on his face as he said: "Officer, since I have to die either way, could you let me settle some final affairs with Miss Liu?"

"Fine, the First Platoon keep a close eye on him, the Second Platoon get on the vehicle and search for me!"