Chapter 387: 383. Cause and Effect (Please subscribe, monthly tickets!)

After experiencing this incident, He Qing also understood why her father was so loyal to Zhang Ran, and she also knew why Zhang Ran trusted He Yong so much, to the point that because of He Yong, he was even about to entrust her with the important position of secretary.

The moment Zhang Sicheng was threatened, He Yong took the initiative to step forward, using himself to trade for Zhang Sicheng, while also taking full responsibility for the matter concerning Lotnikov's older brother upon himself.

And Zhang Ran did not let He Yong step out to take Zhang Sicheng's place.

Although Zhang Ran might have already known in his heart at the time that Lotnikov would not dare to truly kill Zhang Sicheng, when one's own biological child is threatened, such a choice by Zhang Ran is undoubtedly something that makes one feel grateful.

He Qing did not know what her father was thinking, but she was truly somewhat moved, and it was at this moment that a trace of loyalty toward the Zhang Family finally arose in He Qing's heart.

The few of them were all young people, and although they had experienced such an event, their overall ability to accept it was still quite strong.

Moreover, Meng Mingxuan and Qian Li both discovered one thing: Siyan and Sicheng seemed to have undergone some changes.

Within the short span of a few days, the Zhang Sicheng siblings had both experienced a heart-stopping danger.

This also allowed them to finally develop some real feelings regarding their current status.

This banquet broke up not long after Lotnikov left; everyone knew that the next round of conflict between these two families was about to erupt.

This time, Lotnikov had slapped Nikolayev hard in the face; although the slap didn't land with a loud sound, it had already been delivered.

Furthermore, the son of Zhang Ran, an important partner of the Nikolayev Family, had also been threatened; it would be strange if Nikolayev did not take retaliatory action.

No matter what, he needed to give Zhang Ran an explanation.

At the same time, Zhang Ran's reputation was slowly spreading within their circle; some old-guard families might have known some of the situation, but some newly emerged big shots had only just learned of this person, Zhang Ran.

And the fact that Lotnikov had retreated in such a sorry state when facing Zhang Ran also made everyone feel a trace of curiosity about this somewhat mysterious man.

Although it seemed that Lotnikov had lost nothing in the end and had greatly humiliated the Nikolayev Family, it appeared he had profited.

But anyone who saw clearly knew that Lotnikov had suffered a huge loss.

Not to mention the matter of the Crazy Mask being torn apart, from this moment on, he could be considered to have completely set himself against Zhang Ran.

After returning in the evening, Zhang Ran first went to Huo Zhiyuan's room to check on the two little ones, and only after seeing that they were fast asleep did he leave.

Tonight, the entire Zhang family had gone to attend the banquet, and only Huo Zhiyuan had stayed behind to look after the two little ones.

After checking on the two little ones, he called Sicheng, Siyan, and Liu Lu into a small dining room, where some food and wine had already been prepared.

"Everyone sit down; tonight our family will also hold a family meeting," Zhang Ran said with a smile.

The Sicheng siblings and Liu Lu all sat down silently; they had also guessed that their father wanted to tell them something today.

Zhang Ran said with a smile, "Xiao Lu, why don't you have some too?"

Liu Lu had also been somewhat frightened this evening, and upon hearing this, she did not refuse.

After pouring wine for everyone, Zhang Ran took a sip first, then immediately asked, "Did you see Yu Mingcai today?"

Zhang Sicheng was startled; he had almost forgotten about this.

"Yes, we saw him," Sicheng said.

Seeing that Liu Lu was somewhat confused, Zhang Ran explained, "Counting it up, Yu Mingcai should be Siyan and Sicheng's uncle."

Liu Lu nodded, not saying anything more, just listening silently.

"What are your thoughts, you two?" Zhang Ran asked the siblings.

Sicheng clenched his fists and said, "We don't have this uncle."

Siyan also said calmly, "I don't acknowledge this relative either."

"Back when Mom was still alive, she only mentioned him a few times when we were small, and after that, she never mentioned him again. Besides, over all these years, we have never seen this relative," Sicheng said, taking a deep breath.

Zhang Ran looked at the two of them, not expressing any opinion on their views, nor saying anything else.

After listening, he changed the subject, "Xiao Lu, you were scared to death today, weren't you?" Zhang Ran asked with a smile.

Liu Lu first shook her head, then looked at Zhang Ran, lowered her head, and nodded gently.

It hadn't been long since Siyan's incident, and at that time, she had only been a bystander and hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

Now that this matter had erupted again, to tell the truth, Liu Lu's heart was truly somewhat panicked.

Zhang Ran couldn't help but sigh and said, "As things stand, it is about time to tell you some things that you ought to know."

The three of them turned their gazes toward Zhang Ran.

"Siyan, Sicheng, Xiao Lu, although an incident like today's can be called an accident, it is not entirely an accident. Can you understand what I mean by that?" Zhang Ran said.

"Dad, do you mean that we will encounter such situations in the future?" Sicheng asked subconsciously.

Liu Lu also became nervous at once.

Zhang Ran said softly, "It's hard to say. Although I have already warned some people and made many preparations, I don't know everyone's heart, nor am I their thoughts.

Right now, no one dares to truly make a move against you, but one can never be too careful."

He then looked at Liu Lu's worried face and said with a smile, "However, you don't need to worry about anything. At the very least, there is one thing I can guarantee: in Huaxia, no one will choose to do this. Of course, I am talking about my enemies, not those petty thieves from a while ago."

"Let me explain the cause and effect of today's incident, so you aren't still confused," Zhang Ran said.

"The matter is actually very simple. Nikolayev is my business partner. Back then, their family had fallen, and I chose to help him rebuild their family.

The Lotnikov Family is the enemy of the Nikolayev Family, so they obstructed them in every possible way.

The time when things truly became irreconcilable was in '88. At that time, the Nikolayev Family already had signs of rising again.

Moreover, the situation was quite chaotic back then, and some of the Lotnikov Family's methods were somewhat unscrupulous."

"They began to take action personally, preparing to finish him off before Nikolayev could completely rise.

As luck would have it, I had also come over at that time and happened to run into this attack.

It was very chaotic back then. Dayong gave his all to protect me, and several of the scars on his body were left from that time.

And it was at that time that Lotnikov's older brother was shot and killed by Dayong. Because of this, we became complete enemies."