Chapter Eighty-Eight: Lost the Trail

"Ye Tong, you damned bastard! If I hadn’t made the introduction back then, would you ever have met Brother Shi? You dog, borrowing another man’s authority..." Only after making sure the group had gone far enough did Shen Kaixing start swearing furiously. As he cursed, he dragged his injured, slightly limping leg toward the exit, rage written all over him.

It was not until Shen Kaixing had gone some distance that Zhang Ye stepped out from the shadows. He watched the figure recede into the distance, silent for a long while.

"So that’s how it is. There was a reason for everything after all. Shen Kaixing had fallen into debt at the casino, and that was why he turned evil thoughts toward Uncle Liu Boqing’s money." Zhang Ye felt the truth had finally come into focus.

And yet, for an instant, he hesitated over what he should do.

"No matter what, he is still Aunt’s husband. I’ll give him one more chance." With that thought, Zhang Ye hurried after him.

"Uncle? How are you feeling? I ran into a few guys on the road just now. They looked rough, and they were cursing up a storm, saying you owed them money and all that. Is it true?" Zhang Ye caught up and asked.

"You brat, what business is it of yours? Get lost." Shen Kaixing’s ability to take a beating was not bad; by then he could already walk normally. The moment he saw Zhang Ye, he snapped at him.

"But I heard you owe them several tens of thousands, and that if you don’t pay up, they’re going to cut off your hand. Is that true?" Zhang Ye frowned, with every intention of leaving at once. But after a moment’s thought, he held back, and instead put on a look of fear as he repeated what those men had supposedly said.

His performance was not very convincing, but perhaps because Shen Kaixing had just been beaten, and his mind was elsewhere, he did not doubt Zhang Ye too much. On hearing this, he actually became somewhat nervous, terrified that they might also expose how he had tried to cheat money out of Liu Boqing. He hurriedly seized Zhang Ye’s hand and asked, "What else did they say?"

"It sounded like they also said you could get your hands on several hundred thousand. I don’t know whether that’s true... I couldn’t make out much more than that. I was walking behind them on the road and didn’t dare get too close!" Zhang Ye pretended to be recalling the scene, though inwardly he could only sigh.

That was all he could do.

If Shen Kaixing remained stubbornly unrepentant, then what awaited him would surely be the law’s harsh punishment.

Still, perhaps that would be for the best. Once the matter blew up, Aunt would undoubtedly divorce him, just as in his previous life, and at least then she would be freed from suffering. The only one who would be hurt would be their son, Shen Cong. He was only seven or eight years old.

"This was something I just made up to fool them. Only you know about it, right? Don’t you dare tell anyone, especially your dad. If I find out you’ve been running your mouth, I’ll skin your behind." Half relieved, Shen Kaixing was certain that Zhang Ye had not learned too much. He immediately issued a stern warning before leaving with some peace of mind.

"Looks like that was unnecessary." Zhang Ye looked after Shen Kaixing, who was growing smaller and smaller in the distance, and gave a bitter smile, shaking his head.

Even so, from this point on, the guilt in his heart was entirely gone. In ordinary times, when Shen Kaixing treated them harshly, Zhang Ye could ignore it for the sake of Aunt and Shen Cong. But everyone had a limit, and once that line was crossed, it was not something a simple laugh could brush aside.

The next day, as usual, Zhang Ye followed his maternal uncle all over town and secured the workshop building in the eastern factory district. The contract had already been drafted, and the formal signing was completed.

At that moment, Zheng Fan came over and said with a smile, "Boqing, congratulations. Now everything is ready except for the final push." Zheng Fan had the face of a simple, honest man, and had last year’s upheaval not occurred, he would have remained exactly that kind of person. Because of that, his words and his smile made for a perfectly fitting disguise.

"Yes, that’s true. Without the equipment in place, it can’t really be called success." Liu Boqing nodded seriously. After a moment’s thought, he said, "I’m planning to go with you to Zhouhang tomorrow and take a look."

"There’s no need to make it so troublesome. If you trust me, Zheng Fan, just hand me the money and let me buy it for you. The factory has just been built, and there’s still hiring to do, plus potato procurement and the rest. I can see you’re tied up; opening a day earlier means earning a day earlier, doesn’t it?" Zheng Fan thumped his chest and said with a smile.

"What nonsense is that? Of course I trust you. But... all right, then the purchase of the equipment is yours to handle. They’re asking for five hundred thousand, but I’d still like to bring that down a little." After some thought, and remembering that Zheng Fan really was trustworthy, Liu Boqing agreed.

And so Zhang Ye could only watch as Zheng Fan tucked away the bank card Liu Boqing had given him, a card containing five hundred thousand yuan, and left.

At this stage, with events still unfolding, Zhang Ye did not want to interfere too much. If matters were pushed in a direction he could not foresee, there would be nothing he could do about it. He therefore found a casual excuse to part from his maternal uncle, and then silently trailed after Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan’s first stop was the bank, where he withdrew every last bit of the five hundred thousand in cash. Banks in those days were nowhere near as well developed as they would be later on, and he somehow managed to take it all out without trouble. It came out as a huge bundle, so heavy that it was a strain just carrying it.

After that, he entered a small guesthouse, clearly one he had reserved long before, and went straight into a room.

At that point, Zhang Ye could not follow him in, and could only wait outside.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He quickly pulled out his phone and said, "Tao, I’ve got something here. Yes, just send one person over. Guangxiang will do, that kid’s quick." With that, Zhang Ye hung up.

Having a mobile phone really was convenient. At least when it came to contacting people, he did not need to go through any trouble. The functions were simple enough, but at critical moments, it was truly useful.

About half an hour later, Liu Guangxiang arrived, along with Chen Fang. Last time they had helped Zhang Ye with some errands, each of them had made several hundred yuan, and they knew there were plenty of benefits to be had by following him, so they came running with eager smiles.

Zhang Ye said nothing more. He simply told them to wait nearby, then found a concealed spot of his own and relieved himself. He had been trailing all this time for fear of losing Zheng Fan, and after drinking a bottle of cold soda in the heat, he had been on the verge of bursting.

"Brother Ye! Brother Ye! Someone’s come out from inside. A man around thirty years old." At that moment, Chen Fang ran over in a panic and spoke.

"Does he have a beard?" Zhang Ye asked.

"No."

"Then keep watching." Zhang Ye let out a breath of relief. Zheng Fan was nearing middle age and wore two thick strips of mustache on his upper lip, making him look forty or fifty at the very least. The man who had just come out looked only about thirty, so it was obviously not him.

"Where’s Guangxiang?" He had only just come back, and Liu Guangxiang was already nowhere to be seen.

"He doesn’t seem like the type to slack off... Damn it, he must have spotted that man and chased after him on his own!" Zhang Ye’s expression changed as he immediately thought of a possibility. He quickly asked Chen Fang, "Did the man you saw have a backpack in both hands, was he tall, and did he look honest and unsuspicious?"

Zhang Ye suddenly remembered that if Zheng Fan was planning to run, he would surely disguise himself somehow, at the very least shaving off his mustache and changing his clothes...