Chapter 349: Unforeseen Circumstances
Shanghai Airport.
Even after they arrived there, Tang Wei still remained puzzled even after pondering for a long time as he followed Tang Xiu straight through the VIP pathway and then to the apron. Tang Wei was utterly shocked as he looked at the private jet in front, with two men and four women dressed as pilots and flight attendants standing under its ladder.
Nowadays, along with the growth and improvement in the living standard and the emergence of a large number of billionaires in the country, only bigwigs could afford to purchase private planes. As a scion from a big respected chinese family himself, he also knew a number of billionaires who owned private planes.
The limit was around 1500 individuals!
And he dared to guarantee that those powerful billionaires who owned private jets in the country would not exceed 1500. It had to be known that China was a great power, with a population of more than one billion. Thus, 1500 was a small number.
And speaking about it, how could Tang Xiu…
"Welcome, Mr. Tang. We submitted an application to take off to Shanghai Airport and they have already confirmed that we can take off in about 35 minutes." The private jet pilot said respectfully.
"Alright, let's go aboard!" Tang Xiu nodded.
Walking alongside Tang Xiu, Tang Wei still wore a shocked expression on his face as he asked whispered, "Brother, what's all this about? Where did you get this jet?"
While climbing the ladder, Tang Xiu smiled and said, "I borrowed it from a friend of mine."
"What kind of friend it is to be so generous? To think that he'd directly lend his private jet for you to use at will so casually?" Tang Wei said with an incredulous look, "Besides if my guess is correct, this private jet should also have been parked in Shanghai Airport, right?"
"This friend of mine is from Jingmen Island. I have had quite a lot matters to deal with recently, so I directly borrowed it. Regardless, I'll give it back after I'm no longer busy."
"Seems like your relationship with this brother is really great. This brother of yours is worth making friends with." Tang Wei exclaimed in admiration.
Brother?
Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, "Well, she's a she!"
"Ugh, a woman?" Tang Wei was stunned and asked in disbelief, "Then, she and you…"
"A friend!" Tang Xiu replied straightforwardly.
Tang Wei slightly creased his brows. After thinking for a moment, he probed, "As far as I know, there are only a few families in Shanghai who own a private jet, and probably only two women among them possess a private jet. One of whom is the Madame of the Huang Family. But I'm afraid it's very difficult to borrow it from her. Did you say she's your friend? Could she be the succubus who came to our ancestral house in Beijing back then?"
"Huh?" Tang Xiu replied in an odd expression, "Succubus?"
"Yeah, that hag—Ouyang Lulu!" Tang Wei heavily nodded and said, "Barbaric, crude, supercilious, cocky, and proud like a peacock …"
Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry upon listening all the adjectives Tang Wei spouted. After they entered the cabin, he grinned and asked, "Do you and Lulu have a grudge or something?"
"Heck, it's really her!" Tang Wei took a deep breath and forced a smile, "No, there are no grudges between us, but I did eat some losses in her hands. Of course, it's not like I love to quarrel with women, to begin with. So I just let her off. Besides, our cousin—Chu Yi is her old classmate, and they have a good relationship. So I don't want to shame her!"
"Actually, Lulu is a rather good person!" Tang Xiu laughed, "She's not as exaggerated as you say, though. She's indeed a bit unruly and naughty. Rather, she's very clever and kinda easy to bully."
Easy to bully?
Tang Wei was at a loss for words.
When the duo sat themselves down at the plane, Tang Xiu showed a standby hand signal to the four bodyguards who came with them before speaking, "Anyways, we didn't talk back when Ouyang Lulu came to our ancestral home, but I can tell she likes you."
Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment and rolled his eyes.
He really didn't get it. Why so many people like to guess and speculate? In Shanghai University, Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong said that Han Qingwu had a crush on him. Now, Tang Wei also said that Ouyang Lulu liked him. How come he himself didn't know that he was so attractive and charming?
"Nah, stop talking nonsense! We're just good friends and business partners."
Tang Wei only gave Tang Xiu an enigmatic and unfathomable smile in response and then turned his head.
7:30 PM.
The private jet landed at Guangyang's Guan City Airport.
Hearing the news that Tang Wei would come, Tang Yunpeng had arranged some people to fetch them. When Tang Xiu and Tang Wei came out of the airport with four bodyguards, a middle-aged woman with six strong men in black suits quickly greeted them.
"Little Wei!"
The middle-aged woman looked at Tang Xiu and then shifted her vision to Tang Wei as she said with a smile.
"Auntie Xue, how come you're picking us up yourself?" asked Tang Wei with a smile.
"Guan City is a bit chaotic now. Your uncle is afraid that the Yao, Sun, and Yang Families would secretly send some people to deal with you. Ever since they began attacking us, we have already lost more than twenty people." Said Xue Jie.
"It's fine if it's only the Yaos since they were always our enemy from the start." Tang Wei scowled as he growled, "But I never thought that even the Sun and Yang Families dared to join the fray! This time, even if we have to risk a big loss, we must give them head-on blows."
Xue Jie bitterly smiled inside. Tang Wei might not be clear about the situation. But she, being the General Manager of the Starlight Group for several years, how could she possibly not know about the current situation? Let alone giving them a head-on blow, even protecting their own people was pretty problematic.
"Who is this?"
"He's Tang Xiu, my younger cousin." Said Tang Wei promptly.
Xue Jie looked surprised. She carefully observed Tang Xiu before showing a trace of a smile, "I heard that the Tang Family had found their missing child. Anyhow, I didn't expect you would come to Guan City, though. How do you do, Tang Xiu? I'm Xue Jie, the General Manager of the Starlight Group. You can call me Aunt Xue."
"Brother, Auntie Xue is the sister of Uncle Tang Dong's wife." Said Tang Wei quickly.
Tang Xiu suddenly understood and called out, "How do you do, Auntie Xue!"
Nodding with a smile, Xue Jie then said, "Let's go! Your big uncle is currently waiting in Red Maple Villa Complex!"
"Alright!" Tang Wei nodded.
More than twenty minutes later, as the car arrived at Red Maple Villa Complex, Xue Jie's mobile phone rang. After she accepted the call and chatted with the caller, her face immediately turned grim.
Waiting until Xue Jie hang up the phone, Tang Wei then asked quickly, "Something happened, Auntie Xue?"
"The deputy director of our Starlight Group's Finance Department has been seized by some people." Xue Jie nodded and said, "It's an intentional provocation from the other party, causing the deputy director to push the other party. And then… the other party acted like they were seriously injured and demanded compensation from the deputy director's family."
"Is this the Yao Family's doing?" asked Tang Wei indignantly.
"The Yao Family is surely related to this." Xue Jie said, "After all, at this juncture, only the Xue, Sun and Yang Families are the ones who will direct people to do so. Just now your big uncle told me to send some people to rescue this deputy director by any means necessary. The deputy director of our Starlight Group's Finance Department knew the company accounts, and if the Yao Family gets our business secrets, it will be very detrimental to us."
"Where did that Finance Department's deputy director got caught?" asked Tang Xiu quickly.
"Changbu Town, the Earth Cabinet Factory." Said Xue Jie.
"Shall we change our destination to Changbu Town?" asked Tang Wei.
"We're going there now." Xue Jie nodded and said, "We must rescue that deputy director in the shortest possible time. Additionally, your big uncle has also sent a group to Changbu Town as well."
"Is the source reliable? Have our people looked into the information? We had better…" Tang Xiu suddenly asked.
Xue Jie looked at Tang Xiu and said, "The people who seized the deputy director told his family to deliver the compensation money there."
"If my guess is correct, I'm afraid this is a trap." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Nevertheless, it's an open trap. We know that it's a trap, but we still have no choice but to jump into into. I'm sure that the deputy director is not in Changbu Town's Earth Cabinet Factory."
"Care to tell the reason?" Xue Jie slightly creased her brows and asked.
"Since the other party wants to get the Starlight Group's financial information from the Finance Department's deputy director, they won't let us save him that easily. Nevertheless, they clearly knew that we'd save him. So, even if he is bait, they won't rashly take any risks like leaving the deputy director there. Hence, they sent us a message. That's enough to lead us."
Xue Jie squinted her eyes. Her being able to control the entire Starlight Group was due to her extraordinary wisdom and ability, to begin with. Thus, she had actually already thought of this. Only, she had no other way but to send people to Changbu Town.
"Tang Xiu, since you can infer this kind of possibility. Then, do you have any way around it?"
"It's very simple. We must still go to Changbu Town. However, we must do things carefully." Tang Xiu said, "We must first inquire about the internal situation of the Earth Cabinet Factory, and then devise a plan. Moreover, we have to mobilize all of our power in Guangyang to find the place where the deputy director is being held." Said Tang Xiu.
Xue Jie smiled forced a smile and said, "Our intelligence network in Guangyang has been nearly cut off. Although we still have a lot of manpower, without knowing the complete picture, we'll be just like headless flies scattered about, no?"
Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he took out his mobile and dialed a cell phone number.
"Who am I speaking with?" a low and deep voice came out from the phone.
"I'm Tang Xiu. Gu Xiaoxue gave me your number." Said Tang Xiu.
The other party quickly replied with an excited tone, "Gu Xiaoxue? The Little Boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall?"
"Yes!"
"Ah, I see. So you're the new boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Mr. Tang, right?"
"Correct, it's me!"
"… For you to look for me… you have a command for me?"
Tang Xiu asked, "Does your family have a intelligence network in Guangyang? I'll have to trouble you to help me investigate something!"
"Which city?"
"Guan City!"
"I have a network there!"
"I'll text you about the person I need you to investigate later. The man was captured, and the other party may have relations with the Sun and Yang Families. Please do bear mind that you have to keep your tracks hidden in this investigation."
"Alright. I'll rush to Guan City immediately. Wait for the news."
"You don't have act personally. It's fine for you to send out the order. I'm afraid that I still have some things that might inconvenience you later."
"No problem. It's not a hassle at all. This is what we should do!"
Chapter 350: Information
Tang Xiu hung up the phone and asked Xue Jie about the deputy director's information. After that, he compiled it into an SMS and sent it to the other party. Then, he looked at Xue Jie and said:
"We'll go to Changbu Town and wait for the news from the intelligence. If they can provide us the location where the deputy director is being held, we'll immediately rush there to save him. If they can't find it, then we can only think of ways around to find out the actual situation in the Earth Cabinet Factory. If we can bite those tough nuts, we'll demand interest first."
Looking at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, Xue Jie silently nodded.
With a curious expression hanging on his face, Tang Wei inquired, "Brother, who did you ask for help? You have acquaintances in Guangyang?"
"I don't have any acquaintances in Guangyang that I know of." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "But I have some friends I know quite well in Fukang. Let's wait and see! I hope they can help us find the place where that deputy director is being held."
Seeing that Tang Xiu didn't want disclose the other party's identity directly, Tang Wei no longer asked. Regardless of who it was, it'd already be a pleasant, unexpected surprise if they could get the intelligence information through Tang Xiu.
****
Changbu Town was the second largest town in Guan City. With factories in its every corner, it raised Changbu Town's economy to a high level, while a large number of migrants caused the city to have prosperous and thriving scenes everywhere.
Earth Cabinet Factory itself produced high-class furniture products that were exported abroad.
The industrial plant had two courtyard walls. The outer courtyard wall and the inside wall were separated by 50 meters with a workshop in the middle for the workers to make furniture. Aside from the two office buildings inside, there was also another workshop to store the finished cabinet furniture.
In the past, the Earth Cabinet Factory was very bustling, with busy workers at every corner, forklifts selecting the planks that shuttled between the workshop. Today, however, it was deserted and devoid of any activities except for some occasional sounds.
On the roof of one of the three-storied office buildings, a stalwart foreign man stood between the solar water tanks holding a binocular, watching the scenario outside the factory. Behind him were dozens of armed men. Some of them were wiping their firearms with icy glints in their eyes.
"Ai Murui, how's the situation outside?"
The stalwart foreign man—Topherson, came out and spoke.
"The enemy has yet to show up. We're still on the lookout."
"Okay, keep in touch!"
Having said that, Topherson stuffed the mobile into his pocket. He then turned to look at a big man tens of meters away from him with a bit of contempt in his eyes. These strong men who were seemingly vicious and fierce, in his eyes, were but only waxy heads with silver guns—looked impressive, but were useless.
"Bracing yourselves up, eh! When the enemies come and you can't do your job, I'll cut your fucking head off myself."
A middle-aged man coldly harrumphed, "Topherson, my family's young master may have ordered us to listen to your commands, but don't be too crazy. You may have your martial arts, but are you faster than a bullet?"
Giving him a hideous grin in response, Topherson revealed his white teeth and said, "You wanna try?"
"Humph…"
The middle-aged man did want to give him a shot, yet he didn't dare to. He could clearly see this foreign man's importance in the eyes of his young master. Were he to start against this man, he would perhaps die miserably later.
Ten minutes later, the phone Topherson stuffed in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
"What's the situation?"
"Four suspicious cars were seen on the outside. There are four men in each car, for a total of 12. No one got off, and someone is using a binocular to observe the entrance of the cabinet factory." Ai Murui's voice was heard from the phone.
"Don't alarm them. The Chinese have an old saying, let these gentlemen come into the trap themselves. We'll attack them after they entered the factory from both the inside and the outside. We must wipe out the enemy by all means necessary."
"Topherson, I know you want to kill people, but Captain commanded that if we can catch them alive, then keep their lives if possible. There could be high-level figures among the enemy. So we can get useful information from them."
"I know!"
Topherson coldly replied and hung up the phone.
Near the Earth Cabinet Factory.
Four SUVs quietly parked at the roadside. In front of the car, Li Xiaojie put away the binoculars. He turned his head toward the youth on the front seat and said, "Notify the others. Nobody is to leave the car without permission. Chief Xue said that we must wait for them to arrive and then act together."
"Alright!"
The youth on the front seat nodded and immediately grabbed his mobile phone.
Time passed by.
Changbu Town, Flat-Out Skating Rink.
Recently, Jiang Xiaohu felt confident and at ease. He became the younger brother in charge of the public venue—Flat-Out Skating Rink. A few days ago he helped the Flat-Out Skating Rink's owner in solving a thorny issue because of his fighting skills. Hence, he was promoted into the little gang leader in charge of the site.
However, today, which was the day for weekend money share, he returned from the outside with his four little brothers and found no visitors when he took a stroll around the skating rink.
"What the heck is happening today? We usually have so many visitors. But how come no one came today?" Jiang Xiaohu turned his head and asked.
"I don't know, either. I haven't heard about the site being closed today," a young man who had been hanging out with him for a long time shook his head and said, "Eldest Brother, look over there, near the ice skating shoes' storage room door… What are those two guys doing there?"
Jiang Xiaohu was stunned and stared blankly. When he looked toward the direction, he suddenly creased his brows and walked over with his four little brothers, shouting, "Hey, what the hell are you doing here? This place is our Flat-Out Skating Rink business, you…"
A dark muzzle was aimed at them in response.
One of the burly guys growled with killing intent glinting in his eyes, "Get the fuck out if you don't wanna die!"
Jiang Xiaohu's complexion changed, while the four youths behind him looked alarmed and afraid as they retreated two steps. Jiang Xiaohu took a deep breath and asked in a heavy voice, "I'm here to see the site. I'm not afraid of you even if you have a gun. I wanna know, what the hell are you doing in our turf? Also, where's our boss?"
Immediately, two people came out of the skate shoes' storage room. One of whom was a chubby middle-aged man who was the Boss of Flat-Out Skating Rink. The man looked a bit bitter and astringent as he waved his hand and said, "Xiaohu, our skating rink is closed today. You don't need to busy yourself here anymore. You can go back first!"
Looking at the middle-aged man at the side and then to his boss, Jiang Xiaohu then replied after a moment of silence, "Boss, we need the money. And you must give it to us today."
"I'll give you tomorrow!" The fatty Boss replied in a deep voice.
Jiang Xiaohu forced a smile and said, "Boss, it's no good! I owe money to Big Brother Huzi. He said he will hack my hands off if I don't give him the money today. How about you give me some money first? I guarantee that I'll immediately get my ass off here after I got it."
The fatty boss looked at the middle-aged man.
"Are they reliable?" asked the middle-aged man.
"They are very reliable. Xiaohu has been working here for four to five years and he's a professional bouncer. His Boss is also one of the very powerful figures in Changbu Town and he has been with him since he was a teenager."
"Then give it to them," the middle-aged man nodded and said.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The fatty boss waved at Jiang Xiaohu and said, "Tell the other four to wait outside while you come with me to get the money. Bloody hell, you're good, but you love gambling way too much. Sooner or later you'll die as a poor bloke with your gambling debt."
A strange light glinted in Jiang Xiaohu's eyes. He raised his head as to cover up his eyes and intentionally revealed an embarrassed look, saying, "Who doesn't have hobbies?! Don't worry, though! I know my limit, so I won't join the game if the stake is too high."
A minute later, Jiang Xiaohu got himself a fat envelope. He glanced around and found that the previous middle-aged man was gone. Then, he whispered, "Boss, who are these people? They even dare to carry guns... Are they not afraid of…"
The fatty boss's face changed as he growled in an undertone voice, "Don't ask so carelessly. This is not something for you to know!"
"Hey, what do you mean, Boss?" Jiang Xiaohu deliberately showed an angry expression as he growled back.
The fatty Boss was about to reply. But recalling that he'd have to rely upon Jiang Xiaohu and his little brothers later, he toned down his expression and whispered, "Xiaohu! I treat you as my own people, so I don't want you to ask around carelessly, since you'll be dead once you know more. Since you're not an outsider, I'll tell you a bit. These people are from the Sun Family from Guan City. They kidnaped a guy here to interrogate him. The one behind me is also from the Sun Family."
Startled inside, Jiang Xiaohu also felt joyful shortly after. He knew that he got a big harvest this time. He even had the possibility of leaving this small place—Changbu City.
Nevertheless, he kept his composure on the surface and whispered back, "Boss, you did say you were someone from the Sun Family. But I thought you were just bragging! I didn't expect that it turned out to be real. Don't worry, Boss! I never heard anything here, and you told me nothing as well. Anyhow, I'll go to Big Brother Huzi and give the money. While for the rest… I'll use it to drag these brothers of mine to have a merry night."
"Go!" The fatty boss nodded.
Seven or eight minutes afterward, Jiang Xiaohu left the Flat-Out Skating Rink along with his several brothers. He then immediately dialed a cell number.
"Brother Huang, I'm Jiang Xiaohu from Changbu Town. Big Boss has commanded all brothers to pay attention to any movements in Changbu Town! I just found a situation in the Flat-Out Skating Rink. The people from the Sun Family are probably holding someone in the Flat-Out Skating Rink. He's being tightly guarded… Yes, yes… I see. Okay, don't worry! I'll be hiding in the hideout and keeping a watch there… mmm… good… yes… Alright, I'll secretly show them the direction when they come… Okay, thanks, Brother Huang…"