Number Four looked up at Bai Yinning, anger written all over his face. Anyone who wasn’t blind would be able to see the look of ferocity in his eyes.
Number Four knew that owning up would mean certain death for himself, so he had no choice but to deny it until the end. “No, they didn’t interrogate me at all. They beat me up because I was harassing that woman, who had turned out to be Su Zhan’s girlfriend or something.”
After Su Zhan finished beating him up, Number Four finally understood why he had exploded with rage. There was only one possible explanation for why Su Zhan cared about the girl so much— she was his girlfriend. That was probably why he thrashed Number Four within an inch of his life.
Number Four threw his arms around Gu Bei’s leg. “You have to believe me. That crazy loser is trying to sow discord between us. Don’t buy a single word he says.”
Gu Bei bent down and tilted Number Four’s chin upward. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Did they really not interrogate you?”
Number Four shook his head. “No, they didn’t. Even if they had, I wouldn’t have dared to tell them anything that could be used against you.”
“Hmph! If you dare to betray me, I’ll throw you into the sea, allowing the fishes to devour you!” Gu Bei spat bitterly. A shiver ran down Number Four’s spine.
Bai Yinning gazed silently at them. He didn’t seem perturbed that they had hit a sore spot of his. So many people had done it that he was quite used to it.
“I’ve handed the man over to you,” Bai Yinning uttered slowly. “Mr. Gu, shouldn’t you return my man to me as well?”
Gu Bei turned around to glance at him. Upon giving him an address, he ordered his subordinates to take Number Four to the hospital.
However, Bai Yinning didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he asked, “Mr. Gu, you didn’t harm my man, did you?”
Gu Bei stuck both of his hands into his trouser pockets and laughed shrilly. “He’s simply a nobody! Who cares if I’ve harmed him or not? If he didn’t try to talk back, I wouldn’t have harmed him either.”
They had been interrogating a man called Gao Yuan. Gu Bei had asked him where Number Four was, but Gao Yuan refused to answer him. When Gu Bei gave up and asked him if Bai Yinning and Zong Jinghao knew each other, Gao Yuan still refused to open his mouth, which infuriated Gu Bei to no end. In a fit of rage, he had beaten the man up.
Bai Yinning placed his hands on the armrests of his wheelchair as he brought his fingers together. Looking up at Gu Bei expressionlessly, he murmured quietly, “Gao Yuan is merely my aide. He doesn’t know anything about our feud or my dealings with Zong Jinghao. How could you have harmed him in such a manner?”
Gu Bei walked over to him and shot him a once-over. His haughty gaze landed on Bai Yinning’s paralyzed legs, upon which he burst into laughter. As quickly as it had appeared on his face, his smile soon vanished. “And what about it? Will you try to get revenge on me or something?”
“If you agree to apologize to Gao Yuan, I’ll let this matter blow over.” Bai Yinning ignored his mocking expression and replied.
“Haha! Who do you think you? Do you suppose that you have any right to order me to apologize to him?” Gu Bei’s tone toward Bai Yinning was extremely condescending. Bai Yinning might have been a big shot back in Baicheng, but he was a nobody in B City.
He waved his subordinates out impatiently as they left with Number Four to head to the hospital.
A cold look flashed in Bai Yinning’s eyes. He continued staring at Gu Bei without a word, before turning his wheelchair around and leaving.
He understood that none of his words would have swayed Gu Bei’s decision. He had to make known the conviction of his words through his actions.
With the help of the chauffeur, Bai Yinning managed to get into the car. He ordered the chauffeur to drive him to the place where they had imprisoned Gao Yuan.
Bai Yinning didn’t look very happy. Zhou Chunchun, who was seated next to him, took his hand as she attempted to soothe him. “We’ll be okay. Let’s head back to Baicheng tonight.”
She didn’t want to remain here any longer. She was afraid that something else was going to happen.
Bai Yinning smiled blandly as he extended a hand to caress her face. “Why are you so eager to leave? What about your parents? Won’t you miss them if we leave?”
“If I miss them, I can just drop by B City to visit them whenever I like. They can come and visit me in Baicheng too.” Zhou Chunchun felt a strange sense of foreboding. She wanted to leave this city as quickly as she could. “It’s my mother’s wish as well. She wants us to leave for Baicheng as soon as possible.”
Bai Yinning turned to look at Mrs. Zhou.
“Hear me out, Yinning,” Mrs. Zhou tried to reason with him. “This city is a lawless place. Take Chunchun and go back to Baicheng. I’ll visit you guys with Chunchun’s father when I come to miss the both of you.”
After all, B City wasn’t very far away from Baicheng. Besides, the transportation system was getting increasingly advanced, which would shorten the travelling time between the two cities.
“That isn’t urgent now. I want to stay here and get closer to you guys first.” Bai Yinning smiled, refusing to reveal his true thoughts to them.
Mrs. Zhou wondered if he was holding a grudge against them for this incident. Tremulously, she turned to her daughter and whispered, “Well, I must admit that we were the ones who had lost Gao Yuan in the first instance. He’s right to feel angry at us. Now that everything is fine again, let’s just pretend that nothing happened in the first place.”
Mrs. Zhou did not dare to enquire about Bai Yinning and Zong Jinghao’s relationship in front of her own daughter.
If they hadn’t known each other, why would Bai Yinning have handed Gu Bei’s man over to Zong Jinghao?
On the other hand, if they did know each other, why did Zong Jinghao act so coldly towards Bai Yinning whenever they’d interacted with one another?
Mrs. Zhou wondered what Bai Yinning and Zong Jinghao’s true relationship was.
“I know that, Mom. I want to remain in B City not only because of Gu Bei but also because I want to spend more time with you and Dad, along with Chunchun. The both of you have but one daughter and you’re allowing me to marry her. Hence, the least I can do is to pay my respects to you along with her!” Bai Yinning refused to leave B City. Gao Yuan had suffered a beating because of him, and he couldn’t pretend as though nothing had happened before. Gu Bei had to apologize to Gao Yuan first.
Bai Yinning had injured both of his legs, but he was still at the helm of such a large company, retaining the respect of his subordinates. Albeit, he still remained to be a very perceptive man— he knew that Mrs. Zhou harbored some suspicions of her own regarding his relationship with Zong Jinghao.
He continued to explain, “Zong Jinghao and I are friends, but we’d fallen out after I’d done something that he found rather reprehensible. I sent Gu Bei’s guy to him this time in order to make amends with him instead of allowing our friendship to go down the drain. However, I’d never thought that Gu Bei would kidnap me and order you to divulge Number Four’s location. I never expected this mess to happen.”
Truth be told, he didn’t care how honest his words had been. All he had to do, really, was to come up with an explanation that Mrs. Zhou would accept.
He had no intention of deceiving her, of course, but he couldn’t exactly tell her about what he felt toward Lin Xinyan. In the future, he swore to himself that he would try his best to forget his past with her, giving his whole heart to Zhou Chunchun.
Mrs. Zhou stared at him with a renewed understanding. “Ah, so that’s how it is! I suppose it’s unsurprising now, seeing that his attitude toward me had been so cold when I went over to ask him for Number Four.”
Bai Yinning didn’t respond. At that moment, the car pulled up in front of a newly-completed block of buildings. Gao Yuan had been locked up inside by Gu Bei.
Bai Yinning told Mrs. Zhou and Zhou Chunchun to wait in the car, while he headed into the building with the chauffeur.
Gu Bei had already called ahead to let Gao Yuan know that someone was coming to pick him up. He had left the building, leaving Gao Yuan tied up in there by himself.
Bai Yinning and the chauffeur walked into a room that had just been completed. However, the construction workers hadn’t put on concrete on the walls, so they found themselves surrounded by bare red brick walls. The floor was littered with all sorts of construction tools, and it was amidst those construction tools that they found Gao Yuan.
Gao Yuan had been beaten very severely, but his face had been spared. The rest of his body was covered in scars. Evidently, the person who had been guarding him had simply left him for dead in the corner of the building.
The chauffeur ran over and started cutting away the ropes on his body. Gao Yuan opened his eyes slightly, weak as he greeted Bai Yinning. “Mr. Bai.”
Bai Yinning asked worriedly, “Are you seriously injured?”
Gao Yuan couldn’t stand up on his own accord. The chauffeur had to help him up and let him lean on him. Every movement sent a jolt of pain through Gao Yuan’s body. However, he merely replied, “I’ll live.”
Bai Yinning uttered, “Let’s go to the hospital.”
The chauffeur helped him back to the car. Soon, Mrs. Zhou suggested, “Why don’t you drop Chunchun and me off, a little further down the road?”
Bai Yinning replied, “Alright. I’ll go with them to the hospital, then.”
This was Mrs. Zhou’s exact intention. She knew that Gao Yuan was going to the hospital and that it wouldn’t do for Chunchun and herself to tag along.
“I’ll go with Yinning to the hospital.” Zhou Chunchun didn’t want to go home with Mrs. Zhou. She preferred to spend her time remaining by Bai Yinning’s side.
Bai Yinning didn’t turn down her request.
However, Mrs. Zhou was against the idea of her daughter running wild outside. “Come home with Mom, won’t you?”
Zhou Chunchun grabbed hold of Bai Yinning’s hand and shook her head adamantly. “Mom, you can head home by yourself. I’ll accompany Yinning to the hospital.”
Seeing how resolute her daughter was, Mrs. Zhou couldn’t bear to insist any more. Hence, she heaved a sigh and conceded, “Alright, then.”
The chauffeur drove the car to a slightly more crowded street before letting Mrs. Zhou off the car.
After bidding goodbye to Mrs. Zhou, Bai Yinning instructed the chauffeur to take them all to the hospital. Gao Yuan was given a vigorous checkup by the doctors, who assured them that, despite his external injuries, he wasn’t going to die.
Knowing that Gao Yuan was currently free from danger, Bai Yinning left the hospital, but not before paying for his medical bills at the front counter.
Yes, Bai Yinning didn’t have much power in B City, but that didn’t mean that he was going to endure having his men get beaten up by others.
Gao Yuan had remained a loyal retainer of his, for many years. In fact, he was like a close family member of Bai Yinning’s. How could Bai Yinning do nothing after Gu Bei’s men treated him like a dog?
After all, the enemy of one’s enemy was one’s friend.
By a stroke of luck, Zong Jinghao was Gu Bei’s enemy. Perhaps, Bai Yinning thought, they could cooperate with one another to bring Gu Bei down.
Bai Yinning arrived at Wanyue Group, but he didn’t find Zong Jinghao there.
At that moment, Zong Jinghao and Shen Peichuan arrived at a private club. They had been tipped off that Gu Bei was there.
