The city center, Xinglong Tobacco and Liquor Business.
Still shaken, Brother Mao, through internal connections at the police station, finally learned the reason for Baoguo’s arrest and quickly dialed Hong Xing’s number.
“General Manager Hong, you know about Baoguo’s arrest, right?”
“Just found out. I was about to call you. What’s going on? Why are the cops only arresting him? Are the other brothers okay?”
“I just found out. The cops arrested Baoguo not because of running the establishment.”
“Not because of running the establishment? Then why? Baoguo hasn’t committed any other crimes recently. He’s been with me these past few months.”
“It’s Yang Jian. He accused Baoguo of being the one who ransacked his house last year, and there are witnesses.”
“Witnesses? Impossible. It’s been so long. Why bring this case up now?”
“I think this is Wu Wangchun’s doing. We ruined his casino, and he doesn’t dare to confront us directly, so he colluded with Yang Jian to do this.”
“Brother Mao, does Yang Jian really have witnesses? Otherwise, the cops wouldn’t just arrest someone.”
“There can’t be witnesses. I already asked San Pang. Yang Jian has no idea who ransacked his house that day. He only suspects Wu Laizi and Lao Gui. Baoguo has no connection with him, and we had reconciled at the time. There’s no motive.”
“Could it be that one of Baoguo’s brothers committed a crime and revealed this? That happens a lot.”
“No, the brothers involved in that operation are all out of town. No one has been arrested. I believe this is Wu Wangchun’s trick. Regardless of whether the witnesses are real, as long as Baoguo is arrested at the casino, our casino can’t operate.”
“Damn it, Wu Wangchun got lucky. Won’t Baoguo crack under pressure and confess?”
“That’s what I’m worried about. If he can’t take it, he’ll expose me. You have connections with the detention center. Can you find a way to notify him to keep his mouth shut and absolutely deny everything?”
Hong Xing on the other end of the phone suddenly laughed. “Brother Mao, you’re so scared. This case isn’t that serious, just some furniture was broken. Even if Baoguo confesses, it’ll just be a matter of mediation and paying more money. He’ll be out after ten days or half a month. You’re probably worried about Yang Jian causing trouble for you, right?”
This hit Brother Mao’s sore spot. The case itself wasn’t that big. Illegal entry into a residence to ransack it was a bit serious, but no one was beaten, and no valuables were damaged. Such cases were usually handled through mediation, with a fine and at most a few days of detention for the perpetrator.
What truly worried Brother Mao was that once Yang Jian knew he was behind it, Yang Jian would definitely not let him off, especially since that incident indirectly led to Yang Jian’s grandfather’s death.
“Brother Mao, don’t worry. A word from me can sort this out. Besides, Baoguo won’t talk nonsense. He’s also afraid of Yang Jian. Admitting this would have more severe consequences for him than the police punishment.”
Seeing Brother Mao’s silence, Hong Xing had to reassure him.
“Well, I hope Baoguo thinks that way. However, I still want to go away and lay low for a few days.”
“Then come to Nanhai for a few days. You can go back after Baoguo is released.”
“Okay, I’ll leave immediately.”
Brother Mao didn’t hesitate. He informed San Pang and left. He was worried that if Baoguo exposed him, the police would also come for him.
Xinqiao, Lijian Template Factory.
Yang Jian and Wu Wangchun were drinking tea in the general manager’s office, waiting for news from the police station.
Yang Jian originally planned to go to Hancheng after leaving the police station, but the police required him to be on call. The main reason was to have him identify Baoguo with witnesses. Yang Jian’s grandmother had also seen Baoguo, and several villagers from next door were eyewitnesses.
Therefore, he had to stay at home. Li Jin could be reached by phone.
They sat until three o’clock when Wu Wangchun’s phone finally rang. He hung up after only three seconds.
“Little Yang, Baoguo has been arrested.”
Wu Wangchun’s face was full of excitement. His plan had succeeded. Regardless of whether Baoguo confessed in the end, his casino wouldn’t be able to operate for a while.
Yang Jian smiled, “Uncle Wang, you and Brother Mao are alike. You’re both good at playing mind games and schemes. I’m really far behind in this regard.”
“Little Yang, you can’t just rely on force in the underworld. You need to use your brain. Look at how many powerful figures in the city center have either been imprisoned or killed, or crippled. There are very few who have lived long, stayed stable, and successfully gone legitimate.
The most typical example is Zhou Tao. He’s the most intelligent gang leader in Xinhe. He’s been active in the city center for over twenty years and has never even set foot in a detention center.
He’s also the wealthiest hidden tycoon in the city center, with even greater economic strength than Yu Feng’s family. This is the highest realm of operating in society.
Your potential is even greater than his. You should learn from him more. The legal system is becoming more complete. You need to think more before doing anything. You can’t be impulsive like before. You’ve tasted what it’s like to be in jail, you can’t go back.”
“Uncle Wang, starting the day after tomorrow, I’m retiring from the underworld. I’ll focus on being a law-abiding businessman or entrepreneur.”
Although Yang Jian agreed with Wu Wangchun’s point, he decided to go ashore and would no longer concern himself with matters of the underworld.
“Once you’re in the jianghu, you can’t control yourself. Your desire to retire is good, but it’s not that easy. This society isn’t like that. Just because you want to be a law-abiding businessman doesn’t mean others won’t provoke you. The business world is also full of deception. Isn’t that another form of jianghu? Think about it carefully. I’m leaving.”
Wu Wangchun said earnestly, then got up and left.
Yang Jian sat alone in the office for more than ten minutes, reflecting on his words, then dialed Biao Biao’s number.
“Biao Biao, I might not be able to come tomorrow. Baoguo has been arrested, and I need to take my grandmother to identify him. You and Ah Feng discuss whether to withdraw tomorrow night or the day after. I’ll call Li Jin to explain.”
Tomorrow is the ninth, the last day of casino operations, and everyone needs to withdraw.
“Brother Jian, Baoguo was arrested? Because of the ransacking of your house?”
“Yes, I found witnesses from that day. The police just arrested him.”
“That’s great! This case has been pending for so long, and there’s finally some progress.”
“It’s not that great. I think this is too lenient for Baoguo. Because this case isn’t serious, and with Hong Xing’s connections, he might be released in a few days.”
During his time in the detention center, Yang Jian had studied law daily and had a basic understanding of how cases were handled. For cases like this, where there were no casualties or significant property damage, most were handled through mediation by the police. The perpetrators would at most pay a fine and be detained for a dozen days or so.
“Brother Jian, it’s okay. As long as it’s confirmed he did it, we’ll deal with him after he gets out.”
Biao Biao knew that Yang Jian had never forgiven himself for his grandfather’s death and wouldn’t easily let Baoguo go.