"I'm sorry, Brother Jian," Lu Yao quickly apologized after speaking. "I didn't mean to belittle you. You're different from Wu Laizi and the others. They're thugs, but you're a good person who acts with righteousness."
Yang Jian shook his head and smiled. "Alright, don't put me on a pedestal. I'm really not a good person. Fighting, gambling in casinos—in your educated eyes, I'm just a thug."
"No, no, my brother used to say that you only fight when others bully you to the point where you have no choice. That's why you're not like them."
Lu Yao tried desperately to explain, afraid Yang Jian would misunderstand. She truly needed his protection. Ever since her brother got into trouble, she had endured too much insult and bullying, and she hadn't dared to tell her parents for fear of worrying them.
Only now did she understand that the law couldn't protect all the weak in this society. Those wicked people needed even more wicked people to deal with them.
"It's okay, Yaoyao. No matter what kind of person you think I am, I won't mind. I'll also protect you and your parents. After all, I bear some responsibility for your brother's situation."
"Thank you, Brother Jian."
Lu Yao finally smiled. Yang Jian wasn't exactly a good person in her eyes, but he did have a sense of justice. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stepped in to help her out that morning. With his connection to her father and brother, he would surely help her escape the harassment of those thugs in the future.
Yang Jian also knew the real reason Lu Yao had invited him to dinner today—she wanted his protection. This girl was not only beautiful but also quite sharp.
As the dishes were served, they ate and chatted. Lu Yao mainly asked about Yang Jian's previous fights and the truth about Lu Feng's murder.
Lu Yao had no classes that afternoon, so their meal lasted an hour.
As it neared two o'clock, Yang Jian planned to buy some new clothes for the New Year and then head home.
Just as he stood up, Yu Feng called.
"Yang Jian, are you still in Chengguan?"
"Yes, I just finished lunch at Pinwei Shiguang."
"That's perfect. I just returned from Hancheng and am near Pinwei Shiguang. Wait for me for a few minutes, and we can talk when we meet."
After hanging up, Yang Jian checked the time and found it hard to believe Yu Feng had returned from Hancheng.
"Brother Jian, what's wrong? Aren't you going to buy clothes? I can help you pick them out?"
Lu Yao saw Yang Jian sit back down and looked at him curiously.
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Yaoyao, I'm going to meet a woman named Yu Feng shortly. She's the mastermind behind your brother's killing. She also owes your brother a million yuan. I'm meeting her today to collect the money. Do you want to come along and listen?"
Lu Yao's eyes widened as she stared at him. "My brother killed someone for a woman?"
"Yes, this woman promised him two million yuan, but only gave him one million after the job was done. I've arranged to meet her to get the remaining million for your brother."
"Hiring a killer? Two million?"
"Keep your voice down, this is a public place."
"I want to stay. This woman is too wicked. I want to ask her why she harmed my brother."
"If you have that in mind, then you should leave now. We're not here to argue, but to negotiate on your brother's behalf. If you cause a scene, we won't be able to talk."
Lu Yao glared at him indignantly. "Fine, I won't say anything. I just want to see what this woman looks like."
As they spoke, Yu Feng arrived, wearing a white coat, looking as charming and elegant as ever.
"Oh, are you two on a date? Little Yang, shall we talk another day?"
Yu Feng approached their booth and noticed a woman sitting opposite Yang Jian, but the woman was looking out the window.
Yang Jian nodded at her. "Sister Feng, it's fine. Let's talk today. You're busy, and so am I. Yaoyao, come over here."
Lu Yao turned and glanced at Yu Feng, then got up and sat next to Yang Jian.
Yu Feng was instantly stunned. "Wow, Little Yang, your girlfriend is so beautiful! This is the first time I've seen such a beautiful girl in real life. Is she a celebrity?"
"Sister Feng, this is Lu Feng's sister, Lu Yao. Is it okay for her to listen to our conversation?"
"Lu Feng's sister? Alright, we can all talk, but we'll need to move to a private room."
Yu Feng beckoned a waiter and gave some instructions. The three of them were then led to a quiet private room and served a pot of Tieguanyin tea.
"Little Yang, how is the engineering project coming along?"
As soon as the waiter left, Yu Feng inquired.
Yang Jian shook his head. "Sister Feng, let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. Are you going to give me that million yuan or not?"
"Yang Jian, why have we become so distant? I don't think I've offended you anywhere. You've even helped me a few times when it mattered."
"Sister Feng, it's precisely because you've helped me that I stopped Lu Feng from coming to you himself. It's precisely because you've helped me that I told him not to implicate you when he surrendered."
Yu Feng was greatly surprised. "You mean Lu Feng has already returned to Chengguan? And he's going to surrender?"
"You don't need to worry about that. I know everything about the deal between you and Lu Feng. You gave him a total of one million yuan. Twenty thousand yuan was given more than twenty days before the incident, and the remaining eighty thousand yuan was given by your driver on the day of the incident, all in cash. Your driver also took the five of them to the long-distance bus station in Tieshan Town. Am I correct?"
As soon as Yang Jian finished speaking, Yu Feng's face turned instantly pale. Despite her careful planning, her driver delivering the money was a huge loophole.
"Sister Feng, I asked you here to settle a debt of gratitude. As long as you provide the remaining million yuan, I will persuade Lu Feng not to expose you."
Before Yang Jian could finish speaking, Lu Yao immediately protested, "No! She's the real mastermind. My brother was incited by her. She should be brought to justice."
"Yaoyao, if you interfere with our conversation again, I'm washing my hands of this."
Yang Jian glared at her with a frown. Lu Yao immediately shut her mouth.
Yu Feng took a sip of tea to calm herself. "Yang Jian, thank you for helping me. I'll arrange for the money to be transferred as soon as possible. Who should I transfer it to?"
"As soon as possible? You can't even come up with a million yuan?"
"Yang Jian, to be honest, I'm in a difficult situation right now. My father has lost a lot of money gambling, and I need to pay for tens of millions in materials and wages before the New Year. I've been trying to get bank loans these past few days. Also, fifty thousand of this million yuan was supposed to come from Hu Zhenghua. The previous million was given by Zhou Tao."
"Hu Zhenghua isn't planning to pay?"
"He's completely ignoring me now, relying on Baoguo's influence. I have to cover this money myself."
"Baoguo? Is that Cat Brother's disciple? Has he returned to Chengguan?"
"Yes, he's Cat Brother's disciple. He went south in the first half of the year and got involved with Hong Xing. He's been back recently and is acting very arrogantly. Not only has he interfered with engineering projects, but he's also opened the largest casino in Chengguan. That's why Cat Brother and Hu Zhenghua aren't planning to pay that fifty thousand yuan. I've asked them twice, but they keep making excuses."
Yu Feng seemed somewhat helpless. That money was not legitimate, and Hu Zhenghua's refusal to pay left her with no recourse.