Chapter 360: I Beat You, Zhou Ming

Tao Guoling wanted revenge against Zhou Ming, but he knew he couldn't manage it alone. Even with all his money, he couldn't do it, or else he wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation back when he was still a privileged child. Tao Guoling was well aware of this, which is why he had spent his time drowning his sorrows at the South River Nightclub, waiting for an opportunity to get back at Zhou Ming. If he had truly resigned himself to his fate, he wouldn't have teamed up with Tan Qianjun and Jiang Chunhua, despite their somewhat pretentious collaboration, to exact revenge.

Zhou Ming not only took over millions of Tan Qianjun's funds in the stock market but also exposed the massive fundraising scam in Jiangnan, bringing down a major swindler and indirectly causing the downfall of Dai Jinshan due to a fabricated counter-revolutionary incident in Jin Ning. These blows didn't only impact Tan Qianjun personally but also severely affected the entire Tan family, leading them to harbor deep-seated hatred towards Zhou Ming. As a result, Tan Qianjun was easily able to mobilize the entire Tan family's resources to track Zhou Ming across Nanjiang and Lingyang, forcing Zhou Ming to consider fleeing the country to avoid further trouble.

Because of these circumstances, Tao Guoling found himself on the Tan family's ship, seeking to leverage their power for his revenge against Zhou Ming. However, this was merely Tao Guoling's personal wishful thinking. In reality, while Tan Qianjun sought to exact revenge on Zhou Ming, he had no intention of helping Tao Guoling. Tan Qianjun's real goal was to obtain the money Tao Guoling had stashed abroad. This was why Tan Qianjun and Jiang Chunhua had repeatedly advised him to give up.

Tao Guoling sought revenge but wasn't completely irrational. He was wary of Tan Qianjun's manipulative nature, and despite Tan Qianjun's anger, Tao Guoling refused to surrender, leading to escalating tensions between them. Eventually, this situation erupted like a long-simmering volcano.

This situation was heavily influenced by Zhou Ming. Previously, Tan Qianjun had an absolute advantage over Zhou Ming. Even though he coveted the huge sum of money Tao Guoling had abroad, he wouldn't stoop to openly robbing him, maintaining his status as a top figure in Beijing. However, once the incident with Chen Xu and Zhou Ming's public exposure of it occurred, Tan Qianjun's previously advantageous position became precarious.

This sudden shift left Tan Qianjun restless. He understood that if the Tan family fell, he would be nothing. Realizing this, he needed to accumulate enough resources before the family's collapse so he could either restart in Lingnan or abroad.

On the day Zhou Ming reported Chen Xu, Tan Qianjun struck at Tao Guoling.

"Back then, our top figure from Beijing sent over a hundred men armed with guns to besiege me from all sides, truly intending to kill me! But Tan Ge (Brother Tan) probably never imagined that I escaped with just one leg lost," Tao Guoling said.

Even as an adversary, Zhou Ming couldn't help but admire Tao Guoling's resilience. Escaping from over a hundred men is no easy feat, let alone with so many people and Tan Qianjun's arrangements.

Despite this, Tao Guoling managed to escape, losing only one leg in the process—a miracle in itself.

"So you were hiding here to avoid being found by Tan Qianjun?" Zhou Ming asked.

Tao Guoling nodded. "Yes, the population here is large and diverse, and even the local police can't figure out how many people are here. It's the safest place for me."

"Indeed," Zhou Ming said with a sigh, "I didn't expect you to have so many stories after my departure from Nanjiang. So you decided to call me for help in the end?"

Tao Guoling nodded. "Yes, and I've been following the situation in Beijing. I knew that during the press conference the day before yesterday, a reporter from Fujian-Taiwan exposed that Tan Li (Tan Qianjun) had his secretary Wang Jian assassinate Chen Xu. I knew it was your doing, Zhou Ming. Considering the flights from Beijing, I knew you would call me."

"Looks like the reason my previous calls didn't get through was because of this."

Zhou Ming commented, not inquiring about what would have happened if he hadn't called, as there were many possible scenarios. It was just that Zhou Ming found it challenging to fathom the thoughts of someone as unhinged as Tao Guoling.

"So you contacted me to hand over your money and have me deal with Tan Qianjun?" Zhou Ming asked.

Tao Guoling nodded. Zhou Ming then asked, "Why do you think I'd help you?"

"Because I still have thirty million," Tao Guoling said, holding up three fingers. "And I'm not asking you to do this for me. I know there's no middle ground in your conflict with Tan Qianjun—it's either you win or he does. I'm giving you this money so you can live better in the future. As long as you're well, Tan Qianjun will be miserable, and that makes me happy."

Even with his extensive life experiences, Zhou Ming couldn't comprehend Tao Guoling's logic or the meaning behind the money he was offering.

Moreover, Zhou Ming didn't expect Tao Guoling to still have thirty million. When Zhou Ming exposed the military smuggling, the Tao family had already undergone one round of plundering. Later, Tan Qianjun's schemes also involved taking money from Tao Guoling. Given Tan Qianjun's caution and planning, even if Tao Guoling had escaped, he would have likely lost a significant amount of money.

After such substantial losses, Tao Guoling still managed to have thirty million—how he managed to retain such an amount during this period of rampant smuggling was anyone's guess.

"You're not afraid that I might do the same as Tan Qianjun and just take your money? Thirty million isn't a small amount. I worked an entire year and still didn't make this much," Zhou Ming said.

"If it were someone else, I'd be worried. But I know you, Zhou Ming. You're a person with a big heart, and thirty million isn't a big deal for you," Tao Guoling said.

Zhou Ming shrugged helplessly. "Being evaluated by you as an enemy, I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad."

Tao Guoling seemed to ignore Zhou Ming's sarcasm, suddenly moving to kneel before him. He kowtowed three times, and then, prostrating, said, "Zhou Ming, please help me. I only want Tan Qianjun to meet a miserable end. As long as he's out there enjoying himself, I wish I could kill him myself!"

After saying this, Tao Guoling raised his head, revealing a bloodied forehead mixed with tears. His clenched fists were reddened, and the bandaged hand seemed to have worsened, oozing with some unknown substance. Despite his physical condition, his gaze was resolute.

Zhou Ming pondered for a moment and then extended his hand. "Give me the thirty million. My answer isn't important. You know well about my grudge with Tan Qianjun."

Tao Guoling then smiled, though his smile was far more terrifying than his tears. He thanked Zhou Ming, then pointed to a box on the nearby table. "The information you need is in that box—bank account details and passwords. I've prepared everything."

Zhou Ming nodded seriously. "I see. So you've anticipated what I'll do and what decisions I'll make. It seems I've lost to you today."

"Yes, I finally won today. I've beaten you, Zhou Ming!" Tao Guoling yelled triumphantly before breaking down again, "But what does it matter if I won? I'm the one crying and kneeling at the end today, while you, Zhou Ming, have lost but are laughing until the end. What kind of logic is this!"

Tao Guoling then calmed down and said, "You know, Zhou Ming, I finally understand why my father begged you to spare me."

Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you, Zhou Ming, are destined to achieve great things. You wouldn't dwell on trivial matters. You're worthy of trust!" Tao Guoling said. "It's just a shame I didn't realize this from the start. Otherwise, I would have happily lived as a wealthy man, started a company with you, found a girl to marry, and lived a peaceful life. Instead, I sought revenge!"

Zhou Ming shook his head, uninterested in Tao Guoling's emotional outburst. He had one of the bodyguards from Zhongnanhai check the box, confirming it contained the promised information, and packed it away.

With everything packed, Zhou Ming stood up and said, "Alright, if you don't have anything else, I'll be leaving now. I'll take these items with me, whether they're genuine or not. Given your current state, there's nothing more to argue about. But as I said earlier, I won't promise you anything. As for Tan Qianjun, just read the newspapers."

"Thank you," Tao Guoling added. "Oh, and Zhou Ming, I should remind you that there's a contact detail in there that's even more important than the thirty million. It might be useful if you get the chance to go abroad."

Zhou Ming was momentarily puzzled but didn't dwell on it. He left without further thought. Later, Zhou Ming realized that Tao Guoling, despite his madness, had taken some bold risks.

Leaving Tao Guoling's room, Du Peng sighed in relief. "Finally out. That place was not fit for human habitation!"

Zhou Ming laughed. "Well, someone just gave us thirty million. Staying there for a while was worth it. But now, our top priority is to deal with Tan Qianjun!"