Mysterious Family （2）

"From the moment I crossed paths with Liu Kesheng, I never imagined that I would end up with such a deep conflict with Yang Shuguang," I thought to myself, reflecting on how everything had unfolded. The enmity with Yang Shuguang seemed to have started long ago, with his son Yang Kaiyuan getting involved, and now, here I was, entangled in all this trouble.

This was definitely a conflict that would be hard to resolve.

Even though Jiang Yongfu had already warned me about the Liu family's power, I was still stunned when I saw the details in the documents. The Liu family's influence was beyond imagination. At least 10% of the key enterprises in the country had shares tied to the Liu family! What was even more shocking was that Liu Zhenhai, despite his age, still maintained a private army and had a large cache of weapons.

Because Liu Zhenhai had once been a notorious warlord in Songjiang, he had a vast network of connections, and he kept a low profile, making it difficult for anyone to gather evidence against him. Despite this, many influential figures in the area had vouched for him, making it even harder to take action against him.

With my current capabilities, I knew I was no match for the Liu family. Even with Zhao Limin backing me, the Liu family seemed almost untouchable. The situation was beginning to feel like I was up against a large, hidden criminal syndicate. I could only imagine that if Liu Zhenhai really wanted me gone, he could easily find scapegoats to take the fall for him, and he wouldn't even have to spend a day in jail. As Jiang Yongfu had suggested, the only option left might be to find a way to negotiate with them when the time was right.

At the same time, I received Yang Shuguang's phone number. Since he hadn't called me, I decided to call him directly.

"Hello, is this Yang Shuguang? This is Liu Lei," I said coldly.

"Hmph! I've been waiting for your call. I thought you were scared," Yang Shuguang sneered.

"Yang Shuguang, so it was you behind this! What do you want?" I demanded loudly.

"What do I want? You've turned my son into a cripple, and now you have the nerve to ask me what I want?" Yang Shuguang shouted angrily.

"Stop talking nonsense. How is Chen Wei'er?!" I impatiently asked.

"Don't worry! She's fine for now, but I can't guarantee she'll be fine tomorrow!" Yang Shuguang replied.

"Let her go, and tell me your terms," I said, cutting straight to the point.

"Of course I'll let her go, but not right now. If I let her go now, how would I have leverage over you? Tomorrow morning, you and Guo Qing need to wait at the gate of the Fourth High School. A van will be waiting for you there. Remember, only the two of you are to go. And don't waste your time thinking about calling the police. I used to be in this business, and if I dare to do this, I'm not afraid of anything!" Yang Shuguang said before abruptly hanging up.

I had no complaints about going myself since I was the cause of all this, but Guo Qing had been dragged into it through no fault of his own. He had nothing to do with this matter, and now Yang Shuguang had made him a target for revenge.

Reluctantly, I found Guo Qing and explained the situation to him.

"Boss, what's the big deal about meeting Yang Shuguang? It's no big deal," Guo Qing said nonchalantly after hearing my explanation.

"Guo, no matter what, you've been dragged into this because of me..." I said apologetically.

"Boss, you're my brother, for life. Don't say that, your business is my business," Guo Qing said resolutely.

"Alright, good brother! But you should be prepared, we'll probably get a beating," I nodded, appreciative of his loyalty.

"Sh*t, it's just a beating. What's the big deal? If they're tough, they can kill me," Guo Qing said dismissively.

The next morning, Guo Qing and I met at the gate of the Fourth High School as agreed. Shortly after, a white Jinbei van pulled up in front of us.

"Liu Lei?" The driver opened the door, and a man wearing a black suit and sunglasses asked.

"That's me," I replied.

"Get in," the man in sunglasses said and pulled his head back inside.

Guo Qing and I climbed into the van, noticing that there were only the man in sunglasses and the driver inside. Yang Shuguang must have known that, with the hostage still in his hands, there was little we could do. Two men in the car would be enough.

The driver didn't make any attempts to avoid us, and the van made several turns before arriving at a secluded area on the outskirts of the city. It stopped at a large estate, and after the driver showed a badge, we were allowed through the gate.

"Get out," the man in sunglasses ordered as he opened the van door.

Guo Qing and I followed him into the estate, and as we entered, I noticed several men who looked like bodyguards, all wearing earpieces and carrying submachine guns. Could this be the estate of Liu Zhenhai, the warlord?

We were led through a narrow corridor before reaching the second floor of a small building. There, we stopped in front of a door.

"The person you're here to see is inside. Go on in," the man in sunglasses gestured with his right hand, motioning us forward.

Without hesitation, Guo Qing and I pushed open the door and strode confidently into the room.

To my surprise, Yang Shuguang wasn't there. Instead, sitting in the center of the room in a grand armchair was an elderly man with an imposing presence. Behind him stood six strong, young men.

"Are you Liu Zhenhai?" I asked coldly, fixing my gaze on the man who had once ruled the region like a warlord, yet I felt no fear.

"Indeed. You're not completely stupid, kid. You figured out who I am," Liu Zhenhai said, his complexion flush with health.

"Where's Chen Wei'er?" I asked, my main concern being her safety—everything else could wait.

"Have Liu's assistant bring the girl in," Liu Zhenhai said, still using the old-fashioned title for his servant.

A young man standing behind Liu Zhenhai, wearing an earpiece, nodded and spoke, "Liu's assistant, the master has ordered the girl to be brought in."

About fifteen minutes later, the door opened, and a man with a pockmarked face stepped inside, followed by none other than Chen Wei'er, the girl I'd been desperately worrying about.

"Wei'er, are you okay?" I rushed over to her.

"Liu Lei?!" Chen Wei'er's expression, which had been cold and composed, melted into surprise as she saw me. Without thinking, she threw herself into my arms, overwhelmed with emotion. Her tears began to flow uncontrollably, releasing all the pent-up frustration and sadness she had been holding in.

"It's okay, Wei'er, you're safe now. I'll get you out of here!" I gently patted the back of her head, reassuring her.

"Mm," she nodded firmly, her belief unwavering. From the moment she was captured yesterday, she had thought of the person who had saved her time and time again, and she knew, deep down, that he would come for her—just as he always had. And now, he had finally arrived.

"Alright, now it's time for you to tell me your terms," I said, feeling relieved now that Wei'er was safe. I turned to face Liu Zhenhai.