Song Yuzhang: Chapter 53 - Pull in the Net
Chapter 53: Pull in the Net
What does a bank need the most? — Money.
The Nie and Meng families had money, but it was almost impossible to shake them or change their decades-old loyalties in a short time, let alone get them to cooperate with the Song family bank.
So why hang yourself on just one… no, two trees?
Wasn't there still a vault in Haizhou?
Perhaps the Song family had never considered it. Perhaps Shen Chengduo was a tough character. Or perhaps it was because the Shen family already ran a private lending business, overlapping and conflicting with the Song family's interests—thus cooperation had always been out of the question.
But for Song Yuzhang, none of this was a problem.
“Me and the Nie family?” Song Yuzhang said as he rolled up a painting. “My second brother is engaged to Sister Qingyun, so I’ve had some dealings with their family.”
The more casually he spoke, the more suspiciously curious Shen Chengduo became. Half-jokingly, he said, “A few dealings and they send you such a valuable painting? Brother Song, introduce me, will you? I’d like to have some dealings with them too.”
Song Yuzhang glanced at him and gave a faint smile. “Let’s just go watch the opera. Didn’t they say a new Xiao Fengxian just arrived at White Tower?”
Shen Chengduo wasn’t in the mood to watch any opera, but Song Yuzhang was tight-lipped, firmly refusing to say anything related to the Nie family. As the two sat upstairs watching the performance, Song Yuzhang appeared fully engrossed, while Shen Chengduo tried to question him from all angles, nonstop. Eventually, as if annoyed, Song Yuzhang turned, put a finger to his lips, and gently said, “We’ll talk after the show.”
Shen Chengduo chuckled bitterly, “This Xiao Fengxian doesn’t sing so well—sounds more like he’s in heat.”
After the opera ended and the curtain fell, Song Yuzhang finally let something slip.
Song Yekang’s engagement to Nie Qingyun didn’t mean much. It was only because of the old Master Song that the Nie family held the Song family in higher regard than usual.
“Before Father fell seriously ill, there was already some friendship with the Nie family. Who would’ve expected…” Song Yuzhang didn’t finish. “After I returned, Father arranged for me to join the bank. He wanted me to work properly and fulfill his wishes.”
To Shen Chengduo, what Song Yuzhang had said felt both like a lot and like nothing at all. Though Shen Chengduo’s conduct was rough, he was no fool—he wouldn’t have climbed his way from the bottom of the criminal world to the top if he didn’t have a scheming mind.
With some careful thought, Shen Chengduo understood the implications in Song Yuzhang’s words. But he wasn’t fully convinced. He was a Haizhou native—he knew the local power dynamics well. The Nie family joining hands with the Song family? That seemed unlikely. He wasn’t thinking in terms of strategic alliances; he simply felt the Song family wasn’t worthy.
To speak honestly, he didn’t even think the Song bank could beat his underground moneylending business.
So he took Song Yuzhang’s words with a grain of salt. He trusted the person, but he figured maybe Song Yuzhang had been fooled by the old man Song.
Shen Chengduo just said “Oh” and added, “Well, you really should work hard then.”
The two parted ways after the opera. Shen Chengduo left Song Yuzhang, but his mind kept going back and forth—first thinking it couldn’t be true, then wondering if maybe it was possible.
After all, that painting was incredibly valuable. Even if the Nie family had money, they wouldn’t just give such a gift to Song Yuzhang for no reason. Otherwise, why not give one to him?
Back at the Song residence, Song Yuzhang ran into Song Mingzhao waiting for him at the stairs.
With a cheerful smile, Song Mingzhao asked, “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere,” Song Yuzhang replied with his usual dismissive tone. “Just out for a bit of fun.”
Still smiling, Song Mingzhao said, “Oh really?”
As they walked upstairs, Song Yuzhang lifted the long box in his hand and said, “I got a new painting. A masterpiece. Want to take a look?”
Walking beside him, Song Mingzhao asked, “A gift from someone?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Well, that person’s certainly generous…”
“Isn’t that right? I didn’t expect it either—we’re not even that close. Didn’t think they’d be so generous.”
Song Mingzhao let out a long laugh. “Xiao Yu, you’re just likable.”
Song Yuzhang glanced sideways at him with a smile and casually slung an arm around Song Mingzhao’s shoulder. “Fourth Brother, that sounded a bit jealous.”
Song Mingzhao often made sour remarks, and Song Yuzhang had always let them slide. But today, he said it outright, and it seemed to sting. Song Mingzhao felt almost embarrassed and thought: Yeah, Shen Chengduo may be crude, but he runs dance halls and gambling dens—he knows how to have fun. Compared to me, he really knows how to live.
A storm of frustration raged inside Song Mingzhao, while Song Yuzhang acted like nothing was wrong, yawning and saying he was tired and wanted to rest. Song Mingzhao clung to him, “Let’s sleep together tonight.”
Song Yuzhang refused. “Not tonight, I’m tired.”
Song Mingzhao thought bitterly: Tired or not, it wouldn’t stop us from sleeping together. He just doesn’t want to. He’s unwilling.
Still smiling faintly, Song Mingzhao let go and said calmly, “Then sleep by yourself. Rest well tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Song Yuzhang closed the door. Song Mingzhao remained standing outside, unmoving, his heart full of storms. He hated that bastard Shen Chengduo to death!
Xiao Yu is such a good person, and yet he’s being corrupted by that thug!
That scumbag!
Though he had now offended his petty Fourth Brother, Song Yuzhang remained perfectly composed. Before heading out, he quietly pulled the driver aside and asked: “Did you do as I instructed?”
“Yes, sir. I said exactly as you told me to. Didn’t mention the Nie family—just said you went out with Boss Shen.”
“Alright.”
Song Yuzhang leisurely got into the car, drumming his fingers rhythmically on his knee. Just as the vehicle pulled out, another car approached the gate opposite. Song Yuzhang quickly called for the driver to stop.
Meng Sushan had returned.
Both car windows rolled down, and Song Yuzhang greeted her, “Sister-in-law, you're finally back. Has Brother Meng recovered?”
“He has,” Meng Sushan replied gently with a smile. “Thank you for your concern, Fifth Brother. Are you heading out?”
“Yes, I’ve got something to take care of.”
Meng Sushan nodded. Once the window rolled back up, a faint look of worry crossed her face again.
Meng Tingjing truly was fine. After sorting out the machinery at the textile factory, he returned home, washed up thoroughly, then asked for food to be brought up and dined with Meng Sushan. Seeing his hearty appetite, she felt reassured. Afterward, he summoned the family doctor for a checkup. In front of Meng Sushan, the doctor declared him perfectly well—just fatigued and needing rest. Meng Tingjing then insisted that the doctor examine Meng Sushan too. After making arrangements for her, he went off to sleep.
The next day, the two of them visited Old Master Meng. One of his young concubines was throwing a tantrum, and Meng Sushan grew anxious, fearing Meng Tingjing would blow up—as he usually loathed such scenes. But instead of losing his temper, he calmly led her away.
Meng Tingjing was so composed and serene that it unsettled Meng Sushan. She tentatively suggested introducing a young lady to him, and surprisingly, he didn’t flare up like before. “I’m very busy these days. Let’s talk about it once I have more time,” he said.
And so, Meng Sushan returned.
There truly was nothing left for her to worry about with Meng Tingjing.
But that very lack of worry made her afraid.
It felt like the calm before a storm. She feared that Meng Tingjing might be about to stir up something big.
Song Yuzhang went to the bank first. After sitting in on the English class, he called the foreign language teacher aside and corrected a few of his pronunciations. The teacher immediately looked embarrassed. “Mr. Song, no wonder you’re an Oxford man. Your pronunciation is impeccable.”
Song Yuzhang responded modestly, but silently resolved to replace the teacher soon—at the very least with someone as competent as the one in Nie Bonian’s household.
As night fell, Song Yuzhang headed to Vienna (a nightclub), where he joined Shen Chengduo to smoke and gamble. Shen Chengduo kept probing for information about the Nie family. Song Yuzhang refused to say a word. When Shen Chengduo pressed too much, Song Yuzhang flicked a chip at him and said, “Buying a quarter hour of silence from you.”
Shen Chengduo laughed heartily, catching the chip and tossing it in the air. “No need to be so polite between brothers!”
They were joking around when a commotion suddenly erupted outside. Shen Chengduo ignored it at first—troublemakers were common in a first-rate dance hall like this, and there were plenty of guards downstairs. But the ruckus was coming closer, from downstairs to up.
Annoyed, Shen Chengduo stood up and tossed down his cards. He emerged from behind the screen, shouting, “What’s all the noise?!” He had barely taken a few steps when a group of men in black uniforms came up the stairs—armed with batons at their waists.
They were officers from the police station!
Shen Chengduo was arrested—along with everyone in the gambling den.
Many of the gamblers upstairs were well-known figures, but that didn’t matter. Everyone was taken. Anyone who protested was beaten with clubs. If they still didn’t comply, guns were pointed at their heads.
These men were savvy enough to recognize the ruthless type now in charge of the police station. They knew better than to resist, so they quieted down and went along. As the owner of the gambling den, Shen Chengduo didn’t resist either. But as he passed the officers, he stopped forcefully and demanded, “What’s the meaning of this?”
The officer in charge didn’t even look at him, just sneered and said, “You’ll find out at the police station.” Then, with an impatient toss of his head, he barked, “Take them!”
Shen Chengduo was also dragged downstairs, his face burning red. He realized he was being humiliated again.
And once again, the humiliation came without explanation—like being struck by a giant hand from the sky. More than pain, what he felt was confusion.
He was shoved into a car. Soon after, someone else was pushed in beside him. Shen Chengduo glanced over—and his mind buzzed.
He had been so shocked and panicked earlier that he had forgotten about Song Yuzhang!
“Brother Shen,” said Song Yuzhang, his face pale but his composure intact. He spoke in a low voice, “What’s going on?”
Shen Chengduo had no idea either.
He lowered his voice to reassure him. “Don’t worry. I’ve always kept good relations with the police station. I don’t know what happened today, but we’ll sort it out. Don’t worry—they’ll let us out soon.”
But once they arrived, Shen Chengduo began to sense that this wasn’t going to be easily resolved. He tried asking around to find out what charges had been brought against him, but the officers ignored him entirely. They were deliberately keeping him in the dark while holding everyone in custody.
Shen Chengduo and Song Yuzhang were detained together with the rest. The other detainees were full of complaints—against the police station, and against Shen Chengduo. Shen Chengduo had nothing to say. Song Yuzhang remained silent but gently patted his shoulder, his gaze warm and reassuring.
In that hostile, isolating environment, Shen Chengduo felt almost grateful for Song Yuzhang’s quiet support. At the same time, he seethed internally, vowing that if he ever found out who had set him up like this, he would make them pay with their life.
After about half an hour, a few people were bailed out by relatives who came with money. Once one person was released, the rest followed suit in a steady stream.
Shen Chengduo stood off to the side, brows furrowed tightly.
He had few friends or family. Most of his trusted men had been arrested with him. The rest were either useless or would be scared off by this incident. And if this attack was directed at him, they clearly weren’t going to let him off easily.
“Brother Song, I’m really sorry…”
“Don't worry about it,” Song Yuzhang said breezily. “This matter has nothing to do with you.”
Shen Chengduo lowered his head slightly. “It happened at my place. I should take the blame.”
Song Yuzhang gave a faint smile. “This kind of business is always harder than regular trades. All they're trying to do is squeeze you a little. Just bear with it this time—grease the wheels a bit more in the future, and it'll be fine.”
His calm words of consolation only stoked the fire in Shen Chengduo’s chest.
Damn it! They were all doing business—so why did he have to keep his head down like some rat scurrying across the street? No matter how much money he made, people still looked down on him, dragging him into the police station to extort him!
F***!
Before long, someone came to bail out Song Yuzhang.
It was Liu Chuanzong.
Song Yuzhang didn’t leave immediately. He said to Liu Chuanzong, “Go in and tell them I want to take Boss Shen with me. If they refuse, go straight to the Nie family and pass on the message.”
“Understood.”
Liu Chuanzong accepted the instruction and left respectfully.
Shen Chengduo clearly heard this exchange and looked at Song Yuzhang with a hint of surprise. Song Yuzhang remained composed and returned his gaze with a calm smile. “Don’t worry, Brother Shen. We do have some connections with the government.”
It was obvious that the kind of connections Song Yuzhang had were on a completely different level from the people Shen Chengduo had greased. Shen Chengduo knew it too. Shame and fury welled up inside him—he wanted nothing more than to drag out whoever was behind this and slap them a hundred times across the face! Or better yet, establish his own ties with the Nie family to bolster his own standing!
Liu Chuanzong soon returned with good news: the police station agreed to release them.
Shen Chengduo let out a sigh of relief. Song Yuzhang patted him on the shoulder. Their eyes met, and Shen Chengduo showed a rare glimmer of solidarity. "Good brother."
Song Yuzhang asked Liu Chuanzong to escort Shen Chengduo home. On the way, Shen Chengduo kept gripping Song Yuzhang’s hand, saying in a low voice, “Brother Song, let’s meet again tomorrow—but not at my place. I’ll come and find you at the bank. Will that work for you?”
“Sure,” Song Yuzhang lowered his voice too. “Things are complicated at home. If you're coming over, let me know in advance. I’ll have Liu Chuanzong bring you in.”
“Alright, no problem.”
After seeing Shen Chengduo off, Song Yuzhang told Liu Chuanzong to drive back to the Song residence.
“How did things get so out of hand?” Song Yuzhang frowned, shaking his head. “Good thing you were sharp enough to remember. Otherwise, I’d have spent the night in a holding cell.”
Liu Chuanzong said, “Fifth Young Master, it’s late already. Will you skip tonight’s show at White Tower, or just attend tomorrow’s matinee?”
“Make it tomorrow’s matinee. No more late shows.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once home, Song Yuzhang went straight to Song Mingzhao’s room. As he pushed the door open, he ran into Song Mingzhao, who was just about to head out. The moment he saw him, Song Yuzhang grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back inside, pressing him against the wall.
“Fourth Brother,” Song Yuzhang’s breath was hot with anger, “Was it you?!”
Guilt surged in Song Mingzhao’s chest—he immediately looked flustered. He tried to act confused. “What are you talking about? It’s late—what are you doing?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!”
Song Yuzhang’s eyes bore into him. “I just got dragged into the police station. Don’t tell me you didn’t know!”
“I-I’ve been home all night. How would I know? Don’t you falsely accuse me!”
“How could so many officers show up out of nowhere at Shen Chengduo’s place? You’re the one who’s close with the officials in Haizhou. If it wasn’t you, who else could’ve pulled the strings? You’re not going to tell me the truth, are you?”
Song Yuzhang looked disappointed. “Fourth Brother, I at least thought I could still trust you in this family.”
He turned to leave. That’s when Song Mingzhao panicked for real and quickly grabbed him. “Xiao Yu, listen to me! Shen Chengduo is no good—he’s a total scoundrel! He’s one of the worst in all of Haizhou. I just wanted to teach him a lesson…” His Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice softened. “And maybe give you a warning too…” Seeing the shock on Song Yuzhang’s face, he quickly added, “I didn’t mean anything bad. Look—I was already dressed and ready to go bail you out!”
Song Yuzhang slapped him across the face. It stung, but before the pain even registered, Song Yuzhang had turned around and pulled him into an embrace.
“Foolish Fourth Brother! Aren’t you afraid Shen Chengduo will find out and come after you for revenge?!”
Hearing the concern in his voice, Song Mingzhao’s heart warmed. “Don’t worry. There’s no way he’ll trace it back to me. I covered my tracks.”
Song Yuzhang studied his face with concern. “Really?”
Song Mingzhao was touched by his worry and nodded firmly. “Really!”
Song Yuzhang let out a sigh and hugged him again. “Silly Fourth Brother, if you have something to say, just tell me. Why throw a tantrum like this?”
“Well, you’ve been ignoring me lately…” Song Mingzhao grumbled, aggrieved.
“I wasn’t ignoring you. I’ve genuinely been busy. Shen Chengduo has a lot of liquid capital—I’ve been trying to convince him to work with our bank. That’s why I’ve been so preoccupied. And I didn’t bring it up at home because who knows who might overhear…”
Realization dawned on Song Mingzhao, followed by panic. “Xiao Yu, did I mess things up?!”
Song Yuzhang gently ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s alright. Just make sure you don’t reveal anything.”
“Okay! Ugh, why didn’t you tell me sooner…” Song Mingzhao groaned. “Not that I’m blaming you—well, I guess I didn’t trust you. It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…”
Riddled with guilt, Song Mingzhao wanted to throw himself at Song Yuzhang’s feet in repentance. Song Yuzhang, ever the gentle comforter, soothed him with kind words. The more reassured Song Mingzhao felt, the more ashamed he became, and the more wholeheartedly devoted he was to Song Yuzhang—swearing to never act out again and always follow his lead.
After coaxing him into the bathroom to wash up, and once Song Mingzhao was inside, all the urgency and tension vanished from Song Yuzhang’s face. He calmly looked around the room, relaxed. Picking up a bottle of cologne from the desk, he opened it and took a sniff.
The scent was pleasant.
He let himself enjoy it.
Moments like this—when a meticulous, flawless plan came to fruition—were indeed worth savoring.
A faint smile played at Song Yuzhang’s lips. He wanted to laugh out loud, but now wasn’t the right time. So he held it in, the amusement sparkling in his eyes, turning them into shining blades.
“Xiao Yu, I forgot to grab clean clothes—” came Song Mingzhao’s voice from the bathroom.
Song Yuzhang put down the bottle, his expression easy and bright. He called back lazily, “Coming.”
----------
If you like my translation, please support me by buying me a coffee:
0 comments: