Song Yuzhang: Chapter 180 - To Abduct Someone
“When I took office the year before last, I invited you to attend the ceremony, and you refused—only sent a gift. So why have you suddenly come to see me today?” Li Zifeng said with a smile.
Meng Tingjing replied, “At an occasion like that, how could a mere businessman like me take the stage?”
Li Zifeng patted Meng Tingjing on the shoulder again and laughed loudly. “Your temper hasn’t changed one bit!”
The friendship between Li Zifeng and Meng Tingjing was peculiar. People say a gentleman’s friendship is as light as water. Whether the two of them were gentlemen was debatable, but their association was indeed as light as water. They rarely kept in touch. Li Zifeng actually thought that was for the best. The higher he rose, the less pure the people around him became. Though he himself was an ambitious and scheming politician, he particularly disliked others harboring ulterior motives toward him.
As for Meng Tingjing—let alone ulterior motives—he rarely even showed his face.
Such a friend was rare around Li Zifeng, and therefore precious. It also proved, to Li Zifeng himself, that he had not forgotten his original intentions and was still upright and clear-hearted.
“You wouldn’t have come to see me just because you miss me,” Li Zifeng said with a smile after several rounds of drinks. “Is there something you want to ask of me?”
Meng Tingjing set down his wineglass and said directly, “Yes. I’ve come to ask you for help.”
Though they had some friendship, Meng Tingjing did not truly rely on it. That bit of acquaintance was merely a stepping stone—its purpose fulfilled once he had secured an audience. As for how to make a request, one still had to do it properly.
Li Zifeng felt slightly uncomfortable. No matter how pure a friendship might begin, it eventually changed. Of course, that was inevitable. Such was life—no need to dwell on it. In an instant, he moved Meng Tingjing from the category of “friend” to that of those who sought his assistance. With a gentle yet proud tone, he said, “Whatever it is, just say it. We’re friends.”
Meng Tingjing had long been weighing this in his heart. He decided to take a risk. “I need a telegram.”
Haizhou appeared calm on the surface. Shen Chengduo was recuperating at home.
The wound on his neck had formed a red line—like the mark left by hanging, or like the stitch sealing his head in place. Had it been any deeper, his head might have been separated from his body.
In his youth, Shen Chengduo had been a fierce fighter, risking his life to build his fortune. But after gaining wealth, that ruthless edge had faded. He feared death; he feared losing everything he had struggled so hard to obtain.
Raising a hand, Shen Chengduo touched the scar on his neck and suddenly realized it had been a long time since he had felt so close to death.
Fu Mian—what a reckless, mad dog.
Ah, youth.
Death could be beneficial. Even brushing against it could cleanse a person’s thoughts. Shen Chengduo had long been intoxicated by his vision of controlling Haizhou. Fu Mian’s knife had woken him up.
Fu Mian was certainly not trustworthy—no one was foolish. Shen Chengduo had sent men to kill him and failed. Fu Mian would not harbor goodwill toward him. And Zhang Changshan? Zhang Changshan was even less trustworthy.
With a cigarette in one hand and a glass of liquor in the other, Shen Chengduo dismissed all the handsome young men from his side. Alone and sober, he became acutely aware of how passive his situation truly was.
He tilted his head back and drank a mouthful of icy liquor. His eyes gradually sharpened.
Yes, he had weaknesses—fear of death, greed for wealth, indulgence in grand dreams.
But did Zhang Changshan and Fu Mian not have weaknesses as well?
Zhang Changshan kept Fu Mian around—why? Because he feared Fu Mian still had Song Yuzhang in his grasp.
And why wouldn’t Fu Mian hand Song Yuzhang over? b\Shen Chengduo gave a cold laugh. Other matters he might not dare assert, but this he would venture to guess. There was no need to say more—Fu Mian had been captivated by Song Yuzhang.
Which meant that Song Yuzhang was the key figure now.
Shen Chengduo took another drink. The scar on his neck burned painfully. With a sharp thud, he set the bottle down and rose, looking out the window. A decision crystallized in his mind—He would snatch Song Yuzhang away from Fu Mian.
It was peak crab season; simply steaming them made them delicious.
Song Yuzhang ate crabs for three days straight, only stopping when the corners of his mouth grew sore.
In Haizhou, crabs were cheap. Grain, however, was expensive—rice and flour had skyrocketed in price. From that perspective, Song Yuzhang was easy to keep; crabs alone were enough to satisfy him.
That day, the weather was unusually clear. Somewhere, children were flying kites. When Song Yuzhang looked up, he saw a giant butterfly kite in the blue sky—brilliantly colored, striking against the pure azure backdrop.
He gazed at it and let out a faint breath. Haizhou’s weather was gradually turning cold again. Though sunlight filled the courtyard, there was still a chill in the air. “Bring me a cup of hot tea,” he said.
An attendant acknowledged and went to prepare it.
After sitting beside Song Yuzhang for a long time, Xiao Fengxian felt a little tired and tried to stand and stretch. Just as he lifted himself slightly, his hand was caught by Song Yuzhang.
Startled, Xiao Fengxian looked up. Song Yuzhang was lowering his eyes at him with a smile.
Behind that smile was a hint of firmness. Xiao Fengxian hesitated, then quietly sat back down.
The attendant returned with the tea. As usual, he poured a little for himself first and drank it, indicating there was no problem, then handed it to Song Yuzhang.
“Thank you,” Song Yuzhang said, releasing Xiao Fengxian’s hand. He accepted the tea, lifted the lid, and slowly blew away the rising steam.
Just then, the attendant heard a faint sound behind him.
Turning, he saw the large kite wobbling down into the courtyard.
It was sudden, and he didn’t quite know what to do. Song Yuzhang said, “Pick it up. It’s such a big kite—if it’s lost, the child will cry.”
The attendant hesitated, then replied, “Yes.”
The kite was surprisingly heavy in his hands. He had never seen one so large and exquisitely made, and he couldn’t help smiling a little. As a child, he had never played with such a fine kite.
Before long, there was a knock at the gate.
The two attendants guarding the entrance exchanged wary glances. “Who is it?”
“Did my kite fall into your yard? Could you please give it back to me?”
It was a child’s voice outside. The attendant holding the kite gestured to his companions to show it was indeed in his hands.
The gate opened halfway. The attendant stepped out with the kite. There wasn’t just one child outside, but a whole group. At the front was a sturdy-looking boy of about seven or eight. The moment he saw the kite, he exclaimed happily, “That’s my kite!”
He took it and examined it carefully. Then his lips puckered, his cheerful expression turning gloomy. “Why is one of the flowers missing?”
The other children crowded around. “It’s true! Where did the flower go?”
The kite was bright and intricate; the attendant couldn’t tell what was missing and had no intention of indulging them. He turned to go back inside. But the boy refused to let him pass, squeezing into the doorway and craning his head inside. “Did my flower fall in there?”
The two gate attendants immediately moved behind their companion. “What are you doing?”
At the commotion, other attendants in the courtyard quietly came out, alert.
“My flower! The flower on my kite! We made this kite together, and the day after tomorrow we’re taking it to school for a competition!”
The boy looked extremely anxious. He showed not the slightest fear toward the three tall, burly adult men. From the way he was dressed, it was clear his family was well-off—he had seen the world—and he treated the attendants, who were obviously dressed like servants, with marked arrogance. “Give us back our flowers!”
“You little brat. You’re lucky we picked up your kite for you. What flowers? Get lost.”
“Hey, how can you be so unreasonable? Do you know who I am?”
“Yeah! Do you know who he is? His dad works at the police station! If you don’t give our flowers back, we’ll call the uncles from the station to come help us find them!”
A group of children shouted loudly, on the verge of alarming all the neighbors around them. Among the attendants, there was someone who could take charge; with a few hand signals, they quickly divided tasks and made arrangements.
The attendants in the courtyard moved closer to Song Yuzhang. “Mr. Song, please step aside for the moment.”
Song Yuzhang closed his book and stood up, taking Xiao Fengxian’s hand.
“Mr. Song, this one—”
An attendant tried to stop Xiao Fengxian, but Song Yuzhang held on to him and said calmly, “He’ll just stay inside for a while. Once those children finish looking for their things, they’ll leave. Are you afraid I’ll do something with him?”
The children outside seemed about to rush in. The attendants had no choice but to let Song Yuzhang pull Xiao Fengxian into the house first.
The children swarmed in all at once.
The attendants hurriedly shut the door.
“Where did the kite fall just now?”
“The flowers—hurry and find the flowers…”
The attendants watched with considerable headache as a pack of half-grown children scattered and ran wildly around the courtyard. Some even jumped into the bushes to search, crawling under stone benches.
“Hurry up. If you can’t find it, forget it. Just go back and make up for it, won’t you?”
An attendant urged them on.
If not for the fact that these children mentioned the police station, he really would have liked to beat them and drive them out.
By his reckoning, in about another hour the boss would be back. They absolutely couldn’t let him see the courtyard in such a chaotic state full of children.
“Hurry up.”
The attendants kept pressing them, and the children searched deeper and deeper, almost as if they were about to hide themselves.
Growing impatient, one attendant shot the others a look, signaling them to help the children search. The moment everyone lowered their heads—
A gunshot rang out.
Inside the house, Xiao Fengxian nearly jumped straight up.
Song Yuzhang grabbed his hand and said steadily, “Don’t be afraid.”
Outside, gunshots cracked—bang, bang—for about a minute. Then the door was smashed open from the outside.
The sturdy little boy with the tigerish face held a tiny pistol in his hand. He jerked his head toward Song Yuzhang and said clearly and decisively, “Let’s go.”
Song Yuzhang pulled Xiao Fengxian and walked out.
Outside, those naïve, pampered-looking children—who seemed to come from good families—each held a firecracker and smashed it hard against the ground, making loud popping sounds.
The little boy led his small squad charging toward the back gate. They were small and fast, darting through the grass like cats. They quickly exchanged fire with the few attendants left at the back entrance. They were utterly reckless—one child was shot in the hand and foot and fell headfirst to the ground, only to scramble up almost immediately and rush forward like a madman.
The front gate opened. A group of children ran out with firecrackers, smashed them twice more against the ground with loud bangs, then turned back and shouted, “You wouldn’t give us our kite? Scare you to death!”
The neighbors who had come out to watch were startled by firecrackers exploding at their feet and cursed while dodging, “Whose children are these? No manners at all!”
The back gate opened as well.
A car was waiting there. Shen Chengduo sat inside. Seeing Song Yuzhang run out, he called, “President Song, get in.”
Xiao Fengxian was already terrified stiff; he followed Song Yuzhang into the car in a daze.
Once seated inside, Song Yuzhang said calmly, “Many thanks, Boss Shen.”
Shen Chengduo told the driver to start the car. Turning from the passenger seat, he said to Song Yuzhang, “President Song, very steady of you.”
Song Yuzhang smiled faintly. “I knew Boss Shen would come to save me.”
Shen Chengduo’s eyes sharpened slightly. After a moment, a look almost like reluctant compromise appeared on his face. “President Song, this really isn’t my fault!”
In the car, Shen Chengduo thoroughly absolved himself of responsibility.
Song Yuzhang listened quietly, his heart without the slightest ripple.
It could only have been Shen Chengduo—only him. Haizhou was neither Zhang Changshan’s territory nor Fu Mian’s. Sneaking about, playing dirty tricks, raising children as assassins—only Shen Chengduo could do such things. And only with such methods could someone have snatched him out so unexpectedly from inside.
Shen Chengduo explained himself all the way. After they got out of the car, he remained extremely polite—while pressing a gun against Song Yuzhang’s back—and escorted him into the underground cellars of the Vienna.
“President Song,” Shen Chengduo said, personally locking the cell door, his face full of sincerity, “you know that I’ve always meant you well. I can only trouble you to stay here for a couple of days. In a couple of days—just a couple of days—I’ll definitely let you out.”
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