Cao Yang didn't go far.He had no idea where to go anyway, so he just sat on the flowerbed by the parking lot, smoking in silence.
A-Le spotted him and hurried over. "Kid, come with me."
"Where to?"
"Our big brother wants to see you."
Cao Yang didn't know why, but he still crushed his cigarette and followed A-Le back to the seventh floor.
This time, besides Hu Qing, there was another man in the office—Tang Shaojie.It was Cao Yang's first time seeing him up close. The man sized him up calmly.
Cao Yang had only seen him from afar before. Back then he thought the guy looked handsome and refined. Seeing him in person now, he realized that wasn't an illusion—Tang Shaojie really had that polished, elite aura.
If someone saw him outside without knowing who he was, they'd probably guess he was a doctor or a lawyer—never a gang boss.
But he was exactly that.The undisputed No.1 figure of Guancheng.
"Brother Jie," Cao Yang greeted.
"Oh? You know me?" Tang Shaojie smiled, clearly amused.
Cao Yang shook his head. "No. But others told me about you."
"Oh? What did they say? Go on, tell me."
Cao Yang felt a headache coming. If you've got something to say, just get to it… I'm not in the mood to butter you up.
"They said you're good-looking, powerful, well-connected. That you handle things smartly, treat your brothers well… and that you're the future head of Yi He Hui."
It wasn't flattery—just repeating what the taxi driver and Lao Xu had said.
"Hahahaha…" Tang Shaojie burst out laughing. "Sounds pretty accurate. Though they still missed a few of my strengths."
Cao Yang: speechless.Hu Qing: rolling her eyes.
Snap.Tang Shaojie lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and his face turned serious.
"I've heard your situation. It won't be easy. You killed a bunch of people, including their boss. The Henan Gang will never let you go."
Cao Yang stayed silent. He knew there was more coming—otherwise, why call him back?
"But… as long as I step in, they'll give me some face. At least on the surface, they won't trouble you."
His tone sharpened as his eyes locked onto Cao Yang. "But why should I help you? What can you offer me?"
Cao Yang lit a cigarette of his own. "I don't need you to handle the Henan Gang. I'm not afraid of their revenge."
He was confident—just leave Guancheng, and he'd shake them off. Even if he stayed, as long as he didn't let them surround him, they couldn't do a thing.
"Oh? Then what do you want?"
"I'm afraid of the police. Can you handle that? Make sure they don't arrest me… don't put me on a wanted list."He didn't want to spend the rest of his life running.
"Hahahaha!"Tang Shaojie laughed hard. "Kid, you're too naïve. Do you even know how serious your mess is? Ten dead, guns involved, arson—do you think police just let that slide?"
Cao Yang frowned. He remembered killing only five. The other five shouldn't have been fatal wounds.Burned to death?
He didn't know Bo-zai had finished the job. But honestly, five or ten—didn't make much difference to him anymore.
He opened his mouth to say forget it.
But Tang Shaojie spoke first."For anyone else, impossible. But for me? I can do it."
His confidence was absolute. Cao Yang didn't doubt him for even a second.
Hu Qing kicked him lightly under the table, glaring at him.
Tang Shaojie ignored her. "If I fix this for you, what can you give me in return?"
Cao Yang fell silent. He had nothing worth offering.
"I'm alone. I can fight. If you need something done, I can do it."
Tang Shaojie nodded with a smile. "Good. I like you. In a few days, you'll handle a job for me. Do it well, and I'll take care of the police. After that, you follow me."
Cao Yang agreed. He didn't bother asking what the job was.Worst case? Killing someone.He didn't exactly have better options.
"You're injured, right?" Tang Shaojie asked.
"Yeah."
"Hospital?"
"No. Just got it patched at a clinic."
"A-Le, take him to the infirmary. Have Dr. Chen look him over. Don't let him end up with lasting damage."
A-Le nodded and left with Cao Yang.
Once they were gone, Hu Qing glared fiercely at Tang Shaojie.
"You really want to clean up that huge pile of crap for him?"
Tang Shaojie nodded. "Did you think I was joking?"
"Is it worth it? Not at all! Henan Gang's boss died—they won't give you any face. What if this blows up in your face?"
"A-Qing, you're short-sighted. You don't see the bigger picture."
"These regional gangs are growing fast. Especially the Sichuan Gang—they're already pushing into our core business. If they keep going, conflict is inevitable."
"So?"
"So I'll use this chance to knock them all back a step. Show them whose turf Guancheng really is. Anyone thinking about crossing the line needs to think twice."
"But—"
Tang Shaojie waved her off and dialed a number.
"Director Zhan, still awake?"
"Hahaha… Not yet. What brings you here, President Tang?"
"I heard Henan Gang's Liu Zhihu died this morning. Wanted to know the details."
"This case is huge. Haven't had this level of violence in years."
"The killer's a kid from Hunan. Still on the run."
"Oh, homicide? I thought it might've been an accident."
"Director Zhan, what if—just what if—a bunch of drug-addicted thugs got high, lost control, fought each other, fired guns, and accidentally caused a fire?"
Silence. Then a quiet question:"Tang… is the killer one of your people?"
"Ai… don't talk nonsense. Has nothing to do with me."
"Then what's that story supposed to be? They got high and fought? Not even a ghost would believe that."
"I'm just offering a hypothesis—bold guess, careful verification."
"Tang, I don't know what relationship you have with the suspect, but your explanation won't fly."
"This case involves too many deaths. I can't just push it aside. Henan Gang won't let it go either."
"I'll handle Henan Gang. And once it's known the dead were violent gangsters, the public will only say they deserved it."
"No way, Tang. Too big. If you get Henan Gang to back off, then talk to my boss. Without his approval, I can't help you."
"Relax, Director Zhan. I'm not asking you to act. I'll talk to your boss. Just don't rush to define the case. After all… this might very well have been an accident."