Chapter 71 — Boss Gao
The two of them went downstairs, where two Mercedes were waiting.
Yang Le, sitting in the driver's seat, greeted Cao Yang cheerfully.
Cao Yang opened the car door to get in, but Jie Ge stopped him.
"Sit in the back of that car. Watch the person inside, remove any restraints on her, don't let her escape—but don't hurt her either."
Cao Yang nodded, opening the rear door. Inside sat a young woman, her hands bound, a towel stuffed in her mouth.
She looked to be around twenty, wide Cassie-style eyes full of fear, staring at him.
Cao Yang immediately recognized her—it was the girl they had kidnapped from the provincial city last time. She had been stuffed in a sack, and he hadn't realized she was so beautiful in person.
"Don't be afraid." Cao Yang removed the towel and untied her hands.
"Waa… what do you want to do to me?" she whimpered.
"Please, let me go! My father will pay you. Don't hurt me!"
She sobbed and pleaded, but Cao Yang ignored her. Whether to release or harm her wasn't up to him—his job was just to watch over her.
The two black Mercedes drove to Prince Hotel. Jie Ge, Yang Le, and several others got out.
Cao Yang wanted to follow, but Jie Ge stopped him.
"Stay here and watch her. Wait for my instructions."
With that, Jie Ge and his group entered the hotel.
No sooner had they gone than the girl tried to escape.
A weak girl like her? If she could get past Cao Yang, he might as well be dead.
"Try running again, and I'll have to tie you up!" Cao Yang warned, restraining her.
The girl froze, lowering her head, sobbing quietly.
Cao Yang felt a twinge of frustration and lit a cigarette, thinking of Li Yan.
Women… always a weak spot. If it were Yan Jie kidnapped, he would hesitate too. Definitely something to be careful about in the future.
Thinking of Li Yan, he smacked himself mentally—he had been too distracted enjoying himself with Lei Yu, forgetting that Yan Jie was waiting at home. Once things settled, he'd have to call her.
After waiting in the car for over half an hour, Cao Yang's phone rang. It was Jie Ge, instructing him to bring the girl to Room 808 on the eighth floor.
"Let's go."
The girl shook her head, terrified she'd be taken somewhere unsafe.
Cao Yang patiently explained, "Your father is upstairs too. He came to rescue you."
Only then did she agree to go. Even if she refused, Cao Yang could have used force.
No one had told him whether her father was upstairs, but it was easy to guess—if Jie Ge intended any harm, he wouldn't bring her from so far away.
On the eighth floor, he pushed open Room 808. A dozen people stood inside—none looking friendly.
Three were seated: Jie Ge calmly smoking, the hotel owner Liang Hui (whom Cao Yang had met before), and a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
"Dad!" The girl ran into the middle-aged man's arms, sobbing.
"Don't cry, Rong Rong. Did they hurt you?"
"No… no." She told the truth—since being brought there, she'd been treated well, fed, and cared for, only not allowed to leave or make phone calls.
The middle-aged man, furious, yelled at Jie Ge, "Look what you did! You scared my daughter!"
Jie Ge exhaled smoke, ignoring him.
"Alright, Mr. Gao, the important thing is Miss Gao is safe." Liang Hui intervened, carefully mediating—the last thing anyone wanted was to anger Tang Shaojie in Dongguan.
"Hmph!" Boss Gao snorted, taking his daughter and a few men away, leaving several large bags behind.
Seeing them leave, Cao Yang felt a pang of disappointment.
He had hoped for a bigger confrontation, a chance to assert his power and repay Jie Ge in some way—but this opportunity never came.
After their departure, Jie Ge stood, greeted Liang Hui, and left.
"Let's go."
Cao Yang and the others lifted one bag each—heavy, undoubtedly filled with cash.
He loaded it into the trunk. Just as he was about to get in, Tang Shaojie called him to ride in the same car.
Sitting in the back, Tang Shaojie spoke: "We rarely kidnap family members to threaten others."
Cao Yang nodded, thinking: If it weren't for Lei Yu being kidnapped, he might have believed it.
"Gao Xiong is a VIP from the provincial city, a frequent visitor to our casino."
"Sometimes he bets tens of thousands, sometimes a couple hundred thousand. Last time, he lost twenty million, twelve million of which he borrowed from us."
"After returning, he probably didn't want to pay and spread rumors, claiming our casino rigs games, that he's the victim."
"I didn't press him for repayment, but I can't tolerate him defaming us. This time is just a small lesson. Next time, you help me 'take care' of him."
"Yes, yes… whatever you say, Big Brother," Cao Yang nodded repeatedly.
Tang Shaojie patted him on the shoulder, lighting a cigarette for him.
Cao Yang, flustered, accepted it with both hands. How could Big Brother light a cigarette for him?
Tang Shaojie didn't mind. They smoked, then he continued: "Tomorrow, we'll go to Shen City. I'll introduce you to the leaders of Yihehui on the mainland."
"Got it."
Back at Lushan International, Cao Yang returned to his small room.
He hadn't been back to his newly purchased house; living here was convenient.
He pulled out his phone and called Li Yan to check on things at home.
His old phone number had long been lost; Li Yan and his family couldn't reach him.
"Hello… is this Cao Yang?" Li Yan's voice trembled when she saw a number from Dongguan.
She had worried every day he'd been arrested or killed.
"It's me, Yan Jie. What's wrong? You sound off." Cao Yang, carefree, didn't realize how worried others had been.
"Waa… you're alive… I thought you were dead…"
"Couldn't you be happy to see me?"
"Call my mom and tell her I'm not a murderer. Last time was a misunderstanding."
"Waa… you call her yourself."
"I can't! She'll scold me to death. Can you tell her?"
Cao Yang feared nothing—except his mother's sharp tongue.
"I'm not home. I'm still in Changsha."
"What? Why not come home?"
"I'm afraid to go back. Everyone thinks you're a killer. If I return, the whole village will interrogate me. I'm hiding in Changsha, waiting for news from you."
"Alright. I'm fine now. Don't worry about me. Go see your mom, and let her know about me."
"I'm not going back. I'm coming to see you right away."
Li Yan hung up and soon sent a text: she had bought a plane ticket for an hour later. She was coming quickly.
Cao Yang was surprised. This frugal girl who avoided even sleeper train tickets was now splurging on a plane ticket—she must really want to see him!
"Ah… my damn charm."