Deep in the Night - Chapter 15

Shandao district. In the afternoon.

There were very few vehicles on the sun-drenched road. The occasional pedestrian hid beneath the trees, and the streets were quiet.

Through the cicadas’ chirping, the faint sound of the tide could be heard in the distance. It was said that this area was a fishing village in the early days of the nation. Although it had developed in recent years, it was still sparsely populated and mixed in terms of population. The row of old, semi-new residential buildings huddled together, making it seem like a completely different world from City G, which was tens of kilometres away.

Fang Jin gently opened the dilapidated wooden door and entered the modest apartment.

Lu Wenlei’s hiding place was clearly an old-style dwelling from twenty years ago. The front door led into a small living room, and a corridor behind the living room led to the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The apartment floor was cement painted with a checkered pattern, and large patches of white plaster had peeled off the walls, exposing the stained surface underneath.

Fang Jin walked into the bedroom, glanced at the dirty wire bed and the open suitcase on the floor, and his gaze fell upon a small photo frame beside the suitcase.

—It was a family photo of Lu Wenlei, his wife, and his child.

Fang Jin, wearing black deerskin gloves, picked up the frame and examined it carefully. He had always thought Lu Wenlei had a daughter but now realized he must have been mistaken. The photo clearly showed his wife and son, a family of three standing in front of a small county town train station near City G. Both parents wore forced, undeniable smiles, and the suitcase Lu Wenlei held in his hand was the same model as the one on the floor of the room now.

The child, oblivious to everything, held his mother’s neck innocently.

Fang Jin lowered his eyelashes, letting out a silent sigh after a long moment.

He pulled out his phone, took a picture of the frame, brought up his contacts, and sent it to Gu Yuan.

—

In a conference room at a famous law firm tens of kilometres away in City G, Gu Yuan’s phone suddenly rang. He looked down at the sender and raised his hand to interrupt the fervent argument happening across the rosewood table.

The famous lawyers opposite him all fell silent. Gu Yuan opened the message, which contained a photo and a message from Fang Jin: “This is the address of Lu Wenlei’s wife and son. They should still be hiding in XX County. Focus your search on small, unregistered hotels near the train station.”

Gu Yuan quickly replied: “Where are you?”

A few seconds later, the phone vibrated again. Fang Jin had sent a geographical location:

“Shandao District.”

“I’m at Lu Wenlei’s hiding place.”

Gu Yuan quickly stood up. He didn’t even look at the lawyers, turning and striding out of the conference room. His subordinate outside immediately stepped forward: “Young Master!”

“Take men and search for these two in XX County. Find them and immediately take control of them,” Gu Yuan tossed the phone to him, instructing coldly: “Prepare the car. We’re going to Shandao District.”

—

Half an hour later, in a residential building in Shandao District, a slightly overweight man in a polo shirt trudged up the last flight of stairs.

The cramped stairwell smelled of dust. The doorknob was rusty and nearly falling off, and large patches of red paint were peeling from the door.

Lu Wenlei had never lived in such a shabby, dilapidated place. Every day, he wore old clothes drenched in sweat, ate cheap, dirty roadside food, and hid like a sewer rat, constantly terrified of his whereabouts being discovered.

But it was worth it. He had already received a substantial part of his payment. Once the person above him arrived as promised and sent him abroad…

Pumping himself up like a desperate gambler at the end of his rope, Lu Wenlei opened the door. The next second, all his movements stopped abruptly.

—A young man was sitting in the centre of the living room sofa. He wore a black suit and a white shirt, with a slender and upright figure. He had black leather gloves on his hands and looked up at him calmly.

He looked barely twenty years old, with startlingly handsome features, yet his voice was steady:

“Long time no see, Mr. Lu.”

The fear and horror of finally being discovered made Lu Wenlei tremble all over. But he quickly swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down. He entered the room and closed the door behind him:

“Who are you?”

“My name is Fang Jin. We met at the negotiation between your company and Yuan Yang Shipping.”

“—You’re that assistant… You’re Gu Yuan’s… You’re that assistant!” Since few people were this good-looking, Lu Wenlei’s buzzing brain finally reacted. Fear mixed with anger instantly surged through him: “What, did Young Master Gu get a head start and find me first? How did you find me? What do you want?!”

He shouted loudly, yet Fang Jin made no move to stand up. He remained relaxed on the sofa, his long fingers interlaced on his thighs. “I must correct you on two points, Mr. Lu.”

“First, I am not only Gu Yuan’s assistant; I am also a confidant temporarily assigned by CEO Gu Mingzong to assist the Young Master at the subsidiary. Second, the issue now is not what we want, but what you want.”

“Mingda Shipping has declared bankruptcy, and most of its hundreds of millions in assets have evaporated. I assume a substantial portion has ended up in your name. But to enjoy that money, you have to be alive. If the rest of your life must be spent hiding in a place like this—” Fang Jin surveyed the dilapidated living room, then said slowly, “I don’t know what you think, but I feel that even owning a mountain of gold is useless, isn’t it?”

His voice was unhurried, and he showed no intention of physically engaging, which was completely different from the many times Lu Wenlei had imagined being captured.

He was wary: “…So you’re representing Young Master Gu now? Here to track down the ten million dollars?”

Contrary to his expectations, Fang Jin said calmly, “I don’t care about those small matters.”

Lu Wenlei’s breath hitched.

He could perceive the confidence in the young man’s voice. He genuinely wasn’t interested in Yuan Yang Shipping’s money—caring about the money would at least indicate he represented Gu Yuan, but not caring about it meant he was here for something else.

And Lu Wenlei knew deeply that in the Gu family’s brutal power struggle, many things were far more sensitive, important, and lethal than money!

“Who exactly are you representing?” Lu Wenlei retreated half a step: “If it’s Young Master Gu, I don’t want to talk to you. Go ahead and call the police to arrest me!”

To his surprise, Fang Jin didn’t even flinch. He directly countered: “Mr. Lu, your wife and son are currently hiding in XX County, waiting for their visas to the United States with you. The person assisting them with forged identities and paperwork is Wang Yu, the Head of Security and a close associate of CEO Gu Mingzong, is that correct?”

As if doused with a bucket of ice water, Lu Wenlei froze.

Why did he know that? How could he instantly name people and details like that?

Did Gu Mingzong really throw me out as a discarded piece?!

—Two days ago, Lu Wenlei would not have thought this way. At that time, he had just received the first payment from the Gu family as agreed, and he was full of hope, waiting to be sent to the United States for asylum, from where he would become rich and live out the rest of his life comfortably with wealth he could never spend. However, the situation had changed drastically two nights ago. He suddenly lost all contact with Gu Mingzong. No matter how many times he called or emailed, he received no response.

Mingda Shipping had just gone bankrupt, and countless people from both the legal and illegal worlds were frantically searching for him. At such a sensitive, precarious moment, any small change could be a sign of impending doom.

“How—how could you know…”

“Mr. Lu,” Fang Jin asked gently, “Where do you think I learned you were here?”

Fang Jin’s confident posture was the final straw that instantly broke Lu Wenlei’s already crumbling psychological defense.

Trembling, he pulled out his phone, completely ignoring the danger of exposure, and immediately started calling his wife and child in the small county town. However, the young man on the sofa seemed to see through his fear and said bluntly, “Don’t bother, Mr. Lu. Young Master Gu’s people are already on their way to the county. You know what status the Gu family used to hold in the criminal underworld, don’t you?”

A busy signal came from the phone. He dialled again, and it was still busy. Lu Wenlei violently threw the phone away!

“What do you people want!” Lu Wenlei shouted furiously: “I was only following orders! The money isn’t with me!”

Fang Jin’s composure was impeccable, and his eyes even held a hint of perfectly calibrated pity.

It was the composed demeanour of a victor who, possessing overwhelming dominance, did not need to pursue the utterly defeated.

“I told you the money is a small matter. I am merely curious why you, Mr. Lu, chose to get involved in the vortex of the Gu family father-son power struggle—please rest assured, your wife and son are merely bargaining chips to get you to sit down and talk. I never hurt innocent people,” Fang Jin pointed to a chair behind the coffee table, saying sincerely: “Please sit.”

Lu Wenlei’s chest rose and fell rapidly. After a long moment, he cautiously walked to the chair and sat down:

“What do you want to ask?”

Fang Jin said, “I know there are many things you are afraid to speak about casually, so let me speak for you. If I’m wrong, you can correct me, can you?”

“…” Lu Wenlei hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Mingda Shipping was originally a shell company, and most of the supposed capital was nothing more than fictitious book assets. This bankruptcy was already planned by the relevant individuals, and the purpose was to launder hundreds of millions in cash, correct?”

“…” Lu Wenlei croaked, “I was just a pawn being used.”

“If I am not mistaken, the laundered funds merely passed through your hands, and the final destination was the Gu family?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, since you were originally a pawn of the Gu family, yet you dared to move against Yuan Yang Shipping, can I interpret this as the entire incident being planned by CEO Gu Mingzong to target Gu Yuan?”

Silence filled the living room. Sweat beaded on Lu Wenlei’s greying temples, slowly running down his defeated face.

“…Yes,” he finally admitted, “The reason Mingda Shipping was able to secure a cooperation project with Young Master Gu was because of the Gu family’s full support behind the scenes from the start.”

Fang Jin’s eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly leaned back on the sofa.

As expected.

There was no doubt or uncertainty. Gu Mingzong’s target had been Gu Yuan from the very beginning.

But why? Was it to temper his eldest son, or was it simply because he resented him for growing up not to resemble his father at all?!

“I’m just curious, Mr. Lu,” Fang Jin finally said slowly after a long pause. “Such a complex setup and enormous cash flow, and CEO Gu Mingzong chose you specifically to orchestrate this. I presume this is because you have a deep connection with the Gu family—given this, did you never consider that the Young Master, as the CEO’s legitimate son, is bound to inherit the family business in the future? By offending him so completely now, wouldn’t you be cutting off all your future retreat paths? Even if you gain the CEO’s temporary favour now, what use will it be later?”

He stared intently at Lu Wenlei, only to see a very strange and sarcastic expression cross the latter’s face.

“You truly have the art of conversation down, Assistant Fang,” Lu Wenlei sneered: “—Why don’t you just directly ask what exactly the CEO’s intentions are, and if he really wants to destroy Young Master Gu? Why beat around the bush!”

Fang Jin slightly narrowed his eyes, but then he heard Lu Wenlei gasp a few times, suddenly saying, “I’ll tell you, I don’t know why the CEO turned around and sold me out, but Gu Yuan definitely won’t take the top spot! If you’re trying to move closer to Young Master Gu because his momentum is strong, then it won’t be me who loses all future paths—it’ll be you!”

—Gu Yuan definitely won’t take the top spot!

Fang Jin’s pupils instantly contracted, his gaze as sharp as a blade as he fixed on Lu Wenlei. After a moment, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Lu Wenlei sneered: “Do you want to know? It’s not that simple. I’m telling you, there are no more than ten people in this world who can roughly guess the reason. If you want to know so badly, why don’t we make a deal…”

Fang Jin was about to say something when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded on the stairs outside the door.

Lu Wenlei stood up like a startled bird: “Those are the people you brought, aren’t they? It’s you—”

Fang Jin interrupted him: “What is the deal?”

“What do you want? The money is no longer with me! I’m just being used—”

“What is the deal you’re talking about!”

The disorderly footsteps rapidly approached. It was clearly a group of people rushing towards them. Lu Wenlei, having been on edge and overly suspicious for many days, finally lost control. Lacking even basic reasoning ability, he rushed toward Fang Jin in a sudden surge of fury—

Just then, the front door crashed open! The door panel slammed against the wall and rebounded, only to be stopped by a hand!

If this moment were broken down in slow motion, it would be a chaotic scene.

Fang Jin frowned, standing up from the sofa, while a red-faced Lu Wenlei recklessly lunged at him.

Near the living room entrance, over a dozen bodyguards tightly blocked the stairwell. The young man leading them propped the door open with one hand while casually drawing a small, sheathed knife from a bodyguard’s waist behind him.

The next second, he violently flicked his wrist. The small knife rotated, drawing a bright arc, and struck the back of Lu Wenlei’s head with the speed of lightning!

—Clang!

Lu Wenlei’s movement stopped abruptly. His body swayed comically a few times, then he crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Fang Jin looked up at the doorway: “Gu Yuan?”

Gu Yuan, clad in black with a murderous expression, stood in the doorway. He withdrew his hand and turned to instruct his bodyguards: “Take Lu Wenlei. Leave immediately now!”

Several bodyguards immediately rushed in, hoisting the unconscious Lu Wenlei. Another person picked up the knife sheath and wiped away any traces, quickly restoring the living room. The bodyguard captain personally handcuffed Lu Wenlei and turned to Fang Jin respectfully: “Assistant Fang, are you alright?”

“…No, I’m fine. You guys—”

Gu Yuan walked through the crowd, snapping in a low voice: “Mind your business!”

The bodyguard captain immediately bowed and acknowledged the order, quickly backing out while supporting Lu Wenlei.

Gu Yuan turned to Fang Jin, his hawk-like, sharp gaze thoroughly scanning him from top to bottom, focusing particularly on his exposed neck and wrists. After confirming he had suffered no injury, he finally spoke:

“—What are you doing here?”

Fang Jin dutifully lowered his head and said, “I saw Lu Wenlei on the street when I was driving back to the company from the law firm. I was afraid of alerting him, so I didn’t dare to call out and quietly followed him to this building. Later, he went downstairs to buy something, and I snuck in, where I happened to see that family photo…”

“Assistant Fang, I have to tell you something,” Gu Yuan said coldly. “Next time you encounter a situation like this, your first reaction must be to notify me immediately, not to sneak in by yourself. I don’t know what you were thinking, but if I had arrived a moment later, I would have been collecting your corpse. Do you think that would make me especially grateful?”

Fang Jin remained silent, finally murmuring softly, “I apologize.”

This posture was clearly docile, yet somehow it only stoked the nameless fire in Gu Yuan’s heart.

If no one else were around, he would certainly have followed up with a sharper warning. But with bodyguards all around, he instinctively did not want to embarrass Fang Jin in public. He finally just shot him an impatient glance: “—Hurry up and follow me!”

The two of them walked downstairs under the bodyguards’ watch. Several black cars with concealed license plates were already waiting on the street. Fang Jin followed behind Gu Yuan, quickly walking ahead as usual to open the car door. However, Gu Yuan did not immediately get in. He paused suddenly:

“—What did you call me upstairs just now?”

Fang Jin froze, suddenly realizing.

When he first saw Gu Yuan in the doorway, the name that slipped out was his first name, not ‘Mr. Gu’!

Fang Jin did not know how to answer and stood there stunned. He only heard Gu Yuan give a mocking ‘Hmph’: “You call me ‘Mr. Gu’ nicely all the time, but who knows what you’re calling me in your head.”

With that, Gu Yuan got into the car without even glancing at Fang Jin.

Fang Jin: “…”

Fang Jin stood dumbfounded for a long moment, then cautiously walked to the other side of the car, opened the door as usual, and sat down in the back seat beside Gu Yuan. After a long while, he secretly watched the Young Master’s expression from the corner of his eye.

Gu Yuan’s face showed an expression that was half-smile, half-fury, unreadable as to whether he was angry or just joking. Fang Jin couldn’t gauge his mood at all. After a moment, he coughed carefully and said cautiously, “Mr. Gu…?”

Gu Yuan pretended not to hear.

“…Mr. Gu, that move you made just now was amazing. I would have been finished without you,” Fang Jin asked sincerely: “Have you practised?”

The bodyguards were all in position, and the driver glanced in the rearview mirror, slowly starting the car.

“You think everyone is like you—getting a bad back for two weeks after a judo throw, and getting molested by the damsel you just rescued,” Gu Yuan finally said languidly: “If you’re weak, you should honestly let people protect you. Why always play the hero? I predict you’ll be taken advantage of next time.”

Fang Jin was stunned, his face instantly turning red as he was left speechless.

This reaction made the last bit of residual dissatisfaction in Gu Yuan disappear. He smiled and looked at Fang Jin, raising his eyebrow without trying to conceal his amusement.