Free Web NovelChapter 152: Chapter 151: "Pledge of Allegiance," Father’s Decision
Zhao Tianpeng squeezed the words through clenched teeth, "Of course I can’t let this go!"
But as soon as the words were out, the hatred on his face was washed away by a wave of bitterness. He slumped, saying, "But what can I do? Now even my family’s business has been dragged into this..."
"Don’t laugh, but when I got out of the Patrol Office this time, my dad wouldn’t even let me in the house."
"He said I’m not allowed back until I’ve settled this matter!"
Overcome with frustration, Zhao Tianpeng tossed his glass aside, grabbed the bottle of Western liquor from the table, and started chugging it.
After several large gulps, Zhao Tianpeng, his eyes red, looked at the two men before him and spoke with agitation, "Young Master Luo, Qingyuan, you have to help me this time!"
"Help you? Of course, we’ll help you."
Luo Chengying placed a hand on Zhao Tianpeng’s shoulder, the pressure just right. "I, Luo Chengying, can’t just stand by and watch one of my own brothers get bullied for nothing."
"The question is—"
He suddenly changed his tone, his five fingers tightening on Zhao Tianpeng’s shoulder. With a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile, he asked, "Do you have the guts?"
Zhao Tianpeng froze. "Young Master Luo, what do you mean?"
Luo Chengying smiled and, glass in hand, walked slowly to the window.
Down below, a new horse race had begun, and the entire racetrack was erupting in a frenzy of cheers.
Luo Chengying watched silently through the glass for a while before finally speaking slowly, "Tianpeng, while you were inside, Yuebai and I came up with a way to deal with that Fu Lingjun..."
"Yuebai, why don’t you tell him."
Zhao Tianpeng couldn’t help but turn to Chen Qingyuan, who had been silent on the sofa beside him.
Chen Qingyuan lived up to his name; he had the look of a refined and modest young master, and his speech was gentle and unhurried, yet every word he spoke carried a strange, convincing power.
Holding a glass of champagne, he leaned back on the sofa and calmly explained the plan to Zhao Tianpeng.
When Chen Qingyuan had finished laying out the entire plan, Luo Chengying, who had been standing before the glass curtain wall, turned around at the perfect moment and smiled. "So, what do you think of the plan?"
Zhao Tianpeng’s expression shifted several times. He gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I’m willing to swallow my pride and apologize to Fu Lingjun, with his arrogant and domineering personality, will he really agree to make peace?"
A hint of fear had unconsciously crept into his voice. Clearly, the month in jail had left a deep psychological scar.
Some people act tough on the outside but are cowardly on the inside. Once they get hit, they learn to be afraid. Zhao Tianpeng was exactly that kind of person.
Seeing this, a flicker of imperceptible contempt crossed Luo Chengying’s eyes, but on the surface, he just laughed out loud. "I thought you’d be worried this plan might mess with that Martial Arts Association event your family is organizing, that you’d say your father would be hard to convince..."
"Relax."
Luo Chengying walked over and said casually, "You don’t actually have to kowtow and grovel to him, nor do you have to show up in person."
"We just need to find the right person to talk to him, and Fu Lingjun will definitely agree."
"Who?"
Zhao Tianpeng asked instinctively.
"In all of Shenghai, who has that kind of ability?"
Luo Chengying slowly uttered a name. "Naturally... Shen Yijun."
"The Shen Family?"
Zhao Tianpeng was stunned. "Didn’t they just pull one over on you, Young Master Luo?"
When he came in earlier, he’d heard loud and clear that the International Trading Company had bribed Luo Chengying’s Western Jockey, causing Luo Chengying to lose two races in a row at the track.
And the Hua General Agent for the International Trading Company was none other than the Shen Family, who backed Shen Yijun.
"Let’s not mix things up..."
Luo Chengying said lightly, "Horse betting is horse betting, business is business. When you need a professional job done, you find a professional to do it."
Luo Chengying pressed one hand on the mirror-smooth marble tabletop, raised his glass with the other, and slowly drained the remaining liquor, his eyes fixed on Zhao Tianpeng’s face. "So, what’s it going to be, Tianpeng?"
"I’ll send someone to contact Shen Yijun. Whether it happens or not, it all comes down to your decision."
Zhao Tianpeng was silent for a moment, then shot to his feet.
"I’ll go back... and discuss it with my father."
"Young Master Luo, Qingyuan, I’ll be taking my leave."
"I’ll let you know as soon as I have news."
With that, he grabbed his hat and fled in a hurry.
Once the private room door was closed, Luo Chengying sneered, "What a pathetic loser."
He then looked at Chen Qingyuan, a playful expression on his face. "So, old Zhao sent his son to us for help."
"I just wonder if he’ll have the nerve to accept the solution we’ve offered."
"He has no reason to refuse."
Chen Qingyuan sat up straight, put down his glass, and analyzed calmly, "Zhao Jigang comes from a Martial Artist background. He’s been trying every means possible to improve his social standing. After all these years of maneuvering, he finally managed to connect with you. How could he give that up so easily?"
"Moreover..."
Chen Qingyuan paused, then continued, "As long as he offers this ’Pledge of Allegiance,’ he’ll be tied to us even more tightly. He can also use Commander-in-Chief Luo’s influence to break free from the Qinglian Gang’s control over his Escort Agencies and Martial Arts Halls..."
"Zhao Tianpeng is an idiot, but Zhao Jigang isn’t. He understands the stakes involved better than anyone."
"Wants to be the blade in my Luo Family’s hand? ...We’ll have to see if Zhao Jigang is even qualified."
Luo Chengying sneered, then lit two cigars. In a much friendlier tone, he called to Chen Qingyuan, "Come on, let’s get back to the races."
"I just placed a bet of three thousand for you on number seven, ’William.’ The race is about to start."
"I’m not going to watch the race."
Chen Qingyuan shook his head and stood up. "I’ll arrange a meeting with Shen Yijun for you first, and then... I’m going to make a trip to Fuyao Pavilion."
"Going to see that woman Jiang Yingqiu again?"
Luo Chengying couldn’t help but frown. "Chen Yuebai, what kind of love potion has that woman given you to make you so devoted to her?"
Chen Qingyuan didn’t answer. He simply gave a nod and walked out, pulling the door open.
He left Luo Chengying alone in the private room, cursing and swearing. It sounded like he smashed something.
...
「Southern Country North Road.」
A high-end Western-style tailor shop with an exquisite, illuminated sign.
Fu Juemin stood at the entrance, one hand in his pocket, casually surveying the store’s interior.
Just inside were two rows of beautiful velvet sofas, the floor covered with expensive handmade carpets. A gramophone in the corner played jazz music, and copperplate engravings from the Western World hung on the walls...
It was clear that his old man, Fu Guosheng, had poured a lot of heart and soul into this shop.
But...
Bad business was bad business. It had no direct relationship with how much thought, time, effort, and money you invested.
From Fu Juemin’s perspective from his previous life, there were indeed some problems with how Fu Guosheng ran his shops. But he didn’t understand business, let alone how to sell clothes, so if you asked him what the problems were, he couldn’t say.
"Have you thought this through, Dad?"
Fu Juemin pulled his gaze away from the shop’s interior and looked at Fu Guosheng, who was walking toward him.
Fu Guosheng nodded. For the first time in his life, he seemed unable to look his son in the eye, even deliberately avoiding his gaze.
"I stayed in the Luan River area for too long. I’ve forgotten some of the fundamentals."
"Of course, it’s not Aunt Ding’s fault. It’s my own. I was too eager for success and too arrogant, thinking everything was simpler than it was..."
Fu Guosheng paused, and it was unclear whether he was explaining to Fu Juemin or trying to convince himself. "It’s not that I, Fu Guosheng, can’t handle a setback. I just feel that maybe... this place, Shenghai, isn’t really for me..."
"Your old man isn’t that old yet, and now a rare opportunity has come up, so I was thinking... I’d go out and try my luck again."
Fu Juemin listened to Fu Guosheng’s rambling explanation with a blank expression.
He had only learned the news five minutes ago: his old man, Fu Guosheng, had suddenly decided to move the entire family south to the Southern Ocean to get into the nanmu wood business.
Of course, this "entire family" did not include him, Fu Juemin.
At first, Fu Juemin was extremely puzzled. Even... ’angry?’
But then he slowly realized something—Fu Guosheng had never once said that he liked Shenghai or wanted to stay here forever.
...
