Free Web NovelChapter 126: Chapter 126: A Good Deal
Zhou Yingying’s little face turned red, and she quickly lowered her head.
At this point, the anger between the two had become awkward.
Though Huang Lili was usually very strict with her subordinates, she was incredibly beautiful, with a complexion like creamy jade, and her police uniform only accentuated her charm.
Especially when she bowed her head, her prominent chest also trembled slightly, which tickled Zhao Tiezhu’s heart. He couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
"Hey!"
Feeling Zhao Tiezhu’s burning gaze, Huang Lili couldn’t help but lift her head and glared at him.
With Huang Lili staring at him like that, Zhao Tiezhu suddenly felt his mouth go dry, realizing he couldn’t control the lust in his heart.
He quickly diverted his eyes, pretending to be very composed, and said,
"I’m really fine now."
Huang Lili, seeing Zhao Tiezhu like this, did not pursue the matter further. However, recalling the way Zhao Tiezhu had looked at her, her cheeks flushed and her heartbeat quickened.
She couldn’t help but curse herself inwardly, how could she have such feelings for this man just because of an accident?
To relieve the awkward atmosphere, Wang Hao deliberately changed the topic.
"By the way, is that Cheng Lei really your cousin?"
"Yes, what about it?" free𝑤ebnovel.com
Zhou Yingying looked at Wang Hao curiously, noticing that his expression seemed to have changed slightly.
"I feel like he has feelings for you that... go beyond those of cousins."
Wang Hao suddenly furrowed his brow.
Seeing Wang Hao’s expression, Zhou Yingying’s heart leapt with joy, thinking that Wang Hao was jealous.
Girls at her age couldn’t help but feel delighted when the person they liked showed signs of jealousy.
Even Zhou Yingying, usually impartial, couldn’t escape the thrill in her heart.
"No, he’s the son of a distant relative of my mother’s, actually, we don’t even have a blood relationship."
Zhou Yingying explained.
"Oh! Don’t you like him?"
Wang Hao casually asked, thinking to himself no wonder that kid could pursue Zhou Yingying so brazenly.
"Why? Are you jealous?"
Zhou Yingying smiled triumphantly, her round eyes gazing straight at Wang Hao with inner glee.
"Not at all, I just suddenly feel like some things are too coincidental."
Wang Hao reminded Zhou Yingying in a non-committal manner.
As a police officer, Zhou Yingying certainly caught the implications in Wang Hao’s words and began to frown upon reflecting on them.
"Are you talking about that incident with the thieves last time?"
Zhou Yingying asked.
"Perhaps I’m being overly sensitive, overthinking it a bit."
Wang Hao didn’t have any evidence to prove the thieves were connected with Cheng Lei, so it was all just speculation, and he gave a noncommittal reply.
He didn’t share his genuine thoughts or the conversation he had with Cheng Lei with Zhou Yingying, but his words left a deep impression in her mind.
"Now that you mention it, I also find it strange. The gunshots had just sounded when my cousin rushed out as if he’d been waiting nearby for them to happen."
Zhou Yingying started analyzing, her frown deepening unconsciously as she spoke.
"Also, if my cousin managed to grab the gun, why didn’t he take the opportunity to capture the thieves instead of letting them escape? I also feel that he..."
Clearly, Zhou Yingying’s analysis mirrored Wang Hao’s, but she stopped short of finishing her sentence.
"What does Cheng Lei’s family do?"
Wang Hao felt Zhou Yingying was on the same page and saw no need to say more. After all, Cheng Lei was her cousin, and some face-saving was in order.
However, Wang Hao was quite curious about Cheng Lei’s background.
"His family is quite wealthy, and it seems they’re quite famous in Zao City. He used to like hanging out with a bunch of friends from the streets, but for some reason, he became obsessed with martial arts. So his family helped him open a martial arts school in Zao City."
Zhou Yingying replied.
"And how is his martial arts school doing now?"
Wang Hao continued to inquire.
"It seems to be doing well, they’ve hired excellent martial artists from across the country as coaches, and I’ve heard they’ve gathered many students."
Zhou Yingying paused, then added.
"However, with so many coaches teaching, his own martial arts skills haven’t improved at all."
As soon as she said this, Zhou Yingying herself was stunned and didn’t continue.
Wang Hao felt that Zhou Yingying must have thought of something else but didn’t really want others to know.
After getting a rough idea of Cheng Lei’s family background and job, Wang Hao felt this person was rather shrewd and needed to be guarded against.
As for Cheng Lei’s martial arts skills, Wang Hao wasn’t concerned, but since his family could make a name for themselves in Zao City, they were surely not simple.
If they decided to take revenge on Wang Hao for this incident, it could be quite troublesome to deal with.
Wang Hao’s business was just getting off the ground, starting to make some progress, and now he had to be extremely cautious with every step.
"Since your injury isn’t serious, I’m relieved. There’s a lot of work back at the station that I need to take care of, so I have to go."
Zhou Yingying suddenly smiled at Wang Hao, stepped forward to straighten his clothes, then continued tenderly,
"If you run into any trouble, give me a call anytime."
After saying this, Zhou Yingying left in the car with Captain Dong.
Wang Hao was still wondering, why did Zhou Yingying tell him to call her if he had any trouble? What kind of trouble could he possibly have that would require calling the police? Moreover, what assistance could she, a mere female officer, offer him?
After lunch, bored to death, Wang Hao decided to check out the greenhouse again.
"This kind of life is too idle, I need to find something to do!"
Wang Hao started talking to himself, looking at the thriving herbal plants in the greenhouse, since there wasn’t much else to do there, and he was nearly bored sick.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long after his mumblings for Wang Hao’s phone to ring.
"Fourth Master, Second Master wants you to come over and hang out tonight."
Li Peng’s voice held a hint of laughter on the phone.
"No problem, I was just worried about having nowhere to go. Tell me where?"
Wang Hao asked.
"Muddy Pond, the gambling den where you first met."
"Great, I’ll head out now!"
After ending the call, Wang Hao informed his parents and prepared to go out, taking advantage of his free time to relax.
It was evening, and the gambling den was still fairly empty, cold and quiet. Sun San sat to one side, alone, smoking a cigarette and idly playing with the dice on the table.
His gaze was vacant, as though he was recalling some unforgettable past events.
Gao Ye and Sun Er were playing cards with a group of brothers to one side, their loud laughter and chatter creating a lively atmosphere, a stark contrast to Sun San’s solitude.
Then a sly-looking man walked in, approached Sun San, and offered him a cigarette, then lit it for him with a lighter.
Sun San looked up at the man, pinched out his own cigarette, then lit the one the man had offered and took a drag.
This was a basic courtesy in the underworld, the sly-looking man was a middleman; someone wanted to ask for help from Gao Ye and his brothers but couldn’t meet them directly. Usually, middlemen relay messages, and only after both sides come to an agreement can they meet.
Moreover, the middleman had to stay quiet after offering the cigarette, until Sun San accepted it to speak about the matter, otherwise, it meant Sun San declined the issue.
This ritual also served to fool any spies. If a middleman began discussing murder and mayhem with Sun Er as soon as he entered, their plans would be compromised.
If Sun San felt it wasn’t safe or didn’t want to take on the job, he wouldn’t accept the cigarette.
Just after Sun San lit the cigarette, the sly-looking man spoke up, having assured himself of the safety of their surroundings,
"Sun San, I’ve got a lucrative deal for you, take a look..."
