Chapter 105 — Murder for Money

There was no help for it—even if others wanted to snatch the credit, they couldn't. And so Xia Xue not only received commendation from the municipal party committee and government, but was also awarded a third-class merit by the provincial department and granted the rank of second-class police superintendent. Because she was so young, however, she received no promotion in position.

Still, one could well imagine that if she distinguished herself again in the future, promotion would be no problem at all. Xia Xue was, in particular, a young, beautiful, and dashing policewoman—exactly the positive image television publicity craved. And so, for a time, the streets and alleys, the televisions and newspapers were all filled with news of Xia Xue.

Stepping out of the police station, Yang Ce suddenly received a call from Bao Lin.

"Hello? What is it?" Yang Mo was somewhat puzzled—he had just gotten himself a gun and was planning to go find him, so why had this fellow come looking for him first?

"Brother Yang, Guo Jianchao is here. He's at the Never-Night Club, and he wants to see you." Bao Lin's attitude toward Yang Juehuan was now nothing short of reverent, because he also knew that Yang Juehuan's status was different now. Yang Ce represented Mr. Y—and that was his current big boss.

"Guo Jianchao?" Yang Puqi said, startled. "What does he want?"

"I don't know, but he says he has something important to see you about," Bao Lin said.

"All right, tell him to wait. I'll come over now." Yang Ce thought it over for a moment, then agreed. He had sought out Guo Jianchao on his own a while back, asking him to help gather evidence against Wang Pu. Could it be that he had collected it?

Whatever he was up to, Yang Ce had to go to Bao Lin's place anyway. As Bao Lin's direct boss, how could he let his underling go without a gun? Even the boss of the Four Snakes Gang had a gun. Bao Lin was, after all, the boss of a whole city—far more impressive than that Brother She.

But using an unregistered gun was not a long-term solution. Yang Ce planned to ask Xia Xue and Chen Fei in a few days whether they could apply for a gun license for Bao Lin's security company.

Yang Ce returned to the hospital to retrieve the gun he had hidden earlier, then headed straight for the Never-Night Club.

Yang Ce had just arrived when he found Bao Lin already waiting at the door to greet him, which left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He had already told the man not to reveal his identity, and yet this fellow had gone and made it so obvious.

Still, Bao Lin was a rough, straightforward sort of man—the single-minded type—and his awe toward Yang Juehuan came straight from the heart. Asking him not to come out and greet him would have put him in a difficult spot.

But Bao Lin's deferential manner left Guo Jianchao, standing to one side, somewhat uneasy and uncertain. Just what was Yang Ce's identity, that he could make the boss of Songjiang come out to welcome him in person?

Originally, Guo Jianchao had thought that even if Yang Ce was formidable, he was merely a friend of Bao Lin's, and that he had helped gather material on Wang Pu out of respect for Bao Lin and that video. But now he had no choice but to reassess Yang Juehuan's influence.

And as for his own plan—should he perhaps change his partner in this venture? He had heard a thing or two about the changing of the guard in Songjiang's underworld during this period. Bao Lin was no longer what he once was: before, he had merely been a somewhat formidable mob boss, but now his status was that of Songjiang's number-one man.

But what about Yang Juehuan's status? Could it be even more formidable than Songjiang's number-one man? Guo Jianchao had risen to the position of vice president at just thirty, which showed his mind was more than adequate—he was no fool. And so, in a flash, a whole series of questions rushed through his mind.

He knew Sun Jie's background. Sun Jie's father, Sun Lin, was the power behind the scenes in Donghai. Though on the surface the number-one man was Tian Dajin, head of the Tian family, Guo Jianchao's covert investigations had revealed that it was actually the Sun family that truly controlled Donghai. This only strengthened his determination to pursue Sun Jie.

Yet Yang Cenbin—a small-time thug who seemed to drift aimlessly—was Sun Jie's boyfriend. And when he recalled Bao Lin's attitude just now, Yang Juehuan's true identity practically leapt out at him.

Could it be that Yang Shuoxuan was the son of Songjiang's hidden number-one man, and that Bao Lin, the number-one man out front, was also just a hired hand like Tian Dajin? At this thought, Guo Jianchao's face twitched involuntarily. Damn it, he was truly lucky to be alive—competing with Yan for a woman and only getting his ass kicked, not losing his life. That was the height of good fortune.

Thinking it through, that earlier conflict with the little waiter that had brought Bao Lin onto the scene and Yang Ce to the rescue could not possibly have been a coincidence—it must have been arranged beforehand to teach him a lesson.

But even if he understood, so what? Guo Jianchao would never dare say it aloud. He was still young, and he didn't want to die an unexplained death.

One had to admit that in just a few short minutes, Guo Jianchao had guessed Yang Juehuan's identity almost exactly right. His head was really something out of the ordinary—one could only say the man was a talent.

"Brother Yang!" Now that Guo Jianchao had figured out Yang Juehuan's identity, he was immediately filled with trepidation. Bowing and scraping, he came over to greet Yan.

"Mm." Yang Yongjin knew full well why Guo Jianchao had suddenly become so enthusiastic. When he had asked him to gather evidence the last time, the man had agreed without a word of protest, but he had clearly not been nearly this enthusiastic.

"What did you want to see me about?" Yang Linyue asked flatly.

"Brother Yang, about the evidence you asked me to collect on President Wang—no, on Wang Pu—I've gathered some, but it's not exactly damning," Guo Jianchao said cautiously.

"Let's talk inside." Yang Wenru frowned. Those pieces of evidence were no longer needed now. Wang Pu's death sentence was essentially a foregone conclusion, with no suspense whatsoever.

The three of them found a small meeting room. Bao Lin opened the door, but did not dare enter first; he said to Yang Yanzhou, "Brother Yang, after you."

Yang Puqi laughed. "Brother Bao, what are you doing? This is making things awkward between us—I'm not even used to it."

"Ah—Brother Yang, I—" Bao Lin scratched his scalp. He was a man without much guile, blunt and straightforward, and he knew only that Yang Ce's status was now far above his own, so he unconsciously showed him deference.

"Forget it." Yang Ce looked at his awkward expression and waved a hand. "From now on, don't act like this in front of outsiders. It's a good thing only Jianchao is here today—if word got out, I wouldn't even be able to attend school in peace."

"Yes, yes, Brother Yang." Hearing Yang Ce say this, Bao Lin suddenly realized that Guo Jianchao could not yet be counted as one of their own. If the fellow went out and blabbed, wouldn't that ruin everything?

Previously, Bao Lin had assumed Guo Jianchao was also running errands for Yang Ce, so there had been nothing to keep hidden, and he had brought him out to wait for Yang Ce together. But now it seemed—who knew whether this kid's mouth was tight or not?

At this thought, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. "Brother Yang, how about—"

Guo Jianchao could not help but shudder. Mother of God, he's going to kill me to shut me up!