Chapter 332 — Safe Return

"There's something I need to confirm with you. A fellow claims he bought a car from you today, and he was wearing one of our Shuilan Gang logo baseball caps. Do you know this man?" Lazi asked.

"Oh? Yes, there was such a person — a tourist from the East. I sold him an old Santana. If it's him, then there's no problem!" York thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't you hand him the phone so I can confirm?"

"Fine!" Lazi figured a little caution never hurt, so he passed the phone to Wei Zhao. "You talk to York."

"Big Brother York, it's me!" Wei Zhao said, beaming. "Here's the thing — I bought the car, didn't I, and I was all set to drive it home, but then I got stopped at the city exit. I have no idea what's going on..."

"It's you. All right, no problem. Put Lazi back on, I'll talk to him!" Having confirmed that the man on the phone was indeed today's buyer, York was satisfied.

"Sure!" Wei Zhao handed the phone back to Lazi. "Big Brother York wants to speak with you!"

Lazi took the phone, exchanged a few words, nodded, then said to Wei Zhao, "All right, you can go. My name's Lazi — if you ever want to buy a car again, you can come to me!"

Lazi had started poaching business.

"No problem, Big Brother Lazi!" Wei Zhao nodded and agreed. Buy a car from you? In your next life.

Back in the car, Wei Zhao drove through the checkpoint without a hitch and sped out of Blue City.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xie Jinbiao was dumbstruck. Just like that, they were letting them go? All those other cars beside them weren't allowed through, and Wei Zhao had just said a few words and taken a phone call, and that was that?

Of course, this time Xie Jinbiao had learned his lesson and didn't dare ask anything rash.

Wei Zhao offered no explanation. He had seen Shuilan Gang members searching for someone back at the hotel, and had anticipated there would be more of them at the city exit. So he had put on the Shuilan Gang cap and prepared his story in advance, and in York's name he had slipped smoothly out of the city.

Once outside the city, Wei Zhao pulled the cap off his head and tossed it away. The thing was useless now — outside Shuilan Gang territory it wouldn't work anyway, and if it caused another misunderstanding, that would be even more trouble.

They reached the airport without a hitch. Wei Zhao simply abandoned the car in the airport parking lot, without even pulling out the keys.

"Let's go. You planning to stand here forever?" Seeing Xie Jinbiao gazing at the airport in a daze, Wei Zhao snapped at him.

"N-no... it's nothing, Big Brother. I was just looking at this place of sorrow. Who knows, I might never come back here again?" Xie Jinbiao said with a sigh, then hurried after Wei Zhao into the international departures gate...

The plane soared into the sky from the runway... Xie Jinbiao was silent the whole way, and no one knew what he was thinking. But during the layover in Yanjing, he asked cautiously, "Big Brother... how much did my father give you..."

"Everything he had," Wei Zhao replied flatly. "When you go back, he'll have nothing left."

"Oh..." Xie Jinbiao nodded. He looked a little dejected, but he said nothing more. In his view, the price was fair enough — with Wei Zhao's skills, he was worth that much! And the entire family fortune added up to less than a hundred million US dollars, so in the end he had come out ahead; otherwise his father would have had to sell everything he owned and still be drowning in debt.

Xie Jinbiao's attitude surprised Wei Zhao somewhat. No crying, no fuss — he seemed to have accepted the facts. Had this fellow actually mended his ways?

In truth, after this hair-raising ordeal, Xie Jinbiao had come to understand a few things. When he had money, he was a young master; when he had none, he was less than nothing...

The plane touched down safely on the ground. They were home.

Wei Zhao felt nothing in particular, but Xie Jinbiao was overcome with emotion, trembling all over with excitement...

"Withdrawal symptoms?" Wei Zhao glanced at him.

"No, it's just that I got a bit worked up. The addiction's already beaten..." Xie Jinbiao said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Beaten it?" Wei Zhao was taken aback. This fellow could actually kick drugs?

"I've been locked up two months. With no money, who'd supply me? At first it was hard to bear, but after a while I got through it..." Xie Jinbiao explained, a little ashamed.

Wei Zhao nodded and said nothing. In a case like Xie Jinbiao's, as long as he never touched the stuff again, a complete break was possible — the worry was that he might touch it again later, and one taste would pull him right back.

But that was none of Wei Zhao's concern. Bringing him back counted as fulfilling his promise.

At the airport, Qingbo's car was not there to meet them; Wei Zhao had not told him the exact time of their return. The tickets could be changed, so the date of return depended on how smoothly Wei Zhao's mission went.

Outside the airport, Wei Zhao flagged down a taxi, and he and Xie Jinbiao got in together.

"Take us to Qianhua Waterside," Wei Zhao instructed the driver.

"Right you are!" The driver nodded and started the car, though he found it rather odd — Wei Zhao was plainly dressed, while the fellow in the back looked as though he had run out of a refugee camp, in rags and thin as a opium skeleton. These two, going to Qianhua Waterside? That was where the wealthy lived!

Still, he asked no more. He was collecting a fare, after all — what business was it of his where they were headed?

Xie Jinbiao had not been back in the country for years. Gazing at the streets of Songshan City, his eyes brimmed with emotion, and at the thought of being home soon, his excitement grew beyond measure...

When they reached Qianhua Waterside, Wei Zhao paid the fare and got out with Xie Jinbiao, and the two set off on foot toward District F...

Xie Guangbo had not gone to the company these past two days. He had announced to the outside world that he had a bad cold and needed to rest at home — which left Jin Gubang, already braced to move against Gu Pengzhan, thoroughly vexed...

Why fall ill now of all times, just when the board meeting was about to convene?

Jin Gubang had paid a visit to Xie Guangbo's villa to see him. Xie Guangbo did indeed look haggard and worn, and Jin Gubang had no suspicion that he was feigning illness.

In truth, Xie Guangbo had no cold at all; his haggard look came from worry over his son's safety. He had witnessed Wei Zhao's skill, but as the saying goes, two fists cannot beat four hands — especially in an unfamiliar foreign land, entirely on another's home ground. To bring his son back looked, by any reckoning, a very difficult task...

So he had slept poorly for nights on end — how could he not look haggard? Jin Gubang happened to arrive and, seeing Xie Guangbo's sickly, frail appearance, found it awkward to say anything more; he merely urged him to rest well and recover quickly...