Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins
Years of Heartflutter · Page 186 of 214
Yet young Dalsk had not wasted the trip; he had indeed uncovered some clues. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes:
Man dies for wealth, birds die for food. Had young Dalsk stayed dutifully on his own turf and entertained no further wild ambitions, he might have lived out his days happily. But he chose a road of no return.
Young Dalsk, however, did not see it that way. He believed his own abilities were more than enough to deal with a mere celebrity. Confidence is a good thing, but blind confidence is not so fortunate.
Lately Yang Ce had been truly busy—run off his feet. Fortunately, Zhang Bin was handling everything at the jewelry company. But at this critical moment came unfortunate news: Zhang Bin had been beaten up.
Hearing this, Yang Mo was somewhat taken aback. Zhang Bin was a boss now—how could he just be beaten up like that?
The call came from Zhao Sisi. Yang Ce immediately realized the matter was not simple—otherwise Zhang Bin would have called him personally.
"How is Zhang Bin? What exactly happened?" Yang Ce asked urgently.
"I don't know either. This morning, Zhang Bin and I were at the company recruiting people when a group of men rushed in with iron rods and started smashing the place without a word. Zhang Bin went to stop them and they beat him with the rods." Zhao Sisi's voice was dazed. "We're at First People's Hospital now. Are you coming over?"
"Yes, I'll be right there." Yang Wenru frowned. "How badly is Zhang Bin hurt?"
"Both his arms are broken. They're all external injuries, but he won't be able to take care of himself for quite a while," Zhao Sisi said sorrowfully.
"I understand. Wait for me. I'm on my way." Yang Yanzhou hung up as soon as he finished speaking.
Zhang Bin had been beaten, and this jewelry company—Bao Lin had already put out the word. People in the underworld should all know the company's background; no one should have dared to provoke them. Still, Yang Ce called Bao Lin.
"Baozi, this is Yang Ce," Yang Yanzhou said.
"Brother Yang, what are your orders?" In the past, Yang Mo had always called Hou Lin directly for everything; it was only recently that Yang Ce had gradually started using Bao Lin, so Bao Lin was naturally nervous and deferential.
"My Liu Yan Jewelry Company has been smashed up. Help me find out who did it," Yang Ce instructed.
"Smashed up?" Bao Lin was stunned. "How could that be? I've already told my people below—they even warned the small-time thugs nearby, strictly forbidding them to cause trouble."
"Both of Zhang Bin's arms are broken," Yang Mo said angrily. "Baozi, investigate right now and call me back."
"Yes, Brother Yang," Bao Lin answered hurriedly.
And so the entire underworld of Songjiang sprang into action. It had to be admitted that sometimes the underworld worked faster than the police. The police had procedures to follow and methods to observe, while the underworld stopped at nothing.
All the small-time thugs of the commercial street had been gathered together. Baolin himself questioned them: "When the Liu Yan Jewelry Company was smashed this morning, which of you was nearby?"
"Brother Bao, I know—I was nearby," one thug said, raising his hand excitedly. To be summoned in person by Brother Bao was no small honor.
"Speak. Give me something worthwhile, and I'll reward you generously," Baolin said without pause.
"Yes," the thug said. "A group of men in black came in a big Hyundai van. Since I'm in the business myself, I paid them some attention. At first I figured they were people from our own Songjiang underworld coming to handle something. But then I thought, no—you'd already told us all not to cause trouble for Liu Yan Jewelry, so something felt off. I watched them more carefully and saw they were all unfamiliar faces, none I'd ever seen in the trade. I don't think they're locals from Songjiang."
"Did you get the plate number?" Baolin's heart tightened. Could they be outsiders?
"I did. It's a Donghai plate—AQ7431," the thug said.