Chapter 590: Minor character

These people who had still been contending for supremacy a few hours ago were sitting together and drinking tea.

“Right, Twenty-seven was sold by that whoever in Yanzhou, right?” The talkative Twenty-nine asked.

He Twenty-seven also raised his head, waiting for the answer.

“No, he didn’t fool Twenty-seven. What he said was the actual situation,” Old Jin said.

He Twenty-seven was taken aback, “But you came back.”

“Some of my people are still over there, playing cat and mouse with the Ding family. That night, most of my people left first, while the few who remained went to stir things up at the Ding family in the early hours of the morning, ensuring that Ding Miao would call you the next day to tell you the situation there...providing you the ease of mind to act,” Old Jin said, “Then, I and the rest only boarded a plane after leaving Jianhai Province. We specifically waited till very late too. I was fearful that you might have people keeping an eye on the Binzhou airport and might just give up on your operation if you realised I came back early.”

“...You win,” Twenty said.

Just like they had thought earlier, whatever Old Jin might say this time, however candid he was, regarding what was real and what was false, afterwards, they would still not be able to overcome the fear of he who was ruthless in his methods and had never made a miscalculation before.

He Twenty-seven suddenly laughed out loud.

Everyone looked at him.

“Hey, Jin Shengxing, is it that I’ve overestimated you or underestimated you?” He Twenty-seven laughed till he had stitches in his side as he said, “Do you know? I actually, actually thought that you really had a deep relationship with that Xu Tingsheng and would even risk yourself to save him...that’s why my scheme was based around him and I went all in on it. But I was still wrong. You are Jin Twenty-four! Ruthless, never making a miscalculation...I truly never thought that you would give up on him so decisively. You even capitalised on it as an opportunity instead to make a killing. Hahahaha...Xu Tingsheng will be following me to the grave, right?!”

Understanding what he meant, Eleven and the others felt like it was only natural. Now this was Jin Twenty-four.

Little Jinshan looked at Old Jin, “Jin Twenty-four, tell me, is what he’s saying true? Did you give up on saving Uncle Xu?!”

Seeing Old Jin momentarily silent, tears rolled down his face as he looked disbelievingly at his father, still looking lost and unable to accept it.

Old Jin reached out and helped him wipe off his tears. He pushed him away.

Old Jin could only smile helplessly, “Yes, it’s true that I didn’t save him. Still, your Uncle Xu will be okay!”

“Really?”

“Really. Your Uncle Xu has ties with me and with you too. So, Dad won’t lie to you on this.”

He Twenty-seven interrupted, “Impossible. Based on the time, Ding Miao should already have called the police and begun handing in the evidence by now. He said: with both material evidence and witnesses present, Xu Tingsheng is doomed for sure.”

Old Jin looked at him, “Do you know who it was who said Xu Tingsheng will be okay?”

“Who?”

“Xu Tingsheng himself.”

“And you believed him just like that? Maybe he said only this because he truly places weight on relationships and doesn’t want to drag you down.”

“Of course I believe him. Because the very first thing he told me was: Trust Tongtong.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ve seen Tongtong before. She’s a woman. Women by Xu Tingsheng side-so long as their hearts are stirred, who can escape it?! Everyone says Xu Tingsheng is a genius in commerce. Few know that he actually has a greater, more enviable and detestable talent...in reaping the hearts of women. So, if Xu Tingsheng says we can trust a woman, of course I’ll believe him.”

He Twenty-seven smiled, “Is that so? But I happened to hear that a woman similarly reported him to the police some time back. That woman is called Lu Zhixin, right? Because love is unattainable, feeling hatred and personally destroying him-surely Tongtong’s the same?!

Old Jin said, “Do you know why Lu Zhixin did so then? For a woman to be willing to be cursed at by all and incur a man’s hatred for the sake of protecting him, I think...there aren’t many in this world who can do that. I just hope that Tongtong doesn’t do even more. Xu Tingsheng’s debt here-how many lifetimes of being a bachelor must he need to pay it back? He was surely a bachelor in his previous life...”

Old Jin had inadvertently hit upon one thing here. In terms of marriage, Xu Tingsheng had indeed been a bachelor in his previous life.

He Twenty-seven defeatedly slumped against the back of his chair at this joke.

After a long time.

Looking at the time, he got up calmly and said, “I guess I should more or less be getting on my way now. The abandoned mine should be chosen from my own territory, right? It’ll be easier to explain a mine accident that way.”

Old Jin got up.

He Twenty-seven took two steps forward, looked back and asked, “Could I request two things of you at the end?”

Old Jin said, “Say it.”

“Thank you,” He Twenty-seven said, “The first thing. Please throw Jiang Three’s corpse as far from me as possible. It’s disgusting when he’s close. I was already disgusted enough when I was alive. When I’m dead...I don’t want to see him again.”

Old Jin said, “Alright. You can rest assured on that.”

He Twenty-seven nodded, “The second thing. I’d like...” He indicated with his eyes at He Chunhua who was standing a distance away, asking calmly, “Can I speak a bit with her?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Old Jin said, “Go on.”

He Twenty-seven stood before He Chunhua. She originally hadn’t been called He Chunhua. No matter how one saw it, amongst all the people present, He Chunhua was but a minor character. Whatever the case, though, it was undeniable that this minor character had actually influenced the entire big picture this very night.

“You were one of Jin Twenty-four’s people from the start?” He Twenty-seven asked her.

“No,” He Chenhua answered.

“When did he win you over?”

“I took the initiative to contact him the year before last.”

He Twenty-seven was clearly a little astounded as he gazed earnestly at He Chunhua’s eyes before asking in a hushed tone, “Will you be one of Jin Twenty-four’s subordinates after this?”

He Chunhua shook her head, “I don’t know either.”

He Twenty-seven asked softly but with added emphasis on every word, “Want to be the next He Twenty-seven?”

“Huh?”

“You can stay as one of Jin Twenty-four’s subordinates for the time being and slowly look for a chance,” He Twenty-seven said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “If you want, I actually still have some hidden resources that I can tell you about...think of a way to use ‘em. Remember my lesson, and do better than me.”

It was actually not because of the feelings between them that he was doing it. Having already seemed to gain major enlightenment earlier, before his death, He Twenty-seven still wanted to plant a land mine for Jin Twenty-four. This land mine was an ambitious He Chunhua who was in possession of some resources.

He Chunhua looked at him, “Are you serious?”

He Twenty-seven asked, “What do you think? I’m about to die.”

“Well then...okay.”

As there was not much time, not beating around the bush, He Twenty-seven faked a goodbye hug while whispering everything to He Chunhua. Finally, he told her, “ Remember my fate. You have to be more patient and able to tolerate, more ruthless than me.

The two separated.

He Chunhua began speaking loudly, “Boss Jin, He Twenty-seven still has three people amongst your subordinates who have not been exposed. They are...he said he has evidence against the three of them to prevent them from betraying him. You can investigate it. Also, he has one mine where they dug to the side, sealing it as they went. It’s well-hidden; it’s already within a hundred metres of that mountain road when you most like taking a stroll. Also...”

He Twenty-seven stared incredulously at her, blood surging to his throat as he panted intensely.

Finishing up, He Chunhua now spoke to him, “Sorry. Actually, I don’t want to be a magnate in the first place, much less the next He Twenty-seven. I don’t want to live my life like this. If it’s possible, I’d rather live a peaceful life.”

“But why are you still fooling me at this point? I’m about to die! Don’t you even have a bit of feelings...” He Twenty-seven exclaimed resentfully.

“Probably because I hate you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done that the year before last,” He Chunhua broke him off.

“The year before last, I remember that you and I were still fresh. I treated you pretty well. When doing the surgery, you even took the initiative to...”

“Now this is an awkward matter. Bro, don’t laugh, but it’s actually like this. I was thinking that if I proposed it in that surgery and you agreed, ultimately even getting rid of that part, afterwards and today’s matter may not have happened. I might really have properly been a woman for you. Sadly, you didn’t agree, so...you left me hope. Actually, I still can be a man, right?! Taking out that stuff in my chest, adjusting here and there...and I’ll be a man again!”

He Chunhua’s voice became much rougher all at once. Primarily, the tone had changed to become very masculine.

He Twenty-seven looked at him, “It’s because of this that you betrayed me? To be a man?!”

He Chunhua nodded.

“Impossible. Impossible! You clearly like men,” He Twenty-seven shook his head, “When we first met, it was even you who approached me to hook up in the bar...”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Then?”

He Chunhua bellowed in rage, “But your mother, this old man is a seme! When I tried to hook up with you for love, it was completely because...this old man thought you were an uke. In the end, you know! I couldn’t beat you, and I couldn’t run after knowing your secret. I am afraid of dying, but I simply couldn’t dampen my powerful desire for ‘attack’...so I could only render you dead.”

So...at the end of the day, it had really been a matter of this...

That mouthful of blood in He Twenty-seven’s throat finally spurted out.