Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sun Zhengrong and his family had offered help to Wang Yao constantly. It seemed that now they were in trouble. For whatever reason, Wang Yao thought he should pay back the favor.
Wang Yao wanted to gain more information, but those people didnât say much about Sun Zhengrong. They started to talk about something else.
Iâll probably have to stay here for several more days, he thought.
Wang Yao returned to the hotel after the meal. He called Zhong Liuchuan to make sure everything was fine in the village.
âDr. Wang, some people came to the clinic to look for you a few days ago,â Zhong Liuchuan said. âThey came twice. They seemed to have high social status.â
âDid they go to my house?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo. They seemed to know your rules,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âI see. Thank you,â Wang Yao said. âI have left Hongzhou and am in Dao. Iâve got something to do here. I will return to the village the day after tomorrow.â
âI see,â Zhang Liuchuan said.
The next, it became hot early in the morning. The temperature had been very high in Qi province the past few days. The weather forecast reported the heat wave would linger more than 10 days. It was even hot in a coastal city like Dao, where the temperature was just a few degrees lower.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Wang Yao went straight to a small pub. Pubs were normally quiet during the day and busy at night. People often went to them after work to have a drink and sing karaoke.
They were good places for relaxation. It would be even better if they were lucky enough to meet a hot girl for one-night stand. Presently, there were no customers in the pub. The bartender was yawning as he leaned on the table.
âSoooo sleepy!â the bartender murmured. âGood morning, how can I help you?â The bartender tried to put himself together as soon as he saw Wang Yao.
âI want to speak to your manager,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat for? Heâs still sleeping,â the bartender replied.
âFor business,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat business?â the bartender asked.
âCasual business,â Wang Yao said.
âOK, wait.â Suddenly, the bartenderâs eyes lit up as if he had just woken up from a dream. He immediately made a phone call. âOK, I see.â
He turned to Wang Yao and said, âPlease follow me.
He led Wang Yao to a private room.
âPlease wait for a moment,â the bartender said. âOur manager will be here in a minute. What would you like to drink? We have free drinks available for you.â
âNo, thanks,â Wang Yao said.
A moment later, a man in his 30s entered the private room in a hurry.
âIâm so sorry. I was in the middle of something,â the man said with a smile.
âThatâs fine,â Wang Yao said.
He could smell a strong perfume from the man and observed the manâs steady gait and black eye sockets when he came in. Wang Yao supposed the manager was very busy and didnât sleep well the previous night.
âIs this your first time here?â the manager asked.
âYes, my friend recommended me to come to you,â Wang Yao said.
âIâve never seen you before. What can I help you?â The manager took out a pack of cigarettes and handed Wang Yao one.
âNo, thanks,â Wang Yao said.
The manager lit one for himself and inhaled hard on it..
âI want to discuss with you about the Sun Family,â Wang Yao said.
âWhich Sun Family?â the manager asked. He suddenly looked serious.
âThe most prestigious family in Dao,â Wang Yao said.
âI see. Well, did they offend you or you want to pay them a favor back?â the manager asked after keeping silent for a moment.
âIs there a difference?â Wang Yao asked.
âOf course. If you want to do any harm to them, then I wonât be able to help you. Iâm just gonna pretend you didnât come today. If you want to pay them a favor back, weâll be able to continue our conversation,â the manager said.
âI want to help them,â Wang Yao said.
âFine then, letâs continue,â the manager said. âWhat do you want to know?â
âAre they in some sort of trouble at the moment?â Wang Yao asked.
âI can certainly tell you that. But, shall we discuss the payment first.â The manager lifted two fingers.
âYou want $200?â Wang Yao asked.
âOh, well... Ahem!â The manager pretended to cough. âThat amount can barely buy me a drink. I mean $2,000.â
âOK, thatâs fine with me,â Wang Yao said.
âWell, I need deposit first. Itâs our rule,â the manager said.
âThatâs fine,â Wang Yao replied.
He quickly transferred the deposit to the managerâs bank account.
âGot it.â The manager suddenly became more polite after he had received the money. âLet me think about how to put it. You know Sun Zhengrongâs family is big. They run a big business.â
âOf course,â Wang Yao said.
âA lot of people have been keeping an eye on their business, and some of them tried to steal it,â the manager said. âHowever, Sun Zhengrong has good connections with the local government. Nowadays, those businessmen all have to depend on someone in the government.â
âI understand,â Wang Yao said.
âAs far as I know, Sun Zhengrongâs connection in the government has retired,â the manager said. âSomeone else is in that position now. Coincidentally, the new officer doesnât see eye to eye with his predecessor. Therefore, Sun Zhengrong was involved. He is just really unlucky. You know, businessmen will never win over the government. He had to accept it.â
âWho is the new officer?â Wang Yao asked.
âI just know his surname is Hou,â the manager said.
âHou? Never heard of him,â Wang Yao said.
âAre you familiar with people in the government?â Now it was the managerâs turn to be surprised.
âNot really. I just know a few prestigious families in Beijing,â Wang Yao replied.
âTell me who you know,â the manager said.
âHave you heard about the Su Family?â Wang Yao asked.
âThe Su Family? They are one of the most prestigious families in Beijing,â the manager said. âThe elders in their family are still alive. One of them is the minister, and another one is the deputy minister of two powerful departments. Furthermore, Su Changhe married the daughter from the Song Family. What a perfect match! They are pretty much the most powerful family in Beijing.â
âReally?â Wang Yao was really surprised.
He was dating Su Xiaoxue and knew her family was very powerful. However, he had no idea how powerful her family exactly was. He didnât say anything more about the Su Family.
âOf course, do you know people from the Su Family?â the manager asked.
âYeah, a few,â Wang Yao said.
âReally?â the manager asked.
âLetâs stop talking about the Su Family. I want to know more about the new Officer Hou,â Wang Yao said.
âWell, are any other prestigious families you know in Beijing?â the manager asked.
âThe Guo Family,â Wang Yao replied.
âYeah, the second most powerful people in this province are from the Guo Family,â the manager said. âHeâs actually the person in charge and has room to move up. Of course, the Guo Family is prestigious. Who else do you know?â
âThe Wu Family,â Wang Yao said.
âI know them,â the manager said. âI heard about Direct Wu and Chief Wu. Yes, they are considered prestigious family, too.â
âSo compared to the three families I just mentioned, what level is the Hou family at?â Wang Yao asked.
âJust a little less powerful than the Wu family,â the manager said.
âSo, why is Sun Zhengrong worried?â Wang Yao asked.
âWhat?â The manager was surprised. âDonât you know that the Sun family is actually in a tricky situation. Itâs not that simple. There are just a handful of super powerful families in China. The position that the Hou family holds can hit where it hurts.â
âAre there a lot of members of the Hou family here?â Wang Yao asked.
âOh, well, could you please stop asking questions for now. Let me finish first,â the manager said.
He told Wang Yao what he knew about the Hou family and how the hatred incurred between the Hou family and Sun family. The third son from the Hou family was in Dao and had controlled a company previously owned by Sun Zhengrong without paying anything. The company was worth hundreds of millions.
âHe didnât pay anything? That easy?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, that easy,â the manager said.
âI donât think Sun Zhengrong is the type of person who gives up easily,â Wang Yao said.
âHe didnât want to give up his company, but it will be good for him if the Hou family leaves him alone from now on since theyâve got the company,â the manager said. âI think he also wants to test the water.â
âFor what?â Wang Yao asked.
âHe wants to know what the Hou family really wants, how big their appetite is,â the manager said. âI believe Sun Zhengrong is prepared for something worse.â
The manager yawned. âSorry, I didnât sleep well last night.â
âHave you ever heard a slumbering beauty leads a hero to tomb?â Wang Yao asked with a smile. âA beautiful woman is like a Xyster sometimes.â
âHmm?â The way the manager looked at Wang Yao slightly changed.
âYou probably experience weakness in your waist and knees, sometimes hear humming sounds, have mild pain in your lower belly, and your stool is not in shape,â Wang Yao said.
âHow do you know?â the manager asked. He subconsciously sat straight up. He looked shocked. Wang Yao was right about him.
âWhat company did the third son from the Hou family occupy?â Wang Yao asked.
âItâs a trading company. The name of the company is Ocean Sky Pty Ltd.,â the manager said. âAre you a doctor? Can you tell me more details of my symptoms?â
âIâm not a doctor. Iâm a Traditional Chinese Pharmacist,â Wang Yao said.
âA pharmacist?â the manager asked with surprise. He lit another cigarette.
âSorry.â He threw the cigarette away after taking a glance at Wang Yao.
âYou know, your symptoms are caused by having too much sex,â Wang Yao said.
âI know, but I canât control myself when I see a pretty girl,â the manager said. âI just want to talk with them. Sometimes a casual conversation leads to something else.â
âIf you donât control yourself, you wonât be able to have sex again in two years,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat do you mean?â The manager was shocked.
âI mean what I said,â Wang Yao said. âYou wonât be able to have sex if you donât change your lifestyle. And, that is not your only problem. You also have stomach symptoms. I presume you drink at least one bottle a day?â