Chapter 97: Retiring on the 97th day, the kind that can kill people. ...

The next day was a business exchange meeting, and Xing Shuyang, as one of the invited guests, had arrived in Jingbei early that day. Although he was an entrepreneur from Yuantie Province, Ning Changsheng's business had flourished over the years, and Yuantie Province had provided Ning Changsheng with many advantages. Naturally, they would exclude him due to his poor relationship with Ning Changsheng.

Xing Shuyang didn't mind, having long since evaded the situation and moved to other provinces and cities. His family settled in the south, only occasionally returning to their hometown to pay respects to their deceased elders. However, Xing's business had been doing well in recent years, and Xing Shuyang had met Shen Wanglan's father. The two hit it off, and Xing's Real Estate was also considering launching an offensive in northern Beijing.

Xing Shuyang bought a house in Jingbei, but when he arrived in Jingbei after a few hours' flight, he went to see Shen's father first.

Shen Wanglan was now in charge of the Shen family. Shen's father's daily routine consisted of fishing and playing chess with friends. His days were quite leisurely, but this leisurely pace was also somewhat dull. That was until he heard that Xing Shuyang had arrived in Jingbei and was coming to meet him for a drink. Without a word, he put away his fishing rod, returned home, and instructed the chef, "Old Shu is coming for dinner today. I haven't eaten the fish I caught yesterday yet. I'll kill it for Old Shu to taste."

Shen Wanglan finished his conversation with Sang Qiqi and walked down the stairs, holding the handrail with one hand. His ears were ringing from his father's loud voice. He adjusted his goggles, which he had forgotten to take off, and walked to Shen's father's side and asked, "Is Uncle Xing coming?"

"Hey, you're home, little brat." Father Shen patted his shoulder. "Boss Shen is so famous now, it's hard to see you."

In response to his father's teasing, Shen Wanglan's expression didn't even change, he just repeated the question.

Father Shen nodded: "Yes, it's not the first time you know that your uncle Xing and I have a good relationship. Look, he called me as soon as he got off the plane and said he wanted to come to my house for dinner. Are you going out now?"

Shen Wanglan has now taken over the Shen Corporation. Shen's father has long lost interest in controlling whether he eats or sleeps at home. He only said, "When the fish is killed, you can take half away and taste what the fish your father worked so hard to catch tastes like."

Shen Wanglan nodded: "Don't bother, I'll eat at home."

Wow.

That's perfect.

He clapped his hands at the housekeeper and said, "Old Li, ask the chef to make one fish in three ways. Chop the fish head with pepper, make fish balls and soup with half of the fish meat, and steam the other half of the fish meat."

The housekeeper responded with a smile, then turned to look at Shen Wanglan and asked, "It's rare for Wanglan to eat at home, why not make some braised short ribs?"

When the Shen brothers were little, their favorite food was braised short ribs. Back then, they were so young they'd even fight over a piece of short rib. Later, as Shen Wanglan grew older, he'd actually offer the short ribs to his younger brother. Over the years, as his status rose, Shen Wanglan became more relaxed about his food, his appetite becoming less and less. The housekeeper noticed this and felt the child was overly restrained, which was tiring.

Today I took the initiative to suggest braised pork ribs, obviously wanting to take the opportunity to make people relax.

When Shen Wanglan heard about the braised short ribs, he was stunned for a moment, then nodded in response and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Butler Lao Li waved his hand, thinking that it was not that hard for him, and then happily returned to the kitchen to explain the dinner requirements of the two villa owners.

Xing Shuyang arrived at the Shen family's old house around dusk.

When he visited his friend's house, he was not dressed so seriously, just a simple shirt and trousers, carrying cigarettes and alcohol. Shen's father was waiting at the door eagerly. When he saw Xing Shuyang's car coming in and Xing Shuyang bending down to get out of the car, he immediately stepped forward, patted the other's shoulder hard, and frowned: "Something's wrong, Lao Shu, I haven't seen you for a long time, why do you seem to have lost a lot of weight?"

Xing Shuyang pushed up his glasses, smiled and said, "Your eyesight is pretty good."

"That's right. Come on, I asked the chef to cook your favorite fish. Let's go inside and talk."

Xing Shuyang was enthusiastically brought into the living room. Shen's mother and Shen Wanglan were sitting on the sofa and talking in a low voice. Seeing Xing Shuyang come in, they both stood up. Shen's mother smiled and greeted him. Shen Wanglan also called him "Uncle Xing". Xing Shuyang uttered a sigh and smiled gently and elegantly at the two of them: "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you."

Mother Shen waved her hand: “What kind of disturbance is this? We can’t wait to have you come over.”

Xing Shuyang turned to look at Shen Wanglan again. Looking at this young man with an upright posture and outstanding temperament, Xing Shuyang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Although Old Shen's youngest son likes to make trouble, the eldest son is well-born, good-looking, and has outstanding abilities. He is considered a leader among the younger generation.

Thinking of the brainless powder keg in his family, Xing Shuyang rubbed his forehead with a headache.

Putting his troubled son aside, Xing Shuyang handed some gifts to the housekeeper. When Shen's father saw this, his eyes were not eyes and his nose was not nose: "According to our relationship, you are still so polite?"

"I've quit smoking, and it's a waste to keep these cigarettes."

Father Shen took it and took a look. It was indeed Xing Shuyang's past hobby. He didn't say anything more and pulled Xing Shuyang to sit at the table. When good friends meet, there is naturally no rule of not talking while eating.

After dinner, Shen's mother had an appointment with her sisters, so she left early.

Only Father Shen, Shen Wanglan, and Xing Shuyang were left at the table.

Father Shen first mentioned the reason why Xing Shuyang came to Jingbei: "I heard that you will attend the Jingbei Business Forum tomorrow? Why didn't you ask your son to go? I remember that most of your family's assets were handed over to him, right?"

The two are of similar age, so their son's age is naturally about the same.

When Shen Wanglan took over the Shen family, Xing Shuyang's son also occupied a certain position in the Xing family.

Xing Shuyang took off his glasses, took a sip of wine, rubbed his sore brow and said, "You'd better not mention him to me. The more I look at this brat, the more I want to beat him up. I wish he was as worry-free as your Wang Lan."

"What happened to him? Did he develop a bad habit?"

The bad habits Shen's father mentioned were mostly prostitution and gambling, and even more serious ones were drug addiction. At his age, he had seen many young people around his son's age go astray. After all, being born into a wealthy family, with money and no one to supervise them, it was easy for them to go astray.

But he had seen Xing Shuyang's son and had talked to him. He vaguely felt that he was a child with quite a lot of ideas. It was unlikely that this child would develop bad habits... right?

Xing Shuyang knew from the look on Father Shen's face that he must have misunderstood, and quickly waved his hand and said, "That's not the case. In this kind of thing, that kid is quite clear-headed. Hmm... I wonder if you have been following the recent news about Ningchuan Real Estate."

Father Shen raised his eyebrows and looked at his son.

Now that he has handed the group over to Shen Wanglan, he is just an ordinary old man. No one will tell him about other companies. He himself does not know how to go online. Every day he is either by the river or in the park. Naturally, he has no time to pay attention to Ningchuan Real Estate.

Receiving his father's questioning look, Shen Wanglan briefly recounted what happened.

When Mr. Shen heard this, he exclaimed, "So unlucky? But what does Ning Changsheng's misfortune have to do with your son?"

Xing Shuyang's expression became indescribable. "Ever since that brat found out about my feud with Ning Changsheng, he's been trying his best to bring Xing's company to the same level as Ningchuan Real Estate, and then crush Ningchuan Real Estate. But you also know that Ning Changsheng has been blessed with divine help over the years, and Ningchuan Group has achieved great success in various industries. Even if that brat really wanted to, he wouldn't have a place to step on. Unexpectedly, Ning Changsheng was implicated by Dai Jianhua and was attacked at the convention and exhibition center. He also indirectly accused his competitors of framing him. The brat couldn't stand it anymore and mocked Ning Changsheng on Weibo."

Father Shen: "...this, young people should have some blood."

Xing Shuyang smiled bitterly, "I was brave enough back then. I wanted to tell Lao Gao the truth, but what did I get in the end? I just pushed more people into the fire. So many people have laughed at me for being as timid as a mouse over the years, but if I hadn't avoided Ning Changsheng in time, I wouldn't have been able to protect my wife and son."

He sighed, "To be honest, although I haven't been against Ning Changsheng in the past few years, my private attention to him has not diminished. About two years ago, Ning Changsheng hired an assistant named Tang Ze. The assistant had an excellent resume and was highly regarded by Ning Changsheng's confidants. But it didn't take long for them to find out that Tang Ze's father had previously cooperated with Ning Changsheng. The two were very good friends, but after the project was launched, Ning Changsheng suddenly turned against him for some reason and withdrew. Tang Ze's father was in crisis due to a broken capital chain and was forced to jump off a building by a group of people. Ning Changsheng learned that Tang Ze was the son of a former partner and probably guessed the other party's purpose for coming to Ningchuan Real Estate. On the third day, someone found Tang Ze's body on the surface of the Yujiang River."

Shen's father and Shen Wanglan also heard this for the first time, and their expressions were somewhat surprised. Although Shen Wanglan had already known from Sang Qiqi that Ning Changsheng was definitely not a good person, the other party's unscrupulous behavior was somewhat shocking.

"Of course, there's no direct evidence to prove Ning Changsheng did it, but it was such a coincidence, and coupled with what I've been through... it's hard not to overthink it. I know firsthand how vindictive Ning Changsheng is, so after learning about my brat's monstrous actions, I couldn't sleep all night. I was terrified."

"Actually, I had no plans to attend the Beijing North Business Forum." Xing Shuyang's expression grew even more bitter as he spoke. "Call me a coward or useless, but I really don't intend to go against Ning Changsheng again. That brat's behavior of kicking someone when they're down has already irritated Ning Changsheng. If I attend another exchange meeting and speak on his behalf, you might discover I'm missing tomorrow, and then find my body somewhere in a couple of days."

"So, even though you came here early and created the appearance that you would attend the exchange meeting tomorrow, you actually had no intention of attending at all." Shen Wanglan poured wine into Xing Shuyang's empty glass, feeling as if he had guessed his thoughts. "You think the organizers of the exchange meeting have set you up, and you plan to fight back. If the exchange meeting starts and no one comes on stage, the organizers will definitely be embarrassed. And by doing this, you can also vent Ning Changsheng's anger. If he sees that the organizers' forum is not going well, he will not turn his hostile and resentful eyes towards you?"

Xing Shuyang felt a bit embarrassed to have his thoughts and plans exposed by the younger generation, but the embarrassment lasted only a few seconds before he put it behind him. According to his plan, Ning Changsheng would be happy, but there would definitely be more people laughing at him, mocking him for being such a coward. After all these years, he still didn't even dare to take Ning Changsheng's place.

In Xing Shuyang's opinion, there is no difference between being laughed at by one person and being laughed at by many people.

As long as I can save the lives of my family, what does it matter if I am laughed at?

Seeing the bitterness and difficulty in speaking between Xing Shuyang's eyebrows, Father Shen also sighed for a moment, but he didn't know how to comfort Xing Shuyang. Putting himself in his shoes, if it was him facing this situation now, he would most likely choose to avoid Ning Changsheng for various reasons.

Patting Xing Shuyang's shoulder hard again, Father Shen put his glass against his and clinked it with his. "You did nothing wrong. You obviously couldn't deal with Ning Changsheng, but you still insisted on going ahead. In the end, you even had to sacrifice your family. This is what only a fool would do. What's more, we are all older and have thicker skin. It's like making people laugh a few times..."

Before he finished speaking, Shen Wanglan slowly put down the wine glass in his hand. He raised his eyes, and looked at the middle-aged man in front of him who looked very tired after drinking. Suddenly he asked: "Uncle Xing, if there is a powerful person backing you up, will you still choose to be inferior to Ning Changsheng and accept the threat he brings?"

Xing Shuyang was stunned.

Father Shen turned his head to look at his son with a strange expression: "Very powerful? How powerful?"

Shen Wanglan thought of what Huo Chengji had told him about Sang Qiqi's abilities and Huo Chengji's experiences during their casual conversation. His expression remained unchanged as he answered truthfully, "The kind that can kill people."

Father Shen: “…”

Xing Shuyang: "..."

Xing Shuyang felt that it was now Old Shen's turn to worry about whether his son had gone astray or developed any bad habits.

Why do young people keep talking about "murder"?

Obviously, Shen's father thought so too. The fish ball that he had finally picked up with chopsticks slammed towards Shen Wanglan's forehead. The latter was prepared and turned his face to the side. The fish ball passed through his side, fell to the ground and bounced up very elastically.

Father Shen was furious. Seeing Shen Wanglan dodge the fish ball attack, he became even more angry. He slammed his chopsticks on the table, stood up, pointed at Shen Wanglan and cursed: "Stinky boy, what do you mean by the kind that can kill people? Do you know such a person? Aren't you busy at the company all day long? How can you have time to know such a dangerous person?"

Shen Wanglan: "I'm just giving an example."

Father Shen sneered.

His own son knew him well, if Shen Wanglan didn't really know such a person, he would never ask such a useless question in front of Xing Shuyang.

He pointed at Shen Wanglan's nose and said in a deep voice: "I don't care how you know him, stay away from him."

"That's probably not possible." Shen Wanglan said these five words slowly, which made Shen's father furious on the spot. He thought that the child had grown up and was no longer under the father's control. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to find a feather duster to start fighting when Shen Wanglan took the initiative to stand up and nodded to Xing Shuyang, "Uncle Xing, you can think about it carefully. I heard her say that Ning Changsheng originally planned to make you look bad at tomorrow's exchange meeting. Of course, since Uncle Xing has decided to withdraw from the exchange meeting, you will definitely be safe tomorrow."

"But... you know Ning Changsheng very well. He's invested in supporting so many Taoists, and they're not just any charlatans. If he doesn't want to deal with you, that's best, but if he does, as you said, he can kill you without anyone noticing." Shen Wanglan offered sincere advice. "Blindly giving in will only make the other party more aggressive. When there's an opportunity to bite back, I personally think we shouldn't let it go easily. I suggest you consider it carefully. You can always tell me your answer before the exchange meeting starts tomorrow."

Shen Wanglan left after saying this.

Father Shen hadn't found the feather duster yet so he could only let him go for the time being, while Xing Shuyang stared at the young man's back in a daze.

He squeezed the wine glass tightly, and when his fingers exerted force, the glass swayed slightly, and some transparent liquid splashed onto the back of his hand. The cold touch awakened his consciousness. Xing Shuyang tilted his head to look at Father Shen and asked, "Old Shen, what do you think? If it were you, would you seize this opportunity?"

Father Shen: “…”

He pondered for a while, and finally decided to speak the truth: "That depends on how powerful the person backing me is. If he's just a half-baked person, then I'll be courting my own destruction. But if he's truly a powerful figure who can help me get revenge, it would be a shame to miss out."

"I know my son. The person he's talking about is probably quite capable. But then again...couldn't the person he's talking about be someone related to the Huo family?" Father Shen frowned. Noticing Xing Shuyang's interest when he mentioned the Huo family, he briefly described the fate of Huo Chengji, the current leader of the Huo family. "Wanglan has a good relationship with the Huo family kid. His mother asked him about the relevant matters. At that time, Wanglan said that the Huo family kid met two powerful Taoist priests who helped him solve the problem."

"I know you definitely hate Ning Changsheng, and you still haven't gotten over the Gao Yuan incident... How about this, have a good talk with Wang Lan later, and then make a final decision."

Xing Shuyang nodded and smiled bitterly. "Yeah, there's no way to solve it. Lao Gao and his wife had only been married for three months. He told me she was pregnant, and then he died. His wife fainted several times at his funeral... At that time, I thought, I must make the culprit pay the price."

But over the years, he has retreated.

Xing Shuyang took a sip of wine and urged Father Shen, “Drink.”

Father Shen uttered a sigh, took a sip of wine, and his eyes fell on Xing Shuyang's face as he drank bitterly, and patted his shoulder.

After three rounds of drinks, Xing Shuyang rubbed his flushed face and walked outside. There was an artificial lake outside the Shen family's old house, and there was a small pavilion beside the artificial lake. When he walked over, Shen Wanglan was sitting in the pavilion, obviously having guessed his plan long ago. Xing Shuyang smiled and walked over to sit down opposite Shen Wanglan. The night breeze blew his drunken head a little sober. He cut straight to the point and asked, "Wanglan, tell your uncle about that powerful person you mentioned."

The next day.

A new TV had been installed in the funeral service. When there was no business, Sang Qiqi would lazily lie on the sofa, turn on the TV, and listen to a TV show. A shadow fell beside him. Duan Sui glanced at the pretentious actor on the screen and said:

"I don't think there will be much business today. There will be a heavy rainstorm later."

"It's raining heavily." Sang Qiqi propped up her head and glanced outside. The sky was indeed gloomy, and the pedestrians on the road were speeding up. She slowly smiled and said to Duan Sui, "That's perfect. Switch to the local financial channel and watch the play I directed."

Duan Sui curled his lips: "No problem."

At ten o'clock in the morning, the business forum hosted by the Beijing North Chamber of Commerce officially began. Looking at the entire business center, it was really lively. Entrepreneurs who could only be seen on financial channels in the past appeared in suits and ties.

Shen Wanglan and Huo Chengji entered the venue together. Most of the people around them were from the younger generation. They had topics to talk about and were well-informed.

Among them was a man named Song Yuda, probably in his thirties. Huo Chengji glanced at the badge hanging on his chest but didn't recognize him. Someone nearby noticed his scrutiny and smiled, explaining in a low voice, "He's from Songshan. He's not very skilled, so it's understandable you don't recognize him. But his uncle is a well-known private entrepreneur in Songshan, and he's using his uncle's status to come join in the fun."

When Huo Chengji nodded to show that he understood, Song Yuda was already chattering non-stop: "I heard that the organizers saw that Ningchuan Real Estate's Chairman Ning was caught up in a public opinion storm, so they gave the opportunity to go on stage to the CEO of Xing Group. However, the CEO of Xing Group treated Chairman Ning like a mouse seeing a cat. Not only did he not dare to go on stage, he didn't even dare to come!"

"You know this too?"

Someone responded with a smile.

"Of course not." Song Yuda raised his chin. "My uncle has a good relationship with the person in charge of the forum organizer. I just came from the person in charge, and I heard that they are contacting Xing Shuyang now."

"I've heard that Xing Shuyang always avoids situations where Director Ning is around. At first, I thought they were exaggerating, but I didn't expect it to be true... Director Ning probably won't be coming today, so he doesn't even dare to show up? He's afraid Director Ning will cause trouble for him. He's a big boss after all, so why is he so cowardly?"

Low chuckles rang out from the crowd, reaching the ears of Huo Chengji and Shen Wanglan. Huo Chengji glanced at his friend beside him, and as he walked towards his seat, he asked in a low voice, "Is this true? Last night before going to bed, I saw the circle of friends that my uncle posted. Mr. Xing is having dinner at your house."

"I was drinking with the old man and complaining about his son kicking Ning Changsheng when he was down." Shen Wanglan explained briefly, thinking of Huo Chengji's question just now, and said, "I will come. There is a good show today that needs Uncle Xing to be the leading actor."

oh?

Sitting down, Huo Chengji put his hands on the armrest and asked with interest: "Spoiler?"

"What's the point of spoilers?" A pleasant female voice suddenly rang in his ears. Huo Chengji turned his head abruptly, only to find that his left hand was empty. He was stunned, and his brain automatically tried to figure out the owner of the voice. After a few seconds, he understood and said, "Boss Sang?"

Sang Qiqi sat in the empty seat to the left of Huo Chengji, biting a lollipop and responding slowly.