Chapter Thirty-Seven: Ruthless and Cruel

Uncle Zhong, holding a purple clay teapot, sat on a rosewood chair in the Chen family's living room, tea smoke swirling around his white hair. He stared at Chen Kan standing by the window, his voice tinged with a hint of probing: "Chen Kan, that girl Lin Tang is really capable. Qiao Yuan has only been dead for a few days, and she's already managed to subdue the Crescent Moon Gang. Not only has the Crescent Moon Gang not fallen into chaos, but they even respect her as their leader. I'm quite impressed!"

Chen Kan's back stiffened, his fingers unconsciously tracing the carvings on the windowsill. He didn't turn around, his tone as cold as frost: "Uncle Zhong, why are you bringing her up?"

"What for?" Uncle Zhong chuckled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "You two were childhood sweethearts. Back at the Wusong Wharf, you even took a bullet for her! Originally, we only wanted to use her as a stepping stone to weaken Qiao Yuan's power in Jiangcheng. But now that she's lost Qiao Yuan, she's all alone. If we can marry her, and the Chen family and the Crescent Moon Gang merge, who in Jiangcheng can stop us?"

"Marry her?" Chen Kan suddenly turned around, his eyes blazing with anger. "Uncle Zhong, have you forgotten what you told me before? You said the Chen family wouldn't tolerate her! Someone like her can't cross the threshold of the Chen family."

Uncle Zhong said leisurely, "Times have changed."

Chen Kan grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it heavily on the ground, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere. "Even if I, Chen Kan, never marry, I will never marry a woman who hates me!"

Uncle Zhong was startled, then sighed, "You're still too emotional. What did the master tell you? The Chen family's business is more important than anything else." He bent down to pick up a shard of porcelain from the ground, his fingertip cut and a little blood seeped out. "Lin Tang is now in charge of the Crescent Moon Gang. If she sides with someone else, our Chen family will be in danger."

Chen Kan didn't speak. He looked out the window at the sky, feeling suffocated.

The two were having a disagreement when there was a knock on the door.

"Brother Chen, it's me." Cheng Qing's voice came from outside the door, tinged with tears.

Chen Kan frowned and said to Uncle Zhong, "You can go down first."

Uncle Zhong nodded, got up and walked out.

Cheng Qing pushed open the door and came in. She was wearing a light blue cheongsam, and her eyes were red and swollen, making her look like a bullied rabbit. She rushed over and grabbed Chen Kan's arm: "Brother Bai Mu, I have nowhere to go! Lin Jintang is going to kill me!"

Chen Kan frowned and pulled his arm away: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Really!" Cheng Qing sobbed, "Now that Qiao Yuan is dead, and I'm no longer of any use to her, of course she'll kill me!"

Chen Kan turned around, "No way!"

Cheng Qing stared into Chen Kan's eyes and said, "Brother Bai Mu, have you forgotten that night? You told me to deliberately put on an act and tell Qiao Yuan at 11 p.m. that the Japanese might bomb the factory, luring him there and making him the culprit of the factory explosion! And you chose that time to act so that there would be fewer people in the factory. Brother Bai Mu, is this your kindness or your cowardice?"

Chen Kan's face turned pale instantly.

Cheng Qing's hand moved up his chest, her fingertips tracing his Adam's apple, her voice trembling with a seductive quality: "Brother Bai Mu, that night you held me and said you hated that Lin Tang only had eyes for Qiao Yuan, that you understood her better than Qiao Yuan..."

Chen Kan suddenly grabbed her wrist, his knuckles turning white: "Cheng Qing, if you mention these things again, get out."

Chen Kan loosened his grip and his Adam's apple bobbed: "Manqing, I...we looked for you back then."

"You've searched?" Cheng Qing laughed through her tears. "Does searching make up for all the suffering I've endured these past years?" She grabbed his sleeve, her nails digging into his arm. "Brother Bai Mu, we're all people abandoned by Lin Tang. Now that she's in charge of the Crescent Moon Gang, she'll definitely come after us! Will you take me in? I'll help you deal with her, I'll help you take over the Crescent Moon Gang's territory..."

Chen Kan pushed her away and said coldly, "Whether you are Manqing or not, you are just a young woman. You could use your status as a concubine to mediate back then, but what can you do now?"

Chen Kan's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat: "You... what are you going to do?"

“Brother Bai Mu, on the way to Qiao Yuan’s funeral, take the Chen family to expose the truth that she killed Qiao Yuan! I will be your best witness.”

Chen Kan was stunned, never expecting her plan to be so crazy.

“She didn’t kill the person… If the Crescent Moon Gang believes this, they might kill her…” Chen Kan frowned.

Cheng Qing, leaning on the coffee table, stood up and laughed loudly, "My dear Bai Mu, you're really kind! You still have time to care about Lin Jintang at a time like this? She probably laughs at you in her dreams for being a fool! Think about it, from the moment you came back from Jiangcheng, she pretended to be deeply in love with you, but wasn't she also keeping her distance from Qiao Yuan? We all underestimated her! At first, Qiao Yuan was after my lust, but Lin Jintang wanted his life, his everything!"

Chen Kan clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, almost drawing blood. He didn't want to believe it, but Lin Tang's change of face was right before his eyes. She always appeared in front of him with the most upright and innocent face, but who knew that she had harbored the deepest ambition from the very beginning? He often felt uneasy about scheming against her, but who knew that she had been deceiving and scheming against him all along without any burden?

At this moment, Cheng Qing's tears fell, further stirring his heart: "Look, that's how she abandoned me back then, saying 'Manqing, slow down,' and as a result, I was kidnapped! Six years ago, she abandoned you again, dressing up in gold and silver with Qiao Yuan, becoming her Mrs. Qiao! Now she's abandoned you again!"

"What do you want me to do?" Chen Kan's voice was hoarse.

Cheng Qing wiped away her tears and said, "Brother Bai Mu, as I just said, there were many Crescent Moon Gang brothers on the riverbank on the day of the funeral. You step forward and say that Lin Tang had an affair with you during her marriage and that she plotted to kill Qiao Yuan! With your identity and testimony, Lin Tang won't be able to defend herself even if she has a hundred mouths to accuse her! I will also be a witness!" She grabbed Chen Kan's hand and pressed the gun into his palm. "Brother Bai Mu, we are all people abandoned by Lin Tang. Only by working together to deal with her can we take back what belongs to us!"

"Manqing," he called softly, "Are you really sure?"

Cheng Qing grabbed his wrist, her nails digging into his skin: "I know it better than ever."

Chen Kan pulled out a room key for a hotel in the concession from his pocket: "Don't show up in front of anyone before tomorrow."

Cheng Qing took the room key and smiled through her tears: "I knew you wouldn't let me down." She leaned over to kiss his cheek, but Chen Kan turned his face away. Her lips brushed against his chin, carrying a slightly damp warmth.

She walked to the door, then turned back and smiled, "Brother Bai Mu, after we win, shall we go buy honey together? Just like when we were little."

Chen Kan didn't speak until the door clicked shut, then he grabbed the wine jug on the table and took a swig.

"Uncle Zhong," he called out, "come in."

Uncle Zhong pushed the door open and saw the wine jug on the floor. He frowned and said, "Young Master, I heard what you and Cheng Qing were talking about. That woman's background is unknown and her behavior is suspicious. She has been trying to sow discord between you and Lin Jintang. At this time, you shouldn't be breaking ties with Lin Jintang. And this woman knows the truth about the factory explosion and how Qiao Yuan died. I think you should silence her first."

Uncle Zhong was a little uneasy after saying this. After all, he had seen Chen Kan's character firsthand. He was all bark and no bite. This woman seemed to have a close relationship with him. He wondered if he could be ruthless enough to do it.

“I know,” Chen Kan nodded without much hesitation. “Take two men and catch up with her.” He paused, then lowered his voice. “Let her die out there. Don’t leave any survivors.”

Uncle Zhong smirked coldly: "Young Master, I was worried you'd be soft-hearted, but it seems you've really matured."

Chen Kan's eyes darkened, and he said, "Even if Lin Jintang schemes against me, that's between her and me. I won't let anyone harm her!"

Uncle Zhong accepted the order and left, turning to walk towards the door. Chen Kan watched his retreating figure and suddenly called out, "Uncle Zhong."

"Don't let her die in too much pain." Chen Kan's voice was like crumpled paper, floating in the air.

Uncle Zhong paused for a moment, then smiled: "Young Master is still soft-hearted." He pushed open the door, and the wind outside swirled in fallen leaves, making the newspapers on the table rustle. "But don't worry, Gangzi is very clean in his work."

The door creaked shut, and Chen Kan slumped into a chair, grabbed the wine jug, and poured it into his mouth. The wine choked him, and he coughed, tears streaming down his face.

He gazed at the moon outside the window, recalling the days when he, Lin Tang, and Man Qing bought honey together when he was a child. Man Qing held up the sugar jar and smiled, while Lin Tang stood beside her, the sunlight shining on her face like a blooming white jasmine.

But now, everything has changed.

It turns out they've become completely different people, even turning against each other with knives and guns.