53 "He would rather destroy himself to protect her"
The clubhouse is located on the top of a mountain, a winding uphill road decorated with scattered street lights on both sides.
Tao Wanjia walked a few steps and turned around, only to find that Zhao Kuo had only turned off the lights and had not driven away.
The wind grew stronger the further she went, and she was stopped at the door. Amidst the dark, upright crowd of security guards on either side, Tao Wanjia fixed her gaze on Deng Feng, who had come out to greet her, and jokingly asked, "Are you asking me to take away all my electronic devices?"
Deng Feng fanned the air with his hands behind his back. After the waiter left, he slowly walked up to Tao Wanjia.
"Reporter Tao is very punctual. I think his achievements over the years are probably due to his hard work."
"You're joking. No matter how hard I work, I can't compare to you." Tao Wanjia responded and followed Deng Feng.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a waitress opening the glass door, and I vaguely remembered seeing her on Wendong Yang's phone.
Realizing that this might be his informant, she was alert and surprised. She was afraid that she would be discovered if she spoke rashly, so she could only pretend to be calm and looked at him a few more times.
Deng Feng took her to the dining table. He had postponed dinner for almost half an hour. A few dishes of porridge and side dishes were placed on the elegantly decorated table. Deng Feng unfolded his napkin and invited her, "Would you like to join us for some?"
Tao Wanjia refused, looked around, sat down, and then looked across the table.
"Since you agreed to my interview, you should naturally know what I want to ask you today, right?"
She has always been direct. Pei Qiang once said that she was too direct in both interviews and writings, and asked her to be more tactful and gentle. Tao Wanjia did adjust her tone according to different situations, but facing Deng Feng at this moment, she had the confidence and reason to question him with the investigation materials that were becoming increasingly clear in her hands.
A journalist is, first and foremost, a human being.
All the questions she had prepared in advance also reflected the confusion and stagnation that the people of Rongcheng had experienced over the years.
"Mr. Deng Zixiong—"
"I'll eat first."
Deng Feng interrupted her and at the same time gave a look to the person next to him. The other person quickly retreated and came back with a bowl of soup on the table.
Tao Wanjia was still puzzled, and while waiting, he would glance at the waitress from time to time. She looked focused, her head lowered, doing what she was supposed to do, but it was obvious that her legs were not very agile, and her right leg seemed injured, requiring her to drag herself to maintain her balance.
"Okay, now, Reporter Tao, you can ask whatever you want. I will fully cooperate."
Deng Feng's sudden voice quickly drew Tao Wanjia's attention back. Listening to the humble words of the old leader in front of her, she felt for a moment that something was wrong with her just now.
He stood up and adjusted his posture to be more respectful, and when he spoke again he was no longer so stiff.
"As far as I know, you've worked in Western Province for nearly twenty years. Rongcheng was once the poorest impoverished county, but it was thanks to your drastic reforms that it has become the economically strong county it is today."
Deng Feng hesitated for a moment, as if he didn't expect her to say this. He put down the tablecloth slowly and then left the table.
"I love this land, and it's also the land I'm most attached to. Perhaps this is a kind of homesickness engraved in my bones."
The two walked to the window, one in front and the other behind, overlooking the night view of the entire Rongcheng beyond the distant mountains. The lights of thousands of houses dotted there were a prosperity forged with steel and concrete, a bit of wealth and glory that was obtained with great difficulty after crossing the scorching steel mills and countless dusty black coal mines.
But deep down, no one knows whether it is blood or tears flowing.
Tao Wanjia found it amusing, his expression remaining calm as he lowered his voice, "Is it because he loves you so much that you allow your son to take root here, plundering this land and plundering its resources?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Deng Feng turned around, the emotions in his eyes still unfathomable.
"Has reporter Tao always been so direct? No wonder he's offended so many people in the past."
"Do you know that if I record what you just said and report it to the police, I can sue you for defamation?"
The man was calm and composed, and at this point he gave her an obvious hint with his eyes.
Tao Wanjia knew this was a warning, and that tonight's meeting wasn't an interview, but rather a request for her to speak less or even shut up. She'd heard this kind of talk countless times before and had long since become desensitized to it. Besides, she already had the answer she sought, so these threats didn't matter.
"If you just want me to shut up, don't worry, because I'm about to be transferred. This is my last day in Rongcheng."
The footsteps slowly approaching behind him suddenly stopped. Tao Wanjia noticed it, but he still met those sharp, hawk-like eyes calmly. "But I still want to remind you that there is no impenetrable wall in this world. Just because something is deeply hidden doesn't mean it can't be dug out. It's just a matter of time."
Deng Feng sneered in his heart at this ignorant little girl. He looked at the man who was less than two steps away from her, staring at the rope exposed under his sleeve. In just one minute, the young reporter who was shouting in front of him would be completely quiet.
The anger that had been accumulating in his chest for days subsided a little, and he shifted his gaze to look at the night scene of lights at the foot of the mountain.
Even after He Yu persuaded Yu Li to leave with all his might, he was still upset.
This uneasiness continued to ferment and reached its peak after no one answered Tao Wanjia's call.
He kept telling himself that the situation was tense and that no matter how much he thought about it, she had to restrain herself. Only when the two of them were completely free from Tao Wanjia could she do her thing freely. But his premonitions about her were always accurate. After three consecutive calls went unanswered, He Yu anxiously asked Zhao Kuo.
The man on the other end of the phone hesitated and only told him his whereabouts after being asked several times.
"I'm trying to give you one last chance to alert the enemy. I'm about to go in and find her."
He Yu's temples throbbed, and a deeper fear began to spread in his heart. He couldn't help but think of the dangerous knife she had stabbed him with last year. Unable to calm down, he picked up his coat and prepared to go out.
Xiao Zhang rushed upstairs upon hearing the news. He looked at him and said hurriedly, "Deng Zixiong has booked a flight tonight and is leaving..."
He Yu reacted quickly. The most urgent thing was to stop Deng Zixiong, so he rushed all the way to his company. Fortunately, he ran into Deng Zixiong who was about to leave in the lobby.
He looked impatient, but still taunted when he appeared.
"Hey, shouldn't Mr. He be at the police station?"
Deng Zixiong looked behind him with contempt, and felt even happier when he found that he was the only one there. He Yu had never been so down and out. This man had won fame and praise in Rongcheng in the past, but now, he looked more like a complete loser.
He didn't care about winning, but it was fun to see others lose.
"I heard that President Deng was going abroad to inspect a project, and I was worried, so I came to see him off."
He Yu nonchalantly responded to his verbal attacks, but in his heart he was extremely glad that he arrived in time.
"Is it uncertain whether you will come back after you go out this time? Deng Zixiong, oh no, I should call you Qiu Ke..."
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Deng Zixiong's relaxed expression quickly changed. In that split second, a trace of panic that had never appeared before flashed in his eyes.
He Yu captured it. He didn't have any good points, but the insight left over from his past paintings still remained.
His eyes swept across the faces of the two assistants behind him, who also had surprised expressions on their faces, and the smile on the corners of his lips deepened.
"I'd say it's been tough for you, too. Holding such a title restricts everything you can do. It must be tough on you, right? You don't even know who you really are."
He investigated Deng Zixiong much earlier than Wen Dongyang. He had been on guard against this man since he first bid with him a few years ago and knew his identity. It was his hard work that paid off, as he was able to learn such a shocking secret.
"Of course I know who I am. I am Deng Zixiong, the chairman of Changxiong Group and the son of Deng Feng."
What people care about most is what they will continue to express.
Deng Zixiong was already confused by his provocation. When he turned around, he saw someone at the front desk staring at him. He took out his phone and threw it over there.
He Yu smiled and walked towards him, and the mocking voice fell into his ears from above his head.
"Really? But that's not what I heard."
"Deng Zixiong, it must be tough to be someone else's substitute. There must be a price to pay for an illegitimate child to be in power."
The atmosphere was tense. Deng Zixiong was furious and raised his hand to grab He Yu's collar.
"You're in dire straits right now, and you still have time to tell me this?"
The man's eyes turned red invisibly, and the uneven rise and fall of his chest betrayed his disguised calmness.
For Deng Zixiong, this identity was something he could never mention, and it was a wound that would never heal. He was indeed jealous of He Yu, but their eyes locked, and he heard him continue to speak.
"No matter how badly I suffer, I still have my parents. At worst, I can go home and make a living. I won't run this business in Rongcheng anymore. You can't do that, can you?"
"Deng Zixiong, do you think your father would care about you if something really happened to you?"
The world is always written by the victors; the strong prey on the weak; if you're not a hunter, you become the prey. He Yu understood this principle, as did Deng Zixiong, and his utterly selfish father, even more so. Therefore, no matter what it was, as long as it threatened their own interests, they would abandon it one by one.
"You're provoking me to no avail."
Deng Zixiong struggled to maintain his composure, trying not to let He Yu's voice get to him. But the man in front of him was like a madman, desperate to finish what he wanted to say today.
"Of course I wouldn't want to irritate you. I'm just here to see you make a fool of yourself. Mr. Deng, Mr. Deng, you claim to be so smart, so why don't you think about this?"
He Yu downplayed the situation, and every word he said touched the other person's heart. He had conquered many cities and territories over the years, and no matter how much he did, he actually just wanted the high and mighty father to look at him, but he didn't. His heart and eyes were filled with only the son who died young.
And he is just a poor guy who is used to gain benefits.
The much-vaunted prince is actually just a replacement. Anyone can do it.
Seeing that his eyes were getting dimmer, He Yu found the right moment to say the last sentence.
"I really pity you. At least, I know who I am—"
Before he could finish his words, Deng Zixiong punched him hard in the face.
"Are you fucking done yet?"
The furious man was extremely strong, and there was a crisp sound of his nose bridge breaking. He Yu was pressed to the ground. He glanced at Xiao Zhang who had arrived with the police outside the glass door and smiled.
He was so satisfied that he never fought back.
This was the only way he could think of to trap Deng Zixiong, and it was also the only way to truly help Tao Wanjia. He would rather destroy himself than protect her.
The rain in Rongcheng really can’t continue.
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