Chapter Ninety-Two: A United Front

"Playing tricks?" Zhao Zejun sneered. "How do you think I won the demolition and reclamation contract?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why is the account empty? Go ask the demolition office. Every cent I made before was handed over in full to them. Otherwise, do you think a tiny company like mine could have landed such a huge project?"

"Then what about the account? Why was it frozen?"

"See the two heavy trucks on the site?" Zhao Zejun pointed outside. "I’ve been locked in a feud with Huayang Company over those two vehicles. They sued me. What was I supposed to do? Song Tianming is so capable, why doesn’t he go take on the Huayang Group himself?"

Xu Yanping narrowed her eyes and studied Zhao Zejun for a moment. "You think that leaves me helpless? I’ve been keeping the books since I was sixteen. You think I can’t see these little tricks? Debts must be repaid. I don’t want those two broken-down trucks. Once the demolition is finished, we’ll return them to the Huayang Group. By then, not a single cent in your accounts will be going with you."

"Do as you please." Zhao Zejun finished speaking and turned to leave the office.

Xu Yanping thought it over, then said to the two thugs, "You two stay here and keep watch. I’m going to the bank to check whether he’s telling the truth."

"Sister Xu, this kid is outrageously arrogant. Teach him a lesson," one of the thugs said.

"He’s just a hotheaded fool, like Jiang Xuan. We still need him for now, so don’t push too hard. We’ll settle accounts when the project is done. If we don’t make him bleed a little, people on the streets will really think Boss Song has been living on a monk’s diet these past two years."

...

Late at night, the machines on the construction site roared. A figure slipped soundlessly to the rear wall outside the three-story house of the obstinate holdout He Dapeng. At the window, he knocked three times, two long and one short.

After more than ten seconds, the rear window, reinforced with sheet iron, creaked open. Ren Jifu poked his head out and cursed, "Damn it, why are you only getting here now? I’m starving to death..."

"Aren’t there instant noodles in the house? It’s been a few days since we saw each other, and your tastes have gotten picky," the visitor said with arms folded, half-smiling.

When Ren Jifu made out his face, he froze. "It’s you? Zhao... Boss Zhao, why did you come in person?"

"Come out with me. I’ve got something for you. A money-making opportunity."

"Huh? How much can I make?"

"Come with me. Find a quiet place and I’ll tell you slowly."

"All right, all right. Wait a moment while I tell Dapeng."

A few minutes later, two figures left He Dapeng’s house one after the other, disappearing from the demolition site in Gaogang Village under cover of the night.

"Boss Zhao, what good thing are you looking after me with?" Ren Jifu asked.

Zhao Zejun lit a cigarette. "Of course it’s a great opportunity. If this is done, besides what we agreed on before, I’ll give you another two hundred thousand."

"Two hundred thousand! My God!" Ren Jifu was stunned. Without thinking, he nodded repeatedly. "I’m in!"

Zhao Zejun smiled. "And you don’t even ask what I want you to do?"

"Right, what is it exactly? It’s not murder, is it?"

"Relax. If it were murder, I wouldn’t look for you. You’re not cut out for that."

"Then what is it? Worth two hundred thousand? If it’s not murder, could it be trafficking..."

"Don’t get any wild ideas. It’s not illegal." Zhao Zejun cut him off with a wave, then leaned to his ear and murmured a few words.

Ren Jifu’s expression changed at once, and he grew tense.

Zhao Zejun took out a thick wad of hundred-yuan bills from his chest and slapped them in his palm. "Here’s twenty thousand as a deposit. The rest will be paid once it’s done. If you want to make money, we’ll see whether you’ve got the nerve."

After hesitating for a moment, Ren Jifu gritted his teeth and spat hard. He snatched the money and stuffed it into his coat. "Damn it, two hundred thousand? You could make me dig up my old man’s grave and I’d still do it! It’s only this much. I’m in!"

"Good."

...

"Well, well, Ren Jifu, what brings you back today?" In the underground casino office, Da Hong was keeping the books when he glanced up at Ren Jifu and said teasingly, "I hear you’ve been out in Gaogang Village as a holdout and cheated quite a bit of money out of them."

"Brother Da Hong, I was just helping a friend out, making a few small bucks." Ren Jifu smiled obsequiously as he handed Da Hong a cigarette, then eagerly produced a lighter to light it. "The reason I’m making that little bit is to pay off my gambling debt."

"Good that you know it." Da Hong looked at the brand of cigarette Ren Jifu had handed him. "Not bad. If you’ve got money, pay it back quickly. The boss up top has been pressing hard lately. I’m covering for you, but don’t think hiding out at the demolition site means you’re off the hook."

"Yes, yes, of course. How could I not know better?" Ren Jifu took out an envelope and reluctantly handed it to Da Hong. "This five thousand in interest—I’m paying it back first. Brother Da Hong, please give me a little more time, and say a few good words for me to the big boss up top."

Da Hong took the envelope, opened it, and looked inside. Seeing that it was indeed all hundred-yuan bills, he was rather surprised. "You’ve got some nerve. Looks like being a holdout really does pay."

"Ah, it’s all hard-earned money. Brother Da Hong, you don’t know how miserable that place is—no water, no electricity, instant noodles every day, and damn it, you have to eat them dry. It’s no life for a human being. The worst part is there’s no one to play cards with. I can’t stand it. So I come out to catch my breath, rest a few days, play a few rounds, and then go back."

"Play a few rounds? There’s a mountain of work here. Do you think this is a sanatorium?" Da Hong stuffed the envelope casually into a drawer and waved him off. "Since you’re back, get to work."

And so Ren Jifu settled into a life of two places and one routine. Most of the time he stayed in Gaogang Village with He Dapeng as a holdout; occasionally he returned to the casino for half a day or a day, under the banner of "taking a break," to play cards and help with odd jobs.

Nearly ten days passed like this. That night, Ren Jifu came to Zhao Zejun on his own, carrying a bag.

"Boss Zhao, everything you asked me to get is here. Here—this is the casino ledger, the IOUs... and oh, there’s also a recording!"

Zhao Zejun opened the bag and took out a ledger, flipping through it.

It wasn’t the original. Some pages were photocopies, some were photos taken by a camera and developed, and the whole thing had been pieced together afterward.

Still, the contents were perfectly clear. The cash flow in the ledger was astonishing, with large sums moving in and out every month. This was certainly no matter of harmless little gambling.

At the same time, the ledger also recorded the "gifts" given during holidays and festivals, with dates, recipients, amounts, and item lists all laid out in black and white.

"So you got your hands on it that easily?" Zhao Zejun glanced at Ren Jifu.

"If someone else had gone, they’d never have gotten it. I’ve been mixing around the casino for years—we’re all brothers there, so who would be on guard against me? While Da Hong was taking that stuff, I secretly made a copy of the safe key. I have to say, Boss Zhao, you’ve got real vision. There’s no way a second person could have handled this!"

Ren Jifu bragged shamelessly for credit, not forgetting to praise his big patron. "Besides, who would have thought you’d pull a move like this, Boss Zhao? And even less that you’d have me do it—we used to be enemies, remember?"

"Even enemies can become friends. Once this is done, my life gets easier, and you not only get two hundred thousand in benefits, but you also won’t have to pay back your old gambling debt. We’re on the same side now," Zhao Zejun said meaningfully.

"Yes, yes, that’s a great phrase: on the same side!"

"What is this?"

Zhao Zejun pulled out a thick stack of photos from the bag. Every one of them showed a woman’s body in an indecent state.

Ren Jifu stammered, "Heh, heh... the casino often has people who owe money and won’t pay, so they grab their wives and daughters and photograph them."

Seeing Ren Jifu avert his gaze, Zhao Zejun watched him for a while. "In the casino, is this the kind of work you handle?"

"Heh, pretty much, pretty much..." Ren Jifu said awkwardly.

After a brief silence, Zhao Zejun said, "There are always people who resist when they owe money. How do you deal with them?"

"Of course there are..." Eager to show off, Ren Jifu chattered on for quite a while about how the casino handled hard cases who refused to pay. After listening, Zhao Zejun said, "If you can get me evidence, I’ll add another ten thousand."

"I’ll try!"

"Fine. Leave the stuff here for now. I’ll take care of it. Work hard, and I won’t shortchange you in the end."

Ren Jifu returned to the three-story house under cover of night.

Zhao Zejun thought for a moment, then called Junzi and brought him back from the dump, giving him a detailed set of instructions.

"Take these things and catch an overnight bus out of town. Find a typing and copying shop as remote as possible..."