novelSmart people
| ← Ch.546 | Ch.548 → |
Ding Miao held his head with his hands, not uttering a sound. He should originally be allied with Xu Tingsheng in this matter. Still, He Twenty-seven had approached him. While carrot and stick definitely had to be taken into consideration here, there was actually also a suggestion that was ever so tempting-to personally defeat and then render Xu Tingsheng dead.
Three years ago, the youth that Yanzhou's higher strata had most approved of and praised had been called Ding Miao. When Ding Sen had returned to China and snatched his inheritance, many people, both inside and outside of the family, had felt sympathy and found this unfair.
Afterwards, people had begun frequently discussing somebody else.
The Ding family's core businesses, shipping and foreign trade, were currently being suppressed by the Black Horse Club. In the area of real estate that they had invested much in, they were being suppressed by Zhicheng to the point of being unable to raise their heads. Ding Miao certainly knew that all this was actually because of Xu Tingsheng.
"Without Xu Tingsheng, the Black Horse Club will collapse and scatter. He's an obstacle that must be removed."
He Twenty-seven gazed immersedly at his hands. His hands looked very nice. Long fingers, small joints, smooth white skin, meticulously trimmed fingernails. They weren't like a typical man's hands, much less those of a mine boss.
Fingers soft like that of a skilled pianist, immersed in himself, He Twenty-seven would sometimes display such a feminine nature. He was honestly beautiful, in that sort of way.
While it was June, his sleeves were still buttoned. So long as they were rolled up slightly, the scars on his arms would be revealed. There were teeth marks there, incomparably visible even today.
He Twenty-seven had countless such scars all over his body, some left from other objects, like whips, blades, hot metal...
A story from before He Twenty-seven was He Twenty-seven: His family down and out, a pretty young man of fourteen had accepted a famous man from Binzhou as a godfather and gone off to his home to live. Thereafter had been clothes of brocade and meals of jade... suffering a fate worse than death.
But he had lived. At the age of twenty, He Twenty-seven had buried his godfather alive in a mine, leaving him alive as he shouted into the breathing hole, "Godfather, are you still alive?"
There was sobbing from the former legendary figure.
"Rest assured, godfather. I'll definitely save you, " He smiled.
That day, beneath the setting sun, the wind had billowed and dust swirled. He Twenty-seven had sat atop the pitch-black cave, his fearful godmother and godsister standing before him.
An intricate flower outfit, singing the songs his godfather liked hearing him sing most, He Twenty-seven, fingers like orchid, slowly, deliberately, had poured molten iron... into the breathing hole by his feet.
With every bit he poured, a tragic scream would resound as the two beside him wailed.
He Twenty-seven closed his eyes in relish, "Well sang. Good cries too. This was how you used to praise me too, godfather. You haven't forgotten, right? That's good. Rest assured, godmother and godmother still have me to take care of them."
Afterwards, he had diligently 'taken care' of his godmother and godsister to the utmost till they were no longer heard of.
Yet afterwards, looked down upon by all and thought of as fresh meat to be gobbled up, it had only taken him three years to become He Twenty-seven.
Not many knew about the actual details of what had happened. Still, there was this saying amongst the Binzhou Thirty: I'd rather provoke Twenty-four than provoke Twenty-seven.
There are some things that leave the hairs of normal people standing just thinking about it.
He Twenty-seven glanced at Ding Miao. He knew he was struggling internally. He also knew that his proposal would definitely be accepted in the end. The intelligent are actually easier to fool than the idiot sometimes.
It's like you want to bluff sometimes when you're playing cards. The intelligent guy looks at your remaining cards and considers again and again, ultimately letting you deal all your cards successfully in a single go. Meanwhile, the idiot will definitely 'bomb' you.
If you lie and get exposed, the idiot will say: You bluffed me. I won't listen to you anymore. Meanwhile, the intelligent guy will think: I caught you once, I can certainly catch you again.
So, to fool an intelligent guy, you only need to let him verify his intelligence successfully. Lie once, let him see through you and admit it. After that, you can lie a second, maybe even third time if it's really necessary.
In their earlier conversation, He Twenty-seven had been exposed once and seen through twice, and he had also lost control of his emotions and inadvertently revealed quite a bit of truth... he had already successfully let Ding Miao 'see through' him.
What he truly needed to conceal.
Firstly, of the Binzhou Thirty, He Twenty-seventy was actually in the top three in terms of how well he understood Jin Twenty-four. While he had swallowed many 'friends' and 'bros' before, He Twenty-seven was ninety percent certain that this time, Jin Twenty-four would similarly targeted anyone who targeted Xu Tingsheng's life.
With his inferior strength, He Twenty-seven did not wish to give him a reason to target him, directly facing his fury and retaliation. This was why he did not dare to make a move on Xu Tingsheng himself. Jin Twenty-four was keeping a very close eye on him. If Ding Miao wasted a few days and the news was even leaked slightly, in order to show his 'sincerity' and stabilise the situation, he would have to personally deliver those two people in his hands to Jin Twenty-four.
Secondly, the Ding family possessed some capability in Yanzhou, both financial and otherwise. If they fought, they could definitely enter a standoff with the away side, Jin Twenty-four. This would create a very good chance for him. He Twenty-seven's goal, most primarily, was not entertainment and the bars Xu Tingsheng had left with Huang Yaming but Jin Twenty-four himself.
Therefore, if Ding Miao agreed, he would be cannon fodder whether or not he succeeded.
Previously silent, Ding Miao finally moved, reaching out and pouring himself a glass of wine before clinking glasses with He Twenty-seven's glass on the table and downing it in one gulp.
"Hand those two people over to me. This... I'll do it."
He Twenty-seven downed the wine, "Very well. I'll send them over."
"Right. Afterwards, stay out of what I do. I'm not into those car accidents and assassination stuff like you people. You may be afraid of slowly playing with Xu Tingsheng, but I'm not. A mere third-grade university student, " Ding Miao who had graduated from a famous Ivy League university sat up straight in pride.
He displayed his hostility and dislike for Xu Tingsheng fully, not fearing that He Twenty-seven would be able to tell, for that was really the intention. While these emotions were real, Ding Miao was not Ding Sen. He had already long since passed the stage where he could be easily led astray by temptation or swayed by his feelings.
He had actually not made any decision yet. If things looked beneficial for him, he would really grab the chance and target Xu Tingsheng. Otherwise, he would unhesitatingly choose to stand together with Xu Tingsheng. He, along with Xu Tingsheng, and very likely Jin Twenty-four, would be an immovable rock for He Twenty-seven.
As for those two people, it was best if he could get them, but fine otherwise too. He had only casually mentioned it to 'show' his determination, not thinking that He Twenty-seven might actually agree just like that.
Ding Miao left.
A tall, elegant woman walked into the room, sitting down beside He Twenty-seven and placing a hand on his knee.
"You're handing those two people to him just like that. Aren't you afraid that he has no intention of targeting Xu Tingsheng in the first place and is just going to get rid of those two people and bring an end to this matter?" The woman asked gently.
He Twenty-seven extended a hand and raised her lower chin.
Were a bystander present, they would easily spot at this moment that this beautiful woman... had an Adam's apple. 'She' had something on her that 'she' had once wanted to get rid of as well during the surgery, but He Twenty-seven had not allowed it."In that case, I might as well have found a woman, right?" He had said.
At this moment, He Twenty-seven violently pressed that intricate face against his thigh.
The 'woman' arched her back, revealing a large area of skin. There were teeth marks, lashes, burns...
He Twenty-seven looked up, closed his eyes and inhaled.
"You've become smarter. This is what Ding Miao is thinking, having two hands prepared. Still, it's fine. Someone as smart as him can surely think of a very good plan, find a very good chance... it would be a real waste if he didn't act. This is the good thing about smart people."
"You're really becoming smarter and smarter."
The 'woman's' entire body trembled abruptly. 'She' knew how He Twenty-seven had risen to his current position. 'She' also knew how many of the mine accidents all these years, officially announced or not, were actually accidents and how many were actually his handiwork.
If she got any smarter, she was not far away from being dumped in an abandoned hole.
"I've found a very good Dan role teacher. I don't think I'll be able to go around with you all the time anymore. I've thought about it, and I want to concentrate on learning opera, " She looked up at him with big, watery eyes and said.
"Alright, " He Twenty-seven patted her head like he would a dog's.
| ← Ch. 546 | Ch. 548 → |