Chapter 65

Zhao Zhicheng, although a vice-ministerial level deputy secretary of the municipal committee, didn't put on any airs and was very easy to get along with. He insisted that Wang Yong call him Brother Zhao. Given their ages, Wang Yong should have called him Uncle Zhao. Through chatting with Zhao Zhicheng, Wang Yong learned that this person was the son of the friend in Tianhai whose girlfriend was his second uncle's lover.

Back then, because his father was a soldier and his mother followed him to the northwest, Brother Zhao stayed in Tianhai with his grandmother. Later, Brother Zhao's mother found an opportunity to study at a school, where she met and became very close with Liu Hui, the girlfriend of Wang Yong's second uncle. Brother Zhao's mother always treated her like a younger sister. After the two of them eloped, they came to Tianhai to seek refuge.

After Brother Zhao's grandmother passed away, because his father's military post was very harsh and his mother didn't want him to go there, he moved to his second uncle's house when he was in junior high school. He stayed there until he graduated from high school and went to college out of town. One could say that his relationship with his second uncle was like that of a father and son. At this point, Wang Yong suddenly understood and was surprised to learn about this story.

The meal lasted for more than two hours, and by the end, his second uncle was already quite drunk. Brother Zhao and Wang Yong helped him into the car, and he immediately started snoring. After saying goodbye to the group, they drove straight to the municipal committee's residential area.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the municipal committee compound. The driver drove directly into the compound guarded by the armed police, and Brother Zhao lived in courtyard number three, in an old two-story building.

Hearing the car, a very beautiful middle-aged woman and a boy of about sixteen or seventeen came out from the inner room. After introductions, Wang Yong learned that this was Brother Zhao's wife, Liu Ying, and their son, Zhao Chunsheng.

Brother Zhao personally carried his second uncle to the bedroom upstairs to rest. Wang Yong had also drunk a lot and, feeling the alcohol hit him, quickly asked Brother Zhao to find a room for him to sleep. When he woke up, it was already dark. Checking his phone, he realized it wasn't just dark; it was almost dawn, and it was already four in the morning the next day. He decided to search for a Tai Chi video on his phone and started practicing. By five o'clock, Wang Yong had gotten up, greeted the nanny, and went to the courtyard to practice Tai Chi.

After practicing for more than an hour, Wang Yong had mastered this unknown Tai Chi routine and even made some modifications based on his understanding, making it more effective for health and significantly increasing its offensive power.

Back in the house, his second uncle had also woken up. The two of them had some breakfast and chatted for a while. Then, Brother Zhao's wife, Liu Ying, personally drove them to the Mingzhu Grand Hotel. It was then that Wang Yong learned that his second uncle had come to Shanghai to meet his first love, the woman who had eloped with him. Wang Yong couldn't help but think: "Wow, Second Uncle is so devoted! How should I react to that woman?"

The traffic in Tianhai was no less congested than in the capital, and it was the morning rush hour. The traffic was heavy, and after driving for three streets, they were still crawling along. A journey that should have taken half an hour took almost two hours to finally reach the Mingzhu Grand Hotel.

When his second uncle got out of the car, he suddenly said, "Xiao Ying, you take Wang Yong for a walk. I'll go up by myself." With that, his second uncle blushed and entered the hotel. Wang Yong and Liu Ying looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. His second uncle was still shy! At sixty years old, they suddenly realized that his second uncle was already sixty! After waiting so long for this woman, they wondered what the meeting would be like.

Just as they were about to find a teahouse nearby to sit and wait, they saw his second uncle arguing with someone at the hotel entrance. A young man suddenly pushed his second uncle to the ground and was about to kick him when the hotel security intervened.

Seeing this, Wang Yong's face darkened, and a murderous aura filled his body. Without a word, he pushed open the hotel door and walked in. Before anyone could react, Wang Yong appeared in front of his second uncle like a shadow.

"Second Uncle, are you okay?" Wang Yong asked anxiously.

"Ah! Wang Yong? How did you get here?" His second uncle tried to smile but couldn't because of the pain. Seeing his second uncle in pain, Wang Yong was furious!

He handed his second uncle over to Liu Ying, who took him to the hospital. Then, Wang Yong turned to the young man who had pushed his second uncle to the ground. The hotel staff explained the situation: his second uncle had accidentally bumped into the young man and his girlfriend while walking. The young man, without a word, punched his second uncle and then pushed him to the ground, intending to kick him when the security arrived to stop him.

"What are you looking at? How much do you want? Name your price," the young man said, nonchalantly hugging his girlfriend, who was dressed provocatively and had a sexy figure in a business suit.

"Right, I'm telling you, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave now! Brother Wu isn't someone you can mess with!" the woman said, looking at Wang Yong with disdain.

"Slap. Slap." Without a word, Wang Yong slapped both of them, sending them flying several meters and knocking out a few teeth. Everyone in the lobby was shocked, wondering who this person was and how he dared to hit Cao Xuewu, who was known for his father's position as deputy director of the municipal public security bureau and his connections with a group of thugs.

But today, he was hit by an outsider, who remained calm and didn't run away. He walked straight to the young man, kicked him several times, and made him spit blood before the security could react.

"I know! The woman who just took the old man to the hospital is Secretary Zhao's wife," a guest in the lobby suddenly whispered.

"Wow—Cao Xuewu is in trouble now. In Tianhai, who doesn't know that Secretary Zhao has worked in public security and discipline inspection, and is known for his strict stance against corruption and organized crime? This time, Cao Xuewu is in for a rough time."

As the crowd in the lobby was still discussing, the hotel elevator opened, and a woman in her thirties or forties walked out. She was dressed fashionably, and her body was accentuated by clothes that Wang Yong couldn't name. Her black hair was tied up in a diamond-studded butterfly hair clip, and she exuded the charm of a mature woman, drawing the attention of everyone.

"Chairman, save me!" the woman who had been slapped by Wang Yong shouted at the woman who had just come out.

"Ah! Xiao Mei, what happened to you?" the woman asked in surprise. An assistant came to her side and whispered something. Wang Yong, who was focused on Cao Xuewu, didn't pay attention to the woman.

Just as he was about to give Cao Xuewu a few more kicks and then go to the hospital to see his second uncle, his phone rang. Thinking it was Aunt Liu Ying, he answered and asked, "Aunt, how is my second uncle?"

"Who's your aunt? I'm Zhang Kai. What's wrong with your second uncle? I just learned from my father that he's a celebrity in Tianhai," Zhang Kai said excitedly, clearly having learned something from his father.

"Xiao Kai, give me the phone," a deep, steady voice came from the phone. "Is this Wang Yong? I'm Uncle Zhang. What happened to Old Cao?"

"Hello, Uncle Zhang, I'm Wang Yong," Wang Yong said calmly. Although Uncle Zhang held a high position, to Wang Yong, all these worldly things were insignificant. Power, money, and honor were easily obtainable if he wanted them. The only thing he couldn't let go of was family. Wang Yong calmly recounted the events, emphasizing that Cao Xuewu's father was the deputy director of the municipal public security bureau. He subtly hinted at the Cao family's situation, knowing that as the future top leader, Uncle Zhang could easily deal with a deputy director of the municipal public security bureau.

"Alright, I know about this. I'll inform the relevant departments. Don't handle it privately. Go to the hospital and check on Old Cao. If there's any news, call me, and you can use Xiao Kai's phone," Uncle Zhang said, his tone calm but with a hint of anger. With the attention of the future top leader, the Cao family was in trouble.

"Are you Wang Yong?" a soft, pleasant female voice asked from behind him.

Wang Yong turned around and saw a beautiful and elegant woman. But he didn't recognize her. Could she be a friend of his second uncle or someone Aunt Liu Ying called? Seeing the confusion in Wang Yong's eyes, the woman said, "I'm Liu Hui. Have you heard of me?"

"You are...?" Wang Yong was speechless. His second uncle was sixty, and as his classmate and first love, Liu Hui should be in her fifties. But she looked like she was in her thirties, with no signs of aging.

"Ha ha, your second uncle mentioned you. He called me just now. He's fine, just a minor scratch on his arm. The matter will be handled. Let's go to the hospital to see him," Liu Hui said gently, her kind eyes making Wang Yong nod in agreement, feeling the twists of fate.

Just as they were about to leave, they saw Uncle Liu from the municipal public security bureau, who had just had dinner with them the day before, leading a group of police officers into the hotel. Wang Yong gestured for Liu Hui to wait and went to greet him.

"Uncle Liu, why are you here?" Wang Yong was curious. Given his second uncle's character, he wouldn't call old friends, and if Aunt Liu Ying had called, Brother Zhao should have come first.

"Brother Zhao called me. He's inspecting something and can't come back. But, Wang Yong, how do you know Chairman Zhang? I received a call from him on the way here, asking me to handle this personally," Uncle Liu said, looking surprised. After all, his second uncle hadn't detailed his family situation to them, and they thought Wang Yong was just a close relative from the countryside.

"I'm friends with his son," Wang Yong said, scratching his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He wondered if this was considered using his connections to bully others.

"Really? How could you possibly know each other?" Uncle Liu asked, surprised.

"My uncle is Wang Dajiang, and his son, Wang Gang, is childhood friends with Zhang Kai. That's how we met."

After hearing this, Uncle Liu looked at Wang Yong with disbelief, and the police officers he brought were looking at Cao Xuewu with pity. They thought, "You're in for it now. Either of these two could easily deal with your father, let alone the chief of the bureau on their side."

"Uncle Liu, if there's nothing else, I'll go to the hospital to see my second uncle," Wang Yong said.

"Go ahead, it's taken care of here," Uncle Liu waved him off.

Wang Yong and Liu Hui walked out of the hotel. As they passed the woman who had been slapped by Wang Yong, she looked at him with a pleading gaze. Wang Yong had no sympathy for her; he felt she deserved it for insulting his second uncle.

"She's one of my employees. Because of this, I don't think she's suitable to stay in the company," Liu Hui said.

Wang Yong realized she was talking about the woman, not him. This situation was like a movie, too dramatic. Meeting an old man who turned out to be the lover of a company's boss, the man was really unlucky.

They got into a black, extended Rolls-Royce and headed to the hospital where his second uncle was. From the car, it was clear that Liu Hui was very wealthy. Most people couldn't afford such a car. Wang Yong, who was a car enthusiast but not obsessed, still drove his old Jetta.

"If you like it, Aunt Liu can give it to you," her gentle and loving voice said.

"No, Aunt Liu, I can't afford this car. I usually drive around the village, and driving this would make people think I'm wasteful," Wang Yong said, wondering why he wasn't condemning the woman as he should have.

"What kind of car do you want? Tell Aunt Liu. I didn't prepare anything for this meeting, so I'll give you a car," she said.

"Really? Can I have two?" Wang Yong felt like he was back in his childhood, bargaining with his mother. Why did he have this feeling?

"You! Alright, Aunt Liu agrees. Two cars. What do you want?"

"A Ford F-150 pickup and a Land Rover. Is that okay?" Wang Yong asked cautiously. These two cars would cost at least two million, maybe three. Although not as expensive as the car he was in, he had never met this aunt before, and asking for such expensive gifts felt wrong.

"Don't worry, it's no problem. I'll have them delivered to your village when they're ready."

"Thank you, Aunt Liu." Wang Yong was genuinely grateful. Although he could afford to buy them, it was right to thank someone who gave him such valuable gifts on their first meeting.

On the way, Wang Yong learned that Aunt Liu had built a significant business in France, owning shares in three wineries, a trading company, three hotels, and a media company. She had handed over most of her work to professional managers and now focused on promoting wine in China. A few years ago, she and some friends founded a prestigious wine association, which was officially recognized by the French government this year.

This time, Aunt Liu was in Tianhai to set up an office.

I'm not a great writer, but I did my best. There's more in my head, but it didn't feel right, so I revised it to this.

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