Chapter 57

In the early morning, as the eastern sky was dyed red by the morning glow, He Fenghua got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and the once dark bedroom became bright.

The morning glow illuminated He Fenghua's handsome face, revealing a slight yellowish tinge and prominent dark circles under his eyes, even with bloodshot eyes.

The cause of all this was that he had not slept all night.

It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep, but he couldn't.

Last night, after returning from Qiao Bazhi's villa, the unease in his heart was like a curse, impossible to dispel.

As time passed, his unease grew stronger—Qiao Bazhi had not called him.

He rubbed his face and quickly walked to the bedside table, picked up his phone, and directly dialed Qiao Bazhi's number.

"He Shao."

When the call connected, Qiao Bazhi spoke first, his voice carrying an unmistakable weariness and unease. He had not slept well either, and in the past few hours, he had called Wu He dozens of times, none of which were answered.

"Ba Ye, any news?" Sensing the abnormality in Qiao Bazhi's tone, He Fenghua had a pretty good idea of the answer, but he was not ready to give up.

Qiao Bazhi's tone was slightly solemn: "He Shao, there's no news yet."

"He Shao, didn't you say your men are skilled in the underworld, and killing that Ye family scum is like slaughtering a chicken? Why no news yet?" His suspicions confirmed, He Fenghua felt a wave of inexplicable frustration.

Due to his guilt and the need to curry favor with He Fenghua, Qiao Bazhi did not show any dissatisfaction but frowned and explained: "He Shao, logically, there shouldn't be any problems. Given the current situation, my men might have fallen victim to the Donghai Gang!"

"Donghai Gang?"

"Yes, He Shao! The person I sent, Wu He, is my right-hand man. The Donghai Gang is fully aware of this. They might have taken this opportunity to eliminate Wu He to gain an advantage in the conflict."

Qiao Bazhi, the head of the Nanqing Hongjiang in Jiangnan, had come to Jiangnan two years ago with a single mission: to drive the Donghai Gang out of Jiangnan and achieve the Nanqing Hongjiang's ambition of unifying the southern underworld.

In the past two years, Qiao Bazhi and the Donghai Gang's forces in Jiangnan had been in constant conflict, both overt and covert. Although he had gained some advantages, he had never managed to drive the Donghai Gang out of Jiangnan.

Given this situation, with Wu He not reporting back and his whereabouts unknown, Qiao Bazhi instinctively believed that the Donghai Gang had taken action.

As for the possibility that Wu He was killed by Ye Fan, Qiao Bazhi had not even considered it!

After all, Wu He had watched the surveillance footage and concluded that Ye Fan was only at the 'entry-level' stage. In his own words: "If Ye Fan were a more skilled underworld figure than Wu He, how could he be Su Yuxin's assistant?"

As the future heir of the He family, He Fenghua was fully aware of Qiao Bazhi's identity and the conflict between Qiao Bazhi and the Donghai Gang. He even knew that Qiao Bazhi had been trying to get close to him to use Han Guodong to attack the Donghai Gang from both the black and white sides!

"He Shao, do you mean our cooperation is over?"

Despite understanding everything, He Fenghua felt that Qiao Bazhi's conflict with the Donghai Gang had nothing to do with him. He only cared whether Qiao Bazhi could eliminate Ye Fan for him.

"Of course not."

Qiao Bazhi hurriedly said: "I'm just explaining the situation to He Shao. Please rest assured, once I report this to my superiors, I will definitely fulfill our agreement and bring that Ye family scum to you!"

"Alright." He Fenghua pondered for a moment and, seemingly casually, reminded: "But, Ba Ye, I hope you can act quickly."

"No problem."

Perhaps because the events of last night had gone so badly, Qiao Bazhi could sense the disappointment and impatience in He Fenghua's tone and had to endure it.

After Qiao Bazhi said this, He Fenghua hung up without further ado.

"Buzz..."

As soon as He Fenghua hung up, his phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Han Jing, and quickly answered: "Xiao Jing."

"Busy so early in the morning? Is it because of the Su family?"

On the other end of the line, Han Jing, the daughter of the second-in-command in Jiangnan, asked casually, seemingly unconcerned about the impact on He Fenghua—she thought this setback was nothing for him!

"No, it's company business."

Men always want to appear strong and powerful in front of their women, especially a man as arrogant as He Fenghua.

"Oh, if it's company business, you should handle it quickly." Han Jing did not doubt He Fenghua's words but reminded him: "Be there by noon, my father and I will arrive at noon."

"Don't worry, I won't be late for such an important matter." He Fenghua smiled, and the unease and frustration in his heart dissipated with the smile.

Because... he suddenly felt that compared to dining with Han Guodong for the first time, dealing with Ye Fan was trivial—once Han Guodong fully recognized him, not just Ye Fan, but the entire Su family would be beneath his feet!

After hanging up, He Fenghua considered whether to bring the Guanyin statue made of imperial green jade from the safe to Han Guodong.

The imperial green Guanyin statue was something He Fenghua had obtained with great effort from the Myanmar region in Southeast Asia.

Although Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries had become a special zone of China, the price of jade had only increased.

He Fenghua had spent 180 million yuan to get this imperial green jade, only 20 million less than the pair of porcelain vases he had previously given to Han Guodong!

This also indicated that to gain Han Guodong's recognition, He Fenghua and the entire He family were willing to go to great lengths!

After some thought, He Fenghua decided not to bring the imperial green Guanyin statue, as it was their first meal together, and bringing a gift would seem too mercenary.

At 11:00 AM, He Fenghua arrived at a Tujia restaurant by West Lake and handed the premium Longjing tea he had brought from home to the waiter, instructing him to serve it when the guests arrived.

At 11:40 AM, He Fenghua was already waiting at the entrance of the Tujia restaurant, eager not to offend Han Guodong.

As the second-in-command in Jiangnan, Han Guodong had been in Jiangnan for four years and, with the support of the Bai family in Beijing, had not only firmly established himself but also overshadowed the top official. He was essentially the number one figure in Jiangnan.

Due to his prominent status, the number of people in Jiangnan who wanted to invite Han Guodong to dinner could stretch from West Lake to the East Sea, but very few could actually do so. Even those who managed to invite him often found him only making a brief appearance and rarely on time.

However, today, Han Guodong arrived at the Tujia restaurant right at noon.

This discovery thrilled He Fenghua, and he immediately greeted the large Audi with the provincial government's No. 1 license plate.

"Uncle Han."

Seeing Han Guodong step out of the car, He Fenghua quickly bowed to greet him.

Han Guodong merely nodded slightly and, accompanied by Han Jing, walked into the Tujia restaurant. He Fenghua, seeing this, first thanked Han Guodong's driver with a smile and then followed behind Han Guodong and Han Jing.

"Uncle Han, this is pre-spring Longjing from Lion Peak. Please try it and see if it's authentic." Once Han Guodong and Han Jing entered the private room, He Fenghua took the teapot from the waiter and diligently poured tea for Han Guodong.

Seeing this, Han Jing couldn't help but smile and said, "We're family, no need to be so formal."

Han Guodong, as if he hadn't heard, focused on sipping his tea. He Fenghua, seeing that Han Guodong did not show any displeasure at Han Jing's words, was overjoyed but did not show it, sitting slightly stiffly in his seat.

"Green Lake Group won the bid for the first phase of the Binhe New District project. I heard you had planted a spy inside Green Lake Group, but the Su family turned the tables on you?" Han Guodong asked casually, setting down his teacup.

"Yes, Uncle Han, I was careless."

He Fenghua nodded, knowing that such matters could not be hidden from Han Guodong, especially after he had been taken to the police station over Xu Weize's incident.

"Stay away from underhanded tactics in the future." Han Guodong warned.

"I will remember Uncle Han's advice."

Hearing this, He Fenghua felt an immense sense of satisfaction, as if he had been treated to a grand feast after begging for scraps.

In his view, since Han Guodong was giving him such advice, it meant he had already recognized him!

This meant that joining the Han family was just a matter of time!

Han Guodong, in his early fifties, was not only capable but also had the backing of the Bai family in Beijing. His political career would not stop at the provincial level!

When one person rises, all his associates benefit, let alone him as a son-in-law of the Han family?

"Buzz..."

Just as He Fenghua was imagining how far he could go with Han Guodong's help, Han Guodong's phone suddenly vibrated.

Han Guodong took out his phone in front of He Fenghua and answered the call from his secretary.

This detail made He Fenghua's heart race with excitement!

However—

Soon, He Fenghua sensed something was wrong. Han Guodong's expression became serious, and he looked at him sternly.

What's going on?

The sudden change left He Fenghua bewildered.

"Does your family have a notebook that records all the gifts and bribes over the years?"

About a minute later, Han Guodong ended the call, his expression turning from spring to winter, his tone as cold as ice.

"Uh..."

Taken aback by Han Guodong's question, He Fenghua was momentarily stunned, then hesitated before nodding in acknowledgment—though he did not know why Han Guodong was asking, his rationality told him not to lie to Han Guodong!

Seeing He Fenghua's confirmation, the muscles in Han Guodong's eyes twitched violently, and his brows furrowed, his imposing presence making He Fenghua feel a chill down his spine.

"Dad, what's wrong? Why ask about this now?" Seeing the sudden tension, Han Jing asked, puzzled.

"That notebook is now in the hands of the provincial disciplinary committee!" Han Guodong spoke slowly, his deep voice like a thunderclap in the private room.

Swish!

In an instant, He Fenghua's face changed dramatically!

...

...

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