Chapter Twenty: The Cunning Fox

Sun Zhengtao sat at home, feeling restless. He had been promised contact in the afternoon, but now it was almost ten at night and still no one had reached out. A spark of anger flared in his chest. He picked up a glass of liquor, drained it in one gulp, and slammed it down, muttering under his breath, “This Teacher Song really doesn’t take me seriously. Treats me like a lackey, lets me sit here all afternoon waiting, missing a great show. What a bastard!”

Still, today hadn’t been a total loss. At least he’d taught Lu Xiaoyu a lesson, and the others should know his power now. If they still refuse to recognize his authority, he’d see them all ruined together. The thought made him smile; he poured himself another drink to celebrate his handiwork.

Just then, the computer chimed. Sun Zhengtao stood, thinking, “Finally, it’s here.” He walked over, sat down, and opened the video chat.

The screen was pitch black. Sun Zhengtao was used to this. He put on a smile and addressed the unseen figure, “Teacher Song, you’re here!”

A deep male voice came through, “Sun Zhengtao, what’s going on? Can’t control your own men? If you can’t hold your position as big brother, I’ll have to reconsider our partnership!”

“Please, don’t worry. It’s just some complaints among the underlings. The ringleader has already been dealt with. I guarantee there won’t be any problems, you can rest assured,” Sun Zhengtao promised confidently.

“Are you sure you can guarantee that?” the voice asked.

“Absolutely. I sent the troublemaker’s ledger to the police station. They’ll teach him a lesson, and that’ll be the end of it,” Sun Zhengtao said with a touch of pride.

“Don’t play with fire, or you’ll get burned. Be careful you don’t get taken down yourself,” the voice warned sternly.

“It won’t happen, trust me. That guy won’t be arrested; he’ll be out in a couple of days. It’s just a warning. He’s smart enough not to rat me out,” Sun Zhengtao replied with confidence.

“And what about Zhou Donghai? Are you sure he hasn’t exposed you?” the voice pressed.

“Zhou Donghai is a coward, and I know where his family lives. He wouldn’t dare betray me,” Sun Zhengtao said, smiling.

“You’d best stay cautious. Don’t let your guard down,” the voice advised.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” Sun Zhengtao responded.

“Any issues with the tech team?” the voice continued.

“No, you can rest assured. I’ve always kept single-line contact with them as you instructed. They know nothing about the tech team’s affairs,” Sun Zhengtao replied.

“Good. Let me know in advance if anything comes up. That’s all for today—I’ll notify you before our next contact.” With that, the call ended.

Sun Zhengtao finally breathed a sigh of relief. “What a bastard. If not for the money, I’d never bother with him,” he thought.

Thinking of the tech team, Sun Zhengtao realized he’d been so busy with Lu Xiaoyu’s situation lately that he’d nearly forgotten the big picture. He’d told Zhang Zili and Sun Shengcai to pause operations, but with such a large organization and so many men, a full stop would mean losses of tens of thousands a day. If this went on, even if Lu Xiaoyu didn’t cause trouble, his own men would turn against him. The software was due for an update soon, and Sun Zhengtao knew he’d have to visit the tech team.

He lifted his glass again, his thoughts drifting to the people from Mingzhou. Why were they here? To wrap up Zhou Donghai’s case? Or did they have other motives? Would Zhou Donghai expose him? Unease lingered in Sun Zhengtao’s heart.

But for now, he couldn’t worry about all that. He needed to calm things internally first—the enemy outside could wait. Lu Xiaoyu remained his primary concern. If Lu Xiaoyu continued to be stubborn, he’d hand him over to the Mingzhou group, let them do the dirty work. It seemed having those outsiders in Qingdong might be to his advantage after all. He’d keep them as his trump card.

Meanwhile, Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang were frantic. Twelve hours had passed since Lu Xiaoyu was taken by the police that morning, and they had no idea what had happened. Their instincts told them it wasn’t good. They didn’t dare go directly to the station, so they had their underlings keep watch. But even at this late hour, there was no news, and with tensions rising between them and Sun Zhengtao, if he learned Lu Xiaoyu had been arrested and seized the chance to strike back, they’d have no defense.

The phone rang. Lü Yue quickly answered. Lu Xiaoyu’s voice came through, “Lü Yue, are you and Zhou Qiang together?”

“Yes, we’re at my place. How are you? Are you alright?” Lü Yue asked.

“No problem. Those useless cops couldn’t do anything to me. I’m coming over now. Wait for me.” Lu Xiaoyu hung up.

Half an hour later, Lu Xiaoyu appeared in Lü Yue’s home. Seeing him, Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang finally felt their worries ease. Lü Yue ushered Lu Xiaoyu to the sofa, poured him a drink to steady his nerves, and asked, “What did the police want? Why did it take so long?”

“It’s all Sun Zhengtao’s doing. He’s showing off, the bastard!” Lu Xiaoyu gripped his glass tightly as if he might crush it.

Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang were baffled by this reaction. “What’s going on? How did this get tied up with Sun Zhengtao again?” Zhou Qiang asked.

“He gave the police my fraud ledger and had someone report me. That’s why they called me in. He’s really malicious,” Lu Xiaoyu said through clenched teeth.

“So what do we do? Should we stop your operation, pull the brothers back? Or do we pause everything?” Lü Yue asked, worried.

“No need for that. Sun Zhengtao isn’t stupid enough to really want me dead. The cops don’t know about the brothers, so the business doesn’t need to stop. He just wanted to give me a warning,” Lu Xiaoyu said.

“But now the ledger is in the hands of the police. Won’t they start targeting us?” Lü Yue pressed.

“No need to worry,” Lu Xiaoyu said calmly, taking a sip. “I run an erotic scam, not distributing explicit videos—just some provocative photos, not actual pornography. They can’t charge me under relevant laws. As for fraud, criminal cases require at least ten thousand yuan, but each of my scams is less than nine thousand. They can’t even file a case.”

“Besides, the victims are spread all over the country. Even if the police wanted to catch me, could they track everyone down? Would the victims admit they were duped? And even if someone lost nine thousand, the cost of pursuing the case would be nineteen thousand. With no guarantee of conviction, the police won’t bother.”

“That’s good, as long as you’re fine,” Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang said, relieved the police wouldn’t be causing trouble. Their anxiety dissipated.

Lü Yue asked, “What about Sun Zhengtao? Are we going to keep fighting him? Won’t he try something sneaky again?”

Lu Xiaoyu fell silent, holding his glass motionless for ten minutes. Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang didn’t interrupt; the room became unusually quiet.

After ten minutes, Lu Xiaoyu exhaled deeply. “We can’t keep fighting like this. Head-on clashes will only hurt both sides. It’s time to make peace with Sun Zhengtao. Besides, our software licenses are about to expire. Without his tech team and experts, we’ll soon be out of business, and we don’t have a replacement yet. We can’t completely sever ties with Sun Zhengtao right now.”

“So we have to go back to being his lackeys, letting him bully us? Wasn’t all this effort for nothing? That’s just humiliating,” Zhou Qiang said, clearly upset; anyone could see the grievance on his face.

“We’re just negotiating peace, not letting him lord it over us. He’s not the only one with the ledger—I have a copy too. If he tries to destroy us, he’ll go down as well,” Lu Xiaoyu said.

“So what should we do? Tell us, we’ll follow your lead,” Lü Yue said.

Zhou Qiang echoed, “Right, Xiaoyu, you decide.”

Lu Xiaoyu explained his plan to both, and as the details unfolded, Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang couldn’t help but applaud. Over the course of the night, their thorough strategy was set.

The next day, Sun Zhengtao and his group received Lu Xiaoyu’s invitation to a banquet. Sun Zhengtao knew Lu Xiaoyu had recognized his strength and happily brought his men to the feast.

Arriving at “Gathering Hongmen,” Sun Zhengtao was in high spirits. The clear sky and pastoral scenery put him in such a good mood he couldn’t help humming. Zhang Zili and Sun Shengcai were also in high spirits, admiring Sun Zhengtao’s clever tactics—Lu Xiaoyu had conceded so quickly. Clearly, the position of boss belonged to Sun, and Lu Xiaoyu’s ambitions had come to nothing.

Entering “Gathering Hongmen,” they found Lu Xiaoyu, Lü Yue, Zhou Qiang, and Zhang Zhijun already present. Zhang Zhijun, true to form, was amusing himself with a beautiful waitress. Seeing Sun Zhengtao arrive, Lu Xiaoyu quickly stood and welcomed them to their seats. Zhang Zhijun, finally catching on, released the beauty and said to Sun Zhengtao, “Boss, please take the head seat. We’ve been waiting for you; I’ll have them bring out the dishes now.”

Sun Zhengtao glanced at Zhang Zhijun, amused by his quick adaptability. Sensing Lu Xiaoyu’s loss of power, he immediately resumed his obsequiousness—truly a master of opportunism, and a useful servant.

Sun Zhengtao sat down, sipped his tea, and smiled at Lu Xiaoyu. “So, why did you gather everyone here today, Boss Lu?”

Lu Xiaoyu, though angry at Sun Zhengtao’s smugness, maintained his composure and replied, “It’s been a while since everyone met. Just a meal together, and a chance to discuss company business.”

Sun Zhengtao laughed, “You’re the boss now, Lu. You can decide company matters. No need to consult us—you call the shots.”

Lu Xiaoyu bristled at Sun Zhengtao’s sarcastic tone but kept calm, saying, “The company belongs to everyone; it can’t be a one-man rule. And since we’re discussing the position of boss, after these days of operation, business hasn’t improved—in fact, it’s declined. I haven’t met expectations and let everyone down. So I’ve decided to step aside. We should choose a new boss.”

“What’s there to choose? Of course Sun should take the position,” Zhang Zili interjected.

Sun Zhengtao waved Zhang Zili off and said, “Xiaoyu’s right. The company isn’t one person’s alone. The boss should be chosen collectively. Everyone write a name; whoever gets the most votes wins. The waitress can tally them up, no objections?”

Everyone agreed. The waitress brought paper and pens, votes were cast, and the results read out. Unsurprisingly, Sun Zhengtao was unanimously elected.

Sun Zhengtao smiled with satisfaction. “Since everyone holds me in such high regard, I won’t be modest—I'll take the position.”

He then said to Lu Xiaoyu, “Xiaoyu, shouldn’t you hand over the company ledger and such?”

Lu Xiaoyu replied, “It’s ready, just in the car. I’ll have them bring it over soon.”

Sun Zhengtao continued, “That’s not urgent, but the personnel you took before should be returned, right? Shengcai’s team has been emptied out.”

Lu Xiaoyu answered calmly, “That was just a business adjustment; personnel changes are inevitable. Now that Sun is boss, we’ll follow your lead. The transferred staff will return immediately.”

Sun Zhengtao was very pleased. “Good. The dishes are all here—let’s not stand on ceremony, let’s eat.”

With Sun Zhengtao’s cue, everyone began to eat and drink.

During the merriment, Lu Xiaoyu approached Sun Zhengtao with his glass. “Boss Sun, now that we’ve admitted our mistakes, could you lend a hand? The brothers’ software is about to expire, and the scripts need updating. Could you contact the tech team and arrange an upgrade?”

Sun Zhengtao smiled, knowing that without the tech and expert groups, Lu Xiaoyu couldn’t last. This was the real reason for his capitulation, along with the recent police summons. He was sure Lu Xiaoyu and his group had learned their lesson. “Don’t worry. We’re all in the same boat, all brothers. I’ll handle the tech team tomorrow. As for scripts, use the current ones for now—it’s not urgent to replace them. In a few days, it’ll be fine.”

Lu Xiaoyu, hearing this, said no more, toasted Sun Zhengtao, and returned to his seat.

The banquet continued in laughter and cheer, every face smiling. Yet, in the shadows, a tremendous conspiracy was quietly brewing, waiting for its moment to strike.