Chapter 280 Half of the Light is in the Dark

Zhang Yunqi patted his butt and left Songlin Building.

He came in humble and modest, but left with an arrogant attitude.

This arrogant attitude does not refer to how arrogant this young man with a huge fortune and a strong background is, but refers to the oppressive atmosphere. In the silent silence, Xiao Lijun watched Zhang Yunqi push the door and leave. After a long time, he took a Zhonghua cigarette from the cigarette box, with an indescribable confusion on his face: "I asked you to worry about me at the beginning, but you didn't listen. Look! Now something happened."

Lin Yongqiang, who was sitting across from the mahjong table, stared at Xiao Lijun's pale face. For some reason, his stomach churned, but he behaved well. He immediately stood up and used a lighter to light Xiao Lijun's Zhonghua cigarette. He smiled and said, "Director Xiao is right. It was all my fault. I didn't investigate this matter carefully."

Xiao Lijun felt anxious after hearing this: "I just don't understand. Is Zhang Yunqi going to do this for an ordinary employee of his factory? He doesn't care about orders worth millions. Isn't he mentally ill? Ah! What benefit can he get from tearing his face apart? Oh! But it's useless to talk about this now. Let's think about what to do next. If Zhang Yunqi really tells Mayor Yang Jiarong about this, neither of us can stop him!"

Lin Yongqiang thought for a moment and said, "Director Xiao, don't you think he is bluffing?"

Xiao Lijun was startled: "What do you mean?"

Lin Yongqiang analyzed: "Since Zhang Yunqi is going to report to Yang Jiarong, why did he tell us? I think he is testing us. He is not sure whether Chu Dapeng forged the lottery ticket."

Xiao Lijun reacted and felt that this made some sense. He slammed the table and said, "That's right! If that's the case, what should we do next?"

Lin Yongqiang smiled and said, "Let me talk to him first."

Xiao Lijun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He put out his cigarette butt in the ashtray and said, "Well, Lao Lin, I advised you not to have such a big appetite from the beginning. Now that things have come to this, you should make more plans."

"Director Xiao is right. Leave the matter to me. It's getting late. You should relax and go to bed early." Lin Yongqiang smiled, stood up and left the box.

Although the current situation was unclear and he had many doubts, Zhang Yunqi just walked away. He had to worry about the evening program and asked the manager of Songlin Building to find an 18-year-old public relations manager. He also personally checked the girl and found that she had long hair that fell to her shoulders, a tall figure, extremely fair skin, and spoke in a coquettish voice. She was the kind of tender grass that old cows love to chew.

After the public relations manager went up, Lin Yongqiang left Songlin Building accompanied by the rumbling sound of cannons from the sky.

The rain was getting heavier. There was no one on the street. There were dead branches and leaves everywhere. The air seemed to be mixed with a musty smell. Lin Yongqiang got into the car and the signature smile on his face faded. He rocked down the chair, lit a Zhonghua, lay down and looked at the messy street. The lights on the Spring Breeze Road in the wind and rain were flickering, and the hard skyline was hidden in the lights. It was not until the cigarette butt was too hot that he picked up the mobile phone and called Li Jilin, the general manager of Liansheng: "Lao Li."

"Lin Yongqiang?" Li Jilin's voice on the other end of the phone was a little surprised, but he quickly reacted: "What's the matter?"

"Please help me."

"What's the deal?"

"Tell me about Zhang Yunqi."

"Do you really want to listen?"

"It's already this late, don't bother me anymore."

"As friends, I can tell you, but I have to remind you in advance that I will report this to Zhang Yunqi later. After all, he is my boss, and you should be clear about my position."

"It's clear. This is not considered aiding the enemy."

"The situation is very sensitive right now. Before this dinner tonight, I actually didn't know what was going on. I only found out after I sent my boss back. If you really did this to Chu Dapeng, given my boss's character, you won't have a better way out except turning yourself in."

Lin Yongqiang's hand was burned by the cigarette butt, so he threw it out of the window and said, "I didn't call you to hear these words."

Li Jilin said: "You want to know his background, right? Don't keep staring at Yang Jiarong. You know the city bureau's discipline, which is the toughest and most likely to kill you..."

******
It rained harder and harder.

Thick black clouds rolled across the sky.

The wind was as strong as a knife and the rain was as heavy as a pillar, covering the sky and the earth, with the momentum to destroy everything.

I don't know why, but as Lin Yongqiang was driving home in the wind and rain, he suddenly thought of the crops that his fellow villagers had been working on for half a year. It was the harvest time, and they would all be in trouble if the flood came.

When he got home, the lights were still on in the living room. His wife was mopping the floor. She was wearing plain home clothes and an apron, looking like a hardworking middle-aged housewife. She was not very good-looking, with big hands and wide feet, and slightly dark skin. When she saw him coming in through the door all wet, she took a towel and wiped his body while nagging: "Why did you come home so late and get wet all over? Didn't we prepare an umbrella for you in the car? Have you had dinner? There's chicken soup in the casserole, have a bowl."

"No, I've already eaten outside." Lin Yongqiang took the towel with a smile: "Wife, you should go to bed early. I'll mop the floor later. I'm going to take a shower first."

After a quick shower, when Lin Yongqiang came out of the bathroom, he saw that the light in his son Lin Zihao's bedroom was still on. He walked over and knocked on the door, then pushed it open and saw Lin Zihao still reviewing his homework at the desk. He said, "Son, you haven't gone to bed yet."

Lin Zihao nodded: "There is still one question that has not been solved."

Lin Yongqiang walked in and sat on the bed: "By the way, there is something I want to ask you."

"what?"

"Is there a student named Zhang Yunqi in your school?"

Lin Zihao was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Dad, do you know him?"

Lin Yongqiang smiled. Although he noticed that Lin Zihao's expression had changed significantly, he did not answer his question. Instead, he asked, "This Zhang Yunqi and that Chu Jian..."

"Classmate. Dad, are you okay? I have to do my homework." Lin Zihao's face showed obvious disgust. Children are not good at hiding their emotions. At this time, Lin Yongqiang thought of Zhang Yunqi. They were the same age, but they were very different in their scheming and scheming. What made him feel even more funny was that his son's few words were full of hostility towards Zhang Yunqi. Now he and Zhang Yunqi also had difficulties, and the reason came from the same person, their first meeting.

When he thought of this, Lin Yongqiang felt mixed emotions, especially what Li Jilin said, which made him feel desperate. Although he said it very lightly in front of Xiao Lijun, the fact was that he no longer knew what to do.

At first, he thought Zhang Yunqi was just a very successful businessman and had nothing to do with him. But this evening's drinking made him realize how powerful this young man, who was one year younger than his son, was. The power behind him ended the dispute before it even began.

In fact, Lin Yongqiang knew very well that once this matter was filed, the higher-ups were determined to investigate it. Whether Chu Dapeng's forged lottery tickets could be investigated was another matter, and it was not important, but the shady activities of the Sports Lottery Center would definitely be uncovered! Many things seemed flawless, but as long as one was determined, there were many loopholes that could be found. At the moment, he had no way to plug these holes. But with Zhang Yunqi's power in the city, it was not difficult to promote this matter. He didn't even need to find Yang Jiarong. Just a word from Ji Zhong, who would definitely support him, was enough to expose the matter. Not to mention him, Xiao Lijun was just a chicken on the chopping board! Not to mention, according to Li Jilin, the mayor of Chengnan District, Huo Jianzhong, also had an unusual relationship with Zhang Yunqi.

Under such circumstances, it was impossible to cover up this case. What was funny was that Xiao Lijun wanted to use the Sports Lottery Center, a canned goods sales channel with a value of millions per issue, to blackmail Zhang Yunqi.

When thinking about this, Lin Yongqiang was already a little out of breath. After a while, he reached out and patted Lin Zihao on the shoulder: "Son, I want to say a few words to you."

Lin Zihao put down his pen: "Dad, what do you want to say?"

Lin Yongqiang smiled and said, "You are 18 years old now and will take the college entrance examination soon. You are also an adult. In the future, no matter what happens, don't easily stand on your own position to hate others, because you don't know what others have experienced. This world is full of prejudice, but right and wrong are never absolute."

Lin Zihao was stunned. He was still young, and his limited experience was not enough to understand these seemingly simple but profound words. However, he could sense that his father was abnormal: "Dad, why are you talking so strangely tonight? What do you want to tell me?"

"It's nothing. Maybe I drank a little and kept nagging a little. But you should not take such truths lightly. Go to bed early." Lin Yongqiang touched Lin Zihao's tilted head, left the bedroom, and locked Guangming in his son's room.

******
The next day, the sky was covered with dark clouds.

It was past ten o'clock in the morning when Lin Yongqiang, who had been sleepless all night, got up from bed. His wife had gone to work and his son had gone to school, and it was still raining heavily outside the window.

While washing up, his cell phone suddenly rang. When Lin Yongqiang went to answer it, he heard Xiao Lijun's angry voice: "Lao Lin, what are you doing? I've called you more than ten times!"

Lin Yongqiang said: "I didn't hear it. I just got up."

Xiao Lijun was immediately furious: "Oh, why did you just wake up at this time? Something big has happened! Did you know that Zhang Yunqi ran to the South City Branch to report the case? Huo Jianzhong personally called and this matter cannot be stopped."

"I know now." Lin Yongqiang was not surprised at all, and it didn't matter, because whether the South City Branch filed a case was not the key, the key was whether Zhang Yunqi could be dealt with, but could he still deal with it now? Li Jilin's words made him feel desperate, and Xiao Lijun's IQ made him even more desperate!
Xiao Lijun was still chattering on the phone: "Old Lin, what's wrong with you? Why do you suddenly seem to be indifferent to this matter? This is a life-threatening matter. Didn't you say you would talk to Zhang Yunqi? Is this the result of the talk? Or did you not go to talk at all?"

Lin Yongqiang said, "I haven't discussed it yet." Xiao Lijun was so angry that he almost fainted: "What the hell are you doing? With your attitude, you still want to cover it up? Old Lin, I'm telling you, you are the one who caused this. I didn't touch a penny of the money you gave me."

This made Lin Yongqiang feel sick. Under the current circumstances, he had no need or interest in licking Xiao Lijun's ass: "You know whether I moved or not."

"What's your attitude?"

"Don't you understand my attitude? Director Xiao, over the years, I have supported you in whoring, gambling, and your family's food, drink, and the study abroad of your son. Did all this money fall from the sky? If I have to go to jail, you will be the one who takes the blame!"

With a "click" sound, Lin Yongqiang hung up the phone. The rain outside was pouring down...

I don't know how long it took, but he picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said, "Xiaojun, come over to my place."

Half an hour later, a tall and strong young man came to his house, dressed in black, and looked very familiar with the place. As soon as he entered the door, he said, "Brother, why did you call me over in such a heavy rain? Did my sister-in-law make anything delicious?"

Lin Yongqiang handed a Zhonghua cigarette to the young man and said, "Let me ask you something. The winners this year are all from other places, right?"

The young man lit a cigarette and sat down on the sofa: "Yeah, you've asked me several times, what's wrong?"

Lin Yongqiang nodded: "Let them go as far away as possible."

The young man was stunned: "Brother, what's wrong? Their names, addresses and ID numbers are all fake, very safe, it's impossible to find out."

Lin Yongqiang shook his head: "This is the most fatal loophole. All the information of the winner is false. Could it be that the prize was won by a ghost?"

The young man became alert: "Brother, is anyone investigating this?"

Lin Yongqiang waved his hand, then he picked up a piece of paper and a pen from the coffee table and wrote down an address and a name: "Xiaojun, go to Hongshan Lane. There is only one family with the surname Chu there. Remember what this girl looks like. She is about five or six years old and has mental retardation. This kind of child loves to run around. Her family is holding a funeral and there will be many people. Don't let others notice you."

The young man glanced at the note and asked, "Tied her up?"

Lin Yongqiang's face froze for a moment: "Don't move. I'll let you know what to do tonight."

"I understand. I'm leaving now." Xiaojun picked up the note and was about to turn around and leave when Lin Yongqiang called him again. He tilted his head and asked, "Brother, is there anything else?"

Lin Yongqiang said nothing, got up and went into the bedroom. After a while, he came out with a few stacks of banknotes: "Take this 5 yuan. If you don't receive my call tonight, leave Jiangchuan directly and get a new ID card. Don't tell anyone about this. Go as far away as possible and never come back."

"Brother! What happened? Is someone messing with us?"

"Let's go! Don't ask any more questions, and don't let anyone know your whereabouts!"

******
The rain outside the window is falling.

The sky was filled with black clouds, surging northward like a tide.

Although all the chandeliers were on, there was still an indescribable sense of eeriness in the huge living room. Lin Yongqiang lay on the leather sofa, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from him. The round-headed clock hanging on the wall ticked relentlessly until nearly 4:. He got up, changed into clean clothes, left home, and drove to Zhang's Qifengdu Fish Powder Shop, which was opposite the gate of the No. Middle School in the city.

During class, there were few customers in the fish noodle shop. The owner was a middle-aged lady who was very enthusiastic. Lin Yongqiang ordered a bowl of Qifengdu fish noodle. It tasted good, very fresh and delicious, very appetizing, with a hint of the fierce and fierce flavor of the people in southern Hunan. Unfortunately, this was his first time to eat fish noodle with this flavor, and it might be the last time.

At 5:30, the school bell rang at No. Middle School.

Students filed out with umbrellas in hand. Lin Yongqiang didn't have to wait long before Zhang Yunqi appeared at the door of Zhangji Qifengdu Fish Noodle Shop. When he saw him, his expression didn't seem surprised: "Boss Lin, you're here."

"Let's come out and chat." Lin Yongqiang took out a 100-yuan note and put it on the table, then got up and left the fish meal shop.

Zhang Yunqi watched him get into a Honda Accord on the side of the road, took out 98 yuan from the drawer and followed him. After getting in the car, he handed it to Lin Yongqiang with a smile: "Fish meal is 2 yuan a bowl, this is the change."

Lin Yongqiang took the money and said with a smile: "Your fish meal tastes so good, why don't you open a few more branches?"

Zhang Yunqi said: "There are so many things to do, and I don't have enough energy right now."

Lin Yongqiang said, "I see that Boss Zhang is a big businessman, so it's normal that he doesn't have time to waste on such a small project. Are you interested in cooperating? I will be responsible for paying, and you only need to invest in the technology and brand, and you don't have to take care of anything. You can get 55% of the profits, and promote Zhang's Xifengdu Fish Noodles nationwide?"

Zhang Yunqi said happily: "Boss Lin's idea is quite good, but given your and my current situation, it seems a little unrealistic to realize it."

Lin Yongqiang took out a Zhonghua cigarette and handed it to Zhang Yunqi: "Actually, it's all a matter of a word from Boss Zhang. We can solve Chu Dapeng's problem privately."

Zhang Yunqi asked: "How can we solve this privately?"

Lin Yongqiang said: "Chu Dapeng's car accident was an accident."

Zhang Yunqi asked again: "And then?"

Lin Yongqiang said: "Although you are young, you have a clear understanding of things. Although you always seize on the fact that Chu Dapeng died in a car accident, you should know in your heart that I had no reason to cause a car accident to kill Chu Dapeng. It was just an accident that no one expected."

Zhang Yunqi asked, "What about the forged lottery ticket?"

Lin Yongqiang took two puffs of his cigarette and spoke after a long while: "At first I thought it was Chu Dapeng who forged the lottery ticket. I did receive a fake winning lottery ticket, but now that he is dead, I am not sure anymore."

"Your self-righteousness is a bit costly."

"Do you think selling lottery tickets is very profitable? There are many things that can only be solved with help." Lin Yongqiang threw away his cigarette butt: "Do you know that 50% of the lottery sales amount must be returned to the lottery players in kind, and a small half of it is scraped off your cans, and the other 50% is the profit part, of which 35% is used as a public welfare fund, the state takes 15%, the Sports Lottery Center takes 8%, and the Sports Bureau takes 12%; the remaining 15%, 3% is the lottery cost, and 1% is the management fee of the Sports Lottery Center. As a lottery seller, I can nominally get 11%, but I have to take care of everything along the way. In addition, lottery issuance also has great risks. Advertising and promotion costs, venue rental, and labor costs are all fixed. If lottery sales do not reach a certain number, I, the contractor and issuer, will lose money."

Lin Yongqiang lit another cigarette: "Take this lottery draw as an example. The total amount of lottery tickets contracted to me by the Municipal Sports Lottery Center is 3000 million. I have been selling for several days in a row. If all can be sold, I can get 330 million, which is definitely profitable. But what is the reality? Only 850 million lottery tickets were sold, and the money I could receive was only more than 90. Excluding the fixed costs of capital costs, publicity costs, venue rental, and management fees, I can't make much money at all. If I don't do well, I will lose money. This is why Xiao Lijun wants to contract the lottery sales business to me, so that he can get 35+1 income without any risk. Of course, there is also you, Boss Zhang. Although you don't even know which direction the door of the Municipal Sports Lottery Center faces, you are a famous young entrepreneur in the city. With just a word from Yang Jiarong, you can get millions of canned food sales without any risk."

Zhang Yunqi didn't know the ins and outs of lottery sales. He listened to Lin Yongqiang's words patiently and nodded: "How do you want to solve it privately?"

Lin Yongqiang smoked a cigarette and said, "I can return the full amount of Chu Dapeng's winnings to his family. Liansheng and the Sports Lottery Center's canned food sales business will not be terminated. As for the price, you can decide. If you are interested in cooperating with Zhangji Qifengdu fish meal project, I will quote a price that will satisfy you. But this matter about Chu Dapeng ends here. What do you think?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "It's tempting and bold, but it's too late. Chu Dapeng's car accident was an accident, but you didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of you. Boss Lin knows this truth. Those who kill will die, and those who injure will pay for their injuries. Boss Lin knows this truth too."

Lin Yongqiang dusted off his cigarette ashes, feeling powerless. "I'm just an ordinary businessman, I don't have much skills, I just make a living by helping the people above me. Boss Zhang, you're different, you have a bright future. If you really want to push it all the way, my death won't be a big deal, but many people will be restless."

"Does this have anything to do with me?"

"Are you going to push people into a desperate situation?"

"So what?"

"You are still young, don't get too angry. Even a rabbit will bite when it gets angry."

"So how are you going to bite people? It's still early, I can analyze it for you. You can't play those tricks on the surface. Xiao Lijun or the people from the South City Branch are all too busy to care about you, right? Then how else can you bite me? Use some despicable means? To be honest, I don't care, but you are a rational person, don't get deeper and deeper. You said that I pushed you into a desperate situation, that's not right, you chose the road yourself, and you have a happy family and a handsome son who will take the college entrance examination soon. Lin Zihao is a good guy except for being a little arrogant. As a father, you don't want to see him get into any accidents, right?"

Zhang Yunqi's voice was very calm, but every word was like a knife, and every word was like a knife, stabbing Lin Yongqiang so hard that he couldn't breathe, and even his voice was hoarse: "With your ability, you should be able to withdraw the case. After my son takes the college entrance examination, I will turn myself in. Is that okay?"

"No. I want a result before Dapeng is buried early this Saturday." Zhang Yunqi pushed the door and got out of the car, his figure disappearing in the heavy rain.

******
(End of this chapter)