Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Du Ruhai’s true purpose for coming here was finally revealed.

He still believed Meng Yifan had stolen something from him.

Meng Yifan was frustrated; he didn’t have the best temper to begin with.

But in the face of Du Ruhai, he forced himself to be gentle. “Boss Du, I really didn’t take anything of yours. Why are you so certain it was me?”

Du Ruhai’s composure was deep; his expression didn’t change in the slightest, remaining perfectly amiable. “Mr. Meng, there is no enmity between us. Why must we… well, why must things come to this?”

“Better to have one more friend than one more enemy.”

He spoke like an elder, teaching Meng Yifan a lesson with earnest words.

Meng Yifan was already extremely impatient, but he continued to restrain himself. “Boss Du, you’re a smart man. Think about it carefully-would I have the guts to go back to your house and steal something?”

“I barely just got out of prison. Even if you gave me a hundred times more courage, I wouldn’t dare step foot in your home again.”

“You’ve truly misunderstood.”

Only then did Du Ruhai’s expression shift slightly, though the smile remained on his face.

I could tell that whatever had been stolen must be very important-important enough that he had personally shown up to demand it from us.

“It seems I have misunderstood, then.”

“Sorry for the intrusion.”

Du Ruhai’s attention suddenly shifted from Meng Yifan to me.

He stared at me, making my skin crawl.

“Mr. Chen, there is a certain fate between us. I wonder if you understand what I mean?” His tone was heavy with hidden meaning.

I wasn’t a fool; I knew he was testing me.

If I said I understood, I would be exposing the fact that I knew too much.

For instance, that he knew my father.

Back then, the house he and Li Xiumei bought had my father’s name on the deed, and my father had even accepted money from him.

“I’m not quite sure…”

I gave an awkward smile. “I’m just an ordinary citizen. How could I share a fate with someone like Boss Du? If such a fate truly exists, I would be deeply honored.”

Du Ruhai smiled and said, “Chen Guowen is your father, isn’t he? Your father and I are old friends.”

My Adam’s apple bobbed as I swallowed hard.

My mental fortitude… was simply no match for his.

Still, I fought back my panic and said, “That can’t be right. My dad never amounted to much. How could he possibly know someone of your stature, let alone be your friend?”

“All men are equal. Why couldn’t we be friends? To be honest, you look quite a bit like your father.” As Du Ruhai spoke, he moved to step closer to me.

Song Xiaotian stepped in directly to block him, saying calmly, “Boss Du, distance creates beauty.”

Du Ruhai let out a short laugh. “Fine, then I shall keep my distance. But I hope you all learn to keep your distance as well. There are some things you can touch, and some things you cannot.”

“Once you touch certain things, you might lose your life.”

The threat was finally out in the open.

He was intimidating us.

Meng Yifan and I didn’t dare respond.

Song Xiaotian, however, was not the type to back down. He leaned in toward Du Ruhai and said in a voice only the few of us could hear, “We’ve been to Lvjiagou. we’ve learned of your charitable deeds. I must say, I’m impressed by how well you’ve taken care of the villagers there.”

Du Ruhai’s expression changed visibly. He met Song Xiaotian’s gaze directly. “When poor, one attends to their own virtue; when successful, one attends to the virtue of the whole world. I have always lived by that.”

Song Xiaotian laughed. “Admirable. But I learned that there’s a man in Lvjiagou named Lv Jun. His son committed a Massacre Case fifteen years ago. I figure anyone who could sire such an animal probably isn’t much good himself. There’s no need to include him in your ‘virtue for the world,’ right?”

My heart leaped into my throat.

In all of Lanjiang City, I doubted there was a second person besides Song Xiaotian who would dare call Du Ruhai an animal to his face.

And indeed, he actually managed to make Du Ruhai frown.

However, Du Ruhai quickly regained his composure. “You are mistaken. The son is the son, and the father is the father. One’s sins should not be visited upon their family. You’re being a bit narrow-minded, young man.”

Song Xiaotian pulled back his smile and said flatly, “If-and I mean if-anything happens to these two behind me, I’ll send people to Lvjiagou to cripple Lv Jun. I’ll make sure every single member of his family ends up with a disability certificate.”

Du Ruhai took a breath and remained silent for a long time.

Song Xiaotian had actually managed to break his composure…

“Young man, peace is precious. Don’t harbor so much hostility.”

He patted Song Xiaotian on the shoulder, then looked at me. “Give my regards to your father.”

With that, Du Ruhai left with his men.

Even though he was gone, it took a long time for Meng Yifan and me to recover.

By the time we did, Song Xiaotian’s image in our minds could no longer be described as merely ‘imposing.’

I hadn’t expected this guy to have the nerve to challenge Du Ruhai, let alone threaten him.

Du Ruhai’s reaction had explained everything.

He was Lv Zhengxian. He wasn’t without a weakness; his weakness was his family.

“Brother Tian, aren’t you afraid he’ll retaliate?”

Meng Yifan and I were worried for him. “If he just wanted to silence the two of us before, now he probably wants to tear you limb from limb and eat you alive…”

Song Xiaotian sat back down and tossed his head. “What the hell am I afraid of? He’s definitely going to look into me. If he still dares to touch me after he finds out who I am, then I’ll hand it to him.”

I remembered that Song Xiaotian had a background.

His father and grandfather were both in the military, and his father’s old comrades were very influential.

As for exactly how much power his father and grandfather held, he’d never told me, but I guessed it wasn’t small.

“Besides, he already intended to go after your families.”

Song Xiaotian looked at me. “You think he was really just ‘giving his regards’ to your dad? If I hadn’t used Lv Jun to threaten him, something might have happened to both you and your father.”

I sighed, feeling a mix of fear and hatred.

Du Ruhai’s reach was truly terrifying; he could easily dig up our family backgrounds and find out my father was Chen Guowen.

With a man as unscrupulous as him, I was terrified he would hurt my father or my grandfather.

I just didn’t know if Song Xiaotian’s threat would be enough to keep him in check.