Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the end, Liu Xun had no choice but to agree.

One hundred thousand as commission. Another twenty thousand for my trouble.

When Liu Xun transferred the money, his teeth were grinding so hard I could hear them.

Peng You felt bad about always dragging me into his messes, so he added another thirty thousand as a hardship fee.

Besides that, I made two demands of Liu Xun. “First, I want the Mount Tai Stone from your company.”

That Mount Tai Stone was something Liu Xun’s father had obtained years ago. It had always stood guard at the entrance of their company.

Before Wang Cheng disappeared, he had sent Peng You a photo: the Mount Tai Stone on Huai Mountain Old Road, cracked and broken.

Peng You had felt something was wrong right then, but when he called back, he couldn’t get through.

Liu Xun didn’t think the stone at his family’s company was of much use anyway, so he nodded carelessly.

“Second, I want you to come with me.”

Now Liu Xun couldn’t stay calm. His eyes went wide as he stared at me. “Why should I go? I’m not one of the drivers.”

“You’re their boss. And my brother only went because you schemed him into it.”

I glared at him fiercely. “I’m still talking nicely because of your father. If you keep refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, don’t blame me for getting rough.”

“Besides, there should have been a seat for you in Wang Cheng’s car to begin with!”

Liu Xun’s lips trembled for a long while before he finally said hoarsely, “Fine. I’ll go. But I’m bringing one more person.”

Time was tight, so we set off at noon.

I brought my good buddy Dashun. Liu Xun brought his trusted lackey, Ren Song. Four of us in total.

Peng You had the Mount Tai Stone delivered and loaded into my car.

I had someone find a piece of red silk and tie it around the stone.

Just as we were about to get in the car, a wretched sobbing came from the gate.

Peng You hurried over. The person who had come was Wang Cheng’s elderly mother. Her hair was streaked white, and one look told you her body was terribly frail.

The moment she saw Peng You, she tried to kneel. Peng You quickly caught and supported her.

“The old lady was in the hospital in the city,” Dashun whispered to me. “I heard she dreamed of Wang Cheng last night. His lower half was covered in blood, and he was standing in the weeds, calling ‘Mom’ over and over.”

“No wonder Brother Peng was so worked up this morning. Wang Cheng was someone he brought out of the village himself.”

His words made me think, in a daze, of someone from the past. I quickly shook my head and forced the chaotic thoughts away.

Over there, Peng You pointed in my direction, probably telling the old lady that someone was going to look for Wang Cheng.

The old lady staggered two steps toward us, then dropped to her knees with a thud.

Peng You failed to stop her, and my heart felt like it had been struck hard by that same sound.

We drove off, and the old lady watched us from behind until we were gone.

And the hateful bastard responsible for all of this sat behind the cab the whole time, playing on his phone as if nothing had happened.