Chapter 146: Explanation

"Where did you get that gun?"

This question made Yun Shisan's balls ache quite literally! Where did he get it? He had snatched it himself, while the previous gun had been pointed right at his crotch, leaving a lingering, faint sorrow in his heart...

Of course, the matter involving Wen Xiaocheng could not be mentioned; otherwise, that tangled mess of complications would be utterly impossible to explain. Therefore, Yun Shisan chose the simplest answer possible: "I picked it up."

The police officer obviously did not believe him. Although such a gun was not a real firearm, it already fell under the category of regulated items, which ordinary people could simply not purchase. In the past, people had indeed faced criminal prosecution for collecting such weapons, giving the officer plenty of confidence. Even if nothing else could be pinned on him, nailing him for illegal possession of a weapon was as easy as pie.

"Where did you pick it up? What were you picking it up for?"

"I picked it up by the abandoned building. I was just about to hand it over to Uncle Police Officer, but before I could make it to the police station, you guys pinned me down..."

Now that was a watertight story. With this testimony, the charge of illegal possession would probably never stick.

What a seasoned old fox! The policeman furrowed his brow.

"What on earth were you doing hanging around the abandoned building?"

"Checking out the real estate. The location is not bad at all, and it's quite a waste to leave it sitting barren. I was thinking that if the price is right, I might consider buying it."

...

Yun Shisan was a former scout and had the makings of a secret agent. Standing before the police, he was completely airtight, spinning tall tales without even needing to draft a script. When asked for identification, he resolutely proposed calling his unit leader. However, before he could make the call, Seventh Master arrived outside.

Standing beside Seventh Master was a smirking, obnoxious brat—Wen Xiaocheng.

Young Master Tang the Seventh had already made his phone calls ahead of time and was currently shaking hands with the station leadership, while Xiaocheng chimed in with polite pleasantries: "Sorry to cause you trouble, sorry to cause you trouble!" This infuriated Shisan; if they hadn't been inside a police station, he would have long since given this punk a thrashing!

As soon as he stepped outside, the white Fukang he rented was parked right across from the police station. He shot a vicious glare at Xiaocheng, who merely shrugged and pointed a finger toward the vehicle to indicate that the keys were inside. Behind him, Seventh Master exchanged pleasantries with the police personnel, exchanging empty, vapid remarks. Meanwhile, ignoring all of that, Shisan broke into a trot across the street, pulled open the car door, and climbed inside.

Once inside the car, he saw that his wallet, mobile phone, and even his cigarettes and lighter were all lying undisturbed right where they belonged, looking just as if he had simply forgotten to take them with him when he got out earlier.

Across the street, people were beginning to wave goodbye. Wen Xiaocheng dove straight into Young Master Tang's Mercedes-Benz, and Seventh Master took the driver's seat, waving at him to signal that he should follow.

Damn it, how dare you make Seventh Master your chauffeur!

The two cars, one right after the other, pulled away from the police station. In the backseat, Shisan rubbed his wrists, which had been chafed raw and red by the handcuffs, and glared daggers at the lead car. Up front, Xiaocheng sat in the passenger seat, seemingly chatting and laughing away with Seventh Master. This kid really changed his face fast! Yet, as he gritted his teeth, a sudden chuckle burst out of him. Damn it! Even after being played, he had to admit defeat—this kid's maneuvering was truly on another level!

Beside the Siyuan River, the Red Star Grand Market was the liveliest spot in Dongfeng Town.

Pushing the door open and stepping out of the car, the three men gathered once more. With no police officers around now, Lord Shisan's request was extremely simple and direct: "Seventh Master, can I beat this punk up?"

Wen Xiaocheng showed not a shred of fear, merely shaking his head and sighing, "When will the cycle of vengeance ever end?"

Seventh Master laughed heartily: "Shisan! Just think about that fellow at the county night market; you've merely spent an hour or so squatting in a police station—consider yourself getting off cheap!"

Seventh Master possessed the bearing of a seasoned commander. Having spoken, he ignored the two of them and walked straight toward the second floor of a restaurant named "Jishui Pavilion." Behind him, Yun Shisan glared with burning eyes, while Xiaocheng acted as though nothing had happened, extending a hand in invitation: "Brother Shisan, after you!"

Yun Shisan gritted his teeth: "You're footing the bill today!"

Coming from the abandoned building, it was practically dinnertime already. With all these delays, everyone's stomachs were rumbling. A waiter walked over with the menu, waiting for the three of them to order. Yun Shisan glanced at Wen Xiaocheng and demanded, "This kid is treating today, so no need to look—stir-fry the whole menu!"

Stir-frying the entire menu was something a single table could never hold, so the waiter kindly asked, "Pardon me, are there only three of you?"

"It's fine, whatever we can't finish we'll pack to go. With someone else paying the bill, what are you afraid of?"

Wen Xiaocheng chimed in right away: "That's right, my treat! Don't be polite. First, as a local, I must fulfill my duties as a host; second, I want to express my gratitude for the Huanyou Group's attention and regard toward me; and third, today I've made a good friend in Brother Shisan—we didn't stand on ceremony the moment we met, and as they say, friends are made through clashes. Don't stop me, no matter what anyone says, I'm paying for this meal today!"

Those words grated on the ears like chewing gravel. Aside from the first sentence about acting as a host, the rest were practically slaps to the face! What did "attention and regard" even mean? Was it code for prying into someone's privacy? Not standing on ceremony upon meeting, while deliberately calling him "Big Brother"—Yun Shisan found it all agonizingly awkward. Trying to trade witty banter with this kid yielded zero advantage whatsoever.

Seventh Master remained the more steady of the two, refusing to get embroiled in their bickering. He reached out to take the menu, ordered a few house specialties, and requested a pot of Biluochun tea, which was more than enough for three people. He then handed the menu back to Wen Xiaocheng and said, "We've investigated everything else, except what you like to eat. Let's find out today once and for all."

Seventh Master's intervention effectively smoothed over Yun Shisan's ordeal. Once the tea was poured, Seventh Master proactively filled Xiaocheng's and Shisan's cups, then slowly began: "Today's affair was actually triggered by us. Even the covert investigation and surveillance beforehand—we were in the wrong first. Let's consider this cup of tea my formal apology."

"I accept it."

"Today you made Shisan suffer a heavy blow, but that was because we were at fault to begin with, and Shisan didn't sustain any actual harm. He isn't a petty man either, so let's just turn the page on this matter, shall we?"

"Fine! With Seventh Master saying so, even if I wanted revenge, I couldn't exact it! You have no idea, Seventh Master, just how vicious this kid is! I exercised the utmost caution, yet he still managed to wrap me around his finger. If he hadn't come to bail me out, who knows, he might really have left me locked up for half a year!"

"Heh heh," Xiaocheng chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It was all just a misunderstanding!"

Taking over the conversation, Seventh Master said, "As long as we can talk things through, it's fine. Actually, we harbor no ill intentions; it's simply that special talents require special methods to unearth. That being said, had we not resorted to those less-than-honorable tactics, we might well have missed out on a genius."

Since they had put it that way, Xiaocheng simply laid his cards on the table, explaining: "This whole thing mainly stemmed from a lack of communication and understanding. At the time, I discovered I was being tracked and monitored, and I thought it was an enemy coming after me—you probably already know this, but my father is a convicted murderer—one dead, three injured—and he offended quite a few people. It wouldn't be strange for someone to want to harm us. The reason I swiped Brother Shisan's phone and all was precisely to verify this suspicion, but once I looked through your chat logs, I understood what was really going on..."

Yun Shisan nodded. "You swiping my phone and claiming you wanted to investigate me, I can understand that. But what on earth was the meaning of engineering a scenario where I'd grab that gun and then calling the police?"

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