Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

If Yang Yongjin had possessed any supernatural ability, he might well have grown a little suspicious at this moment—after all, Sun Jie had picked up that pistol in the end, and Yang Yongjin could not help but wonder at her intentions.

But now everything had become clear. The instant Yang Ce heard the words "Boss Yun," he had basically pieced together how it had all happened.

This Yun Guangdu was quite interesting. He had actually devised such an elaborate, interlocking scheme to sow discord between Yang Ce and Sun Jie. Well, of course—the fellow was secretly in love with Sun Jie, but constrained by the relationship between Heng and Sun Jie, so all he could do was find a way to drive a wedge between them from the middle.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was Shuying who sent you, wasn't it?" Yang Hengye asked Lü Silong with a smile.

"Huh?" Lü Silong's mouth fell open. He could not fathom how on earth Yang Ce had guessed it.

"Don't 'huh' me. One look at your face and it's obvious that's how it is," Yang Ce waved a hand at Lü Silong. "You don't need to say anything more. I've basically figured out what's going on. Da Hou, take him away and find somewhere to lock him up for now."

"Yes." Hou Lin grabbed Lü Silong directly by the collar and hauled him up, stool and all, and dragged him out the door.

Yang Ce began to ponder the ins and outs of the matter. And to be fair, this little performance of Yun Guangdu's was really quite ingenious. Earlier, he had deliberately left a flaw for Yang Ce to find, so that Yang Ce would return to the coffee shop to look for Lü Silong.

And Lü Silong had first put on a whole show of suffering, preferring death to submission. Only at the very end did he pretend to be at the end of his endurance and reveal the mastermind behind it all. To anyone else, Lü Silong's words would surely have seemed the truth—but Yang Jiyan could peer into his thoughts and saw straight through his little trick.

And to be fair, if Yang Ce's relationship with Sun Jie had not been as close as it was, or if Yang Shuoxuan had not possessed supernatural abilities, then perhaps he really would have believed Lü Silong's words.

Yun Guangdu. Interesting. It had been a long time since he had seen him stir, and Yang Ce had thought he had given up. Who would have guessed he would play a hand like this?

"Da Hou, ask that Lü Silong for Yun Guangdu's phone number," Yang Ce said, calling Hou Lin and giving the order.

Lü Silong's thoughts had already been guessed by Yang Ce, and with the matter exposed, there was nothing left for him to hide. Whatever Hou Lin asked, he answered.

But Lü Silong was only a minor underling, and he did not know much. Knowing Yun Guangdu's mobile number was already the limit of what he had.

Having obtained Yun Guangdu's mobile number, Yang Ce dialed it directly.

"Hello, who is this?" Yun Guangdu asked, looking at the unfamiliar number.

"Boss Yun? This is Yang Ce," Yang Ce said carelessly.

"Yang—Yang Ce?" Yun Guangdu's tone was plainly startled, though he quickly recovered his composure. "Who are you? I don't know you."

"You don't know me? You've got a subordinate named Lü Silong who says you sent him," Yang Yongjin said unhurriedly.

"..." At Yang Juehuan's words, Yun Guangdu's face turned green on the spot. At first he had clung to a shred of hope, thinking that Yang Ce's call was merely a coincidence, about some other matter. But now, hearing Yang Yanzhou mention Lü Silong, he understood at once: Lü Silong must have spilled everything. Damn it, that Lü Silong—what a spineless piece of trash, good for nothing.

Of course Yun Guangdu could not admit it. "What Lü Silong? I don't know this person."

"Yun Guangdu, I'm telling you—whether you know Lü Silong or not, you have three days to get out of Songjiang. I don't want to see you again," Yang Shuoxuan said, unwilling to waste words with him, and threatened him outright.

"Boy, look at how capable you've become." Yun Guangdu had spoken politely out of a guilty conscience, never expecting Yang Ce to threaten him outright, and his face immediately darkened. "Don't think that just because you've acknowledged some prestigious godfather, you can do as you please. There are some people you cannot afford to offend."

"Some people? Heh, that's right," Yang Jiyan said with an utterly unconcerned smile. "Indeed, there are some people I still can't afford to provoke. But you are not among them."

"Hmph." Yun Guangdu gave a cold snort and slammed the phone down with a "click."

Yang Ce had infuriated Yun Guangdu badly, yet he forced down his rage and did not vent it. Because there was someone else at his side—a vigorous old man.

"Little Yunzi, what is it?" the old man asked, looking at Yun Guangdu's flushed face.

"Some brat—he's driven me out of my mind," Yun Guangdu said hatefully. "I really want to kill him." And with that, he recounted his feud with Yan.

"A little patience is needed for great plans," the old man said, his face expressionless. "We have already lurked in Songjiang for so many years. Do not forget our purpose."

"Yes, Right Elder," Yun Guangdu said, drawing a deep breath and nodding.

"Women are mere externals. Once we finish our task and return to the tribe, however many women you want, the chief will reward you with them," the old man called the Right Elder said mildly.

"I understand. I won't expose myself. Please rest assured, Right Elder," Yun Guangdu said respectfully.

"Mm. But I do not interfere with your ordinary social activities—so long as you do not use our secret martial arts," the Right Elder said. "I wonder whether that old thing Lan Hai is dead or not. We cannot be too careless."

"Back then, Right Elder, you smashed him to pieces. There's no way he could have survived, is there?" Yun Guangdu said.

"That's hard to say. If that old thing Lan Hai isn't dead, then our plan—" The Right Elder shook his head and said no more.

"Right Elder, don't think so much about it. If you master your martial arts, then you need fear no one," Yun Guangdu consoled him.

"I hope that's how it is," the Right Elder said with a sigh. "I'll be going first. I can't be away too long. My current identity was planted with great difficulty—it would be bad if anyone grew suspicious."

"I respectfully see you off, Right Elder," Yun Guangdu said hurriedly, bowing his head.

"No need to see me off." The Right Elder waved his hand, left Yun Guangdu's company, and headed off in one direction.

To be continued

677. ++'s Diary

Yang Ce did not take Yun Guangdu's behavior seriously at all. Yang Shuoxuan had never regarded Yun Guangdu as worth his attention; the man was a mere minor character.

He gave Hou Lin a few instructions, telling him to make a point of giving Yun Guangdu trouble for a while, and then paid the matter no further mind.

Then Sun Jie's call came through as well.

"Yang Ce, there should be something wrong with that waiter," Sun Jie said the moment Yang Ce picked up. "By the time my people got there, the waiter was already gone."

"Heh, so you thought of it too. But I was one step ahead of you—that waiter is already in my hands," Yang Hengye said.

"Oh? Really? You certainly move fast. Looks like my warning was wasted," Sun Jie said with a shake of her head, then went on: "By the way, one more thing—that handgun I picked up was a fake too. It was a toy pistol."

"I guessed that long ago." Yang Hengye laughed. "Where would he get a real gun?"

"Him—do you know who did it?" Sun Jie asked, startled for a moment, speaking in a rush.

"I know," Yang Ce said. "Guess who."

"Who? How would I guess? Who knows what sort of people are feuding with you. Wait—it wouldn't be that Ouyang Junyuan, would it?" Sun Jie asked after thinking it over.

"Not him. But that waiter said you were the one who put him up to killing me," Yang Ce said, suddenly changing tack and speaking gravely.