SAG -Chapter 70 He Yong’s Persistence

“Brother Zhang, how did you…?”

After the initial joy, He Yong was filled with confusion.

Back then, he had known what had happened. So how was Zhang Ran suddenly standing here now?

Zhang Ran smiled.

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain properly later.”

“Who is this?”

As he spoke, he looked toward He Qing.

Zhang Ran had already guessed her identity, but he still needed to ask.

“Xiaoqing, call him Uncle Zhang.”

“Brother Zhang, this is my daughter, He Qing.”

He Yong quickly introduced her.

He Qing looked at the man who seemed only a few years older than herself and didn’t know how to address him.

Why was her father calling him Brother Zhang?

And judging from the situation, they had clearly known each other even before her father went to prison.

“Uncle… Zhang.”

She finally managed to say it.

“Good.”

“This is a meeting gift from your uncle.”

Zhang Ran took out an envelope.

Before coming, he had guessed He Yong might have a son or daughter, so he had prepared it in advance.

It wasn’t much—ten thousand yuan.

He Qing looked helplessly at He Yong.

It was an instinctive reaction.

He Yong smiled.

“Since Brother Zhang gave it to you, take it.”

Only then did He Qing hesitate briefly before accepting the envelope with both hands.

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”

“Let’s go. Get in the car.”

Zhang Ran smiled and invited them into the car.

The moment they got in, He Yong impatiently asked, “Brother Zhang, what exactly happened? Back then, weren’t you…”

Zhang Ran replied, “It’s actually simple. Xiaoqing should know something about it too.”

He Qing was bewildered.

This was her first time meeting Zhang Ran.

What could she possibly know?

Seeing her confused expression, Zhang Ran smiled.

“Don’t you remember what cruise ship I was on back then?”

“I know.”

“The Goddess of Destiny.”

“I waited at the dock for you for a long time back then. I even had people search that stretch of sea, but they found nothing.”

He Yong said.

The moment He Qing heard Goddess of Destiny, she immediately reacted.

She said in shock, “The Goddess of Destiny?”

“Xiaoqing, you know about it?”

He Yong immediately asked.

After that, Zhang Ran didn’t need to explain.

He Qing told the whole story from beginning to end.

After hearing it, He Yong stood stunned for quite a while before finally coming back to himself.

When he recovered, he realized Zhang Ran had brought him to a large shopping mall.

Looking at the mall’s modern décor, He Yong froze again.

He had been inside for nearly eighteen years.

The outside world had changed so rapidly that he was momentarily dazed.

“Come on. Let’s get you some new clothes.”

Zhang Ran said.

He Yong didn’t stand on ceremony with Zhang Ran and followed behind him.

But when Zhang Ran wanted to buy clothes for He Qing as well, she refused.

No matter how Zhang Ran tried to persuade her, it was useless.

In the end, he could only give up.

Men were quick when buying clothes.

In about fifteen minutes, He Yong came out wearing a brand-new outfit.

“Well?”

“Should I take you home?”

Zhang Ran asked.

Hearing this, He Yong fell silent for a moment.

He understood the meaning behind Zhang Ran’s words.

Zhang Ran had come to pick him up mainly to see an old friend.

Of course, he also wanted He Yong to follow him again.

There weren’t many people Zhang Ran could truly trust now.

Although twenty-eight years had passed for He Yong, eighteen of those years had been spent in prison.

And Zhang Ran was still willing to trust him.

Of course, if He Yong wanted to live a quiet, stable life, Zhang Ran wouldn’t force him.

He would give He Yong some money and consider it fulfilling their old bond.

He Yong looked at He Qing.

Then suddenly, he laughed.

“Then I’ll trouble Brother Zhang.”

Zhang Ran was somewhat surprised by how quickly he made the decision.

“You don’t have to rush. Think it through first.”

“Haha, Brother Zhang, let me put it this way.”

“Other than you, who else would still want me now?”

“And I know you’re trying to help me.”

Seeing the determination in He Yong’s eyes, Zhang Ran said no more.

He then drove toward He Yong’s home.

He knew where He Yong’s hometown was.

Back then, part of the reason Zhang Ran trusted He Yong so much was because he knew everything about him.

Where his hometown was, how many people were in his family, what they looked like—Zhang Ran knew it all.

He Yong had voluntarily told Zhang Ran all of this and had even taken him back to his hometown.

And that had been after He Yong learned of Zhang Ran’s mysterious methods.

In that era, doing so was equivalent to handing his whole life and family over to Zhang Ran.

Under such circumstances, unless He Yong was someone completely heartless, then he was truly loyal to Zhang Ran.

Zhang Ran believed it was the latter.

He Qing couldn’t understand the hidden meanings in Zhang Ran and He Yong’s conversation.

She simply looked at Zhang Ran curiously.

“Tell me, then.”

“How did you end up in such a miserable state?”

“Why didn’t you look for Meng He and the others back then?”

“I believe no matter what, Meng He and the others would have taken care of you.”

Zhang Ran said from the passenger seat.

At this point, He Yong had instinctively taken on the role of driver, just like years ago.

He Yong replied, “After your accident back then, I received a message telling me to leave Shanghai and hide.”

“But even now, I don’t know who sent it. I only have some guesses.”

“Then I discovered that a month after your accident was confirmed, Huzi and the others all disappeared for a period of time.”

“I knew who had taken them away.”

“I also knew what those people were worried about.”

“And I knew that as long as they couldn’t find me, they would never truly feel at ease.”

“Hehe. I just wanted them to live uneasily.”

At the end, He Yong chuckled.

Back then, He Yong had been Zhang Ran’s personal bodyguard.

He knew the most about Zhang Ran.

If anyone might possibly understand Zhang Ran’s mysterious methods, aside from Zhang Ran himself, it would be He Yong.

Huzi and the others had also been Zhang Ran’s bodyguards back then.

They simply had never been as trusted as He Yong.

After listening, Zhang Ran nodded and didn’t ask further.

Although He Yong had only said a little, Zhang Ran fully understood his intentions.

Zhang Ran believed that if He Yong had gone to those people and told them everything he knew, the benefits he could have received would definitely have been considerable.

But He Yong hadn’t gone.

Even after so many years in prison, he had never wavered.

If He Yong had wanted to, all he needed to do was speak.

Those people would certainly have helped reduce his sentence or even arranged medical parole.

That alone proved He Yong had never intended to betray Zhang Ran.

And that was enough.

“Then how did you end up in prison?”

“Don’t tell me you really got involved in organized crime.”

“That doesn’t sound like your style.”

Zhang Ran said.

He Yong fell silent for a moment.

Instinctively, he glanced at He Qing through the rearview mirror.

Finally, he sighed.

“Brother Zhang, my situation is a little complicated.”

“When there’s time, I’ll explain it slowly.”

Zhang Ran noticed the glance.

He understood that this matter likely had something to do with He Qing, so he didn’t press further.

Instead, he began talking with He Yong about other things.

He Qing listened in confusion.

Still, she understood one thing.

Her father seemed far from as simple as the gangster others described him to be.

At the same time, she finally understood Zhang Ran’s identity.

He was her father’s former boss.

Her grandparents had often mentioned He Yong’s boss to her.

They always said that if Boss Zhang had still been around, He Yong would never have fallen to such a state.

They had also said the Zhang boss had helped their family tremendously back then.

At first, He Qing hadn’t understood.

But after hearing Zhang Ran and He Yong’s conversation…

She finally began to understand.