TRWSB – Chapter 197 Jiang Heng’s Death

Qi Heng packed his things and was preparing to go out.

Zuo Yunfei blocked his path. “Going out?”

Qi Heng nodded. “Yes.”

Zuo Yunfei glanced at the two people behind Qi Heng and tilted his head. “You’re just taking these two with you? With your kind of reputation, I bet you have tons of enemies. Aren’t you afraid that with only these two, you’ll be beaten to death the moment you step outside?”

Qi Heng took a deep breath to calm himself, then opened his eyes and gave Zuo Yunfei a smile. “Young Master Zuo, I do have a lot of enemies, and I’m terribly afraid of dying. So, I was wondering if you could accompany me on this trip?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t,” Zuo Yunfei said with disdain. “But I happen to be bored right now, so I’ll reluctantly go with you.”

Qi Heng forced a smile, his face full of gratitude. “What luck! I just happened to catch you at a bored moment.”

Zuo Yunfei nodded in agreement. “Indeed. You’ve hit the jackpot.”

Qi Heng rolled his eyes and walked off, with Zuo Yunfei following behind at a leisurely pace.

“Where are you going?” Zuo Yunfei asked.

“I’ve arranged to meet a few suppliers for business,” Qi Heng replied.

Zuo Yunfei: “…”

Zuo Yunfei followed Qi Heng into a teahouse where several people were already waiting inside.

As soon as Qi Heng entered, the suppliers stood up and greeted him warmly, showering him with compliments.

“Young Master Heng, what a handsome and refined gentleman you are!”

“Truly a talented young man!”

“You seem to be quite close with Young Master Zuo—outstanding people do attract each other!”

…

After exchanging pleasantries, Qi Heng quickly got down to business.

His method was simple: two words—spend money. He was willing to spare no expense to cut off the Jiang family’s supply of raw materials from their major business channels.

Qi Heng had prepared for a financial hit, but to his surprise, the negotiations went smoothly. He soon realized why: the people he met kept glancing at the yawning Zuo Yunfei, clearly assuming they were working together.

The talks ended successfully. Qi Heng walked over to Zuo Yunfei and asked, “Hungry? Let me treat you to a meal.”

Zuo Yunfei turned and looked at Qi Heng. “You being generous?”

“Thanks to you, I saved quite a bit of money. It’s only right that I buy you a meal,” Qi Heng replied.

Zuo Yunfei nodded. “In that case, I won’t be polite.”

The two of them walked out of the teahouse together.

+++++

Thanks to warnings from Jiang He and Jiang Qinxin, the Jiang family had already begun to be wary of Qi Heng.

As soon as Qi Heng made a move, the Jiang family was alerted.

Jiang Qinxin reviewed the report in her hands. “Qi Heng has indeed made his move.”

“He’s starting with the suppliers. If our raw material supply is cut off, everything downstream will fall apart,” Jiang He said.

“What exactly is this guy trying to do?”

Jiang He frowned. “Can’t you see? Qi Heng’s goal is to ruin the Jiang family. And to achieve that, he’s willing to spare no expense.”

“What about Jiang Xingdong? Is he still insisting that Qi Heng was kicked out of the family for theft?” Jiang Qinxin asked.

Jiang He nodded. “Yes.”

“The Merchant Alliance and the Sea Clan are siding with Qi Heng. Things have gone beyond our control. I think the best option now is to hand over Jiang Xingdong,” Jiang Qinxin said.

Jiang He nodded. “I’m thinking the same.”

Jiang Qinxin and Jiang He walked to Jiang Xingdong’s courtyard and saw several elders surrounding him.

Jiang Xingdong was rolling up his sleeves, shouting angrily.

“You bunch of cowards! Scared of a little brat?”

“He’s nothing but a backstabbing little thief! What, you’re planning to hand me over just to please him?”

“You people—after all I’ve done for this family, are you really going to turn your backs on me now?”

Jiang He looked at him and said, “Jiang Xingdong seems rather guilty.”

Jiang Qinxin shook her head. “There might be more to this story.”

Jiang He thought for a moment. “I’ll go talk to Qi Heng and get the truth.”

Jiang Qinxin: “…”

Zuo Yunfei sat in a private room at the restaurant, holding the menu, and proceeded to order nearly every dish on it.

Qi Heng sat beside him, smiling subtly. He thought to himself, Zuo Yunfei really has the flair of a nouveau riche when it comes to ordering food.

Noticing Qi Heng’s smile, Zuo Yunfei asked with displeasure, “What are you smiling at? Are you laughing at me?”

Qi Heng shrugged it off with a smile. “Of course not, Young Master Zuo, you’re overthinking. How would I dare laugh at you?”

Zuo Yunfei snorted lightly and handed the menu to the waiter nearby.

Not long after Qi Heng and Zuo Yunfei sat down, a servant entered and reported, “Young Master Qi, Young Master Jiang He is here.”

Zuo Yunfei turned his head to Qi Heng. “That guy sure came fast.”

Qi Heng narrowed his eyes and said, “I don’t want to see him. Send him away.”

But Jiang He barged in regardless. When he saw Zuo Yunfei sitting there drinking leisurely next to Qi Heng, his previously tense emotions suddenly grew heavier.

Qi Heng looked at Jiang He with displeasure. “Young Master Jiang, do you need something?”

Jiang He clenched his fists. “You know exactly why I’m here, don’t you?”

Qi Heng gave a cold laugh. “I really don’t.”

“You’re destroying the Jiang family just because they kicked you out back then?”

Qi Heng laughed. “If that’s how you want to put it, fine. I was born spiteful—anyone who wrongs me, even a little, I remember it clearly.”

“Why, though?” Jiang He asked, somewhat agitated.

Qi Heng sneered. “Why? I’ve hated the Jiang family for over ten years, and now you’re asking me why?”

“Whatever the Jiang family did to you, it’s all in the past now…”

“It might be in the past for the Jiang family, but for me, it’s just the beginning. Young Master Jiang, do you know how my younger brother Jiang Heng died?”

“He was only five years old. In the dead of winter, he was pushed into a lotus pond by Jiang Xingdong’s son, caught a cold, and died young from the illness.”

“The medicine to treat his cold cost less than a single gold coin. Yet even though the Jiang family was making money hand over fist back then, they refused to pay for the medicine that could’ve saved him. So I had no choice but to watch as my little brother burned with fever, delirious, and died because his high fever never broke.”

“My father earned so much for the Jiang family when he was alive. But after he died, my brother and I received no care at all.”

“And now you ask me why? Before he died, my little brother wished for Jiang Xingdong’s death, for Jiang Yuan’s death, and for the Jiang family to vanish. When he was alive, I was too powerless to do anything for him. But now, I’ll do whatever it takes to fulfill his final wish.”

…

Jiang He frowned. “That matter back then…”

Qi Heng looked at Jiang He and said, “Young Master Jiang, you don’t need to say anything. I know not everyone in the Jiang family is guilty, but just because some were innocent, does that mean my brother deserved to die? He was just a child. He never even had the chance to do anything wrong.”

Jiang He furrowed his brow and was about to speak again, but Zuo Yunfei cut him off. “Young Master Jiang, you’d better leave for now.”

Jiang He clenched his fists, frustrated. He hadn’t expected Jiang Xingdong to have hidden such a thing. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have questioned Qi Heng in front of Zuo Yunfei. Clearly, Zuo Yunfei didn’t know much about Qi Heng’s past either.

Seeing Zuo Yunfei’s gloomy expression, Jiang He awkwardly took his leave.

Qi Heng opened a bottle of liquor and took a heavy swig.

Zuo Yunfei looked at him. “Did you steal back then because of your brother?”

Qi Heng glanced at him. “No. You think too highly of me. I was just craving something tasty, so I stole to get it.”

Zuo Yunfei: “…I didn’t expect you to be so greedy for food as a kid.”

Qi Heng let out a short huff and turned his head away.

Outside, waiters began bringing in the dishes one after another.

“The food’s here. Since you’re paying, you might as well eat some,” Zuo Yunfei said.

Qi Heng took another swig of liquor. “I don’t have much of an appetite. You go ahead.”

Zuo Yunfei looked at him. “You followed Young Master Qi Shaorong around, right? You must’ve eaten really well. Are you sick of this kind of food now?”

Qi Heng nodded. “Young Master Shaorong was generous. When I was with him, every meal was a feast. I got tired of it.”

“Sounds like your palate’s been spoiled,” Zuo Yunfei said. “What’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten?”

Qi Heng smiled. “A steamed bun.”

“A steamed bun?”

Qi Heng nodded. “Yeah.”

After his father died, he and his brother’s status in the Jiang family plummeted. They often had nothing to eat. Qi Heng still remembered that cold, lonely winter night—his younger brother clutched a bun and waited by the window for him to come home. That bun was cold and dry, but to them at the time, it was the most delicious thing in the world.

He had sworn countless times that once he became successful, he’d take his brother to the finest restaurant, order the most expensive food and wine, and indulge. But now, he finally had the means—yet his brother had already been taken away by that frigid winter long ago.

…

As they walked out of the restaurant, Zuo Yunfei instinctively reached out and grabbed Qi Heng’s hand.

Qi Heng looked at him and asked, “Why are you holding my hand?”

“You don’t seem too steady. It’s better if I guide you,” Zuo Yunfei replied.

Qi Heng gave a helpless smile. “What, do you think I’m a kid? Afraid I’ll get lost?”

Zuo Yunfei nodded. “Yeah. I’m afraid you’ll get lost.”

Qi Heng looked up seriously at Zuo Yunfei. Zuo Yunfei turned his head away. “What are you staring at me for?”

“You’ve changed a lot,” Qi Heng said.

Zuo Yunfei murmured, “Of course I have.”