Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The midday sun slowly climbed higher.

But the dilapidated warehouse in the abandoned brick and tile factory in the south of the city was still as cold and damp as an ice cellar.

The four walls were made of old, peeling bricks, with blackened moss growing in the cracks between them. The roof had several holes, through which light slanted in, making the dust on the ground shine.

In the corner were piles of rotten sacks and broken bricks, and the air was filled with the smells of mold, smoke, and cheap perfume from women.

Scarface sat askew on a crooked wooden chair, his arm around the woman in the red shirt, one hand casually draped over her waist, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, squinting at the doorway.

Ma Hou squatted down beside her, puffing on his cigarette, but his eyes seemed to have hooks, glancing at the woman's neckline every now and then, his Adam's apple bobbing erratically.

The woman wasn't annoyed. She laughed seductively, deliberately swaying her waist as she looked down and picked at her newly painted red fingernails.

Scarface didn't even lift his eyelids, only glancing sideways at Ma Hou, before suddenly letting out a roar:

"What are you looking at, you motherfucker? Look any further in, and I'll gouge your eyes out and shove them up your ass, so you can see to your heart's content!"

The shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, causing dust to fall from the broken roof.

Ma Hou's shoulders jerked, the cigarette in his hand almost burning his palm. He quickly chuckled dryly, lowered his head, and spat forcefully onto the ground.

"No way, Brother Dao, I just thought your shirt was a really nice color, and I wanted to get one for my sweetheart too..."

The thugs nearby immediately burst into laughter, their sound echoing eerily in the empty warehouse.

"You monkey, are you looking at the color? You're looking at the meat!"

"This kid's going to die from a woman's belly sooner or later. You dare to even glance at Brother Dao's woman? You really don't want to live."

A burst of laughter erupted in the warehouse.

There were eight or nine people in total. Some were squatting by the wall smoking, some were dozing off with sticks in their arms, and some were leaning against the door looking out.

They were all familiar faces that Scarface had made over the years, involved in all sorts of dirty work, from swindling and cheating to extortion.

Last night, I heard that the person they were going to detain was an expert from Hong Kong, who also had connections with the Red Star Machinery Factory and the city government. Scarface was not very comfortable with this, so he simply gathered all the people he could call upon.

With more people around, one becomes bolder.

If something goes wrong, it'll be easy to escape.

In the corner, Liang Jiajun was tied to an old cement pillar with hemp rope. His hair was messy, his lips were chapped, and he looked like a wilted fish.

His once-elegant top had long been stripped off and thrown aside, leaving only a wrinkled shirt underneath. His chest was smeared with black ash, the handprint on his face hadn't faded, his eyes were bruised, and his expression was a mixture of fear and hatred.

He barely slept a wink all night.

I didn't dare close my eyes.

When I close my eyes, all I can see is that room full of people from last night, the sound of bottles shattering, the woman's cries, and the excruciating pain of the rope tightening around my wrist.

Scarface glanced at the sun outside, flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, sending up a string of sparks, and frowned impatiently:

"Why haven't they arrived yet? You good-for-nothing, did you even deliver that message from yesterday?"

The monkey nodded hurriedly:

"I brought it."

"I went exactly as you said, without missing a single word."

Scarface glanced at him: "What did you say?"

Ma Hou coughed and began to mimic the tone and gestures from last night:

"I'll go too and tell them that someone from your factory slept with our boss's wife, and we caught them red-handed. If you want him back, bring two thousand yuan to the abandoned brick and tile factory in the south of the city at noon tomorrow. If you dare call the police, you can expect to collect this foreign devil's corpse."

After listening, Scarface nodded and said nothing more.

Zhao Shanhai stood at the other end of the warehouse, remaining silent.

He leaned against the wall, half his face hidden in the shadows. His eyes behind his glasses would occasionally glance at Liang Jiajun before slowly moving away. His face was expressionless, but anyone could tell that something was wrong with him today.

Scarface squinted at him for a while, then suddenly shoved the woman in his arms to the side, sat up straight, half-hidden his head in the smoke, and spoke abruptly:

"Second son."

"What are you thinking about over there?"

Zhao Shanhai adjusted his thin-rimmed black glasses, clenched his fingers tightly on his inner thigh, and didn't reply immediately.

Scarface clicked his tongue, slammed the remaining half of his Red Plum cigarette butt onto the ground, and spat out a glob of phlegm, his neck contorted in a crooked position.

"Still thinking about getting revenge on your brother? You've been acting strange ever since last night, like your mother just died. I don't care what grudges you two brothers had in the past, but when it comes to me, you'd better put away those selfish thoughts."

Scarface leaned forward, his face contorted with menacing rage, and his tone carried a warning:

"If you dare to pull any tricks behind my back and ruin my business, I'll smash your leg bones and feed them to the dogs, understand?"

Zhao Shanhai's face was gloomy, and his eyes behind his glasses didn't move at all, just staring at the sliver of light leaking in through the crack in the warehouse door.

After a long pause, he finally managed a forced, chilling smile, and uttered a stiff sentence:

"Brother, you've misunderstood. I'm not thinking about revenge; that's too far off. What I'm thinking about right now is how to maximize our interests."

Scarface raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Zhao Shanhai adjusted his glasses, took half a step forward, and lowered his voice to a whisper:

"Brother, do you know what? This isn't just any ordinary foreign expert. His name is Liang Jiajun, a PhD who came back from France. In order to transform the Hongxing Factory, Director Li from the city took the lead and spent a lot of money to bring back several advanced machines specifically for fur processing from abroad. Those things are ridiculously expensive, all bought with foreign exchange."

At this point, a calculating glint flashed in Zhao Shanhai's eyes as he pointed to Liang Jiajun, who was huddled in the corner:

"The machines were bought, but nobody in the entire factory knows how to use them. That's why Director Li went to great lengths to bring this fake foreigner back, hoping his limited skills would get the machines running and keep the factory afloat. Now that he's in our hands, those machines are just piles of scrap metal. For Hongxing Factory, this fake foreigner is more important than their own father. Tell me, if we lose this 'father,' how can Zhao Shanhe not go crazy?"

Upon hearing this, Scarface's eyes slowly darkened, and his greedy nature was completely ignited:

"You mean, we asked for too low a price of two thousand?"

Zhao Shanhai sneered:

"Two thousand yuan? That's really underestimating the big boss of our Red Star Factory. In Zhao Shanhe's eyes, Liang Jiajun is a walking golden Buddha. If we release him for just two thousand yuan, we'd be out of our minds and let the biggest windfall of our lives slip away."

He pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing in the lenses:

"Zhao Shanhe is the kind of person who loves to take responsibility. The machines are currently stopped, and Director Li is watching over them. He's more anxious than anyone else. Once he's inside, we can do whatever we want with him. He's protecting the factory's transformation and his official position. As long as he's not stupid, even if we double the price, he'll have to grit his teeth and accept it."

Scarface glanced at him sideways, his initial sneer gradually turning cold.

He sat bolt upright, shoving the woman beside him aside, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.

"Zhao Lao Er, do you think I'm an idiot?"

Zhao Shanhai paused for a moment, then remained silent.

"This is someone invited by Director Li from the city. Hongxing Factory is not some run-down tofu workshop on the street."

Scarface stood up, picked up the rusty iron rod, and weighed it lightly in his hand, making a dull thud.

"I make my living in this area by my shrewdness. Taking a bite out of the market is fine, raising the price is fine too, that's how I earn my living. But if you want me to really go to war with those officials, to really go against the Red Star Factory, do you think I'm tired of living?"

He took a step forward, his face contorted with grotesque features, and spittle almost landed on Zhao Shanhai's glasses:

"Don't let your personal grudges get involved in this business. We'll take the money, but we'll also release the person. If we really drive Zhao Shanhe crazy, and he turns around and brings the police to raid this place, are you going to take the bullet for me?"

Zhao Shanhai was forced to take half a step back by this murderous aura, and his throat felt a little dry.

Scarface snorted coldly, then turned and spat fiercely at the ground:

"Two thousand isn't enough, then let's raise it to four thousand. As soon as I get the money, this fake foreigner can get the hell out of here. If you dare to play games with me again, trying to use me as a pawn to stir up trouble for your brother, I'll poke you first!"

The thugs around them, who had been making a ruckus, all shrank back and fell silent. The only sound in the warehouse was Liang Jiajun's heavy breathing from a corner.

Zhao Shanhai pursed his lips, and after a long while, he replied in a low voice:

"I see."

Scarface ignored him, grabbed the crowbar from the wall, and yelled at the lookout outside:

"Are they here yet?!"

"Brother Dao, the front of the car is already in the woods!"

The boy outside was yelling at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with terror:

"Two cars really came! The jeep in front was driving like it was going to kill someone!"

Scarface's eyes narrowed, and all his muscles tensed, instantly revealing the ruthlessness of a thug.

"Alright, you came fast enough. Brothers, get ready and keep a close eye on that fake foreigner! We'll leave as soon as the money's in. If he tries anything funny, we won't hold back and will cripple this 'foreign goods' first!"

Zhao Shanhai stood still, staring intently at the direction of the gate. Although the scarred man had tried to suppress the venomous fire in his heart, it burned even more fiercely.

He wanted to see if his glamorous older brother could still stand tall when faced with all this mess.