Chapter 481: Then I’ll Trust and Wait

So this is what the power players in China look like when they all come crawling out.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping made a comeback.

While I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it all, Hao Xun looked utterly bewildered.

“But why is the Wanda Group involved…”

“They’re reportedly making a foray into the entertainment industry, aiming to cast top stars in movies and dramas. That’s what I’ve heard.”

Gao Jun’er replied in a hesitant whisper. Eventually, Hao Xun raised his voice.

“Come on! Without their fathers’ connections, they’re nothing but nobodies… Damn it!”

It was the first time I’d seen Hao Xun so worked up.

Considering how serious the situation had gotten, he must have been quite troubled.

Liu Han, chairman of the Han Long Group, is linked with the Shanghai faction, while Wang Jianlin of the Wanda Group is a member of the Princelings.

Though not a core member, he was thriving as the right-hand man of Bo Xilai, the leader of the Princelings.

“What are we going to do?”

Hao Xun sighed and asked.

“Let’s gather more information first.”

I looked down at Gao Jun’er again and asked.

“Did Chairman Wang directly give the orders?”

“Ah, no.”

“Then whose orders were it?”

“…It was the Vice Chairman’s instructions.”

Like I only knew about the chairman of the Wanda Group, I wasn’t familiar with the people below him.

Once I returned, I’d need to investigate this side too.

“Does Chairman Wang not know about this?”

“I can’t say for sure. But he probably does. Everything in the Wanda Group runs on Chairman Wang’s directives.”

“Everything runs on the chairman’s orders, huh? No wonder Il-seong came to mind, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I nodded thoughtfully.

“Anything else to add?”

“No, I’ve told you everything I know. …Please, just kill me.”

It seemed I had heard all I needed from this guy. I turned to Hao Xun and said.

“Vice Chairman, do you know who the Vice Chairman of the Wanda Group is?”

“It’s Li Ruifeng.”

“Is he part of the Princelings too?”

“No. He seems to have caught Chairman Wang’s eye as a talented person taking care of business.”

Let’s head out for now.

I instructed Manager Ma, who was standing next to Gao Jun’er.

“Manager, handle everything and come out.”

“This is the guy who tried to kidnap Cheon Ji-young.

There was no reason to keep a promise made to a beast instead of a person.

“Wait, hold on! You promised to end my life quickly…!”

Gao Jun’er seemed ready to protest, but Manager Ma silenced him with a blow from a steel pipe.

A pained scream echoed as I turned away without a second thought.

Let’s go out for some fresh air.

I left the warehouse with Hao Xun.

As I stepped out from the stuffy warehouse, the cool sea breeze swept across my face.

“Vice Chairman, doesn’t this seem interesting?”

“What?”

I continued, “In a way, it’s a minor incident. For me, it was significant, but to others, it’s just another botched kidnapping.”

This is one of the frequent celebrity kidnapping cases happening in China.

Objectively, it wasn’t a big incident. It’s a country where even top stars get kidnapped regularly.

If such significant incidents often end up brushed aside, then what of a mere attempt?

Yet, in this small case, all three major factions of the Chinese Communist Party are involved. With your involvement, the Communist Youth League behind Hu Jintao got pulled in. Now, the Shanghai faction with Liu Han is in play, and even Wang Jianlin’s Princelings are surfacing.”

Hao Xun’s face went rigid. He probably never thought this minor incident would escalate this far.

I, too, was getting curious about just how far this little snowball would roll down the hill.

“We can’t fight both sides at once.”

No matter who I was, I couldn’t take on both the Princelings and the Shanghai faction at the same time.

Fighting the Princelings, who operate in finance, would be easier than the politically powerful Shanghai faction.

“How about we pull back for now, Vice Chairman?”

I looked at Hao Xun, who sighed deeply before asking me.

“Can I smoke a cigarette?”

He seemed quite distressed. I nodded silently.

Hao Xun rummaged through his pockets, pulled out a cigarette, and then offered it.

As he fumbled around for a lighter, Manager Ma, who had just arrived, lit it for him.

“Thank you, Manager Ma.”

Hao Xun deeply inhaled the smoke, his cheeks puffing, and his demeanor seemed to darken.

I turned to Manager Ma and asked.

“Have you finished tidying up?”

“Yes, he’s dead.”

Manager Ma nodded slightly, and I could see blood on his hands.

I lightly patted Manager Ma on the shoulder and said, “This has escalated too much.”

“What will you do next?”

“I can’t take on both the Shanghai faction and the Princelings simultaneously. And I can’t collapse them entirely either. However, I have to show them what happens when they covet my family and my belongings.”

At my words, Manager Ma’s expression hardened. He seemed worried about my plans for another tough fight.

After a moment of silence while looking at me, Manager Ma finally spoke up.

“So, where will we strike first?”

“Taking down the Princelings is bound to be easier than the politically powerful Shanghai faction. It’s a territory we’re more equipped to handle.”

“Are you saying we’re targeting the Wanda Group? I’ll prepare immediately.”

I slowly gathered my thoughts and continued giving my orders.

“First, we need to kill Li Ruifeng, who gave the direct orders. As for Wang Jianlin…”

“You should never kill him.”

Both I and Manager Ma turned our heads toward Hao Xun.

He surely couldn’t understand the conversation we were having in Korean.

How did he grasp that? When on earth did he learn Korean?

I raised an eyebrow and asked, “So you can speak Korean?”

“I’m learning. I’m still quite clumsy with it.”

His response came back in Chinese. It seemed he was still practicing his listening skills.

“It’s not a big deal, so let’s move past it for now. But why shouldn’t we kill him?”

“Most of the people associated with the Princelings are the children of the symbols of the Communist Party. If we kill someone like that, even Hu Jintao wouldn’t be able to protect you, Boss Kim.”

“Have I ever asked Hu Jintao to protect me? I’m not someone who seeks protection from him; rather, I want to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.”

My sharp words made Hao Xun fall silent.

“So what’s the alternative? You can’t possibly want to just let him live?”

Hao Xun, who had been hanging on to the cigarette almost until the filter, dropped the butt onto the floor.

There was a tinge of anxiety in his voice when he spoke again.

“I’ll find a way. Just give me some time…”

I cut him off coldly.

“That’s enough. I’ll handle this myself. You just need to take care of this clean-up. Whether you take over the 14K business is up to you.”

“…”

“Let’s keep Zhou Zhuhua alive for the time being. It seems he has a lot of uses for our plans in Macau, and if he didn’t intervene in this incident, there’s really no reason to kill him. You manage him as you see fit, Vice Chairman.”

This should be enough of a gift to Hu Jintao.

“And… make arrangements to meet Zhou Yongkang. Just help me with that much. Don’t interfere any further. Relay this to President Hu Jintao as well. Just transferring the 14K business is fulfilling my obligations.”

“Yes, I’ll convey that.”

Hao Xun crushed the remaining glowing embers of his cigarette under his foot with a troubled expression.

“Handle everything here, and please quickly deal with the situation regarding Cheon Ji-young’s filming drama.”

“I’ll finalize that soon and reach out to you.”

How soon do you think we can meet Zhou Yongkang? I can’t stay in China for too long.

After thinking for a moment, Hao Xun quickly replied, “I’ll set up an appointment asap.”

“Let me know if you can’t manage it. I’ll make the contact myself.”

“No, I can handle that much.”

I patted Hao Xun on the shoulder and turned away.

“Then I’ll trust and wait.”

With those words, I left without looking back.

Cheon Ji-young showed signs of anxiety for a few days, but once she learned her manager was safe, she quickly regained her composure.

“Oppa!”

After finishing her call with the manager, Cheon Ji-young immediately sought out my room.

I looked up from reading the newspaper while sitting on the sofa.

“What’s going on since morning?”

“What are your plans for today?”

“Nothing scheduled yet.”

“Then let’s hit the department store together. I’ve been stuck in the hotel for a few days and want to get out. What’s the point of coming all the way to Guangzhou just to be cooped up in a hotel?”

“…Just go alone. I’m busy.”

I buried my head back into the newspaper.

But Cheon Ji-young wouldn’t give up. She slid the newspaper down with her hand and sat right in front of me.

“Let’s go to the department store. We’ll wander around Guangzhou, okay?”

“What about Jo-mi? Shouldn’t you just go with her?”

“She just left earlier. The agency took her.”

I was surprised to see her hang on this long. I turned my head towards Manager Ma with confusion.

“That’s right. Someone from the agency came by this morning to ask me about Jo-mi and sent her off.”

It seems they had heard about 14K’s downfall. I sighed as I spoke.

“Is it absolutely necessary to go? What if we just call someone over here?”

“I want to walk around myself to clear my head. Seriously, am I doing this just for shopping?”

Cheon Ji-young pouted her lips. Reluctantly, I shook my head and got up.

“Manager, please prepare everything.”

“I’ll buy you a suit.”

“I have plenty of suits.”

“Oh, come on! I’ll buy it for you. I haven’t bought you anything yet. I’m just saying I’ll buy it!”

“Alright, alright. Do whatever you want.”

A little while later.

We reached a premium department store in downtown Guangzhou.

Just looking up at the tall building took my breath away.

“Let’s go in.”

Cheon Ji-young rushed ahead as she had insisted we come together. I slowly trailed behind her.

She immediately headed for the luxury goods section.

As soon as she walked in, the staff seemed to recognize her, rushing to showcase new arrivals.

“From here to here, it’s all new! Oh, and this one too!”

With a single gesture, the luxury store staff sprang into action.

Though she claimed she didn’t want to buy anything, she shouted at every sight that caught her eye.

Before we had even hit several luxury stores, four employees had to leave the department store.

Cheon Ji-young held onto all the purchases with both hands…

“Isn’t this a bit excessive? Do you really need this much? Are you going to wear them all?”

“It’s just to refresh my mood. I can’t do this in Korea. It’s always about people’s gazes.”

“…So you find it tough too.”

Cheon Ji-young continued wandering around, buying up a storm. I simply followed along without trying to stop her.

Finally, we dropped by the Brioni store to pick me up a suit.

“Let’s buy you a suit now, Oppa.”

“You don’t have to buy it for me.”

“Just a little! Can you at least try one on for me, okay?”

“It’s not just one, you know? …Fine. Just don’t stare at me like that. Let’s go in.”

Upon entering the Brioni store, Cheon Ji-young didn’t just randomly pick out clothes like before.

It was clear she was deliberating based on staff guidance.

She either looked my way or examined the suits as she held them up, making for an extended conversation with the staff.

After a while, a staff member asked her to hang on and went deeper into the store, returning with a suit.

“This is the only suit we have in stock. We haven’t even received ten suits in all of China.”

“Is that so? Are you sure?”

“Yes. Honesty is our lifeline.”

Cheon Ji-young seemed to fall in love with the suit based on that phrase and beamed at me.

“Oppa, try it on!”

“No way. If you like it, then go for that one.”

As I made a dismissive remark, Cheon Ji-young shot me an annoyed glare.

Why was she acting so strangely today? I had to suppress a laugh, but I thought I might as well give in since I already agreed to try it on.

Manager Ma delivered the suit, and I headed to the fitting room to change into it.

I examined my appearance in the front mirror. Well, I didn’t look bad.

As I stepped out wearing the suit, Cheon Ji-young applauded.

“Looks great! What do you think? I think it looks good on you!”

“Yeah, it’s all right. I’ll wear it well.”

Cheon Ji-young beamed broadly. Seeing her cheerful expression put a smile on my face too.

With the suit purchase, our department store tour came to a close.

After dinner, Cheon Ji-young suggested we grab a drink.

“Now that I think about it, it feels like it’s our first time drinking together.”

“Is it? I can’t remember.”

As our drinks passed back and forth, we shared various stories.

After a few more drinks, Cheon Ji-young started to open up, sharing her fears.

“I… was really scared.”

I stayed quiet and just listened to her while holding my drink.

“My manager was bleeding and lying there, and my sister was screaming… I couldn’t see anything. It was terrifying. And… I’m still scared. What if something like that happens again?”

“That won’t happen again. So you don’t have to be afraid. I’ll make sure of that.”

“But still…”

Watching Cheon Ji-young’s tearful eyes stung. I downed my drink in silence and called for Manager Ma.

“Manager, I think Ji-young has had too much to drink. Could you take her to her room?”

“Of course. Miss, please allow me.”

“…Oppa. Thank you for always being there whenever I need you.”

“You don’t have to say that among family. Just get some rest.”

Manager Ma led Cheon Ji-young out.

Alone, I remained with my drink, moving toward the window.

Looking down at the nightlife of Guangzhou, I muttered to myself.

“What should I do about these bastards…”

I need to make them suffer even more than the fear Cheon Ji-young experienced.