Chapter 967: Zhao Fei Has Lost His Mind
by xennovel“Boss, there’s a man named Zhao Fei outside who wants to see you.”
A bodyguard walked into the living room and spoke to Xu Shaochen.
Xu Shaochen and Deng Tianwen were both surprised and exchanged glances.
“Go ahead, invite Zhao Er Shao inside. Let’s see what he’s here for.”
Xu Shaochen instructed the bodyguard.
“What do you think Zhao Fei’s here for?”
After the bodyguard left, Deng Tianwen looked toward Xu Shaochen.
Xu Shaochen smiled, “I’m not a worm in his stomach, how could I know what he’s up to?”
“But Zhao Er Shao is easy to deal with—he’s dumb but has a bit of self-assumed cleverness. Let’s see what surprise he has for us.”
Two minutes later, the bodyguard brought Zhao Fei into the living room.
“Zhao Er Shao, that mark on your face… Who in the Northwest would dare to hit you?”
Xu Shaochen immediately noticed the slap mark on Zhao Fei’s face.
When Zhao Fei heard this, his expression grew darker. He replied coldly, “Cut the nonsense. I’m here to discuss cooperation.”
Xu Shaochen and Deng Tianwen exchanged another glance.
Deng Tianwen exaggeratedly said, “Did I hear that right? Zhao Fei, your Zhao Family and our Deng Family are enemies—are you really here to talk about cooperation?”
“It’s the Zhao Family that’s at odds with you, not me, Zhao Fei.” As Zhao Fei spoke, he took a seat near Deng Tianwen.
Xu Shaochen gestured, “Go, make a cup of tea for Zhao Er Shao.”
“Zhao Fei, what you’re saying doesn’t make much sense. Aren’t you a member of the Zhao Family? You’re the esteemed second son of the Zhao Family!”
Deng Tianwen grinned mockingly. He could sense Zhao Fei wasn’t in a good mood, so he kept teasing him.
“Heh, there aren’t many people who acknowledge me as the Zhao Family’s second son.”
Zhao Fei chuckled bitterly before turning to Xu Shaochen, “I’m willing to be your mole inside the Zhao Family. I can inform you of their plans immediately. My condition is simple—I want to become the head of the Zhao Family!”
Zhao Fei had almost lost his mind; otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing something like this.
He was determined to become the head of the Zhao Family and trample over Zhao Chen.
He wanted all those who favored Zhao Chen and disregarded him to kneel at his feet and grovel.
Xu Shaochen and Deng Tianwen were truly stunned, but they quickly calmed down.
Deng Tianwen let out a cold laugh, “And how do we know you’re telling the truth? What if you’re trying to deceive us with fake information?”
Zhao Fei was clearly prepared. Without saying a word, he pulled a folded document pouch from his coat and slapped it onto the table.
Deng Tianwen glanced at Xu Shaochen.
Xu Shaochen picked up the document pouch, opened it, and frowned, “Do you really think this stuff matters?”
Inside were photos of Zhao Fei with various women in bed.
Xu Shaochen didn’t think these photos held much leverage. After all, Zhao Fei was a man. At worst, it would just damage his reputation a little.
Zhao Fei said, “Mr. Xu, you may not understand the situation in the Northwest. You should let Deng Tianwen see these photos.”
Deng Tianwen took the photos and, upon seeing them, gasped. He looked at Zhao Fei in disbelief, “Zhao Er Shao, you’ve got guts!”
He then explained to Xu Shaochen, “These women. They’re the wives or lovers of several important figures in the Northwest.”
Zhao Fei spoke coldly, “Now, do you believe my sincerity? If these get out, I’ll be ripped to shreds. Not even my identity as Zhao Family’s second son could protect me.”
Xu Shaochen was genuinely impressed with Zhao Fei.
Who could say this man was worthless? At least when it came to seducing women, he certainly had a knack for it.
It looked like he had been deeply provoked, enough to collaborate with his family’s enemy.
“From today onward, we’re friends.”
Deng Tianwen extended his hand towards Zhao Fei with a bright smile.
“You’ve shown your sincerity, now let’s see yours. If this is a collaboration, it has to be built on trust.”
“Otherwise, after I’ve done my part, how do I know you won’t just kick me to the curb and go back on your word?”
Zhao Fei shook hands with Deng Tianwen but turned his gaze to Xu Shaochen, knowing that Xu carried the most influence.
“What are you suggesting…” Xu Shaochen made a gesture, inviting him to speak freely.
Zhao Fei took out a recorder, looked at Deng Tianwen, and said, “I know it wasn’t easy for you to become the Deng Family’s head. You had to kill a lot of people. I want to hear that inspiring story.”
Deng Tianwen raised his eyebrow and looked toward Xu Shaochen, seeking his opinion.
“Zhao Fei’s right. If this is a partnership, then everyone needs to show sincerity. That way, the collaboration will go smoothly, without mutual distrust.”
Xu Shaochen nodded, signaling Deng Tianwen to comply.
Zhao Fei added, “Once this cooperation is over, I’ll destroy the recording in front of you, and you destroy the photos in front of me.”
Of course, he knew he was lying.
He would definitely make copies of the recording, and Deng Tianwen would do the same with the photos. They were both aware of this unspoken truth.
Before long, Deng Tianwen recounted several key stories as Zhao Fei had requested.
“Zhao Fei, I’m curious. Why are you doing all this?” Xu Shaochen asked, looking puzzled at Zhao Fei.
Zhao Fei sneered, “How could someone like Young Master Xu, favored by the heavens, understand what I feel? The Zhao Family must be under my control!”
After speaking, he paused and then glanced at the two, “I’ll give you a tip—Zhao Chen’s already secured your Deng Family’s steel supplier, Pan Quan, and he’s making sure the delivery gets delayed.”
“Damn, that’s sneaky as hell.”
Deng Tianwen cursed through gritted teeth but silently let out a breath of relief. At least now they had some time to prepare after learning this information in advance.
Suddenly, Deng Tianwen thought of something, “No one saw you coming here, right?”
“I’m not that dumb.” Zhao Fei replied, clearly displeased at the implication that his intelligence was being insulted.
After that, Zhao Fei got up and left, “I’ll contact you as soon as I have information. For now, it’s best if we stay low and avoid too many meetings.”
As they watched Zhao Fei leave, Xu Shaochen took a sip from his teacup, “Let’s pretend we don’t know Zhao Chen has secured Pan Quan. Privately, contact out-of-town steel companies and purchase what we need. It’ll be a nasty surprise for them.”
Deng Tianwen nodded and then brought up Zhao Fei again, “Looks like Zhao Er Shao really took a big hit, huh?”
“No kidding. He’s almost gone mad,” Xu Shaochen said while glancing again at the photos on the table, “He sure had some fun. A few of those women are quite beautiful. Absolute top-tier wives.”
“Interested?” Deng Tianwen gave him a knowing look.
Xu Shaochen remained composed, “Find a way to set something up.”
Deng Tianwen smiled meaningfully.