After leaving the convention and exhibition center, Wen Liang drove to the Jishuitan Hospital in Xinjiekou, where Gao Zhan had been receiving treatment after his injury. If he was in Qingzhou, it would be a different matter, but since he was in Beijing, it would inevitably arouse suspicion if he did not go to visit him.
Pushing open the door of the single room, it was dark inside and the lights were off. Gao Zhan was sitting in the shadow by the window with his back to the room. His right hand was bandaged tightly so that the specific condition of his injury could not be seen. In his left hand, he held a Yanyan cigarette produced in Qingzhou and sniffed it gently. The faint moonlight outside the window shone obliquely on his face, reflecting a sense of silence in the coldness in his bones.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Gao Zhan turned around, stood up, suppressed his excitement, and said, "Young Master Wen, why are you here?"
Wen Liang put the fruit basket in his hand on the cabinet beside him, turned on the fluorescent light, and said with a smile: "I came to see you, why don't you turn on the light?"
As the lights came on, Gao Zhan subconsciously covered his eyes with his right hand and said in a panic, "Ah, I was so distracted looking outside that I didn't notice that the room was dark..."
Gao Zhan's nickname is the Viper, with sharp fangs and a snaking tongue. Has he ever been so flustered? Wen Liang came over and sat on the bed, pointing to the stool by the window. After Gao Zhan sat up straight, he stopped his gaze at his right hand and asked, "How is your recovery?"
Gao Zhan pretended to be relaxed and said, "Almost done. The wound has healed well. It's nothing serious. The doctor said that after a few more days of observation, you can be discharged from the hospital."
Wen Liang sighed slightly and said, "Gao Zhan, I am sorry for you. If I hadn't asked you to follow Lei Fang, this wouldn't have happened."
"Master Wen," Gao Zhan stood up again in a hurry, his face flushed, and said, "I did this voluntarily. It has nothing to do with you. Don't say that... I am not good at speaking, but I definitely don't blame you for this matter!"
"Okay, I understand. Sit down quickly. Your hand hasn't healed yet. Don't be so excited!"
After finally calming Gao Zhan down, Wen Liang pondered for a moment and finally made up his mind, saying, "How about I tell Lei Fang to let you get out of the capital and find another place to settle in Qingzhou, so that you can stop getting involved in these fighting and killing activities and live a stable life with a wife and children? How about that?"
Gao Zhan was in a trance when he heard this. Ever since he stepped into this bloody world when he was a teenager, he has been completely isolated from the life of ordinary people. Fighting is commonplace, and murder and robbery are often taken for granted. Although he has not read many books, he knows that a clay pot will break if it is not separated from the well, and a general will inevitably die in battle. He must pay for his mistakes. He never knows when his body will be found lying in a stinking gutter, and become the talk of the neighbors, and then it won't be long before he will be forgotten by everyone, as if this person had never existed.
Maybe, just maybe, in some quiet moments at night, he also imagined that if he had studied hard, found a normal job, and married a wife honestly, maybe his children would have been in elementary school, and the family would be happy and live a peaceful life. But there is no if in reality, especially after following An Baoqing, he can no longer turn back.
But now Wen Liang told him personally that you have a chance to start over. You don’t need to worry about who you are chopping today, or whether you will be chopped tomorrow. You can make a new look and turn the trajectory of your life back to the direction it should have been more than ten years ago.
This promise was a great temptation to Gao Zhan, but he was silent for a while, raised his head, slowly but firmly rejected Wen Liang, and said: "Mr. Wen, I promised you to follow Lei Fang, and I will never give up halfway!"
Wen Liang was touched by his loyalty, but because of this, he couldn't bear to let him go, and said, "This is a different time. Lei Fang has been abandoned by the Lei family. Hengsha Mining has nothing to do with him and poses no threat to me. It's useless for you to stay with him. Why don't you go back to Qingzhou to help me and have a few days of leisure..."
Unexpectedly, Gao Zhan shook his head and said, "My family knows their own business. I don't know anything else except fighting and killing. Even if I go to Wen Shao's company, I will just be paid for nothing and let you support an idle person... Besides, I overheard Lei Fang asking about Qingzhou on the phone a few days ago, and he mentioned Bencao Ruolan several times. I guess he is planning something, which may not be beneficial to Wen Shao..."
"Um?"
Wen Liang frowned. Why did Lei Fang want to know about Bencao Ruolan? He was the major shareholder of Bencao Ruolan. If he wanted to know about the company's situation, he could just ask him directly. Why would he find out through other channels
As soon as Gao Zhan saw Wen Liang's expression, he knew that this information would be useful to him, and hurriedly said, "So I think we should stay here. If there is any disturbance, we can report to Young Master Wen."
"No!" Wen Liang came to his senses and said firmly, "You've been injured so badly, and Lei Fang is such a fierce man. If something goes wrong again, how can I live with myself?"
Gao Zhan said coldly, "Master Wen, are you disgusted by the fact that I have a crippled hand and are afraid that it will affect your business?"
Wen Liang didn't expect him to be so stubborn, so he smiled bitterly and said, "How could that be? You know that's not what I meant..."
Gao Zhan stood up and pleaded sincerely, "Master Wen, I am not an ungrateful person. I know you are doing this for my own good, but I paid the price of one hand to win Lei Fang's absolute trust. I am unwilling to give up just like that. Please give me this opportunity, so that I can see it through to the end. Even if I retire to the company after I accomplish this, I can feel at ease..."
Wen Liang stared at him for a while, realizing that he couldn't convince him, and said helplessly: "Okay, but you have to be careful and don't be careless. If anything goes wrong, safety comes first..."
Gao Zhan nodded excitedly when Wen Liang agreed. Suddenly, he remembered something and said apologetically, "Mr. Wen, I'm afraid Lei Fang will know that you came to see me. Will there be any impact?"
"It's okay. I can't hide it from him even if I come to Beijing. So, call him later and tell him that I came to see your injury and asked if you are interested in returning to Qingzhou..."
Gao Zhan showed a surprised look, and smiled gently, "Lei Fang is a smart man, and he knows my character well. He knows that I will definitely want to help you because of our past friendship. It would be abnormal if I didn't. You just need to say that you rejected me and still want to be with him. Don't worry about anything else."
When Wen Liang left, he did not let Gao Zhan go downstairs to see him off. He stood in front of the window and watched Wen Liang walk through the yard downstairs, putting his left hand on the cotton yarn in his right hand and gently stroking it.
You treat me with sincerity, I repay you with death.
I will prove to you that even though I only have one hand, Gao Zhan is still the same Gao Zhan!
Wen Liang drove to Chang'an Street for a drive, and sure enough, he received a call from Lei Fang: "Brother Wen, you didn't come to Beijing to look for me. You are being distant, aren't you? If Gao Zhan hadn't called to say that you went to the hospital, I wouldn't have known you were in Beijing."
"Brother Lei, you're joking. I just arrived last night. I was busy at the equipment exhibition all day. I just found some time and happened to go to the hospital to see Gao Zhan. I was just about to call you now."
It stands to reason that Wen Liang should contact Lei Fang first and then visit Gao Zhan. The order of the two involves philosophy and experience in dealing with people, but considering his previous relationship with Gao Zhan, it is understandable that he did so. However, in order to take care of Lei Fang's face, Wen Liang still emphasized "visiting on the way" to avoid an awkward atmosphere.
Lei Fang's rough laughter came from the microphone, and he said, "Where are you now? Let's find a place to get together?"
"Okay, I just passed Chang'an Street and I haven't had dinner yet. I'm so hungry. Brother Lei, you can take care of the arrangements!"
"Haha, okay, leave it to me!"
Fifteen minutes later, Wen Liang arrived at a luxury hotel in Xicheng District, went up to the revolving restaurant on the top floor, and was led by the waiter to the seat reserved by Lei Fang. After waiting for about three to five minutes, Lei Fang hurried over.
Wen Liang stood up, and the two of them hugged each other warmly, then sat down separately. Lei Fang waved to the waiter to serve the meal, and while eating, he talked about the feelings of separation. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Lei Fang suddenly threw down his chopsticks, sighed deeply, and said: "Brother, I have suffered a heavy loss this time. I am afraid that I will never be able to make a breakthrough in the Lei family."
"Why is it so?" Wen Liang's surprised expression showed absolutely no flaws, and he said, "Hengsha's incident was not Zhan's fault. With Brother Lei's great talent, if he has the chance, wouldn't it be easy for him to turn things around?"
Having said that, both of them knew that if they missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like Hengsha Mining, they might not come across it again in their lifetime.
But then again, Lei Fang being shot was indeed unexpected, and he had no control over it, and he couldn't avoid it. The same thing happened to Ning Xi. However, there are no ifs in the world, and it was him who was shot, not Ning Xi. This was the biggest difference!
To do great things, luck, talent, opportunity and a backer are all indispensable. Lei Fang possesses the last three, but is abandoned by the most important "luck". It can only be said that fate plays tricks on him!
"Oh, it's my fault for being so careless. If only I hadn't gone to the city that night." Lei Fang slammed the table heavily, half angry and half regretful. Although he looked rude, he was actually very thoughtful, and his emotions were never as straightforward as they appeared.
Wen Liang would naturally not be fooled by appearances, and he gently persuaded him, "Since it has happened, it is useless to regret it. It is better to clean up your mood and look for another opportunity. The Lei family has such a strong background. As long as Brother Lei wants to do something, there will definitely be a suitable way."
Lei Fang smiled bitterly and said, "Although the Lei family is prosperous, there are too many people to protect. I am not afraid of being laughed at by you, brother. I have never been a good person. I do some pimping business in Sijiu City to support my family. The elders in my family have always disliked me. I fell this time. I don't know how many people are laughing at me behind my back. Don't expect anyone to speak up for me in the short term."
Wen Liang figured out something, and after thinking about what Gao Zhan said, he understood a little bit, and said, "So, what are Brother Lei's plans next?"
"To be honest, I've seen how big the world is outside, and I really don't want to be stuck in City 49 anymore." Lei Fang looked at Wen Liang and said with a half-smile, "How about this, I'll take a sinecure at Bencao Ruolan and follow you, is that okay?" (To be continued)