Chapter 98: Reckless Old Ding, I Misjudged You, Brother

From daybreak to nightfall, after exhausting everything he could explore on the computer, Zhang Tianfeng’s enthusiasm faded swiftly. He lay on the sofa in the living room, listening to the sound of the waves.

“Hey, lunatic, come on! The water here is so refreshing.”

Gao Ran, thoroughly relaxed, had already started playing with Li Qing. In the afternoon, the two took their gear into the forest behind the villa, and with help from the ‘surveillance staff,’ managed to catch two rabbits and roast them. After their meal, they headed for the swimming pool.

“You two go ahead and play, I’m still thinking things over.”

“Haha, Ranran, your boyfriend isn’t interested in you anymore,” Li Qing teased, making Zhang Tianfeng shake his head in resignation.

There was nothing between them yet, so how could there be any friction? Though they shared a room these past two nights, he slept on the floor while Gao Ran slept on the bed, boundaries clearly drawn.

He glanced at the clock—it was nine o’clock. About time.

He rose and walked straight to the study, opened the computer, and hacked into the chatroom where all the tech giants gathered.

The chatroom was lively. Jobs was chatting, even the usually hidden Bezos and Sergey Brin had made appearances, exchanging casual remarks.

With no chat history available, Zhang Tianfeng couldn’t check what they’d said before; he could only wait quietly.

“Bezos: Such boring days. I’m staring at a computer system worth $250 billion, and I still can’t go out for a drink. This isn’t the life I want.”

“Bezos: Where is everyone? Jobs? Sergey? Where have you two gone? I’m so bored.”

“Jobs: I’m working on a new animation. Not much time for idle chatter these days.”

“Bezos: You’ve found inspiration? That’s a pity. I was waiting for you to return to Apple and introduce me to a big deal.”

“Jobs: You claim to hate this kind of life, yet you still want to do it?”

“Bezos: Of course! Only by making money can I live the life I want.”

So even the richest man could sound rather juvenile.

Just as Zhang Tianfeng placed his hands on the keyboard, he heard screams from downstairs.

He hurriedly got up and rushed down, seeing Gao Ran and Li Qing, both in swimsuits, running in together. Several bodyguards stationed at the gate had already gathered in front of the pool.

“What happened? Why are you running?”

“There’s someone out at sea. I heard a loud noise—I think it was gunfire.”

“You’re sure it was gunfire?”

“Absolutely. I’ve been to shooting ranges with my dad.”

“Hurry upstairs and change. I’ll wait for you on the first floor.”

Upon hearing “out at sea,” his first thought was Ding Yan. That guy must have discovered their disappearance and taken corresponding action.

He waited while observing the situation outside.

The nighttime beach was pitch black, save for scattered lights illuminating the sand, while the sea was shrouded in darkness.

There was the roar of engines—it sounded like assault boats. Occasionally, a beam of light flashed, exposing the location of vessels.

A few minutes passed, then a thunderous bang startled Zhang Tianfeng so much he ducked and covered his head.

Gunshots!

After the first shot, chaos erupted like a storm. Terrified, Zhang Tianfeng quickly lay flat on the ground.

Less than half a minute later, silence returned.

Fast, hurried footsteps sounded, and soon someone burst into the room.

“Brother, you were really hard to find!” Ding Yan said, lifting his sunglasses. The people behind him all bowed their heads.

“Old Ding, so it’s really you.”

“No time to talk—come with me. We’ll discuss everything once we’re aboard!”

Handsome for barely five seconds, Ding Yan immediately lost his bravado.

Though he’d left, he’d always had people keeping track of Zhang Tianfeng. When his trackers reported the kidnapping, Ding Yan quickly organized a rescue plan.

He borrowed people from the Summit Group, and as night fell, launched the operation.

But these people couldn’t show themselves, lest it trouble the Summit Group boss who’d helped him.

“Gao Ran, Li Qing, hurry down—help has arrived.”

Pale-faced, the two women quickly came downstairs, following Zhang Tianfeng as they boarded the speedboat and then the big ship, vanishing into the night.

Half an hour later, a boat rocked gently in the sea.

Ding Yan stood at the bow, waving goodbye to the helpers, then accepted the bottle of white liquor handed to him by a subordinate, passing it to Zhang Tianfeng.

“Take a sip. There’s no fresh water on board for now.”

Sitting beside him, Ding Yan asked, “Brother, how did you end up offending the Huitian family?”

“I didn’t offend them—they sought me out.”

After a sip, feeling a bit warmer, Zhang Tianfeng handed the bowl to Gao Ran and explained, “I came here for factory matters. I heard the Okamoto factory was in crisis, so I figured I’d try my luck.”

He recounted the sequence of events, ending with a helpless shrug, “That’s the situation, more or less.”

“Brother, you’re impressive. The Huitian family is like a pack of mad dogs right now—internal and external troubles. You suddenly offer to help, of course they’d target you.”

“You know about this?”

“I know part of it. It wasn’t originally your concern, so I didn’t plan to mention it.”

Last time he returned, Ding Yan’s unhappiness was tied to this. The Summit Group on Little Japan Island couldn’t survive entirely on their own, so they’d attracted many sponsors, among them the Huitian family.

At a certain meeting, the Summit Group boss allied with Ding Yan refused to help the Huitian family with shady business, leading to an argument with others.

Ding Yan spoke up twice, only to get scolded by those bosses—that was why he’d been in a bad mood.

“So that’s how it is.”

“What else did you expect?” Ding Yan laughed. “Brother, you really know someone from the Huo family?”

“Know them? What of it?” Zhang Tianfeng retorted.

“That makes you a big shot.”

Ding Yan said, “The whole economy of Little Japan Island is struggling. The Huo family represents money and resources—everyone wants to curry favor with them.”

“I was planning to take you and run by boat, but now, since you know the Huo family, what’s the point of running? Just find your friend from the Huo family, go straight to the Huitian family, and berate Huitian Dafu to his face. He wouldn’t dare utter a word—he’d only bow and apologize.”

“You make it sound like a novel!” Zhang Tianfeng laughed. “I’m just friends with the Huo family, not part of their clan. Friendship can’t be used like that.”

Half joking, Ding Yan said, “Then let’s run. I attacked Huitian Dafu’s retirement spot for you. That loss is huge—I can’t afford it.”

“You don’t need to pay. I’ll make sure they pay the price,” Zhang Tianfeng said quietly. “Brother, do you have a satellite phone here?”

“Of course. I’ll get it for you.”