Chapter Twenty-One: The Circle of Deception

  Mom is gone?!

  Hearing Ah Xue's intermittent crying, I was like a paralyzed person, my body stiffened, and my mind went blank, unable to think anymore.

  It came so suddenly and unexpectedly, giving me an unreal feeling like I was having a nightmare.

  Smoke just happened... how did mom also...

  At that moment, my heart was frozen stiff, my brain was muddled and confused, as if the entire world had collapsed.

  "Wait, wait! What's going on? What happened to mom?"

  "Waaahhh... Mom told you to come back quickly... She... she had a relapse after hearing about what happened to sister..." A Xue's voice on the other end of the phone was trembling with sobs, and it didn't seem like she was faking it. My heart completely softened, and I felt a wave of powerlessness and anxiety wash over me.

  Watching the Honda sedan driving away in front of me, I had a feeling as if I couldn't catch up no matter what...

  I know today I am in no way able to let Zhang Guohua get what he deserves.

  My plan has failed again.

  My head fell back, weakly leaning against the car seat, and my phone also fell to one side. In a faint voice, I said to Wang Gang:

  "Never mind. Wang Gang, don't go to the government compound, take me to Dongjiao instead..."

  After finishing speaking, I closed my eyes, and I felt like all the strength in my body had been drained away.

  I slumped against the car seat, closed my eyes, and in my mind's eye appeared scenes of me, Yanyan, A'xue, and Mom strolling along the lakeside lawn when I was little, laughing and chasing each other - probably the happiest times of my life.

  I don't know why, but at this moment, the scene in my mind is becoming clearer and clearer.

  I know this is an ominous sign.

  After dozens of minutes, I arrived home. My family's condition is very poor, living in an old apartment on the outskirts of the city, with a total area of only over 80 square meters, extremely narrow and small.

  I got Wang Gang to stop the car near the familiar old apartment building, and I got out of the car.

  "Wang Gang, go and move the four bodies of Zhou Qin's group from the bottom of the well to the car. Before dawn, drive to a remote mountainous area near the neighboring town, pour gasoline on the car, set it on fire and dispose of it. Don't leave any traces, don't let anyone find out, and especially don't tell anyone I did this. After you're done, meet me at East Bridge tomorrow night."

  "Got it." Wang Gang looked into my eyes without any disobedience and closed the car door, following my method, drove away.

  Watching the car slowly drive away, I let out a sigh and then turned around and ran towards the entrance of our apartment building.

  But just as I rushed up the stairs to the third floor and reached the door of my home, I froze.

  Two tall, dark-clad men wearing sunglasses stood at my doorstep, with a 14-year-old long-haired girl in white clothes being held by them. The girl's hair was grasped by the man on the right, her face twisted in pain, and her beautiful big eyes were red from crying.

  That girl is my sister, Ah Xue!

  "A Xue!!"

  I was shocked to see Ah Xue being caught by a man at the door of our home.

  And seeing me, the two men with sunglasses also revealed a cold smile.

  "Wang Yisheng, we've been waiting for you for a long time. You're back so late, where have you been?"

  Hearing those gloomy and icy words, my heart completely cooled down to freezing point.

  I knew it, I was cheated.

  I lost.

  I still lost by one move.

  Zhang Guohua

  More cunning than I thought, and more difficult to deal with.

  The person who was betrayed by one of his own generals is me.

  Looking at the two men in black in front of me, I knew that Zhang Guohua had grasped my handle.

  To deal with me, Zhang Guohua actually took the lead in laying hands on my loved ones, and even used Ah Xue to lure me back... It's really sinister to the extreme.

  I suddenly realized that what Ah Xue told me on the phone earlier, saying my mother's condition had relapsed, was probably a lie forced by these men to lure me back. Their goal is to get rid of me, who wants to harm Zhang Guohua.

  My heart is trembling violently, I want to use the Soul Hook Technique, but my current Soul Hook Technique can only control one person at a time, yet there are two people in front of me, what should I do?

  No matter what, I'll first figure out these two men's intentions and ensure my sister's safety, then think of a way to get rid of them.

  I was brainstorming in my mind for a countermeasure, took a deep breath, and forced myself to calm down, asking coldly:

  "You're here for Zhang Guohua, aren't you? This has nothing to do with my sister, let her go first."

  "You're really a good brother." The black-clad man on the right sneered, but still didn't let go of Ah Xue. "Wang Yisheng, Zhang Boss just asked us to come and pass on a few words to you."

  "Are you threatening me?" I narrowed my eyes and asked, "Rather than saying it's a threat, isn't it more like blackmail? Are you trying to intimidate me, saying that if I continue to cause trouble for him and take him to court, he'll take action against my family, is that right?"

  My answer left both men stunned for a moment.

  "You're smart, you know that's enough. It saves me from having to say more." The man in black on the left said calmly, then he took out a check from his left pocket and spread it out in front of me, saying in an indifferent tone.

  "There's 500,000 yuan in this check. Boss Zhang said that if you accept it, today's matter will be settled and everyone will be fine. If you don't accept it, we'll split the check between us two, of course, you'll have to help Boss Zhang with something... I think you understand what I mean." As he spoke, the man in black pointed at Ah Xue, whose hair was being pulled, the threatening implication clear.

  "Wang Yisheng, I know you're the one in charge at home. You have a sister and a mother. How are you going to choose? You decide for yourself."

  As he spoke, the man in black took a small check and folded it into a strip, lightly tapping it three times on my head.

  Step, step, step.

  It's as if reminding me to be smart and not do stupid things.

  "Brother..." Ah Xue's hair was grasped, her eyes reddened, staring at me with a sob, her clear eyes filled with despair.

  Seeing Ah Xue's appearance, I felt as if a knife was cutting through my heart.

  What can I do? My own home is already known by Zhang Guohua inside and out, what else can I do?

  If I refuse, these two men in front of me will take action against me and Ah Xue today. My family still has a mother, and they may also be harmed. Do I have a choice?

  I want to accept the check, at least I can temporarily get rid of the two people in front of me, and then think of a way to deal with Zhang Guohua later.

  But... if I accept this money in front of Ah Xue, what would I be in her eyes?

  Am I suitable for Ah Xue's older brother?!

  If I accept this money, in Ah Xue's heart, I am a weak and incompetent coward who yields to others.

  I will never be able to do it in this life!