Chapter 71 Meeting with Zhao Hongyan! (2)

As they entered the living room, Zhang Wei sunk himself into the couch, releasing a deep sigh of relief.

Song Shoushan, on the other hand, calmly took his place in an armchair across from Zhang Wei.

Almost immediately, Zhao Hongyan returned with a tray of tea and warm, delicious snacks.

The aroma of freshly brewed tea filled the air, and the sight of the well-curated plate of snacks made Zhang Wei’s stomach rumble.

Zhao Hongyan placed the tray on the coffee table with a gentle thud and then settled herself into an armchair opposite Zhang Wei and Song Shoushan.

As soon as she made herself comfortable, Zhao Hongyan directed her focus towards Zhang Wei.

Her piercing eyes locked onto him, and he could feel her scrutinizing him as she asked him intently, “So, what brings you here today, Zhang Wei?”

Zhang Wei knew that he had to tread carefully. He took a deep breath, composing himself, and then plastered an amicable expression on his face.

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about Shanshan. I know you’re worried about her, and I wanted to assure you that she’s in good hands.”

Without missing a beat, Zhang Wei continued, “The girl was lost alone in the night, so I decided to give her a lift and carry her here. Although the city is generally peaceful, you can never be too sure…” he hinted subtly, not wanting to raise any alarms.

Zhao Hongyan raised a single eyebrow, indicating that she was skeptical and unsure of his intentions.

Nevertheless, she nodded her head in acknowledgment and said, “I see. Thank you for helping my daughter out, Zhang Wei.” With that, she excused herself and retreated to the kitchen.

Zhang Wei could tell was more like a strategic move than a sincere one, as he knew that Zhao Hongyan was only fishing for information on him.

Song Shoushan was completely perplexed by the situation and nudged Zhang Wei. “Uncle Zhang Wei, if you fancied my mother, why couldn’t you have just come out and said it? Why drag me into this bizarre little act?”

She spoke so forthrightly that Zhang Wei was left feeling lost and tongue-tied.

Moreover, her words exposed that her relationship with Song Pojun was underwhelming.

However, her capacity to change gears caught Zhang Wei off guard.

Without a beat, the precocious girl worded in an improper but calculated way to save herself. “Uncle, umm, Zhang Wei!”

Zhang Wei, with his superior reflexes, jumped up from his seat and swiftly reached Song Shoushan.

In one fell swoop, he picked her up off her feet and stood her straight up like a soldier.

Smack!

A sharp, stinging sound echoed through the room as Zhang Wei quickly spanked her butt, leaving the girl with stunned eyes and incomprehension on her face.

Having accomplished his malicious mission, Zhang Wei immediately sat back in his chair, unfazed.

‘It was softer than I thought… the effect of good genes?’ Zhang Wei was slightly suprised, as Song Shoushan’s butt performed better than his expectations.

Zhao Hongyan walked in at that exact moment, her eyes scanning the situation. “Did something happen?” she asked delicately, noting her daughter’s reaction.

Song Shoushan’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Zhang Wei. She knew that, once he left, her mother would demand a thorough explanation from her, or might even ground her.

Amused by the spectacle he has created, Zhang Wei nonchalantly shook his head when Zhao Hongyan asked him if everything was alright.

He behaved as if nothing had happened at all.

Song Shoushan felt the weight of her mother’s piercing stare and quickly excused herself from the room, leaving Zhang Wei and Zhao Hongyan alone.

Skeptical of her daughter’s recent behavior, Zhao Hongyan cautiously took a seat across from Zhang Wei.

Her eyes narrowed, she began narrating his background to him.

Zhang Wei sat calmly, listening intently as she spoke.

Despite her reservations, Zhao Hongyan couldn’t find anything suspicious about Zhang Wei. He possessed an impressive educational background, but his notoriety for certain habits preceded him and that worried her deeply.

“Zhang Wei, I appreciate the help you gave Shanshan, but I must warn you to drop any intentions you may have towards my daughter. As a married man, it is not suitable for you to be pursuing a teenager,” she stated with conviction.

Zhang Wei chuckled softly. “Who said anything about chasing your daughter, Ms. Hongyan? And for your information, there’s more you don’t know about me. I’m also the new leader of the White Tiger gang, as you failed to mention.” 𝚘𝑣𝐥xt.𝗇𝓔t

Zhao Hongyan’s brows knitted together in surprise as his words sank in. “What could a local gang leader possibly want from me?” she asked, her tone turning serious.

Since his arrival, Zhang Wei had been hinting that he wanted something.

At first, she assumed it was her rebellious daughter caught in his sights, but now it appeared the situation was more complex.

With a faint smile on his face, Zhang Wei leaned back in his chair. “It is nothing much,” he said casually.

Zhao Hongyan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I am listening,” she replied curtly.

Zhang Wei took a deep breath before he started speaking. “Recently, I received some news that your daughter was going to be attacked by the men of Red Scorpions. I realized I had to help her before it was too late. It is just a sign of my goodwill,” he said, his voice calm and measured.

Zhao Hongyan’s eyebrows furrowed as she listened to him intently. “What if you’re lying?” she asked, questioning his intentions.

Zhang Wei let out a small chuckle. His confidence was almost palpable, and his eyes never wavered as he looked at Zhao Hongyan.

“You can check,” he said coolly, twirling his teacup in his hand. “Your husband’s family controls the Red Scorpion gang, right? Maybe he wanted to kidnap your daughter and use her against you?”

Zhao Hongyan’s face twisted with anger at the thought.

However, despite her suspicions, Zhang Wei’s confidence was unshakable.

It was almost like he had planned the whole thing out meticulously beforehand, leaving no room for doubt.

She believed his words, and a sense of betrayal washed over her as she listened to him.

“Song Pojun, I never thought you would degrade to the level of attacking your own daughter…” she whispered with a bitter look on her face.

As her words hung in the air, the connection between the Song family and the Red Scorpion gang was confirmed.

Zhang Wei wasn’t just lying to her; he was also gathering information in the process, like a spider spinning its web.

Zhao Hongyan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, “What do you need from me?”

She had expected Zhang Wei to demand money or some other material goods, but his question caught her off guard.

“Before we proceed any further, could you please enlighten me on why someone from the capital is living in such a small place?” Zhang Wei inquired, his tone curious.

Zhao Hongyan’s forehead creased in a frown as she replied, “There’s no need. I can find out on my own.” She didn’t want to reveal any more information than necessary.

Zhang Wei’s chuckle was mirthless and dark. “If you’re not going to be honest with me, Miss Hongyan, you might end up losing your daughter. Choose carefully what is more important to you.”

Zhao Hongyan’s heart hammered in her chest at the clear threat.

She bit her lip and weighed her options while her eyes flickered nervously.

In the end, she decided to give a short but concise brief about her situation, hoping it would be enough to satisfy Zhang Wei’s curiousity.

Zhao Hongyan and Song Pojun were batchmates in university.

She used him to escape from her family and a politically-arranged marriage.

At the time, she only wanted to run away and didn’t think of the consequences.

Although she ended up with Song Pojun, it didn’t work out well.

Zhao Hongyan was hesitant to tell the whole story because thinking back, her actions seemed shameful and childish.

She didn’t reveal everything, but Zhang Wei understood from her attitude that Song Pojun failed to subdue her.

It seemed as though she never felt he was worthy of her and only wanted to use him to escape her family.

Zhao Hongyan made a mistake by revealing that she was on bad terms with her family, which meant Zhang Wei could play with her to an extent and the Zhao family would ignore it.

This also exposed her helplessness, which may be why she revealed the information.

Without going back to her family and asking for help, she couldn’t combat the Song family on her own.

However, little did she know, Zhang Wei made up the whole story.

Zhang Wei leaned in closer, his eyes glimmering with a cunning glint as he decided to extend the deal even further.

“I have a proposal, Miss Hongyan,” he said in a low voice. “I can use my resources to provide protection for your daughter.”

Zhao Hongyan’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as she considered his offer. “And why would you do that?”

Zhang Wei’s gaze traveled over her body, lingering on her large breasts for a moment before returning to her face.

“As you know, my gang is already against the Red Scorpion gang,” he said, lowering his voice even further to increase the intensity of his words. “And I have personal issues with the Song family. The enemy of your enemy is your friend. Consider it a sign of our future friendship.”

Zhao Hongyan’s smile was bitter as she felt herself becoming annoyed. “I thought you would ask for something else,” she said, her voice edged with irritation at feeling like he was playing games with her.

From the moment he had arrived, Zhang Wei had never once overtly ogled her body.

But now, his intense gaze on her chest made her blood boil with anger. She couldn’t help but assume he had bad intentions.

Zhang Wei couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at Zhao Hongyan’s blunt response. “What did you really think I was going to ask?” he asked her.

Zhao Hongyan’s answer was nonchalant, “To sleep with me,” she said without a hint of hesitation.

Zhang Wei was left speechless by her boldness. He had planned to tease her, but he didn’t expect her to be so straightforward.

“I must admit, you are quite charming. So, can I change the price?” Zhang Wei stared at her, taking in her appearance.

He couldn’t help but notice how enormous her breasts were.

They were so large that Zhang Wei felt like he could have drowned in them.

Zhao Hongyan fell silent for a moment, examining Zhang Wei as he ogled her. “Then the friendship between us would be over,” she warned finally. “I still have some ways to protect my daughter. I hope you don’t assume that I am helpless yet,” she added, her biting words carrying a hint of venom.

Zhang Wei had already expected this type of response.

He knew that forcing her would be a risky move, especially since he didn’t have any information on the Zhao family.

He nodded slowly, “I knew you’d say that. Let’s stick with the original deal.”

Zhao Hongyan agreed, nodding in return. “I will guide you to the door,” she offered, gesturing for him to follow.

Zhang Wei eagerly nodded in agreement with her proposal and took Feng Xinyue’s small hand within his own, leading her away from the group.

Despite the commotion around her, the little girl remained silently fixated on the snacks in her hand.

Zhao Hongyan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, her demeanor suddenly turning suspicious. “Why haven’t you introduced her to me? And why are you carrying her around like that – do you have some…special habits?” She questioned, a hint of judgement creeping into her tone.

Zhang Wei calmly replied, “This is Feng Xinyue, and we recently adopted her.”

Zhao Hongyan nodded, now relieved, but she couldn’t resist indulging into her own curiosity futher.

“Aren’t you afraid that I might expose your ambitions to your wife?” She slyly inquired.

Zhang Wei only chuckled in response. “Sure, go ahead and try it.”

He carelessly shrugged before turning away.

The fearless confidence he exuded took Zhao Hongyan by surprise, and she couldn’t help but feel a hint of admiration for this intriguing man.

As his car drove off into the distance, she couldn’t help but reflect on the unusual encounter.

“Such an interesting man,” she murmured to herself, secretly wishing

Zhang Wei was not without plans.

He had thought of a way to suppress her if this woman still had connections to the Song family or did not agree to his deal.

He would take Song Shoushan hostage and force Zhao Hongyan to accept the slave seal.

That was his original plan.

However, after a brief talk with that unknown entity, he had decided he needed more allies now, until he was strong enough that he wouldn’t need to care about anyone’s opinion anymore.

For now, the fewer people he made enemies with, the better it would be.

He would like to capture them the same way he did with Leng Mei.

He wasn’t worried about Zhao Hongyan investigating Song Pojun because with her current resources, it would take time.

And by the time she managed to get that far, he would have long destroyed the Song family.

Zhang Wei had lied to get Zhao Hongyan’s cooperation, but wasn’t lying an ability limited to villains?

He wanted to have strong and capable allies with influential backgrounds now, which he could use in the future, but it doesn’t mean he was going to woo them or lick them to get it.

If push came to shove, he would forget everything and outright blackmail them into submission without caring about their impression of him.

While Zhang Wei was driving back to the south district, the conversation he had with that unknown entity suddenly flashed in his mind.