Chapter 36

Outside the workshop bathroom, it was originally a wide-open area, but now there were some construction materials piled up, just enough to provide a hiding spot for Xu Tianyou.

Xu Tianyou quickly took off his prison uniform and changed into the prepared golden flashy jacket, floral shirt, large gold watch, and a golden wig.

“Isn’t this a bit too flashy?” Xu Tianyou could imagine how he looked now.

He couldn’t care too much, though. Xu Tianyou put on his sunglasses, took a deep breath, and, as per An Xiaohai’s instructions, swaggered out from his hiding spot.

The scene outside was a bit chaotic. Two cement mixers were rumbling, pouring the mixed cement and mortar into reinforced steel molds. About fifteen to twenty inmates were working nearby, while several guards were watching from the corners.

Xu Tianyou’s appearance was impossible to miss, and as soon as he emerged, many people noticed him.

Many of the outside workers were not surprised at all and greeted him with bows and nods. As per An Xiaohai’s instructions, Xu Tianyou didn’t respond and walked arrogantly.

Ahead, a guard stood. Xu Tianyou was quite nervous but still pulled out a pack of Bao Lu cigarettes with a playful smile and offered one. The guard didn’t take it but waved him off, telling him to leave quickly.

Xu Tianyou didn’t dare to press his luck and quickly put the cigarettes away with a smile before leaving.

“Damn, it really works!”

As Xu Tianyou casually walked toward his designated spot, he thought to himself. He couldn’t help but wonder how An Xiaohai came up with this plan and how he knew all this information…

When he reached the designated spot, Xu Tianyou stopped.

This spot was right near the iron gate of the prison district, very open, and nearly all the watchposts could see it. The closest two guards stationed in the posts clearly noticed Xu Tianyou and had turned toward him.

Xu Tianyou’s legs felt weak, but he knew that he couldn’t hesitate now!

So, as An Xiaohai instructed, he continued to wave and smile at the guards on the watchposts. The guards waved back, signaling for him to leave quickly.

Xu Tianyou didn’t know whether to stay or leave, so he kept smiling foolishly, pretending not to understand their intentions. Of course, the guards wouldn’t ignore him; one of them was already preparing to come down.

Xu Tianyou had no choice but to tough it out. The wait was unbearable!

At this moment, a figure quickly came out from within the prison district, and Xu Tianyou’s eyes lit up. He smiled and went to meet him.

“Captain Qiu, you must be Captain Qiu, right? I’m Xiao Fang, Mr. Fang’s son. We’ve met before. Do you remember me?” Xu Tianyou greeted him while eagerly offering a cigarette.

Who remembers you!

Qiu Peng was very irritated; his eyes were extremely uncomfortable, and he couldn’t even see Xu Tianyou clearly, only noticing the kid had a glaring golden hairstyle.

However, Qiu Peng knew who Xiao Fang was. His father, Mr. Fang, had a good relationship with Warden Huang. He heard Mr. Fang was involved in dealing with distressed assets and had influence both in the underworld and above ground, so it wasn’t good to offend people like him.

Qiu Peng took the cigarette but didn’t light it, instead putting it in his pocket. He accepted the gesture, but it wasn’t convenient to smoke at the moment.

“Mr. Fang, what can I do for you? I’m a bit busy right now. You can see, I need to go back and change clothes.”

“I came to see Captain Qiu because I have something good to discuss! It was Warden Huang who pointed me to you, hehe! Captain Qiu, what’s wrong with you?” Xu Tianyou thought to himself with pleasure. The kid did a good job, and he would get his reward once he was out.

“There was an inmate who was clumsy and spilled food on me, so I need to go back to my dorm to wash my face and change my clothes,” Qiu Peng explained patiently.

Qiu Peng actually quite liked the title “Captain.” It had just been approved at an internal meeting, and not many people knew about it. This golden-haired kid even knew about it, which suggested their connection with Warden Huang was genuine.

It was actually a lucky misunderstanding.

An Xiaohai had told Xu Tianyou to address Qiu Peng as “Captain” just to sound more polite, much like how people in business refer to each other as “boss.” Who knew it would work out like this?

As for whether Qiu Peng would fall into their trap, An Xiaohai had judged that he most likely would.

Qiu Peng was a corrupt guard, and for people like him, discussing interests was the way to go.

Considering Mr. Fang’s connection with the warden, Qiu Peng would probably not reject Xu Tianyou. In fact, he might even be connected with Warden Huang.

“That’s careless of him! This inmate really should be punished! But Captain Qiu, our matter is urgent, we need to discuss it right now. If we miss this opportunity, we won’t get another chance, and this is a one-time deal!” Xu Tianyou casually gestured a number with his hand.

“8,000 or 80,000? … Mr. Fang is such a big boss, he wouldn’t be rushing to see me for 8,000, it must be at least 80,000…” Qiu Peng thought quickly, his opinion of this golden-haired kid improving.

“It’s possible, but I’m really not in a good situation right now. How about we wait until I go to the dorm and freshen up, and then we can talk somewhere private?” Qiu Peng pointed to the stains on his clothes.

The food had only spilled a little on his clothes, but his face and hair were covered, and his eyes still felt uncomfortable.

“No need to find another place, Captain Qiu, let’s just go to your dorm. There’s no one else there, and time is of the essence. The other party is waiting for my response, and I’m worried there might be complications if we delay.”

Qiu Peng hesitated for a moment.

The prison staff dorm was not typically a place for outsiders, but after thinking about it, he decided it wouldn’t be a big deal since Xu Tianyou had connections with Warden Huang. Even if someone found out, there wouldn’t be any consequences. He was just a little curious about why Xu Tianyou was in such a rush.

“Alright, as long as Mr. Fang doesn’t mind, come with me.”

Qiu Peng said as he started walking toward the iron gate.

Xu Tianyou quickly followed, his heart racing. Everything was going smoothly, even better than he had expected. It almost felt too good to be true.

But this was a good thing!

Xu Tianyou discreetly touched the dagger hidden in his jacket. The cold, hard feel of the blade reassured him.

This was Xu Tianyou’s last line of defense. If Qiu Peng noticed anything strange, he would use the dagger to finish him off and then change into his clothes to escape.

“Yes, let’s do it like this!” Xu Tianyou thought, glancing at the watchposts. Everything seemed normal. Ever since he had spoken with Qiu Peng, the guards at the posts had stopped paying attention to him.

Qiu Peng opened the two iron gates in the prison district. When he did, Xu Tianyou carefully noted which two keys he used.

An Xiaohai had specifically told him to pay attention to this detail. If he tried each key one by one in front of everyone, it would likely raise suspicion.

Xu Tianyou wholeheartedly agreed with this and understood that details made all the difference!

In the past few days, Xu Tianyou had become very familiar with the keys. He knew exactly which two keys Qiu Peng used. Of the remaining three keys, one was known to open the outermost small gate.

The other two keys corresponded to the last two iron gates. It was a 50/50 chance, and making a mistake once was normal and unlikely to raise suspicion.

“Xiao Hai, you’re truly a genius!”

After successfully passing through the two gates, Xu Tianyou couldn’t help but think this.