Chapter 011: The Switch

A faint fragrance drifted through the room from an unknown source. Looking up, Wu Biyun was met with the dazzling brightness of a luxurious crystal chandelier, forcing her to lower her head cautiously.

From the moment she was detained and brought to this hillside villa, seeing the rows of luxury cars parked outside, the fountain taller than a building, the swarm of servants, and the New Year’s gift boxes stacked halfway to the ceiling in the living room, Wu Biyun finally understood what it meant to be wealthy in Hong Kong.

“When can I leave?” Wu Biyun asked timidly, glancing at the one-eyed man who had brought her here.

The one-eyed man gave her a quick look. “Wait here. Do you know where you are? This is the house of Lord Long. Some people spend their entire lives just trying to come here on the fourth day of the New Year to pay their respects.”

Wu Biyun didn’t know what “paying respects” meant, but she understood one thing—the owner of this mansion was incredibly powerful!

Footsteps echoed from the entrance. The one-eyed man quickly stood up, and Wu Biyun followed suit.

Three people entered. In the middle was an elderly man dressed in a traditional long gown, his sharp eyes as piercing as a silver hook. Wu Biyun guessed that this must be the grandfather that Liang Ke’er had been searching for.

If she had known that Liang Ke’er’s grandfather was such a powerful figure, she wouldn’t have dared to steal from Liang Ke’er even if she had been given a hundred chances!

Ah! She and her brother should have clung to Liang Ke’er for dear life. But now, they had taken the wrong path!

All she could hope for now was that Liang Ke’er would never find her grandfather—or, even better, that she would die on her journey. Otherwise, the account for stealing her belongings and causing her cousin’s death… With her grandfather’s influence, he could wipe them out with just the flick of a finger.

Just the thought of it sent chills down her spine.

So, when Wu Biyun learned that Liang Ke’er’s grandfather didn’t even know his granddaughter’s name or appearance, she boldly switched the identities of Liang Ke’er and Liang Kefeng.

After all, Liang Ke’er’s fate was uncertain, but Liang Kefeng was definitely dead.

At most, Liang Ke’er’s grandfather could find Liang Kefeng’s body, and there was a high chance that even the body would be lost. That would be much safer for her and her brother than if they found the living Liang Ke’er.

Liang Dalong glanced at Wu Biyun. The girl was dressed in a patched blue jacket with white floral patterns, typical of someone from the mainland. Her face was slender, but she looked clean and clever.

He asked, “Are you Wu Biyun?”

Nervously fidgeting with her fingers, Wu Biyun answered, “Yes.”

With just a glance from Zheng Fuying, the one-eyed man tactfully left the room.

Liang Dalong pointed to the sofa next to him and said, “You sit, too. Don’t be afraid. Tell me, where were you with my granddaughter, and how did you get separated?”

After sitting down, Wu Biyun licked her lips and repeated what she had just told Zheng Fuying.

Liang Dalong asked, “Which day was it, and around what time?”

“The 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, around 6 p.m.”

“Which pier?”

“I don’t know which pier. It was very chaotic at the time, there were…”

“The police started shooting, and we were so scared that we scattered everywhere. That’s how we got separated from Ke… from Kefeng.”

Wu Biyun, of course, knew which dock it was, but she didn’t dare—or didn’t want to—tell the truth, afraid that if they investigated, they might trace it back to Liang Ke’er.

Liang Dalong frowned slightly. “You saw the police open fire?”

Wu Biyun didn’t expect this old man to ask so many details. Lowering her head, she whispered, “I didn’t see it, but that’s what everyone was saying. I’m not sure.”

Liang Dalong glanced at Zheng Fuying. “Was it on the 22nd of the lunar month…?”

Zheng Fuying immediately understood and responded, “On the 22nd of the lunar month, from 5 to 7 in the evening, a Red Pole of Wan’an named Sang Ming led a group to fight with the Vietnamese gang at Hongsha Bay…”

Wu Biyun: “…”

Bullseye! They hit the mark!

She hadn’t expected that just by giving the time, with no location details at all, they had quickly figured out where she had landed.

She panicked. Would they soon uncover the lies she had told?

Luckily, Liang Dalong didn’t press further. Instead, he took a photo from his assistant He Cong and handed it to Wu Biyun. “Tell me, which one is Kefeng?”

The picture was a black-and-white photo of Liang Kefeng and Liang Ke’er, likely taken many years ago when they graduated from middle school.

Wu Biyun’s palms were sweating with nervousness. Her brain short-circuited, and she actually joked, “Grandpa Liang, why don’t you guess?”

Liang Dalong chuckled. “Of course, I know which one, but I want you to confirm it.”

He knows?

Wu Biyun clenched her hands, swallowed nervously, and realized she had no choice but to stick to her story until the end. She pointed to Liang Kefeng. “This one on the right.”

Liang Dalong took the photo back, looking carefully at Kefeng’s warm, dark eyes. After a while, a rare smile appeared on his face. “I knew it. She looks just like her grandmother.”

Zheng Fuying and He Cong exchanged smiles, both pleased to see the old man happy.

The photo had been found among the belongings of Liang Dalong’s late son. The back had writing on it, though the first character had gotten wet and smeared. It was hard to tell if it said “left” or “right,” but now it seemed clear that it read: “The one on the right is the daughter of my younger sister, Yawen.”

After a moment, Liang Dalong asked, “What about the one on the left? Who is that?”

Wu Biyun’s voice grew even softer. “That’s her cousin.”

“Her cousin also came to Hong Kong?”

“No… no, she didn’t.” Wu Biyun lied again, worried that Liang Dalong would end up searching for both Kefeng and Ke’er.

Liang Dalong could sense Wu Biyun’s discomfort. He understood; very few people were at ease when meeting him, not even the big bosses of the syndicates. A young girl like her certainly wouldn’t be.

“Where are you staying?”

“In Sifang City. My brother and I are crammed into a tiny room with others.”

“Have you found a job?”

“Not a proper one yet, just doing odd jobs at a laundromat to earn a bit of food money.”

Liang Dalong nodded. “It’s good that you can support yourself. But Sifang City is too chaotic, not suitable for a young woman to live in long term. If you’re willing, you can work here. Let Sister Lin arrange a dormitory for you.”

Live here in this luxury villa halfway up the hill?

Moments ago, Wu Biyun had been thinking about leaving this dangerous place as soon as possible, but now she wavered.

One-Eyed Dragon had said that people work their entire lives just to have the chance to pay respects here on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Now the opportunity was right in front of her—to work and live here. She might even be able to climb the ranks. That was something she could never achieve, no matter how hard she struggled outside.

Immediately, Wu Biyun gratefully said, “Thank you, Grandpa Liang.”

He Cong reminded her, “Call him Grandpa Long.”

Wu Biyun quickly corrected herself. “Thank you, Grandpa Long.”

Liang Dalong laughed. “I should be thanking you.”

As he spoke, he personally handed her a red envelope. “Here, take this for good luck.”

Taking the thick red envelope, Wu Biyun was overjoyed. “Biyun wishes Grandpa Long good health and great fortune in the New Year!”

“If you need anything in the future, just tell He Cong or Sister Lin,” Liang Dalong said as he stood up to leave.

Wu Biyun, growing bolder, hurriedly asked, “Grandpa Long, could I not take the red envelope?”

Liang Dalong was puzzled. “Do you know how many people would love to receive a red envelope directly from me?”

“I… I don’t want the envelope, but I beg Grandpa Long to also find a job for my brother. I don’t want to be separated from him.”

Liang Dalong nodded in sudden realization. This girl wasn’t rejecting the red envelope—she wanted to use this opportunity to get her brother in as well. She understood how to retreat in order to advance; there was some cunning in her.

He said to He Cong, “Arrange a job for her brother too.”

He Cong replied, “Understood.”

Wu Biyun bowed deeply. “Thank you, Grandpa Long.”

After leaving the small sitting room, Liang Dalong instructed Zheng Fuying, “Find Wu Biyun’s brother and question him thoroughly.”

Zheng Fuying understood the implication. Besides looking for other clues, he was also to compare the siblings’ stories to see if they contradicted each other.

*

This was Qin Qiming’s first time visiting Grandpa during the New Year.

Everyone in the syndicates knew they were all working for Grandpa in name. But who was Grandpa? Where did he live? What did he look like? Those below the level of “boss” could only guess based on rumors.

Qin Qiming was merely a mid-level leader in the Wan’an syndicate. He had fought hard to reach his current position, and he was just two steps away from touching the “boss” seat of power. His life’s goal had been to meet Grandpa before the age of thirty.

Who would have thought that today, without any warning, he would be summoned to meet Grandpa?

It matched what he had guessed: Grandpa was indeed Liang Dalong, the famous newspaper tycoon and philanthropist in Hong Kong.

The news said his family ran paper mills and magazines—a cultured man. Now that they met in person, he found that not only was Grandpa refined and elegant, but he also exuded an air of authority without anger.

Besides Qin Qiming, there were four others in the study: Liang Dalong, the Wan’an leader Cheng Biao, Liang Dalong’s assistant He Cong… and the scholarly man sitting beside Liang Dalong. If Qin Qiming guessed correctly, this must be the legendary Ma Ying, the powerful Hongmen leader who was Grandpa’s confidant. His real name was Zheng Fuying, known for his integrity and his disdain for Cheng Biao’s showy ways.

Qin Qiming sat in the room for half an hour, answering several rounds of questions before he finally understood: On the evening of the fight at Hongsha Bay with Gao Lao, Grandpa’s granddaughter had arrived from the mainland by a smuggling boat, which had also landed at Hongsha Bay.

Zheng Fuying handed Qin Qiming a quickly developed photo of Liang Kefeng and asked, “Have you seen her?”

Qin Qiming stared at the woman in the photo. Though she looked different due to the age gap, her gaze and aura were unmistakable. He recognized her immediately.

This was the woman he had encountered outside the convenience store at Hongsha Bay—the one with a possible head injury, who had hidden a gun, and who turned hostile the moment she got into a taxi.

Who would have thought she was Grandpa’s granddaughter—Liang Kefeng!

Qin Qiming didn’t want to speak the truth recklessly, but others had seen Liang Kefeng outside the convenience store that day. There was no hiding it.

Since it couldn’t be concealed, there was no point in telling a big lie.

Pretending to study the photo seriously, he then said thoughtfully, “I think I might have seen her.”

As soon as he said this, everyone in the room turned their attention to him.

There was excitement, surprise, and anticipation in their gazes.

But Grandpa’s eyes were unreadable.

Perhaps he was uneasy inside—what if these thugs had harmed his granddaughter?

That thought crossed his mind…

As soon as he thought about it, he realized that if Liang Kefeng had really been bullied, Sang Ming probably wouldn’t have dared to admit he had seen her.

Zheng Fuying reminded him, “Don’t use vague words like ‘I think I saw her.’ Be sure about it—did you see her or not?”

The leader of Wan’an, Cheng Biao, hoped that Qin Qiming would seize this opportunity to impress in front of the elder. “Sang Ming, think carefully and speak honestly. This is more important than taking over the Hongsha Bay territory.”

Qin Qiming was well aware of the stakes. After quickly assessing the risks, he nodded and said, “Yes, I saw her. It was around 8 p.m. that night, outside a convenience store near Hongsha Bay.”

“At the time, we stopped to buy something and saw a young woman waiting for a taxi. She was wearing a beach hat, a windbreaker, but oddly, canvas shoes. Her outfit looked strange. I asked her why she was out alone so late in a place like that. She seemed very nervous and told us she had snuck over from the mainland, begging us not to call the police.”

Cheng Biao asked nervously, “And then?”

“I felt sorry for her, so I didn’t give her a hard time. I let her get into a taxi and leave,” Qin Qiming said, hiding the fact that he had noticed Liang Kefeng might have been injured and possibly had a gun.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. As long as their “little ancestor” had safely left the scene of the shootout, she should be out of immediate danger.

Cheng Biao was even more pleased. His men hadn’t intentionally made things difficult for her and even showed some compassion. Even if it wasn’t a great achievement, it reflected well on him.

Zheng Fuying’s tone softened compared to earlier, “Where did the taxi take her?”

Qin Qiming replied, “To the city center, but I’m not sure of the exact location.”

“How many people were present at the time?”

“There were five or six of us from Wan’an, plus the convenience store owner. It was the store owner who helped Miss Liang call the taxi.”

With the shop owner as an outsider to corroborate the story, Qin Qiming’s words were far more credible.

*

Meanwhile, Liang Kefeng went to the barracks in Admiralty to collect her Hong Kong ID card. Afterward, she took a car to Fengwei Street, planning to deliver the 2,000 yuan payment to Guizai.

As she walked onto Fengwei Street, few shops were open during the New Year, and there were not many pedestrians. A few children were secretly setting off firecrackers. After walking a few more steps, Liang Kefeng keenly sensed a hint of danger.

Not far away, two men were smoking, scrutinizing her carefully. One whispered to the other.

From his lip movements, she could tell he was saying, “Is this the woman? She looks kind of like her, but… could someone like her really have killed Babi?”

The other one confirmed, “She’s definitely the one Uncle Tian is looking for.”

*Crackle! Pop!*

The mischievous boys were setting off firecrackers!

A shopkeeper poked his head out and cursed, “You little rascals! Keep setting those off and I’ll call the cops!”

The boys scattered, running wildly through the street.

The two thugs stared as Liang Kefeng walked toward them. Suddenly, she looked up, and they followed her gaze!

Above them, clothes hung on bamboo poles swayed in the wind. A gust of wind blew, and a red pair of underwear drifted down.

“Damn! Red underwear!” The two thugs instinctively dodged to the side, watching as the underwear landed on the street.

Sensing something was wrong, they looked up again, only to find that the woman had disappeared.

The two thugs quickly gave chase, turning into an alley, only to find that the woman had been cornered by Uncle Tian’s right-hand man, Chao Pi, and several henchmen!

They were surrounded!

Chao Pi, true to his nickname, was so skinny that when he smiled, his face was full of wrinkles, like it had been soaked in seawater.

He sneered, “So it was you, the she-devil, who killed Babi, huh? Still trying to escape? Go ahead, try to run for me!”

Liang Kefeng glanced at them and noticed that none of them had guns.

Nowadays, gangs didn’t usually equip their henchmen with guns unless they were going to engage in a major conflict with rival factions.

No guns? That made things easier.

Liang Kefeng sneered contemptuously, “I’m not running! But don’t say I didn’t warn you!”