Chapter Fifty-Three Got Cheated

  Having dinner at Longcheng Restaurant without seeing Secretary Qian's figure, it's not convenient for him to show up, and having Secretary Xiang accompany them all the way is already a great honor. Qu Wen hasn't mixed with official circles before, but he understands the principles of being a person, especially with Zhao Haifeng this upright and honest person around, every sentence makes Secretary Xiang feel extremely pleased.

  After dinner, Xiang Mi bid farewell to the secretary and dialed a phone call to Gong Haide, but this kid's phone was in a powered-off state. When he called home, he was told that he had not returned home for two days.

  Still worried, Qu Wen immediately dialed Chen Qiang's number again, fortunately having remembered it from their last meeting.

  "Chen Ge, it's Qu Wen. Do you know where that kid Gong Hai De is?" Qu Wen asked directly after the call connected.

  "Oh, Ah Wen, Ah De and I are at Wang Zi, if you have something to do, just come over. We've been busy these two days, let's talk when we meet."

  The phone call didn't last two sentences before Chen Qiang hung up, and from the tone of his voice it seemed like he had encountered something unpleasant. Fortunately, after learning about Gong Haide's news, Qu Wen dragged Zhao Haifeng directly to Wang Ziyue Nightclub.

  Inside the private room, apart from Chen Qiang and Qi Zhen Nan, there was also Gong Hai De whom Qu Wen wanted to find. Each person's face didn't look particularly good, with a hint of anger showing.

  "A Wen, what's wrong? You're in such a hurry." Chen Qiang forced out a smile, if it were someone else, they wouldn't even bother with words.

  The thing this afternoon made Qu Wen angry, although he didn't believe that Gong Haide would do such an unrighteous thing, but since it was caused by him, naturally there was no good face.

  "Of course, I was inexplicably brought to the police station today and told that there was a problem with the goods I pawned last time."

  "What, you're involved too! That Jiang Jing is really asking for it!" Gong Haide's face showed both apology and anger as he slammed his hand on the table, then said to Qu Wen, "Sorry."

  Qu Wen didn't come here to apologize, he just wanted to figure out what was going on.

  "If we're brothers, then don't say sorry, let's talk about this matter."

  "Damn it, I've been screwed over this time." Gong Haide clenched his fists, making cracking sounds, and gritted his teeth: "Last time we took the goods from Yue Feng, they were collected from a rich second-generation kid named Jiang Jing. This little bastard loves to visit prostitutes and gamble, owing others a lot of money, so he pawned those goods to us. But who knew that those goods were secretly taken from his home without his family's knowledge? By right, we only care about collecting things and lending money, not every item needs to be thoroughly investigated. Once the pawn period is over, we have the right to dispose of them ourselves. Afterward, this little bastard was scolded by his father, but somehow he heard that one of the paintings we pawned was actually a genuine work from the Qing dynasty master. He thought he had lost out and, coincidentally, his father cut off his financial support. In the end, he even dared to frame us, reporting to the police that we forced him to sell at a low price."

  Gong Haide finished speaking in one breath, letting Qu Wen roughly understand the ins and outs of the matter. To be honest, there are indeed many prodigal sons like Jiang Jing. Qu Wen had once met someone who was just as outrageous - he pawned his car during the day, then used the low price to take friends to a nightclub at night, and when he got home, he told his family that the car had been stolen; after buying a new car, it wasn't long before he pawned it again.

  "Isn't that kid afraid of your revenge afterwards?" Qu Wen was indeed very admiring of Jiang Jing's courage, daring to play tricks on people in the underworld.

  Gong Haide snorted: "Afraid? People like him, for the sake of money, have had their brains pinched by the door countless times. I was locked up for two whole days just because of this matter, and it wasn't until this afternoon that Qi Ge's friend helped bail me out. However, we have evidence in hand, so we're not afraid of him making a big fuss. The key is whether the police determine it as normal borrowing or coercion and extortion."

  No wonder Gong Haide's family said he hadn't returned home for several days, it turned out that he was taken to the police station and detained for two days. If what he said is true, then this matter can't be blamed entirely on him, most loan companies do it this way, it's impossible to carefully examine every single item.

  "Jiang Jing, that kid, I've seen him before. He doesn't seem like a bold person. There might be someone behind the scenes manipulating him." Qi Zhen Nan finally spoke up. He and Chen Qiang were in charge of lending money, while Gong Hai De helped them with connections and collecting debts. Now all three of them are in trouble because of this matter.

  "If I find out that it's that little brat who is behind this, I'll cut off his balls and feed them to the dogs! The common people call me a member of the underworld, but in reality, compared to big cities or international organizations, we're just a small group of petty villains. In our country, who can be more ruthless than the government? So everyone is careful and cautious when doing things, tucking their tails between their legs. For example, with loan-sharking, the interest rates are only 2-3 points higher than banks, within the legal range. Without collateral, it's considered usury, but apart from us, even banks don't dare to lend like this. And if it weren't for these people trying to swindle and get rich quick, recklessly throwing themselves into the money pit, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to lend." Gong Haide was indignant, getting more and more agitated as he spoke, his hands gesturing as if he wanted to kill someone.

  The matter on the top is not to be managed, and it can't be managed. Just now, I was busy talking about things and forgot to introduce Zhao Haifeng next to me. It was Chen Qiang who noticed that Zhao Haifeng's clothes were impressive and took the initiative to ask: "Ah Wen, who is this brother?"

  "Oh, his name is Zhao Haifeng, he's a good brother I know in Beijing. If it wasn't for him today, I might have been played to death."

  Chen Qiang looked at Zhao Haifeng again, his eyes gleaming with interest. People like him who have climbed to the top love to make friends with people from all walks of life who have skills and abilities. In their opinion, every person has a different value, even if it's just a small-time hoodlum or a hostess, let alone someone like Zhao Haifeng who has substance.

  "I wonder what Zhao's family does for a living?" Chen Qiang felt that Zhao Haifeng had an unusual air about him, and in the imperial capital where dragons and tigers lay hidden, he might be the son of a high-ranking official.

  Chen Qiang's guess was not wrong, Zhao Haifeng indeed came from a decent family background. However, he was a very low-key person and rarely mentioned his family affairs to outsiders. He gave a vague response with a smile: "My family is just ordinary business people, not worth mentioning."

  Chen Qiang could naturally hear that this was a perfunctory remark, but he also didn't want to ask further, since others were unwilling to say more, he could only nod in agreement and change the subject back to the pawnshop.

  "Awen, I'm really sorry about this time's matter, but rest assured that we will definitely handle it properly and ensure that no one will bother you with this thing again."

  Qu Wen knew that things had come to this, and the three of them would never let it go. As for what methods they would use, that was their business. Qu Wen wouldn't be so kind as to plead for those who had wronged him.

  "I have a lead, I don't know if it's useful to you guys or not, maybe we can find out who set us up sooner."

  Chen Qiang heard this and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "Speak!"

  "There's a kid named Lu Shaojie at Yuefeng Pawnshop who has never been quite right with me. Coincidentally, his uncle is the director of the West City Branch Bureau and he himself is also a rich second generation. The person who brought me to the police station today mentioned something about a precise tip-off, I'm thinking if there's some connection in between."

  Chen Qiang thought for a moment and then asked: "What are the names of the people who brought you to the police station?"

  "The person who brought me to the police station was a man named Fang Qiang, but judging from his appearance, he seemed to have nothing to do with this matter. On the other hand, a guy named Ling Zhongdui seemed to be very familiar with it. If Hai Feng hadn't arrived in time today, I would have been beaten up by him."

  Although it is forbidden for police to use corporal punishment or torture during interrogation, such incidents have occurred from time to time, and everyone who has been on the road knows about them.

  Hearing this, Gong Haide felt even more uneasy. He and Qu Wen were brothers who had come out of drinking and fighting together. Whoever wanted to harm Qu Wen in the slightest would not be spared by him, let alone that this matter was caused by him.

  "Jiang Jing, Lu Shaojie, your good days are over, go home and wash your necks clean, waiting for me."