Chapter 203: Still Three Points Short
"Why should the Qiao family have the upper hand?" Cai Xingteng sneered. "Times have changed. Sure, the Qiao family has more administrative influence than us, but don't forget—in terms of economics, our strength is several times theirs. The only thing they can boast about is Lanchen. Once Lanchen collapses, the Qiao family will be nothing but a crippled duck we can play with however we want."
Cai Yong glanced at him, restraining his temper. Since his son was present, he had to give him some face. Still, he didn't bother responding, turning instead to Cai Yu. "Yu'er, what do you think?"
"Grandfather, Father, I believe that a mere Zhang Yang isn't enough for the Qiao family to openly go to war with us."
"So, you think the Qiao family is just bluffing for now?"
"No, Grandfather. When we decided to expand into the Southeast Province, that was when we truly fell out with the Qiao family," Cai Yu said calmly. "It's just that now, it's being brought into the open."
"Yu'er is right. The rivalry has existed for a long time, and the facade of civility was long gone—both sides were just using a fig leaf to cover it up." Cai Yong nodded slowly. "It's like nations that despise each other yet keep shouting that they're friendly neighbors."
"Still, since the Qiao family has torn off that fig leaf first, I'd like to see what medicine they're selling in their gourd. What gives them the confidence to compete with the Cai family?" Cai Yong tapped the table thoughtfully with his finger.
"Xingteng, I think you should talk to the Shen family soon. See if we can jointly pressure the Qiao family in Donghua Garden. The Qiao family's power isn't that concerning, but we should still stay cautious."
"Yes, Father. I understand."
"You can go now." Cai Yong waved for Cai Xingteng to leave.
Cai Xingteng glanced at his son, knowing the old man and the grandson probably had more to discuss.
He nodded. If it were anyone else, he might have been angry.
But since it was his son, he didn't mind. In fact, he felt a little proud.
As soon as Cai Xingteng left, Cai Yong looked at Cai Yu with a faint smile. "Yu'er, is there anything else you want to tell your grandfather?"
"Grandfather, there's something I don't quite understand."
"You had Du Yuheng killed—was it really just for those two reasons?"
"As expected, nothing escapes Grandfather's eyes." Cai Yu glanced at Du Hong, a rare hint of shyness appearing on his face. "To be honest, during my trip to Meining, I decided to resolve a major life matter."
"Oh? Let's hear it." Cai Yong's sallow face suddenly regained vitality, as though his grandson's personal affairs mattered more than the family's fate.
"Grandfather, I met a girl in Meining who completely captured my heart. The moment I saw her, I knew I'd never marry anyone else. I've never felt such a strong desire before."
"Hmm? Which family is she from? The Du family? The Peng family? The Lu family? There are only a few prominent families in the Southeast Province."
Cai Yu shook his head. "Grandfather, she's not from an influential family."
"Then, is she at least from a wealthy background?"
"Wealthy? Not exactly. She has some money, but it's all earned by herself."
"Interesting. Not from a powerful family, not from great wealth, yet she caught your eye. She must be quite remarkable. When will you bring her to meet me?"
Cai Yu winced inwardly and replied bitterly, "To be honest, she doesn't even know who I am yet."
"Oh? She doesn't even know you, yet you killed a noble family's son for her? Why?" Cai Yong was visibly surprised. His grandson had always been cautious—who'd have thought he'd kill for a woman he'd never even met properly?
Cai Yu's lips curved into a cold smile. "That Du Yuheng didn't know his place. He actually tried to covet my woman. How could I let him live?"
"In that case, fine—he's dead, then he's dead. But you didn't leave any evidence, did you?"
"No, Grandfather. I made sure everything was cleaned up perfectly."
"Good. Now, about that girl—when can you bring her home?"
Cai Yu's expression stiffened slightly. He lowered his head and said quietly, "That... might take a bit of time."
Inside, though, he thought bitterly—it won't be easy. That Zhang Yang isn't someone to mess with.
"Father, Father…" As they spoke, the study door was knocked. Cai Xingteng's voice came excitedly from outside. "The Shen family just replied—they've agreed to join us in putting pressure on the Qiao family at Donghua Garden!"
"Good. With the Shen family's support, I'd like to see how far Qiao Zhengguo can run now." Cai Yong's face broke into a rare smile.
...Zhang Yang was forced by Xu Danlu to rest for several days before he was finally allowed to move freely, though his hand wound was far from healed.
That bastard Bi Zi had slashed him deep—any deeper, and his hand would've been crippled.
To everyone's surprise, the normally indifferent Yang Fei came personally every day to change Zhang Yang's bandages and tutor him. Though it was only three hours a day, everyone was still envious. Luckily, the villa was full of beautiful women.
Aside from those three hours, Zhang Yang spent all his time indulging in pleasure. As soon as his hand started healing, he used the excuse of needing Xu Danlu and Gao Qi's help, keeping one of them by his side each day…
"Yangzi, you're such a bad man." In Lulu's room, she weakly poked her head out from under the blanket, her snow-white arms and bare upper body exposed. Her soft, full breasts pressed gently against Zhang Yang's chest.
"I'm not doing this again! You've just recovered, but these past two days—three times a day! Qi-jie and I are completely exhausted. No, wait—today makes it four! Keep this up, and you won't die from blood loss, but we'll die from dehydration… and… look, I'm all swollen!"
Xu Danlu, though shy, still lifted the blanket hesitantly for the sake of her own survival, spreading her fair legs apart.
Seeing that, Zhang Yang felt a rush of desire again. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist, ready to dive in once more, but Xu Danlu panicked and pushed against his chest, pleading, "No… please, not now. Let me rest for a while."
"Yangzi, this won't do. Qi-jie and I need to talk—we've got to find you another wife, or we're both doomed." Xu Danlu bit her lip, tilting her head as she thought.
"Yangzi, why don't you go after Sister Qiao? She's tall and looks strong. I bet she has more stamina. If you can't think of a way, Qi-jie and I will help you."
"Uh… don't you dare mess around." Zhang Yang looked at her pitiful expression, feeling a little guilty.
But there was nothing he could do. He'd promised Qiao Yunfeng that he'd deliver the fifth-generation single-crystal nickel-based superalloy production process and technical data within a week. Now, there was only one day left. Even though Qiao Yunfeng hadn't rushed him, Zhang Yang was a man of his word—once he promised, he'd see it through.
But the last few days of recovery had delayed him. Now, with only two days left, he had sixteen points—still twenty-four short of forty. In other words, he'd need eight more battles in two days. His Advanced Bedroom Technique was simply too powerful… Gao Qi and Lulu managing three times a day was already a miracle. Lulu had even gone over her limit today. Now his score was thirty-seven.
Seeing her flushed and exhausted, Zhang Yang couldn't bear to push her further. But if he didn't, he'd still be three points short.
It seemed he'd have to find luck elsewhere—maybe a few street thugs would do.
Looking back at Lulu, her face was flushed and shy, like a springtime beauty, but her eyes showed fatigue. A quick glance below confirmed…
He needed to come up with a special fast-acting medicine to heal muscle fatigue.
After checking with the System Assistant, the bastard wanted twenty points for it.
He sighed and decided to hold off—he'd first finish the high-temperature alloy project for his future father-in-law, then think about it.
Seeing it was still early, he told Lulu he wanted to go out for a walk. She checked his hand and, seeing it was mostly healed, agreed.
After dressing up and getting ready to leave, Zhang Yang noticed her phone kept ringing. Curious, he asked, "You weren't this busy before, were you?"
"Of course not. Sister Qiao said you're the most important person in the villa now. When you go out, you must have full security. Wait for Wenzi and Lao Yi to arrive before leaving."
"Pfft!" Zhang Yang almost spat out his drink. He wasn't worried about assassins—ordinary killers couldn't even get close to him. Even if he lost his strength, he still had three System Warnings to rely on.
What he worried about more were the women around him. If those killers couldn't get him and targeted his women instead, like Du Yuheng had, that would truly be a nightmare.
"Lulu, you reminded me—has there been any movement from the Doctor lately?"
Out of concern for Yang Fei's safety, Zhang Yang had asked Lulu to have the Doctor and Cigarman secretly protect her, ensuring no more incidents.
"Nothing unusual lately. The Meining police have increased protection around us and are investigating suspicious individuals. Plus, with the end-of-year crackdown, we should be fine for now."
"Better safe than sorry," Zhang Yang said. "Tell Wenzi and Lao Yi not to come here—have them guard the Rehabilitation Center instead, especially Gao Qi. She's careless, and I bet those bastards will target her next. As for me, they're not ready for that yet."
"Speaking of Qi-jie, it's funny—there's this dark-skinned guy trying to chase her. He sends her tons of roses every day, and today he even asked her out for dinner."
"Dark-skinned guy?" Zhang Yang frowned. "What does he look like?"
"Pretty decent features, just darker skin. Maybe five or six centimeters shorter than you. Classy demeanor, though. I had him investigated—don't worry, Qi-jie's not interested. She's even planning to bring Lao Yi and Ah Gou along tonight to mess with him."
"Dark-skinned guy…" Zhang Yang frowned again. "Where are they meeting tonight?" Cai Yu's situation was something he hadn't told Lulu or Gao Qi about. If it really was him, the bastard had some nerve—coming straight to his doorstep before he could even settle the score.