Fang Qing was worried that someone like Qin Yize wouldnât give Boss Xu face, but he still underestimated this instructor and friend of his.
Boss Xu warmly invited Qin Yize and Fang Qing into the private room.
At this moment, the fragrant tea was already brewed. He personally poured a cup of tea for the two of them, looked at Qin Yize, and earnestly said, "We should have gathered together properly, but I know the chief must be busy, so I didnât dare to disturb you. Today, Iâm using tea instead of wine. Thank you, Chief, for giving me this face."
With that, he raised his teacup and drank it all in one go.
Qin Yize smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Itâs private time now, no need to be so formal. Laosi is my student, and also my brother."
"I know, I know, Laosi has told me."
After Qin Yize took a gentle sip of tea, he leaned his body to one side, glanced at Boss Xu, then turned his head to look at Fang Qing sitting beside him. After pondering for a moment, he asked in a deep voice, "Go ahead, why did you come to find me?"
Fang Qing gave a slightly awkward smile. He originally shouldnât have acted as a go-between, but Xu Zhong and he grew up together.
Boss Xu once even saved his life, so naturally, their relationship is very deep. Itâs just that later, when Fang familyâs Laosi joined the army, they no longer ran wild in the streets as before.
And now, he really is quite troubled.
On one hand, he doesnât want his good brother to keep mixing with the wrong crowd, but on the other hand, he doesnât know what he should do.
Moreover, he had previously told Qin Yize about Boss Xu.
Back then, Qin Yize disapproved of him continuing to associate with Boss Xu.
However, from todayâs meeting, it seems that someone like Qin Yize, willing to shake hands with Boss Xu, is giving himself face, but also must think that Boss Xu has merits.
Thinking of this, Fang Laosi braced himself and said, "Big Brother Qin, I know youâve seen a lot and experienced things Iâll never be able to imagine. So today, Iâm boldly asking you to help guide my brother Xu Zhong."
"Oh?" Qin Yize slightly raised an eyebrow.
Fang familyâs Laosi quickly said, "Big Brother Qin, itâs just this one thing, really. But mainly, itâs because Xu Zhong admires you very much. He thinks you are the hero in his heart. Heâs always wanted to meet you and has pestered me many times."
Qin Yize looked at Xu Zhong, who was slightly tense across from him.
This person usually appears to be arrogant, yet rarely would he behave like this in front of him.
And although he shook hands with Boss Xu earlier, giving face to Fang familyâs Laosi was one thing; most importantly, his always sharp, discerning eyes could easily see that Boss Xu had righteousness in his eyes.
Thatâs why he was willing to sit here and drink the tea he poured.
And at this moment, the private room suddenly fell into a tense silence.
Fang familyâs Laosi and Boss Xu were both fixedly watching Qin Yize.
Among the three sitting in the teahouse, Qin Yize was the youngest in age, but in terms of presence and demeanor.
He easily controlled the entire scene.
After a while, Qin Yize spoke softly, "Xu Zhong, I heard from Laosi that you grew up together, and you once even saved his life, being life-and-death brothers?"
Xu Zhong was stunned for a moment and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Those were childhood things, really not worth mentioning.
Qin Yize placed his hand on the tea table, tapped it lightly a few times, then said, "Laosi is now a key training target in the military district. Heâs on a bright path, while youâve opened a shell company, collecting debts all over, with thugs under you, bullying people around here, and the common people have complaints. So you are on a path with no future."
Xu Zhong paused, a flash of admiration in his eyes.
"I know, I know."
Boss Xu quickly nodded, looking at Fang familyâs Laosi with regret, saying in a low voice, "Laosi is my good brother, always wanting me to improve. Itâs my own lack of ambition, and I donât want to drag him down. But these ten-plus years of brotherhood, itâs not something you can just throw away."
"Arenât you worried that one day, when you commit a crime, the person who catches you might be Laosi? What will you do then?" Qin Yizeâs voice wasnât loud but was very powerful.
Hearing this, the two of them froze in unison, exchanged a look, and in each otherâs eyes, they saw a trace of shock.
They had really never thought about such a day coming.
Fang Qingâs brow furrowed tightly, and the hand resting on his leg clenched. He truly couldnât imagine what he would do when that day came, whether to arrest or not.
If he arrested him, he would be personally sending him to prison; if not, he would be committing serious misconduct by shielding him.
At this point, Boss Xu, who had been mixed up in society for so long, quickly stood up, solemnly asking, "Big Brother Qin, I hope you can show me a clear path."
Having long heard of Qin Yizeâs reputation, Xu Zhong indeed greatly admired him. He originally thought there was no chance to meet him, but unexpectedly, he came to Jinling City. He wouldnât miss such an opportunity.
Moreover, he was increasingly confused about his future. He also wanted to walk on another straightforward, sunlit path, but what about his underlings?
Without him, they would starve, and most of them had a low level of education and no particular skills, so what could they do?
And now the country is cracking down more and more, with greater and greater intensity; he feels he can barely breathe, and the scope of his activities is shrinking. He even feels that one day heâll have nowhere to go.
Just when he figured this out, Qin Yize appeared. He felt this was destiny giving him a chance, the last one, which he had to seize well.
Qin Yize didnât want to beat around the bush with him, tapping his fingers on the table. His dark eyes looked at Boss Xu, a sharp ray of light suddenly seemed to envelop the quiet room with an air of menace.
Then the temperature in the room dropped significantly, and even Fang familyâs Laosi beside him couldnât help but hold his breath.
Qin Yize asked word by word, "Do you have any lives on your hands?"
At this moment, Boss Xu was standing. Hearing Qin Yize suddenly ask this question, he was really startled, even his legs went weak, his eyes were wide open, instinctively stretching out his hands, shaking them randomly. One of his hands swore, "Big Brother Qin, I swear, I donât have any lives on my hands, Iâm clean."
"What about your brothers?"
"They are the same, some are even more timid than me. They just scare people a bit, collect protection fees, help people collect debts, and sometimes cheat some money to spend. But as for things that hurt people and go against morality, theyâve absolutely never done."