Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 263 This "Wolf" Was Lured by Old Ghost

When I returned, my senior sister was already back at her seat, having reverted to the image of the polite and elegant daughter-in-law of the Changsun family. I watched her, a hint of disdain in my heart. Without a word, I ate a few bites but found the exquisite food tasteless, losing my appetite. I stood up to bid farewell to Gao Xiaozhi. He responded politely, clearly not thinking much of me and making no effort to keep me.

“I’ll see my junior brother out.”

My senior sister stood up and said, Gao Zihui stood as well, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over her shoulders. “The evening breeze is cool.”

“Thank you, husband.”

Watching Gao Zihui’s forced smile, devoid of any genuine charm, I inwardly scoffed.

My senior sister accompanied me and Old Ghost out of the banquet hall. Suddenly, she linked her arm through mine, smiling. “Don’t walk like a deserter, take your time.”

“Aren’t you afraid your husband will be jealous?”

“We each take what we need. My husband has countless women, some of whom you might have seen on television.”

“Why did you marry him?”

“What kind of question is that? I’m a ‘wolf,’ of course, I came for the fortune.”

I exhaled a long breath. “I wish you success.”

My senior sister chuckled, her plump arm slipping from mine as she linked it with Old Ghost’s instead. “Master, Junior Brother is becoming more eloquent.”

Old Ghost finally showed a smile. “He’s thirty years old, he must have made some progress.”

“Oh, you tease, Master, implying I’m old.”

“No, no, my Qianqian is eternally youthful. Are you hiding behind me because you’re afraid your junior brother will hit you?”

My senior sister laughed heartily. “I am a little scared. Tang Nan, I heard about Zhang Ying’ai. I’m truly happy your wife escaped that ordeal.”

“Hmph, no need for crocodile tears.”

My senior sister pouted, hooking her arm through Old Ghost’s. “Master, look at Junior Brother, he looks so displeased. Clearly, he’s the one who abandoned me.”

“Alright, alright, your affairs are your own. I’ll say this: Tang Nan returns to Beijing tomorrow, and you are in Hong Kong. You’ll be separated by an ocean, so stop fighting.”

“But I need to make things clear to him. He doesn’t even hate me anymore; he’s forgotten me.”

“Speak your mind.”

“I was with Master for a while, and to assist Elder Gao, we feigned opposition to ‘Zhengqi.’ It was then that I met Zhang Ying’ai, and that lucky girl and I became friends.”

“And then?” I asked, my face grim.

“I told her you were The Schemer and recounted many of your heroic deeds. Oh, right, the matter of you and Tie Zishan tricking ‘Gambler’ out of two hundred million in Hohhot, I told her that too.”

“You wanted her to judge me?”

“No, no, you tricking ‘Gambler’ wasn’t a crime. In her eyes, you were a great hero who used deception to fight deception. Everything I did was to make her fall in love with you.”

I understood my senior sister’s intention. Only by making Zhang Ying’ai fall for me would she relentlessly pursue Lin Han’s life.

“You’re ruthless, Cao Qian. Even though you’re no longer in Beijing, you still don’t want me to live comfortably, do you?”

“Yes, yes, that’s what I wanted. After all, I love you in my heart. If I can’t have you, I might as well make you hate me. However, you’ve truly improved immensely. Zhang Ying’ai, who learned scheming from me, not only failed to cause you trouble but also led to you destroying ‘Zhengqi.’ Master, you should praise Junior Brother too.”

Old Ghost, like a prop, chuckled. “Yes, what your senior sister said is right. You did very well this time.”

Watching them, I offered no comment, observing impassively.

“Alright, we’re at the entrance, I won’t see you off further. It’s the first day of the month, and my husband will surely be out all night. Tang Nan, you must also be sleepless in Hong Kong. If you’re in the mood, perhaps this lonely man and woman can rekindle our old flame and spend the night together.”

“Cao Qian, you’d better stay away from me.”

My senior sister clung to Old Ghost’s arm. “Master, he’s being disrespectful and scolding me.”

“Alright, alright, Qianqian, you go back too.”

“Master is jealous. Why don’t we all go together?”

“Nonsense! You’re both married. Don’t make such brazen jokes. Go back now.”

“Okay, Master, Tang Nan, goodbye. I suspect you won’t be leaving tomorrow.”

Old Ghost and I were driven back to our residence in a stretched luxury car. Old Ghost remained silent the entire way. Upon arriving at his small apartment of forty to fifty square meters, he reverted to his usual lovable, chubby self.

“I’ll cook a few dishes. There’s some roast duck left. Let’s drink and celebrate the New Year.”

Hearing Old Ghost say this, the image of him happily eating in front of me involuntarily appeared in my mind. I naively believed Old Ghost was always like this, wherever he was. I was wrong. I could tell that since leaving Wende Xiaoyuan, Old Ghost had not been living happily here.

Today, Elder Gao’s economic discourse also made me understand why Old Ghost and Li Jiu joined forces to restrain Elder Gao. After this place was no longer under British rule, many consortiums wanted it to become independent. Gao Ji was one of these individuals, aiming to use economic warfare to carve out his own empire.

However, with the cooperation of Old Ghost and Li Jiu, Gao Ji’s ambition would remain unfulfilled in this lifetime. His highest achievement would likely be becoming the savior of that economic defense battle. As for Gao Ji’s descendants, they seemed quite ordinary in my eyes. They might influence the economy, but they would neither touch nor possess the ability to fulfill Gao Ji’s dream.

Old Ghost’s cooking was mediocre, but years ago, I learned to cook to please him. I took over the task, preparing several dishes that were both visually appealing and delicious. Earlier, the exquisite French cuisine had left Old Ghost, like me, feeling unsatisfied. Now, seeing the different gleam in Old Ghost’s eyes as he looked at the food, I felt an inexplicable warmth.

“I still have a bottle of Erguotou hidden away. Let me get it.”

Erguotou represented a sentiment for Beijing, but I preferred pure grain liquor. However, Old Ghost liked it, so I obliged.

As we ate and drank, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Old Ghost, Cao Qian is very dangerous. Why are you so amiable towards her?”

“We were master and disciple once.”

“Sentiment? Didn’t she join the Gao family to deal with you?”

Old Ghost let out a slightly helpless laugh. “Senior Brother Li Jiu died young from cancer. After his death, I was alone in dealing with Gao Ji, and I was stretched thin. Now that Gao Ji is unwell, as long as I can ensure the Gao family’s inheritance falls into Gao Ziming’s hands, I can retire with peace of mind.”

I understood Old Ghost’s meaning. “You invited Cao Qian to the Gao family.”

“Yes. Can we not talk about this? If you stay in this environment for too long, your actions will inevitably conflict with your values. Let’s just eat happily, and I’ll charter a plane to send you back to Beijing. Don’t feel upset staying here.”

“One last question, what exactly are you afraid of?”

“Gao Ziming has a weak personality, and Gao Ji does not wish for him to be the heir. If I support Gao Ziming, I will inevitably be targeted by Gao Ji. Gao Ji appears peaceful, but he does not tolerate betrayal. He will deal with me, and I don’t have the confidence to defeat Gao Ji.”

“The last question?”

Old Ghost smiled, and I felt a little awkward. “This is truly the last question.”

“Ask away, ask away.”

“As the fifty-fifth generation successor of The Schemer, why are you afraid of Gao Ji?”

“This probably goes back to Gao Ji’s background. During the war, Old Man Wende was in Britain and collaborated with Gao Ji’s father. Because Gao Ji had the appearance of a local, Old Man Wende felt a special connection with him and meticulously taught him, shaping the Gao Ji of today.”

“You mean, Gao Ji was also a disciple of Old Mr. Wende.”

“Not exactly, it was more like mentor and friend. Although Gao Ji was not familiar with the term ‘The Schemer,’ he was quite adept at understanding situations, plotting, and breaking schemes.”

I understood, and I realized that my staying here would truly be of no help. I was ignorant of the lives of these nobles and unfamiliar with human nature, which would greatly diminish the effectiveness of my ability to discern and break schemes. Old Ghost’s contest with Gao Ji, although without Li Jiu’s assistance, would be aided by Cao Qian’s advancement. She would likely help Old Ghost fulfill his wish smoothly.

That night, Old Ghost and I talked a great deal, discussing mostly Chinese cuisine, making the wise old man’s mouth water. The bottle of Erguotou wasn’t much, but after drinking red wine twice today, I was feeling a bit dizzy.

When I woke up, I found Old Ghost had already left. He left me a note saying the plane was arranged and I should leave. He had matters with Gao Ziming today and couldn’t see me off.

I had understood most things. What I once dreaded to leave, I now felt no necessity to stay. Furthermore, I even had the thought that my staying would be of no help. It was precisely because of this that I decided to return to Beijing.

After a simple wash, I went downstairs to hail a taxi. It was difficult to find a taxi in Hong Kong, even more so during the New Year. However, as I reached the ground floor, a stretched luxury car was parked there. The window slowly rolled down, revealing Elder Gao’s gentle face.

“Little Ten has some matters to attend to, so I’ll drive you, Tang Nan.”

“No need to trouble you, sir. I can go to the airport myself.”

“Get in the car, I have something to show you.”