Chapter 93 Afraid?

Chapter 93: Scared?

Jiang Luo turned to Huo Zongzhuo, then glanced out the car window, instinctively reaching out to grasp Huo Zongzhuo's arm, his voice tight: "Huo Zongzhuo, you're not planning to kill him, are you?"

"It's broad daylight, and this isn't the wilderness. Someone could pass by at any moment."

The implication was clear: he, no, *they*, couldn't do anything to Chen Xianlong.

They couldn't just let Chen Xianlong die like this.

Jiang Luo said earnestly, "Let A Qing take him to the hospital. Don't let him die here and attract the local police; that would be very troublesome."

"Don't worry."

Huo Zongzhuo met Jiang Luo's gaze calmly: "As long as you're unharmed, I won't take his life."

Sure enough, not far outside the window, A Qing released Chen Xianlong, planted his hands on his hips, and began making a call on his mobile phone by the car.

Soon, another car drove up, stopping beside Chen Xianlong's overturned vehicle. Two people got out, one of whom Jiang Luo recognized—it was Wang Junqing, who had also been injured in the car accident some time ago.

Before seeing Wang Junqing, Jiang Luo had only been shocked by these methods and Huo Zongzhuo’s tactics.

But upon seeing Wang Junqing, something suddenly occurred to Jiang Luo, and his heart leaped into his throat.

Jiang Luo stared at Huo Zongzhuo, gazing intently without blinking, his heartbeat growing faster and tighter, as if a hand were gripping it firmly.

Jiang Luo unconsciously held his breath, looking at the man and whispering, "Huo Zongzhuo, be straight with me. Guo Ronghai, the guy who knocked me out, tied me up, and took me to the countryside—the former manager of Pacific Department Store…"

Jiang Luo paused, staring even harder into Huo Zongzhuo’s eyes, not missing a single flicker of expression, and said, "Guo Ronghai, is he…"

"Dead?"

Jiang Luo whispered the word "dead" very softly.

As if speaking it louder might allow someone to overhear.

Huo Zongzhuo also looked at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo tightened his grip on the man’s arm, demanding an answer: "Is that right?"

"I stabbed him with a knife, broke his leg, and left him alone in the field for so long. Is he already dead?"

"Just like today, handled by Wang Junqing and A Qing?"

Huo Zongzhuo met Jiang Luo’s gaze steadily, his voice calm and even: "No, it's not what you think."

"When A Qing and the others found him, he still had a breath left."

What did "still had a breath left" mean?

Didn't that mean he was on the verge of death?

Wasn't it essentially Jiang Luo who had killed him?

Jiang Luo’s grip on Huo Zongzhuo’s arm tightened even more, trembling slightly. He swallowed and said, "I never meant to kill him."

"Of course you didn't."

Huo Zongzhuo raised his hand, covered Jiang Luo’s hand on his arm, and gave it a reassuring pat. "It was all done by people I sent."

Jiang Luo thought of something else: "What about Li Fengrui…"

Huo Zongzhuo looked at Jiang Luo calmly and said, "I warned him before about the Guo Ronghai incident."

"He's been relatively compliant and didn't actually harm you."

"But in my eyes, harming someone close to you is equivalent to harming you. I naturally wasn't about to let him off easily either."

There was one more thing Huo Zongzhuo didn't mention: Was Jiang Luo’s car accident truly entirely Chen Xianlong’s doing, entirely his responsibility?

Chen Xianlong was a Singaporean who came here to do business. Unfamiliar with the place and in a small county like Haimen, how could he have meticulously arranged a life-threatening accident in Haicheng?

Especially since he didn’t even know Jiang Luo.

In all this, was Li Fengrui truly not involved at all? Did he not instigate it?

True, Li Fengrui had gone to see Chairman Qiu, wanting to reconcile with Jiang Luo.

But Huo Zongzhuo was too experienced.

In his view, Li Fengrui was not innocent in Jiang Luo’s car accident.

Huo Zongzhuo also couldn't tolerate such a person playing both sides right under his nose.

"Don't worry."

Huo Zongzhuo’s large, warm hand covered Jiang Luo’s. "The Li family has already had someone pick him up."

"Whether it's Guo Ronghai, Li Fengrui, or Chen Xianlong, you won't see any of them again."

Not far away, an ambulance soon arrived. Wang Junqing, A Qing, and the others were working together to load Chen Xianlong into the ambulance.

Inside the car, Jiang Luo’s heart was pounding as he quietly took it all in. Huo Zongzhuo patiently and calmly kept an eye on him, staying with him.

Huo Zongzhuo asked again, "Scared?"

Jiang Luo looked at Huo Zongzhuo and slowly shook his head. "I'm fine."

The dump truck crashing into the car had been so loud and startling, it had genuinely frightened him.

Huo Zongzhuo kept his hand on Jiang Luo’s, his voice steady and reassuring. "Jiang Luo, what happened with Guo Ronghai was an accident."

"He had ill intentions toward you first. The accident was largely his responsibility. He can't blame anyone else."

"As for Li Fengrui, you two just had some disagreements. Your issues with him weren't that serious."

"Having his family take him away was purely because I've disliked him since the Guo Ronghai incident and wanted him out of here sooner."

"As for this Chen Xianlong, as I said earlier, never go soft on an enemy who wants your life. Going easy on him is endangering yourself."

"Understand?"

Jiang Luo listened, looked into Huo Zongzhuo’s dark eyes, and nodded slowly.

After a moment of silence, he swallowed hard, Jiang Luo said, "I just never imagined there could be this kind of approach to deal with Chen Xianlong."

Huo Zongzhuo: "He views you as an obstacle and wants your life. You don't need to show him mercy."

He then looked into Jiang Luo’s eyes and taught him: "Jiang Luo, if you only want to do some small-time business, earn a modest income, be self-sufficient, and are content with that, then even if you encounter scoundrels like Guo Ronghai, you likely wouldn't clash with someone like Li Fengrui."

"You know this in your heart too, don't you?"

"Since you have ambition, you took out loans to run a factory, you want to move up—remember, on this path upward, regardless of gender, regardless of who it is, anyone, everyone, is either bleeding internally or externally."

"The germination and development of capital inevitably go through brutality and bloodshed. You need to have methods, know how to judge people, use different approaches for different people and situations, and your heart must be tough and hard enough for you to climb up."

Jiang Luo listened, looking back at Huo Zongzhuo: "So this time, you spent money to pave the way, won people over, and made everyone at the garment factory deny it all, collectively denying Chen Xianlong’s equity stake?"

Jiang Luo was still stunned: "I never really considered there could be such methods, it's too…"

Too what?

Jiang Luo was at a loss for words, thought for a moment, and said: "Too unbelievable."

"Because you didn't live through the seventies and eighties."

Huo Zongzhuo could understand, continuing gently: "You haven't seen armed robbers rob banks and kill people, nor have you seen businessmen disregard others' lives for profit, walking over others' bodies."

"You were born later, and you're just starting out. You haven't experienced much, haven't seen much, don't know that in this world there are many, many things that operate outside of the bounds of law, morality, and human sentiment."

"Scared?"

Huo Zongzhuo asked again.

Jiang Luo gazed at Huo Zongzhuo for a long time, his breathing slow and deep, his body tense, but his mind became increasingly excited, his heart pounding exceptionally fast.

Scared?

No.

Jiang Luo thought to himself, he knew the path upward was never easy to walk.

What is there to fear? Fear is useless. No matter how scared, he still had to keep going.

It was just that right now his heart was beating too fast, his thoughts were chaotic, hard to process.

So even having lived two lives, what he knew was still too little.

The world had revealed a side he never knew before, and he was stunned by the tip of the iceberg that was revealed.

He swallowed and shared with Huo Zongzhuo: "Before, Li Fengrui wanted to drag me into doing his dirty work. I knew what he meant; he wanted me to be accomplices with him."

And in the matter of Guo Ronghai, how were he and Huo Zongzhuo not accomplices?

Huo Zongzhuo also understood what Jiang Luo meant, nodding: "Yes, you're right. We are 'together.'"

Huo Zongzhuo was willing to sign as guarantor for Jiang Luo, and Jiang Luo was willing to live with Huo Zongzhuo on Wukang Road. Plainly speaking, they'd already been in this together.

Huo Zongzhuo looked deeply at Jiang Luo: "We are together. You can trust me completely, and I trust you completely."

"Your path, your ambition, your climb upward—don't be afraid, I've got your back."

"Whether it's Guo Ronghai, Li Fengrui, or today's Chen Xianlong, they're all nothing to worry about."

"You don't need to say a word; I will take care of them cleanly for you."

"If you do speak, I will make sure it's handled even more thoroughly for you, with no loose ends."

Jiang Luo’s heart beat even faster.

Was it joy? Excitement?

Or because the path ahead was clear, with Huo Zongzhuo behind him?

Just thinking about climbing step by step to the peak in the future got Jiang Luo’s blood pumping.

He moved closer to the man, looking into his eyes: "Nothing comes for free. Huo Zongzhuo, you help me, support me—what do you want from me in return?"

This time, Huo Zongzhuo didn't answer immediately, calmly and steadily meeting Jiang Luo’s expectant and somewhat excited gaze.

"You don't need to give me anything."

Huo Zongzhuo said steadily, "You know, I'm very fond of you."

"Since we are friends, naturally we can also be steadfast allies in business or when necessary."

"Today, I help you; in the future, when I need it, you help me."

"What can I help you with?"

Jiang Luo was truly puzzled by this; Huo Zongzhuo was too powerful, has everything.

Huo Zongzhuo’s expression and gaze gradually softened, looking at Jiang Luo, raising his hand, holding the young man’s face, saying: "All those times you called me 'dad' wasn't for nothing. Just consider it as if I really have another son like you."

"You are my son, my child, that I teach and raise. What could I need you to help me with?"

"Take care of me when I'm old later?"

Jiang Luo’s tense expression finally relaxed, his light eyes glistening, looking at Huo Zongzhuo, genuinely touched: "Aren't you too good to me?"

"Okay, I'll take care of you when you're old, definitely take care of you."

Huo Zongzhuo smiled, pinching Jiang Luo’s cheek: "No need to take care of me, I was joking."

He added: "The shares in the state-owned garment factory were bought for you."

"After getting rid of Chen Xianlong, you'll be one of the factory's shareholders."

"As for how to manage the factory, how to operate it, how to deal with other shareholders and people in the factory—you handle it yourself, I won't interfere."

Jiang Luo was both amused and touched: "You really are my real dad, so good to me."

Huo Zongzhuo curved his lips, rubbing the back of his hand against Jiang Luo’s cheek: "You're my only child, my only son. Who else would I spoil if not you?"

Jiang Luo didn't know why, but somehow, he suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.

He didn't even know what he was embarrassed about.

"Thanks."

Huo Zongzhuo: "Thank who?"

"Thanks! Thanks! Dad! Dad!"

Jiang Luo reverted to his usual self, pulling back, sitting back, then raising his hand to bat away Huo Zongzhuo’s hand from his face, "None of that mushy stuff."

In the ambulance, lying on the ambulance gurney, his head newly bandaged with gauze to stop the bleeding, Chen Xianlong cried, his face covered in snot and tears, sobbing in Malay: "You bandits from this poor place. You're all bandits! Nazis! Fascists! Savages with no concept of contractual integrity! Savages!!!"