The day Old Jin sneakily left Yanzhou, there were many more policemen and roaming loafers out on the streets of Yanzhou. Their movements starting from early that morning caused the city to seem to have devolved into chaos. Ding Miao gave He Twenty-seven a call and gave him confidence as a chaotic situation that was more dangerous unfolded in the Binzhou mine district.

  The future local tyrant of Binzhou, Little Jinshan, stood at the balcony of his villa that day, facing enemies head-on for the first time. He was eight that year. That fateful night was destined to be narrated unceasingly in the years to come, spoken of as a legend, much like a king in Western historical epics taking the first step out of their village in their youth.

  The starting point of this chaotic battle for supremacy in Binzhou was actually in Yanzhou. If it was said that the Jin father and son had won in terms of tactics and directly facing the enemy, Xu Tingsheng had at least provided them with some strategic guidance.

  Still, the actual process of this upheaval was actually very far away from him. Xu Tingsheng was still in the detention centre that day, more or less feeling a little numb. Some nights, facing those icy cold walls, he could not help but wonder: Ultimately, had he unknowingly taken an erroneous path?

  Sometimes, his desires and goals were actually not that clear. Xu Tingsheng had never been someone who could only be satisfied by being the wealthiest man around or a billionaire. He was even willing to believe that what Jack Ma had later said, that the greatest mistake in his life was establishing a company like Alibaba that was ostentatious to the extreme, came truly from the heart.

  Having been reborn, Xu Tingsheng had initially not wanted to let down what fate had gifted him. There were some things that were easily attainable and some people whom he would like to see have a better life. Thus, he had set out on those paths, then been unable to extricate himself as he slowly but steadily came to where he was today.

  Some envied him, but some were jealous of him too. He had access to more, but he had to bear a greater burden too. People would always meet new problems when finally leading the life that had previously been ideal in their minds.

  Xu Tingsheng felt that what his father could do was actually already enough. Perhaps he should settle down and be a rich kid. He didn’t have to be so outstanding; it would be good enough if he was not too much of a wastrel. If unwilling, he could still work on Hucheng’s affairs, passing it on to Lu Zhixin when it had reached a certain stage.

  I can take my annual bonus and my family’s money to buy many flats, buy flats in Yanzhou, Xihu City, Yanjing, Shenghai, Shenzhen. I can be a parasite then, having the freedom and countless time to accompany my parents, bring Xiang Ning on tours, become a dedicated father, raise my children, accompany them to play football on the field outside our house, bring them on outings, participate in joint parent-children activities……

  Once in a while, such a thought would pass through his mind. This thought has passed through everyone’s minds before, whether they are rich or poor, successful or failures, short or long-lived……there are no exceptions.

  Still, Xu Tingsheng actually did not have the right to dream like this. Fate had already given him this chance, this chance to start over again.

  Life is never perfect. Whatever kind of decision you make, however many times you ponder over it and change your thoughts, you will always have regrets. Even if you have multiple opportunities to start over again……

  It was on this day that Ling Xiao came to visit Xu Tingsheng in the detention centre for the second time.

  She came early in the morning, not wearing makeup as her long hair fell to her shoulders. She carried fruits and cigarettes, even a bottle of red wine and a glass. There wasn’t even a single guard accompanying her.

  “The police station seems a bit chaotic today,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “They’re lacking manpower. Some have gone out. Then, there’s also that person who came reporting a case in the morning and stole the wallets and handphones of two policemen in the meantime……” Ling Xiao smiled and said, “Your friend from Binzhou is very loyal. They came. That’s why Yanzhou is a bit chaotic today, with even Xihu City affected. Those from my family are also helping the Ding family.”


  She put her phone on the table and said, “Many things will definitely be happening today. I’ll be bored looking at them alone, and you may be anxious if you can’t get any news. So I decided I would come find you. It’s very probable that I’ll be accompanying you all the way from morning till night.”


  Xu Tingsheng smiled but said nothing. As of now, he still did not know what had happened to Tan Yao.

  “Don’t you want to scold me? I know that your Dad came to see you. So, you should be aware of the situation outside,” Looking at Xu Tingsheng, Ling Xiao hesitated for a while before saying, “Actually, I never thought that……this would end with your very life at stake.”


  Xu Tingsheng knew that she was talking about Ding Miao’s matter. Here, it was not the Fang family who was targeted but Xu Tingsheng. Also, others still did not know, but this was also related to another city, Binzhou, where a conflict of an even greater scale was playing out.

  As He Twenty-seven saw it, this crisis of life and death for Xu Tingsheng was but a segment of his scheme.

  “I thought of giving up last night. I truly did, because from start to end, I’ve only ever thought of persuading you to stop or preventing you from doing anything, making it convenient for me and others to act against the Fang family. I just wanted to make you pay a price. I never thought that the danger before you might instead come to exceed the danger before the Fang family……”


  Her goal was to create the atmosphere and necessary conditions for people to unreservedly act against the remainder of the Fang family. Some people had indeed done so, setting their sights on Fang Chen. Over a dozen lives had been lost in the aftermath. Many had also acted, some directly targeting Xu Tingsheng and the remainder virtually all appearing happy to see this happen.

  The situation did not seem optimistic at all. Ling Xiao opened the box of cigarettes, placed a match on the box and pushed it to Xu Tingsheng as she continued, “It seems like people are always willing to exert themselves for you. Xu Tingsheng, how enviable your life is. Still, sorry. I won’t be one of them. Maybe in another situation, I would. One of the most attractive proposals I’ve received over the years was you saying that you would like to invite me to your Xingchen Technologies, opening an investment department for me. Still, I won’t now. I am very lucid. It would be impossible for me to hinder a matter like this……this is a good thing for me. From the start, I should have focused on you……with you out of the picture, the remainder is no problem whatsoever.”


  “You don’t have to apologise,” Xu Tingsheng lit a cigarette.

  “What are you thinking?”


  “I’ll tell you in a bit.”


  Ling Xiao nodded and said, “If you can make it through this, I mean……if we still haven’t made any headway after this, we won’t initiate a bitter, unrelenting struggle with you. This matter, including with you and the Fang family, will be brought to an end for the time being. My family will try hard to preserve itself, exerting all means. As for what the days ahead will bring, it will have to depend on whether the Fang family’s remnants can survive, which step they can achieve.”


  “Actually,” Xu Tingsheng said in response to these words, “Actually, there may already be no easy way out of this.”


  Ling Xiao looked at him, “You aren’t willing to end the struggle? ……Right, now that things have reached this point, it’s only normal that you’re thinking this.”


  “I just don’t want such things to happen again,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “What are you saying?” Ling Xiao asked.

  “I don’t want people to be able to arrest me and lock me up for a few days anytime they want. I don’t want people to have the guts to make a move against me so easily. I don’t want people to scheme around me again. I don’t want people to have to exert themselves tirelessly for me……” Xu Tingsheng said.

  Sometimes, you are only thinking to play by the riverbank, yet accidentally stand at the head of a tide. In that case……you can only stand better, let the tide heed your command. Unparalleled in its momentum, smashing everything in its path.