flstandardbreds Chapter 959 What’s your name?
Chapter 959 What’s your name?
Teng Zijing's Maserati, like a cheetah lurking in the night, roared as its engine broke the silence and darted into the entrance of the air-raid shelter in the suburbs like lightning.
The beams of the car headlights pierced the darkness inside the cave, revealing two rows of men in camouflage uniforms standing like javelins, their faces painted with camouflage paint and their eyes solemn and iron-like.
Their gazes all fell on the center, where a man in a windbreaker was tightly bound.
It was thrown on the ground like a tattered sack, its back slightly hunched, clearly waiting for something.
The car door clicked open, and Teng Zijing stepped out, his long legs making a crisp sound as his leather shoes stomped on the cement floor.
The leader in camouflage immediately stepped forward and reported in a deep voice, "Boss, we intercepted him at the airport; he wasn't behaving well on the way."
Teng Zijing didn't respond, but strolled around casually, approaching the blindfolded man on the ground step by step.
He stopped in his tracks, his voice as cold as ice: "You're Qi Haoyu's cousin?"
The man on the ground froze abruptly, twisting his neck towards the sound, his voice filled with barely concealed panic:
"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know any Qi Haoyu!"
Teng Zijing's lips curled into a mocking smile, and he readily employed his usual provocation: "Did you kill Qi Haoyu?"
"It wasn't me! I couldn't have killed him!" The man panicked instantly, desperately trying to explain, his voice trembling.
Teng Zijing chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "What's your name?"
The man then belatedly realized that he had unwittingly walked into the other party's trap.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm: "Why should I tell you?"
Teng Zijing slowly circled him twice, his leather shoes making a soft crunching sound as they rolled over the gravel.
It was like tapping on the man's taut nerves: "Don't you want to know why you're here?"
Even if you tell me the reason now, do you think you'll let me go?
The man's voice revealed a barely perceptible softening, clearly a test of his chances.
Teng Zijing chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the empty air-raid shelter.
With an indescribable sense of pressure: "How will I know what decision I'll make next if I don't try?"
He stopped, looked down at the man, and spoke with a hint of coaxing:
"Tell me everything you know, and maybe I'll be so happy that I'll send you abroad to live a different life."
"Hmph," the man forced a helpless, bitter laugh from his throat.
"You're the ones who tricked me into coming back, and now you're saying you'll send me away—it's all up to you anyway, I'm afraid I won't have a good ending."
He spoke clearly and dejectedly, but his tone clearly suppressed fear and carried a sense of resigned despondency.
Upon hearing the man's words, "It won't end well either way," Teng Zijing's eyes suddenly darkened. He abruptly leaned down and ripped off the blindfold covering the man's eyes.
The sudden light made the man squint, and the stark white light from the cave ceiling stung his eyes.
As my gaze gradually focused, and I could clearly see the angular, hard-edged face before me...
His Adam's apple bobbed violently, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment: "Master Jing?"
"The person who tricked you into returning to China is Qi Haoyu's enemy." Teng Zijing squatted down.
His voice was extremely low, each word as if chilled to the bone, "But it is I who want to send you away."
The man, trembling, muttered, "Rumor has it that Master Jing is a living Yama. If I fall into your hands, do you think you can send me away?"
Teng Zijing glanced at him and smiled, "It seems you still don't know who the real threat to you is?"
Do you know that if my men hadn't spotted you at the airport, you would already be keeping Qi Haoyu company?
"You make it sound nice, but does that mean the person who barged into the yard and tried to kill you wasn't one of yours?" The man broke down in fear.
Seeing that the man had broken down, Teng Zijing took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it, brought it close to his lips, and took a puff.
He slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as he fixed it on the person on the ground: "Tell me, what's your name?"
The man licked his chapped lips, a desperate smile appearing on his face.
In a mournful tone: "I'm telling you, you'll only die faster."
Before he could finish speaking, Teng Zijing suddenly raised his foot and kicked him to the ground.
The dull thud echoed in the empty space; before the man could struggle,
A shiny leather shoe was firmly planted on his chest, the force so great that he couldn't breathe for a moment, and his face turned bright red.
"I don't have that much patience to waste on you." Teng Zijing looked down at him.
The ruthlessness in his eyes was almost overflowing. "If you say another word, this foot might not just be stepping on my chest."
"Liu Lu... my name is Liu Lu." The man's chest felt tight from being stepped on, and his voice trembled noticeably.
Teng Zijing, without loosening his grip, pressed on, "How do you usually contact Qi Haoyu?"
Liu Lu gasped for breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Fax."
"fax?"
Liu Lu emphasized and explained: "Because he was worried that phone calls would give others leverage against him, he used his position as assistant..."
They frequently used the fax machine in An Jinsong's office for encrypted communication.
"Hmph, what a huge parasite! When did you start implementing your plan?"
"Seven years ago, I went abroad to Europe...and set up a subsidiary there."
The project collaboration with Colus Technologies, frankly speaking, was about stealing Antey's proprietary technology.
"Did Qi Haoyu give you all this technical data?" Teng Zijing's tone was unquestionable and certain, his eyes slicing through Liu Lu's face like knives.
Liu Lu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he dared not hide the truth: "It was...it was him who gave it to me."
He said that An Jinsong was brave but lacked strategy, and was constantly restrained by his father-in-law.
Many times, projects that we worked so hard to secure were taken by my brother-in-law, Lou Xiaoyun, without me even lifting a finger…
As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, as if he were trying to use this as an excuse for Qi Haoyu's behavior.
"Because of this, the two of them had a big fight in the office. An Jinsong got angry and injured Qi Haoyu."
Liu Lu clutched his chest, his voice still weak, "I took him to the hospital."
After a while, Haoyu, unwilling to hand over his achievements to others, brought up this idea with me—
I thought he was very courageous, so I agreed to join forces with him to relocate all possibilities in Antae.
"They're using AnTai's client resources overseas. The subsidiary's legal representative is in my name, but in reality, he's the one operating it all."
He paused, seemingly weighing whether he should continue, but ultimately gritted his teeth and said:
"He provides me with the technology, and I help him pave the way outside. When the time is right, we'll poach all of Ansteel's core clients to our subsidiary..."
He said this was what he deserved; why should the fruits of his hard work be used to benefit Lou Xiaoyun?
As Teng Zijing listened, he threw his cigarette butt on the ground and seemingly casually stomped on it, but he was still somewhat shocked.
It turns out that behind this wasn't just a technology leak, but also such deep internal strife and scheming. Qi Haoyu's move was truly insidious.
Teng Zijing's eyes grew even colder—the internal strife at AnTai Technology had been exploited by outsiders to such an extent.
“The names of the subsidiaries, and a specific list of clients.” Teng Zijing’s voice was as cold as ice. “Don’t try anything funny with me.”
Liu Lu, supporting himself on the ground, struggled to sit up, a calculating glint in his eyes, his voice deliberately calm:
"I need to make sure I can leave safely before I hand over what you want."
He knew that this little bit of leverage he held was his only chance of survival, and he clung to it more tightly than his own life.
He stared intently at Teng Zijing, trying to find a hint of leniency on the other's face.
After listening, Teng Zijing suddenly chuckled softly. The laughter was devoid of emotion, yet it sent a chill down Liu Lu's spine.
He slowly crouched down, meeting Liu Lu's gaze, and gently patted the other's cheek with his fingertips.
The force wasn't heavy, but it carried a strong sense of oppression: "Safety? Your life is in my hands now. You want to negotiate with me?"
He paused, his eyes suddenly turning cold: "Hand over the stuff now, and I might let you leave more easily."
Or you could try to wear me down until I lose patience—at that point, it probably won't be a matter of 'safety' anymore.
Liu Lu's face paled instantly, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he found himself unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
The ruthlessness in Teng Zijing's eyes was not feigned; it was a gaze that could truly crush him at any moment.
Liu Lu stared at Teng Zijing's retreating figure, his face filled with sorrow and confusion, his voice trembling with tears:
"Master Jing, I really don't understand... what have I done to offend you that you insist on killing me?"
Teng Zijing did not stop walking, and said calmly with his back to him, "I'm afraid you've misunderstood. It's not me who wants to wipe them out; it's someone else."
"Someone else?" Liu Lu was stunned, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.
"I'm only responsible for taking back what belongs to An Tai. Your life or death is none of my business."
Teng Zijing turned his head to the side, his tone unreadable, "I'll give you a day to think it through."
He paused, as if he felt that saying more would be pointless, and said, "I'm tired, I'm going home to rest."
With that, he got into the car. The engine roared, and the Maserati shot backwards like an arrow, disappearing into the night.
Only when the taillights were completely out of sight did Liu Lu finally breathe a sigh of relief and slump to the ground, his back already soaked in cold sweat.
"Someone else..." he muttered to himself, the image of Qi Haoyu's miserable state suddenly flashing through his mind.
A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat rolled down my forehead again, soaking my temples.
He knew that Teng Zijing's words were not unfounded. This mess was far more complicated than he had imagined.
Liu Lu's thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to not long ago, to that luxuriously decorated European-style office, where the light from the crystal chandelier shone on the smooth mahogany table.
He remembered clearly that the fax machine was buzzing and spitting out a piece of paper with Qi Haoyu's slightly messy handwriting on it:
"My dearest Xiaolu, I've missed you so much. I just transferred 200 million to your Swiss bank account, please check it."
I've run into some trouble here, but I'm trying to find a way to fly to Europe to reunite with you. Once I get there...
"Let me make it up to you." There was a red lipstick mark following the handwriting.
At that time, he felt a warmth in his heart, thinking that his suffering had come to an end, but he did not expect that there were so many dangers hidden behind this money.
Now, recalling those words, "I'll make it up to you," I feel a chill run down my spine.
Instead of receiving "compensation" from Qi Haoyu, he received another fax from Qi Haoyu asking him to return to China.
And this piece of paper in my hand might just be a death warrant.
"Honey, I'm sorry! I might not be able to leave for a while."
I've hidden it somewhere only the two of us know. Find a way to retrieve it as soon as possible.
"A place only the two of us know..." Liu Lu murmured, his fingers unconsciously tightening.
When he looked at Qi Haoyu's handwriting and said this, the anxiety in his voice almost seeped through the pages.
At the time, he thought it was just a temporary mishap and didn't think much about the dangers involved. Now, looking back,
That was clearly a desperate act of entrusting one's orphan to another, no, it was a trap set by someone else.