NFBE Chapter 2053 If things go wrong, can your Qian family afford to take responsibility?
Chapter 2053 If things go wrong, can your Qian family afford to take responsibility?
Seeing that Song Cijiu no longer insisted, Zong Wangshan felt a little relieved, but the feeling of being cornered by Li Xiangnan's casual remark was even stronger.
With a stern face, he cupped his hands to Li Xiangnan, said curtly, "Sorry to bother you," and then strode ahead towards the west wing without saying another word.
Zong Chengjia and Zong Jiye, the two sons, gave the Qian family father and son a deep look and followed closely behind.
Qian Houjin felt as if he had been granted a pardon, yet also as if he were being led to the execution ground. With a mournful face, he had no choice but to be half-supported and half-dragged by his son, Qian Shenquan, to move to the west wing.
Song Ziming led the way, and He Shun, who had already prepared tea and fruit platters, followed behind with his head bowed and eyes lowered.
The door to the west wing opened again, then closed again.
This isolates two groups of people, each with their own thoughts and suspicions, from the outside noise and countless probing gazes.
Li Xiangnan and Song Cijiu stood side by side under the corridor, cigarettes already dangling from their lips, staring at the tightly closed door.
Song Cijiu whispered a reminder: "This Zong Chengjia is even more composed than his father. He's a character not to be underestimated!"
Li Xiangnan nodded slightly, "We do need to be careful, but no matter how calm they are, they'll have to show their teeth when they're locked in a cage!"
Upon hearing this, Song Cijiu laughed heartily, amused himself, "Xiang Nan, you certainly know how to 'go with the flow,' reacting so quickly and pulling this stunt right before my eyes! I hadn't expected it! I was thinking of separating them and defeating them one by one, but putting them together like this is actually a good idea..."
He guessed that Li Xiangnan might have other plans, so he turned to look at him and saw Li Xiangnan laugh and say, "Second Uncle, please rest for a moment, I'll go make some arrangements!"
Song Cijiu naturally knew that he wanted to increase the surveillance, so he nodded and said, "Go ahead, I'll keep watch here!"
Li Xiangnan turned and left, quickly finding Song Ziming and whispering, "Ziming, tell He Shun to be alert and keep his ears perked up! But don't make it too obvious! Also, you personally take two people to the back window and side of the west wing, and use the little gadget I asked you to prepare to listen carefully, don't miss a single word! Tell me immediately if anything happens!"
"Understood! Hehe!" Song Ziming's eyes gleamed with excitement. With a wave of his hand, two agile and trained brothers under the eaves not far away immediately followed him toward the exit of the courtyard and around to the neighboring courtyard.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the west wing was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.
The room wasn't small, but with six people entering at once—three from the Zong family, two from the Qian family, plus He Shun who was serving—it suddenly felt a bit crowded.
He Shun quickly served hot tea to the group, then respectfully retreated to a corner by the door, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes downcast, like a clay sculpture with no presence.
But the five people inside knew that these clay ears were probably very sensitive, capturing every word of their conversation.
This is the Li family's territory, Li Xiangnan's domain. This guy is Li Xiangnan's eyes and ears planted here.
Zong Wangshan sat imposingly in the head seat, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
He picked up the teacup, wanting to drink, but felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, with nowhere to vent it. He slammed the teacup down on the table with a loud thud, splashing several drops of tea.
Startled by the noise, Qian Houjin shuddered and slid even further down in his chair, wishing he could hide himself.
He picked up his teacup to hide his embarrassment, but his hands were shaking so badly that the lid and the body of the teacup collided, making a shaky but clear clattering sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet room.
Qian Shenquan stood behind his father, his face as white as paper, his eyes darting around. Although he was the one who feared the Zong family father and son the most, he didn't dare to look at their murderous eyes at this moment.
Zong Chengjia and Zong Jiye stood on either side of their father, both with unfriendly expressions.
Zong Chengjia's eyes were gloomy as he constantly scanned Qian Houjin and his son, as well as He Shun, assessing the situation and thinking of a solution.
Zong Jiye looked impatient, clenching and unclenching his fists, clearly annoyed by his frustrating situation, yet unable to vent his frustration.
Hearing his father slam the cup down, Zong Chengjia instantly understood his father's meaning and looked at the waiter in the corner: "He Shun, right? You don't need to serve us here for now. You can leave! We'll call you when we need you!"
He naturally wanted to get Li Xiangnan's ears cleaned up.
Upon hearing this, He Shun raised his head, his face displaying just the right amount of embarrassment and subservience: "Sir, I'm here to help. Doctor Li instructed me to take good care of these distinguished guests here, serving them tea and water, and awaiting their orders! If I leave, Doctor Li will definitely blame me later. He saved my father; I can't do something like giving birth to a child without an anus..."
The person who said that really infuriated me!
Zong Jiye couldn't help but growl, his voice full of anger, "Just leave when I tell you to! Stop with the nonsense. We're talking business; we don't need outsiders here!"
His menacing expression made He Shun shrink back, but he didn't move an inch. He simply bent over slightly, his voice filled with fear: "Sir, please don't be angry. It's not worth it for me! Doctor Li gave me instructions, and I couldn't refuse! If I can't even handle this small matter, then I..."
As he said this, he looked up and glanced at Zong Wangshan's clenched teeth, knowing that the time was right, and immediately softened his tone: "Then I'll wait outside for your orders! If you need anything, just call me and I'll come in!"
His attitude clearly showed that he had received instructions from Li Xiangnan to serve him closely, and it was impossible to completely send him away!
Fortunately, the other party backed down.
Zong Wangshan snorted heavily, knowing that this was Li Xiangnan's doing, to make them feel like they had thorns in their backs and couldn't speak freely!
He waved his hand, signaling his son not to waste his breath, and his gaze turned piercingly towards Qian Houjin.
Zong Chengjia immediately said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, young man!"
He Shun hummed in response and immediately opened and closed the door, but he just stood there straight in the doorway, his shadow still cast on the paper windowpane of the wooden door.
Seeing that he was really standing at the door, everyone inside felt even more aggrieved. They cursed Li Xiangnan dozens of times in their hearts, but they really had no better way to drive him away, so they could only accept their fate.
“Now,” Zong Wangshan’s voice was low, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, full of suppressed anger and accusation, “there are no outsiders here! But there are some ears we can’t avoid! But Qian Laosan, listen to me carefully, get to the point, don’t try anything funny!”
He leaned forward slightly, casting a huge shadow over the trembling Qian Houjin, his tiger-like eyes gleaming with a chilling light.
"When the ten families met, everything was clearly agreed upon: everyone should do their job and act according to plan! Who the hell gave you the guts to come here ahead of time? Are you here to befriend Li Xiangnan, or to steal his thunder? What exactly did you tell Song Cijiu? Why are you so trembling with fear?"
"If you don't give me a clear explanation today, don't blame me, Old Zong, for turning my back on you! If you ruin everything for everyone, can your Qian family afford to take responsibility?"
The last word, "ma," was almost a growl, carrying an undisguised threat!
The already stagnant air in the room seemed to ignite instantly, filling the room with the smell of gunpowder...