Chapter 144: A Bad Feeling

To this question, Lin Fan did not give a direct answer, as he was not a hundred percent certain, but rather just fairly confident. Besides, he had no wish to cause Elder Tang any undue worry, so he merely replied with a few noncommittal remarks.

Seeing the faint, confident smile still lingering at the corners of Lin Fan's mouth, the old man did not press the matter further.

At noon, Lin Fan naturally stayed to share a meal with Elder Tang. Originally, the old man had intended to call Tang Rui to join them, but she claimed the company was too busy and hurriedly drove back to the Dongxing Group. Moreover, her furtive glances at Lin Fan had not escaped the old man's perceptive eyes, and he naturally sensed that something was amiss.

"My boy, that matter I mentioned to you last time—have you given it any thought?" Elder Tang asked.

Lin Fan was taken aback for a moment, looking at Elder Tang in bewilderment. "Last time? What matter?" He searched his memory carefully, yet could not recall what the old man had brought up.

"Ahem, I am still missing a grandson. You surely haven't forgotten about that, have you?" Elder Tang said.

Watching the old man beam at him with a constant smile, much like a big bad wolf eyeing a wounded little lamb, Lin Fan felt a slight sense of unease. He could only gloss over it hastily with a vague response, saying, "Don't I always call you Grandpa?" This remark served as an indirect answer to the old man's question.

"Good, good..." Elder Tang said with a smile. Lin Fan could tell that the old man was extremely pleased with his answer; otherwise, he would not have been so joyful.

"If you are short on manpower for the robbery, just let me know, and I will arrange a few men for you. Although this old man has washed his hands of the underworld, I still have a few capable people under my command," the old man said.

Lin Fan smiled faintly and politely declined Elder Tang's kind offer. For one thing, he knew the old man was advanced in years and undoubtedly needed people around him for protection; for another, using someone else's men could never compare to the seamless coordination he shared with his own brothers. After all, a heist targeting the Black Dragon Society was not something to be taken lightly.

After chatting with the old man a little longer, Lin Fan found an excuse to take his leave. He was genuinely terrified; toward the end, the old man kept bringing up Tang Rui and sometimes deliberately tied her into their conversation, leaving Lin Fan feeling rather apprehensive. Could the old man possibly know that he had stolen his granddaughter's first kiss? On second thought, that seemed highly unlikely—how could Tang Rui ever speak of such a thing?

Nevertheless, with the old man continually touching upon the subject, Lin Fan could only offer an awkward, smiling nod. Although he tried his best to feign a casual demeanor, he still felt a guilty conscience. The old man nevertheless picked up on certain clues, because whenever he mentioned Lin Fan in front of Tang Rui, her expression would turn utterly unnatural, clearly concealing something. Now, Lin Fan's reaction practically convinced the old rascal that this brat had most certainly taken advantage of his granddaughter.

Accompanying him out of the Tang residence was, as always, Uncle Wu. Ever since his very first visit to the Tang mansion up to the present day, it seemed Uncle Wu was always there to greet him and personally see him off afterward. This filled Lin Fan with an inexpressible warmth. Logically speaking, Uncle Wu was also an elder, and Lin Fan had originally wished to spare him the trouble, yet he feared Uncle Wu might misunderstand and think he found him bothersome. Besides, once people reached a certain age, they would not necessarily listen to whatever one had to say, so it was best to just let them be.

...

"Things inside the Dongxing Group are very unstable right now. Some restless fleas, having lived in peace for too long, are itching to jump around again. That brat Xiang Wei is the son of Xiang Tianwen, the second-largest shareholder of the Dongxing Group. During the Liberation War, when the old man was barely twenty years old, Xiang Tianwen's father fought alongside him and rendered monumental service. Later, after old Xiang passed away, his son Xiang Tianwen followed the old man into the underworld, becoming his right-hand man and helping him pacify the various gangs across the Central Plains," Uncle Wu explained as they walked alongside Lin Fan.

"However, Xiang Tianwen died in the prime of his life, leaving behind Xiang Wei as the sole heir to the Xiang family. Unfortunately, he did not inherit his family's loyalty to the old man and has always schemed to seize the Tang family's assets. The old man couldn't be bothered to argue with him, but now the scoundrel has actually set his sights on Rui'er. It's just that Rui'er is too naive, and having grown up playing with this brat since childhood, she still treats him like an older brother." Having said all this, Uncle Wu added a warning: "You must be careful; that kid is truly vicious." Yet, upon second thought, he felt his words were somewhat redundant. Lin Fan was a supreme king in the world of international mercenaries—how could he possibly fear Xiang Wei's retaliation?

Lin Fan smiled faintly and offered a few polite remarks, mostly expressing his deep gratitude for Uncle Wu's reminder. A smile remained etched upon Uncle Wu's face, clearly indicating his immense satisfaction with Lin Fan's attitude. To hold such a lofty position and yet still patiently listen to an old man's ramblings, completely devoid of any youthful impetuosity, while everywhere exuding the aura of a king—surely his future achievements would not be confined merely to the mercenary world! Such was the internal evaluation Uncle Wu bestowed upon Lin Fan.

No wonder that when he first met Xiang Wei, he could not sense any genuine affection for Tang Rui—it turned out the reason lay behind all this. Lin Fan could discern the underlying implication in Uncle Wu's words, which was likely to enlist his help in dealing with Xiang Wei. Lin Fan did not particularly care about these matters, nor did he assume the old man was using him. He knew that Elder Tang cherished old bonds and simply lacked the heart to strike at Xiang Wei himself. However, should Xiang Wei dare to move against him or commit any act detrimental to the Tang family, Lin Fan would never let him off.

As they conversed, the two of them arrived at the gates of the Tang mansion. Since Lin Fan had arrived in Tang Rui's car, Uncle Wu initially intended to have a servant drive Lin Fan back, but Lin Fan politely declined.

In truth, Lin Fan failed to notice that in a distant corner, a pair of eyes was staring fixedly at him.

After stepping out of the Tang residence, Xiang Wei had not departed immediately; instead, he had concealed himself nearby and watched as Uncle Wu personally escorted Lin Fan out. Given the Xiang and Tang families' decades-long alliance, he himself had never once enjoyed such treatment. This only fueled his hatred for Lin Fan all the more, instantly casting him as a thorn in his side and a prick in his flesh, whom he wished to eliminate as quickly as possible. Gazing at Lin Fan's receding back, a flash of malice crossed Xiang Wei's eyes, and he had already hatched a scheme to deal with him.

Watching Lin Fan board a taxi and drive away into the distance, Uncle Wu wore a satisfied smile as he turned back into the Tang mansion. In the study, Elder Tang dialed a phone number and spoke in fluent Russian: "Old friend, I heard the Black Dragon Society disrupted your business last time and you were quite furious? There is a chance for revenge now, I wonder if you dare to take it?"

Naturally, Lin Fan knew nothing of these events, nor did he feel any need to meddle. He believed that with Elder Tang's influence, he would undoubtedly be able to handle matters on the Russian side.

Having returned yesterday, Lin Fan had not yet been home. After being away for quite some time, he genuinely missed Feifei. Yet Lin Fan knew this was merely the affection of an older brother for his younger sister, which was fundamentally different from his yearning for Zhao Ying.

As for his elder sister Lin Yan, an inexpressible guilt weighed upon Lin Fan's heart. Ever since their parents passed away, Lin Yan had single-handedly propped up the Lin family enterprise, which was how the Zhentian Group had attained its present stature. Toward his sister's deep devotion, Lin Fan could no longer find words to adequately express his gratitude.

While at the Tang residence, the old man had specifically discussed the current situation in City T with Lin Fan and offered several earnest admonitions, leaving Lin Fan with an ominous foreboding...