Great Power Reclamation

After hanging up Lin Wanwan's call, Yang Chenglong sat by the bed for a long time.

Ye Guigen didn't leave; he pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. The two of them just sat there, neither of them speaking.

The sky outside the window changed from gray to leaden gray, and then a hint of dark red seeped out from that leaden gray—

That was light pollution in central London, making the night sky look like an unwashed palette.

Yang Chenglong's hands were trembling. Not from fear, but from anger. The kind of anger that seeps into your bones.

“Back to the roots,” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and unlike his own.

"Tell me, that bastard Bakhtiar, what right does he have to touch Wanwan?"

“Because he can’t touch you,” Ye Guigen said. “You’re in London, with me and Uncle Scar’s men by your side. He can’t beat you, so he’s trying to target your weaknesses.”

“Wanwan is not a weakness.” Yang Chenglong raised his head, his eyes bloodshot like a net. “She is my life.”

Ye Guigen didn't respond to that. He knew Yang Chenglong wasn't exaggerating; this man never beat around the bush. If he said it was fate, then it was fate.

“So you can’t panic,” Ye Guigen said. “If you panic, you’ll fall into his trap.”

Yang Chenglong clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. It hurt, but he needed the pain to clear his head.

"I didn't panic."

Your hands are shaking.

Yang Chenglong looked down at his hands; they were indeed trembling. He pressed his hands on his knees, pressing hard until his knuckles turned white.

"Gui Gen, you said you'd arrange for someone to go to Hangzhou tomorrow, who?"

"Your grandfather's men. They came from Junken City."

Ye Guigen took out his phone and showed a message:
“Grandpa Yang just posted this. He said that Uncle Habuli’s son is serving in the army in Hangzhou, and they have already made contact with him.”

"He will go to the creative park early tomorrow morning and keep watch near the exhibition hall. In addition, Grandpa Yang has also transferred two people from Junken City to fly there tomorrow."

Yang Chenglong was taken aback. "Grandpa Habuli's son?"

"Yes. He served in the military in Hangzhou, I think he was a member of the People's Armed Police."

Yang Chenglong's nose suddenly stung with tears. Grandpa Habuli, the old man who drove sheep for three days to see Yang Wei off.

His son was serving in the army in Hangzhou. Yang Geyong made a phone call, and the son agreed without hesitation.

This is his grandfather. He's usually quiet, but when something happens, he just opens his mouth, and people from all directions come to help.

"Please thank Grandpa Yang for me," Yang Chenglong said.

"Thank him yourself." Ye Guigen put his phone away. "He wants you to call him."

Yang Chenglong picked up his phone and dialed Yang Geyong's number.

I answered it after it rang once.

"grandfather."

"Hmm." Yang Geyong's voice sounded calm, but Yang Chenglong could tell that something was pressing down beneath that calm, like water boiling under a pot lid. "How's the injury?"

"He needed two stitches. He's fine."

"It's good that you're alright." Yang Geyong paused for a moment, "What do you plan to do about that girl, Lin Wanwan?"

Yang Chenglong was surprised by his question. "What do you mean, 'what to do'?"

“They were targeted by bad guys because of you. If you can’t even protect them, you don’t deserve to be a member of the Yang family.”

Yang Chenglong gripped his phone, his knuckles turning white.

"Grandpa, I will protect her."

How to protect it?

Yang Chenglong opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. Yes, how could he protect her? He was in London, and Lin Wanwan was in Hangzhou, eight thousand kilometers apart. No matter how good he was at fighting, his fists couldn't reach that far.

“Jackie Chan,” Yang Geyong lowered his voice, “I have something to tell you. Don’t be anxious.”

"what's up?"

"Lin Wanwan's dad called me today."

Yang Chenglong's heart clenched. "Her father? What did he say?"

"He said he knows about you. He knows what your family does, and he knows who your grandfather is. He said he's worried about his daughter living with you."

Yang Chenglong held his phone, his mind buzzing.

“He also said,” Yang Geyong continued, “that it’s not that he thinks you’re poor or that you come from a bad background. He’s afraid. Afraid that his daughter will get hurt again. That person already hurt her once. He doesn’t want it to happen a second time.”

"Grandpa, I can't—"

"I know you won't."

Yang Geyong interrupted him, "But people don't know that. They only see a young man who says he likes his daughter, but in reality, he leaves his daughter to run the company alone in China while he studies abroad. Why should people believe you?"

Yang Chenglong fell silent.

He had never thought about any of that. All he knew was that he liked Lin Wanwan and wanted to be with her.

But he never considered that liking someone isn't just about saying it; it's about showing others that you're serious.

"Grandpa, what do you suggest we do?"

Yang Geyong remained silent for a few seconds.

"I've given you an idea."

"What idea?"

"You are engaged to Lin Wanwan."

Yang Chenglong was stunned.

"got engaged?"

"Yes. Engagement. Once you're engaged to her, her parents will know you're serious. After the engagement, you're her fiancé. Anyone who tries to touch her will have to get past you first."

Yang Chenglong opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time.

"What? You don't want to?" Yang Geyong's voice rose.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling—” Yang Chenglong scratched his head, “Grandpa, I’m only twenty. Isn’t it too early to get engaged?”

"Early what? When I was twenty, your grandma was already pregnant with your dad."

Yang Chenglong's face flushed instantly. He remembered what Lin Wanwan had said—"Who wants to marry you?"

"Grandpa, I need to ask Wanwan what she thinks."

"What are you asking? You're a grown man, can't you even make this kind of decision?"

"It's not that I can't make the decision, it's just—"

"Alright, alright," Yang Geyong said impatiently. "Think about it first. Call me when you've made up your mind. Bye."

beep - beep - beep -

Yang Chenglong sat on the edge of the bed, holding his phone, his mind a complete mess.

Engagement. Engagement with Lin Wanwan. He had never thought about this before, but when Yang Geyong brought it up, a string in his heart was suddenly plucked, buzzing so loudly that he couldn't sit still.

Ye Guigen looked at him. "What did your grandfather say?"

Yang Chenglong repeated Yang Geyong's words. He hesitated for a moment before bringing up the engagement.

After listening, Ye Guigen remained silent for three seconds, then smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Yang Chenglong glared at him.

“I was thinking,” Ye Guigen said, “that your grandfather may seem rough around the edges, but he’s actually more shrewd than anyone else.”

"What do you mean?"

“He made you get engaged to Lin Wanwan not just to appease her parents. He wanted to tell Bakhtiar that this woman is the Yang family’s future daughter-in-law. If you touch her, you are declaring war on the entire Yang family.”

Yang Chenglong was stunned for a moment.

“No matter how arrogant Bakhtiar is, he wouldn’t dare to really touch Yang’s prospective daughter-in-law. That’s not just hitting you, it’s slapping Yang Geyong in the face. He knows better than anyone the consequences of slapping Yang Geyong in the face in Central Asia.”

Looking at Ye Guigen, Yang Chenglong suddenly felt that his brain wasn't working properly.

"So, my grandfather arranged for me to get engaged to protect Wanwan?"

"It's not just about protection."

Ye Guigen stood up and walked to the window. "I'm forcing you. Forcing you to make a decision. Do you want to spend your life with this girl? If you do, then commit. If you don't, then don't hold her back."

Yang Chenglong sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at his hands. His hands were covered in wounds; his knuckles were broken, the backs of his hands were bruised, and there was dried blood under his fingernails.

“Back to my roots,” he said, “I want to spend the rest of my life with Wanwan.”

"Then let's get engaged."

"But I don't know if she'd be willing."

Ye Guigen turned around and looked at him. "Ask her."

Yang Chenglong picked up his phone and opened Lin Wanwan's chat window.

The last message was sent in the afternoon.

"Take a picture and show it to me."

He posted that selfie with his face covered in injuries, and then that was it.

He typed a message: "Wanwan, there's something I want to tell you."

Delete it.

She typed another line: "Wanwan, I want to get engaged to you."

Deleted again.

She typed another line: "Wanwan, will you marry me?"

His hands trembled as he looked at those words. Not from fear, but from nervousness.

Yang Chenglong had never been nervous in his life. He wasn't nervous being surrounded by three bodyguards in Almaty. He wasn't nervous being hit by three extendable batons in London. But typing these words made his palms sweat profusely with nervousness.

With a determined effort, I sent it out.

There was a full two minutes of silence on the other end. During those two minutes, Yang Chenglong's heart was pounding like a drum.

Then came the reply. Not text, but a voice message.

He clicked to listen. Lin Wanwan's voice trembled, as if she were crying, yet also as if she were laughing.

"Yang Chenglong, you idiot. You didn't even send me flowers, and you expect me to marry you?"

Yang Chenglong stared at the words for two seconds, then suddenly stood up.

"Finally! Where can I buy flowers in London?"

"Now? Ten o'clock at night?"

Yes! Now!

Ye Guigen looked at him, shook his head, took out his phone, and made a call. Three minutes later, he hung up.

"Twenty minutes later, someone delivered flowers. Ninety-nine red roses."

Yang Chenglong looked at him, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

"So, you even have connections for this?"

"It's not that I have connections. It's that my dad has connections," Ye Guigen said.
“My dad knows a florist in London. It’s open 24 hours a day and specializes in handling these kinds of emergencies.”

"What emergency?"

"That's your current situation."

Twenty minutes later, a rider in a leather jacket delivered ninety-nine red roses, wrapped in black paper and tied with a dark red ribbon.

Yang Chenglong took the flowers and hurriedly pulled out his money, but Ye Guigen had already paid.

"Take a picture," Ye Guigen said.

Yang Chenglong held the flowers and took a picture of himself. The gauze on his mouth, the bruise on his left cheek, and his messy curly hair, paired with ninety-nine red roses, made him look ridiculous no matter how you looked at it.

But he sent it anyway.

She added the caption: "Wanwan, the flowers have arrived. Marry me."

There was a five-second silence on the other end.

Then came a photo. Lin Wanwan was sitting in her rented room in Hangzhou, with a pile of "Tianma" orders and samples spread out in front of her, and a cup of milk tea in her hand.

Her eyes were red, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

The photo was accompanied by the text: "You should heal the wound on your lip before proposing to me."

Yang Chenglong's heart was pounding as he looked at the words.

"So you're agreeing?"

"I didn't say I agreed."

"But you didn't say you wouldn't agree."

"Yang Chenglong, why are you so annoying?"

"Just tell me whether you agree or not."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then a voice message came through. He listened to it; Lin Wanwan's voice was very soft, almost inaudible, but every word was clear.

“I agree. But you have to ask again. A formal one. With flowers, a ring, and kneeling.”

Yang Chenglong looked at the words and smiled. The smile pulled at the wound on his lip, causing him to wince in pain, but he didn't care.

He held up his phone, pointing it at Ye Guigen.

"Go back to the source! She agreed!"

Ye Guigen leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a smile on his lips.

"I heard it. The whole hallway could hear it."

Yang Chenglong sat on the edge of the bed, holding the ninety-nine red roses, and grinned foolishly for a full minute.

Then his smile slowly faded.

"In short, the engagement is settled. Now it's time to settle Bakhtiar's matter as well."

Ye Guigen nodded.

"It's settled. We'll go see him tomorrow."

Where shall we meet?

“He came to see us.”

Ye Guigen walked to the table, turned on the computer, and a map location was displayed on the screen:
“Uncle Scar has found out. Bakhtiar goes to a casino every night. It’s in Mayfair, not far from Wang Jiaming’s villa. He usually stays there until 2 a.m.

"and then?"

"Then he walked back to the hotel. He had to go through a small alley on the way, where there were no surveillance cameras."

Yang Chenglong looked at the map on the screen and tapped the location of that alley with his finger.

How long is this alley?

"Fifty meters. There are walls on both sides, no doors, no windows."

"You investigated so thoroughly?"

Ye Guigen closed his laptop and looked at him.

"I said, when it's time to fight, I'll let you fight."

Yang Chenglong stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. A cold wind rushed in, making his hair fly wildly.

But he didn't care. He looked out the window at London, at the twinkling lights, and a fire burned in his heart.

“Tomorrow night,” he said, “I’m going to let him know what will happen to Lin Wanwan.”

Ye Guigen walked to his side and also looked out the window.

"Just don't kill him."

Yang Chenglong turned his head and looked at him.

"Sometimes you really don't seem like a good person."

Ye Guigen smiled.

"I've never been a good person. I'm just a bad person who pretends to be a good person."

The two stood by the window, neither of them speaking.

The wind grew stronger, making the windows rattle loudly.

The storm is really coming.

In the military reclamation city, Ye Yuze smiled and smoked a cigarette, while Yang Geyong's eye twitched.
"Old man, what are you laughing at?"

Ye Yuze's lips curled up: "When did you, old man, learn to be so cunning? Do you really like that girl? Don't forget she had a boyfriend before, and even lived with someone..."

Yang Geyong spat out the cigarette butt in his mouth: "An engagement is not a marriage. I just want him to mature as soon as possible. As for what will happen in the future, who knows?"

Ye Yuze sighed: "Don't forget, we've all had a first love, and first love is the most unforgettable..."

Yang Geyong scoffed: "So what? So many people marry their first love, and most of them end up with a mess. The one thing a man can't lack is ability; love is just an excuse to sleep with women..."

Ye Yuze was stunned and remained silent for a long time...

(To be continued) (End of this chapter)