Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 259 The Price (Continued)

Lin Guozheng locked himself in his room for a day and a night. During that time, He Yushui did not call or come over as usual. This silent confirmation extinguished the last bit of hope in his heart.

The following afternoon, Lin Guozheng, with his unshaven beard, sat in the living room and dialed a number he wished he had never heard before.

Little did he know that his mother was secretly wiping away tears in her bedroom. What mother doesn't know her son? She didn't hear the contents of the phone call her son received after returning home, but she knew from his behavior that it wasn't a good thing.

Over the years, my son has always followed the right path and has only gotten better and better. All that's left are those unbearable memories of the past.

"Hello?" Wu Zhenkun's unique, deep voice, like the rubbing of sandpaper, came from the other end of the phone.

“Uncle Kun, it’s me, A-Zheng.” Lin Guozheng’s voice was dry and hoarse.

"Oh? You've figured it out?" Wu Zhenkun's voice carried a hint of expected smugness.

"Hmm." Lin Guozheng took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound more natural. "As for Mr. He... I mentioned it. He's been very busy lately and doesn't have time, but he didn't refuse outright."

"No time?" Wu Zhenkun scoffed, clearly dissatisfied with the excuse, but didn't immediately lash out. "A-Zheng, did you not try your best? Or...did you say something you shouldn't have?"

“Uncle Kun!” Lin Guozheng’s voice carried a perfectly measured mix of grievance and urgency. “How could I dare? My mother and sister are both in Hong Kong! You’ve heard of Mr. He; he’s very shrewd and suspicious. If I bring up too much rashly, it might backfire. I could only sound him out first, saying you’d like to get to know him and make friends. He asked a few questions about your business, and I did as you instructed, saying I was involved in some trading and real estate, all legal and clean. He said he understood and would talk to me when he had time.”

"Zheng, you're not just stalling for time, are you? You know the consequences of lying to me," Wu Zhenkun suddenly said, his expression turning grim.

"Uncle Kun! Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare!"

"Then help me arrange another meeting, preferably a one-on-one one."

"Uncle Kun, I understand."

"I'll give you three more days. Don't keep me waiting."

"it is good."

"toot toot"

Lin Guozheng put down the phone, the receiver covered in the sweat of his palms.

He then picked up the phone again, took a few deep breaths, forced himself to calm down, and dialed the number that would determine his fate.

“Mr. He, it’s me, Lin Guozheng.”

"explain."

“Wu Zhenkun…believed it. He asked to meet with you, preferably alone.”

How much time did he give you?

Give him an answer in three days.

"Then I'll have someone notify you of the location in three days. In these three days, do what you're supposed to do, keep him calm, and don't let anything go wrong."

"Understood." Lin Guozheng's voice was dry.

"Beep...beep..." The busy signal sounded.

Lin Guozheng's hand holding the microphone trembled slightly.

He knew that he was just a pawn in this operation to hunt down Wu Zhenkun, a pawn that would be discarded once it was used up.

All he could do was put on a good show, lure Wu Zhenkun into the trap, and exchange that for the chance to continue wearing his police uniform.

These three days were like purgatory for Lin Guozheng.

He mustered his spirits and went to the police station. Then, using his identity as an O-Division inspector, he accessed old files and recalled the clues he had inadvertently glimpsed when he was a teenager. He pieced together all the vague clues about how Wu Zhenkun controlled the underground banks in Sham Shui Po, how he used shell companies to launder money, and even several long-forgotten violent cases.

He dared not go home, afraid of his mother's worried eyes, and even more afraid that he would break down.

He lived in the police station's temporary dormitory, suffering from insomnia night after night. When he closed his eyes, He Yushui's bright smile and Wu Zhenkun's sinister threats flashed alternately in his mind.

On the afternoon of the third day, the phone finally rang. It was Bai Yifeng calling, his voice brief and cold: "Tonight at eight o'clock, 'Jade Garden' teahouse in Kowloon Tong, 'Bamboo' private room. The owner will be next door. Remember, you're just guiding the way."

"Okay." Lin Guozheng hung up the phone, then dialed another number, said a few words briefly, and then hung up, the sound of the other end's happy laughter still lingering in his mind.

7:45 p.m., Tsui Yuen Tea House, Kowloon Tong.

This is a stylish Cantonese teahouse with a quiet and private environment.

Lin Guozheng, dressed in casual clothes, arrived at the "Bamboo" private room ten minutes early.

He sat on the mahogany chair, his back ramrod straight, but his palms were covered in cold sweat.

The private room was filled with a faint aroma of sandalwood and tea, but he could only smell an invisible stench of gunpowder.

At 7:50, the door to the private room was gently pushed open.

Wu Zhenkun walked in.

He wore a well-tailored dark Tang suit, twirling two glossy walnuts in his hands, a confident, smug smile on his face. Behind him followed only a bodyguard with an expressionless face and sharp eyes.

"Ah Zheng, have you been waiting long?" Wu Zhenkun sat down with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the empty seat on the other side. "Where's Mr. He? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

"Uncle Kun, He Sheng..." Lin Guozheng had just started to speak when the door to the private room was pushed open again.

But it wasn't He Yuzhu who came in.

The leader, with the crown and tassels on his shoulder insignia gleaming coldly under the lights, was Orion, the commander of the West Kowloon Regional Headquarters!
Following closely behind was Wang Cuiping, the head of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) with a stern face and piercing eyes!

Behind them were several heavily armed and vigilant detectives from the Major Crimes Unit!
The small private room was instantly filled with a chilling atmosphere!

Wu Zhenkun's smile froze instantly, and his hand, which was fiddling with the walnuts, also stiffened.

His bodyguard instinctively reached for his waist, but was instantly locked onto by the cold muzzles of guns from the two agents behind Orion!

“Mr. Wu Zhenkun.” Orian’s voice had a heavy foreign accent, but it was still understandable and carried a certain authority. “I am Orian, the commander of the West Kowloon Regional Headquarters. You are now suspected of multiple organized crimes, including but not limited to controlling triads, money laundering, instigating murder, and obstructing justice. Please come with us to the police station to assist in the investigation. You have the right to remain silent, but everything you say will be used against you in court!”

Wu Zhenkun abruptly turned his head, staring intently at Lin Guozheng, his eyes flashing with disbelief, resentment, and rage: "Lin Guozheng! You dare to scheme against me?!"

Lin Guozheng's face was pale, but meeting that menacing gaze, he forced himself to stand up straight, his voice carrying a sense of relief and calm: "Uncle Kun, I'm a policeman. A policeman's duty is to arrest people like you."

"Fine! Fine, cop!" Wu Zhenkun laughed angrily, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses as cold as a venomous snake. "You think this is all over? Lin Guozheng, you can't escape! I'll make sure everyone in Hong Kong sees your shady past! You and your sickly old mother, and that woman in the factory..."

"Snapped!"

Wang Cuiping slammed a thick stack of folders onto the table in front of Wu Zhenkun, interrupting his frantic roar.

"Wu Zhenkun!" Wang Cuiping's voice was even colder than his. "Stop threatening me! Look at what these are!"

The folder was open, revealing a dense collection of photocopies of bank statements, shell company registration documents, secretly taken transaction photos, and even several yellowed old confessions bearing fingerprints!

“By using seven shell companies, including ‘Chang Rong Trading’ and ‘Hong Fa Shipping’, you illegally transferred assets and laundered over HK$100 million in illicit funds between 1970 and 1973! The evidence is conclusive!”

"You instructed your subordinate 'Rotten Head Bing' to murder your rival Cheung Tai-hoi in a warehouse at the Sham Shui Po pier in 1968. Here are new eyewitness testimonies and records of the settlement money you gave Rotten Head Bing at the time!"

"You bribed former police superintendent Chen Yonggui and others to cover up the illegal operation of your gambling dens and drug dens. This is Chen Yonggui and others' confession and the transfer records of the Swiss bank accounts you gave them!"

"As for those earlier ones, I won't list them all."

With each item Wang Cuiping read out, Wu Zhenkun's face grew paler.

Upon hearing the words "Swiss bank account transfer record," he felt as if his bones had been removed, and he slumped into his chair, the walnuts he was holding falling to the ground with a "thud" and rolling far away.

"Impossible... How could you possibly..." he muttered to himself absentmindedly. These were the secrets he thought he had buried deepest and safest!
He was particularly confident that he had done a flawless job, especially when it came to bribing Chen Yonggui!

Orion looked at him coldly: "Take him away!"

The detective stepped forward, and the cold handcuffs snapped shut on Wu Zhenkun's wrists.

Like an old wolf stripped of its fangs, he was dragged out of the private room, his once calculating eyes now filled only with the ashes of despair. He gave Lin Guozheng, who stood pale in the corner, one last venomous glance, his eyes seeming to say: You wait!

The private room fell silent instantly.

Lin Guozheng looked at Wang Cuiping and Orian, his lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.

Wang Cuiping's gaze fell on him, her expression complex and unreadable.

She walked up to Lin Guozheng, paused for a few seconds, and then spoke, her voice tinged with weariness but also with a sense of relief that everything had been settled: "Inspector Lin Guozheng, some of the clues you provided played a crucial role in solving this case, and the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau will record them."

She paused, then her tone turned serious and businesslike: "Given the connection this case involves to your past, and to avoid suspicion and for the needs of subsequent investigations, the Regional Headquarters has decided that, effective immediately, you will be transferred from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) to the Sha Tau Kok Police Station in the New Territories North District, where you will serve as a Senior Inspector, responsible for border patrol and community liaison. Go to the Personnel Department tomorrow to complete the formalities."

Sha Tau Kok? The most remote and almost isolated border police station in the northern New Territories?

Lin Guozheng's heart sank completely. This seemingly lateral transfer (an O-Division inspector being transferred to a regular police station as a senior inspector, with no change in rank) was in fact a complete exile and marginalization.

The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) is the core of the police force, and Sha Tau Kok is practically the ends of the earth. This means his future in the police force is over.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, only a bitter and heavy word came out: "Yes, Madam!"

Orion also came over, a hint of regret in his eyes, and then said perfunctorily, "Inspector Lin, a change of environment may not be a bad thing. Do a good job."

Lin Guozheng straightened his back and gave a standard but incredibly stiff salute: "Thank you, Sir!"

He knew that this was the price he paid for his "confession," the price he paid to keep wearing his police uniform—his future was ruined, and he was exiled to the frontier.

He has lost the rain, and now even the cause he has fought for has lost its luster.

Wang Cuiping and Orian left with their men, leaving Lin Guozheng alone in the private room. He slowly squatted down, picked up the two shiny walnuts on the ground, and clenched them tightly in his palm. The hard edges hurt his palm, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

He Family Villa.

He Yushui has locked herself in her room for two days.

She cried, she made a scene, and she smashed everything she could in the room. She didn't understand why her brother, after seeing Guozheng, told her so firmly, "You and Lin Guozheng, this is the end. He doesn't deserve you."

No matter how much she cried, questioned, or even threatened suicide, He Yuzhu only gave that cold reply: "You're not good enough for me."

The old lady sighed and shook her head.

He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang felt sorry for their daughter, but seeing their son's unprecedentedly cold and hard attitude, and hearing his resolute "not good enough", they chose to remain silent.

In their simple understanding, Zhu Zi was never wrong in judging people. If he said someone was not good enough for him, there must be a reason that they did not know.

Wang Cuiping and Yu Zecheng had come once. Looking at He Yushui's swollen eyes, they hesitated to speak, and in the end, they only sighed deeply, without offering any explanation for He Guozheng.

Of the entire He family, only He Yushui is still struggling with the pain of this abruptly ended relationship.

"Bang!" Half a month after 'Uncle Kun' went in, one morning after breakfast, He Yuzhu suddenly spoke up: "He Yushui, pack your things. Tomorrow morning, fly to New York. The master's admission letter from the University of New York has been processed. Siyu will go with you."

He Yushui jumped out of bed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her eyes red and swollen but burning with anger: "I'm not going! Why! What right do you have to decide my life! I'm going to find Guozheng and get to the bottom of this! He..."

You can't find him.

"why?"

"He has left Kowloon."

He Yushui was struck dumb, standing there stunned. How could he leave Kowloon? How could an inspector with such a promising future be transferred for no reason?

"It was you! You did it, didn't you?!" She lunged at He Yuzhu, raining blows on his chest as she cried out, "You drove him away! You broke us up! How dare you! I hate you! He Yuzhu, I hate you!"

"Slap!" "He Yushui, do you think your family has ever given you any face? I haven't hit you in all these years, have you forgotten what it feels like to be beaten?" Chen Lanxiang appeared next to He Yushui at some point.

She couldn't bear it any longer that her daughter dared to say she hated her eldest son, who had worked so hard for the family.

"Pack your things right now and get to the airport, do you hear me?" Chen Lanxiang almost roared.

He Yushui was completely stunned by the slap. She looked at Chen Lanxiang in disbelief. From childhood to adulthood, her mother had never slapped her face, even when she was angry. This was the first time.

He Yushui, calling out to her father, covered her cheek and turned to He Daqing for help.

But what he saw was his father silently shaking his head.

The way her younger brothers looked at her sent a chill down her spine. "Is this still my home?"

She couldn't help but ask herself this question.

Then tears silently streamed down her face. All her anger was shattered by her mother's slap, leaving only resentment and unwillingness.

Xiaoman quickly stepped forward to support Chen Lanxiang, who was trembling with anger: "Mother, calm down, Yushui... she just couldn't think straight for a moment, she doesn't really hate Brother Zhuzi..."

The old lady sighed deeply and turned to walk slowly toward her room.

Old Master Chen's lips moved, but in the end he only sighed heavily and walked out with his hands behind his back.

Then a few of the younger ones wisely left, leaving only He Yuzhu, her two children, and Xiaoman.

"Brother, can I stay?"

"No." He Yuzhu's attitude was very firm.

"Why, can't you just tell me why?"

"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, Kai Tak Airport, Si Yu will go with you." He Yuzhu didn't reply to He Yushui, but simply said what he wanted to say, and then turned and left.

Looking at that tall figure, He Yushui knew that her brother was determined this time. Her brother, who had always doted on her since childhood, was being so firm for the first time, which left her confused.

On this day, He Yushui was like a walking corpse.

She stopped crying and just sat blankly in her room, watching the servants silently and efficiently pack her clothes and books into her suitcase.

Chen Lanxiang stood by, her eyes filled with complex emotions—heartache, but mostly perseverance.

Xiaoman visited several times, but each time she wanted to offer comfort, she didn't know what to say and ended up just letting out a sigh.

The next morning, the sky was overcast.

The atmosphere outside the He family villa was so oppressive it was suffocating.

He Yushui was wearing simple clothes, her face was pale, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

She kept her head down, not looking at anyone, as if her soul had been detached.

Wang Siyu stood beside her, carefully taking her arm, her face full of worry.

He Yuzhu stood beside the car, watching them get in with a calm gaze.

There were no words of farewell throughout the entire trip. He Daqing prepared a large box full of food and quietly gave his daughter a few instructions.

Chen Lanxiang stood at the door, watching her daughter get into the car, her lips pressed tightly together, and in the end she just waved goodbye.

The car started and drove away from the Ho family villa, heading towards Kai Tak Airport.

The car was deathly silent. He Yushui stared out the window at the familiar street scene rushing past, and tears streamed down her face silently once again.

“Sister Yushui…” Wang Siyu looked at her distraught appearance, felt sorry for her, and held her hand tightly. After hesitating for a moment, she still spoke softly, “Don’t be too sad… Some things may not be as they seem on the surface.”

He Yushui turned her head blankly, and a ripple finally appeared in her empty eyes.

Wang Siyu lowered her voice even further: "My mother... she was in a bad mood after she went back. She only vaguely mentioned that Inspector Lin... he might not be as glamorous as everyone sees him. He has another side. Even my mother didn't say much about the specifics, but I think, Brother Zhu... he must have known something very serious that we don't know, that's why... that's why he was so resolute."

“The other side…” He Yushui murmured, repeating the three words as if she had been pricked by a needle.

Wang Siyu's words were like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, stirring up chaotic ripples in the lake of her despair. "Was it betrayal? Was it deception? Or some kind of unspeakable stain? My brother's cold words 'I'm not good enough' echoed in my ears again."

She suddenly closed her eyes and buried her face deeply in her palms. She was very tired, very tired.

It turns out that her seemingly passionate love was shrouded in a shadow that others had already seen through from the very beginning.

And she was like a complete fool.

The Boeing 707 roared deafeningly, like a giant steel bird breaking free of its shackles, as it struggled to soar into the leaden-gray sky.

Inside the cabin, He Yushui sat by the window, watching the islands and coastline of Hong Kong rapidly shrink and blur under the clouds, eventually being completely swallowed up by the thick sea of ​​clouds.

The lights of Victoria Harbour, the gantry cranes of Wharf Holdings, the neon lights of Tsim Sha Tsui... all the marks that carried her past laughter and tears have disappeared.

Below, only an endless, cold, churning sea of ​​clouds remained, mirroring her current state of mind—a state of utter bewilderment, unfathomable.

She left.

With the lingering swelling and pain in her cheeks, the tearing in her heart, and the bewilderment of the words "unworthy" and "the other side," she flew towards a completely unfamiliar, cold, and unknown shore.

But she still had something to say to He Yuzhu: "Brother, in your eyes is your sister so fragile? Why can't you tell me to my face? Why?"

Sha Tau Kok Police Station.

The shabby office was filled with the damp, musty smell and the salty tang of the sea breeze. Lin Guozheng sat behind a peeling wooden table, a dull border patrol duty roster spread out in front of him. Outside the window were barbed wire fences and the blurry outlines of distant mountains, a scene of utter silence, a stark contrast to the tense, bustling atmosphere of the West Kowloon Organized Crime and Triad Bureau office.

A week has passed since the transfer order came down. Like a pawn carelessly discarded, he was thrown from the very heart of the police force's innermost vortex into this almost forgotten corner. The aura of an O-Division inspector is meaningless here; he is merely a newly promoted "senior inspector" responsible for coordinating villagers' trivial matters and occasionally leading patrols along the border.

His future? It was already over. He could almost see himself slowly burning out the last bit of his police career in this desolate place, eventually disappearing without a trace.

He forced himself not to think about He Yushui. That name, along with her bright smile, became a forbidden zone in his heart, one he dared not touch. Every time he thought of her, it was accompanied by intense, self-loathing pain. He had personally destroyed everything. Was it to keep this uniform? Or for the safety of his mother and sister? Perhaps both, but the result was the same—he lost her, and he lost his path to success.

The old-fashioned telephone on the desk suddenly rang, its sound particularly jarring in the quiet office.

Lin Guozheng composed himself and picked up the microphone: "Sha Tau Kok Police Station, Senior Inspector Lin Guozheng."

"Inspector Lin, it's me, Ah-Qiang." A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone. It was Ah-Qiang, an officer from the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau with whom he had a good relationship. His voice was low. "I have something to tell you. Wu Zhenkun's case has exploded!"

Lin Guozheng's heart skipped a beat, and he gripped the microphone tightly: "It's exploded?"

"Yeah! Pulling up a radish brings out a whole lot of mud! It's huge, it's terrifying!" Ah Qiang's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and a hint of lingering fear. "Madam Wang and Inspector An followed Wu Zhenkun's trail and dug down, guess who they dug up? Foreigners! High-ranking police officers! And... and a foreign manager from HSBC!"

Lin Guozheng felt a tightness in his chest.

High-ranking foreign executives? HSBC? The levels involved far exceeded his imagination!
Ah Qiang continued quickly, "To save his life, Wu Zhenkun spilled everything he knew! His shell companies were used for money laundering by that foreign manager at HSBC, David Rogers, who gave him the green light to handle shady money! Even more shocking is that several high-profile cases from a few years ago, like the serial gold shop robbery where the mastermind 'Big Circle Leopard' was able to escape to Southeast Asia so quickly, were all thanks to that high-ranking foreign official, Assistant Commissioner of Police Charlie Brown, who took bribes and deliberately let him get away with it! And there were several others..."

As Lin Guozheng listened, he felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. Wu Zhenkun was just the tip of the iceberg; behind him lay such a vast and intricate chain of interests! High-ranking police officers, financial tycoons, and gangsters... all intertwined into a massive black web.

"The entire police force is in an uproar! The ICAC has fully intervened, and I heard it's even alarmed in London!" Ah Qiang's voice was filled with smug satisfaction. "Charlie Brown and David Rogers were taken away from their offices this morning! They looked utterly defeated! Wu Zhenkun is completely finished this time; no one can protect him! Lin Sir, you..."

Ah Qiang seemed to realize something, and his voice stopped.

Lin Guozheng was silent for a few seconds, his voice dry: "I only provided some old clues; the key was that Madam Wang and Inspector An investigated well." He knew what Ah Qiang wanted to say, but he was unwilling and unable to take credit. This credit carried an indelible shame, and also the price of his own hand-sacrificed love.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Ah-Qiang also realized what was happening and quickly changed the subject, "Anyway, this is really gratifying! The parasites in the police force and the scum in the financial world will not be able to escape! Lin Sir, take care in Sha Tau Kok."

"Okay, thank you." Lin Guozheng hung up the phone.

Silence fell over the office again. Outside the window, the sea breeze whistled softly through the barbed wire.

Lin Guozheng leaned back in his chair and let out a long, heavy breath.

Wu Zhenkun is finished; even the protector behind him has fallen.

His own act of self-sacrifice brought about this belated, yet fiercely powerful, storm. Was this atonement? He didn't know.

However, when he heard those once high-profile and glamorous names collapse, he felt no joy, only a deep weariness and a sense of desolation at the loss of what he had been given.

He lost the rain, lost his position at the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, and is now trapped in this remote corner of the world.

But this storm, which he lit the fuse to ignite and ultimately detonated, seems to have nothing to do with him anymore.

The eye of the storm was in West Kowloon, at the police headquarters, and in the HSBC building.

He was merely an insignificant, exiled bystander on the edge of the storm.

He picked up the enamel mug on the table and took a big gulp of bitter, low-quality tea to barely suppress the complex emotions surging in his heart.

"The days in Shatoujiao are still long!"

Meanwhile, in the study on the top floor of Huanghe Industrial Co., Ltd.

He Yuzhu stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling Victoria Harbour below.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting distinct light and shadow on his austere profile.

Xiaoman stood behind him with a document in her hand and reported softly, "Brother Zhu, HSBC's stock price... has fallen again. The market reacted strongly to the news of Charlie Brown and David Rogers' arrest."

He Yuzhu's gaze was fixed on the HSBC building in Central, a symbol of financial power, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"I know, thank you for your hard work these past few days, Xiaoman."

"Brother Zhu, I'm not tired. I know you're the one who's been working the hardest!"

(End of this chapter)