Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 290 Mr. Rong Hong

Larry walked to Ping An Lane in Chinatown and went directly to the laundromat where Huang Meitang had worked before. Now Larry knew that the place was also the Boston branch of the Hongmen Yonghua Hall.

As Larry passed by the bubble tea shop, he could see from afar that the business was quite booming, but the Chinese waitresses who were greeting customers all had undisguised sorrow in their eyes and brows.

Larry walked straight to the laundry room without stopping. The Chinese man guarding the door spotted Larry Livingston immediately, stood up, and said in broken English, "S-Sir, you've arrived! Are you looking for Huang Meitang? He...he's been arrested by the police..."

Larry frowned. "I need to see Elder Ye. I came here to ask Huang Meitang what exactly happened."

The man's face immediately lit up with joy. Without even inviting Larry to sit down, he hurried back to the small courtyard behind the house.

Three minutes later, Elder Ye strode out, his expression a mixture of anxiety and relief.

"Mr. Livingston! It's wonderful to see you at this time." Elder Ye clasped his hands in greeting.

"Go inside and tell me everything you know!" Larry didn't stand on ceremony and turned to follow Elder Ye into the courtyard.

As soon as Larry entered the courtyard, before he could say anything, he saw a gentleman in a dark gray three-piece suit sitting with his back to him at the octagonal table in the courtyard, drinking tea.

Larry was a little surprised; he hadn't expected to see someone like this in Chinatown.

The man was not tall, but he sat upright, as if he had graduated from a military academy.

“Mr. Rong, please allow me to introduce you. This is Meitang’s white friend…” Elder Ye said to the gentleman in Chinese.

The gentleman then turned around and looked at Larry.

He appeared to be in his sixties, with neatly combed short silver-gray hair. The wrinkles on his face were etched like knife marks, but his aged appearance could not conceal the sharpness and composure in his eyes, which held a clarity that seemed to transcend time.

The old man adjusted his gold-rimmed round glasses and said to Larry in fluent English with a slight Connecticut accent, "It's an honor to meet you, sir. My name is Yung Wing."

After the man introduced himself, Larry was surprised.

Yung Wing?! Yung Wing, the first Chinese student to study in the United States in modern times? The first Chinese graduate of Yale University, and also the person who encouraged Zhan Tianyou and others to study in the United States?

“Hello, Mr. Rong. My name is Larry Livingston, and I am Huang Meitang’s white friend.” Despite the turmoil in his heart, Larry calmly shook hands with the old man.

Yung Wing held Larry's hand and said slowly, "Mr. Livingston, are you here to help that poor Chinese man get off the hook?"

"Yes! Huang Meitang is my friend."

"But why is that?" Yung Wing scrutinized Larry, his tone reminiscent of the arrogant and outspoken academic style common at Yale University.

"Excuse me for speaking frankly, but in the past 40 years I have seen too many white people... who do not have much goodwill toward Chinese people."

Larry withdrew his hand and calmly looked into Rong Hong's eyes. "I don't need you to believe me right away. You can just take it as a friendly gesture of concern. I just came to see how much I could help him..."

“Thank you very much for your generosity.” Rong Hong’s expression was very calm.

Larry looked at Yung Wing and frowned. "How do you plan to save him?" Yung Wing said, "We want to organize a petition group or contact The New York Times to tell the public the truth... Huang Meitang acted in self-defense and was only protecting his fellow countrymen. If he dies on the gallows, it will be a disgrace to civilization."

Larry shook his head. "Don't you know the new version of the Gillley Act has been released? Just this Monday. Under the influence of this act, what unexpected things will happen if a Chinese person kills a white person? In court, the jury won't listen to your complaints; they'll only look at your skin color."

Yung Wing was silent for a moment, then said softly, "This is the best solution I can think of. After all, America is a society governed by the rule of law."

“Heh, a society governed by the rule of law…” Larry sneered. “If you’re referring to blatant discrimination against you that requires going through a process, then forget it.”

Yung Wing looked up at Larry, a puzzled expression on his face. "Mr. Livingston, what you've said makes me feel like you're on our side..."

Larry nodded and said, "Of course, I'm on your side..."

“No…” The old man’s gaze sharpened as he stared at Larry. “I feel that you’re not thinking from a white person’s perspective, but rather from a Chinese one…”

……

Larry was slightly surprised by the old man's shrewdness and wisdom, but he quickly regained his composure. He then looked at the sky outside the courtyard wall and said calmly, "I stand on the side of morality."

Yung Wing looked at Larry and slowly nodded. "Alright... sir, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

“I need to see him, Huang Meitang’s boss, who is also a senator from Massachusetts—Patrick Kennedy. Also, I need to know the name of the dead Irishman, and his partner, the Irishman who worked for the same company as Huang Meitang.” Larry turned to Elder Ye.

Elder Ye hesitated slightly. “Mr. Livingston, I do not doubt your ability or sincerity. But you must know that the dead man was Irish, and Senator, he was also Irish.”

Elder Ye's meaning was clear: Kennedy would definitely protect the Irish in such a life-or-death situation.

Tell me your name first!

"Uh...okay..."

After listening to Elder Ye's account, Larry stood up and turned to look at Mr. Yung Wing and Elder Ye. "I'll try to see if I can get the victim's forgiveness. This is America, thank God, sometimes where morality and human kindness can't reach, dollars can!"

Yung Wing also stood up and looked at Larry, "Can you really persuade Senator Larry?"

Larry remained confident, but his inner caution led him to say, "I can give it a try. How will I know if I don't try?"

Yung Wing nodded, staring at Larry, and said, "Okay, I'll also try to go to Harvard. I know a few law professors at Harvard. If we can get Harvard Law School to form an independent observation group to assess the fairness of the trial, the media will definitely report on it."

Larry stopped and looked at Yung Wing, saying in surprise, "That's a great idea..."

As Yung Wing put on his silk hat, he said, “Americans are not afraid of Chinese people, but they are afraid of being criticized for being ‘unfair.’ Mr. Livingston, this is what you just said: even if there is blatant discrimination against Chinese people, they still need to go through a process. This is procedural justice. I think, in a sense, this is a good thing.”

“Okay!” Larry nodded and smiled. “Then, let’s meet again at this time tomorrow.”

(End of this chapter)