Yang Li Village, General Manager's Office of Lijian Company.
Yang Jian, who had just returned from vacation in Europe, sat with Lu Hao, who had specially rushed over from Seoul, drinking tea.
"Brother Hao, you must have had something else to discuss today. You could have explained those things over the phone."
Lu Hao had arrived before lunch. After eating lunch at the company, he had been chatting and drinking tea with Yang Jian. He first asked about Yang Jian's European trip, then talked about the trading company's business for a long time. It was already three in the afternoon, and it was all idle chat. So Yang Jian was a bit puzzled, as Lu Hao was a busy man.
"No, I just haven't seen you in a long time and wanted to chat more. By the way, that girl Tang Huiling you met in Kyoto has been contacting me recently. Tell me about her?"
Lu Hao's expression was a little unnatural.
Yang Jian suddenly realized, "Not bad, Brother Hao. You've already won her over in such a short time?"
"No, no. Isn't she a screenwriter? She called me to understand your situation. She thinks your experiences are very legendary and wants to write a book based on your story. So, we chatted quite pleasantly."
"Haha, so you've hit it off and developed feelings. That's great. Tang Huiling is a good match for you, although she's much younger. You're like an old cow eating young grass. You two must have met, right?"
"A few days ago, I went to Kyoto to visit my parents and took the opportunity to have a meal with her. My first impression was good."
"See? You two have taken a liking to each other. Why are you still asking me? I've known Tang Huiling for less than three days and don't know her at all. I can't give you any advice. You two should figure it out yourselves."
"You're right. Only by spending time together can you know if you're compatible."
As they were chatting, Biao Biao and Song Jianmin knocked and entered. Song Jianmin looked very anxious.
"Jianmin, what's wrong? What happened?"
Yang Jian asked curiously.
"Yang Jian, my brother was arrested. This time it's serious. Can you give Lin Nan a heads-up in advance?"
Lin Nan, the captain of the criminal police, had a good relationship with Yang Jian. Song Jianmin knew this and came to Yang Jian immediately after hearing about his brother's arrest.
Yang Jian was a bit stunned. "What's going on? Did Brother Hao do something bad again to get arrested?"
Biao Biao explained from the side, "Brother Jian, we just received news that Wu Wangchun's casino was raided by the police. The police deployed over a thousand people to surround the casino. Only Wu Zhi and about twenty others managed to escape by jumping into the water. More than two hundred people, including Wu Wangchun and Brother Hao, were all arrested."
Yang Jian stood up abruptly. "Damn, such a large operation. Didn't Uncle Wang get any advance notice? Doesn't he have contacts in the police?"
"I don't know. This operation might have been planned by the Hongzhou police because Wu Zong's casino is located at the border between Xinhe County and Hongzhou. Wu Zong's cars were parked in Xinhe County, while the casino itself is on Hongzhou territory."
"Then I'll call Brother Nan."
Yang Jian took out his phone to call Lin Nan for information.
Lu Hao stopped him. "Don't call. Ask these two to step out for a moment. I have something to tell you."
Yang Jian looked at him suspiciously, not understanding what he meant. Biao Biao, being perceptive and knowing Lu Hao's powerful background, pulled Song Jianmin out.
"Brother Hao, what do you want to say?"
"Do you know why I rushed over today? It's about the casino."
"What do you mean? You knew Wu Uncle's casino was going to be raided?"
Lu Hao nodded. "Wu Wangchun's casino has long been on the radar of the police headquarters. Today's police raid was supervised by headquarters and directly commanded by the provincial department. It was a major operation involving the Hongzhou Armed Police Detachment and the SWAT Detachment, bypassing the Han City and Xinhe police. That's why Lin Nan is not aware of it, and they are not involved in the interrogation. Your call to him would be useless."
"Then what's the point of you sitting here drinking tea with me?"
"I heard you have a good relationship with Wu Wangchun. The old man was worried that this casino might be connected to you, so he sent me to keep you here. First, to understand the actual situation, and second, to prevent you from going to the casino. I couldn't tell you this in advance."
Lu Hao's words almost made Yang Jian cry with gratitude. He was protecting him! It was a blessing from generations past to forge a good relationship with the Lu family. Otherwise, Yang Jian would have been locked up in prison long ago.
Seeing Yang Jian remain silent, Lu Hao asked, "Xiao Yang, tell me the truth. Is this casino related to you in any way? If it is, I can still try to fix it now."
Yang Jian shook his head. "Our family does have a good relationship with Wu Wangchun. My father has known him for decades, but his casino has nothing to do with me. I even advised him to quit a while ago, offering to support him with ten million yuan to start a legitimate business. I didn't expect him to not listen and ultimately sink his ship."
"Well, it's good that there's no connection. It means I didn't come here in vain."
"Brother Hao, can you..."
Lu Hao interrupted him directly. "Stop. I can't help you exonerate Wu Wangchun, nor can I help. Wu Wangchun, like Bai Zheng, is on a watchlist at headquarters. No one dares to bend the rules for them. His protectors will also be investigated this time, so don't get involved in this mess."
Yang Jian was very regretful, regretting not being able to persuade Wu Wangchun.
"Xiao Yang, you've gone ashore now and can be considered clean. Don't get involved in these underworld matters anymore. Focus on managing your business. You're not short of money now, so there's no need to take risks. Live a good, stable life with your family."
Yang Jian gave a wry smile. "Brother Hao, I understand what you're saying, but Song Jianhao borrowed 1.5 million yuan from me and only returned 100,000. He's a member of the Emperor Company and will definitely be sentenced this time. My more than a million yuan is likely gone."
"You're still gambling?"
"It wasn't gambling; I lent it to him out of personal friendship."
Yang Jian briefly recounted the incident of Song Jianhao being caught cheating.
"There's nothing that can be done about that. You can only wait for Song Jianhao to be released and repay you slowly."
Lu Hao had no intention of trying to get Song Jianhao out. A million or so yuan wouldn't cripple Yang Jian, and there was no need to spend important personal connections on an insignificant person.
Since Yang Jian had no connection to Wu Wangchun's casino, Lu Hao got up and left.
Biao Biao and Song Jianmin walked in.
"Brother Jian, how was it? Does President Lu have any way to get Brother Hao out?"
Biao Biao knew Lu Hao's influence and believed that if he intervened, Song Jianhao should be able to be released.
Yang Jian shook his head with a wry smile. "There's no way. This operation was supervised by the police headquarters and directly commanded by the provincial department. Even Lin Nan didn't know about it. No one dares to interfere. Uncle Wang is completely finished this time; he won't be out for at least ten years. Brother Hao is a member of the Emperor Company, so he'll likely get less than three years."
Upon hearing this, Song Jianmin sighed deeply and sat opposite Yang Jian in silence, looking helpless.