Chapter 597: Huang Yaming and Xu Tingsheng
As Tongtong returned from the balcony after making a call, Dongzi hurriedly shut his mouth.
"Do you mind if I ask who you called?" Looking at Tongtong, Ding Miao tried hard to regain his calm before he asked, "How about I take a guess? Xu Tingsheng is locked up, Tan Yao is dead and the police is keeping an eye on Wu Kun...it can only be Huang Yaming, right? He"s not in Binzhou?"
Tongtong did not deny it.
"It really is Huang Yaming?!" After his initial panic at the changing circ.u.mstance, Ding Miao had already regained his calm and intelligence as he now said, "In that case, we have a real problem on our hands. You will all die, not just the two of you…" He indicated at Dongzi and Old Dog before staring at Tontong, "Don"t think that you will be safe. You"re no exception too."
The three all gazed at him.
"Don"t look at me like this. While I won"t have it good, I may not die. Without you lot, I"ll pose no threat to Xu Tingsheng. Also, I"m simply not qualified to fight with him. Huang Yaming will choose to extract sufficient benefits from me. I will duly give them up. So, I have a chance to live. Still, you lot will die for sure."
"Don"t believe me? Do you think that you understand Huang Yaming?" Ding Miao locked gazes with Tongtong.
Tongtong looked at him but did not say anything.
Ding Miao continued, "I don"t understand Xu Tingsheng. I can"t grasp this person"s personality and actions. Still, I have interacted with and understand Huang Yaming. He"s the sole wolf beside Xu Tingsheng. Vicious, decisive, calm, it"s like he was born for this. The first time we worked together, he approached me to join hands in killing my younger brother, Ding Sen. I"ve never seen that sort of confidence and calmness in anyone else his age, any other newcomer to the scene before."
"So, if you ask me now who I"m more willing to face...I"m more willing to face Xu Tingsheng. It"s because I"m scared of Huang Yaming. Now that Tan Yao is dead, Huang Yaming"s already negative side will be infinitely magnified. And as long as the three of you are alive, you will always pose a threat to Xu Tingsheng. It just happens that all the conditions are right now. This time, he will not let the three of you live on. As long as it is within his capabilities, he will not let anyone threaten Xu Tingsheng again. He won"t allow the slightest chance of it happening."
Dongzi and Old Dog turned to look at Tongtong, panic visible in their eyes.
Tongtong smiled, "Boss Ding"s really good at sowing discord. The three of us are uncultured and unintelligent; we can"t win you in this aspect. Sadly, I don"t believe it. Boss Huang and I have known each other for quite long. He will not do that. Relax, you two. I can guarantee that nothing will happen to you."
"You can"t even guarantee your own safety. Your earlier expression already betrayed you," Ding Miao said domineeringly, "It"s precisely because you and Huang Yaming have known each other for quite long that you"re actually very clear that what I say is true. That"s the true Huang Yaming…"
Actually, what Ding Miao said was right. Ever since his first sentence, Tongtong had consciously realised that Huang Yaming would really do that.
In these two years, having gone from Starry Splendour to Bright Brilliance and interacted with Xu Tingsheng"s bunch, Tongtong had established pretty good relations.h.i.+ps with most of them, including Xu Tingsheng, including Tan Yao, including the women like Ye Qing and Fang Chen...but never had Huang Yaming been one of them.
She was scared of Huang Yaming.
It was not because Huang Yaming was vicious, strict and hard to get close to. Rather, it was because...aside from those like Xu Tingsheng, Tan Yao and Fu Cheng, she did not find that Huang Yaming was someone who forged many close relations.h.i.+ps.
In Huang Yaming"s own words, he had very little conscience now and could not give it to so many people.
"Ding Miao is right. If I live, knowing that matter...I will forever pose a threat to Xu Tingsheng. This time is proof, proof that I could be the death of Xu Tingsheng. Because of this, Wu Kun considered killing me but decided to just threaten me instead. Xu Tingsheng magnanimously chose to trust me. Huang Yaming? He"s more decisive than Wu Kun is."
For Huang Yaming to be reluctant to do so due to their relations.h.i.+p?
Tongtong knew that she was still not qualified enough. Especially when on the other end of the scale was Xu Tingsheng. Tongtong was well aware how important Xu Tingsheng was to Huang Yaming. "If he had managed to find me these past few days-I might not have had the chance to even speak." She thought.
Ding Miao had been paying attention to Tongtong"s expression throughout. While he was indeed sowing discord, there was no untruth mixed within his words. This was his understanding and judgment of Huang Yaming. Their initial contact had been in a virtually perfect premeditated murder-directed by Huang Yaming.
"Consider it well…" The corner of Ding Miao"s lips curled, "Huang Yaming could be here any moment."
Tongtong recalled the earlier conversation. After hearing her out, Huang Yaming had said in a neutral tone, "Keep an eye on Ding Miao and don"t make any false moves. You all should stay where you are too. I"ll get people to go there at once."
Grasping the information he wanted, Ding Miao struck while the iron was hot, "Trust me, I can forget what you just did to me. If we work together, you guys still have a chance. When Huang Yaming arrives, you lot will have no chance at all."
Tongtong raised her head, looking as if she was trying hard to keep her laughter from bursting out, so amused she was.
"You should really think about yourself, Boss Ding. While the three of us are uncultured, we won"t be so easily intimidated and tricked by you. Letting you go and working together with you…that way, we really wouldn"t be able to survive anymore. Do you two believe me? As soon as we release him, and the people outside enter...we"ll immediately no longer stand any chance at all," Tongtong smiled and said.
Dongzi and Old Dog agreed unanimously with her words.
Ding Miao stared fixatedly at Tongtong"s eyes...slowly, slowly, he simply gave up. He knew that nothing he said would be of any use, because he could tell that Tongtong had actually believed his earlier words.
So, what she was saying now were actually not her real thoughts but the choice she had made. This woman, whom he had thought should be merciless and completely looked down on, would willingly die at the hands of Huang Yaming to protect Xu Tingsheng, this seeming the most likely outcome at hand.
From the start, she had never really thought about betraying Xu Tingsheng! If she had not been able to succeed with Dongzi and Old Dog, if she had still not found any chance in the end...she had actually long been prepared to die.
"She might even have used her own death to indict me," Ding Miao thought.
"Xu Tingsheng...I take my hat off to you," Ding Miao sighed, muttering aloud softly.
Dongzi and Old Dog both looked at him in puzzlement, wondering what had brought on this sudden emotional statement.
Ding Miao glanced at both. He thought about speaking, then gave up. To convince these two, especially that Dongzi...forget it, he shouldn"t waste his saliva! To sow discord, the other party had to at least understand it and have a mind of his own...these two brainless people had fled overseas after a homicide with much difficulty, yet could even foolishly return to work at some mines afterwards...illegal immigrants would literally weep at this!
Doing this with them was like trying to enact a beauty trap but ending up running into a eunuch.
"How about this? If later, my people are first to realise something and rush in, you all shouldn"t be rash. We can talk again. My words from earlier still count," Ding Miao said, pinning his final hopes on this.
Not so much time pa.s.sed before a knock sounded on the door.
"Tongtong? Are you all inside? Open the door."
"You are?"
"We received a call from Huang Yaming and came over. The people outside have already been taken care of. You can rest a.s.sured and open the door now."
To open, or not to open?
Tongtong knew that it was very likely Huang Yaming"s people outside. It was very likely that if she opened the door and the other party confirmed their ident.i.ties...she wouldn"t even get the chance to see Huang Yaming.
"Alright."
Tongtong grit her teeth, opening the door with somewhat trembling hands.
"You chose your own end," Ding Miao said quite exasperatedly behind her.
In front of her now, Tongtong saw Zhong Wusheng. She had seen him before.
"Zhong...Zhong…" She was still nervous at the end of the day, thus being a little inarticulate."Don"t worry. Everything"s fine now," Zhong Wusheng stepped to the side.
There were three other people outside that door. That was to say that facing Ding Miao"s dozen over subordinates, in such an important and potentially fatal matter, merely four people from Xu Tingsheng"s end had come to raid this house in the suburbs.
These four were: Zhong Wusheng, Du Jiang, w.a.n.g Xiao, Mr Xu.
Upon receiving Huang Yaming"s call, Mr Xu had rushed over from Xihu City. When he himself was especially susceptible to public sentiment and this matter had to be dealt with swiftly and covertly, this was the sole manpower he could deploy.
Still, it was enough...the three fierce tigers of the Xu family had simultaneously emerged in full force, soundlessly subjugating Ding Miao"s people and those so-called elites He Twenty-seven had lent him.
"You must be Tongtong, right?" Mr Xu smiled warmly, "I"m Xu Tingsheng"s Dad. Thank you."
"Uncle...Uncle...I…"
"Don"t be nervous. I know what you are afraid of…" Without promising or a.s.suring anything, Mr Xu simply smiled, "Don"t be scared. Don"t you know Tingsheng? When I went to see him earlier, there were some things he said to me at the end. The first thing was...trust Tongtong."
As soon as these words were said, Tongtong"s tears that she had held in for a long time flowed out all at once. She felt at peace. It was worth it.
Mr Xu extended a hand and patted her head, saying, "The Xu family owes you a life."
"Let"s go. Bring along your two other friends, and him too," Mr Xu glanced at Ding Miao and said, "Let"s switch to another location. We can decide how to deal with him when Tingsheng"s out."
The car waited until night in a forest in the suburbs before departing for Jiannan via an obscure route.
Mr Xu was consoling Tongtong not to worry about Xu Tingsheng.
Not long ago, Mr Xu had received a call from Huang Yaming. The latter was in Yanjing, handling some extra, backup preparations for Old Jin"s battle in Binzhou. He would not be able to make it back in time...thus, he could only get Mr Xu to take care of this matter in his place.
After carefully narrating Ding Sen"s incident and admitting his wrongs, Huang Yaming who had always been very afraid of Mr Xu had emboldened himself and proposed, "Uncle Xu...I think that those three people, that Tongtong included...it would be best if they all vanished now. I can take care of the cleanup. They know about the incident. As long as they"re alive, they"ll always be a threat to Tingsheng. I daren"t let anything happen to Tingsheng again."
Mr Xu understood the relations.h.i.+p between Huang Yaming and Xu Tingsheng, understood the intention behind his proposal, agreed that Xu Tingsheng needed someone like this beside him too...Huang Yaming was not wrong. He might even be more trustworthy.
Still, the Xu family had its own principle in doing things.