That evening, Liu Hui invited Mei Peng and Liu Lin out for dinner, along with Liang Jingyue. Liu Hui had initially wanted to ask Zhou Tengyun to join them, but Zhou Tengyun had been leaving early and returning late for days, busy with something unknown. When Liu Hui called him, the phone was turned off, and he couldn't be reached.

Liu Hui and the others arrived at a restaurant called Xiang Chuan Ren Jia. It was a large establishment with brisk business, owing to the exceptional taste of its few specialty dishes. Liu Hui and Mei Peng used to frequent the place for a good meal. If they hadn't reserved a table in advance today, there would have been no seats available.

It was the peak of the dinner rush; people were coming and going, making the restaurant bustling and lively. Liu Hui and his group reached their reserved table, called the waiter over to order, and, naturally, included the house specialties.

“Boss, it’s been ages since we were here. I truly miss the delicious food! Back then, with our meager income, we'd deliberate for ages before treating ourselves to a meal here,” Mei Peng remarked sentimentally.

“Seeing how nostalgic you are, I’ll take charge—how about you dine here every day from now on?” Liu Hui chuckled.

“Boss, no, please! Coming here once in a while is enough. Actually, I really prefer abalone and bird’s nest soup,” Mei Peng quickly objected.

“Hehe, if you keep eating all those delicacies, I won’t marry you if you get too fat,” Liu Lin teased.

“Oh my, you two are already discussing marriage. How sweet,” Liang Jingyue bantered from the side.

“Hehe, between us, the affection is mutual, the passion is fiery, and our fates are sealed. We just haven’t met each other’s parents yet; marriage still needs their blessing. We plan to take a few days off soon to visit Linlin’s parents first, and then we’ll head back to my hometown together to meet mine,” Mei Peng said with a touch of pride.

“You, the prospective son-in-law calling, better be careful not to be chased out!” Liu Hui said happily, seeing that Mei Peng was also getting married.

“Boss, we’re getting married soon! You have to bring a huge gift for us then, preferably a villa,” Mei Peng shamelessly requested.

“Deal. When you marry, I’ll gift you a luxury villa,” Liu Hui replied with a smile. He was already living in a villa, and gifting one to his brother who had endured hardships alongside him during their startup days was only right.

“Linlin, look! We’ll have a villa after we marry! Why don’t we go back tonight and tie the knot? I really can’t wait!” Mei Peng drawled, affectionately taking Liu Lin’s small hand.

“Who’s marrying you, you big pervert!” Liu Lin chided, shaking off Mei Peng’s hand.

“Hehe, life looks so wonderful right now. I truly hope everyone stays this happy forever. A year ago, I never dared to imagine living like this,” Liu Hui murmured, full of emotion.

“Ah-Hui, we’ll be happy and joyful after we marry too, right?” Liang Jingyue also began dreaming of her beautiful post-marital life.

“Hehe, happiness is mandatory,” Liu Hui said deeply, holding Liang Jingyue’s hand. However, his tender expression was abruptly shattered by the conversation coming from the adjacent table.

The people at the next table were making a toast. A woman raised her glass to her male superior and said, “Leader above, me below; however many times I can manage, I will manage.” Then she downed her drink in one go. The leader was quite the character; he laughed and replied, “Since Xiao Hong asked me to manage it, I shall manage it several extra times. I won't regret it even if it kills me.”

Liu Hui and Mei Peng, along with the other listeners, couldn't help but burst out laughing. This leader was truly ingenious. When the female subordinate toasted with the word gān ( - meaning 'to finish/dry'), he deliberately played on the word gàn ( - meaning 'to do/engage in sexual activity'), clearly taking advantage of her. However, at a drinking table, a slightly ambiguous joke like that could certainly liven up the atmosphere.

Liu Hui was smiling when his pocket suddenly vibrated. He took out his phone; it was Zhou Tengyun calling. He immediately stood up, walked to a secluded spot outside, and answered the call.

“Boss, it’s me. I’ve tracked the group led by that Lu surname. They are leaving Ba Shan tonight, and I plan to move now.”

“Ah, where are you now? Are there many of them?” Liu Hui asked quickly.

“I’m currently in the Great Bamboo Forest. They are right ahead at that hotel. There are three cars. I can’t confidently take them all down by myself, so I need your help.”

“Fine, wait there. I’m coming over immediately. Keep your phone on,” Liu Hui said, hanging up and re-entering the restaurant.

Inside, Liang Jingyue and Mei Peng looked at Liu Hui. He smiled sheepishly, “Third Brother needs my help with something urgent, and I have to leave right away. I won’t be able to finish dinner with you all tonight.”

“Boss, you go ahead. I’m here with Linlin! I’ll take Jingyue home after we finish eating,” Mei Peng offered.

“Ah-Hui, you should go. Zhou Tengyun must have something critical. Mei Peng and I will head home after dinner; don't worry about us,” Liang Jingyue said gently, then draped his overcoat over Liu Hui.

“Then I’ll take my leave. Contact me if anything comes up,” Liu Hui said, turning and walking out.

Driving fast, Liu Hui soon reached the Great Bamboo Forest in Ba Shan. He called and connected with Zhou Tengyun, who quietly emerged from a narrow alley and pulled Liu Hui inside.

“Boss, look over there. That hotel is where the Lu fellow is eating. His two bodyguards are with him, and there are two other cars. The people escorting them are from the Ba Shan Mad Dragon Gang,” Zhou Tengyun pointed toward the hotel ahead.

Liu Hui looked in the direction Zhou Tengyun indicated and indeed saw the Young Master Lu dining with several others.

“Boss, be careful. That Lu fellow’s two bodyguards are formidable; they can sense when they are being watched,” Zhou Tengyun cautioned quietly.

Liu Hui started, immediately drawing his gaze back.

“Third Brother, how do you plan to handle this?”

“I eavesdropped on their conversation. The Lu fellow is leaving Ba Shan tonight; they depart right after dinner. The Mad Dragon Gang has assigned several men to escort him. I’ve also found out their planned route; I’ve already set up an ambush along the road where they’ll pass, ensuring we can eliminate the Lu fellow en route. However, I have no absolute guarantee of capturing them all, and I fear someone might escape and leak the news. That’s why I need you to help monitor them; you don't need to fight—just keep them contained. I want to take my revenge personally,” Zhou Tengyun stated with a grim expression.

“Understood. Then let’s wait together,” Liu Hui replied, and the two crouched in the alley, observing the hotel.

“Boss, for ease of operation, you must switch off your phone. Otherwise, if it rings at a crucial moment, it’ll cause major trouble,” Zhou Tengyun added.

Liu Hui immediately took out his phone and sent separate messages to Mei Peng and Liang Jingyue, stating he had urgent matters and needed to turn off his phone temporarily; they should not contact him now and could discuss anything once he was back online.

The two waited in the alley for nearly an hour until Young Master Lu and his party finally finished eating and drinking, emerging ruddy-faced, and got into their cars to leave. Zhou Tengyun immediately led Liu Hui into a very dilapidated van and followed Lu’s convoy from a distance.

“Third Brother, this beat-up van of yours has quite the character. Where did you dig it up?” Liu Hui joked.

“Picked it up at a black market in the suburbs. I even swapped out the engine for tonight’s operation. With my current driving skills, I can definitely keep up with them.”

Young Master Lu’s cars headed toward the outskirts of Ba Shan, with Zhou Tengyun’s van trailing far behind. After driving for half an hour, Lu’s convoy gradually left the Ba Shan city limits. Once their cars turned onto a remote mountain road, Zhou Tengyun immediately drove the van rapidly past them and sped away into the distance.

“Third Brother, what are you doing? Why aren’t we tailing them?” Liu Hui asked, confused.

“Boss, this road has no other exits. Once they enter this stretch, they must pass through the ambush spot. We just need to wait for them where the traps are set. Moreover, it’s impossible to track them on such a remote road; we’d be spotted if we got even slightly close,” Zhou Tengyun explained. He drove the van incredibly fast. Ahead loomed a large mountain, and the road followed a serpentine path up to its summit.

Zhou Tengyun parked the van at the lowest point of the winding mountain road, then he and Liu Hui got out and began climbing. Given their current strength, ascending was no problem at all. They quickly reached the mountainside, arriving at the location Zhou Tengyun had prepared for the ambush.

Zhou Tengyun’s plan involved selecting two large trees about a hundred meters apart along the mountain road. They were to be sawed almost completely through. Behind these two trees, huge boulders were hidden. As soon as Lu Gongzi’s vehicles entered the ambush zone, the trees would be pushed over, causing the boulders behind them to roll down and block the road. The boulders behind the two trees were perfectly positioned to trap Young Master Lu’s vehicles on this stretch of road, less than a hundred meters long. In the mountains, if they couldn't escape by car, Zhou Tengyun felt confident he had a high probability of achieving revenge based on his own capabilities.

Zhou Tengyun assigned Liu Hui to handle the front tree and took responsibility for the rear tree himself. Liu Hui understood the plan but was still slightly puzzled. “Why go through such trouble? Couldn't you just finish them off in the city?”

“In the city, I feared accidents, and summoning reinforcements would be too easy for them. If the plan failed halfway, revenge would become much harder later. Although this method is more troublesome, it prevents major unforeseen variables, and our certainty of success is higher,” Zhou Tengyun explained.

As they talked, the headlights of Young Master Lu’s convoy appeared below the mountain. After giving a few final instructions, Zhou Tengyun moved to the large tree at the rear.

Soon, Young Master Lu’s lead car pulled up in front of Liu Hui. With a powerful shove, he pushed the front tree over. The boulder held back by the tree immediately tumbled down, precisely blocking the road. The leading vehicle hadn't time to brake and slammed into the rock. The two cars behind noticed the sudden change, immediately stopped, and began reversing to retreat. Zhou Tengyun simultaneously pushed down the rear tree, and the boulder there also fell, sealing off the road behind them. Young Master Lu’s convoy was instantly caged between two massive stones on less than a hundred meters of road.

Qian Yu Chu Hai thanks the reader: Yue Ya Kai Xin Guo for the tip.

This is the second update for the book today, thank you all for your continued attention!

Still asking for collections and recommendations!