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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Seventy: A Glimpse of Glory
Putting down his phone, Zhang Qiu's joy was evident. Several people noticed the change in his expression after receiving the call, and Yang Yu was the first to ask, "Brother Qiu, whose call was it? You seem so happy and even called someone 'sister'!" With that, Yang Yu burst into laughter.
Zhang Qiu ignored Yang Yu's teasing and threw out a quick, "Wait for me here!" before rushing out of the barbecue restaurant. Yang Yu and the others watched Zhang Qiu leave, exchanging puzzled glances, unsure of what had just happened.
After a while, Zhang Qiu returned from outside and placed several newspapers on the table. He pointed to the large headline on the front page of Youth Daily and said, "Look at this."
Yang Yu saw the headline and immediately understood what it meant. No wonder Brother Qiu was so happy; it turned out that this matter had been resolved. Yang Yu couldn't hide his excitement and exclaimed, "Brother Qiu, this is amazing! We did it!"
Zhang Qiu thought for a moment before replying, "Maybe, but it depends on how things develop next."
The developments far exceeded Zhang Qiu's expectations; everything became increasingly complicated. His earlier decisions seemed hasty in hindsight. How could a dignified Police Chief Wang Guodong be so easily dealt with? Zhang Qiu couldn't help but recall Chen Kun's warning during their phone call: "What you're doing is far more serious than dealing with that person."
Now, Chen Kun's words were coming to fruition. One report had sent Liu Fangfei to prison, and this second report had taken down an Editor-in-Chief. Fortunately, Liu Fangfei was safe thanks to some unknown backing, but the Editor-in-Chief was in dire straits—what would he do without a job?
The more Zhang Qiu thought about it, the more he felt that this matter had not been thoroughly considered. If it weren't for his uncle having similar plans, he might have already reached an irreversible point. A cold sweat broke out on Zhang Qiu; he realized he could never act so recklessly again.
"What are you all talking about?" Gao Zhi interrupted Zhang Qiu's thoughts. The conversation between Zhang Qiu and Yang Yu left Gao Zhi and the others confused since they were not involved in Zhang Qiu's plans and naturally did not understand what was going on.
Zhang Qiu looked at Gao Zhi and then at the others. Since they were all following him, there was no need to hide anything. He said, "I'll explain everything to you in a bit, but first let me make a phone call."
"Sure, Brother Qiu."
Zhang Qiu hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to inform He Jun right away; every second counted at this critical juncture. It was dismissal time from school, so making a call should be fine—he wouldn't be criticized by He Jun for bringing his phone to school again. Zhang Qiu was tired of adult reprimands.
Moreover, Zhang Qiu chuckled bitterly; there was no way to keep his reflections from his uncle when he got home. Even if he didn't say anything himself, his family would find out.
The phone rang several times, but no one answered. With no other choice, Zhang Qiu edited a text message to send to his uncle. In the message, Zhang Qiu tried to showcase his writing skills, describing the situation in detail.
Putting down his phone, Zhang Qiu glanced at his classmates and slowly began, "A while ago, some police officers came to the classroom looking for me. You all know about this, right?"
Seeing everyone nod, Zhang Qiu continued, "They were looking for me because of a post I made online that attracted a lot of attention."
"Brother Qiu, what post?"
"About the demolition. All they think about is tearing things down. Where does the money go? Who's pocketing it?" Just mentioning this made Zhang Qiu feel frustrated.
"Hey, Brother Qiu, aren't many people looking forward to the demolition?" Gao Zhi asked. The villagers in their area were all hoping that through the demolition, they could exchange their old houses for spacious new apartments.
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "If you do the math, you'll understand. How much is a rural house worth? A few thousand yuan. Of course they want to exchange it for an apartment. In my area, there are two-story houses with yards and spacious roads right next to the market and by the river in the park. Just think about how much it would cost to buy a house there! Back when wages were only a few dozen yuan, buying a place there would have drained all our family's savings."
"Thinking about it that way makes sense," Gao Zhi said thoughtfully as he looked at Zhang Qiu.
Zhang Qiu continued, "The developers are eyeing our location because they want to build apartments and make a fortune. If it's really about renovating the old city, why not demolish the large area of narrow and crowded houses in the South? The people there are all looking forward to it. No matter how nice they say it sounds, it's all for money."
"Brother Qiu, that's insightful!" Wang Zhengxiang gave him a thumbs up.
"So Brother Qiu, is that why you posted about it?"
"Not entirely. What really prompted me to post was that my dad was injured by those demolition people. The guy who hurt my dad is named Liu Xiaolong; he's a thug in society and also the brother-in-law of Director Wang mentioned in this report!" Zhang Qiu pointed forcefully at Wang Guodong's name in the newspaper.
"Damn, Brother Qiu, you dared to provoke him?" Wang Zhengxiang's eyes widened in shock.
"Anyone who touches my family, no matter who it is, cannot be forgiven," Zhang Qiu said emphatically.
Zhang Qiu's words shocked everyone except Yang Yu. Gao Zhi sighed deeply in his heart, realizing he had chosen the right person to follow. Brother Qiu was incredibly formidable; even if his brother-in-law offended him, he wouldn't spare the brother-in-law, who was Police Chief Wang Guodong.
Seeing that Zhang Qiu had not hidden anything from them, Yang Yu vividly added some details, including how they set a trap for Liu Xiaolong, how they contacted reporters to expose Wang Guodong, and how they conspired with He Jun. In the end, Yang Yu proudly looked at everyone and said, "Liu Xiaolong's brother Liu Xiaofei is competing with our Brother Qiu for a woman, and now he's damn well locked up in the detention center."
After Yang Yu finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter, and at the same time, they gained a new understanding of Zhang Qiu.
"Brother Qiu, you are amazing," Zhao Pingchuan sincerely praised. This was not something a high school student would typically do.
Seeing everyone so happy, Zhang Qiu laughed along. However, he knew he wasn't that impressive; it only seemed glamorous on the surface. The dangers behind it were known only to him. One wrong step could lead to a bottomless abyss from which he could never rise again. Fortunately, Zhang Qiu had stumbled through it all. But all of this was still an illusion; only when Wang Guodong truly fell from power could Zhang Qiu look forward to his day in the sun.
Even so, Zhang Qiu still enjoyed the feeling of being admired, which further solidified his belief in establishing his own new force. Reality was filled with cruelty; to avoid greater harm, one could only choose to move forward relentlessly. His fate must be in his own hands.
Zhang Qiu raised his glass again and confidently addressed everyone: "I believe our future will be glorious; cheers!"
The dinner party reached another climax as everyone downed their drinks in one go. Zhang Qiu and the others were flushed from drinking; after all, they weren't like Yang Yu, who had drunk many times before. Wang Zhengxiang was already feeling a bit dizzy and leaned on the table to rest. Only Yang Yu remained calm as if nothing were happening.
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