The collective barracks were empty, with no one else back yet, making the entire building very quiet.
Hearing footsteps, Liu Tiezhu, who was lying on the bed, immediately became alert. He glanced over and, seeing it was Zhang Tielin, sat up straight, wanting to see what Zhang Tielin was up to.
Zhang Tielin didn't bother hiding either. He walked openly to about two meters from Liu Tiezhu's bed and stopped.
"Brother Tiezhu, I know you've long realized that we brothers have been tailing you."
"I'm not here for anything else. I just want to explain why we've been following you."
Zhang Tielin didn't beat around the bush and laid everything out on the table. He understood perfectly that when talking to someone like Liu Tiezhu, it was best to be straightforward. Playing mind games or using tricks would only cause more trouble.
After hearing Zhang Tielin's explanation, Liu Tiezhu countered, "Why are you doing this? Aren't you afraid Jiang He will find out and cause you trouble?"
"Besides, I have nothing to offer you."
Since Zhang Tielin was being direct, he got straight to the point too. Of course, he still had doubts about Zhang Tielin's words.
"Brother Tiezhu, I'm not doing this for anything. I just want to leave a way out for us brothers."
"Someone like you is bound to make it big someday. I hope when that time comes, you won't come after us."
Zhang Tielin bluntly stated what was on his mind.
"Is it really that simple?" Liu Tiezhu asked skeptically.
From Zhang Tielin's words, it wasn't hard to see that they weren't entirely loyal to Jiang He either.
"Yes, it's really that simple," Zhang Tielin said honestly.
Liu Tiezhu replied, "I live by the rule: don't mess with me, and I won't mess with you. If you truly do as you say, I can promise I won't make things hard for you in the future."
He didn't want any more secrets getting back to Jiang He. If Zhang Tielin could keep some things hidden for him, it would be a safety net.
Hearing the answer he wanted, Zhang Tielin breathed a sigh of relief. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Liu Tiezhu, he left the collective barracks.
The next day, Liu Tiezhu didn't wake up until after ten o'clock. As soon as he stepped out of the barracks, Guo Lin came up to him with some steamed buns.
"Brother Tiezhu, there's no food left in the camp, so I bought you some meat buns."
Liu Tiezhu was hungry and took the buns without hesitation, eating them up.
"Brother Tiezhu, let me tell you, something big happened in town."
Liu Tiezhu paused, immediately realizing his plan had worked. But he put on a surprised expression and asked, "What big thing? Spill it."
"The Mingxuan Pawnshop in town was robbed last night. Everything was taken, not a single item left," Guo Lin said.
"How do you know this?"
Guo Lin replied, "It's all over town. Now a lot of people are causing a ruckus at the Mingxuan Pawnshop, demanding to get back the items they pawned."
"The pawnshop was cleaned out, so there's no way to return those customers' pawned goods."
"This time, the Mingxuan Pawnshop is definitely done for."
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu couldn't help but laugh out loud. Last night, he had Guo Hua spread the news specifically so all the Mingxuan Pawnshop's customers would know. Now the pawnshop not only had to lose those customers' items but also pay them a huge sum in compensation. That's why Guo Qixing, after figuring it out last night, said Liu Tiezhu was truly ruthless.
"Brother Tiezhu, what are you laughing at?"
Guo Lin stared wide-eyed, looking confused.
Liu Tiezhu said, "A scam of a pawnshop getting robbed is something worth celebrating."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Guo Lin paused, then laughed along with him.
Just as the atmosphere was harmonious, a cold voice cut through.
"You little bastard, did you pull off the Mingxuan Pawnshop job?"
Jiang Tianliang approached with a grim face, speaking coldly.
That morning, when he heard the news of the Mingxuan Pawnshop being robbed, he nearly choked to death from anger. Before he could catch his breath, the news of customers causing trouble made him faint. Luckily, there were plenty of people around, and it took half an hour to revive him. He spent the whole morning racking his brain but couldn't figure out who would be so bold. Then, prompted by someone nearby, he wondered if it was Liu Tiezhu retaliating after he sent people to kill him yesterday.
Hearing that, he immediately thought that one of Liang Haichao's group might have sold him out. He had taken Liang Haichao and the others to the Mingxuan Pawnshop and assigned them to guard the storage area. None of the four had returned last night, and Liu Tiezhu had threatened him before leaving. Then the pawnshop got hit this morning. All these events linked together couldn't be a coincidence.
Seeing Jiang Tianliang's sour face, Guo Lin wisely slipped away.
"Old eunuch, why are you barking up the wrong tree?"
Liu Tiezhu didn't put up with Jiang Tianliang's aggressive tone at all. He stared back coldly and shot back.
Jiang Tianliang said coldly, "You son of a bitch, you're not admitting it?"
"I asked the guards at the gate. Last night, you went out with Guo Qixing and came back very late."
"What the hell does it have to do with you who I go out with?"
"Are you so bored you're looking for trouble?"
"Or do you think you're tough and want to take me on?"
Liu Tiezhu's words were shocking. He showed no respect for Jiang Tianliang, the examiner. He was no longer under Jiang Tianliang's authority, so Jiang Tianliang couldn't do anything to him. Besides, why be polite to an old fox who wanted him dead?
Seeing Liu Tiezhu's attitude, Jiang Tianliang was furious. He didn't dare expose the pawnshop incident, or the Ming family would investigate him. But now, he had no way to deal with Liu Tiezhu. He couldn't beat him in a fight, and the people he sent to do dirty work were useless.
After some thought, Jiang Tianliang forced out a smile that was uglier than crying.
"Brother Tiezhu, can we talk this out?"
"If you just return those things, I promise I won't bother you anymore."
"How about we wipe the slate clean on our past grudges?"
He was out of options and had to resort to groveling to appease Liu Tiezhu. The pawnshop wasn't just his; there was a big shot behind it. With this mess, if he couldn't come up with a solution, losing money would be the least of his worries—losing his life was the real threat.
Liu Tiezhu rubbed his nose and said, "Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Jiang Tianliang froze, then snapped, "Liu Tiezhu, what do you mean?"
"Jiang Tianliang, you've got the wrong guy. I don't know a damn thing about what you're talking about."
"What Mingxuan Pawnshop? I don't know it. Go find whoever you want."
"You think you can pin any crap on me? Do you really think I'm easy to push around?"
Liu Tiezhu's voice was firm as he pointed at Jiang Tianliang's nose and cursed him out. How could he admit to the pawnshop job at a time like this? Even if there was evidence right in front of him, he couldn't confess. Besides, Jiang Tianliang had no proof—he was just going on instinct to cause trouble. And he even threw out a promise to set a trap, treating Liu Tiezhu like a fool to be fooled.
Moreover, Jiang Tianliang's promise was worthless. What could he guarantee with? His dick? If Liu Tiezhu believed that nonsense, he'd be playing right into Jiang Tianliang's hands. Every word from that old bastard was a trap. One slip-up, and he'd fall right in.