Chapter 113: Lambs to the Slaughter

When Zhou Wen extinguished his sixth cigarette, he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching.

His two bodyguards immediately tensed, their hands instinctively moving toward their waistbands, ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice.

"Don't be so nervous. Our enemies wouldn't be this brazen," Zhou Wen said coldly, watching his personal security detail.

He thought to himself that if these two couldn't keep their composure, they might become a liability at a critical moment. He would find an excuse to replace them once he returned.

As Zhou Wen pondered this, a Hummer slowly drove in and came to a stop right in front of him. Throughout the entire process, his two bodyguards maintained a state of high alert. Only after the vehicle had come to a full stop did they finally relax.

The doors opened, and Huang Yu and Peng Min stepped out. Zhou Wen signaled to his bodyguards, who understood and retreated a distance to keep watch from afar.

"Uncle Zhou, it’s been a long time. You’re looking well," Huang Yu said with a smile as he walked up to Zhou Wen and looked him over. He noticed the two men in suits but paid them no mind.

"Little Yu, when did you get back?" Zhou Wen asked, smiling as he scanned Huang Yu.

"Just a short while ago," Huang Yu replied.

"And who is this? Your girlfriend? You finally wised up, kid. Your father has been nagging me about you, saying you're twenty-five and still haven't figured this part of life out." Zhou Wen glanced at Peng Min and chuckled, then leaned in to whisper teasingly, "Your father even suspected a few times that you weren't interested in women. He was so worried about not having grandchildren that he was planning on asking your mother to give you a younger brother."

Huang Yu was speechless. However, when Zhou Wen referred to Peng Min as his girlfriend, he did not deny it. After all, they had already done everything a couple was meant to do. He wasn't the type of person to act sanctimonious after the fact.

Seeing that Huang Yu did not deny her status in front of the middle-aged man, Peng Min felt her heart swell with joy. She immediately smiled and said, "Hello, Uncle Zhou, I’m Peng Min."

Zhou Wen beamed at her. "Nice to meet you, Miss Peng. My nephew has very high standards; he has never brought another woman to see me before. I can say for certain that you must be his first."

*Li Jia is the one who came before me; at best, I’m the second. Who knows if this guy had others before her?* Peng Min thought to herself, though she kept it to herself. She simply smiled at Zhou Wen’s comment without adding anything.

"Smoke? Oh, I remember you don't smoke. It’s a pity; you’re missing out on one of life’s simple pleasures." Zhou Wen pulled out a cigarette, offered it to Huang Yu, and then hesitated, pulling it back.

"Uncle Zhou, I didn't smoke before, but I want to now. Give me one," Huang Yu said, reaching out.

Zhou Wen was surprised, but he smiled and didn't ask why, handing it over. He lit it for Huang Yu first, then lit one for himself. This scene left the bodyguards in the distance and the driver in the business car completely stunned. In the entire city of PE, even the mayor probably hadn't received the honor of having Zhou Wen light a cigarette for him.

They all wondered silently just who this young man was.

"I’ve captured the people for you, Uncle. They are tied up inside. I won't ask why you want them—they’re just small fry—but I should tell you that one of them belongs to your Uncle Cao. Don't worry, though; even if he finds out, he won't have any issues with it. But don't overthink it; I’ve instructed my men, so no word will leak out. Even if it did, your Uncle Cao would only trace it back to me, not you." Zhou Wen took a drag and said dismissively.

"Uncle Zhou, thank you for the trouble," Huang Yu said.

"Small matter, just a small matter," Zhou Wen waved his hand.

Huang Yu took a drag, but as a first-time smoker, he began to cough violently.

"Just starting? Look at you. If your father saw this, he’d never stop laughing at you," Zhou Wen chuckled. He seemed unusually happy, laughing continuously, which surprised Huang Yu. In the past, his uncle had always been solemn and austere.

What Huang Yu didn't realize was that Zhou Wen was genuinely pleased to see the change in him. It was this shift that made him happy, which was why he hadn't hesitated to capture these men—even those associated with his own circle—without asking a single question.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zhou Wen asked, "Dinner tonight?"

"No, let's do it another day. I have a lot on my plate lately," Huang Yu replied after a moment's thought.

"I understand. Young people have their own lives and romances. I’ve been there," Zhou Wen said, glancing at Peng Min with a smile.

Before leaving, Zhou Wen promised to send someone to clean up in an hour. He handed a business card to Peng Min as a gift for calling him "Uncle," telling her that if she ever ran into trouble in PE, she could come straight to him. He boasted that in PE, they were the only ones who could bully others; no one could touch them.

Peng Min hesitated, but after seeing Huang Yu nod, she took the card and thanked him.

As Huang Yu watched the business car drive away, he was suddenly reminded of an incident from his first year of middle school. He had tried to stop a senior bully from harassing a classmate, but he was outnumbered and beaten badly. He had been so bruised and battered that he didn't dare go home, hiding in the yard and trying to figure out what excuse to give his parents.

Zhou Wen, who had come to see his father on business, found him there and asked what happened. Huang Yu, then young and naive, told him everything, including the names of the bullies. He had thought his uncle was just listening to a story, especially when Zhou Wen laughed at him for losing the fight.

But a few days later, those three bullies met with tragic ends—one in a car accident, another in a street brawl. It wasn't just them; their families suffered, too. Some burned to death in house fires, while others simply vanished without a trace.

"Yu, what are you thinking about?" Peng Min asked, tugging his arm.

Huang Yu snapped back to reality. The business car had long since disappeared. "Nothing, just remembering the past."

Inside the warehouse, Huang Yu had originally intended to ask why they had targeted Li Jia’s family. But as he looked at the five men tied up on the floor, struggling in vain, the desire to ask left him. Asking wouldn't bring Li Jia back. Besides, he could guess the reason—drug dealers always needed new addicts to fuel their profits. Li Jia’s family had simply been unlucky enough to cross their path.

"Peng Min, go outside and wait. I don't want to ask anything; I'll be out in a minute or two," Huang Yu said.

Peng Min stared at the five men. She recognized three of them—people she had once had to look up to. She never imagined they would be lying there like slaughtered sheep.

"No, I want to watch them die," she said firmly, her voice filled with deep resentment.

"Did they..." Huang Yu started, but stopped.

"Yes. Three of them did that to me. I begged them, but it was useless," Peng Min said, her face expressionless.

Huang Yu didn't know how to comfort her, and perhaps she didn't need it. She was a strong, resolute woman. He didn't ask her to leave again. If she wanted to watch, he would let her.

Huang Yu drew the knife he had brought with him and walked slowly toward the five men. Hearing his footsteps, they struggled harder, their muffled cries echoing through the room.