Chapter 135: A Taste of One's Own Medicine, Part Two

The voice and appearance of this man finally helped Jiang Xiwen recall where he had seen this car before.

It was that day at school, right by the entrance of the faculty residential area, when he ran into Tan Yutou. At the time, the driver had been quite arrogant, while the person inside the car maintained a very polite attitude, yet kept his head lowered the whole time as if afraid of being recognized. Looking back now, that high-“quality” talent who kept his head down must have been Gao Jie. It was very likely that on that exact day, this punk had gone to Fang Sixiang’s house to conspire, which would explain why he was so cautiously hiding from him.

Thinking this inwardly, a sincere smile bloomed on his face as he stepped forward and said, "Brother Gao, you've arrived. Please come in, upstairs please..."

Damn it, even my acting skills are being forced out by you bunch of bastards. First Fan Qiang, and now you, this arrogant playboy. Jiang Xiwen cursed inwardly.

"Hmph!" Wearing an arrogant expression, Gao Jie finally managed to hold his head high in front of Jiang Xiwen, determined to put on airs to the fullest.

"Brother Gao, please..." Jiang Xiwen said with a beaming smile, then turned to snap at the guard, "Why aren't you opening the gate yet? Brother Gao is here, what are you standing there daydreaming for?"

He had previously told the guard that a very important person was coming—otherwise, a kid like him would never be able to book a table here—and the guard had been skeptical. Now, seeing Gao Jie actually appear, dressed in a high-end suit, the guard finally believed it. He hurriedly opened the gate with a fawning smile plastered all over his face.

Jiang Xiwen wanted to create precisely this kind of momentum—the self-important momentum that Gao Jie craved. The tone of voice this playboy had used when calling someone while bullying an old beggar in the alley last time clearly showed that he cared immensely about saving face.

Since he wanted face, he would give him face in abundance, letting his vanity swell continuously until it reached its absolute peak. Only when he was thoroughly inflated would he let down his guard and overlook everything, making it easy to win his trust.

The two of them went up to the second floor one after the other. The consumption level in Yangjiang City was not high, and even though it was the weekend, very few people came to places like Southern Hotel during this era. The food here might not necessarily taste better than a river-seafood restaurant, but the environment was far superior. Only people with sufficient petty-bourgeois romanticism would occasionally come here for a meal.

The spot carefully chosen by Jiang Xiwen was quiet, elegant, and most importantly, perfect for taking candid photographs.

"Brother Gao, please have a seat." Jiang Xiwen reached out to pull back the chair for Gao Jie. Gao Jie let out a hum, slumped carelessly into the seat, and swaggered, "Cut the crap with me. Just hurry up and tell me what the hell I need to do to make Yu Ziqing follow me."

"Brother Gao, no need to rush. I’ve ordered a few of the signature dishes here. Let’s eat and talk," Jiang Xiwen said as he sat back down in his own seat, smiling. "That chick will be yours sooner or later anyway, she isn't going anywhere."

The complacent satisfaction finally broke through Gao Jie’s deliberately feigned cold expression, and he immediately chuckled smugly. "Kid, I love hearing you talk like that. Sooner or later she'll be mine, and she can't run away. You're finally catching on. Fine, I'll give you face today and eat this meal with you. Once we're done, you're taking me to Yu Ziqing's place. Tell her stubborn old man that the money she received came from me."

"Brother Gao, absolutely, absolutely. Though I've arranged it for next Wednesday. I wonder if you'll still be around? Her younger daughter is having surgery that day, so going then will have an even greater effect..." Jiang Xiwen leaned toward Gao Jie with a flattering smile plastered across his face.

Gao Jie nodded as well, a crafty smile appearing on his face as he tapped his fingers on the table and said, "Alright, kid. Pretty sharp mind. Not bad, not bad."

Damn, this guy really knows how to play along, Jiang Xiwen muttered to himself. He had been imitating the expressions of villainous sycophants from television shows, never expecting that Gao Jie’s responsive gestures and expressions would completely match those on TV. It was utterly hilarious.

"You two, can we serve the dishes now?" A waiter walked over at that exact moment. Coincidentally, he also wore a completely fawning smile. Looking at that expression gave Jiang Xiwen goosebumps all over, but he had no choice and had to endure it.

"Serve them, serve them! We've been waiting ages, and Brother Gao wants to taste the food," Jiang Xiwen said with a stern face to the waiter.

"Yes, right away." The waiter hurriedly nodded and strode away.

While waiting for the dishes to arrive, Jiang Xiwen took an envelope out of his bag. The style of the envelope was identical to the one Li Changtain had used when showing him photographs in his office last time.

He slipped the envelope to Gao Jie and said, "Brother Gao, consider this a small gesture of apology from me. One thousand yuan, please don't look down on it."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie deliberately frowned, glanced at the money, and said, "What are you being so polite for? As long as you help me get Yu Ziqing into my hands, I don't care about a little money." Despite saying that, he still reached out, took the envelope, and tucked it into his leather bag.

At that exact moment, Qi Huanchang, stationed not far away, quietly pressed the shutter button. *Click, click, click* sounded simultaneously with the crash of a dropped plate and bowls.

Jiang Xiwen and Gao Jie both turned their heads toward the source of the shattered porcelain. A skinny man was sitting there, arguing angrily with a waiter who had been carrying dishes.

All of this had been pre-arranged between Jiang Xiwen and Qi Huanchang. The guy who dropped the plates had been hired by Qi Huanchang specifically to help cover up the sound of the camera shutter at that moment, for the price of two hundred yuan in cash and a dinner at Southern Hotel.

"Brother Gao, I'm terribly sorry for the disturbance," Jiang Xiwen quickly said. "Let's continue our chat and pay no mind to such boring people."

Gao Jie nodded and said, "Xiwen, you're really starting to get the hang of things, kid. Don't worry, your old man is fine. Zhang Yong's case is ironclad anyway, and you know how to read the situation, cutting ties with him early on."

"Of course, before that it was just me being clueless..." Jiang Xiwen stopped halfway as he saw the dishes being brought out. Being polite, he said, "Brother Gao, this is a specialty by the master chef of Southern Hotel, a newly arrived chef you probably haven't tried yet: Sizzling Bean Curd Greens. These greens are actually roasted using top-quality beef spine meat; afterwards, the beef spine meat is thrown away, and only the greens are kept. Normally, the beef spine meat would be the main dish, right? But this chef is quite something, using the beef spine meat merely as a garnish for the greens..."

Gao Jie listened with great curiosity, and Jiang Xiwen smiled, "Brother Gao, why don't you try it first? No matter how much I praise it, you'll only truly know after tasting it yourself."

This dish was also something Jiang Xiwen had put thought into. He had given instructions to the chef beforehand to stir-fry beef with greens, then remove the beef and serve only the greens, all just to give Gao Jie something novel to hear about. Once this guy was thoroughly bewildered, it would be much easier to extract information from him.

Dish after dish was served, each with strange and exotic names. Although the taste was ordinary, the unusual preparation methods had already made Gao Jie subconsciously believe they were delicious.

Where there is food, there must naturally be wine. However, Jiang Xiwen was only willing to drink with true-blooded friends, so he only took tiny sips himself while continually pouring drinks into Gao Jie.

After three rounds of drinks, Jiang Xiwen asked, "Brother Gao, you really have skills. I heard that whistleblowing letter was written with such high proficiency that it's practically impossible to recognize the handwriting."

Gao Jie was already feeling a bit tipsy. He shook his head and laughed, "What proficiency? That letter was written by Director Fang from your school. That guy has a grudge against you, but don't worry, he won't ever dare to bother you again in the future."

So it really was written by Fang Sixiang! Jiang Xiwen gave a thumbs-up and said, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, Brother Gao. In other words, the photos and the letter were all handled by Fang Sixiang, allowing Brother Gao to stay completely out of it and use this petty villain to do the dirty work. As the ancient saying goes, strategizing within a command tent means a commander doesn't need to dirty his own hands..."

Jiang Xiwen emphasized the words "petty villain" to make Gao Jie believe that he truly despised Fang Sixiang, making the act look even more authentic.

Gao Jie took a bite of food, smiled, and remained silent.

Seeing that Gao Jie didn't take the bait, Jiang Xiwen quickly poured him another glass and said, "Come, Brother Gao, let's have another drink. Let's drink to our heart's content and wash away all our past misunderstandings."

"Drink..." Gao Jie was praised to the skies by Jiang Xiwen, feeling utterly fantastic inside. This sensation was completely different from being buttered up by his usual gang of lackeys. This Jiang Xiwen was the very enemy who had messed with him and ruined his plans several times! Being able to turn an enemy into a subordinate was a feeling not just anyone could experience.

With another cup of warm liquor down his throat, Jiang Xiwen continued probing, "Brother Gao, you really are a master strategist. Director Fang seems utterly foolish though, thinking about going to the bank..."

"How do you know about that?" Hearing Jiang Xiwen bring this up, Gao Jie's vigilance instantly spiked, and he hurriedly interrupted.

Seeing Gao Jie's reaction, Jiang Xiwen felt a jolt in his heart. He knew he couldn't panic at this moment; since he had bluffed this far, he had to keep bluffing. He secretly steadied his nerves, put on a casual expression, and said, "Hey, Brother Gao, how secret do you think this thing really is? That little girl Zhang Yang even ran over to complain to me, whining about how her mother never received any money, so how on earth did thirty thousand yuan magically appear, with no one knowing where it came from?"

Jiang Xiwen intentionally omitted any mention of the savings account opening or Zhou Lan to avoid arousing Gao Jie's suspicion.

Seeing Gao Jie remain silent for a long moment, Jiang Xiwen added, "Could this matter really be that confidential? Should I mention it to Brother Gao's father so he can keep an eye on it? I naturally assumed Zhang Yang's old lady would know the investigation team was looking into her thirty thousand yuan, which shouldn't be surprising at all."