That day, I put on a new suit and had my hair done, making myself look every bit the successful businessman. Then I picked up the five-centimeter-thick bid document on my desk, ready to see Meng Danmin.
Getting to see him wasn't hard. Liu Feng had wined and dined so many of his staff—surely that bought us some access. I practically strolled right up to his office door.
I knocked first.
"Come in."
I pushed the door open, then closed it behind me.
Meng Danmin glanced up at me. "Who are you?"
I smiled at him. "You're a busy man, sir—you might not remember, but your people shut down our group's projects just recently."
"Oh…"
Meng Danmin's expression was nonchalant. He even took a sip from his thermos of hot tea before saying, "You're Huang Xincheng."
I nodded, then sat down across from him with a deferential smile, setting the bid document on his desk and sliding it gently toward him.
He glanced at the word "Bid Document" and scoffed. "I don't have anything up for bid here."
"Don't say that, sir. Just open it and take a look."
"Hmph."
He flipped to the first page—and his face instantly changed.
The first page listed every detail of his family: names, photos, addresses, ages, birthdays, jobs, schools, phone numbers, hobbies—everything.
His gaze on me lost its earlier composure.
I simply said, "No, no, sir—turn to the next page."
He低头, flipping to the second page. The text here was smaller—because there was so much more to record. This page centered on Meng Wei, listing all his relatives within three generations. I'd had my men highlight the occupations of those with standing: business owners, government officials, university professors, overseas professionals… A scale of influence that made my own fractured family—abandoned by a remarried mother—look like another world.
"The third page is quite interesting too."
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. Meng Danmin, jittery as a spooked animal, quickly shut the document.
I stood up, grabbing his hand. "Don't close it. Look at the third page."
With that, I flipped it open for him.
This page cataloged Meng Wei's deeds over the years—mostly petty cruelties, but a few major ones too: seducing underage girls and passing it off as consensual; framing others for crimes, landing them in trouble; hiring hitmen and exploiting legal loopholes to get them light sentences. Any one of these, pulled out, would be a heinous offense.
Meng Danmin was clearly panicking.
I pressed my advantage: "The Mengs are a big family. Your elders and peers have all done well—yet Meng Wei sticks out like a sore thumb. To put it bluntly, he's a single rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel."
Meng Danmin took a deep breath, trying to sound authoritative as he lowered his voice: "What exactly do you want?"
I sat back down. "Please turn further."
He flipped a few pages, finding only blank sheets, and looked at me in confusion. I gestured for him to keep going.
He flipped faster, and dozens of pages in, discovered cutouts in the document—holding four 100-gram gold bars.
Meng Danmin's expression shifted again, clearly bewildered.
"What is this supposed to mean?"
I pulled out my phone, dialed Liu Feng, and handed it to him.
He put it to his ear.
Liu Feng's voice came through: "It's your uncle. Talk."
Then, a new voice—Meng Wei's: "Uncle! Help me! They've kidnapped me! I've been locked up for days! Help me…"
Meng Danmin's face drained of color. "Meng Wei? What's wrong? Where are you?"
I shushed him with a finger to my lips.
Meng Danmin realized he'd raised his voice, and quieted down. "Huang Xincheng, what the hell do you want?"
I said nothing, just pushed the document—with the gold bars—closer to him.
Then I spoke: "Sir, I've known Meng Wei since 1993. Back then, he was harassing my wife. I was young and reckless, beat him up good—and later served four years in prison for it. I thought that settled the score."
"But three years after I got out, I opened a small shop. He showed up with his goons, ruined my business, and trashed my reputation. I closed up, tried to find work, but no one in the area would hire me."
"Then my father-in-law took his savings to beg the factory director for a job for me. Again, it was Meng Wei—he got his uncle, your second brother, to block me. They fired my father-in-law, and the stress gave him a stroke, landing him in the hospital."
"Back then, I had elders and a child to support, no money, no job. He pushed me into the underworld."
"During the anti-gang crackdown, he targeted me, got my boss locked up, then had men in the prison kill him."
"Now I've finally built this company up, and he's sent you to ruin me."
"Of course, sir, I know we have no grudge. Meng Wei must've begged you, playing on family ties, and you gave in, just flicking a finger to make things hard for me."
"So I had him kidnapped for a few days, and had my men dig up all this. But be honest, sir—Meng Wei's a vindictive monster. Seventeen years he's hounded me. Who could stand that? I can't. That's why I'm here—to propose a deal."
"I know the Mengs are rich, and this is chump change to you. But to me, Meng Wei's worth exactly this."
"Your family has so many outstanding descendants—why let this brute drag you all down? If you keep coddling him, he'll ruin your whole clan one day."
"You've seen what he's done. If this gets out, what happens to the Mengs?"
"So I'm giving you a choice: a long-term business partner… or a black sheep relative. Which will it be?"
Meng Danmin stayed silent, putting on the deliberate air of a man in power.
I pressed on: "Whatever you choose, I'll respect it. Pick family, and I'll let Meng Wei go— but I can't guarantee the safety of your other relatives, or the secrecy of your family's skeletons."
"Pick me as a friend, and I'll repay you tenfold. I'll be your loyal dog—whatever you say goes. But Meng Wei… has to die."
"His life's in your hands."
Meng Danmin was sweating, his glasses fogging up. I noticed his lips trembling—caught in a violent struggle.
He looked at me. "This is illegal!"
"Come now, sir—has the Meng family never broken the law?"
"But… Meng Wei is my elder brother's son. How do I explain this to him?"
"Relax. Only heaven, earth, you, and I will know. Let Meng Wei vanish. Your brother will never find out. My man here is very good at his job. Choose without worry."
"..."
He stared down at the gold bars, then silently closed the document, taking a fresh breath.
"Xincheng Group's rectification work is satisfactory. I'll take this proposal back to review. I hope we can build a long-term partnership."
I smiled and nodded, switching the call to speakerphone. "You hear that, Liu Feng?"
From the phone came the sound of a man struggling for his life—muffled, no screams. It went on for minutes, until the line went dead.
I pulled a voice recorder from my pocket, stood up, and bowed to Meng Danmin. "Thank you for your guidance, sir!"
Then I walked out, leaving him to his thoughts.