Chapter 521: Li Yunbao’s Growth
Off the coast of Hong Kong Island!
When Li Yunbao was rescued by Huang Lixing, he was so starved that his eyes were spinning.
The moment he saw Huang Lixing, Li Yunbao—who prided himself on his strength—couldn’t hold back his tears. He threw his arms around Huang Lixing and wept loudly.
Huang Lixing looked at his bedraggled appearance, but his mind drifted back to the words Li Yi and Li Yunbao had spoken during the Li family banquet that day: “You’re in for a bloody disaster!”
At the time, both Young Master Li and Chairman Li had looked utterly skeptical—especially Young Master Li, who had dismissed it as nothing more than a nosebleed from heatstroke. Well, now he’d learned his lesson the hard way!
Once Li Yunbao had composed himself a bit, Huang Lixing patted him on the shoulder and said, “Young Master Li, stop crying. Have something to eat—we’ve got other business to attend to!”
With that, Huang Lixing immediately had one of his underlings bring over an insulated lunch box, which he handed to Li Yunbao.
When Li Yunbao opened it, he found the container had two layers: one held two pieces of red date cake, and the bottom layer was filled with fresh shrimp congee.
Just from the smell, he knew it was from his favorite restaurant.
Having gone without food for several days, Li Yunbao couldn’t hold back any longer and immediately picked up the box, digging in with big bites.
After wolfing down half the container of shrimp congee and the two red date cakes, Li Yunbao felt the burning sensation in his stomach finally subside, and he felt revitalized.
Only then did he ask, “Mr. Huang, how did you find me? Did my old man send you?”
“Mr. Li isn’t aware of this. It was Brother Li Yi who sent us over!” Huang Lixing replied.
“Mr. Li Yi… how did he know I was here…”
Just as he was speaking, a henchman suddenly rushed up to Huang Lixing and whispered a few words in his ear.
Upon hearing this, Huang Lixing cut Li Yunbao off and said, “Young Master Li, you can ask Brother Li Yi about that yourself when you get back. The kidnappers who took you hostage have already been caught, and all the ransom money has been recovered. Would you like to go take a look?”
Li Yunbao was taken aback for a moment, then clenched his teeth and said, “Of course I’ll go! Why wouldn’t I?”
He then added, “Mr. Huang, as far as I know, they still have a ship over on Dongwan Island!”
Huang Lixing immediately understood what Li Yunbao meant and replied, “Young Master Li, I’ll send a team to search that area right away!”
Right away, Huang Lixing ordered the speedboat to head toward the kidnappers’ fishing boat while directing the two cargo ships on the perimeter to rush to Dongwan Island to search for the kidnappers’ other vessel.
The speedboat was fast and soon arrived alongside the large fishing boat!
By then, all the kidnappers on board had already been subdued by Huang Lixing’s men, including the Zhang brothers.
When Huang Lixing appeared on the fishing boat, supporting Li Yunbao, he saw his former close friend Zhang Jiadong, along with his father, uncle, and others, bound and kneeling on the deck, each with a rag stuffed in their mouth.
Beside them lay a man, blood flowing continuously from his body, staining the entire deck red.
Seeing this scene, Li Yunbao was deeply shaken!
Huang Lixing, seeing this, realized a clash had erupted between the two sides. He immediately glanced at the squad leader and asked, “Fathead, are there any casualties among our men?”
“Don’t worry, boss. They’re just a bunch of lowlifes—they can’t hurt us!”
At that moment, Zhang Jiadong also spotted Li Yunbao and immediately struggled to crawl toward him.
But there was no way the Qinglong Society’s henchmen would let him get near Li Yunbao. Immediately, two burly men stepped forward and pinned him firmly to the ground.
Zhang Jiadong knew this was his last chance to save his father and uncles. He struggled with all his might while shouting repeatedly toward Li Yunbao.
But with his mouth stuffed full, all he could manage were a series of grunts, sounding like a piglet about to be slaughtered.
Li Yunbao gave him a cold glance and said, “Take that thing out of his mouth!”
The henchman didn’t dare delay and immediately pulled the ragged cloth out of Zhang Jiadong’s mouth.
Feeling slightly suffocated, Zhang Jiadong took several deep breaths, then pleaded with Li Yunbao: “Yunbao, we were wrong. Please save my third uncle—he’s dying. You have to save him. I’m begging you…”
“Smack!”
Zhang Jiadong’s plea was met not with a promise of help, but with a resounding slap.
Li Yunbao had struck with all his might. The blow left five large fingerprints on Zhang Jiadong’s relatively fair face, and his body collapsed to the side.
Zhang Jiadong was so stunned by the blow that he forgot to get back up!
But Li Yunbao wasn’t done yet. He stepped forward and began kicking and punching his former friend, only stopping when blood was gushing from Zhang Jiadong’s nose and mouth, gasping for breath.
Then, stepping on Zhang Jiadong’s face, he said with a look of madness in his eyes, “Do you know that I truly treated you like a brother? When I found out your family had gone bankrupt, I swallowed my pride for the first time and begged my old man to help you out. That was the first time I’d ever begged him since I was twelve—and I did it all for you!”
“But look how you treated me—you actually teamed up with these scumbags to kidnap me! They even planned to kill me and dump my body in the open sea. Hahaha, what a great brother you are—you sure know how to stab someone in the back!”
At that, Li Yunbao shoved Zhang Jiadong aside, walked straight up to Zhang Chengzhi, and slapped him hard across the face.
Then, with a sneer, he said, “You know what? On the very night you kidnapped me, my old man agreed to help your family… He was planning to lend your family money. You didn’t actually have to go bankrupt!”
Hearing Li Yunbao’s words, Zhang Jiadong, Zhang Chengzhi, and the others looked utterly incredulous, their faces quickly turning to one of deep regret.
They knew full well the Li family’s influence in Hong Kong. If the Li family had truly been willing to step in and help them, the Zhang family would certainly have weathered the storm.
Even those troublesome triad groups would dare not cause them trouble if the Li family simply gave the word.
But… but they had chosen a different path…
“Yunbao, I’m… I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry…”
“Hah. Don’t you think that ‘sorry’ sounds a bit cheap compared to those ten billion Hong Kong dollars?” Li Yunbao said coldly.
Just then, Huang Lixing stepped forward and asked, “Young Master Li, what should we do with these people?”
Li Yunbao was taken aback for a moment, then hesitated slightly before saying, “Don’t ask me about this. Let my old man handle it!”
Hearing this, Zhang Jiadong, Zhang Chengzhi, and the others turned ashen.
They all knew exactly who Li Futao was—falling into his hands would mean a fate worse than death.
“Yunbao, please spare us. We really did wrong…”
Listening to the pleas of his former close friends, Li Yunbao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “The moment you decided to kidnap me, our brotherhood was severed. All that remains now is hatred!”
A flicker of despair crossed Zhang Jiadong’s eyes!
However, Li Yunbao did not seem ready to let it go. He continued, “And let me tell you one more thing: Huang Sheng’s men have already gone to Dongwan Island. Your mother, your sister, your aunt, and your cousins—not a single one of them will escape!”
At those words, Zhang Chengzhi, Zhang Guodong, and the rest of the family were struck with terror!
But before they could open their mouths to beg for mercy, Li Yunbao turned and walked away from the fishing boat.
In that instant, Li Yunbao suddenly realized how naive he had been. His so-called friends and brothers weren’t interested in him as a person, but in the Li family behind him.
Without his family, without Old Man Dxmbang, he would likely be nothing in their eyes.
Even with the family behind him, as long as there was enough profit to be made, he was still nothing more than a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered in their eyes.
Therefore, he acted as if he hadn’t heard Zhang Jiadong’s pleas for mercy. After boarding the speedboat, he sped straight toward the Wan Chai Pier!