Du Zhaohui quickly arranged for a boat.

In the new city of Min Province, Du Chengrong felt quite at ease. After Du Zhaoqi took over the smuggling business, the new city became a stronghold in their business network, and the Du family maintained considerable manpower there.

At dusk, with calm seas and a gentle ocean breeze, Du Chengrong boarded the vessel accompanied by Du Zhaohui.

This boat was nothing like the shabby vessel Xu Zhongyi had arranged when asking to meet Du Zhaohui before. While they wanted a rustic experience, it couldn’t be too beneath Du Chengrong’s status.

As the boat departed from the dock, sailing further into the distance, Du Chengrong stood on the deck, the sea breeze tousling his hair.

The old man’s hair seemed thinner now.

Du Zhaohui stood beside the old man, feeling the advantages of youth. Being young meant having abundant energy – with the old man’s current health, he could outlast him through attrition… but to play the role of a filial son until the old man’s death, being led around like a foolish dog?

“Zhaohui, what are you thinking about? It’s been a long time since we father and son had such a peaceful moment alone. Do you remember how you used to always pester me to take you to the docks when you were little, begging me to take you aboard cargo ships?”

When Du Chengrong suddenly turned sentimental, Du Zhaohui’s voice grew cold:

“I remember. Unfortunately, you became increasingly busy later on and never took me out to sea again.”

It wasn’t just about being busy – the Du family had more and more children. A man’s energy was limited; between making money in business and entertaining women, there wasn’t much fatherly love to spare. What little fatherly affection existed had to be divided into many portions. If today he took Du Zhaohui out to sea, tomorrow another child would be clinging to him wanting to go horseback riding. Unable to cope, Du Chengrong simply stopped taking any of them.

Though father and son had talked about having seafood on the boat, they’d both forgotten about it now.

After a long silence, the boat sailed further and further away.

As the sun’s final rays receded and darkness fell, lights illuminated the deck and cabin while the vessel began to rock.

“A typhoon seems to be approaching. Zhaohui, let’s head back and come out another day.”

As Du Chengrong moved to leave the deck, Du Zhaohui remained gripping the railing. The waves were indeed growing stronger.

“At my 16th birthday party, someone sent a pair of innocent sisters to help me lose my virginity. Someone had drugged my drink, and I almost died with those sisters. That was quite a special birthday gift.”

“At 19, while racing cars, someone had tampered with my brakes…”

“Let me think about more recent times – at 24, when I tried to do legitimate business and went to inspect cargo at the docks, I nearly got killed in gang crossfire.”

That time, Xia Dajun had carried him to safety on his back.

To this day, Du Zhaohui didn’t feel he owed Xia Dajun anything – he had repaid that life-saving debt with money.

Of course, he did feel a tiny bit of gratitude toward Xia Dajun. Without him, he wouldn’t have become involved with Xia Xiaolan.

Du Zhaohui spoke mockingly:

“Oh, the most recent time was on my way to Yangcheng Airport, when I was blown up, car and all – Father, it’s truly miraculous that I can still stand here before you in one piece talking!”

Du Chengrong stopped in his tracks.

“What are you trying to say?”

Du Zhaohui turned to stare at him: “You think I’m going to demand whether you knew about all these assassination attempts? Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. Haha, because you knew about every single assassination attempt!”

What event in the Du family didn’t the old man know about?

There were none!

Ever since the Zhang Jiangdong incident, Du Zhaohui has understood this truth.

Du Chengrong looked around; the deck was eerily quiet. Both his men and Du Zhaohui’s men had vanished.

It seemed as though only father and son remained on the large vessel.

This was indeed a good time for heart-to-heart talk.

“You arranged to meet me in the new city and got me to agree to come out to sea just to tell me these things?”

Du Chengrong shook his head, “Zhaohui, you’re already 27. I thought you understood what being born into the Du family means. The Du family’s current status was earned by my bare hands. You talk about assassination attempts, but you can’t imagine the life-and-death situations I’ve been through to build this family fortune! You’re lucky to be born as my son, Du Chengrong’s son. Having the right to inherit this vast fortune doesn’t mean you can receive it… I will leave 90% of my assets to the heir I choose, and the remaining Du family members will split the remaining 10%.”

Wealth had to be concentrated to maintain greater power.

He wouldn’t follow Tang Jinyun’s example of leaving only 60% of the inheritance to his heir Tang Yuanyue.

Was the old man hinting that surviving multiple near-death experiences qualified him to inherit 90% of the Du family fortune?

Heh.

Such words could only fool his teenage self.

Even if he truly was the old man’s chosen heir, he would never be grateful to the old man. Everything he had, he’d fought for himself.

Du Zhaohui didn’t follow Du Chengrong’s lead, instead changing the subject:

“That lawyer in Canada – you eliminated him. So Mother did entrust you with 20% of the company shares, and you used the profits from those shares to support that group of Du family members and buy jewelry for women outside… Ha! Then you generously offered 5% as a reward, provoking me and Du Zhaoqi to fight over it! What am I fighting for? It was mine, to begin with – what right does Du Zhaoqi have to covet it!”

The deck swayed more violently.

After a long moment, Du Chengrong didn’t answer, choosing instead to turn back toward the cabin.

Du Zhaohui’s eyes blazed red.

Du Chengrong couldn’t enter because a corpulent figure blocked the cabin entrance.

The deck lights shone bright as day, clearly illuminating the figure – it was Liu Tianquan!

Du Chengrong frowned, “Liu Tianquan, what are you doing here? For Keying’s pregnancy’s sake, I already spared your life. How dare you appear before Zhaohui!”

Liu Tianquan stepped forward, and Du Zhaohui noticed that his left sleeve was empty, and he walked with a severe limp in his right leg.

Liu Tianquan’s ears had also been cut off, leaving bare stumps.

He was still as fat as ever, but his former Buddha-like smile had turned ghostly terrifying.

“Brother-in-law, no, no, no, Chairman Du, I must thank Chairman Du for sparing my life, thank you! Let me kowtow to you!”

Liu Tianquan’s movements were grotesque as he truly knelt and kowtowed, rolling to Du Chengrong’s feet. His only intact right hand held a gun pointed at Du Chengrong, while he continued smiling:

“I’m so grateful to Chairman Du! You only took over my business, made me fill the deficit, then had people chop off my limbs, cut off my ears, and throw me into the sea – how magnanimous! But I’ve never figured out which ‘son’ you were avenging!”

Du Chengrong coldly stared at him, as if the person at gunpoint wasn’t himself, showing no fear of Liu Tianquan.

Of course – one sentence from him could elevate Liu Tianquan to heaven, and the next could send him to hell. It had been this way for years; how could he fear Liu Tianquan?

“Since you know of my magnanimity, why didn’t you just die quietly? What’s this now, turning around to join forces with Zhaohui?”

The wind and waves rocked the boat, making even Du Chengrong unsteady. He turned sharply and barked:

“Du Zhaohui, you want to kill your father?”