Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 29 Negotiation

After hanging up the phone, Lei Kun paced restlessly in his office. He had someone investigate the matter, and soon a subordinate reported back.

"Brother Kun, we've found out. The one who sent Scarface Chen to vandalize the Zhonghua Daily was Zhou Qiyuan, the editor-in-chief of Oriental Daily." The subordinate said cautiously, head bowed. "Zhou Qiyuan gave Scarface Chen five thousand Hong Kong dollars the first time, telling him to find an excuse to vandalize the newspaper office, hoping to force Zhonghua Daily to cease publication."

Unexpectedly, the Zhonghua Daily was published as usual the next day, seemingly unaffected. Zhou Qiyuan was unwilling to give up. After waiting for more than ten days, he contacted Scarface Chen again, asking him to go once more, and even offered an extra two thousand Hong Kong dollars, instructing him to make sure the matter was handled thoroughly this time. This time, Scarface Chen didn't go himself; instead, he sent his henchmen with their men, and that's how this incident happened.

"Zhou Qiyuan?" Lei Kun narrowed his eyes, his gaze sinister. "That old fox actually dared to use our Brotherhood as a pawn!"

He had interacted with Zhou Qiyuan before and knew that Zhou Qiyuan was selfish and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. This time, Zhou Qiyuan had his brotherhood members vandalize the Zhonghua Daily, clearly intending to use someone else to do his dirty work, eliminating a competitor without having to get involved himself—a double kill. But he hadn't expected Lin Zhou to be so tough; not only did he not shut down the newspaper, but he also detained his men and handed them over to the police.

Lei Kun knew that now was not the time to pursue Zhou Qiyuan's responsibility; the most urgent task was to rescue the captured brothers. However, if they let it go like this, not only would the Brotherhood lose face, but they would also have no future in the underworld. After much thought, he felt that the best solution was to reconcile with Lin Zhou in private.

Therefore, Lei Kun immediately contacted a middleman with influence in both the legitimate and underworld circles, asking him to negotiate a settlement with Lin Zhou. This middleman, known as Uncle Zhong, was a very loyal and respected figure in Hong Kong's social circles. After hearing the whole story, Uncle Zhong also felt that Zhou Qiyuan's actions were unethical and immediately agreed to help Lei Kun.

That afternoon, Uncle Zhong arranged to meet Lin Zhou at a secluded tea restaurant. Lin Zhou inquired about Uncle Zhong's background with Li Wangcai. Li Wangcai told Lin Zhou that Uncle Zhong was a well-known peacemaker, and many gangs would seek his help to mediate disputes. Generally, people would give him face. After learning about Uncle Zhong's identity, Lin Zhou understood his purpose and did not refuse, so he went to the appointment on time.

The tea restaurant was quiet and not crowded. Uncle Zhong immediately stood up to greet Lin Zhou with a friendly smile: "Mr. Lin, I've long admired your name. I didn't expect you to be so young. Meeting you today, I can see you truly live up to your reputation. A hero indeed, a young man!"

"Uncle Zhong, you're too kind." Lin Zhou sat down and got straight to the point. "Uncle Zhong, you asked me to come here today, probably about the Brotherhood, right?"

Uncle Zhong nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Lin Sheng is indeed a straightforward man. That's right, I'm here today on Lei Kun's behalf to talk to you about reconciliation. Lei Kun knows that his people were in the wrong this time; they shouldn't have been misled by Zhou Qiyuan to smash your newspaper office. He has deeply realized his mistake and hopes to reconcile with you privately."

Lin Zhou held his teacup, tapping the rim of it lightly with his fingertips, remaining silent and waiting for Uncle Zhong to continue.

"Mr. Lin, Lei Kun said that the Brotherhood will bear all the losses of Zhonghua Daily this time, including the damaged equipment and office supplies, as well as the medical expenses and lost wages of the employees. We are willing to compensate them double. In addition, we hope that Mr. Lin can be lenient and drop the case for those brothers who were arrested, and issue a letter of understanding so that they can be treated leniently."

Uncle Zhong looked at Lin Zhou and said sincerely, "We're all just trying to make a living in Hong Kong. We'll run into each other all the time. There's no need to go too far. Lei Kun also promised that the Brotherhood will never cause trouble for the Zhonghua Daily again and will protect the newspaper's safety."

Lin Zhou listened to Uncle Zhong's words without any expression on his face. He knew very well that the Brotherhood was only willing to do this to rescue their people as quickly as possible while saving face. As for the so-called guarantee, it was utterly worthless in the face of self-interest.

"Uncle Zhong, I can agree to the compensation." Lin Zhou was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "I will have the finance department make a list of the newspaper's losses for Lei Kun. The compensation will be exactly what it should be, not a penny less. However, I cannot agree to the letter of understanding."

Uncle Zhong was taken aback, not expecting Lin Zhou to refuse so decisively: "Mr. Lin, this..."

"Uncle Zhong, as you know, the mastermind behind this wasn't Lei Kun, nor those thugs, but Zhou Qiyuan." Lin Zhou's eyes hardened. "If it weren't for Zhou Qiyuan instigating and paying for it, none of this would have happened. Those thugs, though despicable, were merely pawns being used. The one truly responsible is Zhou Qiyuan."

Uncle Zhong frowned: "Mr. Lin, you mean...?"

"My request is simple," Lin Zhou said, looking at Uncle Zhong. "I can overlook the brothers' involvement and not pursue those thugs' responsibility, but Lei Kun must help me deal with Zhou Qiyuan. I want him to pay the price for his actions and never dare to use such underhanded tricks to harm people again. If Lei Kun does this, I will naturally issue a letter of understanding, and we can discuss compensation. Otherwise, there's no point in discussing anything."

Uncle Zhong was surprised by Lin Zhou's request. He pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Lin, Zhou Qiyuan is, after all, the editor-in-chief of the Oriental Daily News. The owner of the Oriental Daily News is a prominent figure in Hong Kong. Dealing with his people is not an easy task, and it could easily backfire."

"I know it won't be easy, but this is my bottom line." Lin Zhou's tone was resolute. "Zhou Qiyuan sent people to vandalize my newspaper office twice, just to ruin my reputation and force Zhonghua Daily to close down. If I just tolerate this, he will only become more demanding in the future. Uncle Zhong, go back and tell Lei Kun that he either agrees to my demands or he can wait to see me in court. I believe that Zhou Qiyuan's charge of paying and instigating gangs to vandalize the newspaper office is enough to get him into serious trouble."

Looking into Lin Zhou's determined eyes, Uncle Zhong knew he wasn't joking. He nodded, "Alright, Mr. Lin, I'll relay your message to Lei Kun. However, I need some time for Lei Kun to consider it."

"Fine, I'll give you three days." Lin Zhou stood up. "If I don't get a satisfactory answer after three days, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying this, Lin Zhou turned and left the tea restaurant. He knew that getting Lei Kun to deal with Zhou Qiyuan wouldn't be easy, but he had no other choice. Zhou Qiyuan's relentless pressure forced him to retaliate. He believed that Lei Kun, in order to rescue his brother and save face for the Brotherhood, would eventually agree to his demands.

Meanwhile, in the editor-in-chief's office of the Oriental Daily, Zhou Qiyuan was leisurely sipping coffee and reading the newspaper on his desk. He was unaware that his wicked scheme had not only failed but had also brought him dead. He had thought the Brotherhood would surely destroy the Zhonghua Daily this time, ensuring Lin Zhou's complete downfall. But to his surprise, Lin Zhou not only averted the crisis but also turned his attention to him.

Zhou Qiyuan put down his coffee cup, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his lips. He was calculating that after the Brotherhood succeeded, he would step in as a peacemaker, both gaining Lei Kun's favor and making Lin Zhou suffer in silence—a win-win situation. Little did he know, however, that what awaited him was a catastrophic disaster.

When Lin Zhou returned to the newspaper office, Old Chen had already compiled the list of losses. Looking at the densely packed items on the list, Lin Zhou's eyes grew even colder. He knew that this war had only just begun. And his goal was not only to make Zhou Qiyuan pay the price, but also to ensure that Zhonghua Daily would gain a firm foothold in Hong Kong's newspaper market and become a true industry benchmark.