(十三)Thirteen

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"Uncle Ding, what are you bringing me here for?", Shen Wei frowned as the private car pulled into a small tavern, a location he was familiar with, a place where he had brought Ye Zun to for sex a while ago. This was neither the Shen family territory nor the Ding family's, it was unclear what this Mr Ding was up to.

His sixth sense made him sense a hint of something bad, but it was too late to leave now that they had arrived at this place.

"Haha, Xiao Wei ah, this is the place that your Uncle Ding acquired only a few days ago, I heard that the bartender of this pub is very famous, so I have come to inspect, Xiao Wei takes it as a treat from your Uncle Ding to dine together."

Mr Ding took the lead and got out of the car, and after Shen Wei had followed two steps, the owner of the tavern already ran out busily, not daring to look directly at Shen Wei, and nodded his head, waiting for them to enter.

"Uncle Ding, what exactly do you want? As long as it's something that I can do, I'll do it.", Shen Wei spoke and took a sip of his cocktail. It was indeed as Mr Ding had said, the bartender here was good. The last time he came he just went to the special area and didn't notice the staff here at all.

"It's like this, Xiao Wei.", The middle-aged man smiled and pulled a small file folder out of his bag, pointed it at him and knocked it on the table.

"Uncle only wants to offer you something nice. My daughter really likes you. Our two families are more or less half childhood friends, and she has been making a lot of noise about marrying you. Uncle only has this one precious daughter, and sometimes I spoil her too much."

Before Shen Wei could touch the corner of the document bag and try to take it, Lao Ding pressed his hand firmly on the table.

"Uncle didn't want to talk about this, those young people should be free about whoever they like. But again, what can I say, your father is too disrespectful to me. Two weeks ago he even asked you to refuse to cooperate with our company, so uncle just wanted to talk to you about it."

"Mr Ding.", Shen Wei withdrew his hand and hooked his lips into a smile, "It's Father's decision, please don't blame me for that. I just did what I've been told."

"Yes, I know. But uncle didn't want to ask you to discuss that matter," The middle-aged man drew his hand and turned to lean on the sofa and crossed his legs, lifting his glass of cocktail and taking a sip.

"I just wanted to ask you one last time if you're going to marry my daughter or not. Give me an accurate answer so I can let the little girl stop pestering me to bother you."

he smiled amiably, and Shen Wei was just about to refuse when the middle-aged man took the lead and gestured at the file bag.

Shen Wei hung his head, a bad feeling festering in his heart. The bar was a clean bar, and the dim warm yellow light was ambiguous all around. He took the bag and weighed it, slowly untied the string on the back and looked inside.

He didn't take the photos out to look at them but raised his eyes to the middle-aged man sitting in a loose posture opposite him.

Shen Wei lifted his eyes to meet the old man's ones. There was a cold expression written all over his face: "Is Mr Ding preparing to threaten me?"

The middle-aged man smiled and put down his cocktail glass, "Why does Xiao Wei think so low of Uncle? Uncle is doing you a big favour, how could that be a threat."

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and put them in his hand, knocked on the table and pulled one out from it, unhurriedly pointed the cigarette towards the corner of the bar, before he approached Shen Wei and whispered, "Look over there, this photo was taken by a self-publishing kid called Cong Bo. He was going to send out a news report, but I stopped him."

Shen Wei frowned, hesitantly opened the file bag, pulled out the top photo and glanced at it for a moment before instantly frowned.

That was a picture of him and Ye Zun. They were in the car together, it was unknown where the man had crouched to take the picture, but the image focused only on his face that was clear enough to pose a threat.

Fists clenched dead tight, Shen Wei gritted his teeth as the middle-aged man opposite him lit up a cigarette and took a puff of smoke and puffed it on his face. It was a naked humiliation.

"How about it, uncle is kind enough, right?", the middle-aged man smiled and smacked his lips as he looked at Shen Wei, "But uncle didn't expect that Xiao Wei is eagerly into men. I'm afraid my daughter won't be treated nicely even if she marries you."

He shrugged his shoulders and continued, "The Shen family has always been concerned about their reputation. Just think about what you would do if this exact photograph was spread and reach to your father."

"Of course, if you still refuse to marry my daughter, that's fine.", he added and smiled calculatingly.

"But if you accept, uncle will pretend that he didn't invite you to this drink and that he hasn't seen these photos, let alone not to know who had taken them."

It was simply shameless blackmail.

Shen Wei gritted his teeth, this was the implication, that Mr Ding intended to have that self-publisher release the photos if he didn't agree to marry Miss Ding.

But If he agreed now, this matter would always be a threat, and even if he got married, he would be restricted in every way. He was afraid that the Shen family would change hands from within. And if he didn't agree, even if he tried to find someone to take care of the person who took the photos, the Ding family would make sure that the photos be published.

It was a dead-end, and there was no way out.

He took a sip of his cocktail and slammed the file bag heavily on the table.

"Is that how much Mr Ding wants me to marry his daughter?", He asked, and the middle-aged man laughed without comment.

"Unfortunately, as you can see.", Shen Wei pulled out a self-deprecating smile and continued, "I'm not suitable."

In the photo, although the figure was clearly Ye Zun, but in the end, it was taken at night and the main subject was him, the photo was blurred and his brother's face was not as clear as his. Theoretically, as long as he could find one with a similar body shape as Ye Zun, the impact on the family could be less damaged and less critical.

"Thank you, Mr Ding, for your kindness and generous invitation.", Shen Wei got up with his bag carried in his hand and took a few hundred out of his wallet and threw them on the table.

"But I'm sorry. It would be better for Mr Ding to find another family to join in marriage. This drink is on me Mr Ding, so as not to lower my father's face and say I don't know my manners.", he smiled and said coldly, "But Mr Ding, be careful, the company directors also have their eyes on the land you are interested in, the one to the east of the city, I stopped them considering my father's friendship with you, but if anyone else mentions it again, I wouldn't dare to keep refusing."

"Shen Wei!", the middle-aged man rose after him, he was so furious but still not daring to flare up publicly, "We'll see."

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