The Way of Restraint

Chapter 185: The Zhang Family, with Countless Experts

“This Zhang Kaiyu is far too arrogant.”

Just after the young man left, a girl emerged from a small room in a mezzanine of the office. It was Lu Xuan from the Student Union’s Discipline Inspection Department; her other identity was a partner in Qin Hui’s company.

“He has the right to be arrogant,” Qin Hui said with a smile, not angered by Zhang Kaiyu’s attitude earlier. “Our business still relies on the Zhang family; otherwise, our foreign trade in many overseas locations would be extremely difficult. The extortion by local gangs would be enough to give us a hard time.”

“I’ve never understood what the Zhang family does. I’ve heard they have connections with many overseas gangs and organizations. Can they really do big business with that?” Lu Xuan asked, puzzled.

“The Zhang family has an immense hidden power, having ventured overseas since the late Qing Dynasty,” Qin Hui said. “Over the past century, the family has produced numerous talented individuals who have thrived in various businesses, branching out and expanding their influence. Some are merchants, some are overseas or even involved in politics, some have formed gangs and organizations, and some have even established security companies and invested in mercenary groups—they do all sorts of businesses; it’s extremely complex. The family’s assets are difficult to ascertain. Moreover, by the time of Zhang Kaiyu’s generation, the Zhang family began intermarrying with Westerners. Look at this person; he has certain mixed-race features.”

“No wonder…” “Lu Xuan nodded: “That Su Jie actually has a close relationship with Liu Long. What should we do now?”

“First, conduct a comprehensive investigation of him.” Qin Hui’s gaze was cold: “Find his weaknesses and flaws. If he’s just an ordinary student, he’ll be easy to deal with. But if he has connections, then we’ll handle it differently.”

“What about Zhang Kaiyu…”

“I’m a partner of the Zhang family, not their subordinate.” Qin Hui said: “Zhang Kaiyu is just a junior in the Zhang family. His father is called Zhang Hongjun. Although he holds a high position in the Zhang family, he’s not as high as Zhang Hongqing or Zhang Hongyuan. He introduced me…that woman from the Zhang family is named Zhang Manman, and she’s Zhang Hongqing’s daughter. Zhang Hongqing is the head of the Zhang family, and even some of the older generation are subservient to him.”

“Head of the family? It’s like those old-fashioned gangs, the Green Gang, the Hongmen.” Lu Xuan scoffed, “What era are we living in? They haven’t changed their old ways.”

“The Zhang family itself is a large, established gang family. They went overseas in the late Qing Dynasty, connecting with Chinese communities around the world.” Qin Hui seemed to know the Zhang family inside and out: “The Zhang family’s seniority is: Wan, Nian, Han, Shi, Hong, Kai, Juan, De, You, Guang. The oldest member of the Zhang family now is Zhang Nianquan, who is said to be 111 years old. At that age, he still eats meat, drinks alcohol, and practices martial arts every day, brimming with energy. The Zhang family is truly remarkable. Especially over twenty years ago, the Zhang family had seven outstanding individuals, led by Zhang Hongqing, Zhang Hongyuan, Zhang Hongjun, Zhang Hongyin, Zhang Hongding, and Zhang Hongshun. Each of them was a genius, revitalizing the family.”

As he spoke, Qin Hui produced a genealogy: “This shows the current members of the Zhang family, and their respective professions. Look at what a large family it is.”

Lu Xuan saw at least a hundred or two names written on it, from Zhang Nianquan at the very beginning to the newborn Zhang Juanwen at the very end. It was five generations under one roof.

“Such a high birth rate, truly a demographic dividend,” Lu Xuan remarked. “I have a certain feeling about this.”

“The Zhang family has maintained its ancient traditions because they haven’t been impacted by birth control policies abroad,” Qin Hui said. “Moreover, the family cohesion is very strong, especially recently under Zhang Hongqing’s leadership, showing increasing potential. Zhang Hongqing’s favorite daughter is named Zhang Manman, and she’s been trained to lead since childhood. However, because she’s a girl, there’s a lot of criticism within the family. Anyway, it’s a messy situation. In short, if I can obtain some resources from the Zhang family, I can expand the company’s trade tenfold and accomplish many things.”