Chapter 271: The Approval Document Is Released

November 4, early morning!

Early in the morning, Jiang Longcheng, whose injuries had improved, drove once again to the entrance of Courtyard No. 6, where Li Yi was renting.

After resting at home for a few days, the doctor told him his condition was stable and that going out for a walk would aid his recovery.

Once he got the go-ahead, he couldn’t wait to come see Li Yi.

On one hand, he wanted to treat Li Yi to a meal to express his gratitude—after all, Li Yi had saved his life.

On the other hand, the one-week deadline for their bet was almost up, and he wanted to see how Li Yi would react.

To be honest, he was still quite invested in the bet—not because he was desperate to beat Li Yi, but because he was after the prize.

He still found it hard to fully believe in Li Yi’s uncanny ability to make such precise predictions, but the events that had unfolded earlier left him with no choice but to accept it.

So, at that moment, all he could think about was having Li Yi cast another divination for him—he just wanted to see if his predictions were actually accurate.

In fact, it wasn’t just Jiang Longcheng—Ye Jianhua was thinking exactly the same thing!

However, when Jiang Longcheng saw Li Yi appear before him in a set of dirty clothes, he was momentarily taken aback.

And it wasn’t just Li Yi—the few young men with him looked the same way, a far cry from their dapper appearance just a few days ago.

“Brother Li Yi, what’s going on here?”

Li Yi was just about to take his crew out for breakfast before continuing the renovation of his restaurant, but he hadn’t expected to see Jiang Longcheng standing right outside the door the moment he stepped out.

“Nothing much. We’ve been renovating the place these past few days, so it’s only natural we’re a bit dirty!”

Then Li Yi asked again, “What brings you here?”

“The doctor said I could go out. I thought I hadn’t seen you in a few days, so I came by to check on you and treat you guys to breakfast!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“That sounds great!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Jiang Longcheng then turned to the driver and said, “You go back to the factory first. I’ll make my own way back later!”

The driver acknowledged the request and drove off.

The group then headed together to the nearby state-run restaurant!

Once they arrived at the state-run restaurant, everyone ordered a bowl of millet porridge and four large meat buns.

Jiang Longcheng wanted to get some meat for everyone, but Li Yi turned him down so early in the morning.

Soon, they finished breakfast and headed together to the large warehouse Li Yi had rented.

However, when Jiang Longcheng saw how drastically the building had changed, he was completely stunned.

Although it was still the same building after the renovation, its appearance was completely different.

From the outside, the freshly painted building not only looked much nicer but had also shed its previous dilapidated appearance.

The paved open area made the place look much more spacious, significantly elevating its overall quality.

Inside, construction workers were already hard at work.

Although the interior was still unfinished and hadn’t been cleaned up yet, making it look rather messy, the basic functional layout was already largely in place.

After a quick tour, Jiang Longcheng could tell that Li Yi’s renovation had truly transformed this warehouse.

After observing for a moment, Jiang Longcheng asked curiously, “Brother Li Yi, why do I get the feeling you’re setting up a restaurant here?”

“You’re just now noticing?”

“No, actually, I wanted to ask when you placed that order with the foundry the other day, but I wasn’t feeling well at the time, so I didn’t press the issue,” Jiang Longcheng said.

“That’s right, I do have plans to open a restaurant!” Li Yi said.

“Is that even possible? If you want to run a small business, you should do it quietly so no one bothers you, but making such a big fuss about it doesn’t seem quite right,” Jiang Longcheng said, frowning.

Since he wasn’t interested in politics, he didn’t pay much attention to policy changes. As far as he could recall, restaurants were currently state-owned, and private individuals were absolutely forbidden from opening them.

However, Li Yi smiled and said, “Are you worried about the policy side of things?”

“Exactly. If I get arrested for this, it won’t be a minor matter—I might even end up in prison!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Don’t worry about that. I know exactly how serious this is!”

“Why are you so stubborn…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi suddenly cut him off and said, “Do you remember that bet we made a few days ago?”

“I remember. I was just about to ask you about it. I haven’t seen any changes in housing prices—you’re definitely going to lose!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “That’s not necessarily true!”

“Huh, do you really have the power to double these housing prices in a day or two?” Jiang Longcheng asked curiously.

“Heh, whether they’ll double or not—we’ll just have to check the newspaper to find out!” Li Yi said teasingly.

“The newspaper?”

“Yep!”

Then Li Yi called out to the person next to him, “Dongzi, go buy a few copies of today’s newspaper—get a variety of different papers!”

“Got it!”

Watching Dongzi dash off in a flash, Jiang Longcheng asked in confusion, “Brother Li Yi, what exactly are you up to?”

“Heh, no rush. Let’s wait and see!”

Li Yi didn’t offer much explanation; instead, he directed the workers to continue renovating the interior.

A short while later, Dongzi ran back with several newspapers and handed them to Li Yi.

Li Yi took the papers and began reading them immediately, quickly finding what he was looking for.

After a quick glance, he handed the papers to Jiang Longcheng: “Take a look yourself!”

With a hint of curiosity, Jiang Longcheng took the newspaper from Li Yi. The first thing that caught his eye was a striking headline: “The Beijing Municipal Government Officially Approves the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce’s ‘Request Regarding Permitting Individual Business Owners to Engage in Food and Snack Sales and Small Commodity Operations’…”

The article was lengthy; in addition to the proposal itself, it included an interpretation of the policy and its implications.

Jiang Longcheng didn’t read the entire article; with his insight, he only needed to read the policy itself to grasp the magnitude of its impact.

It could be said that, from this day forward, ordinary citizens could also engage in business activities such as food service and small commodity trade.

One could imagine that the hundreds of thousands of educated youth returning to the capital now had something to do; whereas before they had to set up stalls on the sly, they could now do so completely openly and above board.

More importantly, with so many people flocking to the food service and small commodity trade sectors, rents for urban storefronts were bound to skyrocket rapidly.

Given that urban shop rents were already relatively low to begin with, doubling or even tripling them in a short period of time would be no challenge at all.

If this news is true, then as far as their bet goes, I’ll most likely have lost.

Of course, if it’s false, that’s a different story!

Jiang Longcheng immediately looked at the top of the newspaper. When he saw the large characters “Workers’ Daily,” he knew he was a sure loser.

Just then, Li Yi handed him a few more newspapers and said with a smile, “If you don’t trust the *Workers’ Daily*, there’s also…”

“No need to look—I believe it!”

Then, Jiang Longcheng looked into Li Yi’s eyes and asked in confusion, “Even my old man wouldn’t necessarily get wind of policy matters like this in advance. How did you find out?”

“I guessed!”

Jiang Longcheng was about to retort, “Do I look like an idiot to you?” but then he thought of Li Yi’s mysterious and unpredictable ways—it was entirely possible he really had just guessed.

For a moment, Jiang Longcheng felt completely dumbfounded, at a loss for words!

Li Yi set off for the capital. Aside from Tang Xue, who missed him every day, there was another person who was restless.

That person was none other than Li Yeqiao.

Before Li Yi had left a while back, he had personally paid a visit to Li Yeqiao’s home to ask how things were going and if he could join him on the trip.

Li Yi held Li Yeqiao in high regard. Although he had only graduated from a technical secondary school, he was still a trained professional.

Moreover, having worked in the financial sector for so many years, he was quite knowledgeable about financial matters.

That’s why Li Yi wanted him to come to Beijing to help manage his finances.

After all, his business ventures wouldn’t be limited to selling mushrooms, making liangpi, and running restaurants; the scale was bound to grow in the future, and without someone managing the finances, things could easily go wrong.

And under the current policy climate, it was virtually impossible for a legitimate, professionally trained graduate to work for a private employer.

Li Yeqiao’s current situation, however, was actually quite suitable for Li Yi.

However, what frustrated Li Yi was that the case involving Du Cai’e was far too complex; the higher-ups were still investigating it, and it would take a long time to sort things out.

Until the matter is resolved, his superiors cannot determine the nature of Li Yeqiao’s case, let alone issue any recommendations for handling it.

Under these circumstances, it was naturally impossible for him to leave Qing Shan County.

And just today, Li Gang personally visited the Li family to inform him that the case had been transferred from the procuratorate to the court, and that he was not on the prosecution list issued by the supervisory authorities.

In other words, he has essentially emerged unscathed from the Du Caie case.

Furthermore, after an assessment, the county bureau had officially revoked the order placing him under residential surveillance.

Now, all that remained was for him to appear as a witness at the court hearing, after which the matter would be completely closed.

This was undoubtedly good news for Li Yeqiao.

The scale and severity of the fallout from Du Caie’s case had completely exceeded Li Yeqiao’s expectations.

According to internal reports, more than thirty people have been arrested in connection with this case, and virtually all of them are expected to be sentenced.

As for the ringleader, Du Caie, her fate is already sealed: she’ll either end up in prison or face the firing squad—there’s almost no chance of an exception.

It could be said that if Li Yi hadn’t warned him back then, his fate now would be no better than that of those facing prosecution.

So upon receiving this news, Li Yeqiao breathed a huge sigh of relief, silently thanking his lucky stars.

However, his good mood didn’t last long.

Soon, an announcement from the credit union completely shattered his good mood.

Given Li Yeqiao’s inadequate supervision at work, which led to the massive loss of state-owned assets, coupled with serious issues in his personal conduct, the higher authorities decided to remove him from his position as director of the credit union and reassign him to work at a branch office in a rural township.

Although this outcome was within Li Yeqiao’s expectations, being demoted from credit union director to an ordinary staff member at a branch office was a massive blow to him.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Li Yeqiao decided to resign from public office and head to the capital to seek refuge with Li Yi!

However, resigning was no simple matter at the moment; it required approval from leadership at every level.

On top of that, the Qingshan County Credit Union was currently facing a host of problems, and no one dared to let Li Yeqiao, the former director, leave so easily.

As a result, Li Yeqiao’s resignation letter was temporarily shelved, with no one approving it for the time being.

In fact, officials from higher-ups even sent people to speak with him, hoping to dissuade him from resigning.

But Li Yeqiao was absolutely determined to resign. So for the time being, he neither reported to the credit union branches under his jurisdiction nor met with anyone, effectively stalling the credit union leadership!

……

Li Yi knew nothing of these developments; back in Beijing, he had been just as busy these past few days.

After securing a rental property, Li Yi immediately began renovating and remodeling the space with his team.

The row of buildings at the foundry had originally served as a product showroom and had undergone basic renovations—the floors had been laid, and suspended ceilings installed.

However, having been abandoned for several years, the previous renovations had long since become dilapidated and worn, with the plaster peeling off the walls in many places.

Such an environment was naturally unsuitable for a restaurant, let alone a high-end establishment specializing in grilled and hot-pot dishes.

More importantly, this row of buildings had originally been converted from warehouses. Although they had windows, they were very small, and much of the glass was broken.

This not only caused drafts and air leaks but also resulted in poor natural lighting.

For a restaurant, poor natural light makes the space appear particularly dim, which negatively impacts the customer experience.

Therefore, Li Yi immediately hired workers to begin a comprehensive renovation of the space.

The sagging ceiling was torn down and rebuilt, and attractive, large light fixtures were added.

Since the windows were too small and hindered natural light, they were enlarged and replaced with spacious, bright glass panes.

The walls were mottled and worn, so they were scraped clean, re-plastered, and repainted.

In addition, Li Yi hired carpenters to divide the 500- to 600-square-meter space into functional zones.

In addition to creating a bar counter, a main dining area, a kitchen, and restrooms, Li Yi also had more than a dozen private rooms of varying sizes partitioned off, making efficient use of the nearly 600-square-meter space.

The renovated space was fully equipped with all necessary amenities.

The renovations weren’t limited to the interior; the exterior underwent changes as well.

The exterior walls were repainted, and the roof was renovated, making the building look much less dilapidated.

Li Yi even went so far as to have the large iron gate removed and replaced with a tall, wide shopfront door.

He also had the open area in front of the building cleared. The weeds that had once been everywhere were completely removed, and the ground was lightly paved.

In Li Yi’s plan, this area would eventually serve as the restaurant’s parking lot.

Never mind that cars are scarce these days—this is Beijing, after all. Even in this day and age, there are still plenty of cars in the city.

Not to mention that Li Yi’s restaurant specializes in DXMBang-style grilled and hot-pot meats; anyone who can afford to dine here can certainly afford a car.

In short, Li Yi’s vision for this restaurant is to position it as upscale.

It didn’t have to be luxurious, but it had to be distinctive; every conceivable detail had to be taken into account.

With ample funding, the construction work was progressing very smoothly.

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed. While the interior work was still ongoing, the exterior was nearly complete.

Judging solely by its exterior, it was hard to connect the building before him with the dilapidated warehouse that had once stood there.

During this time, Lin Jianguo sent someone specifically to invite Li Yi to the factory grounds, so he could see for himself the sample of the combined grilling and hot pot table crafted by the master craftsmen.

It must be said that although the foundry was on the decline, the craftsmanship of their master craftsmen was truly excellent.

Items crafted with care truly look impressive, and they’ve even optimized certain features.

Most importantly, the materials were of solid quality. Once painted, the table perfectly met Li Yi’s requirements, and he was very satisfied.

Having received Li Yi’s approval, Lin Jianguo was overjoyed!

He immediately instructed the factory workers to work overtime to rush Li Yi’s order, aiming to complete all the tables, chairs, and equipment Li Yi needed within two weeks.

And so, amidst all the hustle and bustle, the date arrived: November 4th!

By the time they left the foundry, it was already past four in the afternoon!

Li Yi was quite satisfied with this trip to the foundry. Not only had he successfully rented that row of houses, but he’d also signed a five-year lease right on the spot.

Of course, Li Yi would have preferred to rent them for ten or eight years at once.

Unfortunately, the foundry’s financial performance was too poor; realistically, it wouldn’t be able to sustain operations for that long.

In addition to the buildings, Li Yi placed an order with the foundry for 80 combined grilling and hot pot tables, along with the corresponding chairs.

This included 60 four-person tables, each with four chairs, and 20 large round tables, each with eight chairs.

In addition, items such as charcoal braziers, copper pots, and grilling racks were all commissioned to the foundry for production.

These items alone cost Li Yi over 6,000 yuan, averaging 75 yuan per table.

Price-wise, that was certainly not cheap.

However, Li Yi had strict requirements regarding the materials and craftsmanship of the tables, so overall, the price was still reasonable.

Both Li Yi and Lin Jianguo were quite satisfied with this transaction!

On the way back, Li Yi didn’t ask Jiang Longcheng to drive him home; instead, he told the driver to drop him off at the entrance of the alley.

He told Jiang Longcheng to take good care of his injuries, then headed back to his rental apartment on his own!

Once back at the apartment, Li Yi called Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others over and told them the news that he had already rented a place.

Upon hearing the news, the younger brothers were all delighted.

With the apartment secured, it meant they didn’t have to rush back to the village just yet.

Although they all missed their families back home, young people are more eager to go out and make their mark in the world. Besides, they really liked Beijing and didn’t want to just slink back home like that.

“Brother Yi, what are we going to do next?” Dongzi asked immediately.

“Renovate the place!” Li Yi replied.

Hearing this, the young men were all taken aback.

“Bro Yi, renovating a place is a skilled job—none of us know how to do it!” Dongzi said.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you won’t have to do the work yourselves. Tomorrow we’ll head over to Tianqiao and find a few contractors. All we need to do is get the materials ready and keep an eye on things from time to time!”

“That’s great!”

“Besides the renovation, you guys have other things to do next!” Li Yi said.

“What’s to do? Just tell us what to do, Brother Yi—we’ll follow your lead!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “First, you need to learn how to go out and source materials, how to make purchases and keep track of expenses, and at the same time, how to handle customers.”

“I know none of you know how to do this yet, but I’ll teach you step by step. You all need to learn carefully. In the future, you’ll all have to stand on your own two feet—you absolutely cannot let us down when it counts. Got it?”

“Got it!”

“Alright, we’ve still got some time. I’ve got a task for you guys!”

“Brother Yi, tell us!” Dongzi said.

“Dongzi, you and Gangzi go out for a walk in a bit. See how many produce markets are nearby and where they’re located,” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

“Qiangzi, you and Shitou go ask around to see if there are any building material stores nearby—places that sell wood, floor tiles, and stuff like that. Don’t worry about prices just yet; just make sure you know which way the main entrance faces!”

“Got it!”

“Also, if anyone tries to pick on you guys, don’t act on impulse, but don’t be afraid to stand up for yourselves either!”

“Got it!”

“Go on!”

Watching the young men turn and walk away, Li Yi couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion.

In their previous lives, limited by their education and abilities, they had all led rather unremarkable lives.

Only Qiangzi had fared somewhat better; with his family’s support, he’d opened a grocery store in town. Between his house and car, his total assets didn’t even reach a million.

But these younger brothers were beyond reproach; during the years he’d been away from home, they’d done their utmost to look after his elderly parents.

Having been given a second chance at life, Li Yi certainly wouldn’t let them end up as unsuccessful as they had in his previous life.

Now he has brought them to the capital, to this grandest and most dazzling stage—but what kind of brilliance they can shine depends entirely on them.

……

Qingshan County, Nianzishan Village!

At the Li family’s ancestral home, Tang Xue was sitting at the bedside table reading a book—her main pastime these days.

Yet no matter how hard she tried these past few days, she simply couldn’t concentrate; her thoughts would wander off to who knows where the moment she started reading.

Sitting on the edge of the kang nearby, Li Na watched her dazed expression and couldn’t help but shake her head.

“What’s wrong? Thinking about Xiao Yi again?”

Tang Xue’s face flushed, and she immediately replied, “No… Na, do you think he’ll be able to take care of himself in Beijing?”

“Hehe… and you say you’re not thinking about him!” Li Na said with a laugh.

This time, Tang Xue didn’t argue. Instead, she sighed and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. When he was home, I didn’t feel anything special, but now that he’s suddenly gone, I feel so empty inside every day!”

“That’s just the way it should be. It means my Little Yi is a lucky man—he married a woman who cares so deeply for him!” Li Na said.

Tang Xue smiled and said, “It’s actually me who’s lucky to have married Li Yi. Otherwise, I really don’t know what the rest of my life would have been like!”

Thinking of those scum and monsters back home, Tang Xue couldn’t help but shudder.

If she hadn’t had the courage to take that step back then, perhaps she would have been sold off like a piece of merchandise to that old widower, becoming a bargaining chip for Tang Bing to secure a job.

Seeing Tang Xue’s expression, Li Na knew she was thinking of those people again, and immediately comforted her, “Anyway, the fact that you two can live a good life now is what matters most.”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Xiao Xue, I won’t lie to you—when I first heard that Xiao Yi had taken advantage of you, I was seething with rage. I kept thinking I’d ruined such a wonderful girl!”

Li Na continued, “But seeing how sweet your life is now, I can finally rest easy!”

Tang Xue looked at Li Na, her expression shifting slightly, and suddenly said, “Sis Na, there’s something I’ve never told you. I hope you won’t hold it against me!”

“What is it?”

“Actually… actually, that night it wasn’t Xiao Yi who… well, you know… it was me who took the initiative… took the initiative…”

Hearing this, Li Na was stunned.

It took her a while to process it, and then she said, looking utterly incredulous, “You mean you took the initiative—as in, that kind of initiative…”

“Yep!”

“What… what on earth were you thinking, you little troublemaker?”

Tang Xue sighed and said, “At the time, it might have been out of revenge, or maybe just a sense of resentment, but mostly I just wanted to let loose a little while I was drunk!”

“???”

Seeing the puzzled look on Li Na’s face, Tang Xue explained, “Back then, I suddenly got a letter from home telling me to hurry back and that they were going to marry me off to that jerk surnamed Liu. I was so angry, frustrated, and helpless that when everyone was seeing me off, I drank way more than usual—something I’d never done before!”

“Even though I drank a lot, I was actually fully aware of everything—including the fact that Xiaoyi came back in the middle of the night.”

“The thought of my nineteen-year-old virgin daughter having to marry an old man even older than my own father filled me with resentment. When I saw Xiao Yi, who was also drunk and disoriented, I decided to take revenge on that man. I’d rather give my virginity to someone else than to that bastard, so…”

Although Tang Xue didn’t finish her sentence, Li Na knew exactly what had happened next.

After staring blankly for a while, Li Na finally took a deep breath and looked at Tang Xue. “Wow. I always thought it was that little rascal Xiao Yi who had his eye on you. Turns out he was just a little lamb all along—and you were the big bad wolf!”

Tang Xue’s face flushed crimson again as she lowered her head and said, “Sis Na, I’m sorry. I’ve been lying to you the whole time!”

“Lying to me is one thing, but does Xiao Yi know about this?” Li Na asked.

“He does. I confessed to him the day before our wedding!”

“So you two were in on it the whole time, and kept it a secret from just me?”

“I’m sorry!”

Li Na didn’t press the matter further, but suddenly changed the subject and asked, “Xiao Xue, they say a woman’s first time is very painful. How did it feel for you?”

“I… it did hurt a little, but it stopped hurting pretty quickly!” Tang Xue said softly.

“That’s amazing! Tell me all about it—what was it like?”

“It wasn’t really a big deal, just…”

Then, the room was filled with the two girls’ voices, deliberately kept low, punctuated now and then by bursts of tinkling laughter!

……

After Lin Jianguo left, Jiang Longcheng asked in surprise, “Brother Li Yi, did you come all the way here just to rent a few run-down rooms?”

“Yeah!”

“If you need a place, why come here? Our cotton mill has dozens of warehouses of all sizes, and we even have empty production workshops—aren’t those better than this place?” Jiang Longcheng said.

Li Yi smiled and said, “The cotton mill does have plenty of buildings, but they aren’t suitable for me. On the other hand, those few buildings south of the foundry are actually quite suitable!”

“Huh, now that you mention it, I seem to recall those buildings over by the foundry. I remember the area stinking to high heaven, and they’re right next to the street. What good would renting there do you?” Ye Jianhua chimed in.

“Heh, it’s a secret!”

Just then, Lin Jianguo returned to the office.

He then addressed Li Yi: “Comrade Li Yi, I just had someone look into it. Around here in Beiguan Village, the monthly rent for a standard 30-square-meter apartment is about eight yuan.”

“But that’s for residential use. Those rooms on our south side are really just warehouses, so the price certainly can’t match residential rates. However, the area is much larger—about five or six hundred square meters—so the finance department has set the price at 30 yuan a month!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Longcheng, standing nearby, frowned and snapped, “Lin Jianguo, you’re way too greedy! Just a few drafty, run-down warehouses like that, and you actually dare to charge 30 yuan a month? You’ve got some nerve!”

Lin Jianguo hurriedly replied, “Then 20… 20 yuan…”

Just as Jiang Longcheng was about to say something, Li Yi cut in: “Factory Director Lin, don’t listen to him. Thirty yuan is already very cheap—that can’t possibly be the reference price the finance department gave you!”

Lin Jianguo’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Li Yi.

Seeing the look on his face, Jiang Longcheng knew Li Yi had guessed correctly. He immediately asked, “What’s the quote from your factory’s finance department?”

“Fifty!”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Let’s go with 50 yuan a month, but I have one condition!”

“What condition?”

“I want a five-year lease, with the entire rent paid in a lump sum. Also, the contract must specify that after five years, if the price remains the same, I have the right of first refusal!” Li Yi said.

“This… Comrade Li Yi, you’re not joking, are you?”

No sooner had Lin Jianguo finished speaking than he saw Li Yi pull a stack of cash straight out of his shoulder bag and slam it down on his desk.

A single bundle of 100-yuan notes was worth a full thousand yuan; there were three bundles right in front of him—three thousand yuan, exactly covering five years’ rent.

Lin Jianguo swallowed hard. Three thousand yuan wasn’t a huge sum, but it could cover a month’s wages for the factory’s hundred-plus employees.

For their factory, which was so poor it was barely scraping by, this was truly a godsend!

Li Yi’s brazen gesture also startled Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua standing nearby. Although they came from privileged backgrounds and their families were well-off, they would never carry that much cash on their person.

This was three thousand yuan—equivalent to nearly a decade’s wages for an ordinary worker. Who would dare carry that much cash on their person?

Not to mention, the shoulder bag Li Yi was carrying was still bulging—clearly containing far more than just those three thousand yuan.

Just who is this guy, anyway? Is he really from the mountains?

And why on earth would he spend so much money to rent such a useless, run-down place?

For a moment, the three men in the room stared blankly at Li Yi, the silence growing eerie!

Their reaction was exactly what Li Yi had expected. He immediately tapped the table and said to Lin Jianguo, “Director Lin, I’m not joking with you. Just give me a straight answer—is it a go or not?”

Lin Jianguo snapped out of his daze and hurriedly replied, “Alright, but the price you’re offering is a bit high…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi replied calmly, “I know whether it’s high or not. Fifty yuan a month—that’s a price I’ll accept!”

In Beijing, 50 yuan is barely enough to rent a 500- or 600-square-meter apartment these days.

Not to mention the future—just wait four or five days, and the price will at least double or triple.

Looking even further ahead, in three or five years, forget about 50 yuan a month—you wouldn’t even be able to rent it for 50 yuan a day.

Lin Jianguo didn’t dare make the decision himself, so he turned his gaze to Jiang Longcheng standing beside him.

After all, this was the man who had brought him here; without his nod of approval, he wouldn’t dare accept the money.

Jiang Longcheng naturally understood what Lin Jianguo was getting at, but seeing how resolute Li Yi was, he had no choice but to nod.

Seeing Jiang Longcheng nod in agreement, Lin Jianguo immediately said with delight, “Comrade Li Yi, then it’s settled!”

“Right. Besides renting the place, I’d also like to place an order with your foundry!” Li Yi said.

“What kind of order?” Lin Jianguo asked urgently.

Their foundry was now on the brink of survival; if they didn’t get any more orders, all 100-plus employees would be left with nothing to eat during the New Year.

So, the moment he heard the word “order,” his eyes lit up.

Li Yi pulled a few sheets of plain white paper from his shoulder bag and handed them to Lin Jianguo.

“Take a look at this. Can your factory handle it?”

Lin Jianguo took the drawings and studied them carefully. After a long moment, he said, “This looks like some kind of grilling… table. Is this a pot?”

Li Yi immediately explained, “It’s called a grill-and-hot-pot combo table. The hole on the left is for holding a charcoal brazier…”

After Li Yi had explained the grill-and-hotpot combo table in detail, he asked, “Can your foundry make this? If so, I’ll place an order for a hundred tables.”

Lin Jianguo frowned and said, “I can’t give you a definite answer right now. Why don’t I go ask the senior craftsmen in the workshop first, and get back to you?”

“Sure!”

“Please wait a moment!”

With that, Lin Jianguo hurriedly left the office once again!

Once the office was left with just the three of them, Jiang Longcheng, who had been holding back for a while, immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi, are you really going to spend three thousand yuan to rent that dilapidated warehouse of theirs?”

“Yeah!”

“What are you thinking? That’s just throwing money down the drain!” Jiang Longcheng said, sounding a bit flustered.

“Do I look like an idiot to you?” Li Yi replied nonchalantly.

“Um…”

Li Yi glanced at Ye Jianhua and then asked, “Don’t you think this house isn’t worth three thousand yuan either?”

“It’s not worth it!” Ye Jianhua replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Although housing in Beijing was expensive—ordinary apartments could rent for six to eight yuan a month, and those near the train station might even go for ten yuan a month—

But those were residential properties, fully equipped with stoves, beds, water jars, and other household essentials. An abandoned warehouse like the one at the foundry was absolutely not worth that price.

Li Yi smiled faintly and said, “Well, do you believe that within a week, the price of this warehouse could double—or even triple?”

“How is that possible?” Jiang Longcheng asked.

“Why don’t we make a bet, then?”

“How would we bet?”

“Let’s bet on the rent. It doesn’t have to be just this warehouse—it includes all the street-front shops in Beiguan Village. If the rent doubles within a week, I win; if it doesn’t, I lose!” Li Yi said.

“What’s the stake?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “As for the stakes, if I win, you do me a favor—of course, nothing illegal, and nothing that goes against your conscience or moral principles!”

“What if you lose?”

“If I lose, I’ll read your fortune again!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, it’s a bet!”

Just then, Ye Jianhua, standing nearby, timidly asked, “Can you do a reading for me too?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Sure!”

“It’s a deal!”

“It’s a deal!”

…….

“Wait a minute!”

Hearing Jiang Longcheng’s words, Qiangzi stopped immediately, and Li Yi also fixed his gaze on him.

“What’s up?”

“Brother Li Yi, is the foundry you were just talking about this run-down little factory nearby?” Jiang Longcheng asked.

“Yeah, it’s not far from here—the one on the west side of the road!” Li Yi replied.

“Brother Li Yi, do you guys have business at that factory?”

“Yeah, we do have some business there, but unfortunately, we don’t know the factory manager!” Li Yi said.

“No problem. To be honest, the plant manager’s name is Lin Jianguo, and he usually hangs around us.”

Jiang Longcheng continued, “Brother Li Yi, if you have business there, I’ll go get him!”

Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately replied, “No need to call him over. After all, I’m the one who needs to see him—it wouldn’t be appropriate to have him summoned!”

“What’s so inappropriate about that? That bastard…”

“Keep it low-key,” Li Yi said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Longcheng went silent instantly, like a young rooster with its throat squeezed.

“Oh!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “You don’t look too convinced!”

“No, I just…”

“No need to explain. Let me tell you this: fortunes rise and fall; no one can guarantee they’ll always have smooth sailing. Just think about the major families in the capital over the past few years—how many have come and gone.”

Li Yi continued, “I’m sure there were plenty among them who were even more arrogant than you! Look at them now—the more arrogant they were back then, the more destitute they are now. Doesn’t that wake you up?”

Jiang Longcheng thought about it seriously and realized it was true. There used to be quite a few distinguished families in the capital, but in recent years, a significant number of them had been ousted.

The scions of those once-powerful families now mostly lived in poverty and misery, and this was certainly linked to their past deeds.

On the other hand, those who had always treated others with kindness—even when their families faced misfortune—usually didn’t fare too badly.

Suddenly, it seemed as though Jiang Longcheng had grasped something!

“I get it now. Thanks for the insight!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Since you know the management at the foundry, I won’t bother Uncle Wen. When you have time, take me to the foundry so I can meet them!”

“When?”

“The sooner, the better!”

“In that case, why don’t we go right now? That guy should be at the plant at this hour!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Will your injuries hold up?”

“No problem. It’s just my arm that’s badly injured; the rest of my injuries aren’t a big deal!”

“Alright, let’s go now then!”

Seeing that Li Yi had agreed, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua both stood up, and the group headed out of the room.

Since the jeep couldn’t fit many people, Li Yi didn’t bring Dongzi and the others along. Instead, he took the money and got into the car alone with Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua.

The driver started the engine, and they headed straight for the nearby foundry!

…….

Foundry. Security Office!

“Beep, beep, beep!”

Hearing the car’s horn, the security guard in the guardhouse immediately came out to check on the situation.

When Li Yi saw the guy, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. What a coincidence—wasn’t this the same arrogant watchdog from yesterday?

But when the guard saw the Jeep’s license plate, he was instantly startled. He didn’t even dare to ask any questions and immediately opened the gate.

Just as the car passed by the guard, Li Yi suddenly rolled down the window and flashed him a mysterious smile.

The security guard recognized Li Yi as well. His mouth dropped open, and his expression changed instantly.

He was just a lowly lackey—a little scare was all it took. Li Yi didn’t give him a second thought.

There were plenty of small-time nobodies like this around now, and who knew how many more he’d encounter in the future.

If he were to confront every single one of them, he’d never get anything done.

After entering the factory grounds, the car soon pulled up in front of a small three-story building.

After getting out of the car, the group headed straight for the factory director’s office upstairs!

In the office of the foundry manager, Lin Jianguo was listening to a financial report from the factory.

Since the year before last, the factory’s orders have been dwindling day by day, and its performance has been getting worse by the day.

In the previous two years, the factory still had some reserves, so they were barely able to cover the employees’ wages, though benefits had been cut time and again.

But in the first half of this year, there were almost no orders; it wasn’t until the second half that they secured a small amount of business, barely keeping production going for two months. Left with no other choice, they had to request funding from the city.

Yet there were simply too many organizations waiting for municipal funding, leaving the factory’s employees without pay for three months.

Lin Jianguo was at his wits’ end over this.

Just as he was at a loss, a frantic knock suddenly sounded at the door.

“Come in!”

As the office door swung open, several people filed in one after another.

When he saw that the man leading the group was a stranger, Lin Jianguo immediately asked, “Who are you…”

But before he could finish, he spotted Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua behind him, and the words stuck in his throat.

“Brother Jiang, Brother Ye, what brings you all here?”

He then turned to the accountant standing nearby and said, “Zhou, hurry up and pour some water for them!”

Jiang Longcheng immediately replied, “No need for water. The main reason is that my friend here has something to discuss with you, so I just tagged along!”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianguo was instantly taken aback; he knew exactly who Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua were.

Although they were all children of the compound, their social standing was far above his own. Anyone who could get these two to accompany them was clearly no ordinary person.

Without delay, he showed his utmost respect and said, “May I ask your name, sir? I am Lin Jianguo, director of the Foundry!”

“Li Yi. Just an ordinary guy. I’m here today mainly to discuss a couple of business deals with Director Lin!”

“Oh, what kind of deals?” Lin Jianguo asked eagerly, his tone brimming with curiosity.

Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, standing nearby, were equally surprised. They hadn’t expected Li Yi to seek out Lin Jianguo for business, and were quite taken aback.

“First, I’d like to rent that row of buildings in the southeast corner of your factory. I wonder if that’s possible?” Li Yi said.

“Rent a building?”

Lin Jianguo was a bit taken aback. After all, this was a factory, and he had assumed Li Yi wanted to do business with him in that capacity—he hadn’t expected it to be about renting a building.

He thought carefully about it—what vacant buildings were there in the southeast corner of the factory?

“Brother Li, you aren’t thinking of renting those abandoned product display warehouses of ours, are you?”

“Yes, exactly those buildings. I was wondering if that would be possible!”

“They’re just a few empty rooms. If they’re useful to you, go ahead and use them—no need to rent them!” Lin Jianguo said with a laugh.

In his view, although he didn’t know this man’s background, since he’d been brought by Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, he was certainly no ordinary person.

Besides, the face of Jiang and Ye alone was worth these dilapidated buildings.

In fact, he felt that using those abandoned, run-down buildings to connect with two top-tier young tycoons was an incredibly good deal.

However, what he could think of, Li Yi could think of too—and he thought even further ahead.

Without further ado, Li Yi said directly, “Director Lin, let’s stick to business. I’m the kind of person who prefers to play by the rules!”

“If you’re willing to rent this place to me, I’ll take it. If you don’t rent it out to the public, I’ll look elsewhere. But if you’re offering it for free, I certainly won’t use it!”

Lin Jianguo dared not refuse. He immediately replied, “We’ll rent it—of course we will. It’s just that our factory has never rented out property before, so we don’t know the going rate!”

“That’s simple. You can check with the factory’s accountant or cashier to see what the going rates are for nearby properties and give me a quote,” Li Yi said.

“Alright, please wait a moment, I’ll be right back!”

With that, Lin Jianguo hurriedly left his office!

Seeing Jiang Longcheng appear before him, Li Yi was somewhat surprised.

Although this guy’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, if they were sent to the relevant authorities for evaluation, they would certainly be classified as severe.

Especially that slash on his arm—it had nearly pierced right through.

Luckily, the man was big and burly, with thick arms; otherwise, the blade might have gone right through.

Plus, he’d lost a fair amount of blood last night, so Li Yi estimated that the guy would need at least ten days to a fortnight of rest at home before he could even think about going out.

Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, if he tried to check himself out of the hospital, he probably wouldn’t even get past his own mother.

“What are you two doing here?”

Li Yi then fixed his gaze on Jiang Longcheng and said again, “Especially you—aren’t you afraid of long-term complications if you don’t stay in the hospital and recover properly?”

Jiang Longcheng looked a bit pale, but he still grinned and said, “It’s fine, just some superficial wounds. Nothing serious!”

“Those ‘superficial’ injuries sure are deep—they’ve stained my clothes red and got me locked up at the police station for a whole night and half a day!” Li Yi retorted.

Jiang Longcheng said sheepishly, “It’s my fault…”

“Come on, it’s all in the past. There’s no point dwelling on it now!”

Li Yi continued, “Since you’re here, don’t just stand around—come inside and let’s talk!”

“Alright!”

After that, the group walked into the courtyard together!

After opening the door, Li Yi told Dongzi and the others to go back to their own rooms, while he led Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua into his own room.

Once inside, Li Yi pointed to the small stools on the floor and said, “It’s a bit cramped, but you two can make do for now!”

Ye Jianhua didn’t mind and simply found a stool to sit on, but Jiang Longcheng was a bit hesitant.

He had a wound on his abdomen—though not deep—and sitting on such a small stool might cause it to reopen.

“I… I’d rather just stand!”

Li Yi immediately understood and said, “Why don’t you sit on my bed? It’s a bit higher over there!”

Once the two had settled down, Li Yi added some charcoal to the stove, then filled the large iron teapot with water and placed it on top.

Noticing how awkward the two looked, Li Yi said casually, “Go ahead. Acting all timid like this isn’t like you two at all!”

“Um… Brother Li…”

“Don’t do that. I’m not older than you—calling me ‘Brother Li’ just made me feel ten years older!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

Jiang Longcheng immediately grinned and said, “Brother Li Yi, I really want to thank you for what happened last night. If it weren’t for you, I might have actually lost my life at the hands of those bastards!”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll team up with those guys to set you up?”

Hearing this, Jiang Longcheng felt incredibly awkward.

His first instinct last night had indeed been that Li Yi was in cahoots with those thugs, but when he saw with his own eyes Li Yi beat those three guys to a pulp—even breaking two of their legs—he knew he’d been wrong.

Even Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai wouldn’t have been this brutal.

Besides, those thugs had already been arrested, and after interrogation, it was confirmed they had nothing to do with Li Yi.

“It was I, old brother, who judged a gentleman by my own petty standards. Please don’t take this to heart, Brother Li Yi. I formally apologize to you here—it was I, Jiang Longcheng, who failed to recognize a great man!”

Li Yi glanced at him and said, “Do you know why those thugs had it in for you?”

“Rumor has it they were after money!”

“It was about money, no doubt. But with so many people on the street, why did they single you out?”

“Well…”

Before he could answer, Li Yi continued, “It’s because you’re too flashy!”

Hearing this, Jiang Longcheng fell silent instantly.

Actually, ever since he woke up today, he’d been pondering the same question: why was he so unlucky as to run into those thugs, nearly losing his life in the process?

He’d also been trying to figure out where exactly he’d gone wrong.

However, there were some things he just couldn’t quite grasp. After Li Yi pointed it out, he seemed to understand a little better.

Meanwhile, Ye Jianhua, standing nearby, frowned and said, “I think Old Jiang’s fine. Among us who grew up together, he’s actually the low-key one—there are plenty of people who are way more arrogant than him!”

“Heh, have you ever heard that saying?”

“What?”

“Heaven punishes the arrogant; man brings disaster upon the arrogant!”

Li Yi continued, “He’s the perfect example. If he hadn’t gone out of his way to show off for no reason, those thugs never would’ve targeted him.”

“Besides, even a fool knows a wise man doesn’t take a loss when he can avoid it. Ask him what he did.”

Ye Jianhua turned to look at Jiang Longcheng, only to see the latter’s face flushed red, wearing an awkward smile.

“Old Jiang, what jaw-dropping thing have you done now?”

Jiang Longcheng instantly lowered his head and said, “Can’t you ask me later? You had to ask right now!”

Li Yi chuckled and said, “Young Master Jiang was absolutely badass last night. Facing three knife-wielding thugs, he didn’t flinch at all—he even lectured them with total swagger. If he’d backed down just a little and handed over the money quietly, they wouldn’t have gone so hard on him!”

Ye Jianhua’s eyes widened like copper bells, and he stared at Jiang Longcheng, saying, “You’re really a tough guy, aren’t you? Those were three knife-wielding thugs, for God’s sake. Weren’t you afraid they’d really stab you to pieces?”

“Uh… I had a few drinks yesterday…”

“Ah, now I get why Brother Li Yi told you to keep a low profile. With a temper like yours, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later!” Ye Jianhua said.

Jiang Longcheng grimaced and said, “It won’t happen again. Damn it, last night was terrifying. I almost got sent to meet the Grim Reaper. I’ll definitely keep a low profile from now on!”

Ye Jianhua, meanwhile, stared at Li Yi intently, then asked, “Brother Li Yi, do you really know how to read people’s faces?”

“No!” Li Yi replied decisively.

“Uh… I’m asking in all seriousness…”

“Whether you ask or not, you’re destined for prison. If you don’t fix that womanizing habit of yours, not only will you be the one to suffer, but you’ll drag your whole family down with you.”

Li Yi knew full well that many members of the Ye family had been dragged down by his reckless behavior.

Ye Jianhua fell silent at that moment!

He wanted to argue with Li Yi—sure, he wasn’t exactly faithful in his relationships, but he wasn’t exactly a womanizer, was he?

Besides, the Ye family wasn’t exactly a minor clan in Beijing; surely they could handle a little scandal like this.

But when he thought about what had happened to Jiang Longcheng, it all seemed a bit mysterious.

Before today, who could have imagined that anyone would dare to target him, Jiang Longcheng, right here in the capital?

However, just as the two of them stood in silence, the door suddenly swung open, and Qiangzi walked in with a delighted expression on his face.

Paying no heed to Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua’s presence, he addressed Li Yi directly: “Brother Yi, we just checked with Uncle Wen. He knows a workshop director at that foundry. Why don’t we ask Uncle Wen to pull some strings for us?”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Did Uncle Wen really say that?”

“Yep!”

“That’s great news. Let’s have Uncle Wen set it up and invite that workshop manager out for a meal together!” Li Yi said.

“Sure!”

As Qiangzi turned to leave, Jiang Longcheng spoke up!

About half an hour later, Jiang Longcheng returned to the room.

As soon as he walked in, Jiang Longcheng said with a relaxed expression, “My second older brother just called. He said the case has been solved!”

“How did it go?”

“According to the robbers’ confessions, they have no connection to that kid, and those little bastards don’t even know me—the robbery was just a spur-of-the-moment decision!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“So, that kid really is something special?” Ye Jianhua said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, that kid is definitely a bit of a mystery!”

Thinking back to the words Li Yi had spoken when they first met, Jiang Longcheng was secretly shocked.

He remembered last night’s events all too clearly. He could tell those thugs weren’t just trying to scare him—they were genuinely out to kill him.

They’d attacked with brutal ferocity, striking with all their might with every blow.

If Li Yi hadn’t shown up in time, he might very well have died at the hands of those bastards.

In other words, if Li Yi hadn’t stepped in last night, everything he’d said earlier would have come true.

“Old Jiang, do you think there really are fortune-tellers in this world who can predict the future with absolute certainty…?” Ye Jianhua asked in a low voice.

“I definitely wouldn’t have believed it before, but now…”

At that point, Jiang Longcheng suddenly fell silent; he wasn’t sure whether he believed it or not.

Believe it, but all those years of education told him it made no sense!

But if he didn’t believe, this had just happened to him!

Conflict, turmoil!

Jiang Longcheng didn’t even know what his state of mind was right now—it was just incredibly complicated!

Ye Jianhua and Jiang Longcheng had grown up together since childhood and knew him inside out. Seeing him like this, how could he not understand what was on his mind?

After a long silence, he suddenly said with a hint of panic, “Old Jiang, if that kid really has what it takes, I’m in big trouble!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you remember what that kid said over dinner the other day?”

“I wasn’t paying attention. What about it…?”

Suddenly, Jiang Longcheng remembered something and said, “You aren’t thinking about going to jail, are you?”

“Yeah!”

“No way. Even though the old patriarch of the Ye family is gone, every one of your uncles and elders is a powerhouse with immense influence. As long as you don’t go too far, who would dare to convict you?” Jiang Longcheng said.

“That may be true, but that guy is way too creepy!”

Ye Jianhua continued, “Remember when he called you a ‘short-lived ghost’ a few days ago? We didn’t take it seriously then either. But who would’ve thought that right here in Beijing, someone would actually try to rob you, Jiang Longcheng, in broad daylight—and even attempt to kill you?”

This time, Jiang Longcheng fell silent. Yes, that guy’s actions were truly beyond belief—they defied all logic.

Especially since that guy had actually concluded that his older brother was already dead just from a small spot on his brow—and had even accurately predicted that his brother’s death would occur within the next three years. With all that, it was hard not to believe him!

“Come on, come with me for a bit!” Jiang Longcheng said suddenly.

“Where to?”

“To meet that kid!”

“Um… Bro, your injuries…”

Before Ye Jianhua could finish, Jiang Longcheng cut him off: “They’re just superficial wounds. Once they’re bandaged up, I’ll be fine!”

“I’m fine, but you should still let Auntie know first. If she says it’s okay for you to go out, I’ve got no objections!” Ye Jianhua said.

“Stop nagging!”

Jiang Longcheng immediately had Ye Jianhua help him get dressed, then walked out the door.

In the kitchen, Jiang’s mother was preparing ingredients. Her son had lost a lot of blood yesterday, so the doctor had told her to put extra effort into his meals to help him recover!

However, when she looked up, she saw that her son was already fully dressed and putting on his shoes—it looked like he was about to head out!

“Mom, I’m going out for a bit!”

“Are you out of your mind? You just had your IV removed and you’re already heading out? What if your wound reopens?” Jiang’s mother said, both exasperated and angry.

“Mom, my injury isn’t as bad as you think. Aside from a little pain, I’m fine!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“Nonsense! You passed out yesterday, and now you say you’re fine…”

“Mom, I have to go out right now!” Jiang Longcheng said with a serious expression.

It was rare for Jiang’s mother to see her youngest son speak to her with such gravity, and her tone softened immediately, though she still frowned. “What’s so urgent? Can’t you wait until your injury heals?”

“Mom, you know I was rescued yesterday, but you might not know that my savior was detained by those guys at the police station for over ten hours. I have to go apologize to him!”

“Didn’t your father send your second brother to handle it…”

“Hmph, don’t you know what kind of temper my second brother has? He’s so stuck-up, as if everyone has ulterior motives toward our family.”

Jiang Longcheng continued, “My second older brother just told me he got the guy released from the police station, but the guy wouldn’t even speak to him!”

“There’s no need to go there right now. No, dxmbang, you stay home and rest. I’ll have your dad go thank the person!” Jiang’s mother still didn’t want her son to go out.

“What’s my dad supposed to do there? Intimidate them? Fine, just stay out of this. The person who saved me isn’t just anyone!”

“Killing someone—and that’s not extraordinary?”

In Mrs. Jiang’s eyes, few people could claim to be “no ordinary person” in front of the Jiang family, so she was naturally curious.

“I’ll explain everything to you when I get back!”

With that, Jiang Longcheng led Ye Jianhua out the door, leaving only a worried-looking Mrs. Jiang behind!

…….

Meanwhile, Li Yi arrived at a state-run restaurant with a few of his younger brothers. They ordered a few small dishes and began to eat.

Over the meal, the group chatted about village affairs.

It had been four days since they left Nianzishan Village, and they had no idea how things were back home.

Li Yi missed home too, but mostly he missed Tang Xue.

After spending several months together, a bond had formed between them.

Tang Xue had gone from resisting him to passively accepting him, and now she fully accepted him; her heart and soul were completely imprinted with his mark.

If they hadn’t come to the capital completely unprepared, with no idea what the situation was like, he would have really wanted to bring her along.

Besides that, Li Yi also wanted to know if his brother-in-law and the others had returned from the pastures with the cattle and sheep!

He had shelled out over 40,000 yuan for this venture, and if things went wrong, the losses would be substantial.

More importantly, this batch of livestock wasn’t just about the villagers’ income in Nianzi Mountain Village—it also held the key to his own success in Beijing.

He also wanted to know how things were going with Long Zhanjun and Li Yeqiao; barring any surprises, his shop should be up and running soon.

However, he couldn’t stay in Beijing for an extended period, so he needed someone to stay behind and keep an eye on things.

As things stood, only Long Zhanjun and Li Yeqiao were capable of doing so.

Unfortunately, one had to take care of his family, and the other was embroiled in legal troubles—so he’d have to wait!

Fortunately, the house hadn’t been rented yet, and even if it were, renovations and customizing the tableware and kitchenware would take some time, so there was no rush for now!

They chatted over their meal, and by the time they finished, it was nearly 2:30.

Li Yi was feeling a bit sleepy, so he immediately led Dongzi and the others out of the restaurant and back to their rental apartment.

Although there were no beds or blankets in the detention cell last night, and it was quite damp, Li Yi hadn’t slept soundly.

When he woke up today, his back felt a bit stiff, so he decided to go back and get a good night’s sleep; he’d deal with everything else after he woke up.

But just as they reached the courtyard gate, they saw a jeep parked there, with two men standing beside it—none other than Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua.

When Li Yi returned to his rented apartment wearing bloodstained clothes, he happened to run into Uncle Wen and Aunt Wen as they were heading out.

Seeing this, both of them were stunned.

Uncle Wen, ever the kind-hearted soul, hesitated briefly before stepping forward with concern: “What… what happened? Where are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Li Yi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—Uncle Wen was still the same old Uncle Wen.

Most people would want to stay as far away as possible from something like this, but not this couple—they were actually stepping forward to help.

“Uncle, Auntie, I’m not hurt—I just got this while coming to someone’s aid!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Acting heroically?”

“Yeah, I came across a robbery on my way home last night. I rescued the victim and took them to the hospital—this blood is from them!” Li Yi explained.

“Is that so? You’re a real hero!”

Uncle Wen breathed a sigh of relief and immediately praised him.

“It’s the least I could do. If no one steps in to help when they see injustice like this, who’s going to help us when we’re the ones being bullied?” Li Yi said.

“You’re right. Now go inside and change into some clean clothes—you look pretty scary like that!”

“Alright, I’ll go in first then!”

With that, Li Yi headed toward the courtyard!

In the west wing, a few young men were chatting while munching on sweet potatoes.

“Where did Brother Yi go? Why did he leave without even saying a word?” Qiangzi asked.

“Maybe he had an emergency!” Shi Yong said.

Dongzi frowned and said, “The window in Brother Yi’s room is frozen over. He probably didn’t come back last night. I hope nothing’s happened to him…”

Before he could finish, they heard the sound of a door opening next door.

The young men exchanged glances, immediately stood up, and went out to check what was going on.

When they saw Li Yi standing in the doorway, covered in blood, they were all stunned.

“Brother Yi… what happened to you…”

Before Dongzi could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Don’t make such a fuss. I saved someone last night—it’s his blood.”

Then Li Yi added, “You guys go wait in the next room for a bit. I’ll change into some clean clothes and join you!”

“Got it!”

Li Yi went back into the room, immediately pulled a clean set of clothes out of his suitcase, took off his blood-stained clothes, and tossed them into the washbasin to soak in water.

Watching the bloodstains rise to the surface of the water, Li Yi couldn’t help but frown.

Tang Xue had helped him pick out this outfit before they left for Qin Province—and now it was ruined.

Bloodstains are the most stubborn of all, and with the soap’s limited cleaning power, it would be nearly impossible to get them out no matter how hard he scrubbed. What a waste!

Besides the outer layer being soiled, the sweater underneath was also stained with blood. But since he only had one thick sweater, he had no spare to change into.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much blood on the sweater, so it was still bearable.

After changing, Li Yi lit the stove in the room. Although Beijing in late November hadn’t yet reached the depths of winter, it was still getting a bit chilly.

Plus, the west wing was a bit damp to begin with, so not lighting the stove would have been downright uncomfortable.

Once that was done, Li Yi went into the next room!

Seeing the young men munching on sweet potatoes, he immediately asked, “Where did you get these sweet potatoes?”

Dongzi replied right away, “We saw your door was locked, and we didn’t dare go out to eat, so we asked the landlord to buy us some sweet potatoes to roast!”

“Haha, I was worried you guys might be going hungry. That’s great!”

Li Yi continued, “Last night when I went out, I ran into some thugs who tried to rob me and even stabbed someone. I stepped in to save the guy. But because I had blood on me, the police misunderstood and took me to the station!”

“The investigation is over now, so they let me go!”

Li Yi briefly recounted what had happened to put the younger guys’ minds at ease.

“Bro Yi, what should we do now? Should we go out and hang around some more this afternoon?” Dongzi asked.

“No need. Let’s grab a bite to eat first, then get some sleep this afternoon. We’ll head to the foundry tomorrow!” Li Yi said.

“Didn’t that jerk who guards the foundry say they don’t rent out their housing? Why would we go there?”

“Haha, a mere gatekeeper like him wouldn’t have the authority to decide something like that. We’d have to ask the plant manager or other factory officials!” Li Yi said.

“But as long as that guard is there, we can’t even get through the gate. How are we supposed to meet the foundry’s management?” Dongzi asked.

“Simple. When we get there tomorrow, we’ll say we’re there to do business with their management. That way, he can’t very well stop us, can he?”

Li Yi continued, “Of course, if he still won’t let us in, we’re not afraid. We’ll just use that as an excuse to cause a scene. When the time comes, don’t hold back—beat the hell out of that son of a bitch!”

“Brother Yi, we’re strangers here. Isn’t it a bit unwise to start a fight?” Dongzi asked.

“No problem. If we make a big scene, it’ll just draw their plant manager out!” Li Yi said.

“That might work, but it’ll be hard to explain ourselves once the factory boss comes out!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “What’s there to explain? We’re just here on business. I plan to place an order with the foundry to have them custom-make a batch of special stoves.”

Hearing this, Dongzi and the others’ eyes lit up instantly!

That would make everything make sense—even if things really did escalate, they’d be in the right.

After all, we’re just here to do business, and your watchdogs won’t even let us in—don’t they deserve a beating?

With that settled, Li Yi glanced at his watch—it was already 1:00 PM—and immediately said, “Let’s pack up and go grab some lunch. What kind of lunch is it to be munching on sweet potatoes in the middle of the day?”

“Alright!”

…….

Downtown. The Jiang Residence!

Just as Li Yi was heading out to eat with a few of his guys, the doorbell at the Jiang residence suddenly rang.

Mrs. Jiang went to check and saw it was the young man from the Ye family. Realizing he’d come to visit her youngest son, she opened the door right away.

“Jianhua, you’re here?” Mrs. Jiang said politely.

“Auntie, I heard Longcheng got hurt, so I came to check on him!” Ye Jianhua replied immediately.

“Come on in, then…”

Just as she spoke, the door to the inner room suddenly swung open, and Jiang Longcheng, his upper body wrapped in bandages, suddenly walked out.

Seeing this, Mrs. Jiang was startled and immediately scolded him, “Good heavens! Why are you up and about?”

Seeing his mother’s reaction, Jiang Longcheng gave a wry smile. “Mom, I only hurt my arm—not my leg. Why can’t I get up?”

“That’s still not allowed! Didn’t you hear Dr. Jiang tell you to rest?”

“Mom, I know my own body best!”

Then, turning to Ye Jianhua standing nearby, he said, “What are you just standing there for? Come on in!”

Once Ye Jianhua had entered, Jiang Longcheng immediately led him to his room.

As soon as he walked in, Ye Jianhua asked in astonishment, “What happened? You were fine last night. How did you end up looking like this after just one night?”

“Don’t even ask. I got mugged by some petty thieves on my way home after drinking last night. I almost didn’t make it!” Jiang Longcheng said.

“That bad?” Ye Jianhua asked in surprise.

He actually had no idea what had happened. Just a moment ago, when he’d seen Jiang Longcheng talking to his mother, he’d seemed perfectly normal, so he’d assumed it was just a minor injury. He hadn’t expected the situation to be far more serious than he’d imagined.

“Yeah!”

Jiang Longcheng then recounted last night’s events in detail.

After listening to Jiang Longcheng’s account, Ye Jianhua frowned and said, “So you’re saying that last night, after you had a drink and were heading home, you got mugged in a narrow alley, and at the critical moment, that blabbermouth saved you?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“So could it be just as Old Zhou said—that the whole thing was orchestrated by that kid, with the aim of…”

“No way!”

“Why?”

Jiang Longcheng said in a low voice, “At first yesterday, I thought the same thing you do, but then I realized I was wrong. That kid was incredibly brutal when he saved me!”

“Can you imagine that guy beating three knife-wielding robbers to a pulp right in front of me? Can you imagine him breaking their legs right in front of me, just to make sure they couldn’t get away?”

Thinking back to Li Yi’s brutal display last night, Jiang Longcheng couldn’t help but shudder!

Ye Longcheng swallowed hard, then said, “What if it was a ruse?”

Jiang Longcheng immediately fell into deep thought, but just then, his mother’s voice suddenly rang out from outside: “Third son, come out quickly—it’s your second brother on the phone!”

Jiang Longcheng told Ye Jianhua to wait a moment and went to the living room to answer the phone.

Downtown… The Jiang Family Compound!

Seeing Jiang Longcheng, covered in blood and as pale as a sheet, Jiang’s mother was on the verge of a breakdown, tears streaming down her face.

She had already lost one son; she simply couldn’t bear the blow of losing another.

Standing beside her, Jiang’s father stood with a stern expression, watching silently as the doctor examined his younger son.

As for Jiang Longcheng himself, he showed no reaction at all; he had fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep!

He had truly been terrified today. First, he’d been frightened by those reckless street thugs—though they were young, they’d struck with brutal force.

It was the first time he had felt the breath of death so close at hand, and the sensation was truly terrifying.

Secondly, he’d been terrified by Li Yi!

That guy was practically a human Tyrannosaurus rex—he beat people down as easily as slicing through vegetables. With a wooden stick in his hand, he was unstoppable, mowing down anyone who stood in his way.

Especially when he dealt with that last thug—right in front of Jiang Longcheng, he beat the guy to a pulp.

And just before leaving, he’d snapped the thighs of those two thugs right in front of him.

That crisp “crack” left a deep psychological scar on Jiang Longcheng.

Combined with all the bloodshed and turmoil along the way, his mind and spirit had long since reached their breaking point.

After Li Yi left, he mustered his last ounce of strength, used the hospital phone to call home, and then passed out.

When Jiang’s parents received the call and learned from the nurse about their son’s injuries, they were stunned.

They immediately got in their car and rushed to the affiliated hospital.

By then, the staff at the affiliated hospital had already re-examined Jiang Longcheng’s wounds and sutured them.

Once they were certain their son was out of danger, they immediately decided to take him home to recuperate.

However, to be on the safe side, they called the old man’s family doctor to come and examine their son.

After a long while, the doctor finally finished the examination.

Jiang’s mother asked anxiously, “Dr. Jiang, how is my son? Is his life in danger?”

“You can rest assured—there is no immediate danger to his life!” Dr. Jiang replied.

“Then why isn’t my son showing any signs of life?”

Dr. Jiang replied immediately, “On the one hand, he’s in shock, and on top of that, he’s lost a lot of blood, which is why he’s unconscious.”

“On the other hand, I administered anesthesia while treating his wound, and the effects haven’t worn off yet.”

Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They had great confidence in Dr. Jiang’s medical skills; after all, he was a renowned specialist listed in the official registry—in ancient times, he would have been a court physician, so his medical expertise was beyond question.

Moreover, Dr. Jiang was renowned as a master healer within Beijing’s medical circles; even the most prominent families showed him due respect.

Since he said so, there must be no problem!

“Dr. Jiang, what should we do now? Should we apply any medicine or something?” Mrs. Jiang asked again.

“No need for medication. The hospital handled it very well, but we can give him an IV to help him regain his strength as soon as possible!” Dr. Jiang said.

“All right, all right, thank you so much for your help!”

“You’re welcome!”

Soon, the doctor hooked Jiang Longcheng up to an IV!

After seeing Dr. Jiang off, Jiang’s father immediately dialed the home number of the head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau!

Within just a few minutes, an urgent assembly call came from the Municipal Bureau!

……

Li Yi had assumed he’d be released soon—after all, there wasn’t much to investigate. Once the police station verified Jiang Longcheng’s identity as the victim, the matter would be settled.

But to his surprise, when he woke up, it was already broad daylight, and still no one had come to release him.

This left him extremely frustrated. After all, he had acted heroically—why had they locked him up and ignored him?

What Li Yi didn’t know was that the police station hadn’t even seen Jiang Longcheng the previous night.

Instead, in the early hours of the morning, officials from both the municipal and district police bureaus had arrived, held a meeting, and established a special task force to investigate the case.

Although the current evidence suggested that Li Yi had little to do with the attack on the Jiang family’s young master—he was merely a bystander who had intervened—

However, since they hadn’t yet located Jiang Longcheng, and the brazen robbers hadn’t regained consciousness, no one dared to make the decision to release Li Yi.

And so, Li Yi remained detained at the Beiguan Village Police Station!

The entire morning passed in this manner. Aside from someone bringing Li Yi a bowl of congee and two steamed buns, no one paid him any attention.

Li Yi knew the police likely needed time to investigate, so he didn’t press them.

But as noon approached and there was still no sign of movement from them, Li Yi couldn’t help but start to get anxious.

It wouldn’t have mattered much if it were just him—staying an extra day or two wouldn’t be a big deal.

But there were still a few young guys back at the rental house!

They were in a strange place and didn’t know how to cook for themselves; if he wasn’t there, they’d probably go hungry.

Immediately, Li Yi walked to the door of the holding cell and started shouting loudly!

Soon, a young police officer came over and asked, “What’s all the shouting about? What do you want?”

“When are you finally going to let me go? It’s been over ten hours already,” Li Yi said, sounding a bit annoyed.

“We haven’t finished investigating your case yet. You’ll have to wait a little longer!”

“Wait for what? Can’t you even figure out something this simple? Your investigative skills are really pretty lousy!” Li Yi retorted.

“It’s none of your business how we handle cases. Just behave yourself. We’ll let you go once the investigation is complete…”

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the hallway outside.

Immediately afterward, a group of uniformed police officers could be seen escorting a middle-aged man in his thirties.

Then, an older police officer standing next to the man turned to the young officer who had been shouting just moments ago and said, “Open the door!”

The young officer paused for a moment, then replied, “O-okay!”

Once the detention room door was opened, the middle-aged man leading the group walked straight in.

Upon seeing Li Yi, he gave him a once-over and asked, “Are you the one who saved my brother?”

Li Yi looked at the man—it really was Jiang Longcheng’s older brother, Jiang Longyin, the future super-powerful figure.

“If you’re talking about that guy surnamed Jiang, then yes!” Li Yi replied.

“Alright, the Jiang family owes you a favor. Whenever you need it repaid, just come find us at Compound 18 in the main city district!” Jiang Longyin said calmly.

Hearing this, the crowd around them looked on with envy.

This was a favor from the Jiang family—something money couldn’t buy!

With this connection, this young man was truly set for a meteoric rise.

However, Li Yi’s next reply took everyone by surprise. His expression grew even colder as he said, “I didn’t save him for the Jiang family’s favor. It’s because your brother once treated me to a meal—saving him is simply repaying that debt of a single meal!”

Of course, the “favor of a meal” was merely an excuse on Li Yi’s part, but it was true that he didn’t want the Jiang family to owe him a debt of gratitude.

After all, he did save the man to repay a debt—just not the one from that meal.

Jiang Longyin looked at Li Yi and said, “Do you realize what a huge loss it is to turn down this favor? Or are you asking for more?”

“Haha, you’re overthinking it. A favor from the Jiang family might be valuable, but I, Li Yi, don’t care for it!”

Although the man would eventually become a major power broker, and the Jiang family behind him was a colossal force, Li Yi had no intention of groveling to him—nor was there any need to.

He saved the man because it was Jiang Longcheng, not because of the Jiang family behind him.

Then, Li Yi glanced at the security guards standing nearby and asked bluntly, “Since you’re here, that means the case has been fully investigated. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving!”

With that, he strode toward the door and left the police station without looking back!

Watching Li Yi’s resolute retreating figure, Jiang Longyin’s lips curled slightly into a meaningful smile.

After emerging from the narrow alley, Li Yi first flagged down a passing man and asked him to help report the incident to the nearby police station.

Only then did he take Jiang Longcheng to a nearby clinic.

The reason they went to a clinic rather than a large hospital was mainly because the wound on this guy’s arm looked rather terrifying.

Although Li Yi had already staunched the bleeding, the blood was still flowing—after all, the wound was simply too deep, and simply tying off the main artery wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding completely.

The nearest major hospital was two or three kilometers away, and Li Yi was worried the man might go into shock on the walk there, forcing him to carry him.

So he decided to take him to a nearby small clinic first to properly stop the bleeding and bandage the wound before heading to a major hospital.

Fortunately, there was a small clinic nearby, and the two reached it after walking just a short distance.

But it was already past ten o’clock, and the clinic had long since closed.

Li Yi didn’t stand on ceremony; he walked up and kicked the wooden door a few times.

Soon, a middle-aged man’s voice came from inside: “Who’s there? What’s the matter in the middle of the night?”

“We need medicine!”

Li Yi didn’t dare mention treating an injury; he was afraid the doctor inside would worry about getting into trouble and refuse to open the door.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you wait until tomorrow?”

“I have a fever. It’s a matter of life and death—hurry up!” Li Yi said.

“Then please wait a moment…”

“I can’t wait. If you don’t open the door, I’ll break it down!”

Seeing Jiang Longcheng’s pale face and his body trembling slightly, Li Yi feared he might not hold on much longer, and his tone grew anxious.

“All right, all right, I’ll open it right away!”

Soon, the door to the small clinic swung open from the inside!

Before the doctor could even figure out what was going on, Li Yi burst in, supporting Jiang Longcheng.

When the doctor saw the two men covered in blood, he was completely stunned. Trembling, he stammered, “You… you…”

“We’re not bad guys, we just ran into some robbers. You need to bandage his wounds right away!” Li Yi said.

“I…”

“I’ve made myself perfectly clear. If you don’t treat him now, you’re standing by and letting him die. If anything happens to him later, you’ll be held responsible, understand?”

The doctor was clearly intimidated and immediately replied, “I’ll treat him. I’ll tend to his wounds right away!”

The doctor then came over, unbuttoned Jiang Longcheng’s shirt, and examined his wound.

Seeing that there were no life-threatening injuries, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief and then fetched some gauze to bandage the wounds.

After about ten minutes, he finally finished treating the three wounds on Jiang Longcheng’s body.

Then, Li Yi pulled a 100-yuan note from his pocket, placed it on the clinic counter, and left with Jiang Longcheng.

After leaving the clinic, the two stepped out onto the street, intending to hail a taxi to the hospital.

However, several cars drove by, and upon seeing the two of them covered in blood, they all flatly refused to pick them up.

With no other option, Li Yi had no choice but to walk with Jiang Longcheng to the hospital.

By the time they reached the nearest affiliated hospital, it was already 11 o’clock.

Fortunately, the doctor at the clinic had stopped the bleeding before they left; otherwise, after walking for so long, he would likely have gone into shock long ago.

Even so, Jiang Longcheng was on the verge of collapse by then; if Li Yi hadn’t been supporting him, he would have collapsed long ago.

By the time he finally got the guy into the hospital, Li Yi was completely exhausted.

He told Jiang Longcheng to take good care of his injuries and, while he was at it, mentioned that he didn’t want to get involved in any trouble, so he asked him to handle the rest of the matter. He knew that with the Jiang family’s resources, it would be a piece of cake.

After taking care of all that, Li Yi finally left the hospital and headed home.

He’d just forgotten that he was covered in blood—some of it from those thugs, but mostly from Jiang Longcheng.

He looked like a demon crawling out of hell—anyone who saw him would panic.

As luck would have it, not long after he stepped out of the hospital, a police car pulled up behind him.

Good grief—seeing him in that state, they immediately pulled over to stop him.

And no matter how he tried to explain, they still slapped the handcuffs on him and took him back to the police station!

……

Beiguan Village Police Station. Interrogation Room!

“Spill it! Who are you, and where did that blood on you come from?” a middle-aged police officer shouted, pounding the table.

Li Yi, sitting in the interrogation chair across from him, said somewhat helplessly, “Didn’t I already tell you? I got this while saving someone!”

“Saving who? Where’s the victim? Or have you already killed them?”

“The Affiliated Hospital!”

Li Yi continued, “Oh, and there are three injured knife-wielding robbers in the alley diagonally across from the second state-run restaurant on Main Street. I’ve already had someone call the police. I don’t know if they’ve been taken away yet, but you should go check it out right away!”

“What? You’re the one who injured those three?” the middle-aged police officer asked, looking stunned.

Just moments ago, they’d received a report from a member of the public claiming someone had asked them to report that there were several injured robbers in a nearby alley.

Although they weren’t sure if it was true, they rushed over immediately.

When they arrived at the scene, they were all stunned by what they saw.

Three young men, beaten beyond recognition, lay sprawled in the alley. One was still conscious, while the other two had already lost consciousness.

Several bloodstained daggers and a pinewood club as thick as an arm were left at the scene.

They immediately rushed the victims to the hospital for emergency treatment. The doctors said their injuries were extremely severe and would take at least three to five months to heal.

They were also stunned to wonder who could have been so ruthless.

On the way back, they discussed who the assailant might be and how to solve the case.

Unexpectedly, halfway there, they ran into Li Yi. Seeing him covered in blood, they knew at a glance he was no good, so they stopped him.

To their surprise, he was the one who had dealt the brutal blows—truly, they had searched high and low in vain, only to find him so easily.

After the initial shock, the middle-aged police officer immediately asked, “Did you really beat those three men? Are they really robbers?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “It’s not up to me to say whether it is or not, and even if I did, you wouldn’t believe me!”

“I suggest you go straight to the inpatient ward at the affiliated hospital and find a man named Jiang Longcheng. He’s the robbery victim—the one I rescued. Once you find him, everything will become crystal clear!”

“Alright, I’ll send someone to verify that right away!”

With that, the middle-aged police officer was about to leave.

“Wait!” Li Yi called out to him.

“What else do you want?”

“Are you just going to leave me handcuffed here and walk away like that?” Li Yi asked, frowning.

It wasn’t the first time he’d worn these iron handcuffs, but having both hands shackled to the metal frame and his body confined to such a tiny space made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

On top of that, after being kept up all this time in the middle of the night—even a person of iron couldn’t hold out—all he wanted now was a good night’s sleep.

But this position was too uncomfortable; he simply couldn’t sleep.

Yet his words put the middle-aged police officer in a bind. Judging by the injuries of those victims, the man before him was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous violent criminal.

If they removed his handcuffs, might this guy suddenly lash out and hurt someone?

Li Yi clearly sensed his hesitation and immediately said, “If I hadn’t been cooperating with you, I would have attacked just now. Why would I be standing here enduring this humiliation?”

“Also, let me remind you: the man I saved is the director of the cotton mill, and he’s also a member of the Jiang family. If he finds out this is how you treat his life-saver, I think you know what the consequences will be!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged police officer’s brow furrowed even deeper.

After some hesitation, he finally led Li Yi from the interrogation room to a separate holding cell and removed his handcuffs.

After warning him repeatedly not to cause any trouble, he locked the door and hurried off to the affiliated hospital.

But neither Li Yi nor the middle-aged police officer could have anticipated that, at that very moment, Jiang Longcheng had already left the hospital.

This sudden turn of events left Jiang Longcheng both shocked and furious!

“If you’re going to rob someone, just do it—can’t you pick a better time?”

They say you can wet yourself from fear, but after that bastard pulled that stunt, he was afraid he’d never be able to pee again.

In his fury, Jiang Longcheng immediately spun around. When he saw that his captors were just three young punks in their early twenties, his rage flared even more.

He yanked his belt, swatted the dagger away from his throat, and then shouted furiously, “Where the hell did these little shits come from? Daring to mess with me? Do you think I won’t kill every last one of you bastards…”

The young thugs were taken aback. They’d been mugging people for the past year or two, and whether it was men or women, everyone usually cowered the moment they saw a knife.

But they’d never seen anything like this—someone who wasn’t just unafraid, but actually had the nerve to talk back!

The ringleader was a tough guy himself. He immediately kicked Jiang Longcheng in the stomach, sending him stumbling backward several steps. As luck would have it, he landed squatting right on the map he’d just drawn.

This only made Jiang Longcheng angrier. He scrambled to his feet, glared at the thugs, and roared, “Fuck your mothers! I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”

With that, he charged forward, ready to fight these thugs.

As for the thugs who had robbed him, they were emboldened by alcohol. Seeing Jiang Longcheng being so uncooperative and cursing nonstop, the ringleader had long since lost his patience.

“Guys, take him down!”

Instantly, one of the thugs lunged at Jiang Longcheng with a knife.

Seeing the cold, gleaming dagger heading toward him, Jiang Longcheng instinctively raised his arm to block it.

“Splatter!”

The sharp dagger pierced right through his arm, and excruciating pain instantly shot through his entire body.

At that moment, Jiang Longcheng’s drunkenness was shaken off.

He had assumed these thugs wouldn’t dare to draw their knives on him, but he never expected them to actually strike with such ferocity.

If he hadn’t blocked the blow just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable had the knife struck any other part of his body.

However, before he could figure out what to do next, the other two thugs charged forward as well, their cold, gleaming daggers lunging toward his body.

“It’s over. I’m going to die!”

That was the last thought in Jiang Longcheng’s mind, along with three other words that flashed through his mind—short-lived wretch!

But just as Jiang Longcheng thought his life was for certain, a sudden, thunderous shout rang out from the darkness: “Stop!”

The sudden shout startled the knife-wielding thugs, and they instinctively pulled back the daggers they’d thrust toward Jiang Longcheng.

Even so, the sharp dagger still pierced through Jiang Longcheng’s clothes, leaving a wound on his abdomen and another on his right arm.

The ringleader spun around and bellowed into the darkness, “Who’s there? Get the hell out of here!”

After a series of heavy footsteps, a tall figure appeared in the thugs’ line of sight.

When he realized there was only one person, the ringleader immediately said, “Get the hell out of here right now, or I’ll take you down too!”

Li Yi wasn’t about to be intimidated by them. He walked step by step toward the thugs.

When Jiang Longcheng, standing nearby, recognized Li Yi, he showed not a shred of gratitude. Instead, he gritted his teeth and snapped, “Was this your doing, you little bastard?”

He didn’t believe Li Yi would just happen to show up here. Recalling his childhood friend’s earlier analysis, he instinctively assumed these thugs were hired by Li Yi to make him believe his story.

Hearing this, Li Yi rolled his eyes at him and snapped, “If you don’t know how to speak, shut your filthy mouth!”

He hadn’t rushed out to save the man right away not only because he wanted to teach this guy a lesson, but also because he was worried that if he intervened too soon, the man might misunderstand his intentions.

He’d thought a little pain might do him some good, but it seemed the guy hadn’t learned his lesson even after getting stabbed—apparently, the wound hadn’t been deep enough.

The leader of the thugs overheard their exchange and realized they knew each other. He knew right then that this wasn’t going to end peacefully today.

He glanced at his two henchmen and ordered decisively, “Take him down!”

Instantly, one of them kept his eyes on Jiang Longcheng, while the other two, wielding sharp knives, charged at Li Yi.

However, Li Yi showed no fear. He swung the wooden stick in his hand in a wide arc and charged toward the two thugs.

“Whoosh!”

When the distance between them was less than a meter, the pinewood stick, as thick as a child’s arm, came crashing down on the ringleader’s head.

They say “the longer the weapon, the stronger the strike.” Though daggers and knives are sharp, they’re only about a foot long including the handle—they stood no chance against a four-foot-long pinewood club.

Before they could even get close to Li Yi, the thick wooden stick slammed hard into the ringleader’s head.

“Thud!”

Although the ringleader jerked his head to the side, avoiding a vital spot, the blow landed squarely on his shoulder.

With a “crack,” the ringleader’s collarbone snapped instantly under the force of Li Yi’s powerful blow!

“Ah!”

After a piercing scream, the ringleader collapsed to the ground and began writhing in agony.

Having landed a successful blow, Li Yi didn’t stop there. He spun around, swinging the pinewood stick toward the other thug’s head.

The thug was horrified. Seeing that he couldn’t dodge it, he immediately raised both hands to block the blow.

“Crack!”

Under the force of Li Yi’s heavy blow, the thug’s arm snapped clean off, and he was knocked to the ground by the pine stick.

In less than a minute, both thugs were lying motionless on the ground, completely incapacitated.

However, Jiang Longcheng wasn’t surprised at all. In his mind, he had long since concluded that Li Yi and these thugs were in cahoots—they were clearly putting on a show.

Otherwise, how could two fully grown men be knocked out so easily? Did they really think they were martial arts masters?

But the thug staring at him didn’t see it that way; he knew full well that the guy in front of him wasn’t part of their crew.

Seeing his two brothers knocked out so easily, he knew he was no match for Li Yi and immediately turned to run.

However, Li Yi had been anticipating this move and wasn’t about to let him escape. As he knocked down the second thug, Li Yi surged forward with all his strength, charging straight at the last one.

Before the guy could even get a foothold, Li Yi had already surged past him.

As the thug spun around, he exposed his back to Li Yi.

With such a golden opportunity, how could Li Yi possibly let it slip? He swung the pine stick in his hand down once more.

“Thud!”

After taking the blow to the back, the thug staggered forward a couple of steps before falling flat on his face.

But Li Yi, seeing as he was in the right, didn’t let up. He charged forward and unleashed a furious barrage of blows with the wooden stick in his hand.

He knew full well that although these bastards were young, they were all repeat offenders, and Jiang Longcheng wasn’t the only one they’d robbed and injured.

He wasn’t about to go easy on scum like this.

For a moment, the alley was filled with a continuous chorus of screams that wouldn’t stop!

Standing nearby, Jiang Longcheng was completely stunned. This time, since he was so close, he could see clearly just how brutal Li Yi’s attack was. In less than a minute, the guy had been beaten beyond recognition.

Just moments ago, he’d heard several sharp “crack” sounds—he had no idea how many bones had snapped.

After finishing off the last thug, Li Yi immediately walked up to Jiang Longcheng and asked, “Are your injuries serious?”

Only then did Jiang Longcheng remember he’d been stabbed three times. He grimaced and said, “I’ve been stabbed! Get me to the hospital right away!”

Li Yi ignored him and began examining his injuries right there on the spot.

He had one stab wound on each arm—one minor, one severe—and another in his abdomen, though the wounds weren’t deep.

Thankfully, overall, the injuries weren’t severe, and there were no life-threatening wounds.

However, he still needed to stop the bleeding; otherwise, he might suffer long-term complications.

He immediately went back to the thug who had been beaten unconscious, pulled off his belt, and returned to help Jiang Longcheng tie a tourniquet around his arm to effectively stop the bleeding.

Afterward, Li Yi supported Jiang Longcheng as they made their way toward the alley entrance, aiming to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Additionally, to prevent the two thugs from escaping, as they passed by the two men, Li Yi delivered two swift blows with his baton, breaking both of their legs.

This brutal display truly stunned Jiang Longcheng. He’d seen people with formidable fighting skills before, and he’d seen ruthless fighters too.

But this was the first time he’d ever encountered someone whose combat prowess was this formidable and whose actions were this ruthless.

This time, he was truly intimidated by Li Yi’s ruthless tactics and didn’t dare say a single word for the rest of the journey!

At 8:30 p.m., Li Yi figured it was getting late, so he told Dongzi and the others he was leaving and headed out of the rental apartment!

This time, he didn’t bring Dongzi and the others along; instead, he chose to go rescue the person on his own!

For one thing, he was confident in his own skills; with his hand-to-hand combat abilities and physical fitness, dealing with a few small-time thugs would be a piece of cake.

In short, as long as they weren’t armed with guns or ammunition, there was nothing to fear!

On the other hand, Li Yi didn’t want Dongzi and the others to follow him into this danger; after all, compared to him—a trained fighter—they were just ordinary village kids.

A casual brawl here and there was no problem, but risking their lives against thugs and hoodlums was clearly beyond their capabilities!

Li Yi certainly didn’t want anything to happen to any of them—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to face their families!

As he left Courtyard 6, Li Yi grabbed a pine stick as thick as his arm from Uncle Wen’s firewood pile and held it in his hand.

Although Li Yi wasn’t afraid of those petty thugs, they did have knives, and going in empty-handed would put him at a serious disadvantage—it was better to have something in his hands.

Then, Li Yi headed toward the narrow alley he remembered.

As far as he could recall, Jiang Longcheng had been stabbed to death with multiple blows around 10:00 p.m.

According to the subsequent investigation, Jiang Longcheng and the killer had been dining at the same restaurant. The killer had been acting too flashy and spending money recklessly, which had caught the attention of a few cash-strapped thugs.

Originally, those thugs hadn’t intended to kill him; they just saw how generous he was and decided to rob him of some money.

So, after Jiang Longcheng finished his meal, these guys followed him the whole way.

It was just bad luck for Jiang Longcheng. After finishing his meal at the restaurant, instead of heading home with his childhood friend, he decided to spend the night at the factory and set off alone toward the cotton mill.

That would have been fine; if he’d stuck to the main roads, those thugs wouldn’t have dared to act so brazenly.

But he’d had a few drinks at the restaurant, and not long after stepping out, he needed to relieve himself. So he turned into a secluded alley—only to be cornered by those thugs.

Actually, those thugs hadn’t intended to kill him, but Jiang Longcheng was the kind of stubborn guy who wouldn’t back down no matter what. Seeing someone dare to treat him this way, his temper flared instantly.

Not only did he refuse to pay, but his foul mouth kept spewing insults.

His behavior really pissed off those thugs. On top of that, since those bastards had been drinking too, their heads were in a fog, and they started slashing at him with their knives.

It didn’t take long before Jiang Longcheng collapsed to the ground!

However, according to the coroner’s report, those thugs were likely afraid of causing a fatality, so they didn’t aim for his vital organs. Although he was stabbed several times, none of the wounds were fatal.

The coroner’s final conclusion was that Jiang Longcheng had actually died from excessive blood loss.

In other words, if he had been taken to the hospital in time, he might have survived.

Unfortunately, the alley was far too secluded, and with the incident occurring just before 10 o’clock, there was simply no one passing by.

The end result was that Jiang Longcheng met his end, and the thugs who killed him were quickly apprehended, ultimately paying with their lives for his death.

Just after nine o’clock, Li Yi finally arrived at the small restaurant where the incident had taken place all those years ago.

Through the glass, he immediately spotted Jiang Longcheng sitting by the window.

He didn’t see the thugs, though—perhaps they were seated further inside the restaurant.

Li Yi didn’t go inside; instead, he turned and walked into the alley where the crime had originally taken place.

Back when he’d heard of Jiang Longcheng’s death, Li Yi had come here with a few fellow workers who’d also been helped by him to pay their respects; he vaguely remembered the surroundings.

But after so many years, his memory wasn’t very clear.

So Li Yi needed to scout the area first, to make sure those thugs didn’t slip away.

Stepping into the alley, it was indeed secluded and quiet. Since the entire row consisted of the back walls of other people’s homes, there weren’t many people around.

After walking the length of the alley, Li Yi had a good grasp of the surrounding terrain, and only then did he return to the main road.

By then, it was almost ten o’clock!

Just as he returned to the main road, Li Yi saw Jiang Longcheng coming out of the restaurant, saying goodbye to a few friends.

However, judging by the way he walked, he didn’t seem to have had much to drink—at least he wasn’t staggering or weaving in a zigzag pattern.

Perhaps that’s why his friends felt comfortable letting him go back to the factory alone.

If he had actually gotten drunk in his previous life, things might have turned out quite differently.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Jiang Longcheng tucked his small briefcase under his arm and set off toward the cotton mill, which was a kilometer away.

However, Li Yi noticed that after he had walked less than a hundred meters, three men suddenly appeared behind him.

These three men were fairly well-dressed; two of them had lit cigarettes hanging from their lips as they followed Jiang Longcheng at a leisurely pace.

Li Yi didn’t step out, but kept a close watch on them.

He had his own plans for today’s situation.

Of course, he had to save the man, but in doing so, he also had to treat the illness—the madness.

To be honest, the fact that Jiang Longcheng ended up dead on the street in his previous life had a great deal to do with his personality.

It was true that he had a chivalrous heart, but his character flaws were quite obvious: he was arrogant and even a bit out of touch.

Relying on his family background, he didn’t give a damn about ordinary people.

Even without those few reckless thugs, given his stubborn and hot-headed nature, he was bound to meet a bad end sooner or later.

And for someone like him, only after suffering a real, major setback might he finally rein himself in.

So, although Li Yi was prepared to save him today, he didn’t want to step in so early—the guy had to suffer a bit first.

Otherwise, even if he escaped this crisis, another one would surely follow.

As for Jiang Longcheng, after having a few drinks with some friends, he was feeling much better.

Thinking that going home reeking of alcohol would inevitably lead to a lecture from his parents, he decided to just sleep it off in the factory dormitory so he could get to work early the next day.

He hadn’t the slightest idea that he was already being watched.

After walking for a short while, Jiang Longcheng felt a certain part of his body swelling up, and he was getting rather anxious.

He looked around, but saw that both sides were major roads with occasional passersby—not a suitable place to relieve himself.

Especially since the cotton mill wasn’t far away—how embarrassing it would be if the workers saw him, the plant manager, relieving himself in the open.

Just then, he spotted a small alleyway ahead on the left. It looked deserted—perfect for relieving himself.

Without hesitation, he headed in that direction.

However, the strangers following behind him, upon seeing this, immediately let a glimmer of delight flash across their eyes.

They quickened their pace and followed him inside.

Once inside the alley, Jiang Longcheng saw that it was indeed deserted. He immediately pulled out his penis to relieve himself, preparing to draw a map.

But to his surprise, before he had finished releasing the ink, a cold object was suddenly pressed against his neck.

Immediately afterward, a harsh voice rang in his ear: “Don’t move. Hand over all the money you have on you!”

This sudden turn of events sent a shiver down Jiang Longcheng’s spine.

The thing in his crotch twitched, and he wet himself right there.