Chapter 199: This Feels So Good

Over at the new house, Tang Xue, Li Lan, Li Shankui, and the others were all busy.

The weather had been quite nice these past few days, and many of the mushrooms drying in the drying room were ready to be bagged, so Li Shankui had put his farm work on hold to come over and help.

After all, his daughter-in-law was pregnant, and his daughter couldn’t manage everything on her own.

Besides, after accompanying his son on a trip to the provincial capital, Li Shankui had come to terms with reality.

No matter how hard he toiled in the fields, he wouldn’t make much money. Perhaps a year’s hard work wouldn’t even cover the cost of his son’s single trip to the supply and marketing cooperative!

So, while he still had to tend the fields, he figured doing just enough was fine—there was no need to work himself to the bone like he used to!

In the shade under the eaves, Tang Xue was balancing the books when she suddenly turned to Li Lan beside her and said, “Second Sister, why do I feel like the amount of mushrooms people have been bringing in these past few days has been getting smaller and smaller?”

Li Lan smiled and said, “Heh, that’s not so great, but it’s perfectly normal!”

Li Lan continued, “After all, those things aren’t growing all over the mountains. With so many villagers heading into the woods every day, the mushrooms simply can’t grow fast enough to keep up with how quickly people are picking them!”

“Will this affect our purchase volume?” Tang Xue asked, frowning.

“No, it won’t. Behind our village of Nianzishan lies a deep, ancient forest. If the mushrooms nearby are all picked clean, the villagers will find a way to go further afield to pick them, or they’ll head into the old forest!” Li Lan said.

“That’s good…”

Just as they were speaking, the sound of a bicycle bell rang out.

The two looked outside and saw that it was Li Yi returning.

Tang Xue’s face lit up instantly; she immediately stood up and went out to meet him.

After parking his bike, Li Yi looked at his wife coming toward him and said with a smile, “It’s so hot—be careful not to get heatstroke!”

“I’m fine. When did you get back?”

“Just walked in the door!”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“I have!”

As they spoke, Li Yi took Tang Xue’s hand and led her under the eaves.

Li Shankui was as taciturn as ever. Upon seeing his son, he merely asked when he’d returned, then went back to his work in the drying room.

Once they reached the eaves, Second Sister Li Lan immediately asked, “So, did you make the money?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “No. Things were actually going pretty smoothly. If I’d just asked, a few ten thousand yuan wouldn’t have been a problem. But I just felt like I shouldn’t take that money, so I came back!”

“You mean you turned down tens of thousands of dollars that were practically yours?” Second Sister asked in surprise.

“Yeah!”

“You’re not pulling our leg, are you? You’re such a sharp guy—would you really do something like that?” Second Sister asked, looking skeptical.

Meanwhile, Tang Xue, standing nearby, offered comfort: “If we didn’t make the money, we didn’t make it. At worst, we’ll just have to accept a little less in the future!”

“Besides, the villagers haven’t been bringing in as many mushrooms as before these past few days. If we’re a bit more frugal, we’ll manage just fine!”

Hearing his wife’s gentle and thoughtful words, Li Yi felt a deep sense of comfort.

Ever since they got married—and especially after she found out she was pregnant—Tang Xue had become increasingly gentle with him.

They were starting to feel that romantic spark again—it felt wonderful!

At that moment, Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry about the money. Even though we didn’t make any in the city, I stopped by the credit union before coming back and already secured a loan!”

“A loan? How much did you borrow? Is the interest rate high?” Second Sister asked urgently.

Hearing this, even Li Shankui, who had been busy in the drying room, stopped what he was doing and came out.

“I borrowed 40,000 yuan, and there’s no interest!” Li Yi said.

“No interest at all?”

“No, really!” Li Yi replied.

“40,000 yuan? Why on earth would anyone lend you that much?” Li Shankui asked immediately.

“I asked Director Liang from the sugar factory for help. He took me straight to Director Li at the county credit union—he’s the one in charge of this!” Li Yi said.

“Is that Director Li’s name Li Yeqiao?”

“Yes! Dad, do you know Director Li?”

“Hmm, I don’t, but your grandfather knew his father when he was alive. They once went back to our hometown together to pay respects to our ancestors,” Li Shankui said.

Actually, Li Yi knew this too; in his previous life, he had heard his father mention it. However, at the time, his father had brought up Li Yeqiao solely because he had been sentenced to death.

Li Yi still clearly remembered his father’s exact words back then: “If you really want to count it, he’s technically a blood relative of ours—and one who’s just passed the five-generation mourning period…”

That was precisely why Li Yi had taken the trouble to look into Li Yeqiao’s situation, which is why he’d said those words to Liang Yukui today.

Tang Xue said with some concern, “Didn’t we say the other day that our family’s funding shortfall was only about fifteen or sixteen thousand yuan? Why did you take out such a large loan all at once?”

Li Lan also thought of this and chimed in, “Yeah, 20,000 yuan would’ve been enough. You borrowed so much more than that—what are you planning to do?”

“What could I possibly do with it?”

Li Yi knew his family couldn’t possibly understand his thinking, so he immediately continued, “I figured this is a rare opportunity—no collateral and no interest. When you come across a good deal like this, you might as well go all out!”

“If we can use this money to harvest more mushrooms, then we’ll harvest more mushrooms. If we don’t need it, we’ll just put it in the bank. As long as we don’t go on a spending spree, everything will be fine!”

Li Shankui was still a bit worried about his son’s impulsive nature, so he said right away, “Once we get the loan, set aside a portion for Xiaoxue to keep, and put the rest in the credit union. Withdraw only what we need as we go!”

“Alright, alright, whatever you say…”

Just as they were speaking, the village loudspeaker suddenly blared: “Attention all commune members and educated youth… Attention all commune members and educated youth! This is an emergency. Every household must send one representative to the commune headquarters for a meeting!”

“Attention all commune members and educated youth…”

The loudspeaker repeated the announcement five times before stopping!

“What’s the production team up to now? Holding a meeting in this sweltering heat—I can’t believe they’d even think of that!” Second Sister couldn’t help but complain.

Li Shankui shot his second daughter a glare and said, “You’re always so talkative. It might be an emergency at the brigade!”

Then Li Shankui turned to Li Yi and said, “There are still quite a few mushrooms drying in the room that need to be packed. You go do it—don’t let Xiaoxue help!”

“Got it!”

With that, Li Shankui brushed the dust off his clothes, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked out of the courtyard!

After his father left, Li Yi chatted with Tang Xue for a while longer, then went into the drying room to gather the dried mushrooms that had been laid out to dry!

They had harvested top-quality wild mushrooms from the mountains; the fresh ones were plump and rich in flavor, and the dried ones were just as aromatic.

In the city, under normal circumstances, a pound of dried mushrooms would cost roughly 1.2 to 1.5 yuan.

However, as the effects of reform and opening-up took hold, living standards in coastal regions rose significantly. Coupled with droughts in many areas during this summer and fall, no one had the time or inclination to sun-dry mushrooms.

As a result, by winter, the price of dried mushrooms had skyrocketed.

By the time the Lunar New Year approached, the price had even reached the 2.4 yuan mark per jin.

Therefore, for Li Yi, whether he could make his first fortune depended entirely on this batch of mushrooms.

In truth, Li Yi had plenty of opportunities to make money if he wanted to, but most of them required him to travel to other regions.

But he didn’t want to leave Tang Xue before the baby was born, so he had no choice but to resort to this old-fashioned method of making money.

Fortunately, Li Yi wasn’t overly concerned with money at the moment; as long as he had enough to get by, that was fine.

Making money is a slow process—no need to rush!

After leaving the county credit union, Li Yi suddenly asked, “Brother Liang, are you on good terms with this Director Li?”

“It’s okay, I’ve dealt with him a few times!”

Perhaps worried he hadn’t made himself clear enough, Liang Yukuai added, “As for Old Li, how should I put it? Although he’s pretty smooth in his dealings with others, he’s actually quite sincere with his friends. He’s someone you can get along with!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “In that case, give him a heads-up later and tell him to stay away from those shady characters—especially the women!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Liang Yukui paused for a moment, then asked, “Brother Li Yi, have you picked up on something again?”

He was well aware of Li Yi’s abilities; several of his uncanny predictions had practically changed the course of his life. So, just like Wang Anguo and Li Gang, he had absolute faith in everything Li Yi said.

“Unless something unexpected happens, he’s in for a rough time!” Li Yi said calmly.

“In trouble? Is it serious?”

“Very serious—life-threatening!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll give him a heads-up later!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Then Liang Yukui asked again, “Brother Li Yi, Old Li is handling the loan, so it should be sorted out in two or three days at most. Why don’t we go grab a bite to eat now?”

Li Yi checked the time—it was already past 1:00 p.m.—and replied immediately, “I’ll pass on lunch. I’ve been away from home for several days now, so I plan to head back and check on things first!”

Liang Yukui thought for a moment and said, “Alright, that works. You’ll be coming to the credit union to pick up the loan in a couple of days anyway, so we’ll get together then!”

“Okay!”

“Should I drive you back now?”

“Brother Liang, just drop me off at the textile factory gate. My third older sister should be there—I’ll head back with her!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Liang Yuke started the small jeep, and the two headed straight for the textile factory.

At that moment, at the entrance to the textile factory, Li Na and Liu San’er had just finished packing up.

Business had been good today; the four hundred-plus sheets of liangpi and three hundred-plus white-skin pancakes Li Na had brought sold out in less than an hour.

Thinking that her sister-in-law and second older sister must be swamped with work back home, Li Na immediately loaded the stall’s supplies into the car, ready to head back to the village.

But just then, a military-green jeep suddenly pulled up in front of Li Na’s cart.

Under normal circumstances, Li Na would have been startled, but having seen this so often now, she didn’t think much of it!

But when the door opened and she saw her younger brother stepping out of the vehicle, Li Na’s eyes lit up.

“When did you get back, kid?”

Li Yi didn’t answer his third sister’s question. Instead, he looked through the jeep’s window at Liang Yuke and said, “Brother Liang, you go ahead and head back. Thanks for your help today!”

“No need to talk about that between brothers. We’ll get together later. I’m off!”

“Alright!”

After watching Liang Yukuai drive off, Li Yi turned to Li Na and asked, “Sis, I just got back this morning. How’s business?”

“It’s going great!” Li Na said proudly.

Liu San, standing nearby, added, “Brother Yi, it’s been so hot these past few days. A lot more people have been buying liangpi, so business is way better than before!”

“Hmm, then let’s make more of them from now on!” Li Yi said.

“Sounds good to me!”

By then, the cart had been hitched and everything packed up. After Third Sister settled Liu San’s wages for the day, the siblings set off from the textile factory, driving the mule-drawn cart.

Liu San, meanwhile, was pushing a handcart loaded with several buckets of dirty bamboo tubes and chopsticks as he made his way toward the city.

After the cart had been on the road for a while, Li Yi asked, “So now Liu San has even taken on the job of washing the dishes and chopsticks?”

Li Na nodded and said, “Yeah, he volunteered for it. I didn’t make him do any of that!”

“I know. He’s a good kid, isn’t he?” Li Yi said with a smile.

“He is. He’s hardworking, and a dollar a day is a fair wage!”

“Have those thugs been back lately?” Li Yi asked again.

“No. I heard from Liu San that those guys are still behind bars. Apparently, Captain Wang had them detained for a whole month!”

Li Yi hadn’t known about this, so he smiled and said, “Hmm, it’s good to teach them a lesson. Maybe it’s actually a good thing for them!”

“Right! By the way, you said you went to the city to make some money. How did it go?”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “I got the job done, but I didn’t take any money!”

“Why?”

“I didn’t think I should take it, so I didn’t,” Li Yi explained.

Seeing that her younger brother didn’t want to say more, Li Na tactfully didn’t press the issue. Instead, she said, “Since you feel you shouldn’t take it, then we won’t take it!”

“Hmm…”

The two chatted as they walked, and they were back in the village before three o’clock!

Back home, her eldest nephew, Zhang Ning, was chasing butterflies in the courtyard. The little guy was full of energy—he wasn’t even worried about getting heatstroke in the middle of the day.

His mother was in the courtyard, washing clothes while keeping an eye on the little guy.

Other than that, no one else was home.

Hearing a noise outside the courtyard gate, the little guy knew his third aunt had returned and immediately ran over.

But when he saw it was his uncle opening the door, he immediately ran toward Li Yi.

Fearing he might fall, Li Yi quickly took a couple of steps forward and picked the little guy up.

“Did you miss Uncle?”

“Yes! Dxmbang,” the little one said in a babyish voice.

Although the toddler, not yet two years old, couldn’t speak clearly, he already knew how to express himself.

“How much?” Li Yi asked again.

Zhang Ning: “&￥%……”

The question was a bit beyond the little one’s comprehension, so he could only babble away in his own alien language.

His mother also saw that Li Yi had returned and immediately came over to ask, “When did you get back? Have you eaten yet?”

“I got back this morning. I haven’t eaten yet!” Li Yi replied.

“There’s rice in the pot; there should be enough for the two of you!”

“Great!”

She drove the mule cart into the yard, unloaded it with practiced ease, then led the mule to the trough to drink and under the big poplar tree to graze.

After finishing these tasks, the sister and brother finally returned to the kitchen to eat!

The meal was what their mother had set aside especially for Li Na: stir-fried loofah with vegetables, cold cucumber salad, and white steamed buns for the main course.

Nothing but vegetarian dishes—what a healthy meal!

In fact, Li Yi knew that compared to other families in the village, the Li family’s standard of living was already quite high.

After all, it was the lean season right now; many cooperative members had long since run out of grain, and quite a few families were surviving solely on wild vegetables and coarse grains.

To still have white steamed buns to eat at a time like this meant they were definitely a well-off family.

To be honest, if it weren’t for Li Yi’s turnaround over the past two months, the Li family probably wouldn’t be able to afford this meal.

Perhaps it was because they were hungry, but the siblings polished off a small bowl of stir-fried luffa and a large plate of cold cucumber salad, along with six white steamed buns, before finally finishing their belated lunch.

After the meal, Li Yi asked his third sister to clean up the dining area, while he wheeled the bicycle out of the main hall and headed straight for the new house!

Qingshan County Bus Station!

While Ning City was in an uproar over the attempted murder case involving Chen Zhenglong and Zhou Yaxuan, as well as Huang Lixing’s donation to the school, Li Yi had already returned to Qing Shan County.

This trip to Ning City had left him feeling incredibly frustrated!

Originally, he had intended to use his inside information to help Wang Anguo, and in the process, play the role of a “master” once more to make some money.

But once he got there, he realized the stakes were far too high.

It was a lose-lose situation, whether he got involved or not!

If he got involved, the fallout could far exceed his imagination; if Huang Lixing chose to retaliate with a vengeance, his intervention might cost many people their lives.

“I did not kill Bo Ren, yet Bo Ren died because of me”—this clearly went against his original intention to save lives.

But if he didn’t intervene, he’d have to stand by and watch as Huang Lixing and his wife met their end in Ning City.

And that unborn child!

If he did nothing, he would likely be consumed by deep guilt.

After much internal struggle, he ultimately followed his heart and chose to help Huang Lixing.

To ease his conscience, he made it a condition that he be allowed to donate funds to build a school.

Upon learning that Zhou Yaxuan had been arrested, he didn’t want to stay in Ning City a moment longer; as soon as dawn broke, he checked out of his hotel and returned to Qingshan County.

Thinking about his trip to Ning City—where he hadn’t earned a single penny and had actually lost over a hundred yuan—Li Yi felt gloomy.

After leaving the bus station, Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then decided to make a trip to the sugar factory.

It wasn’t to look for his third older sister, Li Na, but because he wanted to see Liang Yukui.

He had no choice; the funding gap remained, and he had to find a way to resolve it.

Since he hadn’t managed to get any money from Huang Lixing, his only option was to seek a loan.

But relying solely on his own credit, he clearly wouldn’t be able to secure a loan for 20,000 yuan.

At the moment, the only person capable of helping him was Liang Yukui.

With that in mind, he headed straight for the sugar factory on the outskirts of the county.

It was nearly noon by the time Li Yi arrived at the sugar factory. Third Sister wasn’t at the factory gate; she must have gone to set up her stall at the textile mill.

Li Yi didn’t give it a second thought and walked straight toward the factory gates.

The guard on duty was an acquaintance. Upon seeing Li Yi, he asked a couple of brief questions and let him in.

Finding his way easily to Liang Yukui’s office, Li Yi knocked on the door without hesitation!

“Come in!”

When Li Yi pushed the door open, he discovered there were actually other people in Liang Yukui’s office.

Judging by the setup, it appeared to be a group of factory officials briefing him on the situation.

Seeing that it was Li Yi, Liang Yukui was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, “What brings you here, kid?”

Li Yi smiled and replied, “I just got back from the city. I happened to have something to discuss with you, Brother Liang, so I dropped by!” dxmbang

Liang Yukui first addressed the middle-aged man sitting at the desk: “Comrade Xin’an, I’m already aware of the situation in your workshop. I’ll go take a look myself later. For now, you can go back to work.”

“Yes!”

After seeing the factory employee off, Liang Yuke immediately pointed to the sofa in the adjacent reception room and said, “Have a seat. Tea or water?”

“Just water, please,” Li Yi replied.

As Li Yu poured Li Yi a glass of water, Li Yu asked, “You mentioned earlier that you just got back from the city?”

“Yeah, why, Brother Liang?”

“When did you go?”

“A couple of days ago!”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner? Our factory has buses going back and forth to the city every few days. If you’d told me earlier, you could’ve hitched a ride!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I really didn’t know that. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have had to take the bus!”

“Remember this for next time: if you’re heading to the city, stop by the factory first and ask for your brother-in-law. He’s in charge of the transport team now—it’s easier to go through him than through me!” said Liang Yukuai.

“Haha, that sounds great!”

“By the way, you don’t just drop by for no reason. What brings you here today?” Liang Yukui asked again.

“Yes, I came specifically to ask Brother Liang for a favor!” Li Yi said.

“What’s up?”

“I want to take out a loan. Do you happen to know any loan officers, Brother Liang?” Li Yi cut straight to the chase.

“A loan? How much do you need, kid? If it’s not too much, I’ve got some…”

Before Liang Yukui could finish, Li Yi cut him off and said, “Brother Liang, I need the money for business operations, and it’s a pretty big sum. If I could get it on my own, I wouldn’t be bothering you!”

“I know plenty of loan officers, but how much are you planning to borrow, kid?”

“At least twenty thousand—the more, the better!”

“Twenty thousand isn’t that much. But I heard from Guo’an that you’re making a pretty penny supplying mountain produce to the state-run restaurant. Isn’t that enough?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I’ve expanded my operations a bit too much this time, so I’ve no choice but to borrow some money from the bank for now!”

Liang Yukuai was secretly impressed by Li Yi’s boldness—this was tens of thousands of yuan, after all, no small sum for anyone.

But in Li Yi’s eyes, that amount seemed as insignificant as a few coins—he spoke of it so casually.

Liang Yukui had met people who treated money like dirt before; most of them were just putting on a show, and with his keen eye, he could see right through it.

Yet Li Yi’s expression as he spoke was unmistakable—he genuinely didn’t care about those tens of thousands of yuan, which was truly astonishing.

“Alright, I’ll take care of it. When do you need it?” Liang Yukui asked.

“The sooner the better. I’m planning to head to Qin Province in a few days, and I expect the trip will take over half a month!” Li Yi said.

“Then I’ll take you to get this sorted out right now!”

“Alright!”

Immediately afterward, the two locked the office door and drove the factory’s little 212 jeep to the credit union in the county seat.

Upon arriving at the credit union, Liang Yukui knocked directly on the door of the director’s office.

Li Yeqiao, the director of the Qingshan County Credit Union, and Liang Yukui were old acquaintances. Seeing him walk in with a young man, he asked in surprise, “Old Liang, what brings you here today? And who is this young comrade?”

Liang Yukui smiled and said, “What do you mean, ‘young comrade’? Let me introduce you: Li Yi—my master’s savior, and my brother!”

Hearing this, Li Yeqiao was instantly taken aback.

Everyone knew exactly who Liang Yuke’s mentor was—he was the father of the county’s top official and also ran the glass factory.

The young man standing before him was actually his savior—which meant he was also the savior of the county party secretary.

With that kind of connection, who would dare to act high and mighty in front of him?

“So you’re Brother Li Yi! I’m Li Yeqiao. Who knows, maybe we were even related five hundred years ago!”

Upon hearing the name Li Yeqiao, Li Yi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Actually, we might not even have to go back five hundred years. If I’m not mistaken, Director Li’s ancestors were from Yang County in Western Shanxi, weren’t they?”

“Huh, that’s right. How did you know that, Brother Li Yi?”

“Hehe, not only do I know Director Li is from Yang County, but I also know your family’s ancestors were from Dali Village in the Baima Commune!”

“Well… Brother Li Yi…”

Before Li Yeqiao could finish, Li Yi continued, “Actually, my ancestors were from Dali Village too. My great-grandfather’s generation moved from Western Shanxi to Qingshan County, so if we go back five generations, we’re definitely related!”

“That really is a coincidence!” Li Yeqiao said, his face beaming with delight.

Just then, Liang Yukui, who had been standing nearby, spoke up: “Old Li, let’s cut to the chase—we’re here to see you about some serious business today!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing much—my friend here needs to borrow some money from you, and I’ll vouch for him…”

…….

Just as the case was solved, Huang Lixing was in a meeting with Director Zhang from the Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau and Director Wang from the Ning City Party Committee, discussing the matter of donating to the school.

These two had already met with Wang Anguo that morning, though at the time it was to ask him why he had arrested Huang Lixing’s bodyguard.

It was during that meeting that they heard from Wang Anguo that Huang Lixing was planning to donate schools in North Sai Province!

And he planned to donate a hundred of them!

Although Wang Anguo spoke with great conviction, they all found it hard to believe.

After all, they’d met quite a few foreign investors over the past year or two, but whether they were genuine foreign investors or Hong Kong businessmen, they all came here for profit—who would claim to have no ulterior motives and start building schools for you right off the bat?

Moreover, the dxmbang team had previously conducted a thorough background check on Huang Lixing. He was undeniably wealthy, but he was also a man who truly deserved the title of “tycoon.”

The Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau had gone to great lengths to invite him to North Frontier Province.

A man like him is fundamentally driven by the desire to make money off others—there’s no way he’d just throw money away for nothing!

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

However, during their meeting that morning, Huang Lixing made a request that left them speechless.

He actually said he wanted to put the investment tour on hold for the time being, intending to first visit the counties and townships under Saibei Province to observe the state of education across the region.

He also mentioned that, if necessary, he intended to donate funds to build a number of schools in the province.

Hearing Huang Lixing’s request, everyone was dumbfounded.

Director Zhang from the Investment Promotion Bureau immediately asked Huang Lixing why he had suddenly decided to donate to build schools.

Huang Lixing replied immediately that there were two reasons: one was that a special person had inspired him, and the other was that he wanted to pray for blessings and accumulate merit for his wife and unborn child!

Although Director Zhang expressed skepticism regarding Huang Lixing’s words, he chose to believe him.

At that moment, while reporting the situation to the bureau, he also discussed with his colleagues in Ning City how to arrange the rest of the itinerary.

Just then, there was a breakthrough in Wang Anguo’s case, and he immediately came over to brief the leaders on the situation!

Of course, Wang Anguo had also come to explain the situation to Huang Lixing; as the person directly involved, he had the right to know the truth.

After hearing Wang Anguo’s report, not only did the provincial and municipal leaders break out in a cold sweat, but Huang Lixing was equally stunned!

According to Zhou Yaxuan’s confession, ever since Huang Lixing had kicked her out of the company, she had been biding her time, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on him.

At the same time, to appease her boyfriend A-Long, she concealed the fact that she had deliberately drugged Huang Lixing, falsely claiming that Huang Lixing had raped him while A-Long was away.

A Long never doubted Zhou Yaxuan’s words and immediately came to hate Huang Lixing.

Consequently, the two conspired repeatedly, plotting to kill Huang Lixing.

When they learned that Huang Lixing was planning an investment inspection trip to the inland regions and had even withdrawn a million in cash for the occasion, the two hit it off immediately. They decided to find an opportunity to kill Huang Lixing and steal the money.

However, they never imagined that they would slip up before even making their move, and were ultimately rounded up by the Saibei Provincial Public Security Bureau.

Provincial and municipal leaders were shocked to learn just how perilous Huang Lixing’s trip had been. Had it not been for a routine inspection by the municipal police’s criminal investigation team—which led to the arrest of that terrifying woman—Huang Lixing could have been in grave danger at any moment.

If anything had happened to him in Saibei Province, the consequences would have been unimaginable—it would have been a massive disaster for the Saibei Provincial Government.

If they couldn’t even protect such an important foreign investor, who would dare to come here to invest in the future!

Huang Lixing, meanwhile, was breaking out in a cold sweat. Although he had suspected the truth of the matter after the two were arrested, he never imagined the details would be so terrifying.

Although Ah Long had been kept in the dark by that woman all along, that did nothing to alleviate the danger he and his wife were in.

Fortunately, they had encountered Mr. Li; otherwise, he and his wife might very well have met their end at the hands of those two bastards.

With that thought, Huang Lixing called off the meeting. He immediately apologized to the leaders from Saibei Province and Ning City, then headed straight for Building 3.

He wanted to personally thank Li Yi—this was truly a life-saving favor!

However, to his surprise, when he arrived at Building 3, he was told that Li Yi had already left.

As for where he had gone, the staff at the State-Owned Hotel had no idea.

To be honest, this outcome caught him somewhat off guard.

After all, last night Li Yi had initially presented three conditions, but ultimately only mentioned two; he hadn’t voiced the third one on the spot.

Therefore, Huang Lixing assumed that Li Yi intended to present the final condition to him only after the matter had been resolved.

On his way back, he had been wondering if Li Yi’s third condition might involve seeking revenge!

So on the way here, he was still pondering how much money he should offer Li Yi!

100,000?

500,000?

Or just a million straight up!

After all, he’d have to spend 500,000 just to buy a useful piece of intelligence, and right now, this guy had literally saved his entire family’s lives—offering less just wouldn’t make sense.

However, to his utter surprise, Li Yi simply walked away without even saying goodbye!

Recalling the look of anguish on Li Yi’s face when they spoke yesterday, Huang Lixing finally realized that saving his family had indeed put Li Yi under immense pressure.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he couldn’t just let this go; he had to find Li Yi and express his sincere gratitude.

Of course, with someone as exceptional as him, it would be best to cultivate a good relationship.

After all, if he could save them once, he might just save them a second time.

So someone of such caliber was truly a rare find!

But he didn’t know much about Li Yi—where should he go to find him?

After much deliberation, Huang Lixing thought of Wang Anguo.

From several conversations with Wang Anguo, he could tell that Wang Anguo and Li Yi had a good relationship.

Moreover, Wang Anguo had mentioned that Li Yi was his brother.

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t find Li Yi himself; Officer Wang would surely know.

Without delay, Huang Lixing took his men to the Municipal Bureau and demanded to see Wang Anguo.

As for Wang Anguo, he was resting in his dormitory when he received word from the bureau leadership that Huang Lixing wanted to see him.

From last night until now, they had been busy making arrests and conducting interrogations. Every member of the team, including Wang Anguo, had been working non-stop for nearly 30 hours and was utterly exhausted.

So, once the case was finally cracked, Wang Anguo was simply too exhausted to bear it any longer and had returned to his dormitory early to rest before his shift even ended.

Despite being dead tired and his eyes bloodshot, he knew that Mr. Huang was a VIP of the utmost importance to both the provincial and municipal governments, and he couldn’t afford to snub him.

With no other choice, he had to drag himself out of bed.

After a quick wash, he headed straight for the office!

The moment he saw Wang Anguo, Huang Lixing cut straight to the chase: “Sir Wang, I’d like to see Mr. Li!”

“You mean Brother Li Yi, right? Isn’t he right there at the hotel?” Wang Anguo said, looking utterly exhausted.

“No, Mr. Li has already left. I don’t know where he is, but you must know, Sir Wang!” Huang Lixing said in a deep voice.

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “I really don’t know where Brother Li Yi is right now, but I know where he lives!”

“Can you give me the address?”

“That’s no problem, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to just show up at his place like that!” Wang Anguo said.

“Then how should I go about it?”

“When I stopped by this morning, I happened to overhear Mr. Huang discussing the school visit with our leaders. Mr. Huang could make Nianzishan Village in Hongqi Commune, Qingshan County, the first stop on his tour. What do you think?” said Wang Anguo.

Huang Lixing was no fool; he immediately grasped Wang Anguo’s meaning and burst out laughing: “Thank you for your advice, Sir Wang. If this works out, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely!”

“No need for a reward. I just hope that, if it’s possible, Mr. Huang will invest more in our area!” Wang Anguo said.

“Alright, I’ll consider it!”

“Mm-hmm!”

……..

The arrest downstairs went smoothly. A-Long had originally thought that Wang Anguo and his men had come to discuss the upcoming security arrangements with them—after all, that was what they’d agreed upon yesterday.

But he never expected that these people had actually come to arrest him.

What he never could have imagined was that A-Biao, whom he’d considered “one of his own,” would suddenly strike, taking him down to the ground by surprise.

And just like that, Hong Kong’s renowned top-tier bodyguard, Ah Long, was handcuffed—without even a moment to struggle.

From the third-floor window, Huang Lixing watched as A-Long was led away by Wang Anguo and his men, his face etched with deep thought.

Although, as things stood, neither he nor Wang Anguo and the others had any evidence that A-Long and Zhou Yaxuan had plotted against him,

However, it was undeniable that the behavior of Zhou Yaxuan and Ah Long was highly suspicious.

To claim they weren’t targeting Huang Lixing would be to dismiss far too many coincidences.

Moreover, unlike Wang Anguo and his men, Huang Lixing was certain that these two were out to harm him—they were out to take his life.

As for evidence? Ha!

After all, the police need evidence to investigate a case, but he doesn’t!

Thinking about this, Huang Lixing couldn’t help but recall what Li Yi had told him earlier: “Stabbed 56 times, and his wife died alongside him!”

Whenever he thought of such a tragic fate, Huang Lixing felt an uncontrollable urge to kill.

He never considered himself a kind-hearted man. From the time he crossed the Pearl River at sixteen to make a living, he had no idea how many people he’d slashed—the number of lives on his hands was so great he couldn’t even keep track.

If he were on Hong Kong Island right now, he certainly wouldn’t let these two scoundrels off lightly.

It wouldn’t matter if he killed the wrong people—his own safety and that of his family were the only things that mattered.

But this was the mainland, and he couldn’t make the two of them disappear without a trace.

More importantly, Huang Lixing hesitated when he thought of the conditions Li Yi had proposed!

Huang Lixing was genuinely afraid of Li Yi—and deeply respected him.

This young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, seemed harmless enough, but he was definitely a tough nut to crack!

To be honest, he was genuinely frightened by Li Yi’s unpredictable and mysterious methods.

After all, even he, as the boss, hadn’t known about the relationship between Ah Long and that woman surnamed Zhou.

If he hadn’t spent a whopping 500,000 yuan to have the people at Red Mansion investigate, he’d still be in the dark.

But this Master Li was different—not only did he know everything in great detail, but he’d even calculated Zhou Yaxuan’s whereabouts down to the last detail!

That alone was impressive enough, but to have specifically instructed Officer Wang to make an overnight arrest—he was practically a fortune-teller!

To be honest, in Huang Lixing’s view, Master Li’s abilities were on par with—if not superior to—those of Master Wu, whom he knew!

In fact, he might even be more formidable. At the very least, Master Wu had only offered a few vague remarks, whereas Master Li had practically told him outright that these two were the ones out to kill him.

It was crystal clear who was superior!

With that in mind, he couldn’t help but seriously consider the conditions Master Li had proposed last night!

First and foremost was the matter of donating to a hundred schools!

Originally, he had been hesitating about exactly how to make the donation, since standards vary from school to school.

For most schools, a few buildings and a small playground were all it took.

At most, that would cost ten to twenty thousand yuan per school, so a hundred schools would amount to a million or two.

But those were the bare minimum standards; clearly, not all schools in the mainland were like that.

Although he hadn’t visited many schools in North Province, he knew there were certainly high-quality schools with high standards.

If he were to build according to the standards of a top-tier school, it wouldn’t be something that could be completed for just ten or twenty thousand yuan; it could easily cost 100,000 to 200,000 yuan, or even several hundred thousand.

Moreover, Master Li had mentioned that this donation would be made in the names of his wife and child. This was effectively a blessing for his wife and unborn child, so he certainly couldn’t take it lightly.

So, Huang Lixing had made up his mind: this donation absolutely could not be handled half-heartedly; it had to be treated as a matter of the utmost importance.

As for the second condition, Master Li had instructed him to handle the matter as discreetly as possible and avoid causing any bloodshed.

Although Huang Lixing was still worried that these two men might threaten his and his family’s safety in the future, now that Wang Anguo had taken over the matter, he had no way to take further action.

Since that’s the case, he’ll just let things take their natural course!

Now it all depends on the capabilities of the mainland police. If they can actually convict those two scoundrels, what difference would it make if he didn’t intervene himself?

Attempted murder is a serious crime; they probably won’t see the light of day for at least a decade.

By the time they’re released, who knows what the world will look like.

Immediately, Huang Lixing had Ah Biao contact the provincial government in North Sai, saying he needed to discuss something with the official in charge of their reception.

……

Meanwhile, on Wang Anguo’s end, no sooner had he taken Huang Lixing’s bodyguard away than the Saibei Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau and the Ning City Municipal Party Committee received word.

The newly appointed captain of the Municipal Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division had actually arrested a Hong Kong businessman’s bodyguard—what on earth was going on?

Upon hearing the news, several high-ranking officials were immediately up in arms and rushed to call the Municipal Bureau to get the details.

However, aside from Wang Anguo, very few within the Municipal Bureau were privy to the details of the matter, and they were just as baffled.

On top of that, since it happened so suddenly, many people were completely caught off guard and had no idea what was going on.

Stunned by the news, city officials rushed to the municipal police headquarters to gather information.

But when they all heard that the incident had actually been triggered by the arrested bodyguard colluding with outsiders to plot against Huang Lixing, everyone was stunned.

Huang Lixing’s bodyguards were no ordinary men; they were highly skilled fighters.

Especially if they had launched a surprise attack on Huang Lixing, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable!

Immediately, provincial and prefectural-level leaders instructed Wang Anguo to do everything in his power to solve the case.

With these instructions from the leadership, Wang Anguo could finally proceed without restraint.

As for Zhou Yaxuan and A Long, they initially intended to put up a last-ditch resistance. After all, in their view, the matter was far too secretive.

Before they made their move, who besides each other could possibly know their true intentions?

It was completely impossible for the mainland authorities to convict them.

However, when Wang Anguo laid their true identities bare before them, the mental defenses of both Zhou Yaxuan and Chen Zhenglong crumbled instantly.

After all, their true identities and connections were not something the average person could know—not even their boss, Huang Lixing, was aware of them, let alone the mainland police.

The shock they felt was unimaginable!

Moreover, Wang Anguo could tell at a glance that, of the two, Zhou Yaxuan was by far the least steadfast.

So, he specifically targeted Zhou Yaxuan as his breakthrough point!

When Wang Anguo showed Zhou Yaxuan the forged testimony attributed to A-Long, the last shred of hope in her heart vanished.

Especially when she learned that that fool A-Long had actually “shifted” all the blame onto her, Zhou Yaxuan broke down.

Weeping, she cursed A-Long as a bastard, accusing him of claiming to love her yet being the first to betray her when disaster struck.

At the same time, she laid out the whole truth to Wang Anguo and the others, pleading for leniency.

And with that, the truth of the matter was finally laid bare!

This news was absolutely terrifying to Huang Lixing.

His former secretary and current bodyguard were involved with each other—and what’s more, this secretary had slept with him and had even been fired by him.

No wonder even Master Wu had said he was doomed!

If these two really were out to kill him, he’d likely have no chance of escaping.

After all, A-Long wasn’t just exceptionally skilled; he also enjoyed Huang’s complete trust, often accompanying him alone on outings.

If he were to seize the opportunity, the consequences would be truly unimaginable.

What he couldn’t quite figure out now was when these two had started working together.

If it was before that woman joined the company, that’s truly terrifying when you think about it!

Perhaps this whole affair was the result of a carefully orchestrated plot by the two of them!

Just as Huang Lixing was deep in thought, a frantic knock suddenly sounded at the door.

The sudden knock snapped Huang Lixing out of his thoughts. He cautiously approached the door and asked in a low voice, “Who is it?”

“Boss, Sir Wang is here. He says he needs to see you urgently!” A-Biao’s voice came from outside the door.

“What does he want… where is he?”

“Downstairs!”

“Never mind. Show him in, and be polite!”

“Yes, sir!”

Huang Lixing was still very grateful to Wang Anguo, the mainland police officer.

If it weren’t for his help, he would never have been able to meet Master Li, and he wouldn’t have been able to uncover any of this.

Although the life-and-death crisis wasn’t over yet, now that he knew the situation, Huang Lixing already had a plan in mind.

So when he heard that Wang Anguo wanted to see him, even though Huang Lixing was in no mood for it, he still had A Biao show him in.

Huang Lixing had just finished changing his clothes when there was another knock at the door.

Huang Lixing immediately went to open the door and invited Wang Anguo inside.

After they both sat down on the sofa, Huang Lixing, his eyes bloodshot, asked, “Sir Wang, is there something you need so early in the morning?”

Wang Anguo yawned first, looking just as sleep-deprived as Huang, and said, “Mr. Huang, I’m here to verify some information with you!”

“What’s this about?”

“Last night, we conducted a surprise inspection of all guesthouses and hotels across the city and apprehended someone who might interest you, Mr. Huang,” Wang Anguo said calmly.

Huang Lixing’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, “Who?”

Wang Anguo immediately took a photo out of his briefcase and handed it to Huang Lixing.

Huang Lixing took the photo and looked at it, then said with a look of surprise, “It’s her?”

“It seems you know this woman, Mr. Huang. Do you know what she’s doing in our city?”

“Well… I’m not entirely sure!” Huang Lixing replied.

“Mr. Huang, I hope we can be honest with each other!”

Wang Anguo then said calmly, “Do you know why we suddenly launched surprise inspections of all the guesthouses and hotels in the city?”

“I’m not sure.”

“It was my colleague’s idea. He said Mr. Huang would be in danger in the coming days, and that someone intent on harming you had already arrived in our city, so he asked us to investigate.”

Wang Anguo continued, “We wouldn’t have known unless we’d checked, but when we did, we were shocked to discover that this woman had actually been tailing you all the way here!”

“And we found a cell phone on her. Clearly, she has accomplices. If our suspicions are correct, her accomplices are right by Mr. Huang’s side!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Among his four bodyguards, Ah Long was the only one who owned a cell phone.

He’d only found out about this by chance, and never imagined that the one contacting him was that scheming bitch.

Fortunately, he was now on guard; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

“Officer Wang, what do you want me to do?” Huang Lixing said in a low voice.

“Mr. Huang, although we’ve temporarily detained the suspect, we currently have no evidence! According to procedure, without evidence, we can only hold him for eight hours!”

Wang Anguo continued, “I hope you’ll cooperate with us to find evidence. It’ll be better for you, for me, and for everyone involved!”

“I…”

“Mr. Huang, don’t even think about acting on your own. Don’t forget that this is mainland China, and the person standing before you is a public security officer!”

Huang Lixing thought for a moment, then said, “All right, then. Let the Mainland police handle this matter.”

“Then, Mr. Huang, can you tell us about this woman now?”

“Well, this woman’s name is Zhou Yaxuan. She used to be my secretary…”

Huang Lixing then recounted everything he knew in detail to Wang Anguo, focusing on the feud between them and the relationship between Zhou Yaxuan and her bodyguard, A Long.

After learning the details, Wang Anguo acted decisively.

He decided to immediately arrest A Long and then conduct a summary trial of the two of them.

Although they had no concrete evidence so far, he had no choice but to proceed.

The reason was simple: A-Long’s position was too sensitive. As Huang Lixing’s personal bodyguard, he was usually either protecting Huang Lixing or his wife.

If this guy found out his girlfriend had been arrested, he might just do something desperate. dxmbang

Neither Wang Anguo nor Huang Lixing dared to take that risk!

So, all they can do now is take her into custody first and then look for evidence.

The only good news is that they’ve now confirmed Zhou Yaxuan used a fake identity when entering the mainland; this alone gives them grounds to arrest her.

They now have a legitimate justification for their actions, so they won’t be too much on the defensive!

If, after capturing Ah Long, they can make a breakthrough during interrogation and confirm that these two were indeed planning to harm Huang Lixing and his wife, then this matter will be successfully resolved.

Otherwise, there will still be some trouble!

But even so, Wang Anguo decided to take the risk!

Huang Lixing, too, understood the gravity of the situation. To ensure A Long’s capture, he immediately ordered his most trusted lieutenant, A Biao, to fully cooperate with Wang Anguo and his team.

Although A-Biao didn’t understand why his boss was doing this, Huang Lixing had shown him immense kindness, and he was, so to speak, completely devoted to Huang Lixing’s every word.

Since Huang Lixing had already given the order, he naturally wouldn’t take it lightly.

Coincidentally, when Wang Anguo arrived this time, he had specifically brought along several top-notch officers from the Criminal Investigation Division.

Led by A-Biao, the group headed straight for A-Long’s room on the second floor.

Watching the group walk away, Huang Lixing fell deep in thought.

If things went as expected, A-Long would soon be apprehended by this Officer Wang.

Based on his understanding of mainland police, if A-Long truly harbored malicious intent, he certainly wouldn’t be able to withstand their interrogation.

Not to mention that stupid woman Zhou Yaxuan dragging their feet—the truth of the matter would soon come to light.

He was now desperate to know what kind of scheme these two were hatching—and why they were doing it!

Ah Long, whose real name is Chen Zhenglong, was originally a gang member with exceptional martial arts skills.

Later, tired of the gang life, he switched careers to become a bodyguard and eventually served as the personal bodyguard for Wong Lap-hing, a renowned tycoon on Hong Kong Island.

It was precisely when Zhou Yaxuan was being harassed by a gang leader that she encountered Ah Long.

A-Long took a liking to this beautiful and spirited young woman, so he stepped in to help her, freeing Zhou Yaxuan from the gang leader’s clutches.

Under Ah Long’s persistent pursuit, she naturally became his girlfriend.

It was clear that Ah Long truly cared for her; not only did he cover her younger siblings’ school fees, but he also used his connections to secure her a position as a receptionist at Huang Lixing’s company.

If the story had ended there, it would have been a happy ending for both Zhou Yaxuan and A-Long.

But life rarely goes as planned; a beautiful beginning is often followed by a melodramatic turn of events and a bittersweet ending.

After joining the company, Zhou Yaxuan discovered that her boyfriend, A-Long, was actually Huang Lixing’s bodyguard—and one whom Huang Lixing trusted implicitly.

Ever since Zhou Yaxuan saw Huang Lixing surrounded by his entourage, her mind began to race.

She wanted to climb the social ladder; she wanted to be someone above others, not just an insignificant person.

Compared to Ah Long, who was all brawn and no brains, a wealthy man like Huang Lixing was exactly the kind of partner she was looking for.

Being in the right place at the right time, if she wanted to win Huang Lixing over, she first had to get close to this billionaire.

Thus, through her scheming and with A-Long’s help, she eventually got her wish and became Huang Lixing’s secretary.

Once she got close to Huang Lixing, she began plotting how to seduce him.

So, one night when A-Long was away, Zhou Yaxuan took advantage of her position to slip a drug into Huang Lixing’s drink, successfully seduced him, and became his woman.

However, what happened next was completely unexpected for Zhou Yaxuan.

Just as she was fantasizing about becoming Mrs. Huang, Huang Lixing woke up from bed and, far from accepting her, fired her on the spot.

At the same time, Huang Lixing warned her to get out of his sight immediately, or else he would have her stuffed into a sack and sunk into the sea.

Zhou Yaxuan was stunned—this was not what she wanted.

She knew she’d shot herself in the foot—not only had she failed to become Huang Lixing’s woman, but she’d also lost her high-paying job that paid over 3,000 yuan a month.

What was even more troubling was that she had no idea how to explain this to her boyfriend, A-Long.

At the same time, she felt deeply humiliated.

Furious and heartbroken, she sought out A-Long—who had been kept completely in the dark—and tearfully told him how Huang Lixing had humiliated her.

Upon hearing this, A-Long flew into a rage and demanded to confront Huang Lixing.

Of course, Zhou Yaxuan couldn’t let him go off on such a reckless mission, so while she soothed A-Long, she was plotting her revenge against Huang Lixing.

It wasn’t until she learned that Huang Lixing was going on a business trip to mainland China—carrying nearly a million in cash—that Zhou Yaxuan knew her chance had come!

She immediately devised a plan to assassinate Huang Lixing, and A-Long, whose judgment had been clouded by “love,” had absolutely no doubts or hesitations—he agreed to the plan on the spot.

According to Zhou Yaxuan’s plan, once they arrived in the mainland, A-Long would find an opportunity to sneak into Huang Lixing’s residence, quietly kill him, retrieve the million in cash, and hand it over to Zhou Yaxuan, who would be waiting outside as a contact. They would then stage the scene to look like a robbery-murder.

As long as A-Long returned to the residence before Huang Lixing’s body was discovered, no one would suspect him.

Then, once the dust settled, they would live it up with the money.

So, when Huang Lixing and his group arrived in Saibei Province, Zhou Yaxuan quietly followed them there.

To avoid exposing her whereabouts, Zhou Yaxuan not only paid for a set of fake identities but also bit the bullet and bought two phones to facilitate communication with A-Long.

That afternoon, A-Long quietly called her, saying they might make their move in the next few days and telling her to be ready.

Convinced her plan was foolproof, she was now just waiting for A-Long to make his move.

However, just as her eyes began to glint with madness, Zhou Yaxuan suddenly spotted a jeep pulling up below the building.

Immediately afterward, she saw several uniformed officers get out of the vehicle. Zhou Yaxuan had done her research before arriving and knew these were mainland police officers.

Instantly, she began to feel a bit nervous.

But she quickly forced herself to calm down; after all, only she and A-Long knew about the plan to ambush Huang Lixing.

A-Long hadn’t made his move yet, and Huang Lixing was still unharmed; these people clearly weren’t here to arrest her.

So there was absolutely no need for her to be nervous.

However, no sooner had this thought crossed Zhou Yaxuan’s mind than a frantic knock sounded at the door.

“Who is it?” Zhou Yaxuan asked in her somewhat broken Mandarin.

“Routine room check!”

Hearing this, Zhou Yaxuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and opened the door.

But the moment the door swung open, she was tackled to the ground and immediately handcuffed…

Upon learning of Zhou Yaxuan’s arrest, Wang Anguo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He then took matters into his own hands and began interrogating his friend from Hong Kong.

However, Zhou Yaxuan was convinced that Ah Long would never betray her, so she refused to say a word, and the situation reached an impasse.

…….

After a silent night—during which Huang Lixing had barely slept—he was just beginning to doze off when the cell phone by his pillow suddenly rang.

Like a startled rabbit, he leapt out of bed in an instant, his face etched with terror.

Realizing it was just the ringtone, he forced himself to calm down and pressed the answer button: “This is Huang Lixing speaking, yes!”

“Mr. Huang, we’ve made a breakthrough in the case you’re investigating!”

Hearing the hoarse voice on the other end, Huang Lixing knew immediately who it was.

“What’s the situation?”

“Eight of those women are still on Hong Kong Island, but one has gone missing. According to our findings, she obtained a set of fake documents from Black Dog and went to the mainland! And the time she left Hong Kong Island was almost exactly the same as when you left, Mr. Huang—only half a day apart!”

Huang Lixing’s heart began to race. He said in a low voice, “Who is that woman?”

“Zhou Yaxuan, your former secretary, Boss Huang!”

“It’s her?”

Huang Lixing had a very vivid memory of this woman, Zhou Yaxuan.

She had become his secretary three months ago. She was attractive, but there was an air of worldliness about her that made Huang Lixing take little interest in her.

Consequently, he treated her strictly as an employee, with no intention of engaging in any under-the-table dealings.

But he never imagined that this woman would go to such lengths to get into his bed—even going so far as to spike his drink with a drug.

This was unacceptable—if she dared to slip an aphrodisiac into his drink today, she might poison him tomorrow.

So, as soon as he came to his senses, the first thing Huang Lixing did was immediately fire her and warn her to get as far away as possible.

The woman was sensible enough not to bother him, and before long, he had forgotten all about the incident.

He never imagined that woman was capable of such a thing.

He certainly wasn’t naive enough to think it was a coincidence that she arrived on the mainland right after him—especially at such a sensitive time.

At the same time, Huang Lixing realized something: his trip to the mainland was classified information. Aside from a select few, how could anyone else possibly know about it?

And since Zhou Yaxuan had left the company months ago, there was no reason for her to know the details so clearly—there was definitely a mole inside.

Immediately, he asked in a low voice, “What about my bodyguards?”

“According to our investigation, there are no issues with the backgrounds of those three bodyguards. However, Chen Zhenglong and that Miss Zhou are in a romantic relationship!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing shuddered.

In the middle of summer, his back was suddenly covered in a cold sweat!

In the luxurious room, Li Yi sat quietly on the sofa.

Wang Anguo sat across from him, and neither of them said a word!

Today’s events had indeed caught both of them off guard.

Especially Wang Anguo—downstairs, he’d spent quite a while mulling it over, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt he’d made a mistake.

Judging by the reactions of Huang Lixing and Li Yi, he had clearly gotten Li Yi into real trouble this time—and it was likely no small matter.

But Li Yi’s silence wasn’t due to that. After all, Huang Lixing seeking him out had little to do with Wang Anguo; it was more because Li Yi had deliberately drawn Huang Lixing’s attention from the very beginning.

“Brother Li Yi, I really was in the wrong about this…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi said calmly, “Brother Wang, don’t say that!”

“Well…”

“Brother Wang, the truth is, the only reason I’m here is because of him!”

“Brother Li Yi, are you saying… you came here this time just for Mr. Huang?” Wang Anguo asked in surprise.

Li Yi nodded and said, “Yes. You might not know this, but if I hadn’t intervened, not only would Huang Lixing have died, but his wife would have perished as well!”

“Whoa!”

Wang Anguo couldn’t help but gasp. He knew that Huang Lixing’s wife was already several months pregnant.

If she died too, that would be a double tragedy!

And with Huang Lixing being a billionaire tycoon, if his entire family were to die on his turf, it wouldn’t just be him, the captain of the criminal investigation division, who’d be in trouble.

From the Director of the Administrative Office down to the Chief of Public Security, not a single one of them would get off scot-free.

“If it were just Huang Lixing, I probably wouldn’t even give it a second glance, but that woman and the child in her womb truly tug at my heartstrings!” Li Yi said with a sigh.

“Well… Brother Li Yi, how do you plan to help them?” Wang Anguo asked.

“I’ve already warned Huang Lixing, but I don’t know if he got the message! Just in case, I want you to keep a close eye on things!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, Brother Li Yi, just tell us what to do, and the rest of us on the Criminal Investigation Team will fully cooperate!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Actually, the ones after Huang Lixing’s life are from Hong Kong. There are three masterminds—one man and one woman!”

“From Hong Kong?”

“Yes. So, if we just check who from out of town has come here in the last few days, won’t we be able to track them down?”

“In theory, yes. But the main reason they were able to pull this off is because they have an inside man!”

“An inside man? Brother Li Yi, are you saying someone close to Boss Huang has been bribed?”

“Pretty much!”

“Well…”

Li Yi immediately said, “Brother Wang, let’s do as you suggested first: track down that woman and find an excuse to detain her!”

“And then?”

“Interrogate her immediately!”

“But… that’s not standard procedure. Is that even allowed?”

“Of course not if we can’t get anything out of her. But if we do, then this whole thing won’t be much of a problem!”

Li Yi knew full well that these days, there weren’t so many formalities when it came to investigating a case—the primary goal was simply to crack the case.

Procedures, methods, evidence—all of that was secondary.

“Alright!”

Then Li Yi added, “Also, I’ve already spoken to Huang Lixing. Tomorrow, he’ll propose the idea of donating to the school to our superiors!”

“Donate schools?”

“That’s right—about a hundred schools in total, including both elementary and secondary schools!”

“One… one hundred schools? How much would that cost?” Wang Guo’an asked in astonishment.

“Normally, a million or two,” Li Yi replied.

Given current prices, as long as the government approves the land, building a school really doesn’t cost that much.

When Li Yi’s family built their new house—three large brick rooms plus two rows of outbuildings—it cost them just over a thousand yuan in total.

Although a school would require more than Li Yi’s house, ten thousand yuan would be more than enough—after all, a single brick currently costs less than three cents.

Hearing that Huang Lixing was willing to donate such a large sum all at once, Wang Anguo was a bit taken aback.

“Why would he…”

“Blood money!” Li Yi said bluntly.

“I… I get it!”

“What do you mean you get it? I mean, you can go talk to the higher-ups right now. It’s free credit—you shouldn’t pass it up!”

“This is all your credit—how could I take it?” Wang Anguo said.

“What do I need that credit for? I’m not one of those system-hangers!”

“Well…”

“Alright, time is of the essence. No need to say anything else—just get it arranged right away!” Li Yi said.

“Alright. Anyway, thanks for everything!”

“Stop being so dramatic. Go on!”

“Got it!”

After leaving Li Yi’s room, Wang Anguo immediately called a meeting with the members of the Criminal Investigation Team.

The meeting had only one purpose: to conduct immediate surprise inspections of all guesthouses and hotels in the city in search of a female fugitive from the south.

Although the members of the Criminal Investigation Team were initially baffled by this order, Wang Anguo was their captain. Moreover, he had just cracked a major murder case, earning not only the trust of his superiors but also the deep respect of his subordinates.

So, upon receiving the order, whether they liked it or not, they had no choice but to spring into action.

……..

At the foot of Tiger Mountain, the State-Owned No. 4 Guesthouse!

In a room on the second floor, Zhou Yaxuan sat with her legs crossed, a cigarette held between her fingers as she held a glass of liquor!

She downed glass after glass of strong liquor, yet she seemed completely unaffected, as if the massive glasses were filled with water rather than alcohol.

Due to the terrain, the State-run Hotel in the city could be clearly seen in the distance.

Zhou Yaxuan stared intently at the distance with a look of venom and madness in her eyes; the madness within her was on the verge of consuming her sanity.

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to tear that bastard to pieces and make him pay for humiliating her.

In truth, Zhou Yaxuan came from a decent background. Her father owned several shops, with assets worth several million Hong Kong dollars, and was somewhat well-known in their social circle.

As a result, Zhou Yaxuan had never wanted for anything and had led a privileged life since childhood.

Unfortunately, life is full of unexpected twists. When she was 12, the family shops went bankrupt due to mismanagement, leaving them saddled with massive debts.

In an attempt to make a comeback, her father scrambled to raise money, but he was killed in a car accident.

Unable to bear the immense pressure, her mother jumped into the sea and took her own life.

Overnight, Zhou Yaxuan went from being a beloved little princess to an orphan—the stark contrast is easy to imagine.

To make matters worse, she had three younger siblings to care for.

At just 12 years old, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising her younger siblings.

She doesn’t even know how she managed to survive those years; she once fought with stray dogs just to get a bite to eat.

To protect her younger siblings, she’d gotten into knife fights with street thugs. More than once, she’d nearly been dragged into an alley and raped, and on more than one occasion, she’d nearly been forced into prostitution.

But perhaps heaven had a hand in it; she managed to escape unscathed every single time.

But as the saying goes, you can’t walk along the riverbank without getting your shoes wet.

For a girl like her—alone and helpless, yet so beautiful—there were some things she simply couldn’t avoid.

Until she turned 19, when she caught the eye of Sang Biao, a big shot in Tsim Sha Tsui. He threatened her with the lives of her younger siblings.

In the end, she gave in and became Sang Biao’s mistress.

Two years later, Sang Biao was killed by his enemies, and she managed to escape with her younger brother and sister, hiding out in Causeway Bay.

But because of her beauty, she was once again targeted by a local gang boss, and fate played another cruel trick on her.

Yet, just as she was on the verge of despair, someone of immense importance to her appeared!

Huang Lixing went downstairs and saw Wang Anguo and security guard A-Biao standing at the entrance.

Due to the language barrier, the two didn’t exchange a word; they stood there like two door gods.

Seeing Huang Lixing come out, Wang Anguo immediately stepped forward and asked, “Mr. Huang, how did it go? Is Brother Li Yi willing to help?”

“Hmm! It’s just that I didn’t quite understand some of the things Master Li said!” Huang Lixing replied.

“You don’t understand? Could you explain it to me?”

“It’s not that I can’t…”

Suddenly, Huang Lixing recalled Li Yi’s suggestion to “check the people around you.” Since A-Biao was essentially one of his own people, it wouldn’t be appropriate to discuss this in front of him. He quickly changed the subject and said, “I’m a bit tired today. Let’s talk about it with Sir Wang tomorrow!”

“Alright!”

Escorted by Wang Anguo, Huang Lixing returned to his room in Building 2.

After closing the door, he took out a cigar, lit it, took two deep drags, and then exhaled a long breath.

His mind kept replaying the scene from his conversation with Li Yi. Judging by Li Yi’s tone and demeanor, he was certain this young man knew something.

Moreover, considering what Li Yi had just said—that he would be stabbed dozens of times and die a gruesome death alongside his wife—it was clear this young man was highly confident in his assessment.

Huang Lixing knew there were certain people in this world who truly possessed powers beyond human comprehension.

Take Master Wu from Hong Kong, for instance, or this young man standing before him.

Although this young man hadn’t, like Master Wu, revealed some of his secrets upon their first meeting—leaving him stunned and speechless—

But he couldn’t help but believe the words the young man had spoken.

After pondering for a moment, he began to mull over the last few words Li Yi had spoken: “The difference between a stroke of luck in love and a disaster in love is just one woman. Take a closer look at the people around you—you might find something unexpected!”

Similarly, Master Wu had once told him, “Lust is a double-edged sword.”

Clearly, this crisis wasn’t about an adversary trying to take him down, as he’d imagined, but rather had something to do with women.

At the thought of women, Huang Lixing couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

Since his wife was pregnant, he’d been seeing quite a few women lately—no fewer than ten over the past few months.

If he were to investigate them one by one, who knows how long it would take.

Moreover, Li Yi had told him to investigate the people around him, which implied that there was a problem with those in his inner circle.

But he had quite a few people around him—just the staff at his company alone numbered over a thousand.

Add in the factory and other organizations—the people working for him—and the total easily exceeds two thousand.

How on earth could he investigate all of them?

Suddenly, Huang Lixing considered a possibility: could the “people around me” Li Yi was referring to actually be the very people currently with him?

After all, Li Yi had only met these few people; perhaps the “people around me” he was referring to were simply the few he was currently accompanied by.

At this thought, Huang Lixing was suddenly startled.

If it turned out that the very people he’d brought along on this trip were plotting against him, it could very well cost him his life.

After all, aside from his wife, he had brought a total of five people with him on this trip.

One was his brother-in-law, Lin Feng, and the other four were all bodyguards he’d hired at great expense.

His wife and brother-in-law would certainly never harm him, because Li Yi had said that his wife would die alongside him, so the perpetrators couldn’t possibly be his wife or brother-in-law.

That leaves the four bodyguards!

Among these four bodyguards, Ah Biao had been through life-and-death situations with him for over a decade. He had even saved Ah Biao’s mother and paid for his younger siblings’ education, so he could likely be ruled out.

That left Ah Bao, Ah Long, and Ah Hu—all of whom he had hired at great expense. He didn’t know much about them, so it seemed necessary to investigate them thoroughly.

Immediately, Huang Lixing took out his large, old-fashioned cell phone and dialed a number.

“Ring, ring, ring…”

After a few rings, the call was answered, and a slightly hoarse voice came through: “What’s up?”

“I need to track someone down!”

“Who?”

“Nine women and three men!”

“What are you looking for?”

“We want the women’s whereabouts and the men’s backgrounds!”

“How long?”

“The sooner, the better!”

“You know the deal—this time it’s half a sphere!”

“Got it. I’m on the mainland; I’ll send it to you when I get back!”

“Alright!”

After that, Huang Lixing gave the name and basic background of the person to be investigated; the other party jotted it down and hung up.

That call he’d just made was to Hong Lou, Hong Kong Island’s largest underground intelligence agency—a place known only to the island’s true tycoons.

As long as you have the money, there’s nothing in Hong Kong they don’t know.

Huang Lixing had done business with them a few times, and he’d been very satisfied every time.

Of course, the price was certainly not cheap; the “half-ball” mentioned earlier was their slang term.

“Ball” refers to money. In Hong Kong slang, “one grass” means 10 Hong Kong dollars, “one old” means 100 Hong Kong dollars, “one stick” means 1,000 Hong Kong dollars, and “one cake” means 10,000 Hong Kong dollars.

A “ball”? That’s even more extreme—a full million!

And “half a ball” is 500,000!

In other words, just to track these people’s whereabouts and identities, he’d have to shell out 500,000.

Despite Huang Lixing’s net worth of hundreds of millions, shelling out 500,000 all at once for information still stung a bit.

But at this point, he had no other choice—you can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the lamb.

If he couldn’t find out who was after his life, he wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep in peace!

Compared to his own life and those of his wife and children, what was a mere 500,000 yuan?

While Huang Lixing was busy investigating these matters, Li Yi was also making secret preparations.

Since he’d decided to get involved, he had to ensure the safety of Huang Lixing and his wife—otherwise, what was the point of getting involved at all?

He carefully reviewed the detailed reports on the murder of Huang Lixing and his wife. According to public reports, the reason Huang Lixing was killed by his own bodyguard was that he had slept with the bodyguard’s girlfriend.

Apparently, the girlfriend of one of Huang Lixing’s bodyguards worked at his company, seemingly in a secretarial role.

Huang Lixing was a womanizer through and through, so it was only natural that he would get involved with that woman.

But he was the kind of heartless bastard who would kick someone to the curb once he got bored of them.

The woman then told his bodyguard that Huang Lixing was mistreating her, so the bodyguard harbored a grudge. Taking advantage of a business trip, he secretly killed both Huang Lixing and his pregnant wife.

However, there are two points of suspicion in this case. First, why did Huang Lixing continue to keep the bodyguard by his side after sleeping with the bodyguard’s girlfriend? That’s a clear case of cuckoldry—how could any man tolerate that?

Wasn’t he afraid the bodyguard would suddenly snap and come after him for revenge?

Secondly, what was the bodyguard thinking? The guy was sleeping with your woman the whole time—did you not know, or were you just willing to be a cuckold?

Since the police didn’t mention any of this in their case briefing, Li Yi couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

However, there was one thing the police did mention: after the bodyguard killed the victim, he staged the scene to look like a robbery-murder.

He also secretly took nearly a million yuan in cash that Huang Lixing had been carrying and handed it to his girlfriend, who was waiting outside, before returning to the hotel as if nothing had happened.

But he never expected that the mainland police, piecing together various clues, would quickly crack the case and apprehend both him and the woman!

He had already alerted Huang Lixing to the clues regarding the bodyguard, but as for that woman, he would have to come up with a separate plan!

Huang Lixing’s response completely caught Li Yi off guard!

In Li Yi’s view, a ruthless tyrant like Huang Lixing was just like Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms era—he’d rather betray the whole world than let the world betray him.

Now, with only one chance to survive and a choice between two options, even a fool could tell this guy should choose himself.

But what Li Yi hadn’t anticipated was that he would actually give that “only” chance to his wife.

This completely defied his character!

It’s terrifying when a persona crumbles like that—even someone as seasoned as Li Yi couldn’t help but freeze in shock!

Huang Lixing had observed Li Yi’s reaction. He let out a wry smile and said, “Are you surprised? Does this seem unbelievable?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “I am surprised. Is it just because she’s your wife?”

Huang Lixing sighed and said, “No! You know what? Just a moment ago, I actually gave her a good scolding!”

“???”

Holy shit, are you out of your mind?!

Just a moment ago you were tearing her to shreds, and now you’re giving her a chance to live? What the hell is going on?

“If she were just my wife, I might have abandoned her without a second thought. Women are like clothes—with my current status and standing, I can have any woman I want.”

Perhaps worried that Li Yi didn’t know his situation, Huang Lixing said with a touch of smugness, “Master Li, you might not know this, but I, Huang Lixing, am quite a big shot in Hong Kong. Whether it’s the Huo family, the Li family, or even the Bao and Ye families, they all give me some face. As long as I ask, forget about ordinary women—even movie stars would have to get into my bed!”

However, Li Yi replied calmly, “I don’t deny what you’re saying, but you must understand that everything has its cause and effect. The calamity you face today is inextricably linked to your past arrogance and tyranny!”

“Uh…”

Huang Lixing gave a few nervous laughs before continuing, “Master Li, you’re right. I was indeed too arrogant in recent years…”

“Let’s put you aside for now and talk about your wife. Why did you save your only chance for her?” Li Yi asked.

“Well, she’s a simple woman. Our relationship had absolutely nothing to do with love. It was simply that I had money and she needed it. I gave her a sum to save her brother’s life, and she married me out of gratitude!”

Huang Lixing continued, “I’m not short on women—she’s not the only one I’ve been with. I only married her because she’s docile and has no ambitions. If that were the only reason, there’s no way I’d have given her this precious opportunity!”

“But she’s not just my woman now—she’s the mother of my child. If something happens to her, I’ll lose my child too!”

Li Yi knew Huang Lixing’s wife was pregnant, which was precisely why he’d taken the risk to speak with Huang Lixing. Whether Huang Lixing lived or died didn’t really matter to Li Yi—he couldn’t care less.

It was just that woman and the child in her womb that made Li Yi feel a twinge of pity.

“Someone like you probably wouldn’t care about a child, would you?”

However, Huang Lixing shook his head and said, “No, I do care!”

“Master Li, you may not know this, but the Huang family suffered a tragedy a few years ago. After a massive flood, only a handful of people remained in the village. My father, my mother, my older brother, my nephew, and my niece—they’re all gone.”

“You could say this child is the sole survivor of the Huang family. I don’t want anything to happen to him!”

Li Yi frowned and said, “Your family is all gone. What’s the point of keeping the child?”

“Haha, it’s been over thirty years since I swam across Hong Kong at sixteen. I’ve endured hardships, suffered, and enjoyed good times! I’ve been slashed by others, and I’ve slashed others myself—this life has been worth it!”

Huang Lixing continued, “I’ve always felt that my family’s tragic deaths are directly linked to the things I’ve done in the past!”

“Just as you said, Master Li, every cause has its effect—perhaps this is my retribution!”

“If a life truly must be taken to bring this to an end, I hope that person is me—not my wife or our unborn child!”

Hearing this, Li Yi was deeply shaken.

Huang Lixing was undoubtedly a ruthless warlord forged in the old era, yet his conscience had not been completely extinguished.

His words reminded Li Yi of his past life—the same situation involving a woman and an unborn child.

Every time he thought of Tang Xue and that child, Li Yi wished with all his heart that he were the one to die.

With that in mind, Li Yi asked again, “If I were to tell you right now who is trying to kill you, what would you do?”

“Kill them!”

“But what if it were your fault? Would you still do it?”

“I would!”

Li Yi hesitated. Huang Lixing’s words were laced with such murderous intent. If he found out that it was his own bodyguard and mistress who were trying to kill him…

Based on what he’d just said, those people and their families might be wiped out.

Seeing Li Yi’s expression, Huang Lixing suddenly said, “Master Li, do you know who’s trying to kill me?”

“What do you think?”

“You’re hesitating. You want to save me, but you don’t want me to cause any more bloodshed!” Huang Lixing said.

Li Yi was once again stunned by this charismatic figure before him. His insight was truly astonishing—he had analyzed Li Yi’s thoughts with just a few words.

No one who had risen from that era was simple—not even someone who looked like a nouveau riche.

“Do you know why Master Wu didn’t want to get involved in your affairs?” Li Yi asked in return.

“Trouble?”

“No, karma!”

“Karma?”

Li Yi explained immediately, “Exactly. Whether it’s Master Wu or me, saving you would actually be quite simple. But once we save you, you’d end up killing the very people who tried to kill you.”

“For us, saving one person could mean that five, ten, or even a hundred people end up dying.”

“And all those people could be said to have died because of us. That kind of karmic burden is simply too great—most people couldn’t bear it!”

Huang Lixing suddenly realized, “So that’s it! I thought Master Wu didn’t have enough power to save me!”

“Now, if I told you who was trying to kill you, what would you do?” Li Yi asked again.

“Well… it’s better to resolve conflicts than to escalate them. I’ll try to handle this as peacefully as possible!” Huang Lixing replied.

Li Yi paused for a moment, then said, “Mr. Huang, I can save you, but you must agree to three conditions!”

“Please speak. I’ll do my best to fulfill them!”

Seeing that things were finally taking a turn for the better, Huang Lixing replied excitedly.

“The first condition: in the name of the child your wife is carrying, donate 100 schools in the northern frontier region. Consider it a way to pray for blessings and accumulate merit for both your child and mine!”

“No problem. I’ll discuss this with your local leaders tomorrow!” Huang Lixing replied.

“The second condition: try not to kill anyone, and above all, don’t harm the innocent!”

“Alright! I promise!”

“The third condition… Never mind, I won’t mention the third condition!”

Then, Li Yi fixed his gaze on Huang Lixing and said, “You’ve always boasted about your good luck with women, but you don’t realize that the difference between good luck and disaster is just one woman. Your misfortune is because you didn’t keep your pants zipped!”

“Go back. Take a good look at the people around you—you might find something unexpected!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s brows immediately furrowed.

“Master Li… this…”

“I’ve made myself perfectly clear. As for whether you can escape this calamity, that depends entirely on your own fate!”

“Well… all right then!”

With a hint of confusion, Huang Lixing then left Li Yi’s room!

Building 3, Room 316!

After hearing what Wang Anguo had to say, Li Yi was completely dumbfounded.

“It’s only been a few minutes, and you’ve already sold me out?

Although this was originally part of his plan, was it really okay to rat out his brother like that?

Wang Anguo clearly realized he’d messed up this time, and immediately said, “Brother Li Yi, I’m truly sorry for putting you in this difficult position!”

“If you really can’t help him, I’ll turn him down right away and make sure he doesn’t bother you!”

Li Yi looked at Wang Anguo and said, “You seem pretty eager for me to help him, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

“Why? Is it because of the mission?” Li Yi asked seriously.

“Not entirely!”

“Then what is it?”

“The mission is just one part of it. You know I’m a police officer—my duty is to protect the lives and property of the people and fight crime!”

Wang Anguo continued, “Although I don’t know what kind of person this Mr. Huang is, in my eyes, he’s just an ordinary person right now.”

“Knowing he’s in danger, yet standing by and doing nothing, watching him suffer right before my eyes… I just can’t bring myself to do that!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “In that case, bring him over!”

“Bring him… Brother Li Yi, have you agreed to help him?”

“No!”

Li Yi continued, “Agreeing to meet him doesn’t mean I’m ready to help him—I just want to talk to him. As for whether I’ll help him in the end, we’ll see after we’ve talked!”

“Alright!”

With that, Wang Anguo turned and left Li Yi’s room.

After Wang Anguo left, Li Yi couldn’t help but sigh.

Since things had come to this, he might as well meet with him.

Li Yi certainly didn’t have a high opinion of Huang Lixing; the man was a classic Hong Kong underworld boss.

From an obscure stowaway to a billionaire famous throughout Hong Kong, no one knew how many people he had killed or how many crimes he had committed.

But people throughout Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong had all heard of his ruthless reputation. Dealing with someone like him wasn’t just a waste of time and effort—one misstep could land him in serious trouble.

To be honest, Li Yi was starting to regret coming here.

But since things had come to this, he’d just have to take it one step at a time.

After all, this was the mainland, not Hong Kong Island. If things didn’t go his way, he could just walk out—what could they really do to him?

“Knock, knock, knock!!”

Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, a sharp knock suddenly sounded from outside.

Li Yi immediately went over to open the door and saw Wang Anguo standing there with Huang Lixing and his entourage.

Huang Lixing and Wang Anguo led the way, with two bodyguards bringing up the rear, while Huang Lixing’s wife and assistant were not with them.

“Mr. Li, please forgive us for this unannounced visit…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi said calmly, “Mr. Huang, let’s talk in private.”

“Well… sure…”

Huang Lixing then instructed his two bodyguards to wait outside.

At the same time, Li Yi also told Wang Anguo to go about his business, bluntly informing him that there were some things he shouldn’t hear!

Wang Anguo knew Li Yi’s capabilities; since he’d said that, there must be a good reason.

He immediately took Huang Lixing’s two bodyguards downstairs to wait!

…….

Inside the room, Li Yi and Huang Lixing sat down across from each other at a small coffee table.

Once they were settled, Huang Lixing spoke in his thick, peculiar accent: “Mr. Li, I heard from Sir Wang that you think I’m in for some bad luck?”

Li Yi, however, replied fluently in Cantonese, “Do you believe that?”

Huang Lixing hadn’t expected Li Yi to speak Cantonese. He was taken aback for a moment, then replied in Cantonese, “I do. I believe it!”

“You really believe it?”

“Mm-hmm!”

After a brief silence, Huang Lixing continued, “To be honest, someone said the exact same thing to me a while back. I had no choice but to believe him!”

Immediately, Huang Lixing repeated Master Wu’s words verbatim.

This left Li Yi completely baffled. The reason he knew all this wasn’t because he could actually read people’s fortunes, but because he’d read related reports.

But the fact that Master Wu had accurately predicted Huang Lixing’s impending bloodshed—now that was truly impressive.

Moreover, Li Yi had heard of Master Wu’s reputation in his previous life—he was a true feng shui master in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

It was said that since he had completed his apprenticeship in the 1960s, his predictions had always been spot-on, never once missing the mark.

Unfortunately, by the time Li Yi had made his fortune, Master Wu had already retired, and Li Yi had never had the chance to meet him.

Since Huang Lixing was already mentally prepared for this and had received guidance from a master, Li Yi felt it was necessary to test his mettle.

“Mr. Huang, how do you interpret Master Wu’s words? Or rather, do you think you can escape this calamity?” Li Yi asked calmly.

“Well…”

“I want the truth!” Li Yi said in a deep voice.

Huang Lixing shook his head with a wry smile and said, “To be honest, I had already written my will before I came here!”

Li Yi gave him a meaningful look. He’d heard rumors about this in his previous life and had always dismissed them as nonsense, but he never expected it to be true.

“Mr. Li, you may not be aware of Master Wu’s standing in Hong Kong. He’s not one to speak lightly, and once he’s spoken, his predictions have never failed!”

Huang Lixing continued, “Since he said I’m in for trouble—and even he can’t defy fate—then I’m surely doomed!”

“Then do you know why this calamity is coming?”

“Well…”

“Mr. Huang, every cause has its effect! People do not receive blessings without reason, nor do they suffer misfortune without cause!”

Li Yi continued, “The consequences you face today are the result of the evil karma you’ve sown in the past. You have no one else to blame but yourself!”

“Master Li… what will happen to me?” Huang Lixing asked, his voice trembling.

“Death. You will be stabbed 56 times all over your body and die, and your wife will perish alongside you!” Li Yi stated bluntly.

Hearing this, Huang Lixing shuddered violently.

He didn’t want to die. After struggling and working hard for decades, he was finally about to have a child, yet now he faced the calamity of his entire family being slaughtered. He was truly terrified!

“Master, please save us. I’m willing to pay—one million… ten million… any amount!”

However, Li Yi raised his hand to stop him, then said, “Mr. Huang, I’ve calculated it—only one of you or your wife can survive!”

“What… what do you mean?”

“There is only one chance for survival. If you choose to live, she will surely die—and vice versa!” Li Yi said.

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Huang Lixing felt a chill run through his entire body!

He instinctively reached for his cigar and pulled out his lighter, but after clicking it three times, it simply wouldn’t light.

Li Yi couldn’t stand watching any longer and lit it for him.

After taking a few deep drags of the cigar, letting the acrid nicotine course through his lungs a few times, Huang Lixing asked earnestly, “Master Li, is it really a choice between the two?”

“Hmm! That’s probably why Master Wu wasn’t willing to help you!”

Another silence followed, then he said, “Master Li, can you help me?”

“Hmm, I can try!”

“Alright then, please ensure my wife’s safety!” Huang Lixing said, his words coming as a shock.

At those words, Li Yi was completely taken aback!

Downstairs at VIP Building No. 2, Wang Anguo was arranging security duties.

Suddenly, he saw Mr. Huang’s bodyguard come down and walk straight toward him.

“Sir, our boss wants to see you!”

Hearing the bodyguard’s broken Mandarin, Wang Anguo was instantly baffled.

What on earth was going on with this Mr. Huang? He’d turned down a welcome banquet hosted by city officials, so why was he suddenly asking to see Wang?

Could he have some kind of request?

Adhering to the principle of providing thorough service, Wang Anguo quickly exchanged a few words with Li Yuanqing, who was standing nearby, then followed the bodyguard up to the third floor.

Upon entering the room, Huang Lixing pointed to a sofa across from him and said, “Officer, please have a seat!”

Wang Anguo nodded and said, “Mr. Huang, my surname is Wang—Wang Anguo. I’m the head of the Ning City Criminal Investigation Division. You can call me by my first name or my title, Captain Wang!”

“Alright then, I’ll just call you Captain Wang!”

“Mr. Huang, is there a reason you asked me to come up?” Wang Anguo asked.

He wasn’t close with this Mr. Huang, so if there wasn’t a reason, the other party clearly wouldn’t have asked him to come up.

Huang Lixing waved his hand, signaling the bodyguards to step out.

Once the room was empty except for him and Wang Guo’an, he finally said, “Captain Wang, I’d like to ask you about something. I hope that’s okay!”

Although Huang Lixing’s accent sounded a bit odd, Wang Guo’an understood him and immediately asked, “What is it? Please go ahead!”

“Who is that young man next door? He gives me a really strange vibe!”

Hearing Huang Lixing ask about Li Yi, Wang Guo’an’s brows furrowed instantly.

This stumped him—he truly hadn’t expected Huang Lixing to have noticed Li Yi.

Thinking that Li Yi didn’t seem to want to get involved in this mess, Wang Guoan was about to make up some excuse to brush it off. After all, he’d already had Li Yi moved to a different room, so the two of them probably wouldn’t have any further interactions.

However, to his surprise, Huang Lixing saw right through his thoughts.

“Captain Wang, I want the truth. If it’s not the truth, don’t bother telling me!”

Wang Anguo was taken aback by Huang Lixing’s keen insight, but then he reminded himself that the man standing before him was a renowned billionaire in Hong Kong—how could he have built such a massive empire without some real talent?

With that in mind, Wang Anguo paused for a moment before saying, “To be honest, that young man is a friend of mine!”

“A friend?”

“Yes, the kind of friendship where we’d lay down our lives for each other!”

“Oh, well, the way your friend was looking at me seemed a bit off. Do I know him?” Huang Lixing said in a low voice.

Wang Anguo didn’t answer his question but asked in return, “Mr. Huang, do you believe in physiognomy?”

“Face-reading?”

“You know, fortune-telling—what we call superstition on the mainland!” Wang Anguo said.

“Heh, feng shui is quite popular over on Hong Kong Island. What’s the matter?”

Wang Anguo let out a long breath and said, “To be honest, my friend is a physiognomist. He just told me you’re in danger of bloodshed—the kind that’s a matter of life and death!”

Upon hearing this, Huang Lixing suddenly sat bolt upright on the sofa.

Wang Anguo had expected him to fly into a rage, but to his surprise, Huang Lixing grabbed his hand and said, “Captain Wang, could you please introduce me to your friend? I’d like to have a chat with him. Would that be okay?”

“Well…”

“Is that not okay? I can pay for it. How about 10,000 yuan as a goodwill gesture?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Wang Anguo was completely dumbfounded.

Ten thousand yuan—that was completely beyond his wildest imagination.

After all, even though he was now considered a leading cadre of sorts, his monthly salary amounted to only 45 yuan, which came to just over 500 yuan a year.

Ten thousand yuan was equivalent to his entire income for 20 years—if he didn’t eat or drink a single thing!

And that was just the meeting fee!

“If that’s not enough, I can always add more…”

Wang Anguo immediately replied, “Mr. Huang, this isn’t about the money. It’s just that my friend doesn’t want to… Never mind, I’ll see what I can do for you!”

“I really can’t thank you enough!”

“No need to thank me—my friend might not even want to see you!”

With that, Wang Anguo sighed, then stood up and left Huang Lixing’s room.

After Wang Anguo left, a flicker of excitement crossed Huang Lixing’s eyes.

The reason he had brought his pregnant wife to North Sai Province this time was, ostensibly, to conduct a business inspection at someone’s invitation, but in reality, it was to escape a disaster.

Like the vast majority of wealthy individuals in Hong Kong, Huang Lixing placed great importance on feng shui and knew several highly skilled feng shui masters.

Just a month ago, feeling restless, he had invited the renowned Master Wu from Hong Kong to assess his feng shui.

At the time, Master Wu had bluntly told him that he was facing a life-threatening disaster in the near future—one misstep could cost him his life.

Huang Lixing immediately asked him to help avert the crisis, but Master Wu said his spiritual power was still too shallow to resolve such a life-or-death calamity.

Therefore, he advised Huang to go into hiding, as there might still be a sliver of hope, and suggested he head north.

Coincidentally, just then he received an invitation from Director Feng. Huang Lixing acted decisively, accepted Director Feng’s offer, and traveled to North Sai Province with his wife and bodyguards.

While in the provincial capital, he visited temples such as the Great Zhaowuliang Temple and Xilitu Monastery, but found nothing of value.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived here, someone pointed out that he was facing a blood-soaked calamity—truly an unexpected stroke of luck.

Moreover, he finally understood why the young man’s demeanor had seemed so familiar—it was exactly the same look Master Wu had given him!

Huang Lixing realized that the benefactor Master Wu had spoken of might very well be that young man.

As a result, he was truly eager to meet the young man.

As for Wang Guo’an, after leaving Huang Lixing’s room, he headed straight for Building 3, which was not far away.

He had specifically asked the staff to move Li Yi’s room to this building, with the sole purpose of keeping him away from Huang Lixing.

Little did he expect that despite all his efforts to avoid them, the two would end up meeting anyway—and through his own arrangement, no less.

He didn’t even know what to say!

On the way, Wang Guoan felt a bit anxious; he truly had no idea how Li Yi would react.

He could tell just now that Li Yi really didn’t want to get involved in this matter.

Yet he had gone ahead and told Huang Lixing about it without Li Yi’s consent, even revealing his identity. Li Yi might very well be angry with him.

But Wang Anguo had no choice. Huang Lixing had seen right through his lie at a glance, catching him completely off guard.

More importantly, as a police officer with a strong sense of justice, he simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

He also acknowledged that the consequences Li Yi had mentioned might indeed be true and were certainly worth considering.

But those were matters of the future, fraught with uncertainty.

So, because of these uncertainties, he simply couldn’t stand by and watch Huang Lixing—a living, breathing person right in front of him—come to harm.

He acted this way because he remembered how Li Yi had always told him to follow his heart.

As for whether Li Yi would meet Huang Lixing, that was none of his business; this was all he could do.