Chapter 116: Too Tender, Cannot Weather the Storm

Elder Li had set up a game of chess, waiting for Mu Lin to play.

But Mu Lin held up the file folder in his hand and offered a quick apology to Elder Li.

Elder Li said, "Go on. A young man should prioritize his career. Spending all day playing chess with an old man isn't the way."

Mu Lin was a smooth talker. "Don't say that. As long as I have the time, I'd be more than happy to play chess with you."

With that, he turned and went upstairs to Li Xue's room.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Mu Lin knocked on Li Xue's door.

When Li Xue came out and opened the door, she was hit by a pungent smell.

"What is that smell!"

Mu Lin said, "The smell of blood. But don't worry, it's not mine."

Li Xue took the file. "What took you so long? Did you run into some trouble?"

Mu Lin replied, "Grandpa told me not to talk about this stuff, and I agree you probably shouldn't know."

"What stuff? Stop being so mysterious," Li Xue said, turning to go back inside. She added over her shoulder, "Go take a shower. I don't mind you reeking, but if my dad smells it, he'll chew you out."

Mu Lin understood. He immediately got his things ready and went into the bathroom.

After his shower, he immediately took his clothes to the balcony and started washing them himself.

'What would Mrs. Li think if she smelled the blood?'

He worked quickly and efficiently, finishing the washing in no time and immediately hanging the clothes out to dry.

As he turned around, he saw Mrs. Li walking toward the balcony with a washbasin.

"Mu Lin, you're washing your own clothes..." Mrs. Li noticed Mu Lin holding a pair of boxer briefs, her expression turning a bit odd. Then she said, "Actually, Xue'Er doesn't dislike you that much. You could give it a try."

After saying her piece, she put down the washbasin and left.

Mu Lin was a little baffled. 'What is she talking about?'

'I don't get it. I just don't get it. Might as well ignore it.'

When he went downstairs, Elder Li was waving him over. "Come, come, over here!"

Mu Lin obediently walked over.

"How come you're back so early today? What happened?"

Mu Lin said, "You didn't ask Li Xue?"

Elder Li replied, "She hasn't said a single coherent word since she got back. How could I ask her?"

Mu Lin got straight to the point. "To put it simply, the Yang Family is targeting us. They set a trap, orchestrated a safety incident that forced Li Xue to rush over and handle it. Then they planned to use that opportunity to kill her."

"Then, after Li Xue was dead, they figured I'd get angry and come after them for revenge. That would give them the chance to kill both of us."

"And finally, the entire Li Family."

Elder Li's face turned ashen. "The Yang Family is that ruthless!"

"But it's fine now. The only one left in the Yang Family is the Patriarch, a general without an army. He can't cause any more trouble."

Elder Li froze, exclaiming, "What do you mean? Explain in detail."

Mu Lin explained it simply. "What's there to say? I just killed them all."

"Young Master Yang, his eldest son—all killed. Their next two generations of heirs are gone."

A chill ran down Elder Li's spine. Mu Lin was casually talking about something absolutely earth-shattering.

An event like this could lead to a monumental disaster.

"Just now?"

Mu Lin said decisively, "Just now."

Elder Li said, "I'm afraid it's not that simple... With the Yang Family Patriarch's personality, he'd drag the Li Family down to hell with him even if it's the last thing he does."

Mu Lin narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying I shouldn't have done it?"

Elder Li said, "No matter what, they were going to destroy the Li Family one way or another. It has nothing to do with what you did."

"But what comes next... I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it," Elder Li said. "The true foundation of a great family isn't the masters they employ, but the unseen forces they can call upon—powers that you might find difficult to withstand."

Mu Lin made another aggressive move on the chessboard. "Whatever. You think I'm afraid of him?"

In an office in a downtown high-rise, the expressions on the faces of Lu Baichuan and his son, Lu Yi, were extremely grim.

'Why hasn't the Li Group collapsed yet?!'

The company was set up, and the office location was chosen.

They had even contacted their old subordinates. As soon as the Li Group fell, they could start their new jobs immediately.

But the Li Group stubbornly refused to fall.

"Dad, maybe what we did back then was a bit rash!" Lu Yi sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

He had run all over the place, trying to bid on some projects to get things started.

In the past, he had always looked down on the people in the project department, thinking their work required no technical skill. He thought all you needed was a pair of hands to write up a random bid, and the rest was just pulling strings and giving kickbacks.

But once he tried it himself, he discovered it wasn't that simple at all.

Kickbacks weren't so easy to give out.

For many projects, especially crucial ones, the managers were extremely diligent. They would rather refuse acquaintances and kickbacks to ensure a high-quality result.

This meant a slapdash operation like their new Lu Group couldn't get anything done.

Lu Yi had tried to persuade Cui Chun to resign, but Cui Chun was always vague and kept dragging his feet.

It made Lu Yi so furious he felt like dissolving the company and just day trading for a living.

SLAM!

Lu Baichuan slammed his hand on the table. "What are you thinking? We've already come this far; we have no choice but to keep going. Besides, we still hold the South City Lot 6 as a bargaining chip. This company will definitely succeed."

"Right now, what we're missing is a force, a decisive one."

"And Chairman Wu is on our side. You're clear on that, right?"

Lu Baichuan said slowly and seriously, stirring up Lu Yi's emotions as well.

"But Dad, we can't always rely on Chairman Wu. Last time, Chairman Wu..."

Lu Yi saw his father's gaze turn stern and trailed off.

He had more contact with Wu Long than his father did. Every time Wu Long plotted against the Li Group, he would communicate with Lu Yi, who would then relay the message to the department directors on their side.

He had unknowingly gathered a lot of information on Wu Long.

The more he knew, the more he realized how terrifying a man Wu Long was.

Twenty-some years ago, when Wu Long was young, he was an unstoppable force in Anhua, cutting down anyone who stood in his way.

Whether in underground boxing rings or street brawls, he was so deadly that his name struck fear into people's hearts.

Even the three great families didn't want to cross him—not because they feared him, but because they didn't want to get their hands dirty over some trivial profits.

Just like that, Wu Long carved out his own empire in Anhua, seizing the vast majority of the market.

He left only breadcrumbs for the Li Group and other small companies.

Lu Baichuan could see Lu Yi's anxiety and empathized with his son's worries.

"That piece of land... he's wanted it for a very long time. As long as it's in our hands, he has to take us seriously."

Lu Baichuan didn't dare think he could make Wu Long obey him, but he was confident he could make Wu Long see him as an equal.

"Let's head back for today. We'll go negotiate with Chairman Wu tomorrow."

Lu Baichuan and his son left the company. The next day, they headed to Yuelong Group.

When they inquired, they learned that Wu Long hadn't been to the group's headquarters for several days.

They spent some more money to ask one of his confidants and found out that Wu Long had been hospitalized.

They rushed to the hospital, spent more money to bribe a nurse, and were finally granted a meeting.

"Chairman Wu, I heard you were hospitalized, so I rushed over to see you!" Lu Baichuan said with concern.

Wu Long waved his hand, feigning nonchalance. "It's nothing. I'm not dying!"

In truth, his entire body was in agony. He was relying entirely on painkillers to feel normal.

If the painkillers wore off, his whole body would instantly feel as if it were being slowly sliced open by razor blades, a pain that went bone-deep.

He was beginning to feel more and more that Mu Lin's warning had not been baseless.

But the pride in his bones wouldn't let him lower his head and seek out Mu Lin.

"You've started a new company, haven't you? Congratulations, Mr. Lu."

"The first step on a ten-thousand-mile journey," Lu Baichuan said with a bow of his head. "We've just started, and it's already fraught with difficulties. We need Chairman Wu to lend us a hand."

'It's probably just something like this,' Wu Long thought, amused. He said cheerfully, "Go ahead, what is it?"

He didn't really think the Lu Family was capable of partnering with him, but he was bored lying in the hospital, so there was no harm in listening.

Lu Baichuan was thrilled. He bowed deeply and then said:

"I want to do business with you, Chairman Wu! Yuelong Group has the best construction capabilities, and I have what's most crucial to help Yuelong Group soar to new heights."

"Just think about it. It's all so perfect."

Wu Long stared at the ceiling. After listening to Lu Baichuan, a savage grin spread across his face. "You're saying you have that kind of ability?"

"That's right! As long as you bring the Lu Group along, Chairman Wu, there will definitely be benefits for you!"

Wu Long said flatly, "Bullshit."