Chapter 226 225: In Order to Get Ahead

Hong Rui watched Lao Xiang's retreating figure, her gaze lingering for a long time.

After a while, she finally said, "He won't take my money, so I'll take care of him myself."

Mu Lin smiled. "That's your choice. Just remember not to neglect your studies. Don't lose sight of the big picture for something small."

Hong Rui nodded emphatically. "Of course!"

"Miss Hong, since everything is settled, we'll be leaving now... I'm so sorry for making such a mess of your house... We'll clean it up before we go."

Mu Lin said very humbly.

Hong Rui pressed her lips together, nodded, and said, "There's no need. I'll clean it myself. After all, this is the blood of the Hong Family. I want to clean it myself."

Seeing that Hong Rui had other plans, Mu Lin didn't say anything more.

Mu Lin and Lin Shishi walked out. Lin Shishi remarked with emotion, "I never thought there were still good people like Lao Xiang in the world."

"Righteousness is often found among the lowly, while betrayal is common among the learned," Mu Lin said, clasping his hands behind his back, also filled with emotion.

Back at the hotel, Mu Lin said, "You go upstairs first. I'm going to walk around nearby. I want to buy something."

Lin Shishi's heart stirred. "Oh, okay..."

She agreed with a slight smile.

She had been taught since childhood that the strong were to be revered. A man having a little fun on the side was no problem, as long as it didn't affect the harmony of the family.

Besides, Mu Lin might not even be interested in her. 'There's no need to trouble myself over nothing.'

She went upstairs feeling a bit wistful and lost.

Mu Lin didn't know what she was thinking. After waiting for Lin Shishi to go upstairs, he quickly ran off in a certain direction.

He ran so fast he was just a blur.

「Somewhere in the city.」

Zhang Qifeng clutched her right hand, stumbling toward a private clinic.

Although it wasn't bleeding, the pain from the severed limb still filled her with terror. 'What if the bleeding starts again? Won't I die on the side of the road?'

A dark figure suddenly appeared before her. A moment later, the shadow dissipated, and a person's face became increasingly clear.

She took a closer look, and her face turned ugly. It was Mu Lin.

"Sir, please, have mercy! I already chopped off my hand for you. What more could you want?!"

Mu Lin said nothing, simply reaching out and hoisting Zhang Qifeng to her feet.

Zhang Qifeng didn't dare make a sound, terrified that provoking Mu Lin would get her killed.

Mu Lin dragged Zhang Qifeng into a deserted corner.

"Sir, spare my life!"

Mu Lin chuckled dryly. "Quiet down. I never said I was going to do anything to you."

Zhang Qifeng nodded vigorously. "Right, right! You're not going to do anything to me!"

With a dark expression, Mu Lin asked, "What's the deal with Young Master Zhong? Why were you trying to give Hong Rui to him?"

Zhang Qifeng hurriedly explained everything from beginning to end.

"It's like this..."

Mu Lin only needed to hear the beginning to guess the rest. His assumptions were dead on.

Young Master Zhong was a rich heir whose family owned a large company, and he spent his days indulging in degenerate forms of entertainment.

He had a fetish for young, innocent-looking virgins and had to have one every day. His subordinates were responsible for finding them for him.

Zhang Qifeng's son, Hong Litian, worked as security at a dance hall owned by Young Master Zhong.

To get ahead in life, that bastard planned to give Hong Rui to Young Master Zhong to curry his favor.

Hearing this, Mu Lin backhanded Zhang Qifeng across the face.

Zhang Qifeng cried out, "Sir, every word I said is the truth!"

Mu Lin's face was grim. "I know it's true. Your son wants to get ahead, so he wants to offer up a woman. What does that have to do with you and your husband? I didn't see him there. I only saw the two of you trying to force Hong Rui into it!"

"Sir, you've got it all wrong! From the very start, we intended to reason with her! At first, I was worried Litian would be too reckless and scare Hong Rui, so I went to talk to her myself."

"I explained Young Master Zhong's power to her and urged her to broaden her horizons. I told her if other women could do it, so could she..."

"But in the end, she just wasn't willing. I finally lost my patience and ended up scolding her..."

Mu Lin sneered. "So all that good-natured patience was just an act. Your goal was to trick her into taking the bait, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes, yes... No! I genuinely wanted her to live a better life! She has good looks and a nice personality. Who's to say she couldn't have stayed by Young Master Zhong's side?"

"Then her one hundred million would have been nothing in comparison!"

Mu Lin let out a cold chuckle. "So that's your perspective..."

When Zhang Qifeng saw Mu Lin smile, she thought he agreed with her and forced a smile in return. "Exactly! I'm doing it all for the kid's own good!"

Mu Lin's voice grew even colder. "It seems chopping off one of your hands wasn't enough."

The color drained from Zhang Qifeng's face. "Why?! I've been so cooperative and told you everything!"

Mu Lin sneered, "You're forcing a decent girl into prostitution and you still think you're the good guy. If people like you are let off the hook, the world would be an even more miserable place."

His words frightened Zhang Qifeng so much that her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she fainted.

Mu Lin clicked his tongue, then reached out and pressed the spot under Zhang Qifeng's nose, waking her up.

"One more question. How did you know Hong Rui received so much compensation money?"

Mu Lin remembered Zhou Qianfan had stressed that the entire process was strictly confidential.

But obviously, the secret had been leaked.

Therefore, he wouldn't seek Zhou Qianfan's help again until this matter was fully resolved.

"Tian Li said someone told him. He didn't pay attention to the details. It was quite a while ago, so he's forgotten..."

Mu Lin thought, 'Forcing Hong Tianli to remember would be too difficult.'

'It'd be better to try a different approach.'

'For example, the Yang Family? After all, they were the ones who paid the money. Logically, they should be more familiar with the entire process.'

'And since I beat Patriarch Yang until he barely looked human, he definitely holds a grudge against me.'

While Mu Lin was still lost in thought, Zhang Qifeng's phone rang.

Mu Lin told her to answer it.

Zhang Qifeng said, "It's my son!"

Mu Lin said, "Answer it."

Zhang Qifeng spoke into the receiver, "Son, you..."

She listened for a moment, glanced at Mu Lin, and put the call on speaker.

Mu Lin understood. 'This Hong Tianli is intentionally trying to negotiate with me.'

"You punk who screwed everything up, you're there, right? Young Master Zhong is furious. If you don't get over here, that worker with the surname Xiang is a dead man."

Extreme fury blazed in Mu Lin's eyes. "Why did you kidnap an innocent man?!"

"Innocent? I don't think so. If he were so innocent, he wouldn't have come with you to ruin our plans!"

Mu Lin took a deep breath. "Where are you?"

Hong Litian gave the address, and Mu Lin immediately started racing in that direction.

Just as he was about to hang up, Hong Litian shouted angrily, "Don't you dare hurt my mother, or I'll make this Lao Xiang bleed!"

"Mm," Mu Lin answered simply. "Rest assured. I am a man of my word. I won't lay a hand on her."

Mu Lin hung up, told Zhang Qifeng to get lost, and then started walking toward the target location.

「A dance hall in Songyang.」

Zhang Qifeng's son, Hong Tianli, stood respectfully beside a young man.

This young man was completely listless, looking as though his body had been hollowed out by booze and women.

"Young Master Zhong, that guy who came out of nowhere really screwed things up..."

Young Master Zhong, whose full name was Zhong Yaoyu, nodded wearily.

He had only recently seen a photo of Hong Rui and had taken an immediate liking to her.

Although she dressed simply, her true value lay in her youth. She was vibrant and beautiful, with immense potential.

Most importantly, she had an air of innocence, which perfectly suited Young Master Zhong's particular fetish.

Young Master Zhong felt as if he'd discovered a hidden treasure. How could he possibly stand by and let such a beautiful girl remain hidden away in the slums?

So he tasked Hong Tianli with getting his hands on Hong Rui.

Young Master Zhong's thinking was very simple; this was how he'd always operated in the past.

But today, it hadn't worked. Mu Lin had stuck his nose in and forcefully put a stop to the whole affair.

Hong Tianli had been eagerly anticipating it as well. The day Hong Rui became Young Master Zhong's woman would be the day his own fortunes soared.

But the result was awkward. Mu Lin had wreaked havoc at Hong Rui's home, leaving five severed hands behind and scaring the daylights out of Young Master Zhong.

Gritting his teeth, Young Master Zhong had Lao Xiang captured. With Lao Xiang as a hostage, Mu Lin wouldn't dare make a reckless move and would have no choice but to obey him.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten to tap into his family's connections either, finding several cultivation masters to come and back him up.

These masters were normally aloof and above such matters. The fact that they were willing to intervene this time proved what a major threat Mu Lin represented.

Just as he was thinking this, a middle-aged man walked over.

Young Master Zhong scrambled to his feet, his eyes filled with reverence. "Grandmaster Hu!"

"Haha, it's nothing. No need for such ceremony," Grandmaster Hu said, his fingers still moving as if he were performing a divination.

"So, has the person Young Master Zhong wants me to deal with arrived yet?"