Chapter 386 385: Bargaining

"Wait, how long is that going to take?" Meng Fang took a sip of club soda.

Lu Jing saw Meng Fang and remembered he was the one who had arrested him. He knew there was no chance of escape.

'I haven't enjoyed any good fortune since getting out. Instead, I've just suffered. What was the point of it all?'

He was filled with regret. 'If only I had just kept a low profile back then, I wouldn't have run into all this weirdness. I never should have taken that Hidden Sword Manor project. If I hadn't, I never would have provoked Mu Lin.'

A moment later, two middle-aged men walked into the bar.

The man in the lead was clearly displeased, pacing like a caged animal and in no state to handle any more absurdity.

The man following behind him was visibly nervous and shifty. One look was all it took to tell he was up to no good.

Lu Jing saw the middle-aged man in the back and cried out, "Dad, save me!"

This middle-aged man was none other than Lu Jing's father, Lu Dahai.

Lu Dahai snapped, "Shut up! Haven't you caused enough of a scene?"

The man at the very front had an even more ferocious gaze. He was the chairman of the Baiju Group and Gong Ding's father, Gong Jintang.

Gong Ding was thrilled. 'Dad's here! Now I can finally start my revenge against Mu Lin. He'll definitely bring his retained experts to trash this place and make Mu Lin spend the rest of his life regretting it.'

Gong Jintang looked at Mu Lin and said, "I'll give you one hundred million. Let my son go."

What?

Everyone had assumed Gong Jintang was here to get even for his son. They had all braced themselves for a beating.

But no one expected him to back down the moment he arrived, let alone offer such a high price to ransom his son.

'He just folded. Gong Jintang must have sized up the situation, realized he couldn't beat Mu Lin, and decided to back down immediately. This is intense.'

Mu Lin was stunned for a moment before he recovered and said with a smile,

"Haha, I don't really feel like letting him go! He was an accomplice. If Lu Jing gets ten years, then he should get at least two. That would be fair."

Gong Jintang said, "Three hundred million. My son has no blood feud with you. Why are you so fixated on this?"

Mu Lin paused. 'He actually has a point. I'm not the one with the problem here. Why do I need to get so serious with Gong Jintang over this?'

"Alright, fine. I'll let your son go."

Gong Jintang let out a long sigh of relief. It had cost him a fortune, but at least he'd saved his son.

'Saving him from two years in prison was well worth it.'

Seeing this, Lu Dahai was overjoyed. 'Mu Lin obviously just wants money. Isn't that easy enough?'

"Mr. Mu, I'll pay too! Three hundred million, I'll pay it! I'm begging you. He's my only son, please don't let him suffer in prison!"

Mu Lin looked at Lu Dahai and said in a cold voice, "Gong Ding can go. Lu Jing absolutely cannot."

Lu Dahai was stunned and wanted to plead his case further, but Gong Jintang intervened, worried that an annoyed Mu Lin might change his mind.

Gong Jintang grabbed Lu Dahai, shot him a warning glare, and then said,

"I'll make the decision for the Lu Family. Lu Jing brought this upon himself. His fate is in your hands."

Mu Lin said, "I don't have that kind of authority. Naturally, handling this sort of thing is up to Captain Meng. This matter is his full responsibility. And I don't want to hear later that Captain Meng is being ostracized, targeted, or that his word carries no weight. Chairman Gong, do you think that's a likely scenario?"

Gong Jintang said, "Absolutely not. If anyone dares to do such a thing, I will personally take care of them for you."

'The sun must be rising in the west,' Meng Fang thought. 'Gong Jintang is actually offering to guarantee someone's safety. This is so strange. There's got to be a catch.'

'But why is Gong Jintang so afraid of Mu Lin? He wouldn't even be this polite to a captain from the Military Suppression Bureau. Just what is Mu Lin's background that he has this much influence? It's terrifying. Terrifying. Unfathomable.'

Gong Ding, still kneeling on the ground, trembled as he slowly came to his senses. 'Mu Lin is definitely no ordinary person. I really messed with the wrong person this time. I'd better just shut up and keep a low profile. As long as Mu Lin forgets about me, I can go back to running things in Lanyang.'

'Still, he couldn't help but marvel at the situation. He never would have thought a powerhouse like this would show up in Lanyang—someone so unbelievably dominant.'

Suddenly, a portly middle-aged man burst in, slamming the door and shouting,

"Tang Zhennan, get out here!"

Hearing the voice, Tang Zhennan quickly turned to Mu Lin and explained, "Mr. Mu, that's Hou Qingsong, the chairman of Gold and Jade Jewelry. He's Hou Dong's father."

Hou Qingsong continued to shout as he strode into the room, but when he turned and saw Gong Jintang, he faltered. The man's presence here signified a problem far greater than his own.

"Chairman Gong, what are you doing here?"

Gong Jintang glanced at Hou Qingsong. "I take it your son offended Mu Lin, too?"

Hou Qingsong froze. Taking that as his answer, Gong Jintang continued, "President Hou, we've known each other a long time, so let me give you some advice: just pay the money and make this go away. If this escalates, you won't be able to handle the consequences."

With that, Gong Jintang left the bar, taking his son and Lu Dahai with him.

Hou Qingsong was an expert at reading a room, and the atmosphere he was sensing was completely off the charts. For someone like Gong Jintang to admit defeat and walk away… it was simply unbelievable.

Tang Zhennan had someone drag Hou Dong over. The moment Hou Dong saw his father, he lunged toward him.

But Hou Qingsong just slapped him across the face. "Shut your mouth! Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

Hou Qingsong then turned to Mu Lin and said very politely, "You must be Mr. Mu."

Mu Lin confirmed that he was. Hou Qingsong felt he couldn't get a read on the man at all.

"Mr. Mu, my son was in the wrong for provoking you. I'd like to pay compensation and settle this matter once and for all."

Mu Lin smiled. "I'm always happy to take the more convenient route. So, how much are you offering?"

"One million!"

A mocking smile touched Mu Lin's lips. Tang Zhennan, who was standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch any longer and said to Hou Qingsong,

"President Hou, how can you offer so little? Chairman Gong just paid *three hundred million* to get his son back. Now, with that in mind, what's your offer?"

Hou Qingsong was petrified. 'Three hundred million? What the hell? Did that bastard Gong Jintang really set the price that high?'

Just then, Qiao Canhua walked in. Spotting Hou Qingsong, he said, "President Hou, what a coincidence. You here for a drink, too?"

"Chairman Qiao, you're here!" Hou Qingsong said stiffly. His mind was reeling. 'What is going on? Why do all these big shots keep showing up, one after another?'

Qiao Canhua saw Mu Lin and walked right up to him. "Mu Lin, where's Gong Jintang?"

Mu Lin said, "He ran off with his son. Cost him a cool three hundred million to buy that little punk back."

Qiao Canhua sighed. "Is that right? What a shame. I was hoping to have a chat with him, but I guess I missed him."

Hou Qingsong's eyes nearly popped out of his head. 'How is Qiao Canhua so friendly with this kid, Mu Lin?'

Mu Lin said, "Your son was just acting like a punk, and I've already taught him a lesson. I'm sure he'll know better in the future, so I won't ask for that much to let him go."

"However, a lot of things in the bar got broken. A compensation of, say, ten million should cover it."

Hou Qingsong breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't about the money, which was a trivial amount to him. The important thing was that Mu Lin wasn't going to press the matter of his son's offense.

"I'll have the money transferred to the bar's account!" Hou Qingsong said, turning to leave.

But Mu Lin's voice, calm as ever, stopped him. "A word of warning. If your son bothers my friend again, this won't be settled so easily."

Hou Qingsong didn't even respond to Mu Lin. Instead, he kicked his own son. "Did you hear that? You good-for-nothing!"

Hou Dong scrambled to his feet. "I'll never go near Zizi again! If I do, I'm an animal!"

'Such a vicious oath.'

Mu Lin watched with a detached expression, unfazed by the drama.

'Things have already come this far. What more trouble could they possibly cause?'

Qiao Canhua said, "Hou Qingsong didn't seem too happy about that. You want me to teach him a lesson?"

Mu Lin replied, "He's in the jewelry business. That's not exactly your industry, is it?"