Chapter 482 480: Xu Family Crisis

Gu Qiang said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Mu. I don't really know much about this..."

"It's like these restaurants just popped up out of nowhere..."

Mu Lin smiled. "I'm not a picky eater. Besides, this place is pretty good. You have decent taste."

Gu Qiang laughed, but then her expression darkened.

"Yeah... it's like I was in a dream for two years, and just like that, they were gone..."

Mu Lin said softly, "Qiang'Er, what's done is done. There's no use dwelling on it. Life has to go on. You have to look forward, right?"

A smile touched Gu Qiang's lips. "I know what you mean. I'm not drowning in past sorrows, unable to escape. I just can't help feeling emotional... I lost two whole years of my life!"

Mu Lin said, "Someone will pay the price for what was done to you. Whether it's Grandmaster Gu or me, we'll make sure you get your justice!"

Gu Qiang nodded repeatedly. "That's right. My grandfather dotes on me more than anyone in the world!"

The food hadn't arrived yet, so Mu Lin and Gu Qiang made small talk, chatting about anything and everything.

Elder Gu had already handled the paperwork for her leave of absence from school, so Gu Qiang could return to her studies without any issues.

Mu Lin asked, "Which university do you go to?"

Gu Qiang replied, "Di Yang University. It's a shame... my classmates from back then have probably all found jobs by now, haven't they?"

Mu Lin chuckled. "You don't have to sell yourself short. I've never been to a single day of school, and I'm doing just fine."

Gu Qiang was stunned. "No way! But you're so amazing!"

Gu Qiang found it hard to believe. How could the Divine Doctor who saved her have never gone to school?

Mu Lin said, "I grew up in a mountain village. My master raised me, and he's the one who taught me everything I know."

Gu Qiang's eyes sparkled. "Your master must be incredible! To have taught someone as amazing as you! I'd love to meet him!"

Mu Lin gave a wry smile. "To those who don't know him, he's a reclusive master. To those who do, he's a madman. I don't even know where he is now."

Gu Qiang clicked her tongue in wonder.

"When school starts, I'll take you to the university to have a look!" Gu Qiang said.

Mu Lin seemed a bit awkward. "That's probably not a good idea. An illiterate like me going to a university... wouldn't I be bringing shame to the institution?"

Gu Qiang couldn't help but laugh. "Are you kidding me? All universities are open to the public. Regular citizens can get a visitor's pass to go inside and look around."

This was news to Mu Lin. "If that's the case, then I definitely have to go check it out!"

The two happily made plans.

Just then, Mu Lin saw a familiar figure rush past.

When the person saw Mu Lin, he became extremely emotional and lunged toward him as if he'd just found a long-lost relative.

"Mr. Mu! Mr. Mu! It's fate! Seeing you here!"

"Xu Tianming, aren't you supposed to be on duty with your master? What are you doing here?"

This was Xu Tianming, a disciple of the Anhua Patrol Team's captain and a member of a branch of the Xu Family.

Mu Lin had worked with them on a case before, so he felt a sense of familiarity.

But Xu Tianming didn't answer. Instead, he started to kneel on the floor.

Mu Lin was taken aback. Having someone kneel to you in public was just too strange. He was thick-skinned enough not to care, but 'what would Gu Qiang think?'

"Don't move! What are you doing?" Mu Lin demanded.

Xu Tianming trembled, his face pale. "Mr. Mu, I need to ask you for a favor!"

Mu Lin pointed to a nearby chair. "I don't care what's going on, sit down first!"

Xu Tianming was frantic but still glanced at Gu Qiang.

Although Gu Qiang was beautiful and seemed innocent and harmless, the matter was too serious. Xu Tianming didn't want to reveal anything to anyone other than Mu Lin.

Mu Lin noticed Xu Tianming's anxiety and waved his hand dismissively. "Just say it. Miss Gu Qiang isn't a blabbermouth."

Xu Tianming nervously glanced at the restaurant's entrance, then pulled his collar up to cover half his face—regardless of whether it would do any good—and whispered to Mu Lin about what he had been through the past few days.

"I, uh, just got back to Di Yang a couple of days ago. I wanted to keep working cases with my master, but I had no choice. There was an accident at home, so I had to take leave and come back."

"My parents run a company. It was doing quite well, developing quietly with the Xu Family's backing. After all, we're part of the Xu Family, so we help each other out a little."

"Our family's company is mainly in the car rental business, with a valuation of around ten billion. In a place like Di Yang, that's really not that conspicuous."

"But as soon as I got back, my parents immediately took me to the business administration bureau and transferred the company to my name. They were very serious, drilling it into me over and over that I absolutely had to keep the company going."

'What was I supposed to make of that? My mind is completely focused on investigating cases. I don't know the first thing about running a business, so what could I do?'

"The other option was to hand the company over to the main branch of the Xu Family for them to manage while we just collect dividends. But the company is just too small; an asset of ten billion is nothing to the main family."

"I couldn't argue with my parents, so I accepted the company. I figured I'd just be the owner in name only and that my parents would still be in charge of operations. But I never expected them to get into an accident."

"That very night, they were in a car crash. They were sent straight to the ICU, and they're barely clinging to life."

Xu Tianming had a keen sense for crime, and from the moment he returned home, he felt that everything was suspicious.

'Something terrible must have happened. Otherwise, how could any of this be possible?'

'What a joke.'

He concluded that he would be the next target, so he left home to lay low for a while.

Unexpectedly, not even half an hour after he left, he received an alert on his phone from his home security cameras. Someone had broken into his house.

He had no choice but to run. But no matter where he went, the streets were crawling with an abnormal number of thugs, and it was clear they were following orders, searching for something.

It was very likely they were looking for him.

His intuition was spot on. Everywhere he went, thugs would pull out their phones to make a call.

Because of this, he couldn't stay in one place for long and could only use all his strength to flee as quickly as possible.

Running into Mu Lin just now was pure chance, but seeing him felt like finding his only hope of survival.

Mu Lin glanced outside the restaurant. Just as Xu Tianming had said, several thugs were staring at their table, making calls on their phones.

But he didn't seem to mind. He looked at Xu Tianming and said, "Have you eaten? Let's eat first. After we're done, I'll get you out of here."

Xu Tianming frantically shook his head. "N-no, I haven't. But right now, eating isn't the most important thing, it's..."

Mu Lin said sternly, "You can't do anything on an empty stomach. Where are you going to get the strength? Relax, I'm here!"

Xu Tianming was stunned by Mu Lin's imposing aura. 'God knows why Mr. Mu is being so fierce,' he thought.

"Yes! Yes!" Xu Tianming said earnestly. "Then, can you help me contact the Military Suppression Bureau?"

Mu Lin still held a position in a special operations team. In other words, getting in touch with Mu Lin was the same as getting in touch with the Military Suppression Bureau.

Mu Lin said, "It would be ridiculous to get the Military Suppression Bureau involved in this. It's not necessary. I can handle it myself. We can have them come by afterward to take a statement."

Xu Tianming wiped the sweat from his brow. He never imagined Mu Lin would be so confident, taking on the entire matter himself.

"But there are top experts among the people hunting me! I can't handle them!"

Mu Lin smiled. "Not a problem. We have them too."

Mu Lin called Li Ba. As soon as Li Ba picked up, he excitedly said to Mu Lin, "Mr. Mu, your word is truly gold! The expert you sent has arrived! He's a genuine Grandmaster, the real deal! Elder Gu holds a very high rank in the Jade Pavilion District, yet he came to protect me without a second thought!"

Li Ba was so excited his mouth was rattling on like a machine gun. It was quite annoying.

Mu Lin frowned. "Stop talking. I'm asking you, are your men tailing Xu Tianming? Make them leave, now. Or you'll face the consequences."

A chill went down Li Ba's spine. "Yes! Yes! Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you!"

Mu Lin added, "Also, find out who ordered them to do this. Investigate it immediately. Find out and tell me. I want results now."

Li Ba was startled by Mu Lin's urgency. 'When has Mr. Mu ever been in such a rush?'

'He's clearly dead serious!'

"Right, you just wait. I'll start the investigation right away!" Li Ba said with utmost seriousness.

When Mu Lin asked him to do something, he would absolutely give it his all.

He had been about to wander the world, fleeing with his sister, but it was Mu Lin who had saved them.