Chapter 56: Swallowing Whole

'So there are this many schemes involved…' Mu Lin sighed.

'The only thing wrong in that whole speech was who actually signed the contract.'

'Everyone else had been driven out by then.'

Xue Yang said, "Mu Lin, you need to keep a low profile. A major upheaval in the Li Group might have already started."

He analyzed in all seriousness, "Now that Lu Yi has this contract, his status in the group will be comparable to Elder Li's. He'll be able to do whatever he wants."

"Getting rid of someone like you, with no connections, will be child's play for him."

Mu Lin was tired of hearing this. He smiled and said, "Brother Xue, thanks for your concern, but I don't think the problem is that serious."

Xue Yang thought, 'Is this guy crazy? I'm trying to help him!'

After lunch, before the afternoon work session began, everyone was bored and milling about.

No one noticed that Lu Yi was gone.

"Master Wu!" Lu Yi fell to his knees before Wu Long, clutching at his legs.

"The Li Family is shameless! They just snatched the project you had your eye on right from under our noses."

Wu Long frowned, displeased. "Bai Chuan, tell your son to get off me, or you can both get the hell out!"

Lu Baichuan had no choice but to say, "Lu Yi, come back and stand beside me!"

Lu Yi could only get to his feet, pull out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears and snot, and then stand obediently by his father's side.

Wu Long raised a hand and gestured. "Alright, now talk. What exactly happened?"

Lu Yi said, "Father got to know Chairman Qiao through your connections, and we used your influence to secure the project. That's why we agreed to a two-to-one split: two parts for you, one for the Li Group. But for that to happen, my Lu Family has to be at the helm of the Li Group. Otherwise, given Li Hao's character, he would never give you your share of the money!"

Wu Long said, "You came to me over a trivial matter like this? You can't handle it yourself?"

Lu Yi said, "We were so close! Once the contract was signed, the Li Family would have naturally lost the support of the mid-level management and been forced out of the board of directors! Then we could have smoothly taken their place!"

"But then an unexpected complication arose. The contract fell into Li Xue's hands and became a credit to her name!"

"What happened?" Wu Long had some understanding of the Lu Family's capabilities. They wouldn't be this flustered unless something unexpected had happened.

Lu Yi pondered for a moment. Although Qiao Canhua and Wu Long weren't cut from the same cloth, they had a life-and-death bond. If he brought him up, Lu Yi feared the furious Wu Long would have him dragged out and fed to the dogs before he could even finish his sentence.

After careful consideration, he decided not to mention Qiao Canhua.

"The Li Family used some despicable trick to snatch the contract away. They signed it before I could do anything. By the time I rushed over, it was already a done deal."

After hearing this, Wu Long snorted contemptuously. "What's the big deal? I'll just have Old Qiao draw up another one."

Given their relationship, a small matter like this shouldn't be too difficult.

He grabbed his phone and dialed, but the call wouldn't go through.

In reality, Qiao Canhua had cut himself off from all business matters to be with his sick wife, making him difficult to reach through the usual channels.

It had been half a year since Wu Long initiated talks with Qiao Canhua about the City South No. 6 plot. Back then, Qiao Canhua's wife hadn't yet fallen ill.

By the time Shengding Group started moving forward with the land development, Qiao Canhua was already traveling everywhere with his wife, seeking medical treatment.

He had been unreachable by phone ever since.

Wu Long slapped his thigh. "This Old Qiao, he's got quite the temper. He's not even taking my calls anymore."

He rested his chin in his hand, thinking for a moment before slapping his leg hard. "In that case," he said, "we'll have to do this the hard way!"

'Is Wu Long finally going to make a move himself?' Lu Yi's eyes lit up.

He beckoned with a hand. "Guo Lei, get in here!"

Guo Lei entered with a few of his men. There was a bit of blood on his hand; he'd most likely just finished roughing up some unlucky fool who had crossed him.

"Boss, what is it?" Guo Lei asked.

Wu Long pointed at Guo Lei and said, "For what's next, you go to him. He's reliable."

"The Li Group's project has run into a problem. You go take care of it. Clear the way."

Li Group. Just hearing the name made Guo Lei's scalp tingle.

Pang Dahai had provoked the Li Group, and Mu Lin had killed him for it. Why would he ever want to get involved with them?

"Boss, I've got other things on my plate right now. The Li Group is small fry, why not let someone else handle it? The result should be the same," Guo Lei said, holding up his blood-stained hand.

Wu Long thought it over and felt he had a point. So he beckoned again, calling over a man with a vicious look in his eyes.

This was a new enforcer Wu Long had just taken on. He hadn't been on a real mission yet, so Wu Long wanted to give him a field test—see what he was made of and if he was worth investing in.

After all, Guo Lei had proven his worth by killing Pang Dahai and four other enforcers—even if it was just internal strife.

"You go with Director Lu and Director Lu. Whatever trouble they run into, you solve it for them. Hit whoever they tell you to hit."

"Yes, sir! Don't worry, Boss. If anyone dares to mess with you, I'll take care of them."

With that, the man turned to Lu Yi and Lu Baichuan.

"Hello, Director Lu. Hello, Director Lu!"

The moment Lu Yi met the man's gaze, he felt as if he'd been stabbed.

'So terrifying.'

'This man is absolutely ruthless. Dealing with the Li Family will be a piece of cake for him, right?'

Overjoyed, the Lu Family took the man and left.

Guo Lei glanced outside, feeling a pang of pity for the unlucky bastard who was new to the game.

Mu Lin was strong enough to take out thirty men like him.

At the Li Family Villa, Li Xue and Li Yinhe were having a meal with Elder Li.

Mrs. Li, Lin Jiajia, was busy pouring tea for them. Li Yinhe gave her a look, and she, understanding completely, put down the teacup and went out into the courtyard to water the flowers.

When Elder Li saw this, he knew Li Yinhe had something he wanted to say to him.

"Dad, I have some good news to report," Li Yinhe said.

Elder Li said, "Is Xue'Er pregnant?"

Li Xue's face suddenly flushed red, and she quickly shook her head.

"What are you talking about, Dad? Xue'Er secured the City South No. 6 plot! The one Lu Baichuan mentioned at the last board meeting!"

Elder Li frowned. "Secured it? How?"

"I'm not sure... Xue'Er didn't give me the details."

Li Xue said, "I'm not too clear on the specifics myself. Chairman Qiao just suddenly showed up in the conference room, put the contract in front of me, and had me sign it. It all went very smoothly."

The wary look on Elder Li's face didn't fade. Instead, he grew even more worried.

"Are you saying you accepted a favor from them without even knowing their terms?"

Li Xue quickly waved her hands. "Of course I know that accepting favors puts you in their debt! But Shengding Group already intended to partner with our Li Group on this project. I was just the one who signed on behalf of the company!"

Elder Li sighed. "Ah, I call you naive, and you refuse to admit it. Why do you think Lu Baichuan was able to get his hands on this project in the first place? Do you think there wasn't someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

As Li Xue followed her grandfather's line of thinking, she couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

In truth, the one who coveted the Li Group the most wasn't even the Lu Family, but the Yuelong Group.

Yuelong Group had long been number one in the construction industry. With the Li Group now catching up fast, their ambition to obstruct and swallow the Li Group was immense.

That was why the Lu Family was so arrogant—they had a behemoth backing them.

'So, this City South No. 6 plot project... was it actually Wu Long's all along?'

Li Xue said, "You mean we've started a conflict with Yuelong Group? That was incredibly unwise?"

Elder Li let out a long sigh. "It's more than unwise. It's downright foolish!"

He said slowly, "Where is Mu Lin?"

Li Xue said, "He's at the office!"

Elder Li picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, then said seriously, "I'm not joking. You must remember one thing: when you get to the office, do not leave his side for any reason! Yinhe, you too."

Li Yinhe didn't understand what his father meant. "Dad, we're talking about Wu Long's enforcers. What good is a scrawny guy like Mu Lin going to be?"

Elder Li waved his hand dismissively. "He'll be useful. More useful than you, that's for sure!"

"Hurry back to the office, and from now on, don't leave his side. Do you understand?"

Li Yinhe mulled it over for a moment, simply concluding that his father's senility was getting worse. "Fine, got it!" he said.

In truth, he had already completely forgotten the old man's earlier serious warning.

As the two of them walked out of the villa, Li Yinhe said to his daughter:

"Your grandfather is losing his touch. Don't always rely on him. We'll have to figure this out on our own."