Chapter 58: The World of the Big Shots

In the nameless courtyard, the time it took to brew three pots of tea had just passed.

Another set of unhurried footsteps entered the courtyard.

Wu Long stood to greet him. "Well now, Zhuang Sheng, what a rare guest. What brings you here?"

Zhuang Sheng clasped his hands behind his back. "I heard there's a riot at the Li Group? A few hundred employees have surrounded the president's office?"

Wu Long placed a finger to his lips. "Shh. Let me guess, is it Li Hao? Calling to beg for his son and granddaughter."

Zhuang Sheng shrugged. "He called, but I didn't answer. You think a little commotion like this in Anhua City could escape my notice?"

Wu Long took a sip of tea. "I'm not some kind of devil. I have no interest in the Li Family's lives. What I want is the Li Group."

After swallowing the Li Group, the Yuelong Group's position in Anhua City would be greatly strengthened, allowing it to maintain its transcendent status.

Qiao Canhua also chimed in, "It would be for the best if the Li Group disappeared!"

Zhuang Sheng was slightly surprised to see Qiao Canhua there.

This powerhouse rarely attended gatherings. He was an elusive figure, and few people could ever guess what he was thinking.

His appearance here today was just as inscrutable.

Zhuang Sheng, wanting to probe the magnate's inner thoughts, asked:

"If I may be so bold, Mr. Qiao, has the Li Group offended you in some way?"

Qiao Canhua shook his head.

"Then why is that?" Zhuang Sheng picked up the teapot and poured some tea into Qiao Canhua's cup.

Qiao Canhua let out a long breath. "It's like this. There's a young man at the Li Group I think very highly of. I want him to come work for my company as a senior executive. Unfortunately, the Li Group has been good to him, and he has been unwilling to leave. So, I've been thinking, if the Li Group were to collapse and the Li Family was no longer in charge, might he be willing to come with me?"

"Haha, so that's what you've been plotting!" Wu Long clinked his cup against Qiao Canhua's and laughed.

"So, this so-called 'repaying a favor' is also for this brilliant young man?"

The question had barely left his lips when the phone in Zhuang Sheng's pocket rang again.

Zhuang Sheng frowned and glanced at his phone.

"It's Li Hao again! What is this guy thinking? Does he think I'm a pushover?"

Qiao Canhua said, "Perhaps you, Zhuang Sheng, are the only big shot he can get ahold of. Why not answer and hear what he has to say?"

"Since Mr. Qiao is interested, I'll..."

Zhuang Sheng answered the phone.

"Zhuang... Zhuang Sheng, hello, this is Li Hao!" Elder Li's tone was exceptionally formal and stiff, as if Zhuang Sheng were an impossibly high mountain he could never scale.

To a tiny ant, even a breadcrumb can seem like a colossal mountain peak.

Zhuang Sheng pursed his lips. "Spit it out, I'm busy!"

Elder Li cried out, "My granddaughter and son are trapped in the office by the employees! They're in mortal danger! I'm begging you, please plead with the mastermind behind this on my behalf and ask them to spare their lives!"

Just as the three powerhouses had expected, he was begging for mercy.

But Zhuang Sheng just gave a cold laugh. "I don't want to! There's nothing in it for me. What does your granddaughter's life or death have to do with me?"

Elder Li gasped for breath, trembling uncontrollably. In the background, the sounds of a servant patting his back and giving him medicine could be heard.

After a long moment, Elder Li finally said, "May I ask what you want, Zhuang Sheng? As long as it's something I, Li Hao, can provide, I will certainly satisfy you."

Zhuang Sheng himself had no interest and had never considered how to fleece a small fry like the Li Group.

His gaze shifted to the other two as he pressed the mute button on his phone.

"What do you two want?"

Wu Long answered without hesitation, "I want the entire Li Group!"

Zhuang Sheng said, "He probably won't agree. That's the Li Family's foundation; without it, they have nothing. Besides, it's not enforceable. He can promise you the world right now, but once he's out of danger, he could easily go back on his word."

Wu Long shrugged. "Then I have no demands. The little Li Group is within my grasp anyway. Why should I haggle with an old man?"

Qiao Canhua took the phone, unmuted it, and said, "Senior Li Hao, are you still there?"

The voice was unfamiliar to Elder Li. Besides, he was just a minor figure, so how could anyone address him so cordially?

Moreover, he was the one asking for a favor, so there was even less reason for such politeness from the other side.

"You flatter me! May I ask who this is?"

"I'm nobody important. If you want to save your son and granddaughter, I can guarantee their safety, but on one condition."

"Please, name it!"

"I think your son-in-law is a true hero. I'd like to invite him to be a senior executive at my company. If you'll allow him to spread his wings and fly, then I'll step in and save them."

Hearing this condition, Elder Li's jaw dropped.

This was the first time he had ever heard anyone call Mu Lin a hero.

'Alas, I, Old Li, really have no control over Mu Lin's life.'

"Sigh... If you truly admire him, you should just invite him to work at your company yourself. Unfortunately, my word means nothing... Him becoming my son-in-law was an order given to him by someone else. What I say is useless."

Elder Li's voice was filled with desolation. "You probably don't believe me, but a small fry like me has no reason to lie to you!"

Qiao Canhua scratched his head and clicked his tongue, a rather uncharacteristic breach of composure.

In any case, he didn't understand what that meant.

On Elder Li's end, the call disconnected. He had probably gone to find someone else to help.

Inside the office, someone was pounding desperately on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—the sound was a thunderous roar.

Li Xue asked, "Mu Lin, what did Grandpa mean when he told me to stick close to you?"

Mu Lin chuckled. "It means you can't survive without me."

"Oh, shut up! Be serious!" Li Xue glared.

Mu Lin had no choice but to say seriously:

"'To catch bandits, first catch the king.' If someone wasn't inciting them and leading the charge, this wouldn't have dragged on for so long. It's not like their cars are gone. Worst case, they could just call a taxi, right?"

Oh, right! Li Xue suddenly understood the problem too.

"Lu Yi's men must be mixed in with the crowd! If we can grab them and take them out, we can leave."

Mu Lin thought calmly for a moment, then said, "However, my strongest recommendation is to wait for them to get tired and leave on their own."

Li Xue thought about it for a second and rejected the idea.

"How long would that take? If they get hungry, can't they just order takeout? We're isolated and helpless in here. We'll definitely give out before they do!"

Mu Lin sighed. "Alright, I'm going to step out for a bit. You all wait here. No matter what happens, don't come out."

Li Yinhe, Li Xue, and the secretary were filled with sorrow. This was perhaps the only solution in such a situation.

'Mu Lin is going to sacrifice himself,' they thought. 'He'll rush out, grab the troublemakers who are stirring up the two hundred people, and then the rest will be fine.'

But Mu Lin went out... through the window.

They watched him climb out the window and down a drainpipe. They were sixteen stories above the ground; one small slip and he would fall to his death, smashed to pieces.

But Mu Lin's movements were nimble. He climbed down to the fifteenth floor and slipped in through a window.

A little while later, he appeared on the ground floor, holding Lu Yi and Lu Baichuan hostage.

Lu Yi was a complete mess, looking like he'd been thoroughly taught a lesson.

Lu Baichuan was still relatively clean. Mu Lin had been afraid of hurting him and hadn't dared to get too rough.

Lu Yi's shriek was sharp with terror:

"Mu Lin, you waste, what are you doing?! If you kill me, you'll die too!"

But Mu Lin had no intention of harming him. Instead, he dragged the two of them in front of two straight pine trees.

He deftly tied them up with a rope.

"Killing you would be so boring. You two just stay here. When the office door opens and they come down, I'll untie you. I saw you drinking tea just now, didn't I? Tea's a diuretic. It won't be long before you start to feel it... You don't have much time. Think it over!"

After tying them up, Mu Lin turned and left again. A moment later, he appeared outside the office, behind the two hundred employees who were all anxious to go home.

"Some of you, take a look out the window. Your masters are holding in their pee right now! Every extra second you stay here, the more likely they are to wet their pants. After an embarrassment like that, who's going to follow a boss who peed himself?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a few employees ran out. Unsurprisingly, they were all Lu Yi's trusted followers.

The remaining employees looked at each other, a strange feeling dawning on them. What exactly had they been doing?

Several of them had originally just come to watch the spectacle but had slowly been swept up into pounding on the door.

"Alright, quitting time! Get going! Whoever's spark plugs got removed, you're out of luck for now. Just take a taxi home!"

Mu Lin saw the last person off, then opened the office door. "All set!"

Li Yinhe rushed out, clutching his stomach, and made a beeline for the restroom.