Chapter 75: Sly Old Fox

Wu Long cursed inwardly, 'Sly old fox. He really knows how to stay out of things.'

And he managed not to offend Qiao Canhua, instead shifting all the trouble over to me.

Damn it.

Qiao Canhua looked at Wu Long. "So, Chairman Wu, do you feel we've discussed this enough?"

Wu Long let out a contemptuous sneer.

'Enough?' This was just the beginning. There was no way either side was going to back down.

In the end, it would have to be settled with violence.

Wu Long called out, "Guo Lei!"

Guo Lei jolted and shot to his feet. "What are your orders, Chairman Wu?"

"Nothing much. I need you to step out and make a call for me. Just say it's about to rain and tell them to bring the laundry in."

This was another code—the signal to call for reinforcements.

"You got it!" Guo Lei replied.

With that, he turned and left.

Wu Long scanned the room, forcing a smile. "Come on, everyone, eat!"

But no one was interested, and no one dared to touch the food.

"Chairman Wu, why don't you go ahead and eat by yourself?" Mu Lin said with a smile. "We're here to talk business. Eating is secondary. If you could promise to stop targeting the Li Group, that would be more effective than a hundred dinners."

Wu Long slammed his hand on the table. "Who the hell are you? Is it your place to speak?"

Wu Ming chimed in, "He's just a good-for-nothing from some worthless project team at the Li Group. He's one of Chen Xi's cronies. The last time I was dealing with Chen Xi, those women called him over, and he beat the crap out of me..."

Mu Lin chuckled. "Young Master Wu, if I were you, I wouldn't bring up such an embarrassing defeat."

Wu Ming's lips tightened, and his expression turned sour.

That fight was truly the most humiliating one he'd had in years. It had been infuriating.

Wu Long looked at Li Xue and said coldly, "President Li, you're letting a worthless employee sit at the table with you? Has the Li Group run out of people?"

Li Xue's expression turned serious. "Mu Lin is the Li Group's official representative for our dealings with Shengding Group. Of course he has to be here!"

"You can choose not to respect him, but you will have to face the dire consequences of that decision!"

That was quite a statement.

Wu Long picked up his phone to check the time. 'Guo Lei went to get the men. Why is it taking so long for him to get back?'

He called Guo Lei directly. "What's going on? Where are the men?"

Guo Lei shouted back, "They're almost here!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Guo Lei charged over from the distance, leading a gang of men.

Li Xue grew incredibly tense, swallowing hard several times. She hadn't expected to face the same situation as last time.

'It's all up to you now, my bodyguards!'

Mu Lin, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit worried. 'If Guo Lei messes this up, he'll have to answer to my iron fist. So this batch of thugs he brought are probably just a bunch of rookies.'

'Li Xue's bodyguards can take care of them easily.'

'No need for me to get involved.'

After making his assessment, Mu Lin yelled, "Run!"

Everyone reacted instantly. Qiao Canhua helped Madam Qiao hurry toward the door. Outside, Li Xue's bodyguards had already charged forward to block the approaching thugs.

Wu Long roared, "Don't let them get away! Tie up the women! Call Li Hao and tell him to use the Li Group to ransom them back!"

Zhuang Sheng looked extremely uncomfortable. "Chairman Wu, must you take it this far? Surely there's a way to solve this without resorting to violence?"

"I have some connections with the Lin Family. They're not exactly rock-solid, but if they find out I just sat here and watched you kidnap Li Xue, my reputation will be ruined."

Wu Long narrowed his eyes. "Lao Zhuang, what's the meaning of this? You want to help Li Xue?"

Zhuang Sheng said, "Of course not! How about you wait until I'm gone to make that call? I'm begging you!"

With that, he left his seat and practically fled.

Wu Long was so exasperated he had to laugh. "That old fox!"

Zhuang Sheng expertly found an opening in the chaos, slipped through, and made a beeline for the stairwell.

"Close the door! Grab them!"

Hearing Wu Long's command, the thugs sprang into action.

They formed a wide net, closing in on Li Xue and Madam Qiao.

Seeing this, Qiao Canhua gritted his teeth, hoisted his wife onto his back, and ran with surprising speed, bursting through the doorway.

Only Mu Lin and Li Xue remained inside. Mu Lin placed a hand on Li Xue's back and gave her a firm shove, pushing her out of the private room.

He and her bodyguards were shut inside Room 2020, facing Wu Long and a mob of thugs.

'With so many thugs, how could they possibly come out of this unscathed?'

Li Xue's eyes instantly reddened. "Mu Lin! Mu Lin!"

She frantically rushed toward the door, trying to push it open, but Madam Qiao hurried over and stopped her. "Don't! You can't go in there!"

Wu Long had shouted that he wanted to capture the two women. If Li Xue rushed in, she would be walking right into his trap.

"Mu Lin will be fine... Trust him. He's very strong," Madam Qiao said, comforting Li Xue as she stroked her hair.

She had seen with her own eyes what Mu Lin did to Lu Yi. Mu Lin's skills were certainly nothing to scoff at.

At the very least, he could protect himself.

"Strong? What's so strong about him? He's just a bum! Without the Li Family, he wouldn't even be able to feed himself..." Large teardrops streamed down Li Xue's face. Madam Qiao hugged her, comforting her with the warmth of her embrace.

Seeing that his wife and Li Xue weren't leaving, Qiao Canhua was practically jumping with anxiety. "We have to go, now! We can't rule out the possibility of more thugs arriving as backup!"

"Miss Li Xue, don't let Mu Lin's sacrifice be for nothing!"

Hearing this, Li Xue seemed to snap back to her senses.

'He's right.' She immediately pulled herself together, helped Madam Qiao, and ran toward the exit of the Huangshanghuang Hotel.

When Mu Lin saw that Li Xue had gotten away, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now, it was his time to shine.

The few bodyguards—the same ones Mu Lin had gifted the credit for a previous victory, the ones Li Xue saw as her lifeline—saw the door swing shut and turned to Mu Lin.

"Mr. Mu, it's an honor to fight alongside you again!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "That's right. And I'll have to let you guys take the credit for this one, too!"

While they were chatting casually, Wu Long was practically fuming. 'Are they completely ignoring me?'

He waved his hand forcefully. "Get them! I don't want to waste any more time!"

With a flick of his wrist, Mu Lin sent a silver needle flying like a hidden projectile. It struck Wu Long squarely between the eyebrows. In an instant, Wu Long's vision went dark, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Wu Ming was next, but the moment he saw Mu Lin walking toward him, he found it hard to breathe and promptly fainted.

'Tch, and here I thought I'd get to beat him up again.'

'What a waste.'

'This kid is completely useless. No matter how big Wu Long's business gets, his son will bankrupt him sooner or later.'

Meanwhile, Guo Lei had already dropped to the floor, pretending to be unconscious.

'Smart move, saves him from another beating.'

Mu Lin pointed to the remaining thugs and said to the bodyguards, "You guys can have them. I can't be bothered. It's too much work."

"Yes!"

The bodyguards, completely obedient to Mu Lin, surrounded the thugs and attacked.

This group of thugs was pathetically weak. They were knocked unconscious in the first exchange, left drooling on the floor.

It was over in moments. They were all taken out.

'Guo Lei was a clever one. He had deliberately chosen a batch of fighters who were utter trash in terms of skill but vicious to the core, perfect for being used as cannon fodder.'

'The effect was perfect, really.'

Hearing the silence, Guo Lei opened his eyes and sat up. The bodyguards were instantly on alert, ready to surround and attack him.

Mu Lin quickly stopped them, his voice a low whisper. "He's one of us!"

The bodyguards' eyes widened in understanding. They even went over to help Guo Lei to his feet.

"Good work. You'll be well-rewarded," Mu Lin said quietly to Guo Lei, who was deeply moved.

Mu Lin pushed the door open and stepped out. Seeing no one in the hallway, he headed for the hotel entrance.

Li Xue, Qiao Canhua, and his wife were waiting outside the hotel. Qiao Canhua was constantly trying to reassure Li Xue, but her heart refused to settle.

If Mu Lin got hurt because of this, or worse... Li Xue would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

Madam Qiao saw Mu Lin emerge and, with a smile, patted Li Xue's shoulder. "Look who it is."

Li Xue turned and saw Mu Lin standing before her, completely unharmed. Overcome with shock and joy, she ran toward him.

"Are you okay?"

Mu Lin said, "I'm fine. Your bodyguards did all the fighting while I hid off to the side. After a little while, everything went quiet."

"You got lucky!" Seeing that Mu Lin was fine, Li Xue's guilt instantly vanished, replaced by her usual disdain for him.

Mu Lin chuckled. "I've always been hard to kill! Seeing as I just saved your life, how about a little raise?"

"In your dreams! If you manage to make this project a success, I'll have no problem doubling your salary."

She considered the potential revenue, the sheer amount of money.

After a quick calculation, Li Xue figured it wouldn't be a loss for her at all.

Qiao Canhua said, "I think that's enough for today. My wife can't take too much excitement. We'll be taking our leave now!"

He hailed a taxi, and he and his wife got in.

Li Xue called her family's driver to come pick them up.