Chapter 017: Exactly, Exactly. Brother-in-Law Is Right!

Chapter 017: Exactly, Exactly. Brother-in-Law Is Right!

Wu Chen spoke with perfect seriousness. True, he had only come to help Li Ruotai because Li Ruobing was paying him, but now that he was playing the part of “brother-in-law,” it wouldn’t do to show no authority at all.

There was a long road ahead. He had to think about the future.

“What are you doing? He’s my brother, which makes him your brother too. We’re family. I already slapped him—if you’ve got a fix, just say it.” Li Ruobing gave Wu Chen’s shoulder a light push.

There was even a hint of coyness to it.

She was acting, of course. But her concern for her brother was genuine. Now that the higher-ups already had so much evidence in hand, even she couldn’t think of a way to save him.

“This kid doesn’t even treat me like his brother-in-law,” Wu Chen said, glancing at her.

“Don’t be like that.” Li Ruobing said it pleadingly—while, at an angle Li Ruotai couldn’t see, pinching him.

The pinch was a warning. She’d paid him, after all.

Though, to be fair, she’d only paid for information—not for him to solve the problem.

“Brother-in-law, what are you talking about? Of course you’re my brother-in-law!”

Li Ruotai broke into a smile, warm and sincere to a fault. He stood, plucked a cigarette from his pocket, and held it out to Wu Chen, his whole face folding into an ingratiating grin. “That was on me just now. Don’t hold it against your little brother-in-law—I was only worried some little bastard had tricked my sister. Not you, of course. You’ve got real ability. You and my sister make a perfect match…”

A real man knew when to bend and when to stand tall.

Li Ruotai was capable—no question. If he was about to fall into trouble, it wasn’t only because he’d played too big. It was mostly because he’d been sold out.

Wu Chen studied him for a moment, bent forward with the cigarette outstretched, and smiled. He took it, then set it down on the table without ceremony.

He didn’t smoke.

Taking it had simply been a courtesy—an acceptance of the apology.

“Smoke less. Those things will kill you eventually, and no amount of money will buy you back from that. How many times have I told you?” Li Ruobing scolded.

Li Ruotai didn’t dare talk back.

“First,” Wu Chen said, getting straight to business, “you need Xie Hu dead. He knows too much about your business together. Only once he’s gone will you be clean.”

Li Ruotai, who’d just sat down, froze.

Xie Hu belonged to the Xie family, though only a collateral branch. In front of Li Ruotai, he was the type to call him “brother” every other sentence, fawning and flattering.

Still—he was a Xie. If he simply vanished…

“Damn it! He’d dare set me up!” Li Ruotai slapped his thigh, something vicious crossing his face. He’d already worked it through: whatever the fallout from killing Xie Hu, escaping this crisis mattered more.

“You know he uses drugs, right?” Wu Chen asked.

Li Ruotai nodded. He knew. Drugs were absolute taboo among the great families—no one was meant to touch them, and Li Ruotai never had. But he knew Xie Hu had been using for years.

“He keeps a mistress at Villa 17, Hetang Manor, in Qingdao. He goes there often to use with her. Send someone to Qingdao… and he dies of an overdose. Right?”

Li Ruotai’s eyes widened slowly. Then he broke into a grin. “Exactly, exactly. Brother-in-law is right!”

Killing someone usually meant staging an accident.

But an accident too strange invited scrutiny, and scrutiny was where things went wrong.

If Xie Hu really did die from his own injection, the Xie family’s instinct would be to keep the disgrace quiet, not to dig for answers.

“Second,” Wu Chen went on, “all the evidence sits in one man’s hands. Get it out, destroy it, and you’re safe.”

“Liao Bo?” Li Ruotai asked.

“That’s right. He was transferred here specifically to bring you down. The evidence is with him.”

“Fine. I’ll deal with him!” Li Ruotai gritted his teeth.

“Deal with him, my ass,” Wu Chen shot back. “He’s a deputy director. You trying to make this bigger than it already is? I’m telling you now—don’t touch a single investigator.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Steal it.”

“Steal it?”

Li Ruotai looked lost. How? He wasn’t allowed to touch anyone, didn’t even know where the evidence was kept, and time was already running short.

“Apartment 501, Unit 3, Erdao Alley, Liushu Avenue. There’s a hidden safe beneath the wardrobe in the master bedroom. The code is 537819336. The evidence is inside. Since the whole operation is top secret, there’s only one copy to prevent leaks. Send someone, take it, destroy it.”

Li Ruotai was stunned all over again.

Even Li Ruobing shot Wu Chen a sideways glance, her expression shifting strangely.

Because Wu Chen was being far too precise.

He even knew the safe’s combination.

“Third.” Wu Chen pressed on. “Crown Entertainment needs to shut down soon. You’ll have to wait until this storm has completely blown over before reopening.”

“That’s easy enough. I can close it today,” Li Ruotai said.

“Not just like that—that would raise suspicion,” Wu Chen said. “I’ll walk you through exactly how, later.”

“Fourth. You need to tell your grandfather everything, start to finish—especially your dealings with Xie Hu. Lay it all out clearly.”

“That…” Li Ruotai’s expression collapsed into pure discomfort. “That’s not going to go well. You know how my grandfather is…”

He was picturing his own legs, broken.

“The ones coming after you this time are the Wei family. Your family isn’t much weaker than theirs, but you handed them an opening, and they’re taking it—striking at the Li family while they can. Your grandfather has to know. Understood?”

“The Wei family…” Li Ruotai murmured the name.

In truth, relations among the great families were generally civil enough. Rivalries simmered beneath the surface, but the surface itself stayed smooth. The Li and Wei families were the one exception—hostile for years now.

At one point, the feud had erupted into open war. Members of both families had ended up behind bars because of it.

Only once the patriarchs on both sides had stepped down from their positions of power had an uneasy truce settled in.

But even in recent years, friction still flared between them from time to time. The Wei family held the advantage—which was precisely why the Li patriarch was so determined to marry Li Ruobing off to Ding Ruilong.

Tying the family to the Ding family was the only way to stand against the Wei family.

“I understand. I’ll tell him,” Li Ruotai said with a nod. If this reached into a feud between two great families, then nothing about it would be simple.

Even once the big trouble was handled, smaller troubles would linger. His grandfather needed to know, so the Li family could move quickly.

“Leave me out of it,” Wu Chen said.

“Hm?” Li Ruotai didn’t quite catch it.

“When you report all this to your grandfather, don’t mention me.” As he spoke, Wu Chen reached over and took Li Ruobing’s hand. “What’s between me and Ruobing—you knowing is enough. Your grandfather’s dead set on marrying her off to that Ding bastard. If he learns I exist, it won’t do either of us any good.”

“Got it. I won’t say a word,” Li Ruotai said at once. “I’ll just say I figured it out myself.”

Wu Chen nodded.

“So, Brother-in-law… about closing the club…” Li Ruotai asked again, all humble attention.

“That depends on how much you’re willing to sacrifice,” Wu Chen said.

“Anything. I’d tear the whole place down if I had to!”

“Then you—” Wu Chen started to say.

Ring, ring, ring…

Li Ruotai’s phone rang. His brow furrowed instantly—everyone around him knew better than to interrupt him while his sister was visiting.

He glanced at the screen, hung up without answering, then turned back to Wu Chen with a smile. “Please, go on, Brother-in-law.”

Ring, ring, ring…

The call came again.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Li Ruotai snapped as he picked up.

“Boss…” It was one of his trusted men, pushing through despite the tone.

The anger drained from Li Ruotai’s face, replaced slowly by shock, his eyes stretching wide.

Something enormous had happened.

“How much? Two hundred million? Fine—I’m on my way!” He hung up and turned to Wu Chen and Li Ruobing. “Sis, Brother-in-law, give me a moment. Something’s happened at the casino. I need to go look.”

He turned and strode out, moving fast.

“Boss Shen, of Fusheng Aluminum?” Wu Chen asked from where he sat.

Li Ruotai stopped dead and spun around, staring at him in open shock.

Because he’d guessed right.

Again.

“Let’s go. We’ll look together.” Wu Chen rose to his feet.