Chapter 515: Kill Wu Chen? All Right!

Chapter 515: Kill Wu Chen? All Right!

Shock.

Meng Junhao had long imagined how Ding Ruilong would react after seeing the photographs. Intelligent people might express their intelligence in a thousand different ways, but those with extreme, volatile temperaments tended to express their rage in much the same fashion.

He had imagined Ding Ruilong going berserk, smashing everything in sight, perhaps even venting his fury through something as extreme as murder.

But he had never imagined Ding Ruilong would offer to pay him—Meng Junhao himself—to go directly after Wu Chen.

He had still underestimated the effect those photographs would have.

In truth, Ding Ruilong remained profoundly irrational. Under normal circumstances, he would never have said such a thing to Meng Junhao, because he knew Meng might not dare make a move against Wu Chen.

Donghai was Li Ruotai’s territory!

For Meng Junhao, the question was no longer whether the attempt would succeed. It was whether Li Ruotai would discover who was responsible afterward.

That could cost him his life.

Besides, Meng Junhao was valuable to Ding Ruilong—one of the few planted men Ding had in Donghai, and an increasingly useful one at that.

Ordinarily, Ding Ruilong would never force Meng to take such a desperate risk.

Yet he had said it anyway.

He was still irrational, but amid that irrationality he had named a remarkably rational price: two hundred million yuan.

Two hundred million wasn’t a small sum even for Ding Ruilong, though it wasn’t especially large either.

And as for Meng Junhao… his net worth far exceeded two hundred million.

Even so, the offer was extraordinarily generous.

An astronomical price, even.

Because it was two hundred million in cash. Who knew how many companies valued at several billion couldn’t produce two hundred million in cash on short notice? Assets and cash flow were two entirely different things.

Businesses with exceptionally abundant cash flow were few and far between.

Although Meng Junhao’s assets far exceeded two hundred million, he couldn’t produce that much cash himself. Even selling off assets wouldn’t raise it quickly.

Two hundred million really was a great deal of money.

For a split second, Meng Junhao was even tempted.

He had been secretly transferring assets overseas for some time, without even Ding Ruilong knowing. Much of that activity was bound to be illegal, which meant he could never move all his assets abroad.

He couldn’t even move half.

But this two hundred million would be dirty money. With Ding Ruilong’s capabilities, transferring it directly into Meng’s overseas account would be no trouble.

With that much cash, Meng could leave the country immediately.

Despite all this, he remained silent for more than ten seconds, giving Ding Ruilong no response at all.

The amount had indeed tempted him momentarily, but he had to stay alive to spend it. Ding Ruilong didn’t understand his predicament. Meng understood it perfectly.

It came down to one thing: if anything happened to Wu Chen now, regardless of who did it or whether it looked like murder or an accident, Li Ruotai would have Meng arrested at once.

He would immediately become one of the prime suspects.

Knowing Li Ruotai’s methods, Meng couldn’t imagine any possibility of surviving.

So Wu Chen’s life was his life.

“…What? Not enough?” Ding Ruilong asked again from his armchair. His voice was hoarse, and the muscles in his face twitched twice.

“N-no, that’s not it, Young Master Ding… I… I…” Meng hurried to respond, deliberately stumbling over his words as his thoughts raced.

How had this landed on him again? It could get him killed! From either direction!

“Well… uh… Young Master Ding… there’s Li Ruotai. I… if Li Ruotai finds out it was me, then I’ll…” Meng stammered.

There was only one option left: admit he was afraid.

In fact, it was precisely the most reasonable reaction he could have. Being afraid Li Ruotai might discover it and kill him was perfectly natural.

“What are you afraid of?” Ding Ruilong asked hoarsely, his face still expressionless. After a pause, he continued, “Here’s what you do. Go abroad. Make all the arrangements, then have your men act before your plane takes off. Even if Li Ruotai traces it back to you, you’ll already be overseas.”

“Two hundred million! And besides that money, if Li Ruotai doesn’t find out, you can treat it as a vacation and come straight back. If he does discover it was you, I’ll take over all your domestic assets and transfer their full value into your overseas account. And… in just six months, once that bitch Li Ruobing marries into the Ding family, there’s no way Li Ruotai will kill you for his sister or for Wu Chen.”

“You’ll be able to come back. At worst, you’ll have to hide abroad for six months or a year. When you return, I’ll help you build your business back up, bigger than before. Help me this time, and whatever happens to you in the future, whether at home or abroad, I’ll help you!”

Ding Ruilong had never sounded more serious.

The promises he was making were enormous. The greatest of them wasn’t even the money or the arrangements for Meng’s assets. It was his final pledge.

As the most powerful member of the Ding family’s third generation, and the one most favored and protected by the old patriarch, Ding Ruilong could bring extraordinary value to a businessman if he devoted his full strength to helping him expand. That was worth far more than a few hundred million.

It was the equivalent of firmly attaching oneself to Ding Ruilong’s powerful patronage.

Judging by Ding’s attitude now, whoever helped him this time would surely become an absolute confidant, perhaps even turning into a dependent power attached to a giant like the Ding family.

Becoming a subordinate family to a great clan like that could propel a family into an entirely different social class.

The Qi brothers of Shuangqi Real Estate, for example, were lackeys of the Xiang family in Modu. Yet their assets were worth ten billion.

At that moment, Meng had to admit to himself that, although he didn’t understand what Ding meant about Li Ruobing joining the Ding family in six months—he knew nothing of the wager between them—Ding really had persuaded him.

The benefits and promises were simply too great. He even imagined expanding his business southward with Ding’s assistance.

He could build something bigger and stronger in another region, perhaps even reach Lu Guangnian’s level.

If he hadn’t already met Wu Chen twice, Meng would certainly have agreed then and there, immediately and with great excitement.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs.

Ding’s plan sounded reasonable, but he didn’t know… Wu Chen knew Meng was transferring assets abroad.

With that fact hanging over him, could Meng really leave the country? Wu Chen would probably know the moment he booked a ticket.

There was something almost uncanny about Wu Chen.

Meng felt it too.

For that reason, Ding’s plan was completely unworkable in his mind. And truthfully, despite the enormous rewards and promises Ding had offered, Meng would rather help Wu Chen.

Wu Chen had indeed gained leverage over him, but he rarely contacted him and didn’t constantly use that leverage to demand favors. Sending the photographs had been the first task Wu Chen had actively assigned him.

Ding Ruilong, on the other hand?

There was no comparison.

Character mattered. In Meng’s eyes, Mr. Wu was a far better man than Young Master Ding.

Given Ding’s temperament and methods, Meng could easily imagine what would happen if Ding held some fatal secret over him. Instead of offering rewards, Ding would be threatening him into obedience.

If Meng had to choose openly between working for Wu Chen, who had no powerful family background to rely on, and following Ding Ruilong, who came from a prominent family, he would choose Wu Chen without hesitation.

There was no need even to list Wu Chen’s strengths. The fact that he could drive Ding mad while leaving Ding powerless to deal with him was proof enough.

As for Ding himself… he did generally keep his word, but that depended on the circumstances. Jiang Chuan had been one of his most loyal confidants. And what had happened to him?

Meng didn’t know exactly what had occurred when Jiang Chuan came to Donghai with that group of killers to deal with Wu Chen. But he knew Jiang had disappeared after returning to Nanguang.

Meng had also heard certain rumors.

Whether Jiang had disappeared because he was being made to take the blame for Ding, because he had failed at his task, or for some other reason, one thing was certain: Ding hadn’t protected him.

With someone like that, keeping a certain distance and benefiting from the connection was fine. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement; Ding had to provide something in return for services rendered.

But actually choosing to follow him?

Meng never would.

In that respect, Ding couldn’t compare with Wu Chen. He couldn’t even begin to compare with Li Ruotai. Ding’s extreme methods were notorious, just as Li Ruotai was famous for making friends and honoring loyalty.

“Well…” Meng drew out the word.

His thoughts were racing so fast his head felt ready to burst.

He felt trapped between two sides, each capable of killing him.

The main problem was that if he still refused to agree, Ding wasn’t an idiot. He might realize something was wrong.

However one looked at it, the benefits Ding was offering, including his later promises, were genuinely enormous.

Under normal circumstances, Meng ought to agree. It was a chance to rise to even greater wealth and status.

But if he did agree… he might as well send his wife and children abroad immediately, then find somewhere to hang himself. At least that would spare him some suffering.

Meng truly thought Ding had gone mad.

Ding waited in expressionless silence for his answer. This call had changed his impression of Meng somewhat; the man seemed less courageous than Ding had previously believed.

Even so, he still expected Meng to agree.

In fact, there was another extremely important reason Ding was so impatient, offering an astronomical price, making so many promises, and arranging things with such a lack of restraint.

Those photographs.

Ding had only ordered Meng to investigate that afternoon. He had also contacted several other people he knew in Donghai.

But Meng alone had obtained photographs, and he’d done it astonishingly quickly.

In other words, Meng, who had a security company under him, was far more capable at investigating and following people in Donghai—and perhaps knew the city far better—than Ding’s other contacts.

Ding believed that if Meng was willing to act, the chances of success would be extremely high.

Wu Chen didn’t usually have bodyguards.

If Meng’s people could take so many pictures of him, arranging to kill him should be easy. Easier, perhaps, than it had been for Old Dao’s group.

After all, Meng was a small-time local power broker in Donghai.

“Well… I… this…” Meng hesitated and stumbled through his words, conveying not only fear and uncertainty but also temptation.

Ding had forced him into this performance.

Meng felt he was becoming quite an actor.

“If…” Ding suddenly spoke again, as though something had just occurred to him. His voice remained hoarse. “If you can kidnap Wu Chen alive and hand him over to me, all the other terms stay the same. I’ll give you three hundred million.”

Ding had raised his offer.

Two hundred million to kill Wu Chen outright; three hundred million to capture him alive. Capturing him would be harder, but the consequences Meng risked would be the same.

“And if… the attempt fails?” Meng asked hesitantly, sounding as though he was seriously considering the proposal.

“I can pay you a hundred million in advance,” Ding replied without hesitation. “I’ll pay the balance when you succeed. If your men fail… consider that hundred million a gift.”

“Then… all right! I’ll do everything I can. I won’t let you down! Just wait for my good news, Young Master Ding!” Meng agreed.

He had no choice. Refusing would likely make Ding suspicious.

There were too many things about his situation that didn’t add up. Much of what had happened might look like evidence of his competence, but once Ding became suspicious and reviewed events, he could very well guess the truth.

His life was at stake.

Meng had been driven into a predicament with no solution. He didn’t know how to resolve it afterward, but he thought there might be one person who could help.

Only might.

If even that person couldn’t solve it…

Then Meng would have no choice but to abandon everything and flee. To hell with everyone else. He would forget everything, assume a different identity, head south toward the border, and slip out of the country as secretly as possible.

He had been transferring assets for some time. Although leaving like that would cost him dearly, he would still have money overseas and could live comfortably.

He had already worked out his escape route.

It was his last resort.

“Then it’s settled. Whatever happens, whatever problem you encounter, contact me immediately. Also, I’ll send some people to Donghai. They’ll get in touch with you when they arrive,” Ding said hoarsely into the phone.

“All right! Of course!” Meng readily agreed, sounding excited at the prospect of undertaking something big.

The call ended.

Ding hung up but continued gripping the phone, his face expressionless. Beside him, the doctor was still half crouching in an extremely uncomfortable position, tending the wound on his right hand.

In the wrecked living room, there was no sound except the occasional faint noise of the doctor working.

The silence was terrifying.

Only a few minutes passed before Ding looked at his phone again, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed a number.

“Hello, Third Uncle… lend me your men for a while… Help me this time, and I’ll get you the shares in Nanya Pharmaceuticals…” Ding said in a cold, hoarse voice.

He intended to make preparations on two fronts. If Meng failed, men from the Ding family would go to Donghai and act as well.

His anger and frustration were so extreme that he had even called his third uncle, with whom he didn’t get along. That uncle commanded a group of experienced men who feared death less than almost anyone.

They might not be stronger than Old Dao’s former group, who were outright desperadoes. But Old Dao’s people had come up through rough, unofficial channels, while many of the men under Ding’s third uncle had received professional training.

More importantly, hired outsiders would run if things started looking bad. However much money you offered, they might not put their hearts into the job.

Men from one’s own family were very different.

Donghai glittered with lights beneath the night sky.

It was already ten o’clock.

Villa No. 36, Zunrong Donghai Huafu.

In the second-floor bedroom.

Li Ruobing had gone to the guest room long ago.

Su Qingying, wearing a nightdress, had just finished another shower. After coming out of the bathroom, she rummaged through a cabinet for a fresh spare bedsheet, intending to change it before going to sleep.

Naturally, Wu Chen helped.

The two of them worked together to change the sheet. Su Qingying then took a bottle of perfume from her bag and sprayed a little into the air.

They lay down.

“Hubby, what time are you leaving tomorrow?” Su Qingying asked softly with a sweet smile, resting against Wu Chen’s shoulder. Her eyes were bright, her teeth white, and her large eyes remained fixed on his profile.

They were simply chatting before settling down for the night.

“Sometime in the morning. I’ll drive,” Wu Chen said with a smile, his arm around her shoulders as he absently twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

“And when exactly will you be back?” Su Qingying asked.

“Pretty soon…” Wu Chen was saying.

Ring, ring…

A phone was ringing. Wu Chen’s.

He turned, picked up the phone from the bedside cabinet, and glanced at the screen. One eyebrow rose slightly. It was an unfamiliar number.

It was another of Meng’s numbers, one that wasn’t registered in his own name.

That was a little strange. Meng had always used the same number to contact Wu Chen before. The sudden change wasn’t really a matter of whether the call could be traced. It showed that Meng had become more cautious.

Something must have happened to make him suddenly so careful.

Wu Chen answered.

“H-hello, Mr. Wu. It’s me,” Meng said from the phone, instinctively lowering his voice.

Calling Wu Chen now was a last, desperate attempt to find a cure. The person he had thought might be able to resolve this predicament was the almost uncanny Wu Chen.

Although he suspected even Wu Chen would find it difficult.

After all, Ding had ordered him to attack Wu Chen. If he didn’t act, if he gave up the rewards Ding had offered and became excessively cautious, Ding might notice something was wrong.

What else could he do?

And what could Wu Chen do?

Meng was genuinely preparing to flee.