Chapter Seventy-Five: I Am at Ease

Shen Qingchi’s other four subordinates got into the same car. Li Changqing, Li Minghao, and Bai Chuan took the last vehicle. The convoy began to move slowly.

Li Minghao thought to himself what a pity it was; if only Shen Qingchi had taken their car, they could have easily shaken off his subordinates.

Li Changqing, gazing at the cars ahead, asked, "Old Li, are you really going to arrange a place for them to stay?"

“Yes,” Li Minghao nodded. “On the outskirts of Nanlin City, I own four villas. I’ll set them up in one for now.”

Sitting in the car, Bai Chuan gradually caught his breath. “Anyway, first make sure that group gets a proper bath. The stench on them is revolting.”

The combination of fishy odor and strong tobacco was, for someone as obsessive about cleanliness as Bai Chuan, nothing short of torture. Just standing near those men earlier, he had barely restrained himself from taking action.

Li Minghao selected the most secluded villa—built at the foot of a mountain, with several miles of land around it all bought by his parents. They’d started with nothing, and after growing wealthy, found themselves weary of luxury, often reminiscing about their humble beginnings. So they bought this plot at the mountain’s base and built a villa, hoping to experience country life once more. Yet after the villa was completed, his father dug in the earth for half an hour, lost interest, and never returned. The villa ended up in Li Minghao’s hands.

It was a sizable three-story house with more than ten rooms. Inside, the decor was lavish and resplendent, though untouched for some time—dust coated the floors and furniture.

“Mr. Shen, your movements this time required discretion. That’s why I arranged this quiet place for you to stay. Tomorrow, someone will come to clean,” Li Minghao explained as he led Shen Qingchi and his men inside. Bai Chuan, seeing the dust, lingered at the door, reluctant to enter.

Shen Qingchi nodded slightly, saying, “Have Shen Qingdai come see me tomorrow. If there’s nothing else, you should leave now. We need to rest.”

After settling Shen Qingchi and his group, the three men returned to their car and drove away.

As the saying goes, plans can never keep up with changes. They’d intended to capture this monster alive, but instead, he’d been lured away. Though the process was different, the outcome seemed much the same.

“We need to deal with his six followers, then interrogate him,” Bai Chuan mused, sitting by the window, lost in thought.

Li Minghao turned to Li Changqing. “What’s your take?”

Li Changqing pondered. “In my view, there’s no rush. Shen Qingchi and Shen Qingdai aren’t as close as we thought. Letting them fight among themselves might be best.”

“Oh? Do you have a plan?”

“Take me back to that villa and let me try something.”

...

Knock, knock.

Once again, the villa’s main door resounded with knocks. Shen Qingchi, who was resting in the hall, frowned and signaled a subordinate to open the door.

Li Changqing entered with a broad smile. “Mr. Shen, good evening.”

Shen Qingchi, seeing him, was visibly displeased. “Why are you back? Didn’t I tell you to send Shen Qingdai to me tomorrow?”

“Mr. Shen, you may not know, but Shen Qingdai has spoken quite ill of you behind your back—calling you brainless, saying her schemes and strength far surpass yours…”

Shen Qingchi’s expression darkened—the sort of thing Shen Qingdai would indeed say. He sneered, “Did she send you back to tell me this?”

“I just met you tonight and saw your extraordinary bearing—nothing like what she claims,” Li Changqing said earnestly. “Serving under Shen Qingdai offers little future compared to following you.”

“I wish to forsake darkness for light and serve you instead.”

Shen Qingchi narrowed his eyes. “I have plenty of skilled men; there’s no place for you.”

Just as expected—a fool. Shen Qingdai was right…

His rival’s confidant had just defected, but he still responded this way…

Li Changqing was speechless inside, but kept his smile. “Mr. Shen, your powers are formidable, but Shen Qingdai arrived first. And she’s rumored to have some secret dealings with Bureau 36—she might use them to harm you.”

“What!” Shen Qingchi’s face changed. “She dares collude with Bureau 36? Isn’t she afraid Father will cripple her if he finds out? No, just saying so won’t convince him. If I tell Father, he won’t believe me.”

“You’re her confidant, right? Come with me and explain her collusion with Bureau 36 to my father!”

Damn it, is this guy insane? He really has no sense at all! Isn’t the smart move to use a mole to get rid of Shen Qingdai?

But sarcasm aside, Li Changqing remained unruffled. “Mr. Shen, I have no concrete evidence. If we go before your father like this, Shen Qingdai will just turn it around and accuse you of slander.”

Shen Qingchi considered carefully and found the reasoning sound. After a moment, he said, “Whatever Shen Qingdai does next, you’ll report it to me in detail. Understood?”

“So long as you do your job well, you won’t be mistreated.”

“Of course,” Li Changqing nodded.

“All right, you may go now,” Shen Qingchi said.

Li Changqing paused—wasn’t he just promised a reward? Why mention nothing of it?

He coughed. “Mr. Shen, it’s not that I’m asking, but if you don’t give me some benefit, how can you trust me to work for you?”

“I trust you,” Shen Qingchi replied, staring him down. “If you dare play both sides, I’ll tear you apart myself. That’s far more reassuring than offering rewards.”

“Mr. Shen is right—then I’ll take my leave…”

Leaving the villa, Li Changqing thought to himself, this man truly didn’t play by the usual rules. Still, he’d managed to earn some measure of trust.

Li Changqing had his reasons for acting this way. Between Bureau 36, Shen Qingdai, and Shen Qingchi, he could not afford to offend any side. For self-preservation, the best course was to pledge loyalty to all. If everyone considered him one of their own, how much safer could he be?

After walking some distance from the villa and turning a corner along the road, he found Bai Chuan and Li Minghao waiting.

“How did it go? Did your idea work?” they asked.

“He believed me,” Li Changqing nodded. “Next, we just need to find a plausible reason and opportunity to make the two of them fight.”

“Go back tomorrow and see if you can get him to reveal the secret of the docks,” Li Minghao reminded him.

“Understood.”

Li Changqing knew that, for Li Minghao and Bai Chuan, the most important thing wasn’t watching an internal feud, but uncovering the real secret hidden at the docks.