Hailun stopped typing and turned his head.
“Sir, I found it.”
At that, Huo Jiulin glanced over and motioned for him to continue.
Hailun reported, “The item is in Shi Pu’s hands.”
“Shi Pu’s men stole it from Shinai.”
“The girl in the private room just now was arranged by Shi Pu, too.”
After hearing that, Qiaoke spoke first. “Those two brothers really are cut from the same cloth. They both like stealing.”
Huo Jiulin silently curled his fingers and called, “Qiaoke.”
Qiaoke promptly answered, “Yes?”
Huo Jiulin gave a terse order. “Bring him in.”
Half an hour later.
Inside an abandoned factory, a middle-aged man in a white suit, with a remarkably high hairline, lay on the ground with both hands tied behind his back.
Qiaoke turned and walked over to Huo Jiulin, handing him the item they had found on Shi Pu.
“We found it.”
Huo Jiulin sat on a wooden crate and raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression stern and imposing.
“If you sent someone to eavesdrop, you must know your elder brother Shinai is already dead, don’t you?”
Shi Pu’s throat bobbed as cold sweat poured down his face.
He’d been secretly keeping an eye on the club the whole time, so of course he knew his elder brother Shinai had met a gruesome end at Huo Jiulin’s hands.
“I—I… I got word that my elder brother had a big deal to discuss at the club, so I sent someone to listen in.”
“I never imagined the person doing business with my elder brother would be you, Mr. Huo.”
“Please don’t get the wrong idea, Mr. Huo. I truly had no intention of prying into your business.”
Huo Jiulin leaned forward slightly and lifted his eyes. “Oh? Is that so?”
Shi Pu nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, of course.”
He hurried to explain.
“I couldn’t stand my elder brother keeping the family business all to himself.”
“So I wanted to find out what kind of deal he was discussing, so I could sabotage it.”
“But I didn’t know the person doing business with my elder brother was you, Mr. Huo…”
Huo Jiulin gave a mirthless snort, his face expressionless, and asked again, “You didn’t know the person doing business with your elder brother was me?”
Shi Pu nodded. “Yes, yes. I really didn’t know…”
“Last night,” Huo Jiulin interrupted casually, “your men went to the Chao Phraya River, didn’t they?”
Shi Pu’s Adam’s apple jerked, and the sweat on his forehead grew thicker.
It was true.
After learning that Shinai had sent Paul to intercept the item from Huo Jiulin, Shi Pu had kept men watching Paul.
Then he saw Paul get killed.
He’d also seen Huo Jiulin encounter that girl.
Afterward, he sent men to Shinai’s place to steal the item.
He’d been planning to use it to strike a deal with Huo Jiulin.
The night before, the girl had witnessed Huo Jiulin and his men killing someone, but he hadn’t pursued her. He’d let her go.
So Shi Pu had figured that the girl might be special to Huo Jiulin.
That was why he’d arranged for her to slip into the private room and find out what Huo Jiulin and Shinai were discussing.
But he’d never imagined Huo Jiulin would dare kill Shinai in full view of everyone.
And it seemed he’d known everything from the start.
Now that he thought about it…
Huo Jiulin really was ruthless and calculating, always several steps ahead.
He was someone you absolutely didn’t want to cross.
“Mr. H-Huo…”
Shi Pu was still trying to figure out how to explain himself, trembling all over.
But Huo Jiulin suddenly stood and walked slowly toward him.
His eyes held a hint of mockery and coldness. “Afraid I’m going to kill you?”
Shi Pu looked into those icy eyes, terrified. “M-Mr. Huo…”
Huo Jiulin drawled lazily, “Relax. There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
Something to discuss with him?
Shi Pu had no idea what Huo Jiulin wanted to talk about. He instinctively held his breath. “Mr. Huo, p-please go ahead.”
As long as Huo Jiulin didn’t kill him, they could discuss anything.
Huo Jiulin said coolly, “Now that Shinai is dead, you’re in charge of the Monzhao Family.”
Shi Pu swallowed and nodded mechanically.
Huo Jiulin continued unhurriedly, “I hear your CFO resigned not long ago.”
Shi Pu looked at him and nodded.
Huo Jiulin turned to look behind him.
Laisong stepped forward, understanding at once.
Huo Jiulin looked back at Shi Pu. “From now on, Laisong will serve as the Monzhao Family’s CFO. He’ll stay in Bangkok to help you rebuild your finance team and assist with your business affairs.”
Shi Pu froze for a moment.
Now he understood Huo Jiulin’s plan.
Huo Jiulin wasn’t going to take control of the Monzhao Family openly. Instead, he was placing someone in its most central department—finance—as its chief financial officer, and replacing the entire team.
From then on, Huo Jiulin would know every account in the Monzhao Family’s business inside and out.
It was nothing less than taking control of the family’s economic lifeline.
What a ruthless bastard!
But he’d been brought here and had no way to escape.
He could only nod and accept graciously. “Then… thank you for your kindness, Mr. Huo.”
At the same time, he let out a long breath.
It looked like he’d get to keep his life after all.
Huo Jiulin took two steps back and sat down on the wooden crate again, speaking in an easy, unhurried tone.
“Now that we’ve finished discussing the side matter, it’s time to talk business.”
At those words, Shi Pu’s heart clenched again.
Talk business?
So that thing they’d just discussed was the side matter?
He stammered, “Mr. Huo, p-please go ahead.”
Huo Jiulin rested both hands on the crate and tapped his fingers against it, once, then again.
Then came the real question.
“Which hand did you use when you kidnapped her?”
Shi Pu: “???”
He hadn’t processed the question yet. “W-what?”
“Huh?”
Then he thought about it and realized what Huo Jiulin was asking. He started to explain. “I…”
Bang—
Bang—
Two gunshots rang out.
“Ahhh!”
Shi Pu curled up on the ground, writhing in agony. His shrill, piercing screams echoed all around.
Two ghastly holes now gaped in his palms.
Dazzling red blood kept welling up between his fingers…
Meanwhile.
Akai had already found Jiang Xueli. She was in a wooden house in the suburbs.
After knocking out the two guards outside, Akai kicked the door open and rescued the dirt-streaked girl.
As soon as Jiang Xueli stepped outside, she saw Ji Linlin standing not far away.
She ran toward her. “Linlin, I thought I’d never see you again.”
Ji Linlin took her hand. “Xueli, are you hurt?”
Jiang Xueli shook her head. “No. I’m just… a little hungry.”
At the mention of hunger, Ji Linlin’s stomach growled a few times too.
They’d been kidnapped in the morning, and hadn’t eaten a single thing since.
“I’ll take you both to get something to eat first.”
Ji Shutang came over and said this.
Only then did Jiang Xueli notice the young man beside them.
White shirt, black trousers.
A gentlemanly air, elegant and graceful.
She linked her arm through Ji Linlin’s and leaned close to whisper in her ear,
“Linlin, who… is he?”