CM | Chapter 2

“So the business you’re talking about is… helping me launder money?”

Xu Shuo laughed at once. “A misunderstanding. I’m a law-abiding citizen, I don’t touch illegal business. Just now, I was only offering Manager Zhang some legal advice from the standpoint of cooperation.”

Xu Shuo took out another business card, set it on the table, and pushed it toward Zhang Xiang. Only this time, the card was extremely plain and simple, white background with black text, nothing fancy.

The two characters “Xu Shuo” were printed on it, and beside them, in smaller type, his profession was marked as lawyer.

Zhang Xiang held the card, his eyes nearly popping out. He confirmed it again and again in disbelief, then looked at Xu Shuo himself. It felt as if ten thousand alpacas were thundering through his skull.

Fuck…

Zhang Xiang said, “You’re a lawyer?”

Xu Shuo said, “Indeed.”

Zhang Xiang said, “You don’t handle money-laundering work?”

Xu Shuo raised a brow slightly, as if looking at an idiot. “Did you already forget what I just said, Manager Zhang? If you need a reliable professional accounting firm to sort through the books and audit the accounts, I can help make the introduction. I guarantee I’ll calculate the most favorable balance for your financial shortfall and losses, help you make up a reasonable tax payment, and keep you from going to prison for your past tax evasion. As for the things that can’t see daylight, Manager Zhang can handle them according to your own rules. You don’t need to ask for my opinion. Otherwise, I’m afraid that, based on the moral bottom line of a law-abiding citizen, I may have to choose between betraying a client and violating professional ethics.”

After a second, Xu Shuo added, “Oh, if Manager Zhang ever needs other legal advice in the future, you can call me anytime. I charge by the day.”

Fuck, fuck…

Zhang Xiang cursed in his heart, greeting every one of Xu Shuo’s organs in turn. Then he crumpled the business card in his hand into a ball, threw it onto the coffee table, and shot to his feet.

The earlier scare had faded away. What was left now was only anger and grievance.

So he wasn’t some money-laundering specialist, just some fucking little lawyer! Damn it, was he so broke he’d gone crazy!

“Fuck, asking someone to check the books, I don’t need you to teach me that. Do your bullshit words count as legal advice? Do I not have a lawyer? With that shitty attitude of yours, you call yourself a law-abiding citizen? You came to my territory to shake me down, and you even dare to charge me. I’m gonna fucking cripple you first!”

As he spoke, Zhang Xiang grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it against the coffee table with a sharp crack. Half the bottle shattered, revealing jagged, uneven points.

Even so, Zhang Xiang still didn’t call in the bodyguards. He wasn’t stupid. No matter how angry he was, no matter how thoroughly he’d been played, he hadn’t forgotten that Xu Shuo had come in holding Xu Haiqing’s card.

Zhang Xiang pointed the broken bottle at Xu Shuo. The blade-like edge aimed at Xu Shuo’s neck, pressing into the flesh, but his hand controlled the force, intending to at least scare this bastard into pissing himself.

Xu Shuo, however, sat there without dodging or flinching, only smiling slowly. The dim yellow light from above poured down, tracing the knife-sharp line of his jaw, then following the line of his neck down to his collarbone, winding all the way into the slightly open collar of his shirt.

This man wasn’t just thin, he was lean with not a trace of excess flesh. Every tendon and bone was hard and straight, yet hidden beneath it all was a stubborn resilience.

Xu Shuo turned his head and lifted his eyelids to look at Zhang Xiang standing above him. The movement itself should have been nothing, but his skin happened to brush against the glass shards on the bottle, and a cut opened instantly.

“Ah—”

Xu Shuo parted his thin lips and gave a very deliberate cry, though his brows didn’t move at all. He only looked at Zhang Xiang with a faint smile.

“I’m bleeding.”

He drawled out those four words, looking exactly like he had gotten what he wanted.

Zhang Xiang froze, but he still didn’t move the bottle away.

Xu Shuo stated, “Any defensive act taken against ongoing violent crimes such as attempted assault, murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, or other violent offenses that seriously endanger personal safety counts as legitimate self-defense.”

As he spoke, Xu Shuo wiped a finger across his neck. What had originally been an invisible, narrow cut became a red line in a matter of seconds, and now blood was already seeping out of that line, flowing along the contour of his neck and into his collar.

Xu Shuo looked at the blood on his fingertip, then lifted it for Zhang Xiang to see. “If, during the course of self-defense, the unlawful attacker is injured or killed, it doesn’t count as excessive defense. It’s still legitimate self-defense, and there’s no criminal liability… in other words, from this moment on, even if I beat you to death here, I won’t have to go to prison.”

Zhang Xiang said, “Fuck, do you even know where this is? Don’t think that because you came in holding Xu Haiqing’s card I won’t dare do anything to you. This room can block every signal. Even if I gave you a chance to call the police, you still wouldn’t have anywhere to turn!”

Xu Shuo nodded in agreement, then turned the laptop on the coffee table around so the screen faced Zhang Xiang.

“Signal jamming, huh? Impressive, impressive. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the USB drive has a remote-control program. The moment you plugged it in just now, your computer got hacked by my people, so that signal doesn’t seem to have been blocked after all… Tsk, look at the camera. Smile.”

This scene left Zhang Xiang completely dumbfounded. But before long, a small pop-up window appeared on the laptop screen, and the scene from earlier instantly showed up inside it. It was not only sound and picture, but even his full face was clearly captured. He was still holding the weapon in his hand, and the weapon was still stained with the “victim’s” blood…

Zhang Xiang froze, then quickly stepped forward and snapped the laptop shut, clutching the wine bottle tightly as he pointed it at Xu Shuo.

“What exactly do you want!”

Xu Shuo showed a soothing smile. “I just want to make a business deal with Manager Zhang. In the spirit of honest trade, I don’t want a single cent from you. I only need you to provide the information I need when necessary. You also have a year to clean up after yourself. Naturally, these pieces of evidence won’t end up in that old fossil surnamed Jin. How about it?”

That was a clear price laid out on the table. Zhang Xiang wouldn’t lose out.

This Xu Shuo didn’t want money, didn’t want profit, and only wanted information. At first glance, it sounded pretty good, but Zhang Xiang didn’t dare believe it. This bastard hadn’t even tried to squeeze out a drop of grease, which only meant that whatever information he wanted had to be scorching hot.

An ominous feeling rose in Zhang Xiang’s chest all at once. Could he be aiming for…

No!

Zhang Xiang’s mind spun once, and he thought of a third option. Forget it, for now he’d agree first. Once he got back the evidence used to blackmail him, he’d find a way to take out this bastard!

Who would have thought that the moment he formed the plan, Zhang Xiang felt a violent numbness shoot from his wrist to the web between his thumb and forefinger. He didn’t even see Xu Shuo’s movement clearly before he was struck by a knife-hand blow.

His fingers loosened involuntarily, but the wine bottle was caught in midfall by a powerful hand.

Xu Shuo stood up, holding the mouth of the bottle steadily. He gave it two light tosses in his hand, and the sharp broken end pointed toward Zhang Xiang’s neck. His voice was even colder.

“Of course, for Manager Zhang, there might be even better ways to deal with me. For example, you could call people in, chop me into eight pieces, then throw the corpse into some trash shredder for processing. Or maybe you plan to agree to my cooperation terms verbally first and find a way to kill me later. Sorry, but that would be intentional homicide. Add in tax evasion, improper business operations, illegal transactions, and organizing, leading, or participating in a gang-related criminal organization. With all those charges stacked together, it’s not just the death penalty, it’s life imprisonment.”

Zhang Xiang looked at Xu Shuo in shock, only then realizing that this man was seriously fucking tall, and he blocked the light too. That shadow came down like a small mountain, carrying a pair of oppressive eyes. The familiar feeling Zhang Xiang had sensed the moment he entered the room surged up again all at once.

Zhang Xiang blinked, then widened his eyes. A figure suddenly flashed through his memory. It was a middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth. His seasoned gaze hid inside the smoke, yet he could pin a person down with terrifying accuracy inside an interrogation room.

But just as Zhang Xiang was momentarily distracted, two knocks sounded from outside the private room.

Zhang Xiang shouted, “Who is it?”

The private-room door opened, and a bodyguard with an unusual expression rushed in. “Boss!”

Zhang Xiang froze, then heard the bodyguard lean close and say quietly, “Master Zhang brought people and sealed off Purple Crystal Palace.”

What!

Zhang Xiang immediately turned to look at Xu Shuo.

Xu Shuo was still in that unhurried state. He tossed the broken half-bottle to the floor, and it shattered with a crash.

Who was Master Zhang? He was one of Xu Haiqing’s most capable core men and trusted strategists. Only matters involving Xu Haiqing could move him.

What was going on? Master Zhang had actually come in person with people?

Zhang Xiang hurriedly asked, “Where is Master Zhang?”

The bodyguard said, “He’s at the door. Should we…”

Zhang Xiang’s heart gave a jolt. He said, “No, don’t alarm Master Jin yet!”

As soon as the words landed, Zhang Xiang took the lead and walked out of the private room.

But just as he reached the corridor, he saw a middle-aged man strolling toward him at an unhurried pace, with several stern-looking henchmen following behind him. If it wasn’t Master Zhang, who else could it be?

Zhang Xiang quickly composed his expression and went up to greet him with a smile.

“Master Zhang, what an honor. What wind blew you over here today? Is there some good business you want to look after your little brother with?”

Master Zhang rubbed his bald head and sighed. “Ah, I was hoping to enjoy a few days of peace at home too, but the younger generation is never easy to deal with. Isn’t this my nephew refusing to take care of the family business and insisting on coming out to dabble in the trade himself? I don’t even know how he ended up in your precious place, so I got curious and came in to take a look.”

Nephew? Dabble in the trade?

At that moment, a black shadow stepped up behind Zhang Xiang.

Xu Shuo said, “Uncle Zhang.”

Master Zhang took one look and broke into a smile. “Ah, so this is my nephew. I was saying, Xiao Shuo, how’s the business going? Your aunt asked what time you’d be coming home for dinner. She made a whole table full of dishes and is waiting for you.”

Xu Shuo curved his lips faintly. “Manager Zhang is not only sharp-eyed and knowledgeable, but also quick on the uptake. We already settled everything. We’re leaving now.”

Master Zhang chuckled and patted Xu Shuo on the shoulder. Without saying another word, he took the person away.

How could Zhang Xiang dare stop him? He could only follow them all the way out. When he reached the entrance, he was still unwilling to give up, and after mulling over his words for a long while, he finally asked.

“Um, Master Zhang… would you mind helping me send my regards to Sister Xu when you go back? I received a little kindness from her many years ago. She probably doesn’t remember it anymore, but I’ve always kept it in mind and kept wanting to find a chance to repay her.”

Master Zhang already had one leg in the car, and Xu Shuo was sitting steadily inside.

“What do you mean repay… if it’s about Xu Haiqing, just ask Xiao Shuo. After all, they’re aunt and nephew by blood.”

What?

Aunt and nephew by blood?

Zhang Xiang’s knees immediately went weak. Through the gap, he peeked at Xu Shuo inside. That big shot happened to glance back at him too, the corners of his eyes curving slightly, as if he were greeting Zhang Xiang, polite and aloof.

“Manager Zhang, please take care of me in the future.”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare…”

The car door slammed shut with a whoosh.

Even Xu Shuo’s face showed a trace of helplessness.

“Uncle Zhang, didn’t we agree I would handle this myself?”

Master Zhang laughed heartily, his face creased with wrinkles. “Ah, look how dangerous today was. If I hadn’t brought people over in time, who knows what that bastard surnamed Zhang might’ve done…”

Before Master Zhang even finished, he only then belatedly noticed the wound on Xu Shuo’s neck. “See? Didn’t I say so? Wasn’t this done by that bastard? Damn it, when I get back I’m cutting off his little dick and serving it as a drinking snack!”

Xu Shuo hadn’t shown much expression to begin with, but when he heard that, he coughed twice and truly choked.

He quickly shot Master Zhang a sideways glance, raised his collar, and said, “Don’t tell Auntie about what happened today yet. I’ll tell her myself later.”

Master Zhang let out a long sigh. He seemed about to say something, but in the end held it back.

By the time he looked again, Xu Shuo had already closed his eyes.

Master Zhang quickly took out his phone and sent two WeChat messages.

I found Xiao Shuo. He went to take on Zhang Xiang’s turf alone.

When I got there, they had already settled on terms. I didn’t manage to find out exactly what they talked about.

On the other side, inside the brightly lit Xu family estate, the phone lying on the island counter in the open kitchen lit up. Xu Haiqing, who was kneading meat filling in the kitchen, took off her gloves and picked up the phone. The faint smile on her face immediately faded halfway.

Xu Haiqing didn’t even turn her head. She walked straight out of the kitchen and said to the servant inside, who was watching the heat, “Sister Wang, the filling is about ready. You can start shaping the meatballs. The young master will be back in half an hour. Prepare dinner.”

Sister Wang answered and looked toward Xu Haiqing’s back.

Xu Haiqing was already heading for the living room.

The spacious house was bathed in soft light, warm and cozy all around. The decor was very particular, an old-fashioned Chinese style. It wasn’t flashy, but anyone with an eye could tell it was expensive. Even a random dark solid-wood chair would cost six figures.

But in Sister Wang’s memory, the mistress of this house, Xu Haiqing, rarely smiled.

Xu Haiqing was the kind of person whose life was both particular and rough. She handled her own affairs in a rough way, but when it came to her nephew Xu Shuo, everything was meticulous. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have raised Xu Shuo into the kind of person he had become.

Sister Wang had never seen Xu Shuo’s parents. She had only heard that they had been gone for a long time. She just felt that the child’s mannerisms were extremely similar to Xu Haiqing’s. At first glance, he looked every inch the rich young master, like some wealthy second-generation kid who frequented nightclubs, with an air of fashionable decadence. But inside, he was actually a wild horse with his reins cut loose. He had intelligence, goals, courage, and strategy, and he was decisive enough. It was just that the things he did often made people’s hearts tremble.

Xu Haiqing came to the floor-to-ceiling window. Reflected in the glass was a woman dressed in androgynous casual wear. Her neat short hair carried not the slightest hint of softness, sharp and thin. She held the phone in one hand and took out a cigarette with the other. She lit it with practiced ease, took a deep drag, and when she exhaled, the smoke slammed all at once against the glass.

Xu Haiqing’s fingers hesitated on WeChat for a moment. In the end, she only sent four words: “Found him. That’s good.”

Less than a few seconds later, Master Zhang replied: “I have a feeling Xiao Shuo isn’t going to stay put. Should we do something?”

Xu Haiqing stared at those words for a long time before typing out, one character at a time: “If he wants to do something, no one can stop him.”

Author’s note: The first two chapters laid out the male lead and also established the tone of this novel. Friendly reminder, the later plot may include gore and violence, shocking material, and the darker side of society. Of course, there will also be a bit of melodrama and revenge against scum. Readers with weak hearts, please be careful when reading~

See the female lead next chapter. I’ll get home this afternoon and send out the red packet from the previous chapter, mwah!