Chapter 148 - Conspiracy

In a luxurious garden-style mansion, Aunt Liao, the housekeeper of the Li Zhaojun family, was forced by four menacing young men covered with tattoos to walk to the center of the hall.

Aunt Liao’s face was pale and ghastly, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.

If it wasn’t for the fear of being beaten by those four thugs, she probably wouldn’t even have the strength to walk.

“Lift your head and answer my question,” came the voice of a young man in front, flat yet with an undertone of haughty condescension.

Aunt Liao tremulously lifted her head, only to see a flashy young man seated about two meters away, dressed in high-end brands, a watch on his wrist shimmering with wealth and status.

The young man appeared to be in his late twenties, tall and slender, with handsome features and an air of extraordinary bearing, obviously a young master of significant background.

“Yes…

yes,” Aunt Liao stuttered in response.

The young man said, “I ask you, are you Li Zhaojun’s housekeeper?”

“Yes,” Aunt Liao replied.

“Has a man recently moved into Li Zhaojun’s villa?

What’s his name, and what’s his relationship with Li Zhaojun?” the young man asked.

Frightened, Aunt Liao answered, “Yes, his name is Ye Fan.

His relationship with Miss Li seems to be that of husband and wife.”

“Husband and wife?” The young man’s striking brows instantly furrowed, a flash of anger swept through his eyes.

Though inwardly furious, he remained calculatingly meticulous, asking, “Why do you say they seem to be husband and wife?”

“This…

because they have never shared a room, and even Miss Li doesn’t allow Ye Fan upstairs,” Aunt Liao said.

Hearing this, the young man’s expression instantly relaxed, and a relieved smile even broke across his handsome face as he laughed aloud, “Very good.

For this answer of yours, I’ll reward you with ten thousand.”

With that, he turned to the man standing behind him, who appeared to be a lackey, and ordered, “Ah Ming, give her the money.”

“Yes, Young Master Xiao,” Ah Ming responded, promptly taking out a bulging wallet, pulling out a stack of new red bills with the band still on them, stepped forward, and arrogantly handed over the stack of bright hundred-yuan bills to Aunt Liao, saying, “This is Young Master Xiao’s reward for you, be grateful!”

Aunt Liao had never dreamed that instead of being beaten or humiliated after being kidnapped by the gang, she would receive ten thousand yuan.

Overwhelmed, she exclaimed to the young man, “Thank you, Young Master Xiao, thank you!”

“If you answer my questions earnestly and to my satisfaction, you’ll get even more,” Young Master Xiao said indifferently, evidently considering ten thousand yuan as trivial as the random act of giving a beggar some change on the street.

“Yes, yes, I will definitely answer your questions seriously,” Aunt Liao hastened to reply, reaching out to take the money.

What followed was a litany of questions from Young Master Xiao, with Aunt Liao answering in detail.

She even volunteered information that Young Master Xiao hadn’t inquired about.

Over an hour later, Aunt Liao left the mansion with fifty thousand yuan in a black plastic bag.

After Aunt Liao’s departure, Young Master Xiao laughed elatedly, “Hahaha, excellent, it seems the chance is still there, she’s still untouched.

Li Zhaojun, I, Xiao Yichen, must have you!”

“Congratulations, Young Master Xiao,” Ah Ming said in a timely manner with a smile.

Xiao Yichen’s laughter subsided, and he nodded slightly with a smile.

Seizing the moment, Ah Ming put on the display of a sycophantic strategist, suggesting, “Young Master Xiao, we have already investigated that Ye Fan’s background, and he’s nobody of consequence.

It’s a mystery how he got so lucky as to become legally wed to Li Zhaojun.

Shouldn’t we just get rid of him, or have someone break his legs and ruin him for her so that he divorces her?”

“Such an approach is too crude, utterly lacking in artistry,” Xiao Yichen shook his head with a faint smile, “and it would surely provoke strong animosity from Li Zhaojun.

I have known her for many years and understand her protective nature.

If she knew I treated Ye Fan like this, I would never have her, and all it would do is benefit other men.”

“What should we do now?” A Ming asked.

“No matter what, Ye Fan must be taken care of as soon as possible.”

Xiao Yichen smiled confidently and said, “You’re right about one thing, I do plan to have someone break his leg and cripple his mischief.

Furthermore, I want to turn him into a grotesque freak that would give people nightmares for days.

When that time comes, regardless of Li Zhaojun’s feelings for that kid, she will surely divorce him after he’s turned into such a state, and my opportunity will come.”

“Mr.

Xiao, Li Zhaojun is an extremely clever woman with not a few resources at her disposal.

To deal with Ye Fan and not let her find out afterward will be quite difficult,” A Ming sighed.

Xiao Yichen smiled faintly, an inadvertent hint of arrogance on his face.

“Difficult, you say?

I hardly think so.

I not only want Li Zhaojun to fail to realize I’m dealing with that kid but also to believe that kid brought it all on himself and isn’t worthy of pity.”

After a pause, he asked A Ming, “Isn’t that kid involved with a woman named Lu Xiaoman at the Emali Group?

We’ll start with Lu Xiaoman.”

“Start with Lu Xiaoman?

Alright, I’ll send someone to grab her right away!” A Ming said, a bit foolishly.

“Ha ha ha…” Xiao Yichen couldn’t help but burst into laughter and shook his head as he looked at A Ming.

“A Ming, you’re capable and loyal to me, but you need to be a bit brighter.”

Then, he lifted his left wrist to check the time on his Vacheron Constantin watch and muttered to himself, “It’s about time, I need to call my future woman.”

A Ming reacted quickly, taking a diamond-studded, globally limited edition white iPhone from the desk and handed it over to Xiao Yichen with both hands.

Xiao Yichen took the mobile phone and dialed Li Zhaojun’s number.

The phone rang for a while before it was finally answered.

“Hehe, Zhao Jun, it’s me, Yi Chen,” Xiao Yichen said with a gentle smile.

Li Zhaojun furrowed her brows slightly on the other end of the phone.

“Please call me by my full name.”

“Hehe, sure, you’re still the same,” Xiao Yichen said with a warm smile, pausing before he continued with an apologetic tone, “I’m calling to say I’m sorry.

Ah, I just found out that my family’s company maliciously took a patent you had already paid a deposit for.

I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine.

The patent grabbing must have been a decision by your company’s management and has nothing to do with you.

I can tell the difference,” Li Zhaojun said lightly.

“Thank you for understanding,” Xiao Yichen said, “I also detest such immoral acts.

I just had a face-to-face discussion with my dad about it.”

“Oh?

What did your dad say?” Li Zhaojun’s voice had a slight fluctuation.

Xiao Yichen felt a rush of secret triumph, but maintained his previous tone.

“Actually, my dad doesn’t really approve of such behavior either.

However, you know, my dad may be the chairman of Tong Yi Group, but a lot of things inside the group aren’t decided by him alone.

The decision to purchase the ‘Ji Lung Detoxification Tablet’ patent was made by the entire board of directors, because the board also sees great potential in the biomedical field.”

“Mhm,” Li Zhaojun responded.

“After discussing with my dad, I found there’s still a chance to turn things around,” Xiao Yichen said.

“What do you mean?” Li Zhaojun quickly asked.

Xiao Yichen said, “It’s not clear enough to talk over the phone.

How about I treat you to dinner tonight and we can talk about it in person?”

“I rarely discuss work after hours,” Li Zhaojun directly rejected.

After a pause, she added, “Are you free tomorrow morning?

I can come to your company to ask for advice.”

“Hehe, why should you have to go through the trouble?

It’s our fault in the first place.

Do you have time now?

I can go to your company and discuss it with you right now,” Xiao Yichen said with a smile.

“Okay then.

Sorry to trouble you,” Li Zhaojun said.

Xiao Yichen immediately laughed, “It’s no trouble at all.

For you, I’d even consider braving the treacherous mountain of swords and the sea of flames.

Just wait for me, I’ll be right over.”