003 Revenge

Lu Hao was dead, beyond any hope of return. His skull was shattered, his brains splattered, his body reduced to little more than a mangled heap of flesh. Fortunately, Tang Long had made thorough preparations in advance and had greased the right palms. In the end, Lu Hao’s death was officially ruled a suicide.

Of course, Lu Hao’s father, Lu Sen, refused to accept this. He made several trips to the Special Affairs Bureau himself. He knew his son too well; though Lu Hao was idle and aimless, he would never resort to suicide. The words Lu Hao loved to repeat were, “I adore the life of a rich heir—never working, yet always having endless money to spend. In my next life, I want to be a rich heir again!” A man so content with his lot, so adept at enjoying life, how could he possibly have taken his own life?

Especially after Luo Yingying came seeking him, Lu Sen became even more convinced that his son had been murdered. That night, Tang Long had thrown Luo Yingying out on the roadside, and later, a kind stranger took her to the hospital. When Luo Yingying awoke the next day, she rushed to the Lu family and recounted everything that had happened.

Lu Sen took Luo Yingying with him to the Special Affairs Bureau, trying to overturn the verdict and reopen the investigation. With assets worth tens of millions, Lu Sen had his own connections in Haitong City, but he was still far outmatched by Tang Long. The Bureau told him the case was closed, and there would be no further investigation.

While Lu Sen was at his wits’ end, Luo Yingying whispered to him, “Uncle Lu, I know who the killer is.” Lu Sen asked, “Who?” “My husband, Lin Qi!”

Of course, Luo Yingying didn’t truly believe Lin Qi was the murderer. In her eyes, Lin Qi was weak and cowardly, incapable of such a thing. She simply wanted to use Lu Sen’s hand to get rid of Lin Qi, so she could claim all the inheritance for herself. With Lu Hao dead, there was no going back with Lin Qi, so she decided to carry her malice to the end.

After some investigation, Lu Sen discovered Lin Qi was just a food delivery man, with neither status nor background, and virtually no means or motive to commit the crime.

But a man who has been cuckolded is, in theory, capable of anything. In the end, Lu Sen made a call. “Boss Chai, go and bring Lin Qi here.” “Understood,” Boss Chai replied, accepting the assignment.

Late that night, Lin Qi dragged his weary body home. He took a hot shower, slipped into a bathrobe, and walked out onto the balcony to quietly take in the night view of the residential complex.

The phone chimed—his daily income was being tallied by the delivery app. After a day of running around, he had made just over two hundred yuan. For most people, it was a reasonable sum, but for Lin Qi, it felt like a cruel joke, a mockery.

Once upon a time, he had lost count of the zeroes in his bank balance. His father, Lin Xuansheng, had once been a figure of immense power and prestige in the capital. When Lin Qi was a boy, everyone greeted him with the utmost deference, calling him Young Master Lin.

But fate was fickle. Lin Xuansheng was betrayed by an enemy, thrown into prison, his fortune scattered to the winds. Lin Qi himself barely escaped death. It was only through the devotion of several loyal subordinates—men Lin Xuansheng had secretly cultivated—that Lin Qi was smuggled to safety, eventually winding up in the south.

Those subordinates were all men of exceptional talent and ability, with clean backgrounds. In just a few years, each of them had built impressive careers for themselves. Tang Long was one of them. Outwardly, they each walked their own path, but in secret, they supported one another. United, they would have been a force to be reckoned with. But compared to that “enemy” in the capital, they still had far to go.

For years, they had worked tirelessly, hoping one day to return to the capital and restore their old master. Lin Qi’s situation was more complicated; though he had changed greatly in appearance over the years, there was always the risk that the enemy would find him by some clue. So he had spent the past years working as a mid-level manager at Longyue Corporation—an inconspicuous position that provided for his needs without requiring public exposure.

But three years ago, the reach of their enemy in the capital suddenly extended south. No one knew if it was routine business expansion or if Lin Qi’s whereabouts had been discovered.

To be safe, Tang Long immediately dismissed Lin Qi and arranged for him to take up work as a food delivery man. The job was grueling, but it was the perfect cover. This, truly, was “hiding in plain sight.”

Lost in these memories, Lin Qi lay back in his balcony rocking chair, his eyelids growing heavy as sleep crept in.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Lin Qi shot upright, instantly alert, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s.

“Who is it?”

“Brother-in-law, it’s me!”

Lin Qi rose to open the door, and sure enough, Luo Feifei stood outside. As Luo Yingying’s younger sister, Luo Feifei was no less beautiful; years spent on campus had left her with an air of innocence and naïveté.

Tonight, she wore a white blouse and jeans, her face free of makeup, hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, her whole being radiating the freshness of a college girl.

“Is my sister here?” Luo Feifei peeked inside.

Lin Qi shook his head. Ever since that night, Luo Yingying hadn’t returned.

At this, Luo Feifei slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

“Brother-in-law, did you kill Lu Hao?” she asked nervously, leaning against the door.