Chapter 448: Chapter 425: The Failed Meeting
"From the very beginning, the old man brought the issue to the center, which inevitably aroused suspicion from others. Anyone with a bit of intelligence would begin to inquire about the motive behind this siege."
Hua Qingyi’s perspective on a problem differs slightly from the average person. He likes to delve from the surface, deconstructing and then reconstructing every link. Although it may seem like he’s going in circles on the surface, he can directly dissect the issue.
"The purpose of this meeting is for you, old man, to find out the threads you need from these people. In fact, you have already had private connections, but I don’t think Wang Zhanting is that foolish. The whole meeting formed two factions; on the surface, you gained an initial advantage, but in reality, you and Wang Zhanting are equally matched."
"How do you say?" Hua Muyun held a cup of tea, hesitating to drink it.
"The goal is too obvious. In such a meeting, those who dissent are generally only of two types. One is the stubborn ones who can’t get things done, and the other are your enemies. Analyzing the meeting records, neither type was present. Those who did not reveal themselves openly were disadvantageous for the old man, while those who were too expressive would be suppressed."
"Oh?" Hua Muyun really hadn’t considered this point carefully before. Hua Qingyi’s words gave him pause for thought.
"But fortunately, someone gave the old man an opportunity."
"Lu Yixing." Xiao Lin’s interest was piqued by Hua Qingyi’s analysis, and as he dismantled it bit by bit, he picked up the long-discarded documents to go through them: "Lu Yixing is considered a credible person in the military district, appearing at the critical point of ’Sharp Sword’ is intentional."
"The old man wants to use the strife between Wang Zhanting and Fatty Wang as a stepping stone, first creating internal conflicts to dismantle, then applying pressure from the political side, causing obstacles for the Wang family commercially. If Fatty Wang had private dealings with the underworld, they could be wiped out like in Liger City. By then, this could force Wang Zhanting to hand over power, right?" Hua Qingyi asked Hua Muyun, the latter seeming unperturbed as he meditated.
"Secretary Hua hadn’t thought that far." Secretary Luo promptly redirected the conversation, "Actually..."
Hua Muyun raised his left hand to interrupt Secretary Luo, signaling Hua Qingyi to continue.
"Let’s assume there’s tension between Wang Zhanting and Fatty Wang, then who ultimately benefits?"
"I do feel that the conflict between Fatty Wang and Wang Zhanting is deep. However, from my visit to the Liger Gang, Wang Zhanting still leans towards the Wang family. Knowing his personality, this is something he would do." Xiao Lin’s gaze fell on Lu Yixing, almost dismissing Wang Zhanting. "Uncle Hua, how do you plan to utilize Lu Yixing’s role? It’s clear he’s not entirely on your side."
"Setting aside Liger City, the idea to transfer the ’Sharp Sword’ matter to Dragon Soul was proposed by Qin Weiguo. I don’t see any reason why it can’t be done; it’s just a matter of deciding who will handle it." Lu Yixing holds power in the military district; this person can’t be moved easily. How to deal with him still needs further consideration.
"Kid, what’s really going on with the Liger Gang?"
"The Lion was dead before I arrived there." The body has yet to be found, which troubled Xiao Lin: "It was someone under ’Black Crow’ or someone from the Underground City who killed ’Lion’; I still don’t know who."
"’Black Crow’?" Hua Muyun fell silent, slowly closing his eyes as images of certain people floated in his mind, one by one, he ruled out the possibilities.
"Initially, I thought Fatty Wang was using Poison Dragon and Zhang Teng to get rid of me. However, this time, I don’t think so. But, there are only a few others who’d want my life. The old man must have known this point, which is why he came all the way from the United States. I just can’t pinpoint who exactly."
"But since the impersonation of the ’Sharp Sword’ people hasn’t been exposed, let’s continue acting as if it’s real. Only those who know the truth are on pins and needles."
Xiao Lin wasn’t keen on continuing this topic. He didn’t want his suspicions to become reality. Fatty Wang might have the power, but involving someone as skilled as the Flame Swallow diminishes his stature significantly. Just as Flame Swallow said, such a role cannot compare to him, which is disheartening.
The Xiao Family’s influence has never gravitated towards domestic matters. The fact that these people came from far away just to want him dead is extremely displeasing.
"Oh, Secretary Luo, here is the complete file on the Xia family’s land case. The contact person at the time was Dong Guoqiang." Xiao Lin casually handed an accordion folder from his bag to Secretary Luo: "Please handle this matter appropriately and don’t disclose the outcome to me first."
"Over at Dragon Soul, I will personally seek out Lao Long and his people to discuss this issue. As of now, the Wang family can’t be trusted anymore." Having pondered deeply, Hua Muyun finally reached a conclusion. The siege of the Liger Gang was merely a warning to the Wang family, but the ’Sharp Sword’ incident presented him with an extremely ugly situation. Hua Muyun, who had always been in two minds, decided resolutely that whether it’s Wang Zhanting or Fatty Wang, there’s no need to be indulgent with the Wang family anymore.
"Secretary Luo, arrange for me to stay here tonight as well as find yourself a room."
Hua Muyun isn’t one for indulgence, Hua Qingyi knew this, yet such directness still left him a bit uneasy. After a few coughs, he saw no further need to inquire. Everyone knows what staying over implies, right?
"You two play around and leave; this place is not suitable for youngsters like you." Saying that, he calmly strolled away with his number one, leaving Secretary Luo in a bind. Being made to stay overnight too—if his household knew, it’d be worse than death.
"You went a bit too far today." Xiao Lin raised his wine glass towards Hua Qingyi, "He is, after all, the Sect Leader of the Hua family. Even with any missteps, they shouldn’t be pointed out in front of outsiders."
"I didn’t think too much. In fact, this meeting really was quite a failure." Hua Qingyi placed his feet on the table. Space was tight, causing his long legs to bend uncomfortably. Once the old man left, he practically lounged on the sofa as if he had a bout of soft-bone disease: "Give me a cigarette!"
"Not necessarily a failure, there are some highlights to be found." He lit one for himself before handing it over to Hua Qingyi.
"I don’t mind any of this. Frankly, no matter how the old man likes to mess around, let him be. But what are you going to do over there?"
Hua Muyun’s political skills will smoothly thrive even without them, so naturally, Hua Qingyi wasn’t worried. It was just that, in his self-righteousness, he gave a slight reprimand. This was their way of interaction in the Hua family, a method of mutual interaction between the successor and the heir.
"Are you really going to fight amongst yourselves?" Hua Qingyi couldn’t imagine Xiao Lin doing such a thing. Although he was ruthless and indifferent during missions, could he be equally ruthless and indifferent when facing close family? Those brothers and sisters were all more ruthless than him. "Your old man is really pulling the strings this time, spreading the news so early as if to pave the way for you." Exhaling a puff of smoke, Hua Qingyi stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.
Xiao Lin rubbed his temples, exasperatedly inhaled another cigarette, and then got up to leave. Tonight, he wanted to vent!
"Where are you going?" Hua Qingyi followed him out of the room.
"Xia Family!"
Xiao Lin got into the silver-white QQ without looking back, leaving Hua Qingyi alone at the entrance of the clubhouse. "Excuse me, do you have any sisters with rounder behinds?" Hua Qingyi asked a woman nearby. Both the old man and Secretary Luo had already disappeared into the clubhouse. With nowhere to go, finding a mature woman occasionally wasn’t a bad thing. He gave the woman his signature charming smile.
A dark figure leapt onto the edge of the second-floor flower bed, propped their weight on the edge, and easily landed on the balcony. The sliding door was ajar, the curtains fluttering gently. Standing at the entrance, the sound of even breathing came from within.