Chapter 154: Hideous in the Face of Money

Hong Kong, Red Bay.

The area, once a mangrove forest, had been purchased by a real estate tycoon who developed it into hundreds of individual villas. In a room within one of these villas, Qin Lin sat in a chair, his eyes glazed as he stared at the seascape outside the window. He had been in this room for five days—not just him, but his wife, children, daughters, mistresses, and illegitimate children as well.

Before long, a tall man in a suit opened the door.

"Boss Qin, your last daughter has arrived. Why don't you come down and see her?"

The last one? Had Gao Ran been captured too?

A glimmer of life returned to Qin Lin’s eyes. Having sat on the stool for so long, his legs felt numb; it took him several minutes to readjust to standing. Like a person recovering from a fracture, he stumbled out of the room and leaned against the railing, looking down.

The living room sofa was packed with people. In their eyes, there was a touch of the same desolation found in Qin Lin’s, mixed with the anticipation of a show about to begin.

"Dad, who are these people? Why did they bring me here?" Gao Ran twisted her arm as she spoke, but the arm of the woman holding her was like steel; there was no way to break free.

"Let my daughter go."

"We can let her go, but where is the thing my boss wants?" The leader looked at Qin Lin, smiling broadly. "Mr. Qin, you should know my boss’s temperament well. These past few days, we’ve been perfectly polite to you, giving you whatever you asked for."

"You wanted time to think, so we gave you time to think."

"Your wife and mistresses wanted cosmetics, and the boss ordered us to buy the best."

"To avoid any impropriety, we haven't even dared to send men into this room, all out of consideration for you."

"Now, your last daughter has arrived, and the time my boss gave you is up. Shouldn't you hand over what we want?"

"I can give you the items, but can you let us leave?" Qin Lin asked, head bowed. Being targeted by this deep-sea predator, he had no heart left to resist; he only wished for a safe escape.

The man grinned and said, "Of course. We are business partners, not bandits."

"Fine. Come up, and I’ll tell you." Glancing down at his family, Qin Lin stumbled back into his room.

Half an hour later, the man walked out of the room holding a piece of paper, nodding continuously, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Mr. Qin, you truly are a kingpin of Xikang Province. Over these years, you’ve made so much money just from pirated goods."

"I believe that if my boss sees the contents here, he will be greatly impressed. It wouldn't be out of the question for him to let you work by his side."

Work by his side? Forget it. Qin Lin wanted to live a few more years. He shook his head with a bitter smile, declining, "I’m finished. It would be a waste of resources to stay by Mr. Lai's side. Please, convey a message for me: tell him that Qin Lin will live an honest life from now on and will never step foot in this industry again."

"Very well, I will certainly deliver your message, Mr. Qin."

"Then, can you let us leave?"

"No hurry. There is one more thing to do." The man leaned against the railing with both hands and addressed the crowd below. "Just now, I reached an agreement with Mr. Qin."

"He will hand over all his assets to my boss, and he and one member of his family may leave."

Qin Lin’s expression changed, and he shouted, "Don't listen to him—"

Before he could finish, Qin Lin was struck hard, collapsing to the ground while clutching his stomach in agony. The man glanced back, stepped on Qin Lin’s face, and then turned his head back to look at the people below with a beaming smile.

Inside the living room, the faces of the group shifted violently. They had arrived here around the same time as Qin Lin; their five days had been peaceful on the surface, but filled with hidden danger. Now, the captors were finally showing their teeth. In one strike, they had subdued Qin Lin, using the humiliating act of stepping on his face to warn the others not to interrupt.

"There are always flies that like to disturb others while they are speaking. Now that it’s quiet, let’s continue our conversation."

"Mr. Qin is quite ruthless; he only bought the life of one person. That is to say, everyone else here will die."

"However, my boss is magnanimous. Whoever among you can tell me about the assets Mr. Qin has hidden, I will let that person go."

The man had barely finished speaking when a weak voice sounded from below. The speaker was Qin Fangyi, Qin Lin’s youngest son.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course, kid. Do you know that information?"

"I do. My dad invested in a natural gas company in Xikang Province, but it’s not under his name. It’s managed by his mistress."

"Is she here? What is the value of the shares?"

Qin Fangyi pointed at a still-charming woman and said, "That’s her. The shares are worth about 150,000. I haven’t calculated the exact figure."

The man nodded, and the bodyguards behind him rushed over, dragged the woman into a room, and soon, the sounds of an interrogation began.

A few minutes later, the bodyguard in black emerged and said, "Sir, we found out. The shares are worth 360,000. She doesn't hold them herself; her younger brother is currently holding them in trust."

"Take that young lady and go to Xikang Province to get the money back."

The bodyguard nodded and left. Soon, he returned with the woman, whose face was covered in blood.

So they really would resort to violence! A chill ran through the crowd; no one dared to show any further defiance.

"This young man did very well. He has earned the right to leave, along with the 50,000 I promised him."

"You can go now."

"Re... really?" Qin Fangyi stood up, trembling as he took the money handed to him by the bodyguard, finding it hard to believe.

But he soon realized it was true, as he actually walked out the front door, leaving the villa that had imprisoned him for five days and nights.

Seeing Qin Fangyi disappear at the gate, the others became anxious. They wanted to leave too, but they had no relevant leads. Their own wealth had been confiscated by these people on the very first day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't be impatient. You still have one day."

"I’ll say it again: as long as you tell me about the assets Qin Lin has hidden, you will get money and you can leave this hellhole."

"I’ll be going now. Take your time thinking."

After the man finished speaking, he walked away directly. Once the sound of the door closing echoed, the group rushed upstairs and helped Qin Lin up.

"Dad, how many more assets do you have that you haven't told us about? Give them to them! If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

"That’s right, old Qin. You’re already finished. Do you really want us, your family, to suffer with you? Speak up! I don't want to get beaten!"

"Qin Lin..."

In the past, these people had been incredibly respectful in front of him, and Qin Lin had treated them with equal respect because they were family. But now, the people he considered most important seemed to have abandoned him, and without a moment’s hesitation.