Chapter 131: Gritting Teeth, Enduring Humiliation!

"Mr. Charles, Mr. Charles!" Liu Shihui grabbed his phone from the floor, his voice frantic and bordering on insanity. "You can't do this, you can't! Mr. Charles, my company is at a critical juncture right now. I need a large infusion of capital. With this funding, I can make a comeback. You must understand, my company was once valued at 16.8 billion dollars. Even though the stock price has plummeted, once I weather this storm, the value will return. This is of immense benefit to Thorne Investment Company as well. You must help me, you have to!"

Liu Shihui roared, clinging to the phone as if it were his last straw, terrified that if he let go, he would fall into an abyss.

From the other end of the line, Charles’s calm voice echoed in Liu's ear: "Mr. Liu, I said that the information previously provided by your side was inconsistent. We need to re-verify whether your company has the potential for a comeback. We need an assessment—do you understand what an assessment is?"

Liu Shihui felt a buzzing in his head. After a long moment, he stammered, "An assessment? How long will that take?"

"We need to send professionals to your company," Charles said indifferently. "It depends on your level of cooperation. At the fastest, it will take a week; if it's slow, it could take a month. If we confirm that Liu Group has the potential to recover, we can release the funds the day after our audit is complete."

"Fine, fine!" Liu Shihui replied hurriedly. "Send your people over! Do you still need Miss Alice to come?"

"Our people are coming from the headquarters," Charles said coldly. "As for Miss Alice, she provided a great deal of inaccurate information when reporting on the true state of Liu Group. We have already brought her back to the United States to face internal disciplinary action. Given her conduct, we may even pursue legal action against her."

Liu Shihui gulped, a flicker of indescribable dread rising in his heart. Charles simply smiled and added, "Well, Mr. Liu, let’s end our conversation here. I have other things to attend to."

With that, the line went dead. Liu stood there, his expression shifting rapidly.

He was beginning to spiral. Charles’s words were riddled with loopholes, and everything that had happened today was highly bizarre. Under normal circumstances, Liu likely would have realized that something was wrong with Thorne Investment, but in his desperation, he chose to believe that everything Charles said was true. When people are desperate, they tend to imagine everything moving in a favorable direction. Liu was no exception; he had automatically filtered out all unfavorable information.

"What do I do? What do I do?" Liu paced the office. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on; at this rate, he feared he wouldn't survive until the loan from Thorne Investment arrived.

"Wait a minute!" Liu suddenly paused, a thought flashing through his mind. "What if Xiao Yu were dead?"

"If Xiao Yu were dead, I could definitely hold on!" A cold, murderous intent clouded his face. Having climbed to his current position, he was far from clean. As much as he was a businessman, he was equally ruthless.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

*Ring, ring.*

After a few seconds, the call was answered. A breathless voice came from the other side: "Liu Shihui? What do you want?" The voice was hurried, clearly in the middle of a heated sexual encounter.

"Mr. Wang, I have a deal I’d like to discuss with you. Are you interested?" Liu gritted his teeth. "Trust me, this deal will not disappoint you."

"Come to my place. We can talk slowly," the man replied with a satisfied groan, clearly reaching his peak.

***

In Donghai, at the Emperor Club.

Most people were unaware of the Emperor Club; it was a stronghold of the Qingze Society, one of the two major forces in Donghai’s underworld. The Qingze Society had risen to power years ago and still controlled half of the city's criminal underbelly. The club was not open to the public; it served only high-ranking members of the Society and their guests.

In one of the rooms, a man was on the phone. This was Mr. Wang, also known as Wang Yang, who had previously appeared at Luo Yongjiang's home. A woman in a cheongsam was straddling him, her hair disheveled as she moved up and down. The buttons of her dress were undone, revealing pale skin marked with red fingerprints, clearly a victim of abuse.

As Wang finished his last sentence, both he and the woman reached their climax.

An hour later, Wang sat fully dressed in the parlor, where Liu Shihui had been waiting for some time.

"Xiao Yu? Liu Shihui, you are truly ruthless. You want me to help you kill Xiao Yu at a time like this?" Wang toyed with a teacup. Behind him, the woman in the cheongsam was massaging his head with her chest.

"That's right. I want Xiao Yu dead. Can you do it, Mr. Wang?"

"Whether I can do it is, of course, not a problem," Wang replied with a smirk. "But as for the price, Liu, how much are you willing to pay?"

"I'll give you ten million," Liu offered.

Wang’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "Liu Shihui, ten million? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar? I know you want Xiao Yu dead because he’s targeting you on the stock market. I know very well that once he’s gone, your pressure will be significantly relieved. Do you really think Xiao Yu is only worth ten million?"

Liu’s expression darkened. "Wang Yang, what exactly do you mean? What do you want?"

"Liu, do you think I’m short on cash?" Wang looked at him nonchalantly. "Ten million? Ha! Nini, tell him, how much did our underground casino make on its best day?"

"Yes," the woman giggled. "Mr. Liu, to be honest, our underground casino’s turnover reached 120 million on its best day this year. Between two super-rich gamblers betting against each other, we bring in nearly ten million every month on average, and that’s just a fraction of our income!"

"I am only asking you to deal with one person! Ten million for a life is already a very high price. You are taking advantage of my situation!" Liu said angrily.

"Too expensive?" Wang sneered. "Liu Shihui, I'll be honest with you—I am taking advantage of your situation. In ordinary times, I might have agreed to ten million. But for me, this is a golden opportunity. Don't forget what I do for a living. Of course, you can go find someone else to see if they can finish off Xiao Yu. Maybe you could try the Iron Blood Society; perhaps they’d be willing to help you!"

Liu was rendered speechless by Wang's brazenness. He wouldn't dare approach the Iron Blood Society—his own son, a lecherous fool, had nearly assaulted the daughter of the Iron Blood Society's boss. It was a miracle they hadn't come for him yet.

"How much do you want?" Liu gritted his teeth, suppressing his rage.

"Not much. Five hundred million," Wang said, holding up five fingers.

"Five hundred million?" Liu’s pupils contracted, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "Mr. Wang, five hundred million? I don't have that kind of cash on hand. One hundred million is my limit!"

"I said five hundred million. You’d better not bargain with me." Wang buried his head in the woman's chest, speaking in a lazy, dismissive tone.

"Mr. Wang, you’d better not be joking," Liu snarled. "If I had five hundred million dollars, I wouldn't be here asking for your help!"

"This is quite troublesome," Wang said, lifting his eyelids to look at Liu. "How about this: give me ten percent of Liu Group’s shares, and I will take care of Xiao Yu for you."

"You..." Liu’s face shifted through a series of ugly expressions. If he had a knife, he would have loved to split Wang in two. This bastard was a bottom-feeder. Yet, he knew he had to agree. If he didn't, Xiao Yu would never let him go. He was going to lose everything anyway, so what did these shares matter? He had already given ten percent to Thorne Investment; another ten percent to Wang wouldn't kill him. Better to lose a chunk than to lose his life.

"Fine," Liu said, nodding. "Ten percent. But on the condition that I see Xiao Yu dead. Once she is dead, I will sign over the shares. And I want her dead tonight!"

"Payment upon delivery—a very reasonable request," Wang laughed. "Don't worry, Mr. Liu. You will hear the news of Xiao Yu's death tomorrow."