Chapter 149: A Web of Suspicion
Chapter 149: A Web of Suspicion
Pan Renlong ordered dishes and wine. The signature foie gras was a must, and the wine was Lafite, a truly high-end meal.
Li Zian ate the dishes and drank with Pan Renlong, feeling relaxed and content.
He was genuinely happy. He had always thought Yu Meilin and Hank had something going on, but it turned out they didn’t. They just had a past relationship. From listening to Yu Meilin and Hank’s conversation, it seemed that Hank had cheated on Yu Meilin with another girl back then, hurting her, which was why they didn’t end up together. Otherwise, why would Yu Meilin have brought him, a boy from a mountain village, into her family as a live-in son-in-law?
What comforted him was that the signs of reconciliation Yu Meilin had shown recently were also real. This matched the hexagram interpretation: “Plum blossoms’ fragrance comes from bitter cold; past ties must be cut by oneself.” If Yu Meilin hadn’t cut those past ties and still had Hank on her mind, how could she have sent him those signals of reconciliation?
She got herself drunk, giving him the chance to drive while intoxicated.
She bought pillows and invited him to her room to try them.
A woman as proud as her—if she hadn’t fallen for him, how could she lower her pride to such an extent?
Back then, she had asked for a little more time, but he couldn’t hold back and went after Taozi.
Now it seemed that if he had held back, it would have been “plum blossoms’ fragrance comes from bitter cold.” He, she, and Xiaomei could have become a happy little family.
He might not have been a good husband, but he was definitely a good father.
He was even willing to give his life for Xiaomei, so naturally, he could forgive and accept Yu Meilin.
But fate loved to play tricks.
How many things in this world went according to one’s wishes?
Even a salted fish had its day to turn over; after bitterness came sweetness, and the peach blossom bloomed.
Mu Chuntao was the peach blossom in his life. There was no hiding from it.
Besides, without the legacy of Ji Da, he, this salted fish, would probably still be digging and planting sweet potatoes in Crescent Moon Village. He would never have become a master in this lifetime. How could a woman of Yu Meilin’s caliber like him and want to live a real married life with him?
This world was always realistic.
If a lion didn’t have the strength to intimidate other lions, how could it deserve to climb onto the lioness’s back?
“Master, I’d like to propose a toast to you,” Pan Renlong said, extending his wine glass with a warm, polite smile on his face.
Li Zian gathered his scattered thoughts and clinked glasses with Pan Renlong with a smile, then drank the remaining red wine in his glass.
Red wine costing over ten thousand yuan wasn’t much different from red wine costing a few hundred yuan. Maybe there was a difference, but he couldn’t taste it.
He glanced at the wall clock. It was already 8:20 p.m. In another ten minutes, another seasoned actor would make his entrance.
Hank and Chen Mei at the next table hadn’t left yet.
Just as Li Zian looked at the clock, Hank gave Chen Mei a look and mumbled something quietly.
Chen Mei nodded slightly, then stood up and walked over with a glass of red wine.
Li Zian pretended not to see. He placed his empty wine glass on the table.
Pan Renlong immediately picked up the decanter and poured wine for Li Zian, looking polite and respectful.
Li Zian saw it, but in his heart, he knew Pan Renlong was probably already planning what methods to use to interrogate and torment him later on that yacht.
“Excuse me, are you…” Chen Mei arrived on the left, staring directly at Li Zian.
Only then did Li Zian shift his gaze to look at Chen Mei.
Chen Mei suddenly exclaimed excitedly, “Oh my, isn’t this Mr. Li?”
Li Zian said indifferently, “Miss, you are?”
“My name is Chen Mei. You don’t know me, but I’m good friends with your wife, Yu Meilin. I saw you at President Du’s Recovery Banquet last time, but I didn’t get a chance to say hello. I didn’t expect to meet you here today. I came over specifically to greet you and get to know you,” Chen Mei said with a smile.
Hank shifted his gaze to look at Li Zian.
He wanted to see Li Zian’s reaction before making a move.
Li Zian still spoke in a flat tone, “Is there something you need?”
The smile on Chen Mei’s face immediately froze.
She could be friends with Yu Meilin, so her social standing was certainly not low. She was also fairly attractive and the kind of woman who was always flattered wherever she went. She never expected that when she lowered herself to greet Li Zian, he would be so arrogant. When had she ever been treated like this?
Li Zian felt disdain in his heart.
What status did a Master have?
Who did she think she was? Did a Master need to save face for her?
The previous matter hadn’t been settled yet, and now she came looking for trouble. Wasn’t she just foolish?
Chen Mei wished she could throw the red wine in her glass at Li Zian’s face, but she forced a smile and said, “The one at my table is Mr. Hank. He and Meilin were classmates. He’d like to get to know you. Is that okay?”
Li Zian took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Chen Mei. “This is my business card. Could you please pass it to that Mr. Hank?”
Chen Mei took the card, glanced at it, and pretended to be troubled. “No, Mr. Hank would like to invite you to join him at his table.”
Li Zian frowned slightly.
Who did she think she was?
If she invited him over, did he have to go?
Pan Renlong said, “Miss, we are discussing very important matters. You’ve already got the card. Please leave now.”
Chen Mei then turned to leave, muttering under her breath, “He’s just a fortune-teller. What’s there to be so proud about?”
Li Zian pretended not to hear.
No matter how many sarcastic or mocking words were said, not a single hair would fall off a person.
If he argued with a woman in such a setting, it would only make him lose his composure.
Chen Mei returned to the next table, handed the business card to Hank, and muttered under her breath, full of resentment.
Hank took the business card, nodded at Li Zian with a smile, appearing very gracious.
Li Zian also smiled back at Hank, but his smile hid a dagger.
If he weren’t fishing for a big catch tonight, he would definitely have a good “chat” with Hank—one that wouldn’t end until someone was bruised and battered.
Hank put the business card away and didn’t come over. He glanced at Pan Renlong intentionally or unintentionally.
Pan Renlong raised his glass apologetically. “Master, I’m really sorry that woman ruined the mood. Let me propose another toast to you.”
“It’s fine. The world is never short of self-important people. Let’s drink,” Li Zian said, clinking glasses with Pan Renlong before finishing his wine. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Hank.
Hank had just looked away and was now lowering his head to look at the business card.
Li Zian withdrew his sidelong glance. As he set down his glass, he looked at Pan Renlong and noticed that Pan Renlong was also glancing at Hank out of the corner of his eye.
Wait a minute…
A photo suddenly surfaced in Li Zian’s mind.
It was the photo Hank sent to Yu Meilin. That photo was taken two years ago, and Yu Meilin received it on Valentine’s Day. In that photo, Hank was wearing a military uniform. He was an elite from West Point Military Academy. Pan Renlong was also a Lighthouse Soldier and had worked at the Pentagon for two years. In other words, within a few square meters, there were two Lighthouse Soldiers.
Hank just happened to invite Yu Meilin to dinner here tonight, and he just happened to choose this Western restaurant. Wasn’t that too much of a coincidence?
Hank and Chen Mei entered the restaurant before 7 p.m., and it was almost 8:30 p.m. now, and they were still eating. Did they have such a good appetite, or did he have that many topics to discuss with the average-looking Chen Mei?
Hank and Pan Renlong acted as if they didn’t know each other, yet they were glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes. This wasn’t because they were attracted to each other, was it?
From just one casually caught glance, these suspicions flooded Li Zian’s mind like a gusher.
The Great Sluggish Cauldron and the ability to read people’s expressions he honed in Crescent Moon Village were getting stronger and stronger. Even his thinking was much sharper than before.
After all, with the Great Slumber Qi Refining Art, sleeping itself was cultivation. He was a tough guy who worked hard cultivating for several hours every night.
Thinking about all this, Li Zian’s expression didn’t change. After setting down his glass, he picked up the decanter and poured wine for Pan Renlong.
Pan Renlong hurriedly extended both hands to hold his glass, pretending to be overwhelmed by the honor. “Master, why are you pouring wine for me? I should be pouring for you.”
Li Zian smiled and said, “Whether you pour wine for me or I pour for you, it’s all for drinking. What does it matter who should do it? Mr. Pan treats me as a friend, and I treat Mr. Pan as a friend. Friends pouring wine for friends is only natural.”
Pan Renlong laughed and said, “Well said, Master. You are so young yet have such accomplishments. I truly admire you. It’s my honor to be friends with a Master like you.”
“Let’s drink to that,” Li Zian said, raising his glass.
Pan Renlong raised his glass and clinked it with Li Zian’s.
Clink.
They both drank that glass of wine. It was 8:30 p.m.
Xu Cheng arrived, not a minute early, not a minute late—just on time.
Pan Renlong stood up and pulled out a chair for Xu Cheng. “Dad, please sit. You must have a couple of drinks with the Master. The Master has been waiting for you for quite a while.”
Xu Cheng wore an apologetic expression. “Master, I’m truly tied up with mundane matters. I originally scheduled dinner with you at 8 p.m., but something came up at the company that required my attention. I’ve kept you waiting. Let me punish myself with three drinks.”
Li Zian said, “Old Mr. Xu, you shouldn’t drink alcohol right now. Let’s do it next time.”
“Then… let me propose a toast to you with tea instead,” Xu Cheng said, holding up a cup of already cooled black tea with both hands, his face full of expectation.
Li Zian picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Xu Cheng’s. He took a sip of wine, then glanced at the part of the glass holding the red wine.
The reflections of Hank and Chen Mei appeared in the glass.
They still hadn’t left. It was becoming more and more suspicious.
If Hank’s goal in returning wasn’t Yu Meilin, and if he was in cahoots with Pan Renlong, then Hank’s target was him!
The other side was a group, and there might be an even larger organization behind them.
Li Zian suddenly felt he had been overconfident. How could he handle so many people alone?
Gushi Dayueer seemed to be on his side, but that woman was as elusive as a Divine Dragon; after showing up that one night, she disappeared again. If he had her help, his burden would be much lighter, but where was she?
Just then, Xu Cheng’s mobile phone rang with an incoming call.
The main event of the evening was about to begin.