Chapter 76: What About Her Plan?

By the time he returned to the detective agency, it was almost three in the morning.

Tang Xiaoyu had not gone to sleep. A trace of worry lingered on her face as she stood by the window, gazing out at the quiet street. She only relaxed slightly when Li Changqing was dropped off downstairs by a car.

He opened the door and walked in, surprised to see the girl still awake. Unable to help himself, Li Changqing asked, “You haven’t rested yet?”

“Did you forget I’m a ghost? It doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep.” Tang Xiaoyu shot him a look, then asked with concern, “Did it go well? Did you catch that monster?”

“There was an unexpected turn. Bai Chuan and Li Minghao didn’t make a move.”

Li Changqing sank onto the sofa, rubbing his temples. The way events were unfolding was beginning to stray beyond his expectations.

He was sinking deeper and deeper into this matter, and at this moment, extracting himself safely was easier said than done.

Still, as long as he stayed cautious, the danger shouldn’t be too great.

Just then, his phone rang. He answered, and Shen Qingdai’s voice came through, “How did things go? Has Shen Qingchi been taken away by the people from Bureau Thirty-Six?”

“Rest assured, Boss Shen. For now, he hasn’t been brought to Bureau Thirty-Six. Instead, he’s been hidden away in a secret location.”

Shen Qingdai paused to consider, then asked, “Where is he being kept?”

He replied, “In a villa on the outskirts of Nanlin City. What does Boss Shen plan to do next?”

Shen Qingdai’s voice was slow and deliberate, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll have someone send you a poison, potent enough to kill Shen Qingchi. Find an opportunity to put it in his food.”

Li Changqing was taken aback—he doubted he’d have the chance to access Shen Qingchi’s meals. “Boss Shen, poisoning him isn’t a good plan.”

“If we do that, Bureau Thirty-Six will definitely investigate thoroughly. It won’t take much for them to trace it back to me. It wouldn’t matter if I’m discovered, but if Boss Shen wants to place a mole like me inside Bureau Thirty-Six, it won’t be easy.”

Shen Qingdai cared little for Li Changqing’s life, but having a loyal mole in Bureau Thirty-Six was indeed valuable.

“What do you suggest?” she asked.

“I’ll make sure Shen Qingchi dies at the hands of Bureau Thirty-Six. Don’t worry.”

He hung up.

“Get some sleep,” Li Changqing said to Tang Xiaoyu with a smile. “I’ll have to go again tomorrow.”

He went into his bedroom and lay on the bed, unable to easily fall asleep. His mind churned with thoughts of how to navigate among these three parties.

Of the three, one would have to be sacrificed first—and it was obvious which.

Bureau Thirty-Six was a vast and powerful organization. Though Hu Xiong was somewhat tricky, it was the most reliable ally. Shen Qingdai, on the other hand, held a deadly secret over him. Betraying her first would be best.

But the risk was high; if she wasn’t outmaneuvered and discovered he was a double agent, and exposed his secret, he’d be finished.

So the choice was clear.

...

The next morning, Li Minghao and Bai Chuan arrived to escort Li Changqing to Shen Qingchi’s villa.

This was Li Changqing’s request. Although he had ostensibly pledged allegiance to Shen Qingchi, when dealing with such a monster, one had to prepare for the worst.

With them waiting outside, he needn’t worry too much if anything went wrong.

But what troubled Li Changqing now was Tang Xiaoyu, who insisted on coming along, tucked inside his soft hat. The girl claimed she would rot if she stayed inside all day.

He pinched the hat. “Later, you and Bai Chuan and Li Minghao will wait for me in the car.”

“Alright, I’ll wait outside for you.” Tang Xiaoyu didn’t object—she feared monsters herself, but couldn’t rest easy about Li Changqing, so she followed.

The car slowed on a country road. After passing the bend ahead, they would soon reach Shen Qingchi’s villa.

“This is an alarm device. If there’s trouble, press this button, and we’ll know right away.” Li Minghao took out a black button from the car’s armrest—it was, in fact, an alert.

Li Changqing took the button and slipped it into his pocket, then stepped out, composed himself, and strode toward the villa.

Outside, one of Shen Qingchi’s men was lounging at the entrance, lazily surveying the area.

In a place like this, anyone approaching would be spotted immediately.

He saw Li Changqing approaching, recognizing him as the one who had pledged allegiance to Shen Qingchi the day before.

“My friend, I’m here to see Mr. Shen,” Li Changqing said with a broad smile.

“Wait here, I’ll go notify him.”

The man went inside, and after two minutes, returned to lead Li Changqing upstairs to the study.

On the brown bookshelf were many books—works of economics, histories of the Vermilion Bird Federation, and volumes chronicling local customs and traditions.

Most of these books were still wrapped, mere decorations.

Shen Qingchi sat inside on a wooden chair, dressed in a white robe, having just woken. On the table, steaming coffee and a book in hand, he sat reading in comfort.

“You’re here?”

Shen Qingchi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Has my dear sister made any moves?”

“Mr. Shen, I came to tell you precisely that.” Li Changqing sat opposite, his expression grave. “I’m afraid Shen Qingdai is planning to eliminate you.”

“So soon?” Shen Qingchi’s mood improved at the news.

If Shen Qingdai were the first to act against him, he need have fewer scruples. Killing her would leave their father little room to blame him.

Their father’s rules were strict—one forbade siblings from harming each other—but such things could hardly be prevented entirely.

Whoever struck first broke the rule; retaliation would be justified.

“What’s her plan?” Shen Qingchi asked indifferently.

Li Changqing spoke in a low voice, “Tomorrow night, she’ll try to lure you to the docks, planning to strike then.”

“Is that so.”

Shen Qingchi narrowed his eyes, raised his coffee, and drank. “My adorable little sister is truly naive and cute. Tomorrow night, I’ll see how she intends to deal with me.”

“That fool, setting the ambush at the docks—doesn’t she fear Bureau Thirty-Six’s investigation? If the docks are raided by them, our father will punish her severely.”

Of course, for Shen Qingchi, this was good news. If Shen Qingdai acted thus, she would be ruined.

Li Changqing, curious, asked, “Mr. Shen, I’ve followed Miss Five for some time, but still don’t know what’s at the docks. Could you enlighten me?”

“If you don’t know, it’s best not to know,” Shen Qingchi replied, offering no information about the docks. Instead, he said, “Go back for now. Tomorrow night, I’ll go to the docks.”