Chapter 95: The Strength of the Li Family

The Li family’s influence in Jinling extended far beyond their official and business ventures; they also controlled nearly half of the city’s underworld. Li Shihao’s youngest uncle currently served as the Party Secretary of Jinling. His father wielded power over the entire Li Corporation, his sway rippling through the city’s political and economic landscape. His eldest uncle, once a notorious figure in the underworld, now ran a loan company, controlling almost all the criminal operations in the southern districts of Jinling—a classic loan shark kingpin.

Li Shihao himself was hailed as the heir apparent to the Li Corporation; his talents in business were beyond question. In order to get close to Su Muqing, and to unite with or even absorb the Su family, he had chosen to stay on at Jinling University for a few more years as a graduate student.

These three branches of power made the Li family a dominant force in Jinling, second only to the Zhao family—few dared to challenge their might. Even the Su family seemed weak in comparison.

“To bring down the Li family is no easy feat…” Qin Xuan muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Su Muqing, starting the Chevrolet beside him, asked curiously.

“It’s nothing. Senior Brother Zhao said he’s found a lead on what happened two years ago. We’ll have the evidence soon,” Qin Xuan replied.

“So soon?” Su Muqing was surprised as well.

“Yes, let’s wait for his news. The evidence he’s gathering will be usable in the open. As for Grandmaster Jinguang’s visit tonight… that’s only so you’ll believe,” Qin Xuan said, turning to gaze out the window.

Su Muqing’s body trembled slightly at his words, a faint bitterness rising in her heart.

“Is he finding me troublesome… or is he angry with me?”

Regardless of her inner thoughts, Qin Xuan closed his eyes to rest. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket, rousing him. He glanced at the screen—it was another message from Zhao Long.

“Encrypted message. The password is your birthday.”

Qin Xuan looked sideways at Su Muqing, saw she was focused on driving, and quietly entered his birthday. The screen flickered, and a series of detailed documents appeared before his eyes.

“What is this…” Qin Xuan was stunned.

Li Tianze, Party Secretary of Jinling. During his tenure, he approved shoddy construction projects in the Pukou District, enabling dozens of his subordinates to embezzle a total of forty-five million yuan; he also profited illegally by thirteen and a half million yuan during demolitions in the eastern districts of Jinling.

Li Tianyuan, Chairman of Li Corporation.

He once claimed to have invested five million yuan in charity to build an orphanage in the western part of the city. Later, the orphanage collapsed one night, killing two orphans and injuring several others. The media did not make a big fuss, but the Zhao family’s private investigation uncovered severe quality issues in the construction. Pharmaceuticals were one of the Li Corporation’s main sources of profit, and they had been exposed for trading in counterfeit and substandard drugs, though again, the media refrained from wide coverage.

The common thread in these matters was that the Lis had struck some kind of arrangement with the Su family, who controlled much of the city’s media.

Li Tianyang, head of the Li family loan company, handled all the Li family’s less savory dealings. Under his direction, countless acts of violence and arson occurred; debtors crippled, ruined—there was no end to their crimes.

In the encrypted files Zhao Long had sent, the Li family’s illegal deeds were listed one by one, each more damning than the last.

“From the looks of this, Senior Brother Zhao has been preparing to bring down the Li family for quite some time,” Qin Xuan mused, eyes narrowing. “All he needs is the right opportunity, and perhaps some assurance regarding the Su family… If he can secure media support from the Su family and find a suitable entry point, that would be enough to topple the Lis completely.”

Now, Qin Xuan felt rather glad he had not acted impulsively to eliminate Li Shihao. Bringing down the entire Li family was far more satisfying than dealing with just one man.

Judging by these documents alone, the Li family had committed many heinous acts over the years; their downfall would be no loss to the world.

For now, Qin Xuan kept these revelations to himself. Everything could wait until Grandmaster Jinguang arrived that night.

Lost in thought, the afternoon passed quickly.

“See you tomorrow, Qin!” At the gates of Jinling University, High-Speed Rail, Xiaogang, and the others waved goodbye.

“Heh, boss, spending another night with two beautiful women—must be quite the thrill, eh?” Zhou Xiaoyu sidled up, grinning mischievously.

“Thrill, my foot.” Qin Xuan laughed and cursed. Last night had been anything but restful—fraught with danger, in fact. Hardly the stuff of pleasure.

“How about this, boss, take me over to your place tonight? I’m really curious…”

“Not tonight, another time.” Qin Xuan declined. With Grandmaster Jinguang coming to the villa, it was hardly a good time for Zhou Xiaoyu to visit. Just then, Liu Qianqian bounced over.

“Qin Xuan, you said we’re having guests tonight?”

“Yes. Su Muqing will be coming, and there will also be a grandmaster visiting,” Qin Xuan explained.

“A grandmaster?” Liu Qianqian asked, puzzled.

“You’ll see when the time comes.” Qin Xuan finished just as the tall, elegant Su Muqing approached from across campus, waving from afar.

“Boss, even Miss Su is coming to your place? So tonight it’ll be three… three beauties with you…” Zhou Xiaoyu’s eyes widened.

“Get out of here. Go get something to eat. We’ll be leaving once everyone’s here.” Qin Xuan shook his head in resignation. He refrained from telling Zhou Xiaoyu that there was actually a flower spirit named Narcissus living in his villa, making it four beautiful women in total.

“By the way, Xiaoyu, thanks for looking after Qingwan today.”

“No thanks needed. With us around, you can rest assured, boss—we’ll take good care of the Eastern Beauty for you,” Zhou Xiaoyu waved dismissively and walked off.

Beside him, Dongfang Qingwan remained quiet, yet watching Zhou Xiaoyu leave, she felt a touch of gratitude. In Qin Xuan’s absence, Zhou Xiaoyu and the other boys had played the role of guardians, chasing away more than a few troublemakers for her.

As Qin Xuan watched Zhou Xiaoyu’s retreating figure, a thought occurred to him.

Wasn’t this kid’s father the Deputy Party Secretary of Jinling?

If the Li family fell, it would cause a massive upheaval in the city. Should Zhou Xiaoyu’s father be entangled with the Lis, he would likely be affected too.

But then, Qin Xuan recalled that Zhou Xiaoyu had said he wasn’t on good terms with Li Shihao, so their families probably stood on opposite sides.

Still, Qin Xuan decided it was best to ask and be certain. He hurried after Zhou Xiaoyu.

“Xiaoyu, wait up.”

“What’s up, boss?” Zhou Xiaoyu turned, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Changed your mind? Decided to let me see your place tonight?”

“No, no. I just have a question.” Qin Xuan caught up, cleared his throat, and asked, “Your father’s the Deputy Party Secretary, right? How does he get along with the Party Secretary?”

Zhou Xiaoyu was puzzled. “Boss, why do you ask? The Party Secretary is from the Li family.”

“That’s exactly why I need to know,” Qin Xuan replied seriously, meeting his gaze.