Chapter 218 - Chapter 218: Love and Hate
Chapter 218: Love and Hate
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Ji Chi’s face turned serious. “The situation is a bit tricky. Chen Rushi is here, arriving on the midnight flight, and Bronn is here too. All five Black Hawk executives are here. They’re definitely going to confront the Third Master.” “Speaking is difficult for the Third Master now,” Li Jiang, although he anticipated a challenging situation, didn’t expect them to arrive so quickly. The Black Hawk has three major factions: the Third Master, Chen Rushi, and Bronn, along with nine other executives. They make up the leadership of the Black Hawk, deeply rooted and each with their own power base. This is why it has been impossible for Lu Zhiyuan to completely suppress the Black Hawk for three years.
The web of hidden influences behind them is more intricate than the underworld. This is a historical legacy of the Black Hawk’s power structure. “That’s not the most important part!” Ji Chi looked worried. “The crucial thing is that they know the Third Master has a dual personality. They won’t choose the night; they’ll definitely come during the day to challenge him.” “How did they find out?” Li Jiang was baffled. This is truly a difficult situation. “Pei Qiuying told them.”
“She’s gone mad!” Li Jiang couldn’t believe it. “The Third Master supported her from nothing, and now that he’s in trouble, what benefit does she get from this? Is she in league with Chen Rushi?”
Ji Chi nodded heavily. “Pei Qiuying is consumed by love and hate. If I’m not mistaken, she wants to break free from the Third Master’s control and take complete control of the underworld, free from his influence.”
Li Jiang anxiously looked at the hospital room. Lu Zhiyuan was still lying there, pale as ever. If they come during the day, how would the Third Master handle it? It’s a situation the Third Master can’t handle.
“What should we do?” Li Jiang broke into a cold sweat. “Should we transfer him to another hospital?”
“Can he even move?” Ji Chi asked.
“It’s very difficult!” Li Jiang was frustrated. “Pei Qiuying is truly ungrateful. The Third Master saved her life, and now she’s deluded herself and blames the Third Master for not loving her. Truly, small-mindedness and women are hard to deal with.”
Human hearts are unpredictable, and Ji Chi had no desire to delve into Pei Qiuying’s motives for turning against the Third Master. The situation had already unfolded, and they needed to find a solution. Complaining wouldn’t help.
“If the Third Master wakes up, notify me immediately,” Ji Chi had other matters to attend to. “He must wake up at least once tonight. If he doesn’t, wake him forcibly. We need to discuss a strategy.”
“Understood.”
In Jiang Junlin’s villa, he sipped tea and smiled at Ji Chi. A real fire burned in the fireplace, keeping the room warm and cozy. Jiang Junlin wore only a thin gray sweater on his upper body, appearing casual and relaxed. Roasting by the fire, sipping tea, he exuded an air of leisure.
“Why should I help you?” he asked Ji Chi.
Ji Chi looked at the hot tea in front of him. Christmas had come and gone, and the bright sunlight had given way to Paris’s snowy days. The snow would last for several days, leaving a thin layer on the ground.
“Pei Qiuying, Chen Rushi, and Bronn are teaming up. If the Third Master gets into trouble, Black Hawk will lose control. Chen Rushi may have the ability to take charge, but Bronn isn’t his match. If Black Hawk joins forces with the underworld, they’ll dominate the entire Asian market. Mr. Jiang, as the guardian of the financial market, this isn’t a scene you’d want to see. Unless you’re deceiving me,” Ji Chi glanced at the sparks rising in the fireplace, “if you want me to leave the Asian market, I can do that. After we get through this crisis, I’ll stay out of City A as you wish.”
Jiang Junlin played with his tea cup, the tea inside steaming and fragrant, brewed from mountain spring water. He took a sip, his words enigmatic. “You are loyal to Lu Zhiyuan.”
“I am the dog Lu Zhiyuan raised, loyal to my master. It’s inevitable,” Ji Chi smiled too.
Jiang Junlin’s smile was faintly cold. He put down the tea cup. Loyalty, or perhaps treachery? It wasn’t easy to tell. “Since you want my help, be more straightforward. Why is Pei Qiuying cooperating with Lu Zhiyuan? The underworld business, for the past six months, a third of the resources have been diverted to Black Hawk without anyone noticing. If I hadn’t grown suspicious, in another year, the underworld would have become a subsidiary of Black Hawk. Black Hawk would have ruled the Asian market unopposed.”
Ji Chi spoke, “After the Pei family incident, the Third Master wasn’t yet in control of the Black Hawk. He was chosen as the successor by the previous owner. He secretly divided the underworld and saw potential in Pei Qiuying’s abilities. He nurtured her in secret. From beginning to end, Pei Qiuying was loyal to the Third Master. However, no one could have predicted that she would fall deeply in love with him, leading to her betrayal.”
“That’s quite a story!” Jiang Junlin nearly crushed his teacup. All the pieces of the puzzle had finally come together, and he now knew who was behind the scenes when he was betrayed by Nox, nearly leading to his demise during the underworld’s split.
Ji Chi felt Jiang Junlin’s anger almost instantly and realized he had said something wrong. But he didn’t know what it was. Ji Chi replied, “Mr. Jiang, haven’t I been straightforward enough?”
“Did Pei Qiuying never tell you that she was able to take over the underworld because of me? I’ve been helping her set things up since she was exiled to M Country for her studies.”
Ji Chi was taken aback. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Why?”
“Since we’re being open, there’s no harm in telling you,” Jiang Junlin said casually. “1 needed a pawn to challenge Black Hawk. Pei Qiuying was the best choice. But I never expected… that she would fall in love with Lu Zhiyuan.”
Ji Chi raised an eyebrow. “But your pawn has gone out of control.”
Jiang Junlin burst into laughter, a rare hint of ambition in his eyes. “Ji Chi, you sought help from the wrong person. Even if Lu Zhiyuan lost half his life, he would still have a way out. Him, Pei Qiuying, and Chen Rushi… none of them are easy opponents. 1 prefer to see Chen Rushi as a worthy adversary.” “What do you want?” Ji Chi took a deep breath. “As long as I can do it!”
Jiang Junlin remained unmoved. It was simply a matter of insufficient chips. Ji Chi knew Jiang Junlin had a heart of stone and wouldn’t easily lend a hand. If he wanted Jiang Junlin’s assistance, he would have to make significant concessions.
“No matter how many chips you have, 1 won’t help you,” Jiang Junlin made his stance clear. “When did you start following Lu Zhiyuan?”
“After you left me in that forsaken place, the Third Master brought me out and gave me two choices: freedom or serving him.”
Jiang Junlin’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly turned to look out of the window. Snowflakes fell into his eyes. “Is that why you’ve hated me all these years? You think I left you there?”
“Isn’t that true?” Ji Chi’s eyes turned slightly red as he recalled the past, feeling vulnerable and embarrassed. “Jiang Junlin, 1 waited for you there for seven days. But where did you go?”
“This is absurd!” Jiang Junlin took a deep breath but couldn’t contain his anger. He threw the teacup to the ground, shattering it into pieces. His voice turned icy, “Ji Chi, get out!!”
Ji Chi stood up, picked up his coat, and draped it over his slender frame. His young body seemed unable to bear the weight of the heavy coat.. “So, you won’t help me?”