Even an idiot knew that this was no time to make a move. After glaring viciously at Lin Qi, Michael quickly left.
A few minutes later, Mr. Fox came in from outside with a puzzled look on his face. He closed the door, saw the gifts, and said with a smile, "I just saw Michael. He seemed pretty angry?"
Lin Qi nodded and gestured toward the things Michael had brought. He said casually, "He came to ask for my forgiveness. I didn't agree."
Mr. Fox sighed, walked over to a round chair, and sat down. He casually picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite. It was quite juicy.
The stores and stalls inside the hospital were all businesses run by the hospital itself. They were tied to the livelihoods of many people, so naturally, no one dared to treat them carelessly. This was one of the potential advantages brought by capitalization, or commercialization—in other words, competitiveness.
People, businesses, and even entire industries without competitiveness would soon be eliminated in the great tide of capital. To make sure they would not become part of the eliminated, these people could only do their best to make themselves competitive enough.
Mr. Fox swallowed the fruit in his mouth. He hesitated slightly, but still spoke up. "Actually, it would be best if this could be settled peacefully. If you really get Michael removed, the Revenue Service may not pretend to be blind and deaf."
In Mr. Fox's view, Lin Qi had already obtained the result he wanted. He had defeated Michael, and Michael had come to beg for his forgiveness. If both sides compromised a little and resolved the issue, neither side would end up looking too bad.
That was also how people like Mr. Fox had always thought and acted. Sometimes, they would threaten law-enforcement agencies that posed a threat to them, but they would never truly stab them with a knife.
Put plainly, they already had plenty of dirt on themselves. If they took down one person today, someone new would come after them tomorrow. That was why they valued knowing when to stop. If everyone was doing well, then that was what truly mattered.
Mr. Fox felt that Lin Qi had gone too far this time, acting too aggressively. He said meaningfully, "You made the people at the Revenue Service lose face. They'll keep their eyes on you."
That statement could not be called wrong, but it could not be called right either.
Lin Qi turned to look at him and asked, "Mr. Fox, even if I stop now, do you really think that after this has become known throughout the federation, it can be stopped just because the director of the Federal Revenue Service in the little city of Sabine City says so?"
"No!" He raised a finger and gestured. "The people above will want to see who made them lose face, and the people below will want to reclaim some dignity from me. Whether I forgive Michael or not, they'll keep watching me."
"Within three to five days, they'll start making trouble for me. If I forgive Michael now, they'll only think I'm a young man without any backing or connections, someone they can bully at will—a weakling."
"Since forgiving him or not won't change what I'll have to face next, why should I wrong myself?" As he spoke, he began to laugh. "Once you've decided to do something, don't think about leaving yourself an escape route. The more carefully you think things through, the smaller your courage becomes."
Mr. Fox's expression shifted slightly. He frowned and pondered for a while before nodding in agreement with Lin Qi's view. "You have a point. What do we do next?"
Actually, from the very beginning, none of them had been entirely at fault. If anyone was to blame, it could only be said that Michael had chosen the wrong person to target.
If Lin Qi had not fought back, he would have been the one to suffer in the end. Either Michael would have thrown him into prison to live a life worse than death, or people like Mr. Fox would have secretly taken him out.
So someone had to fall. In the process of rising from the ground to their feet, successful people often did not rely entirely on their own strength. Instead, they relied on the corpses of those who had failed.
If Lin Qi's guess was correct, the tax system would soon begin investigating and collecting evidence against him. Even law-enforcement agencies outside the tax system might start testing the waters on Lin Qi's side.
Lin Qi was not particularly concerned about these issues. "We're legitimate businessmen, Mr. Fox. Actually, this will also be a huge opportunity for you and your business."
Mr. Fox became more attentive when the subject turned to matters related to him. He tossed the half-eaten fruit into the trash can, took a silk handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his slightly sticky fingers. "What do you mean?"
"With Sabine City attracting the attention of the people above, they'll definitely send an Investigation Team, or order the local law-enforcement agencies to clean up the city's disorderly streets. Some people will disappear by then. And once they're gone, won't the vacuum they leave behind be your opportunity?"
A trace of seductive tremor entered Lin Qi's voice. "Think about it. What if you were the only person in the entire city..."
Mr. Fox swallowed. His heart began pounding violently. He had never considered such a thing before, because territorial divisions could not be decided by a few people with a few words. They were rules that had been passed down over many years.
Every industry had to have rules. Only with rules could there be order. If someone rashly tried to expand their business or territory, the others would warn them not to act recklessly. Otherwise, they would be declaring war on everyone.
It was an entrenched way of thinking. No one could afford the cost of an all-out war. Sabine City was only a small city. Its people lacked the spirit, courage, methods, and foundations of those in the major cities.
But now, Lin Qi had drawn him a tempting picture. If he were the only person in the entire city running this business... Just imagining it made him shudder. If all those profits went into his own pocket...
Yet he quickly broke free from that unrealistic fantasy. He hurriedly shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "I'd like to, but I can't." His tone and gaze were both sincere. "First, I know my business is illegal. Second, I don't have the ability to declare war on everyone else at once. I can't beat them!"
Every step of an expansion in the underworld was accompanied by bloodshed. Every banknote was stained with blood. When someone's interests were touched, only death could calm their anger.
Mr. Fox merely ran a Finance Company. He did have some people under him, but they were not strong enough, numerous enough, or ruthless enough.
Lin Qi waved his hand. "You'll know when the time comes. I'm telling you this only so you can be mentally prepared."
Meanwhile, after suffering a setback at Lin Qi's hands, Michael immediately went to the prison. Little Michael's trial was in two days, and Michael now hoped even more that Little Michael would retract his confession and deny committing the crime.
One reason was that this would give him a chance to tie Lin Qi to the case. As long as he found a way to prove that Lin Qi had framed him, then the fact that he had beaten Lin Qi and caused him to be hospitalized could be interpreted as a forgivable mistake of another kind.
He had tried to kill his own child with a ring. Therefore, his attack on Lin Qi would have nothing to do with law-enforcement powers or his identity. He had merely acted from the standpoint of a father, doing what a man and a father ought to do.
The public and the media would also shift from wondering whether he had committed a crime to sympathizing with him. Not only would he keep his job, but his family would also remain intact.
The other reason was that, if that failed, he wanted to use what little power he still had to get Little Michael out as soon as possible. Later, he might even be able to use his former superior's connections to find Little Michael a decent job.
For these two reasons, he had to speak with Little Michael again.
But how could he have known that what had happened between him and Lin Qi had not only become known throughout the federation, but had also reached the prisoners in the jail? They could read newspapers; it was a protected right.
When Little Michael learned that his father had run into serious trouble, the thought of giving up his confession and having his father get him out of prison was completely erased from his mind.
Michael was barely able to protect himself now. If he intervened in his own case, someone might seize on it as evidence that he had abused his authority, making the situation even more troublesome. So when Michael requested a prison visit, Little Michael rejected the prison guard.
His thinking was actually correct. Only by protecting Michael could the family have a future. It was just that sometimes, young people's minds... developed inexplicable problems.
Young people always thought they had grown up and matured, that they could think like adults, while overlooking one fatal issue.
They had always lived in a simple ivory tower. How could they know what real society was like? After Little Michael rejected him, Michael became utterly despondent, feeling as if the end of the world had arrived.
Vote quickly.