A house on the verge of collapse

After Wei Zexuan was arrested at sea, he initially remained confident that nothing could happen to him. But once Mr. Ren stepped in, the police dared not favor Wei Zexuan and passed the matter straight to the court. Mother Wei dropped hints to Shi Yuan every day, but Shi Yuan only said he had left everything to Mr. Ren.

Mr. Ren's son had been harmed for no reason, but he did not take it out on Shi Yuan. Instead, he reassured him and told him to recover properly, then come back to tutor at his house as usual. Xiao Rong had grown closer to him after the incident. The boy said they had been through life and death together and wanted to become sworn brothers! Shi Yuan could not stop laughing when he told Wei Zelin about it.

Before the hearing, Mr. Ren called Shi Yuan to discuss things with him. For one thing, Shi Yuan was one of the victims. For another, Wei Zexuan was technically his younger brother. Although everyone in Capital City's wealthy circles knew the truth about their relationship and knew Wei Zelin was neglected, Mr. Ren still had to ask for appearances' sake.

Shi Yuan told him to prosecute however he liked, preferably putting Wei Zexuan behind bars for eight or ten years. Neither he nor Wei Zelin got along with Wei Zexuan, and they were not biological brothers. Both sides hired renowned lawyers and battled it out in court. Unfortunately, Wei Zexuan's lawyer proved more capable, managing to argue the charge down from attempted murder to intentional bodily harm. Even with an additional count of intentionally harming a child, he was sentenced to only three months inside.

"Wei Zexuan only got three months. Isn't that letting him off way too lightly?"

Shi Yuan scrolled through his phone, feeling glum. His own phone had been smashed, so he was now using Wei Zelin's old one. Wei Zelin had said he wanted a new phone and given him the old one, but Shi Yuan discovered that the replacement he bought was the exact same model. He felt Wei Zelin was finding a tactful way to help him out.

Wei Zelin handed him a plate of washed strawberries. "Three months is enough time to change a few things. Wei Ming and Wei Wanwan have been fighting fiercely at the company lately. Wei Wanwan hasn't been involved in the company for years, so it's full of Wei Ming's trusted people now. But once Wei Zexuan gets out, the situation will change."

There were both red and white strawberries on the plate, all of them large. Shi Yuan washed his hands, picked up a creamy-white one, and ate it. Its sweetness made him narrow his eyes.

"Then when can we move out?"

Shi Yuan would never have asked something like that before. But since their brush with danger, Wei Zelin seemed to have started treating him as one of his own. He was much more honest with him and had told him a great deal about the situation in the Wei Family. He no longer kept a mask on around him as he had before. Shi Yuan decided to stick close to the big boss until peace was restored.

"Unless I take complete control of the Wei Family, Wei Ming won't let us leave easily as long as I'm still useful to him."

Wei Zelin did not elaborate. No one would stop Shi Yuan from leaving now, but with the Shi Family swallowed up, he no longer had any value to exploit. And since Wei Zexuan had gone to prison because of him, Mother Wei would not let him live in peace unless Wei Zelin kept him close.

The infighting within the Wei Corporation Group was fierce. Wei Ming promoted Wei Zelin to manager, setting him up as a target. Still, Wei Ming did not trust him enough to hand over any important business, so his work remained easy and left him plenty of free time.

"Fan You's younger brother has turned himself in. We paid their fines and saved the brothers from their predicament. They insist on following us no matter what, and they say they can even go undercover with Wei Zexuan."

Huang Shiren handed Wei Zelin a brand-new pair of boxing gloves. "You have no idea how Wei Zexuan humiliated him back then. He's finally free of it, yet he's willing to go back. I think he genuinely wants to join us."

Wei Zelin took off his glasses and pulled on the gloves. "There's no point in sending him back. Wei Zexuan isn't an idiot. Do you think he doesn't know who leaked information about him?"

"Huh?"

Wei Zelin glanced at him. "He did his part, and we helped him out. We're already even. There's no need to concern ourselves with the rest."

With that, he pointed to a boxer, ready to enter the ring. Huang Shiren wanted to say more, but a man of about thirty beside him held him back.

"I told you you're too softhearted. Stop taking on every mess you come across. You can't go wrong listening to Brother Lin." He was one of Wei Zelin's assistants and usually traveled for business, so he was rarely by Wei Zelin's side.

Huang Shiren rolled his eyes at him indignantly. "You haven't been in Capital City. You have no idea how much has been going on. Just go haul your fruit." With that, he grabbed two strawberries from a plate nearby and swallowed them whole, one after the other.

"Like a pig wolfing down a delicacy without even tasting it."

The man looked pained. He had personally carried all of those back.

"Kuang Yuebin, who are you calling a pig?"

Wei Wanwan picked an inconspicuous Mercedes from the Wei Corporation Group's garage. She did not even call a driver, getting behind the wheel herself before driving onto the elevated highway.

A white Chery followed her at a discreet distance. An ordinary-looking woman was driving, wearing a tiny, distinctive earpiece that was almost impossible to notice without a close look. The top button on her collar was also darker than the ones below it.

Her lips moved so slightly that they barely seemed to move at all. Her voice was quiet, but every word was clear. Although she was alone in the car, she was evidently used to speaking this way.

"Wei Ming really knows how to bide his time. I've had people follow him for days. All he does is take his mistress and child shopping or go to the company.

"But Wei Wanwan couldn't hold out any longer. Brother Lin was right. There's no way she'll really let her son spend three months inside. By then, it'll be far too late."

"We just don't know whether the big shot behind them is one of the people we suspect."

"Yes, I know. I'll be careful. She's coming off the elevated highway. I'll talk to you later."

Wei Wanwan drove off the elevated highway and headed straight for the West District. It was the old part of the city, with high-rises built in recent years around its edges and five-story buildings and single-story houses lining the streets farther in.

The road grew narrower, with plenty of electric scooters parked along the roadside. Wei Wanwan rarely drove, and she accidentally scraped the front of the car while turning. Irritated, she smacked the steering wheel hard, almost snapping one of her freshly manicured nails. She had been running around for her son all day. Even her carefully applied makeup could not hide her exhaustion, and she had not even had time to deal with Wei Ming's mistress at the old family home.

Fortunately, she was almost there. Wei Wanwan composed herself, touched up her makeup in the car, then shut the door and walked away.

The white Chery was parked on another street. Bao Lili had already chosen to park and continue on foot when Wei Wanwan slowed down. Her soft sneakers were light and nimble, making it effortless to trail Wei Wanwan.

She followed smoothly for a while, then suddenly sensed something was wrong. The West District was crowded with all sorts of people, and during the ten-odd minutes she had followed Wei Wanwan, people had constantly passed by. But once they entered a street called Xianfu Road, her surroundings abruptly grew quiet. It was not deserted, but the varied crowd had thinned considerably. The few people scattered around were broad-backed, thick-waisted, and powerfully built. Unlike the bodyguards Wei Zexuan hired, these people looked as though they had truly seen bloodshed.

This is bad, Bao Lili thought. She took out her phone and placed a video call to another of Wei Zelin's assistants.

"Yuanyuan, where are you? I'm on Xianfu Road, but I don't see the barbecue place you mentioned."

Fang Yuan froze for a second, then immediately understood. She cursed in Sichuan dialect, "That head of yours-"

Bao Lili complained, "That's because you didn't explain it clearly! I told you not to use dialect. I can't understand you!"

She argued with Fang Yuan on the phone as she strode back the way she had come, not daring to let her gaze stray. Once she returned to the bustling street, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without explaining anything to Fang Yuan, she hung up and immediately turned into a supermarket nearby.

"Sir, is Xianfu Road around here?"

The supermarket owner looked up from his computer and carefully sized Bao Lili up. Seeing her ordinary clothes, he said in puzzlement, "Xianfu Road? Seven or eight hundred meters south. It's not far."

Seeing how much he liked studying people, Bao Lili figured he was the curious sort. She paid and deliberately muttered as she headed outside, "Why pick somewhere so far away? I've never even heard of it."

Sure enough, the supermarket owner called her back. "Comrade, what are you asking about Xianfu Road for?"

Bao Lili's mouth twitched. Comrade? What the fuck?

"My friend asked me to meet her there."

"Xianfu Road is the most remarkable place around here."

Bao Lili pointed at the cigarettes in his display case. "Give me two cartons of your best cigarettes. I'm taking them as a gift later. Tell me more about Xianfu Road."

Beaming, the owner took out two cartons and handed them to Bao Lili. "Well, this Xianfu Road..."

Wei Zelin was at the boxing gym when Bao Lili called. He had been coming often lately, which puzzled Huang Shiren too.

"Brother Lin, it's Li Li."

Kuang Yuebin said, "Is Li Li up to something shady again?"

Huang Shiren looked at him with contempt. "You're such a smooth talker. Say that to Sister Li Li's face if you've got the guts."

Wei Zelin answered and exchanged a few words with Bao Lili. Once he had a general grasp of the situation, he hung up.

"Although Li Li didn't follow her inside, she noted everyone who visited Xianfu Road today. In a few days, we'll see which of them makes a move. Then we'll be able to determine exactly who's backing the Wei Family."

By now, all of the Shi Family's companies had been brought fully under Wei Ming's control. Earlier, Wei Zexuan had worked diligently to clean up the mess the Shi Family had left behind. He had done all the work that offended people, and now his father reaped every benefit.

Wei Zelin gave a cold laugh. The Shi Family was the first trap he had laid. It simply was not time to close the net yet.

After resting at home for a few days, Shi Yuan resumed his daily commute. Sometimes, when Mr. Ren came home late, he stayed a little longer to keep Xiao Rong company.

"Mr. Shi, is that gangster getting out in a few days? He won't come after us again, will he?"

Shi Yuan stroked his head and reassured him. "Don't worry. He'll have just been released from prison. He definitely won't dare. Besides, after something like this has already happened once, Mr. Ren will make sure you're protected."

Xiao Rong pouted. "No, he won't. After they heard what happened to me, my classmates' parents started picking them up every day, no matter how busy they were."

None of the people living near Oak Bay lacked money, but in a peaceful society, they tended to let their guard down. Who could have imagined someone so brazen? Afraid their own children might also encounter a lunatic, they now drove them back and forth morning, noon, and evening. Some had even hired bodyguards.

The more Xiao Rong spoke, the more dejected he became. "He won't let anyone drive me to school. I'm not allowed to tell people outside that he's my dad. I can't wear clothes or shoes that cost more than a thousand yuan. I get twenty yuan a week in pocket money. I'm not allowed to pull out two tissues at once..."