Chapter 545: Killing Xu Shaochen to Strike Fear

Lan Cheng agreed to Kong Tianjing’s plan to kill Xu Shaochen.

The first reason was that they were already mortal enemies.

Now that Yijing was his territory, if he missed this golden opportunity, there might not be another chance.

Second, he wanted to please Kong Tianjing and build a closer relationship with him.

The best way to get closer is not by doing a good deed for someone, but by committing an evil act together. That secret would bind them.

Once you share a secret, don’t you think it quickly strengthens the relationship? Let me give you a simple example.

It’s like if you and your boss save an elderly man having a heart attack together, that won’t really strengthen your relationship.

But if you secretly visit a prostitute with him or help him steal something, then your bond will grow quickly.

It’s in this same spirit that he’s helping Kong Tianjing with this murder, just to get closer.

Lan Cheng was determined to get his hands on the special medicine for AIDS that the Tan Family was developing.

He could strong-arm the Tan Family into handing over the formula now, but once the medicine hit the market, it would attract attention from people even more powerful than the Lan Family.

That’s why he needed a protector, and Kong Tianjing—or rather, the Kong Family—was the perfect candidate.

For these reasons, Xu Shaochen had to die in Yijing.

Killing someone wasn’t difficult. What was difficult was doing it without drawing suspicion back to him.

After all, if Xu Shaochen died, someone in the Xu Corporation would undoubtedly want revenge. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to rally their people.

The Lan Family couldn’t possibly withstand a full-scale assault from the Xu Corporation.

And besides, was the Yun Clan really an insider?

A plan slowly formed in Lan Cheng’s mind.

“Young Master Kong, I’ll take care of this matter as soon as possible. Let me arrange a place for you to stay first.”

After Kong Tianjing nodded, Lan Cheng turned to the driver and said, “Take us to the Yijing Grand Hotel.”

……………….

Nighttime.

Yijing Grand Hotel.

In a private room, Xu Shaochen sat at the head of the table. Liu Rushuang was seated to his left, and the other members of the Tan Family circled the table.

“Mr. Xu, let me toast to you. Welcome to Yijing.”

Tan Siming stood up, holding his wine glass with both hands, and looked at Xu Shaochen respectfully as he spoke.

Xu Shaochen smiled lightly and clinked his glass with Tan Siming. “Thank you, Director Tan, for your gracious hospitality. Please.”

With that, Xu Shaochen downed his drink in one gulp.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of dishes, the conversation finally turned to business.

“Mr. Xu, let’s sign the contract tomorrow. Otherwise, I really won’t be able to rest easy,” Tan Siming sighed, looking at Xu Shaochen.

In reality, he was just getting anxious and wanted Xu Shaochen to hurry up and deal with the Lan Family.

“Since Director Tan is so eager, let’s finalize it for tomorrow then.”

Since the preliminary discussions were already settled, it was easily agreed upon.

After the meal, the group left the private room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they walked out, they bumped into Lan Cheng and Kong Tianjing.

“Damn it! Lan Cheng, call your men and kill him!”

The sight of Xu Shaochen made Kong Tianjing’s eyes flame with rage, as if he wanted to tear Xu Shaochen apart right then and there.

The members of the Tan Family were stunned. Who was this guy and why was he so angry? Lan Cheng hadn’t even said anything; why was this guy so furious?

“What, have you forgotten the pain already? Want me to remind you of your lesson earlier today?”

Xu Shaochen first glanced at Lan Cheng, then turned his eyes to Kong Tianjing, speaking in a calm, uninterested tone.

So Kong Tianjing was getting involved with Lan Cheng again. And from his tone, he was clearly ordering Lan Cheng around. It seemed this guy’s position wasn’t simple.

Kong Tianjing wanted to explode, but Lan Cheng grabbed him and said in a weirdly mocking tone, “Young Master Kong, there’s no need to stoop to his level. He’s just like a grasshopper after autumn; he won’t be jumping around for much longer.”

Lan Cheng spoke through a mask, his voice muffled and strange.

Xu Shaochen looked at him, then at Kong Tianjing, and smirked. “Young Master Kong, isn’t it brave of you to dine with someone who has AIDS? I’m impressed.”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s faces changed drastically. They stared at Lan Cheng in disbelief.

“Xu Shaochen! Stop spouting nonsense and don’t slander me!”

Lan Cheng’s face under the mask paled. His heart was thrown into chaos. Damn it, how did Xu Shaochen know?

“Slander? Lan Shao, how’s Yueyue’s performance? I bet you’ve figured it out by now; she’s the one who gave you AIDS. That’s right, I introduced her to you. No need to thank me. It was my pleasure.”

Xu Shaochen hadn’t planned to tell Lan Cheng this, but now that they were at odds, there was no point in keeping it a secret.

“It was you!”

Lan Cheng’s eyes reddened, and he glared at Xu Shaochen, his breathing becoming heavier. His fists clenched, veins bulging on his arms.

He had always thought Yueyue left him out of guilt for infecting him with AIDS. He had even been depressed for a while.

But now, hearing from Xu Shaochen that Yueyue never had any feelings for him and only got close to him to infect him, it felt like being struck by lightning.

He had thought it was true love, but it turned out to be a conspiracy. He had been desperately searching for Yueyue’s whereabouts, never even blaming her for giving him AIDS.

But all of it was Xu Shaochen’s plot. His heart was a mix of fury and a thirst for vengeance as he stared intently at Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen hadn’t just toyed with his emotions; he had harmed his body as well! “Hiss—”

The members of the Tan Family all took a sharp breath, their eyes now filled with fear as they looked at Xu Shaochen.

So ruthless. This is what it means to kill someone and strike fear in others.

No wonder Lan Cheng was so desperate to get his hands on the Tan Family’s special medicine—partly to have control over it and partly to treat his own AIDS.

“Yes, it was me. So what now? You want revenge? Too bad, you don’t have the capability. I’m standing right here; what can you do to me, huh? Do you dare?”

“Even if you plan to kill me, all you can do is hide in the shadows and use sniping methods. But if I wanted to kill you, I have a hundred ways to do it. Do you believe me?”

Xu Shaochen stepped up to Lan Cheng and patted his face, his eyes full of mockery and provocation.

“Huff… Huff…”

Lan Cheng’s chest heaved. From the sound of his labored breathing, it was clear what kind of fury he was suppressing.

“Smack!”

Xu Shaochen suddenly put force into the hand he had been patting Lan Cheng with, slapping him hard across the face. He coldly said, “If you know what’s good for you, go back abroad. If you dare reach for what belongs to me, I’ll chop off both you and your hand. Do you hear me? Trash.”