Nightfall.
The Li family villa.
A beautiful piece of foreign classical piano music was playing in the living room.
Lin Fan sat on the sofa, his eyes closed, savoring the exquisite melody.
Well, in truth, he just thought it sounded nice.
As for the intricacies of musical theory or whatever else—he had no clue.
The main reason for his enjoyment was the presence of several attractive young women around him.
Their looks, of course, couldn’t compare to the female lead of the story.
Still, these peripheral, low-tier celebrities were decent-looking enough.
Apart from the beauties by Lin Fan’s side, Ma Qun and Li Caijun also had their share of companions.
The one who had orchestrated all of this tonight was Li Caijun.
Upon hearing that Lin Fan had suffered a setback at the Han family’s hands, Li Caijun had immediately arranged this gathering.
After all, they still had to make money together in the future.
And Lin Fan would be taking the lion’s share of the profits.
Spending a little money now to appease this "big brother" of his was, in Li Caijun’s eyes, absolutely worth it.
The money spent today would come back to him eventually.
It was all about playing the long game.
In short, he was using Lin Fan’s money to handle his own affairs.
Truly, a masterstroke worthy of a seasoned schemer!
Seeing that the time was right, Li Caijun smiled and said to Lin Fan,
"Big Brother Lin, it’s about time to call it a night. I’ve arranged a room for you."
Lin Fan raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
His eyes remained closed the entire time, his face still wearing an expression of deep immersion in the music.
"Shh... no rush. Let this beautiful melody finish playing first," he said softly.
The paid companions beside him chimed in with syrupy voices,
"Wow~ Young Master Lin is truly a man of refined taste. So masculine!"
"I’m completely smitten. I just love serving a handsome boss like Young Master Lin."
The flattery left Lin Fan feeling a bit lightheaded.
Tonight, his men over at Qinglongkou were continuing their operations.
Even if they couldn’t replicate the success of last night—
taking out a few more members of the Han family—
causing enough chaos to keep the Han family on edge was sufficient.
So, Lin Fan wasn’t really listening to the music.
What he was hearing were the cries of the Han family.
What he was hearing were their pleas for mercy.
Anyone who dared to oppose the Dragon King—
had to be prepared to pay a heavy price!
Lin Fan remained silent.
Li Caijun, for his part, was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.
He hadn’t made a move against Song Ligang yet.
Mainly because he couldn’t locate the man.
On the other hand,
Li Caijun had no intention of targeting Xu Mo either.
According to his informant,
Xu Mo was accompanied by a stoic goddess.
A bodyguard who never left his side.
The informant didn’t know who this woman was,
but Li Caijun did.
An Youyi, the world’s number one assassin.
Even someone as battle-hardened as Li Caijun
had no desire to provoke a lunatic like An Youyi.
You wouldn’t even know when or how you’d die.
He still wanted to live a few more years.
The music reached its halfway point.
Just then—
Buzz-----------------
The phone on the table vibrated with an incoming call.
Lin Fan, his eyes still closed, frowned but maintained his pose of being lost in the music.
With a displeased tone, he said,
"Whose phone is that? Turn it off."
The room fell into a brief silence.
When no one responded, Lin Fan’s irritation grew.
"Turn off the phone. Didn’t you hear me?"
Ma Qun sheepishly reminded him,
"Brother Lin, that’s your phone ringing."
Lin Fan’s expression froze for a moment.
The peripheral women beside him stifled their laughter,
not daring to let it out in front of Lin Fan.
After a brief moment of awkwardness, Lin Fan, thick-skinned as ever, calmly said,
"Hang up the call."
"Yes, sir!"
Ma Qun complied.
But not long after, the phone rang again.
To maintain his artistic demeanor,
Lin Fan had Ma Qun hang up the call once more.
Yet, soon after, the phone rang a third time.
This time, Lin Fan opened his eyes. The act was over.
The first time he hung up, the caller should have understood the message.
But they dared to call again. The second hang-up should have made it clear.
Yet, they still called a third time.
As the saying goes, "three strikes and you’re out."
Lin Fan decided to answer.
Li Caijun gestured for the low-tier celebrity playing the piano to stop.
Lin Fan first glanced at the caller ID, committing it to memory.
If this wasn’t something important,
he’d make sure to deal with the caller later.
After all, rules were rules.
The call connected.
"Hello?"
"Dragon King, something terrible has happened."
"What is it? Could it possibly be more important than what I’m doing right now?"
"Qinglongkou, Zhouhutang, Zhongxintang, Zhuquetang, and Kuangdaotang—all five of our branches have been wiped out by the authorities."
"I thought it was something serious—wait, what the hell did you just say? All five branches are gone?"
"Yes! Completely wiped out. The authorities acted swiftly, leaving no one alive."
"What the f***!!!!!"
In the next moment, Lin Fan’s face turned green.
From red to green.
When anger reaches a certain level,
it’s perfectly normal for one’s face to turn green!
Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.
Especially when you’ve been betrayed by your significant other~
"You better explain this to me again, in detail!"
Lin Fan was furious.
This outburst was a stark contrast to the refined image he had been projecting earlier.
The peripheral women and low-tier celebrities were visibly startled.
They couldn’t help but wonder—
if humans could devour each other,
this man before them might very well do so.
Ma Qun and Li Caijun both had a bad feeling.
The situation wasn’t over yet.
The person on the other end of the call nervously explained everything.
He, too, had only just received the news.
There had been no warning.
Not even the slightest hint.
To put it bluntly, there hadn’t been so much as a whisper of trouble.
The authorities had come in guns blazing,
with no room for negotiation.
Of course, the person speaking to Lin Fan hadn’t considered this angle.
Based on his account,
and Lin Fan’s own deductions,
it was clear to anyone with half a brain that there was a traitor in their midst!!!
Lin Fan’s eyes burned with rage.
To his subordinates,
he was practically a savior.
He had saved them.
And yet, they had the audacity to betray him!