Chapter Thirty-Nine: Coercion

Yu Baihong was taken aback, instantly understanding what was going on—after all this fuss, it turned out that Ye Wentian wanted to squeeze some benefit out of him. He immediately parried, “Oh really? How come I didn’t know about it? Which piece of land are you talking about?”

“It’s that eight hundred mu next to the Zhangjiang subway station. Oh, you didn’t know? Then never mind, forget I said anything. By the way, I heard from the manager of the Crown Prince Club that Director Yu also enjoys singing? We should get together and have some fun one of these days.” Ye Wentian’s expression was relaxed and easy, patting Yu Baihong on the shoulder with a smile, his eyes glimmering with inscrutable amusement.

Director Yu’s face, however, turned ashen in an instant. He never imagined that after meeting his college sweetheart at the Crown Prince Club, Ye Wentian would somehow find out. What unsettled him even more was the memory of the foolish things he’d done that night—mistakes that, while common enough among men, were simply unacceptable for someone in his position as Chief of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. Others might slip, but he could not. And from Ye Wentian’s gaze, Yu Baihong was certain that Ye knew everything, perhaps having orchestrated it all along.

But Yu Baihong was powerless. There are some mistakes he absolutely couldn’t afford. If they were discovered, it wouldn’t merely be a family scandal. Even if his wife, who had always been jealous, somehow forgave him, would he be able to keep his official cap? If things unraveled, he’d lose both his power and his wife’s influential backing, and that deputy director seat at the Construction Bureau would become precarious. He might be reduced to an ordinary citizen—an outcome he simply could not accept.

People are strange sometimes. If you’ve never reached a certain position, it means little to you. But once you’ve sat atop it, the thought of stepping down becomes unthinkable, no matter how little you may have cared for it before.

“President Ye, about that plot of land you mentioned, I’ll ask my wife about it when I get home. If there’s really such a thing, I’ll know what to do.” The smile on Yu Baihong’s face was stiff; anyone could see his mood was sour.

Ye Wentian quickly shook his head, “Oh come now, Director Yu, what are you saying? I don’t get it. The Ye Group has always done business with fairness and integrity. If you’re willing to help, I’ll certainly remember your kindness, but I have no wish to see your political future ruined over me. I’d be a sinner through the ages, wouldn’t I? Don’t worry, even though we haven’t had much contact before, I believe our friendship will only deepen with time, don’t you agree?”

This was classic Ye Wentian—reaping the benefit while feigning innocence, threatening Yu Baihong while pretending to be blameless. The message was clear: if Yu Baihong ever fell from grace, it would have nothing to do with the Ye Group.

Before he did all this, Ye Wentian had felt his methods were somewhat underhanded. But once he learned Yu Baihong’s wife was in charge of the land auction, he couldn’t resist contacting Yu’s old college flame. His investigation had revealed that, despite their separate families, the pair still longed for each other. So Ye arranged for them to meet at the Crown Prince Club, spiked their drinks, and secretly recorded them in bed. In this way, Ye held Yu Baihong firmly in his grasp; having leverage over Yu meant leverage over his wife and, by extension, control over the land.

This was not the first time Ye Wentian had used such tactics, and he didn’t feel the slightest shame. Business was war; only victory mattered, not the means. In his eyes, by reuniting Yu Baihong with a long-lost love, he’d even done him a favor—if only he hadn’t filmed the compromising scene.

“Of course, President Ye. I’ve always admired your character. I’ll be sure to keep in touch more in the future.” Contrary to Ye Wentian’s expectations, Yu Baihong wasn’t as weak as he seemed. Ye even found himself liking Yu Baihong more for it, so he pretended not to notice the undertone of resistance and, with a dry laugh, turned away toward Ye Qian.

“Are you Long Fei, Miss Ye’s bodyguard?” A policeman stopped Long Fei and asked.

Long Fei shot him a glare. “Since you already know, why bother asking?”

The policeman frowned, glancing at the corpses on the ground. “Look, you’ll need to come down to the station and give a statement about the deaths here, all right?”

“No.” Long Fei shook his head. “I’ll tell you straight—I killed these assassins. But I don’t see why I need to go to the station. I hate police stations. If you have questions, take them up with my employer.”

“What’s going on here?” Ye Wentian happened to walk over, noticing Long Fei’s annoyed expression, and hurried to intervene with a smile.

Long Fei grinned. “This officer would like me to go in for questioning. I told him I hate police stations, so I’m not going.”

“Then don’t go. Let Director Yu handle it.” Ye Wentian spoke with authority.

The policeman, straightforward by nature, was somewhat displeased. “We just need him to make a statement—people died, seven are dead and there’s a seriously injured man in a coma.”

“Dead? You want to talk to me about dead men? Let me ask you, what about my four bodyguards, or the dozens more who died in the previous attacks—shouldn’t I be sending you the bill? Aren’t you meant to be the people’s guardians? Where were you then? Even today, when they tried to kidnap my daughter, where were you?” Ye Wentian exploded in anger, shouting.

The policeman flushed crimson and stammered, “You didn’t apply for round-the-clock police protection, so—”

“Nonsense! Didn’t I report it twice? Didn’t I call you today too? What’s wrong with your head? Are you thick? Never mind—go call your director here, I want to speak with him!” Ye Wentian felt it beneath him to argue with this junior officer.

“What’s the matter, President Ye?” Just at that moment, Yu Baihong, who had been directing the collection of the assassins’ fingerprints, heard the commotion and hurried over.

Ye Wentian pressed him, “Director Yu, what exactly do you feed your men? I haven’t even held them accountable for neglect, yet they insist on dragging my bodyguard in for questioning. Can’t it be done here?”

Having understood the situation, Yu Baihong wished he could slap his own subordinates. He, the director, was already at Ye Wentian’s mercy—whether or not Ye had anything on him. As the CEO of Ye Group, Shanghai’s top taxpayer for ten straight years, Ye was not someone he could afford to offend lightly. Besides, Ye was now the victim—if he pulled his investments from Shanghai, the city’s party secretary and mayor would blame him for jeopardizing their political achievements.

After a stern reprimand to the junior officer, Yu Baihong could have wept with frustration. He had to apologize profusely to Ye Wentian, who let the matter drop, though he shot a venomous glance at the policeman before pulling Long Fei aside.

“Long Fei, thank you for saving Qian. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” There was nothing but fatherly affection in Ye Wentian’s eyes, no trace of fear, which surprised Long Fei. After such an ordeal, it was odd he wasn’t more shaken.

Long Fei smiled. “It was nothing—just my job. Qian mentioned these men didn’t seem to be local.”

“I know,” Ye Wentian replied, causing Long Fei to frown.

“If you know who they are, why let them come after you again and again? I don’t get it.” Long Fei was genuinely puzzled; if Ye knew his enemy, why not strike first, rather than waiting for repeated attacks? It went against common sense—and against his own creed.

If others don’t trouble me, I won’t trouble them. But if they do, I strike first—kill them, even if it’s only in my mind.

That was Long Fei’s way.

Ye Wentian gave a wry smile. “You misunderstand. I know who sent them, and what they’re after, but I don’t know the details. I’ve been investigating behind the scenes. I believe it won’t be long before I uncover the truth. When I do, I won’t let them off lightly.”

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Long Fei caught it and found himself growing more wary and curious about Ye Wentian.