Seeing Ye Qing leave the room, Old Fifth Yang suddenly seemed to lose all his strength and slumped onto the sofa. With Ye Qing gone, his safety was no longer guaranteed!
He thought money could buy everything. But later, he realized that life was actually worth much more than money!
Lin Mengjie glanced at Old Fifth Yang and said in a low voice, "Fifth Brother, actually I have a compromise."
"What compromise?" Old Fifth Yang immediately looked up, anxious.
"Fifth Brother, let me first ask Mr. Ye to come back, and then we can talk slowly." Lin Mengjie hurriedly left the room and invited back Ye Qing, who had almost walked out of the courtyard.
Ye Qing showed impatience. Would he really not be able to have dinner at home tonight?
"This is the last time, I hope you won't come to bother me again!" Ye Qing said sternly, already somewhat angry.
Old Fifth Yang dared not speak. Since his rise to power, no one had ever dared to talk to him like this. But today, after a close shave with death, he was truly scared.
"Mr. Ye, please don't be angry, let me explain slowly," Lin Mengjie said. "Actually, it's very clear that the assassin came specifically for Fifth Brother this time."
"Nonsense, can you get to the point?" Old Fifth Yang said urgently, noticing Ye Qing's impatience and fearing that Ye might leave.
"Yes, yes, yes." Lin Mengjie sped up her speech. "In our small county, such appalling incidents rarely happen. Moreover, I estimate that the assassin this time is a professional. Whoever made such a big move clearly did so because of the construction project Fifth Brother is currently involved in, the New District construction project!"
"What does that have to do with me?" Ye Qing asked coldly.
"Let's talk more about the New District construction project, then it becomes related to you, Mr. Ye," Lin Mengjie said. "Mr. Ye, actually your family's estate is within the construction area of the New District, a key planning area. I know that our compensation plan did not satisfy you, which led to the misunderstanding today. However, Mr. Ye, I want to inform you that the New District construction project is a county key project, and no one can stop its progress!"
Ye Qing frowned. "Are you threatening me?"
Lin Mengjie immediately shook her head. "No, I absolutely didn't mean that. Fifth Brother is also here, you can ask him if you don't believe me!"
"That's right!" Old Fifth Yang said sullenly. "It's a county project, no one can stop it. We are now negotiating with your family, but if we can't reach an agreement, then the county will get involved, and it will get troublesome."
Ye Qing's brows were tightly furrowed, and he did not speak this time.
Seeing Ye Qing's reaction, Lin Mengjie quickly followed up. "Mr. Ye, the compensation the county has decided on is based on construction area. Your family's estate is large, but the built area is small, so the compensation won't be much. Once it's demolished, the compensation won't be enough to buy a new house. Then, where will your family live?"
Old Fifth Yang was slightly pleased. The matter was of great importance, and Ye Qing couldn't possibly fail to consider it.
Ye Qing said coldly, "There is money to be earned, if there's no house we can rent one to live in first. My brother's business cannot be delayed!"
Lin Mengjie said, "Mr. Ye, I admire that about you. But now there's a way to have the best of both worlds, would you like to hear it?"
Ye Qing looked at Lin Mengjie, silent for a moment, then said, "Speak!"
Lin Mengjie said, "Mr. Ye, if you can do one thing for Fifth Brother, then, after the New District is built, Fifth Brother can give your family a set of rooms in the newly-built residential area!"
"Hmm?" Old Fifth Yang was taken aback, and Lin Mengjie gestured to him. Old Fifth Yang immediately fell silent again. After all, an apartment was nothing, staying alive was what really mattered!
"I won't kill anyone!" Ye Qing said coldly.
"We won't ask you to kill anyone either," Lin Mengjie said with a smile. Ye Qing's response was an indication that he was relenting.
"What you need to do is very simple, just help the police find the assassin from today. With the assassin, the police can trace the mastermind behind the scenes, and that will solve Fifth Brother's current crisis!" Lin Mengjie said with a light smile, "By helping Fifth Brother with this, firstly, it won't take up too much of your time. Secondly, it settles the housing issue for your family. Thirdly, it resolves Fifth Brother's problem. And fourth, I can assure you that your little sister, Yuan Xiaoyu, will definitely become one of the top leaders in Lanwan!"
After she finished speaking, Lin Mengjie smiled gently again, "I know Mr. Ye, you're a filial person. Your brother's matters are indeed important, but family matters can't be neglected either, right?"
Hearing this, Old Fifth Yang was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly: "This is a good idea, Ye brothers, I guarantee you here. As long as you pull this off, once New District is built, I'll give you the biggest apartment for your family, one hundred and fifty square meters and above. If you're afraid I won't keep my word, I can give you the cash instead. Having money in hand, you can buy the apartment later if you prefer!"
Ye Qing was silent for a while, then looked at Old Fifth Yang and said, "I don't need the money. Just remember what you've said, the apartment can be titled under my father's name, that's enough for me!"
Upon hearing this, Old Fifth Yang was immediately delighted, saying repeatedly: "You can count on me, Ye brothers. Although I may have started as a ruffian, what I value most is integrity, I never go back on my word!"
"That's good!" Ye Qing nodded and said, "However, regarding the police investigation, I'm not really in a position to intervene."
Old Fifth Yang laughed: "Don't worry about that, I'll get in touch with them. When the time comes, you can just show up. Auntie, stir up a couple of dishes, Ye brothers, let's have a few drinks..."
"No need," Ye Qing waved his hand: "I should go after the assassin first, if I wait any longer, I'm afraid he'll leave the county."
"Oh, then... then I'll have the driver take you there." Old Fifth Yang called his driver to take Ye Qing to the crime scene.
Meanwhile, as soon as the driver had taken Ye Qing away, a minion came up to Old Fifth Yang and whispered, "Fifth Brother, this Ye guy is really not showing any gratitude. You gave him so much face, and he's acting all high and mighty, it's quite inappropriate!"
"Beard, that's not how you look at it." Lin Mengjie shook her head, looking at Old Fifth Yang, "Fifth Brother, I think we should make friends with this man."
Old Fifth Yang kept a straight face and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Fifth Brother, in the past few years your business was not too large, and it was okay in the county. Occasionally some enemies would come looking for you, but they were just some small-time hooligans without brains or brawn, nothing to worry about. But these last two years, as the business has grown and you've expanded your territory, things have changed," Lin Mengjie said. "Take this incident, for example, the construction of the New District is a huge project, involving several hundred million. There are definitely a lot of people who see you, Fifth Brother, as a thorn in their side. The gunman who appeared this time could be a professional assassin sent by someone. By using Ye Qing to find this assassin, we can also expose the person pulling the strings behind the scenes. In a way, this not only ensures your safety, Fifth Brother, but also deters others, preventing them from acting rashly against you!"
Old Fifth Yang nodded slowly, "You're right."
"This Ye guy is just good at fighting, but does he have the ability to find the gunman?" Beard said skeptically, "Maybe the gunman has already fled the county, where is he going to look?"
"Whether he finds him or not is his business, but since he has taken on this job, he definitely won't let anything happen to Fifth Brother. So, until he finds the assassin, he will also protect Fifth Brother's safety!" Lin Mengjie said with a faint smile, "Moreover, Fifth Brother, your business is only going to get bigger, and you'll face more and more competitors. It's not impossible that similar incidents could occur. Fifth Brother, I think you really need someone as skilled as him by your side!"
Old Fifth Yang pondered for a moment, "But he's heading to the South soon, it might be difficult to get him to stay, even if I wanted to."
"How long could he stay in the South!" Lin Mengjie laughed, "If he goes to the South, there are only two possibilities. After a while, if he doesn't find anyone and runs out of money, he'll come back on his own. Or, if he finds the person, he'll return even sooner. No matter when he comes back, as long as you, Fifth Brother, can make him feel grateful to you, he will surely work for you. I reckon, if he manages to find the assassin this time, it will deter some people and at least for the next year or two, no one will dare target Fifth Brother again. By then, he'll have returned from the South anyway!"
Old Fifth Yang's face revealed joy, and he nodded: "You're right, Xiao Zhao, you've considered everything thoroughly. Indeed, as my businesses have expanded over the years, I've found myself short on reliable people. This man, we must bring him over no matter what!"