After a moment of thought, Chu Yuxuan gave Lao San a subtle glance. The big man immediately understood, and with a light slap, knocked Heizi unconscious.
Aida Jing, terrified, quickly knelt on the ground, crying and begging for mercy, "Mr. Chu! Mr. Chu! I was blind to your greatness, please spare me this once!"
He couldn't comprehend it—a rich playboy, a "good-for-nothing illegitimate child," as Heizi had called him—how could he have three formidable warriors at his command? Those fifteen tough guys sent tonight were all among Heizi's best fighters. How had he managed to escape? Could he have been prepared all along?
Chu Yuxuan sighed and sneered, "I'm not the Emperor, why are you kneeling to me?"
"I deserve to die! I deserve to die! I'll never dare again! I deserve to die!" Aida Jing repeatedly slapped his own face, his remorseful attitude extremely sincere.
Force is never the best way to solve problems, but it's certainly effective in making a villain "repent."
"To be honest, when you harassed Nan Nan, I just wanted to give you a little warning," Chu Yuxuan said. "But after I found out about the things you've done, I swore I'd make sure you, this wretched creature, showed your true colors! Hmph... However, I never planned to take your life; you're the one who insisted on seeking death!"
"I…" Aida Jing was terrified, trembling for a while before suddenly pointing at Heizi, trying to shift the blame, "It was him—it was Heizi who insisted on causing you trouble! I was planning to go abroad, but he…"
Before he could finish, Chu Yuxuan kicked him hard in the face, furiously saying, "You call yourself a scholar? Even though Heizi is scum, he still thinks of you when there's a glimmer of hope, and here you are, blaming everything on him? Beast!"
As the old saying goes, "It is often the dogs who are righteous, and the scholars who are ungrateful." It wasn't without reason.
Aida Jing, face covered in blood from the kick, continued begging for mercy.
Chu Yuxuan took a breath and said, "Enough, I promised your friend Heizi I wouldn't kill you, hehe... But you'll have to endure some hardship first. Come with me."
With that, Chu Yuxuan looked at Lao Si, "I'm leaving first. You stay behind to clean up. Make it look like a gang fight. After you're done, head to my underground garage and clean that up too."
Lao Si, ever diligent, nodded lightly.
The group left the bar and returned to the villa by Emerald Lake.
Aida Jing had been knocked out by Lao San during the car ride. Now that he had just woken up, he was beaten again by Lao San, so badly that his face was unrecognizable. After passing out, he was tied up and thrown into a warehouse.
Heizi had taken too many drugs and couldn't wake up at all. Having seen too many addicts abroad, Chu Yuxuan knew that even if they forced Heizi to wake up, he'd be no better than an idiot, so he had Lao San tie him up and throw him in the garage, telling him to make sure Heizi was lying on his side—otherwise, he might choke to death if he vomited.
After a night of commotion, the brothers were all exhausted. They each took turns to wash up and then sat down on the sofa to rest.
Chu Yuxuan, while thinking about his next plan, took off his shirt and had Xiao Qing apply some anti-inflammatory medicine and re-bandage his wounds.
Seeing the wounds, Lao San couldn't contain his anger and went back to the warehouse. After pinching Aida Jing's nose and pouring cold water on him, he finally woke him up, only to knock him out again…
Lao Wu, on the other hand, was full of energy. Among the brothers, he rarely did physical work, mostly using his brain. Now, with Xiao Qing around, he was even more relaxed. He was leaning on the sofa, engrossed in a book titled Learn Chinese on Your Own, a guide meant to deceive foreigners.
After bandaging his wounds, Chu Yuxuan noticed Lao Wu reading and thought to himself that this guy's Chinese had indeed improved recently. He wondered who had motivated him so much.
He walked over, casually picked up a box of Oreos from the table, popped one into his mouth, and offered one to Lao Wu, jokingly asking, "What's this? Are you preparing for an exam?"
Lao Wu glanced at the Oreo, didn't take it, and smiled wryly, "Big brother, I... I've fallen for a girl. You won't be shocked, will you?"
Chu Yuxuan gave him a quirky smile, "If you remove the word 'fallen,' I might be shocked... Come on, who's the girl? Do I know her?"
Lao Wu stammered, "Well, that... it's a secret for now... Honestly, I confessed to her, but she gave me a challenge. She said if I could learn Chinese, she'd say yes, so... I want to learn Chinese."
Chu Yuxuan had always been supportive of his brothers' personal lives—if they wanted help, he'd help; if not, he'd never interfere. Since Lao Wu didn't want to say, he let it be.
"Here, have a bite," Chu Yuxuan offered Lao Wu an Oreo again.
Lao Wu looked at the Oreo, then back at Chu Yuxuan, with an awkward expression, "Big brother, about that Yang Xiu you asked me to investigate… I found out that he was killed for eating a cake his brother had. So, are you testing me now?"
Chu Yuxuan was speechless.
After a moment of silence, Chu Yuxuan tossed the box of Oreos onto the table, sat next to Lao Wu, and said, "Let's talk business. Contact your old friends back home and get some equipment."
Lao Wu nodded, "Alright, I'll arrange it… Are we using the card your dad gave?"
Chu Yuxuan waved his hand, "Better not let Chu Zhiqing find out. Use our own overseas account."
Around five in the morning, Lao Si finally returned to the villa.
The others were already asleep, except for Chu Yuxuan, who was sitting on the sofa, smoking.
"All done?"
"Yeah." Lao Si nodded, went to the bathroom to wash up, then returned to the living room and asked Chu Yuxuan, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Chu Yuxuan smiled faintly, "We finally have a lead, I can't sleep… You must be exhausted. Go rest."
Lao Si blinked blankly and said, "I can't sleep either." Then he walked over to the statue of Lord Guan, knelt down reverently, and began silently reciting the Bible.
Chu Yuxuan couldn't help but laugh. He went over, lit three incense sticks for Lord Guan, and said with a grin, "Lord Guan, you must have it tough, please bear with us." After that, he sat beside Lao Si, pointed at his head, and asked, "Have you checked it again?"
Lao Si nodded slightly, "I checked last year, still can't be removed. The doctors said it doesn't interfere with anything except facial muscle control… But the bullet is slowly moving. If it presses on a nerve, it could be life-threatening."
Chu Yuxuan took a deep breath, forcing a smile, "If it ever comes to that, promise me, no matter what, you'll try to get it removed."
Lao Si lowered his head and, after a long silence, said, "Big brother, maybe this is my fate. You know, I can't even show emotions now. Besides killing, I find it hard to feel anything. I... I have no reverence for life anymore. I'm just a killing machine."
Chu Yuxuan lit another cigarette and said, "I know a good psychologist. I'll introduce you someday."