"I… I'm Feng Kang's illegitimate son."
Zhang Shuaikai hesitated for a moment, then decided to be honest — at this point, hiding his identity was pointless.
"Then why is your surname Zhang?" Xu Mu asked calmly.
"My mom was tricked by Feng Kang into getting pregnant. He said he'd marry her, but later just left her hanging. My mother took me and left," Zhang Shuaikai said, clenching his fist. "I took my mother's surname."
"Heh. And then you fawned after this rich father of yours and started doing things for him?" Xu Mu sneered. "Pathetic."
"No! It's not like that — I only—"
"Only what? Obey like a dog. You were a mole for years; what did you get out of it? Do you think he'll accept you?" Xu Mu cut him off. "I really look down on you. You're not even as good as Feng Kang's other illegitimate child."
"Another illegitimate child?"
Zhang Shuaikai frowned. He remembered Feng Kang having two named sons; he had never heard of a daughter.
"She's just like you — her mother was mistreated by Feng Kang. Do you know what she wants? To destroy the Fengs and avenge her mother." Xu Mu pointed at Zhang Shuaikai. "You're not even as good as your sister. For a man, you're a disgrace to your mother!"
"I… I…"
Zhang Shuaikai's breathing quickened. Thinking it through, Feng Kang had dangled a big promise: if he helped finish off the Xu family, the Fengs would hand him a branch office to manage. The promise had seemed huge. But Xu family's downfall wouldn't be so easy — now the Fengs had a hit slimming drug; even if Feng Kang died, the Xu family might still survive. And when Feng Kang's legitimate son took over, who would remember this illegitimate child?
"Brother Xu! I want to see my sister — may I?" Zhang Shuaikai asked.
"You can, but not now. If you, like her, are willing to help me deal with the Fengs, you can stay. If not, pack your things and leave. I'll give you one day to decide." Xu Mu finished and got up to leave.
Zhang Shuaikai watched Xu Mu's departing back and slumped onto the sofa, utterly weak. Pack and leave? Where would he go? He was sure the Fengs wouldn't take him back. At thirty-five, how easy would it be to find another decent job? Realizing that, the answer already formed in his eyes.
…
Xu Mu took the elevator downstairs and reached the first-floor lobby. In the distance, Li Yun — surrounded by some staff — immediately walked over. The employees, aware that the new supervisor was connected to a big shot, all tried to curry favor as much as possible.
"Xiao Xu… no, Brother Xu." Li Yun hurriedly corrected herself.
"Auntie, I'm helping you so we'll be closer. Why are you acting distant?" Xu Mu asked as he joined her.
[Favorability +20]
"How about I call you Xiao Mu instead?"
Li Yun felt embarrassed — calling him Xiao Xu made it sound like Xu Mu was her subordinate.
"Fine. You stay here; I'll head back now." Xu Mu smiled at Li Yun.
"All right. I'll work hard," Li Yun said, following him. Xu Mu nodded and drove away from the company.
On the highway, Xu Mu sensed something was off — a car seemed to be tailing him. Checking the rearview mirror, he saw a Mercedes V-Class following. Through his perception he scanned the van: all seven seats were filled by big, burly men. One man in the back held seven lengths of rebar, each about a meter long.
Seeing that, Xu Mu pulled over to the side and waited a bit. The Mercedes didn't pass him and slowed down as well, so he guessed they were after him.
How low-class, he thought. If they'd sent a killer, it might have been more interesting. Xu Mu sighed lightly and parked. He then walked down to a bridge underpass beside the road. He wanted to handle this here — he didn't want them following him into Jiang City and endangering people nearby.
The men in the Mercedes also pulled over.
"Boss, what's going on? He got out!" the crewcut man in the front passenger seat said, pointing ahead.
"He's probably peeing under the bridge! Perfect — no cameras around. Let's go!" the scar-faced driver said, parking the car. The others pulled black masks from their pockets and put them on. Each grabbed a length of rebar and chased after Xu Mu.
Xu Mu waited quietly in the underpass. Soon, seven masked men appeared before him.
"You must be Xu Mu, right?" the leader sneered.
"That's right. What do you want?" Xu Mu asked with his hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his face.
"Someone paid eighty thousand to have us break three of your legs. Bear with it — it'll hurt a little." The scar-faced leader rushed forward, but he only took two steps before stopping cold.
Because a Desert Eagle had appeared in Xu Mu's hand, pointed right at them.
The scar-faced man snorted with disbelief. "Kid, you have to be kidding. Want me to die laughing? Inherit my online loans?" The others laughed along.
"You got a toy gun to scare the old man?"
"You this one shoots water, or plastic pellets? Does it even glow blue?"
They all laughed uproariously. If this were another country they might be nervous, but this was the Dragon Nation.
Bang!
A shot rang out. The hollow underpass amplified the sound and it left ringing in their ears. The leader looked down at his calf and saw a bullet hole — blood gushing through — and his eyes went wide. "Shit! Really?"
He collapsed to the ground with a pig-like scream. The others' spines chilled at the sight. They hadn't expected him to have a real weapon. Terrified, they tossed their rebar aside and fled.
"Did I tell you to leave?" Xu Mu's voice was calm. The six fleeing men felt as if their legs had been filled with lead and stopped in their tracks. They weren't stupid — bullets travel faster than any of them.
"Boss… please spare our lives! Spare us!" one huge man couldn't take it and fell to his knees, kowtowing to Xu Mu. The rest followed suit and knelt as well. Who could have imagined Xu Mu carried such a thing?
"Take off your masks." Xu Mu crouched and ordered them. They all removed their masks, barely daring to breathe.
"Tell me who sent you. If you dare lie, you know the consequences." Xu Mu toyed with the Desert Eagle, and the men shook their heads frantically, afraid he'd accidentally pull the trigger.