Chapter 737

I also don't know where he is. Li Zhenyang forced himself to reply: "We've only met once, at the Overlooking River Pavilion. After that, we've only been in touch via disposable phone."

Then contact him. Lin Dongfan pushed a phone toward Li Zhenyang: "Now, call him and tell him I want to see him."

Li Zhenyang looked at the phone, his hand trembling.

"What if... he doesn't come?"

"He'll come." Lin Dongfan smiled: "I know Xu Jijun; since he dares to show up, he's prepared to see me. Moreover..."

He paused, his tone meaningful: "He owes me a favor; it's time to repay it."

Li Zhenyang gritted his teeth, picked up the phone, and dialed the number Xu Jijun had given him.

It rang five times.

It connected.

"Secretary Li?" Xu Jijun's voice came over the line, calm and waveless.

"Mr. Xu, I believe you've guessed some of this." Li Zhenyang glanced at Lin Dongfan, gave a bitter smile: "Lin Dongfan is beside me; he said... he wants to see you."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.

Then Xu Jijun laughed.

The laughter came through the earpiece, slightly distorted, but Lin Dongfan heard it crystal clear—that was his familiar laugh, lazy and tinged with cynicism.

"Zhuangbi Fan..." Xu Jijun sighed: "You're still as impatient. Fine, since you want to meet, let's meet. Tell Secretary Li I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

The phone hung up.

Li Zhenyang put down the phone, his palms sweating.

Lin Dongfan, however, picked up his teacup again and sipped slowly, as if he had merely arranged to have tea with an old friend.

"You... aren't worried?" Li Zhenyang couldn't help but ask.

"Worried about what?" Lin Dongfan countered.

"Xu Jijun... is very dangerous." Li Zhenyang lowered his voice: "No one knows what he's done over these four years, what cards he holds. You came here alone today..."

"Who said I'm alone?" Lin Dongfan interrupted him, pointing toward the window.

Li Zhenyang followed his finger with his gaze.

Only then did he see that on the roof of the building across the old street, two people—one tall, one short—had appeared at some point, dressed in casual clothes but with ramrod-straight posture and eagle-like gazes.

Farther away, a black SUV was parked at the street corner, its windows half-open, revealing vague silhouettes inside.

"These people..." Li Zhenyang exclaimed, shocked.

"They're all retired veterans, my private bodyguard squad." Lin Dongfan said offhandedly: "Secretary Li, let me teach you a weakness—I'm actually terrified of death, truly."

!!!

Li Zhenyang was utterly speechless, thinking, "You bastard, you never speak a word of truth."

After living this many years.

Li Zhenyang still realized for the first time that the true gap between him and these juniors wasn't social status or the power in his hands, but courage and vision.

Fifteen minutes, not a minute off.

Footsteps sounded again on the stairs.

This time, there were two sounds.

One light, one heavy.

The door was pushed open.

Xu Jijun walked in.

He wore no mask, no hat, just an ordinary black jacket, jeans, his hair cut short, revealing a faint scar on his temple.

Four years apart, he had grown much thinner, but his eyes shone brighter, like a blade tempered in fire.

Behind him followed a young woman, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with long hair, wearing a beige trench coat, her features delicate but her eyes sharp, her right hand perpetually in her pocket.

"Zhuangbi Fan, long time no see."

Xu Jijun smiled, naturally walked to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down, as if attending an old friends' gathering.

That woman stood behind him.

Her gaze swept over Lin Dongfan and Li Zhenyang, finally settling on Lin Dongfan's face.

"Who is this?" Lin Dongfan asked.

"My girlfriend, Su Jin." Xu Jijun introduced her casually: "She's one of us, no need to worry."

Su Jin gave Lin Dongfan a slight nod, saying nothing.

Lin Dongfan gave her another look—this woman was no ordinary person; her stance, eyes, and aura all betrayed a disciplined sharpness.

If she were Xu Jijun's girlfriend, then what about Han Jinling sitting in the wheelchair?

Xu Jijun is a deeply devoted person; he could never abandon Han Jinling. To be precise, his entire life's fate has been changed because of Han Jinling.

Han Jinling is the only one in his heart.

Then the woman before us named Su Jin is most likely his personal bodyguard! She certainly isn't his girlfriend.

Xu Jijun has changed; after disappearing for four years and returning, he's learned to spout nonsense.

"Old Xu, your 'death' was quite worthwhile." Lin Dongfan chatted: "After four years apart, your demeanor is completely different—looks like your days in hiding have been quite comfortable?"

Xu Jijun laughed: "Thanks to you, I didn't die. But 'comfortable' is a stretch—those days of hiding and evading weren't easy."

"So how did you come back to life?" Lin Dongfan asked bluntly.

"Because..." Xu Jijun glanced at Su Jin, his eyes softening for a moment: "I wanted to live openly and give her a future."

A very simple reason.

But Lin Dongfan believed it—Su Jin was merely a stand-in for the occasion; Xu Jijun's true confession was meant for the unseen Han Jinling.

"So you came to Secretary Li, hoping to use him to turn the tables?" Lin Dongfan turned to the main topic.

Everyone just takes what they need.

Xu Jijun candidly admitted: "Secretary Li needs a way out, I need a platform. Dongfan, I know you now control the whole situation. Li Hengbo has fallen, Liu Shu is in your hands, and Secretary Li is basically finished. But..."

He paused, then stared into Lin Dongfan's eyes: "The waters of Wu Zhou are deeper than you imagine. Li Hengbo has fallen, but the profit chain isn't broken. Those who live off this chain won't willingly just scatter. They're silent now because there's no leader. But if someone could reorganize them..."

"That person is you?" Lin Dongfan interjected.

"It could be me." Xu Jijun nodded: "It could also be you. Dongfan, we actually don't need to be opposed. You want to settle blood debts, I want to revive the Xu family—we can cooperate."

"Cooperation?"

Lin Dongfan smiled: "Four years ago I let you go because of old feelings. After all, back when we studied, you once helped me. But you need to understand, that debt of favor has been repaid now."

"I know." Xu Jijun said calmly: "So... this time I'm not here to call in a favor, I'm here to make a deal."

"What deal?" Lin Dongfan's eyes blazed.

"I will help you thoroughly eradicate Wu Zhou's lingering poison, root and branch, leaving none." Xu Jijun's voice turned cold: "In exchange, give me five years. During these five years, let me participate in Wu Zhou's key projects. After five years, I will lead the Xu family away cleanly, never to set foot here again."

Lin Dongfan said nothing, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.

Li Zhenyang, listening on the side, felt his heart race—was Xu Jijun trying to squeeze out his last bit of value, then offer it as a token of allegiance to Lin Dongfan?

"Secretary Li, look..." Xu Jijun suddenly turned to him, smiling gently: "Your position isn't stable anyway. Why not step down gracefully, hand over what you should, and I'll guarantee your eldest daughter's safety, plus your son studying abroad. I'll ensure your twilight years aren't spent in prison. How about that?"

Li Zhenyang's face turned ashen.

He finally understood: from beginning to end, he had been a pawn.

Xu Jijun's pawn, Lin Dongfan's pawn.

And now, as this game reaches its end, this pawn of his is due to be taken.

Li Zhenyang swallowed his anger and replied: "I need time to consider..."

"You have no time left." Lin Dongfan spoke, his voice calm but unquestionable: "Tomorrow morning, Li Mingtang should arrive in Wu Zhou with the central documents. Secretary Li, you have twelve hours. Will you resign voluntarily, cooperate with the investigation to seek leniency; or make a last stand, ending in ruin and disgrace? The choice is yours."

!!!

The cornered Li Zhenyang slumped in his chair, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Outside the window, the sun set westward.

In the old tea house, the tea had gone cold.

Xu Jijun stood, patted Li Zhenyang's shoulder: "Secretary Li, he who knows the times is a true hero. By the way, you don't need to prepare that fifty million in cash—consider it my retirement gift to you."

Having said that, Xu Jijun turned to Lin Dongfan: "Pretentious Fan, may we have a private word?"

Lin Dongfan nodded.

The two left the private room and went to the end of the second-floor hallway.

Outside the window was the old street of Wu Zhou in twilight.

The lights were just beginning to glow.

"Liu Shu is in my hands." Lin Dongfan got straight to the point: "What do you plan to do with him?"

Xu Jijun lit a cigarette.

He took a drag.

He slowly exhaled the smoke: "Liu Shu can't stay. The evidence he holds is enough to overturn half of Wu Zhou's officialdom. If you make those public, it will cause an earthquake. Many of the roots you want to dig up would instead be buried deeper."

"So?" Lin Dongfan asked.

"So, let him die an 'accidental death.'" Xu Jijun said calmly: "I'll dispose of part of the evidence, leave part for you to report on. The real big fish, we'll catch slowly."

Lin Dongfan stared at him: "Old Xu, you've changed."

"People change." Xu Jijun gave a wry smile: "Four years ago I thought money and power were everything. Now, four years later, I just want to live, and to live with her."

"That Su Jin... what's her background?" Lin Dongfan asked tentatively.

"She used to be in special forces; after retiring, she offended someone and was hunted, so I saved her." Xu Jijun briefly said: "Pretentious Fan, I know you don't trust me now. But this time I really don't want to be your enemy. The Xu family has collapsed, my father is in prison. My only wish is to get him a reduced sentence, then take the woman I love away from here to a place where no one knows us, to live our lives."

He spoke very sincerely.

But Lin Dongfan didn't believe a word of it.

At least not entirely.

A man like Xu Jijun wouldn't be willing to live out his life in obscurity.

He surely had a bigger plan.

But Lin Dongfan didn't expose it.

"How much do you know about Li Zhenyang's overseas accounts?" Lin Dongfan changed the subject.

"Three accounts, totaling twenty-seven million US dollars." Xu Jijun gave the figure: "They're in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, and Singapore. I can send you the specific account details."

"Are there conditions?" Lin Dongfan asked.

"Of course there are conditions..." Xu Jijun finally revealed his true intent: "Regarding getting my father's sentence reduced, I hope Uncle Lin can lend a hand at the right moment. No need for illegal maneuvering—just when the judicial system is discussing leniency cases, speak up and nod your approval, and everything will fall into place."

"Old Xu, you're still you after all."

Lin Dongfan gave a faint smile, not hastily agreeing to that condition.

Some things claimed to be non‑violations are actually violations in substance—private deal‑talk itself is breaking the rules! Moreover, he couldn't even nod for his uncle Lin Zhenhua on this matter.