Chapter 197: Life is Like a Play, It All Depends on Acting

He Yuzhu felt a bit annoyed watching that little brat Xu Damao put on an act, but once he thought about how that Jade Wall could upgrade his system, he felt relieved.

"My sister here has quite a wide circle of friends; she has a very good relationship with the prison warden of Jingshi Prison. Last time my Siqiang went to prison, it was she who saved him."

"My Siqiang is also locked up in Jingshi Prison; can you do me a favor?" A glint appeared in Xu Damao's eyes.

"What did your Siqiang commit?"

Xu Damao suddenly grabbed He Yuzhu's hand, his eyes turning red again. "He was framed! A massive injustice! He, he was helping someone sell a Bronze Sword, but that Kong Family offered an extremely low price... My Siqiang didn't agree, so they framed him for grave robbing! Brother, if you have any way, you must save my Siqiang!" After finishing, Xu Damao knelt before He Yuzhu.

"Get up, don't pull that stuff with me!"

"Brother Zhuzi! If you can save that old man, I will be at your beck and call from now on!"

"Enough, Jin Hai is the type who eats people without spitting out the bones. If he doesn't see real gold and silver, it's useless even if the Heavenly King himself comes! My Siqiang paid quite a lot of money back then!"

"Money! My Siqiang has money!" Xu Damao promised hurriedly, spittle flying out.

He Yuzhu didn't take the bait, probing instead: "You brat can even pull out a Jade Wall, yet you say your Siqiang isn't a grave robber? Who would believe that?"

"He Yuzhu! You don't have to help me, but you cannot slander my Siqiang! He washed his hands of that long ago!"

"I'm slandering him?" He Yuzhu's face darkened as he cursed: "Xu Damao! Your Siqiang is about to die! And you're still here being evasive with me! If you don't tell the truth, go prepare a coffin for your Siqiang!"

"Don't! Don't!" Seeing He Yuzhu truly lose his temper, Xu Damao's momentum instantly collapsed. He covered his face with both hands and cried, "... Yes, my Siqiang... was in that line of work in his early years... but he stopped doing it a long time ago... wuu wuu..."

"Xu Damao, why is it so hard to get you to tell the truth? Although I have a good relationship with this sister of mine, she isn't my biological sister after all. If you don't even tell me the truth, how can I save anyone?"

"My Siqiang used to be a grave robber, and now he just helps others sell some things!"

He Yuzhu nodded and remained silent for a moment, deciding to believe him. "If you live by the sword, you'll die by the sword! If you want to fish someone out, you have to follow the rules. It will be at least four thousand Big Ocean, though that's just my estimate; it's not set in stone!"

"Four thousand?" Xu Damao lifted his head abruptly, tears still hanging on his face, his eyes widened in shock. His stepfather said it would cost fifty thousand! He Yuzhu only wanted four thousand—was it reliable? The massive price difference made his heart race, a mix of greed and fear surging to his head.

He suddenly grew firm, his voice trembling as he probed: "Can... can it be a little less? Three thousand... would three thousand work?"

He Yuzhu stared at him and suddenly laughed. He suddenly felt that this Xu Damao had matured quite a bit over the year. With his own adult soul, it was hard to judge which of the child Xu Damao's words were true or false. This time, he had originally intended to scheme against Xu Damao, but he suddenly had the feeling that he had been roped in himself. "I'm only going to beg my sister because of this 'filial piety' of yours. As for whether it works, I can't guarantee it! Also, do you actually have money or not?"

"I... how could I have money right now!" Xu Damao started crying poverty again, his eyes darting away.

"No money? Are you playing me for a fool? You, you can just wait to collect your Siqiang's corpse!"

"But, but, I haven't even met your sister, how do I know if you're lying to me!" Xu Damao said, stiffening his neck.

"Buddy! If you think I'm lying to you, then today I'll just consider it me meddling in affairs that don't concern me, and pretend I never said anything." He Yuzhu downed a glass of red wine in one gulp.

"My Siqiang has money, I don't, what do I do?" Xu Damao was stubborn as a mule, refusing to put up the money no matter what.

After a long while, He Yuzhu lowered his voice and said: "Don't you have a piece of jade? My sister is fond of that sort of thing. Use the jade as a deposit. Tomorrow, at Quanjude, I'll take you to meet her. This is your last chance."

Xu Damao's pupils constricted. He thought for a full minute before saying: "... Fine! I'll trust you once! If you lie to me, I... I won't be finished with you!"

He Yuzhu sent Xu Damao away and turned to go to Liu Rusi's mansion.

Liu Rusi let him into the second-floor study and handed him a peeled apple, frowning: "The mastermind behind that Tianjin incident has been found. But we can't afford to provoke them!"

"Could it be your father?" He Yuzhu gave a bitter smile.

"You brat, what are you thinking? It's Officer Li. Can you afford to provoke him?" Liu Rusi's tone was cold.

"It's him? That is indeed difficult to handle. If we were to kill him..." He Yuzhu thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Liu Rusi nodded lightly: "It's not easy to move against him. But his dog-headed strategist is Deputy Mayor He Chengrui. This man has a habit: he's over forty and still has no children, so he goes to Miaofeng Mountain every month to burn incense."

"Can we know in advance which day he goes?"

"Basically, it's either the second or the twenty-eighth of every month."

"Fine, don't worry about this matter." He Yuzhu said in a deep voice, "I came today for another matter."

"Tell me specifically!"

"There's a brat in our courtyard who does grave robbing and has a Jade Wall in his hands. I want to get my hands on it!"

"With your skills, why not just make it disappear? Why make such a big fuss?" Liu Rusi leaned against the desk, exhaling a wisp of smoke.

"I had thought of that, but the brat was at my place, crying and howling, which made me a bit soft-hearted. He wants to save his Siqiang, which should be true. The brat's father just died recently; if his Siqiang dies too, I feel a bit..."

"I find you to be a strange one. You wouldn't blink an eye at killing 200 strangers, yet you're quite soft-hearted toward those around you!" Liu Rusi said with a smile.

He Yuzhu smiled.

"Tell me, how do you want me to act?"

"Wear your most expensive clothes, put on a queenly air..."

"Fine." Liu Rusi exhaled the last puff of smoke and gently crushed the cigarette butt.

The next day, Quanjude.

He Yuzhu had arrived early; he had booked a private room in advance.

When he came out of the restaurant, he found Xu Damao stomping his feet at the entrance.

"Let's wait at the entrance to show some sincerity!" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

Before long, a black Ford sedan pulled up in front of the two.

He Yuzhu hurried forward to open the car door.

A figure slowly stepped out—her features were as if painted, with almond eyes and a high nose, her skin so white it was almost transparent. She wore a snow-fox fur coat and a fur hat, her presence powerful, followed by a maid and two Bodyguards.

When Xu Damao looked at this woman, he immediately believed that this woman could save his Siqiang and that He Yuzhu had been lying to him!

He Yuzhu diligently rolled up a piece of duck and handed it to Liu Rusi: "Sister, I invited you here today to ask for a favor..."

Before He Yuzhu could finish his introduction, Liu Rusi said coldly: "Even Jin Hai might not dare to release someone the Kong Family wants dead. Unless we break him out of prison!"

"Break... break him out of prison?" Xu Damao was scared out of his wits; the teacup in his hand fell onto the table with a "clatter."

"What are you panicking for! It's not like I'm asking you to break him out!" He Yuzhu scolded in a low voice.

Liu Rusi's gaze only then fell upon Xu Damao, scanning him over with a hint of impatience: "What bargaining chip do you have for me to help?"

Xu Damao hurriedly handed the Jade Wall to Liu Rusi.

Liu Rusi picked it up with two fingers, held it to the light, and after just a glance, placed it back on the table.

"The jade is alright," she picked up a handkerchief to wipe her hands, then slowly stood up, her gaze looking down from above: "But this isn't enough. To save your Siqiang, I might have to sacrifice a few of my brothers!"

"But, sister, this Xu Damao is my friend!" He Yuzhu said ingratiatingly.

A trace of an extremely cold smile curled at the corners of her mouth, and she said with reproach: "Zhuzi, since when did you start finding this kind of reckless trouble for me?" After she finished speaking, she did not even glance at the ashen-faced Xu Damao again, turned around, and left.

"Sister! Sister, don't be angry! Listen to me..." He Yuzhu hurriedly chased after her.

The private room door slammed shut with a "bang."

Xu Damao froze on the spot; hope was completely crushed at that moment.

One minute later, He Yuzhu ran back, panting, and said: "I tried to persuade her with all sorts of arguments, and my sister finally agreed. You give her that Jade Bi, and add three thousand Big Ocean, is that okay? If not, then forget it!"