Heavenly Dragon Doctor Son-in-Law-Chapter 145 - 146: The Li Family Is Going Bankrupt!
"You must not tell anyone about this."
Even as Qin Long painstakingly explained, Tang Xuewu was still suspicious that his illness had relapsed. Qin Long sighed again and again. When had he ever had to explain himself so many times to someone? He never imagined that after laying all his cards on the table, Tang Xuewu simply wouldn’t believe him.
"You’re still spouting nonsense!" she snapped. "Be careful, or I’ll beat you up! How do you resemble him at all? He stands tall and proud, with a powerful, commanding aura! You just look like a greasy, middle-aged slob. Are you trying to fool me like I’m a three-year-old?"
Tang Xuewu crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at Qin Long.
"It’s quite normal," Qin Long said with a sigh, continuing his analysis. "Back then, I was charging across battlefields. Now, I’m being carefully looked after by you. It’s only natural that I’ve gotten out of shape."
I, the Heavenly Dragon, have never had to explain myself to anyone... except Tang Xuewu.
"But he doesn’t use a cane, and you... you need one to walk..."
Before Tang Xuewu could argue further, she clamped her mouth shut. After all, this was Qin Long’s source of pain, and she didn’t want to hurt his pride.
"For so many years, all the specialists said you had a bone disease in your leg when you were young, and that’s why you haven’t been able to walk normally ever since," Tang Xuewu couldn’t help but voice her thoughts.
"What damn experts? They’re all frauds! I was ambushed by my own senior brother after a great battle," Qin Long said, an endless killing intent erupting from his gaze. "The day I fully recover will be the day he dies."
Yet Tang Xuewu still didn’t believe him, convinced he was lying.
"Qin Long, how dare you keep making things up?" she said, looking as if she had seen right through him. "Rourou said her idol is like a god; even his name is a taboo. Were you just a cook under his command back then? Is that why you destroyed Tiantian’s phone? To protect your commander’s secret?"
Besides, if Qin Long truly held such a high status, how could he have ended up in this state?
At this point, Qin Long gave up explaining. It was clear Tang Xuewu wouldn’t believe a word he said.
"Xuewu," Qin Long said, looking at her with utmost seriousness, "isn’t your good friend Rourou about to return to River City?"
"Yes!" Although still suspicious, Tang Xuewu explained, "Rourou said the military has become a mess of factions obsessed with infighting. It’s not what it used to be. She submitted a transfer request, and she’ll come back as soon as it’s approved."
Qin Long sighed helplessly. "She’ll tell you the truth when she gets here."
The statement was heavy with meaning, leaving Tang Xuewu completely bewildered. After all, she couldn’t imagine how Qin Long could possibly know Lin Yanrou.
"In that case, you should get some rest." Tang Xuewu helped settle Qin Long comfortably before hurrying away.
He had wanted Lin Yanrou to prove his identity as the Heavenly Dragon, but he restrained the impulse.
Perhaps by then, I’ll have already found the Snow Heart Grass and recovered my full strength. At that point, I will once again be the Heavenly Dragon who looks down upon the world. There will be no need to explain anything. When the three-hundred-thousand-strong Dragon Guard Army personally arrives in River City, the truth will be revealed to everyone.
「The next day.」
In a private room of a high-end hotel in River City.
Bai He was smoking off to the side, feeling extremely frustrated. He had never suffered such humiliation and was determined to get revenge on Qin Long.
"Hey, you guys, tell me, how did that idiot manage to walk out of Yan Hong’s Galaxy?" he vented. "I figured he’d lose at least half his life. My plan was to wait until then to step in, drive him away, and snatch Tang Xuewu. Who would have thought the bastard would walk away completely unscathed?"
Bai He was completely baffled.
"Bro Bai, Li Min said Qin Long must have begged like a dog to get away," one of Bai He’s bootlickers chimed in disdainfully. "Why else would he have sent Tang Xuewu and Jiang Tiantian away? It had to be so he could kowtow and beg Yan Hong for mercy, right?"
Hearing this, Bai He was immediately convinced. After all, he couldn’t believe a cripple like Qin Long could scare Yan Hong to the point of nearly kneeling. Desperately begging to be let go was the only logical explanation.
"Damn it! So the guy’s just a great actor. And here I was, thinking he actually had some skills," Bai He spat, taking a long drag from his cigar and slowly blowing out a smoke ring. "The moment we left, the cripple must have groveled on the floor like a dog."
"Yeah, and he had the gall to brag about making the Li Family go bankrupt in seventy-two hours," another bootlicker added, growing more animated. "What a joke."
"Speaking of which, why hasn’t Li Min shown up yet?" Bai He asked impatiently.
"Don’t worry, Bro Bai! She’s your biggest fan. She’ll definitely be here!"
"That’s right, Li Min is usually the first one here to wait on Bro Bai. Today is a little strange," one of the cronies noted. "For her to be this late... maybe her ’time of the month’ is here, so it’s inconvenient?"
The other bootlickers snickered at the crude joke.
Just then, Bai He’s phone rang. RING, RING... It was Li Min.
"Min, what’s going on?" Bai He demanded coldly into the phone. "The guys are waiting for you to dance for us."
"Bro Bai, I... I might not be able to come anymore," Li Min replied, her voice filled with despair.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bai He exploded in a furious roar.
"Our Li Family is having problems with our loans," she sobbed. "The banks are all calling in our debts, saying they’ll seize all of the Li Family’s assets if we can’t repay everything within three days. The agreement we signed was supposed to allow us a five-year extension on the repayment. I don’t know why they’ve suddenly changed their minds..."
Li Min was utterly dejected. The banks they worked with were long-term partners they had done business with for over a decade, and their relationship had always been friendly. An occasional late payment from the Li Family had never been an issue before. But overnight, every bank and investor had completely changed their tune. They had been calling her grandfather non-stop, and he seemed to have aged more than ten years in a single night. Now, they didn’t even dare to leave the house, as debt collectors were blocking their door.
The new funds had already been invested in development projects and couldn’t be pulled back. Unless the Li Family was prepared for bankruptcy and liquidation, they would face massive penalties for breach of contract.
Just when they were at their wit’s end, they were shocked when people from the city’s Supervisory Office showed up.
"We received an anonymous tip that the Li Family has been using substandard materials, showing a complete disregard for customer health," the official announced. "As of now, all Li Family assets are frozen and all projects are halted. You may not resume until our inspection clears you."
The official who arrived was Zhou Hongying, and her presence shocked Li Min and her grandfather, Li Wanhai, into stunned silence. When they saw the photos that were clearly of shoddy materials in their own factory, they lost all hope.
"You have seventy-two hours to vacate the villa."
Zhou Hongying immediately sent people to seal the Li Family’s factory and posted guards at their villa.
Once the projects were halted, the Li Family would face massive contractual penalties. Forget repaying the loans—even their villa would have to be mortgaged. On top of all that, they now faced a thorough government inspection.
Li Min couldn’t even leave her house, which was why she hadn’t gone to meet Bai He.
Hearing all this, Bai He’s face filled with utter shock.
