Chapter 65: Bastard?

Staring at the pistol before him, Liu Hao dared not move a muscle.

He looked at the young man in front of him, unable to fathom whether this person was from the underworld or the legitimate world.

For the youth was astonishingly young!

By all accounts, it was more likely he belonged to the underworld.

“Young man, I don’t believe I’ve ever offended you, have I?” Liu Hao had pocketed substantial compensation funds, and to quell the resentment and unrest among the villagers, he frequently greased the palms of local thugs—people like Liang Feng, with whom Liu Hao had close ties.

“Chen Shun said the compensation hasn’t been paid in full. I’m here to resolve that,” Qin Mu replied.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hao’s face darkened; he understood Qin Mu’s purpose and lowered his head to question Chen Shun, “Chen Shun, what’s going on?!”

Such a trivial matter as compensation—after following him for more than ten years, did Chen Shun still not know how to handle it?

“Director Liu, it’s not my fault. He’s got a gun,” Chen Shun stammered, pointing at the pistol on the table, his voice trembling.

A moment ago, Wu Mu had aimed the gun at him, safety off, finger on the trigger, and now his trousers were still wet.

Liu Hao sensed something was amiss. Though he couldn’t discern Qin Mu’s true origins, he steadied himself and sat back down.

“Ahem, we’re the Demolition Office, responsible for the demolition and rebuilding of several nearby villages. The compensation actually isn’t our department’s concern. You should talk to the Economic Bureau—they might handle this matter.”

“Now, take your things and leave. Don’t interfere with my work.” Liu Hao resumed his usual demeanor, expertly passing the buck.

“Who’s in charge of this area?” Qin Mu didn’t bother responding to Liu Hao, instead asking directly.

“In terms of real estate, it’s managed by the Chu family,” Wu Mu answered.

“If you know the Chu family’s name, you’d better leave at once! If the Chu family gets angry, you country bumpkins won’t be able to bear the consequences!” Liu Hao, still uneasy, hurriedly invoked his powerful patron.

Qin Mu shook his head and said, “Tell Chu Shanhe to come here and see me.”

At these words, everyone present was stunned.

In the real estate world, who didn’t know Chu Shanhe?

He was the head of the Chu family!

Yet the man before them had dared to demand that Chu Shanhe, the patriarch of the Chu family, come here to see him!

Beside him, Wu Mu picked up his phone and stepped aside, apparently preparing to contact Chu Shanhe.

Liu Hao, incredulous, quickly summoned all his security guards.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu calmly pulled out a chair in front of the desk and sat down, as if quietly waiting for Chu Shanhe’s arrival.

Security guards from downstairs rushed up, surrounding the office in a tense standoff.

Seeing that his forces were in place, Liu Hao spread his hands and addressed Qin Mu, “Stop making a scene. President Chu is downtown in Jiangcheng; even if he were to come, it’d take four or five hours by car. If you insist on waiting here, I won’t entertain you any longer!”

As he finished, the security guards advanced, weapons in hand.

But Qin Mu remained unmoved, sitting serenely as if meditating.

Faced with his demeanor and the intimidating presence of Wu Mu at his side, the guards hesitated to act.

Liu Hao could only sit and wait, curious to see what tricks Qin Mu might have.

After about half an hour, a commotion suddenly arose from the top of the office building.

The buzzing grew louder.

Some quick-witted people shouted, “Is that a helicopter?”

Everyone rushed to the window, Liu Hao included.

Sure enough, outside on the open ground, a sleek private helicopter was descending.

“Isn’t that President Chu’s helicopter?” someone exclaimed, their voice trembling.

Liu Hao froze, leaning back in his chair.

Could it be that President Chu had really come?

Within half a minute, a group of people hurriedly entered the building, heading straight for Liu Hao’s office.

“President Chu!”

“President Chu!”

The employees of the Demolition Office gathered outside respectfully greeted the newcomers.

“President Chu!” Liu Hao, seeing the arrival, couldn’t contain himself. He stood and bowed deeply.

For a moment, everyone whispered among themselves, astonished that such a high and mighty figure—the head of the Chu family, one of the three pillars of the Jiang Alliance—had personally arrived.

And to expedite the journey, he’d come by private helicopter.

Liu Hao’s face turned pale, glancing repeatedly at Chu Shanhe.

But Chu Shanhe, exhausted and drenched in sweat, stood outside the door, not entering.

“This…” Liu Hao, seasoned from years in the business, understood perfectly well what this meant.

Clearly, he had not yet received someone’s permission to enter.

A few minutes later, Qin Mu, who had been sitting with eyes closed, finally opened them and said calmly, “Come in.”

At these words, Liu Hao could no longer maintain his composure. His legs trembled, and if not for his hands gripping the desk, he would have collapsed beneath it.

Beside him, Zhang Shun’s face was ghostly pale as he hurried to hide among the crowd.

Today, just who had he provoked?

“I hear this area is under your control?” Qin Mu asked in a cold tone.

“Yes, more or less.” Chu Shanhe’s face was strained; Wu Mu’s earlier phone call had been brief, only instructing him to appear.

Forced by Qin Mu’s intimidating presence, he had rushed over.

“I want a definite answer.” Qin Mu raised a finger, issuing a command.

“…Yes, this area is under my jurisdiction,” Chu Shanhe replied meekly.

With that admission, the security guards dared not advance a single step further.