Blinded chapter 36

Chang Xin saw Huo Zhaoning and his group appear, and said to Chang Guanshan, “I’ll go check it out first.” So, he took two people with him and walked towards Huo Zhaoning.

Xie Li whispered to Chang Xiaojia, “Dai Hao has been released from prison.”

Chang Xiaojia responded with a casual “Hmm,” showing little interest in the news.

Xie Li saw Dai Hao whispering something to Huo Zhaoning. Huo Zhaoning looked in their direction, but quickly shifted his gaze back to Chang Xin as he approached, smiling at him.

Chang Xiaojia pulled Xie Li’s sleeve, “Xie Li, I don’t want to stay here.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Li looked towards the second floor and said to Chang Xiaojia, “let’s go upstairs, there’s no one up there.”

Chang Xiaojia nodded.

With everyone’s attention drawn to Huo Zhaoning’s group, no one paid attention to Chang Xiaojia and Xie Li as they walked towards a corner and climbed the stairs to the second floor platform. The staircase was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Xie Li walked ahead, extending his hand behind him towards Chang Xiaojia.

Chang Xiaojia quickly grasped his hand, and they ascended the stairs together.

The tables on the second floor were still all empty. At this moment, there was no one, and the platform faced the stage on the first floor. The two sat in a position close to the edge, providing a clear view of the entire first floor.

Chang Xin led Huo Zhaoning to Chang Guanshan. Chang Guanshan was very polite to Huo Zhaoning, who reciprocated with respectful gestures. Xie Li couldn’t hear their conversation, but they seemed to get along well, contrary to the rumored rivalry between the two major factions.

Dai Hao stood beside Huo Zhaoning, scanning the surroundings. He located Xie Li and Chang Xiaojia on the edge of the second-floor platform. He raised his hand, making a throat-slitting gesture towards Xie Li.

Xie Li had no reaction, but suddenly, Chang Xiaojia stood up, walked to the railing, lifted one foot, stomped down, and then made a twisting motion with his fingers, imitating the sound of bones breaking, saying, “Crack!”

Dai Hao’s eyes instantly sprayed out sparks of anger.

Xie Li pulled the grinning Chang Xiaojia back and said, “Why bother with him?”

Chang Xiaojia smiled and said, “I’m just having fun.”

As they chatted, the guest of honor finally arrived fashionably late at the birthday banquet. When Du Shenglian entered the banquet hall, he was accompanied by seven or eight people, including Wu Can. Walking beside him, holding his arm, was a beautiful young woman, none other than Ruan Qiuyuan, whom Xie Li and Chang Xiaojia had encountered at He Tang last time.

Upon seeing Ruan Qiuyuan, Xie Li slightly furrowed his brow. He stood up from the table, leaned on the railing, and looked down.

Ruan Qiuyuan was wearing a tight cheongsam, draped in brown-gray fur on her shoulders, with long curls falling down. She immediately attracted the attention of many men.

Xie Li overheard discussions from the table below, saying that Ruan Qiuyuan was Du Shenglian’s new adopted daughter, but in reality, just another mistress.

Someone with a vulgar tone asked, “At his age, can Du Shenglian still perform?”

Others laughed without saying a word.

Suddenly, Xie Li’s line of sight was blocked by someone’s hand. He felt a soft palm almost touching his eyelashes, completely obscuring everything in front of him.

When he grabbed the hand and pulled it down, he heard Chang Xiaojia’s cold voice in his ear, “If you look at her again, I’ll find someone to kill her.”

Turning around to face Chang Xiaojia, he pulled down the hand covering his eyes, saying, “I’m looking at Du Shenglian and Wu Can.”

Chang Xiaojia’s lips tightened into an unhappy straight line.

Xie Li saw that everyone was looking towards Du Shenglian, and no one would notice them. He held Chang Xiaojia’s hand, gave it a kiss, and only then did Chang Xiaojia’s expression ease a bit.

At this moment, Xie Li saw Chang Guanshan leading his wife and eldest son towards Du Shenglian. Although they hadn’t seen Ye Xinzhi until now, she was now elegantly accompanying Chang Guanshan, holding onto his arm. Naturally, their eldest son, Chang Xin, followed behind them.

Chang Guanshan warmly shook hands with Du Shenglian, exchanging pleasantries. After his wife and son also offered their blessings to Du Shenglian, Chang Guanshan began to look around. He spotted Chang Xiaojia on the second floor and gestured for him to come down.

Despite his reluctance, Chang Xiaojia led Xie Li down to where Chang Guanshan was.

Du Shenglian still remembered the previous offense from Chang Xiaojia. In a sarcastic tone, he said, “Oh, isn’t Young Master Chang quite audacious!”

Chang Guanshan smiled and said, “The child doesn’t understand. Old Du, don’t bother with him.” Then he turned to Chang Xiaojia and said, “Why don’t you wish Mr. Du a long and healthy life?”

Chang Xiaojia softly voiced, “I wish you a long and healthy life.”

Du Shenglian sneered, “I’m useless now that I’m old. I can’t stand for long; please help me to sit down.”

Ruan Qiuyuan assisted Du Shenglian and walked inside. Due to the crowded space, people in front had to make way, creating a path for them.

Xie Li pulled Chang Xiaojia’s arm to the side. As Ruan Qiuyuan passed by, she suddenly lightly bumped into him with the back of her hand. The touch was too obvious, and Xie Li knew it was intentional.

After Du Shenglian left to sit at the main table near the stage, Chang Guanshan said to Chang Xiaojia, “Don’t wander around.”

Chang Xiaojia responded, “Okay.”

During the banquet, Xie Li didn’t sit at the same table as Chang Xiaojia.

He sat next to Shi Hongqian. Shortly after sitting down, he noticed Ruan Qiuyuan also taking a seat at their table, right next to Shi Hongqian.

Later, taking advantage of a toasting moment, Ruan Qiuyuan handed a note to Xie Li.

Xie Li didn’t open the crumpled note until he went to the restroom, locking himself in a cubicle. He read the room number written on it.

He took a deep breath and threw the crumpled note into the toilet, flushing it away. When he returned to the banquet hall, he saw that it was still lively inside. Chang Xiaojia was sitting next to Chang Guanshan, engaged in a conversation with Huo Zhaoning. Whatever Huo Zhaoning said, Chang Xiaojia was listening attentively.

Xie Li didn’t see Ruan Qiuyuan in her original seat.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then turned and walked towards the elevator.

Although the note only had a room number, Xie Li knew Ruan Qiuyuan must be referring to this hotel. He took the elevator to the ninth floor, found room 908 along the corridor, and pressed the doorbell.

Soon, Ruan Qiuyuan opened the door from the inside and let him in, then closed the door.

This was a suite in the hotel, with a living room and a bedroom. The room was filled with traces of daily life. Two dresses were casually thrown over the back of a sofa, suggesting that Ruan Qiuyuan had been living here for a while.

Xie Li remained silent since entering.

Ruan Qiuyuan spoke first, “I’ve been living in this room for a long time. There’s no eavesdropping or surveillance here, so you can relax.”

Xie Li turned to look at her, his expression revealing anger, and said, “Have you lost your mind?”

Ruan Qiuyuan was still wearing the cheongsam, but now with a woolen coat instead of a fur stole. Facing Xie Li while leaning against the sofa, she asked, “What do you mean by ‘lost my mind’? Why did you come to the harbor? Wasn’t it for the information disclosure operation?”

Xie Li said, “But you’re a woman!”

Ruan Qiuyuan asked, “Since when did the police force have gender discrimination?”

Through gritted teeth, Xie Li said, “You understand what I mean! How much are you willing to sacrifice as an undercover? What if something happens to you? Is it worth it?”

With her arms crossed in front of her chest, Ruan Qiuyuan suddenly asked, “is Haiman worth it?”

Xie Li fell silent. After a while, he slowly sat down on the sofa beside her, raised his hand to cover his face, and then spoke in a hoarse voice, “You’re here for Haiman. But have you thought about how sad she would be with you risking your life like this?”

Ruan Qiuyuan turned to face Xie Li. “Haiman sacrificed herself to investigate the Chang family. We can’t let her sacrifice be in vain. Don’t you understand, Xie Li?”

Xie Li lifted his face, saying, “I understand.”

The room fell silent for a while, and Xie Li’s emotions also calmed down. He looked up at Ruan Qiuyuan and said, “Calling me here like this is too risky. Aren’t you afraid Du Shenglian will come after you?”

Ruan Qiuyuan sat on the single sofa diagonally across from him. “Du Shenglian won’t come after me at this time. Besides, if I’m alone in a room with any man, it won’t arouse suspicion of the mission. People will only think we’re having an affair.”

Xie Li was slightly stunned, suddenly feeling another kind of tension. He raised his head and subconsciously looked towards the direction of the door.

Ruan Qiuyuan lit a cigarette and asked, “Why are you nervous?”

Shaking his head, Xie Li looked at Ruan Qiuyuan and said, “You didn’t smoke before.”

Ruan Qiuyuan tucked the long hair falling beside her cheek behind her ear. “Sometimes the pressure is too much, and smoking helps relieve stress.”

Xie Li completely understood Ruan Qiuyuan’s state. He often relied on smoking to relieve stress as well, and he used not to smoke before.

Ruan Qiuyuan said, “I called you here because there’s something I want to tell you.”

Xie Li looked at her.

Taking a puff of smoke, Ruan Qiuyuan said, “Wu Can is instigating Du Shenglian to eliminate Chang Guanshan and his son, Chang Xin.”

Xie Li frowned.

Ruan Qiuyuan continued, “You know that the so-called Hongfang’s industry is essentially equivalent to the Chang family’s industry. Chang Guanshan and his son use the influence of Hongfang to do business, but most of the money still goes into their own pockets. Wu Can has long harbored resentment and wants to take the opportunity to eliminate Chang Guanshan, letting Du Shenglian take over the position of the helm in Hongfang.”

Xie Li said in a somewhat anxious tone, “This doesn’t make sense for us.”

They needed to eradicate the entire Hongfang syndicate, not just Chang Guanshan. If Chang Guanshan died, Hongfang might gradually decline, but it wouldn’t collapse. The harm to society would still be there, and their mission wouldn’t be completed.

Ruan Qiuyuan nodded. “That’s why I’m telling you. I hope you can find a way to stop them and, at the same time, gain Chang Guanshan’s trust.”

Xie Li clasped his hands against his lips. “Do you know their plan?”

Ruan Qiuyuan said, “I don’t know the specific plan yet, but I know they are looking for someone named Han Yue. So I checked this Han Yue; he is from the previous generation of Hongfang, even before Chang Guanshan. Do you know who Han Yue is?”

Xie Li wasn’t originally from Harbor City, so he wasn’t familiar with Hongfang’s history. Before taking on the task, he only familiarized himself with the current leaders of Hongfang. Therefore, he looked at Ruan Qiuyuan somewhat puzzled, not understanding why she asked this question.

Ruan Qiuyuan said to him, “Han Yue is Chang Guanshan’s father-in-law, the father of Chang Guanshan’s deceased wife, and Chang Xiaojia’s grandfather.”

Xie Li’s expression turned grave, and after a while, he asked, “Is Han Yue no longer alive? How did he die?”

Ruan Qiuyuan said, “He died of illness.”

Just then, Xie Li’s phone suddenly rang. As soon as he answered, he heard Shi Hongqian’s voice coming through, “Xie Li, where are you? Young Master Jia is looking for you, and he’s angry.”

Xie Li said, “I came out for a smoke. I’ll be back soon. Ask him to wait for me in the banquet hall.”

Shi Hongqian said, “He has already gone out to look for you.”

As soon as the call ended, Xie Li heard a vigorous knocking on the door.

Ruan Qiuyuan exchanged a glance with him, raised her hand to take off her woolen coat, and at the same time, she said to Xie Li, “Take off your clothes!”

Xie Li clenched his lips, exerted force, but said, “No.”