Chapter 118: Without Ruthlessness, One Cannot Stand Firm

After finishing his conversation with Wu Jianguo, Li Dong hadn't yet dealt with Zhu Hongtao when trouble struck at Yuanfang.

The trouble involved Sun Tao.

That evening, Sun Tao was ambushed in the hallway when he was heading home.

By the time he was sent to the hospital, he had been diagnosed with fractures in both lower legs and two broken ribs in his chest.

When Li Dong arrived at the hospital, he saw Sun Tao lying on the bed with both legs suspended, his face dark with anger.

"Was it Zhu?" 

Sun Tao didn't speak immediately, struggling through the pain to say, "Got a cigarette? I need one."

Li Dong frowned, "You have broken ribs, better not smoke."

"It's for the pain. Just give me one."

Li Dong didn't argue further and handed him a cigarette.

Sun Tao lit it and took a puff, feeling some relief from the chest pain before saying, "Forget it. Zhu Hongtao has made his point. There's no need to escalate further."

"Are you going to just take this loss?"

Li Dong was seething with anger, not at Sun Tao but at Zhu Hongtao. He was now certain that Zhu Hongtao had been the one checking on his situation at the school, and the recent calm from Zhu was probably just a preparation to deal with him.

Zhu Hongtao probably didn't expect Li Dong to be so cautious; no one at the school knew where he lived. With Zhou Haidong and others keeping watch, Zhu Hongtao had no chance to act against Li Dong directly. Since he couldn't find Li Dong, Sun Tao became the scapegoat. Li Dong wasn't about to let this go.

Besides, he had just dealt with Wu Jianguo; letting this go would be a waste of effort.

Sun Tao sensed that Li Dong wasn't ready to drop the matter and added, "It's not certain Zhu Hongtao was behind it. It could have been someone else."

Yuanfang's rapid expansion over the past year had made many enemies, and it was possible that competitors had acted out of jealousy. However, Sun Tao was almost certain it was Zhu Hongtao. The brutal nature of the attack suggested that only someone like Zhu Hongtao, who was reckless and unscrupulous, would do something so severe.

Sun Tao didn't want to discuss this further; he felt that dealing with it might make things worse.

Li Dong remained silent and asked, "What did the police say?"

"Old community, no surveillance cameras, and it was dark. I couldn't see their faces clearly. It's unlikely they'll find out."

Li Dong cursed inwardly. Consulting Wu Jianguo would be futile. Even if Wu Jianguo knew it was Zhu Hongtao, without evidence, he wouldn't be able to help investigate.

Wu Jianguo would probably prefer not to get involved, wishing the problem would simply go away. Li Dong felt frustrated but knew that confronting Wu Jianguo would only result in a few meaningless words.

Taking a deep breath, Li Dong decided to call Wang Jia instead.

When the call connected, it was Fang Qingfei's voice on the other end.

Li Dong frowned slightly and asked, "Where's Wang Jia?"

Fang Qingfei's voice was tired. She said, "Jia Jia had an accident. She got five stitches on her head and is resting here with me."

"When did this happen?"

"Yesterday. Jia Jia was attacked on her way back to Wanyuan…"

Fang Qingfei briefly described the incident. Wang Jia had been pulled by two men wearing hooded jackets as she was leaving Wanyuan. Luckily, the security guards from Wanyuan arrived in time, and the two men fled after seeing the security footage.

Wang Jia wasn't seriously injured but had a scalp laceration that required five stitches. She was picked up by Fang Qingfei after receiving treatment at the campus hospital.

Li Dong hung up the phone and slammed his fist against the cabinet in frustration.

He knew Zhu Hongtao wouldn't let things settle down and had anticipated this. Li Dong had planned to strike first, but Zhu Hongtao acted as soon as Li Dong resolved Wu Jianguo.

The severity of Zhu Hongtao's attack suggested he wasn't just looking to give a beating but was aiming to inflict severe harm.

Li Dong was certain that if he hadn't been cautious, Zhu Hongtao might have gone as far as taking his life. Such people, willing to kill over trivial matters, were not unheard of.

Li Dong had seen examples of how ruthless people could be in forced demolitions, including incidents where people were buried alive. He had always believed the world wasn't that dark, but Zhu Hongtao's actions had proven him wrong.

Determined, Li Dong reassured Sun Tao a few times, refrained from discussing revenge, and left the hospital once Sun Tao fell asleep.

---

In the Longhua office.

Tan Yong looked at Li Dong with some unease, unsure why Li Dong had asked to see him alone.

Among their group of four, Tan Yong had not had much contact with Li Dong compared to Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long, who had been close to him recently.

Li Dong was smoking, and after a long pause, he asked, "Old Tan, do you need money?"

Tan Yong didn't understand Li Dong's intention but nodded anyway.

"You have three children. The oldest is only five, the youngest is still breastfeeding. You have a sick mother at home, and your wife is taking care of the children. Is life tough?"

"Very tough!" Tan Yong said through gritted teeth. If it weren't difficult, he wouldn't have followed Li Dong into such a risky business.

"It's good that you find it tough. Surviving these days is hard," Li Dong said, lighting another cigarette, unsure of his own actions.

After a long time, Li Dong asked, "How much would you accept to serve three years in prison?"

Tan Yong's expression changed, and he didn't speak for a while.

"Two hundred thousand?"

Tan Yong remained silent.

Li Dong wasn't in a hurry, and calmly continued, "Three hundred thousand?"

Tan Yong swallowed hard. Three hundred thousand was an amount he would take years to earn as a security guard.

"What if I add a house in Pingchuan?"

Tan Yong could no longer hold back and muttered, "What do you want me to do, Mr. Li?"

"It's simple. Disable Zhu Hongtao, make sure he'll never get out of bed for the rest of his life," Li Dong said, blowing out a smoke ring. "I've already got a reason for you. Zhu Hongtao forcefully demolished your house. In a moment of carelessness, you severely injured him."

"If he dies, it's no problem. Manslaughter usually gets three to seven years. I can arrange things so that if he dies, you'll only get four or five years at most. Of course, if he dies, I'll give you five hundred thousand!"

Li Dong's casual tone contrasted sharply with Tan Yong's growing panic.

Was he being asked to commit murder?

In the smoke-filled room, Tan Yong's nervous sweat dripped down.

After a long pause, Tan Yong finally said, "I'll do it! But I need the money and the house immediately!"

"Deal!"

In the midst of the smoke, Li Dong's expression was ever-changing.

He reassured himself that it wasn't about being ruthless; it was about self-preservation. Zhu Hongtao was too dangerous, and Li Dong was only trying to protect himself.

He thought that to run a business smoothly, one had to be ruthless; without it, no one would fear you.

After much contemplation, Li Dong felt dejected. In the end, he realized it all came down to valuing his own life. Zhu Hongtao was a lunatic, and Li Dong didn't want to risk his life against him.