Homo Sapiens

Wu Heguang had calmed down by now.

He stared defiantly into Li Qingye's eyes. "You think I'll yield to your threats? Just hand over my life's work? You might as well just kill me. Wouldn't that be better?"

Sitting in the chair by the hospital bed, Li Qingye took off his glasses. He slowly began wiping the lenses, his voice utterly placid as he spoke:

"Uncle Wu! You have no idea what kind of power I wield. Sometimes, violence isn't necessary. How about I let you watch a little show?"

Wu Heguang remained silent, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to get away.

Just then, Sangjibada Laiyal, who was standing by the door, heard a knock. She opened it, and three figures walked in.

'Xinlan!' Wu Heguang's expression shifted.

At first, Wu Xinlan didn't notice Li Qingye sitting off to the side. The moment her eyes landed on him, she blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

"Xinlan, it's been a while."

"Xinlan, run!" Wu Heguang yelled frantically.

But it was too late. The door had already been shut.

The attendants on either side of her instantly grabbed her arms, forced her down into a chair, and clamped special manacles on her wrists and ankles. They then took her phone and all her electronic devices.

"What are you doing? Qingye, you…" Wu Xinlan was terrified.

Wu Heguang's fists clenched. "Li Qingye, if you want revenge, come for me. Don't hurt Xinlan."

"Uncle Wu! I never thought you had it in you to show genuine emotion!" Li Qingye feigned a look of amazement, as if he'd just witnessed something incredible.

PANT… PANT… Wu Heguang's breathing grew ragged again, but an internal force once more suppressed his agitation. This time, even he could feel that something was deeply wrong with his body.

Li Qingye paid Wu Heguang no mind, instead putting his glasses back on and walking over to Wu Xinlan.

"You know, I actually find you quite admirable. To go to Tuwah Port so resolutely, even after seeing the tragic state Yang Tianci was left in."

"What do you want? Li Qingye, you should know that a lot of people have their eyes on me and my uncle. If something happens to us at Ipoh Hospital, you'll never walk away from this clean," Wu Xinlan said in a low voice, staring into his eyes.

Li Qingye gently lifted her chin. "Such a beautiful, delicate flower. It almost makes me not have the heart to do this."

Standing to the side, Sangjibada Laiyal's gaze fell upon Wu Xinlan, and a malicious glint flashed in her eyes for a moment.

Wu Xinlan adopted a pitiful expression. "Qingye, we don't have to let it come to this. If you want revenge, you should be looking for Du Shuping and Yang Haibo. They're the real culprits. My uncle and I only learned some of the details after the fact."

"That's right, Qingye. I didn't know about that. Otherwise, I would have definitely stopped Du Shuping and Yang Haibo." Wu Heguang now wore a look of self-reproach.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP! Li Qingye applauded slowly.

"Su Ruoyu's assistant is one of your people, isn't he, Uncle Wu? Su Ruoyu himself arranged the itinerary for that day. Besides him and his assistant, no one else knew the details."

"Qingye, don't listen to these one-sided accusations. I never arranged for anyone to do such a thing," Wu Heguang explained hastily, though inwardly his mind was in turmoil.

Li Qingye turned, smiling and shaking his head. "You're right, you didn't do it. You just tipped them off. Why bother making excuses? This isn't a place where we care about hard evidence."

That's right. This wasn't a place that required hard evidence. The realization struck Wu Heguang, and his body suddenly trembled.

As if he could already foresee his own end, he finally tore off the mask he had worn for so long. His face contorted with madness and fury, and he began to roar hysterically:

"Hahaha, that's right! It was me! I arranged to have the information leaked to Yang Haibo and Du Shuping! But I did it all for the good of the company…

Why wouldn't he listen to me back then? We could have used ordinary materials, but no, he had to insist on some 'high standards,' on being some bullshit 'ethical company'…

We founded the company together, so why give stock to regular employees? Why let them have a say in management? Why didn't he ever think about us, the founders…

We could have brought in international capital and technology, but he insisted on building a 'national enterprise.' We could have taken on more bank loans, but he stubbornly lowered our debt ratio. We could have used our connections, but he'd say that to forge iron, you first have to be strong yourself…

He was so noble, so amazing, so principled! Did he ever once consider our feelings? He wouldn't even let our relatives take on outsourced contracts. None of the suppliers were our people…

Couldn't he just turn a blind eye? What's wrong with everyone getting rich together? Why did we all go into business in the first place? Wasn't it to make a fortune, to get ahead in life…

Why did his family end up shattered and dead? He brought it all on himself! Did he think you could live on ideals? Do you know how many people he offended along the way? And every single time, I was the one who had to go and clean up his mess!"

Gasping for breath, Wu Heguang's rage peaked. He threw his head back and roared at the ceiling:

"Li Zhonghua! Why were you so damn stubborn? If you had just listened to me! You were like a stone in a cesspit—hard and stinking! PANT… PANT…"

Li Qingye remained as impassive as ever. "He was indeed stubborn. And far too soft-hearted. Otherwise, I would still be a carefree researcher in Jiangcheng today."

After his outburst, Wu Heguang sagged back against the pillows, a sense of weary loss and emptiness washing over him.

"If he'd had half your ruthlessness and decisiveness, Du Shuping and Yang Haibo would never have stood a chance. Heh… Everyone underestimated you."

Li Qingye pushed his glasses up his nose. "Perhaps that's the lonely arrogance of an idealist."

"Get it over with," Wu Heguang said, closing his eyes.

But Wu Xinlan, not yet ready to die, grew frantic. "Li Qingye, you can't kill us! Not only will you fail to get Donghua Group, but you'll also be the primary suspect! Besides, do you really think Du Shuping and Yang Haibo don't know my uncle is in Xiangjiang?"

"So what?" Li Qingye replied with utter indifference. "Do you really think I take them seriously? Dealing with them is just a form of recreation for me."

Just as Wu Xinlan was sinking into utter despair.

The smile on Li Qingye's face grew even brighter, and his voice, rising and falling with a dramatic cadence, echoed softly in the room:

"Sometimes, death is a release. If I truly wanted to kill you, I have a hundred ways to make you disappear from this world. But such… physical destruction… lacks any sort of aesthetic beauty."

'Is this bastard going to torture me?' Countless thoughts flashed through Wu Xinlan's mind. 'As long as he doesn't kill me, I'll have a chance to escape someday.'

Wu Heguang was thinking along similar lines—how he could use the time Li Qingye spent tormenting them to contact Kong Zhao Lin, Yang Haibo, and Du Shuping, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

He sneered inwardly in contempt. 'Li Qingye, you're not much more ruthless or decisive than Li Zhonghua after all. The moment I escape, you will regret your decision not to kill me today.'

Li Qingye, however, could read their thoughts as if they were an open book. After all, some people never shed a tear until they're staring at the coffin.

He smiled and continued, "Uncle Wu, you must take care of yourself. You need to stay healthy enough to watch me take over Donghua Group and crush your old friends, one by one."

"…" Wu Heguang said nothing. He lay on the hospital bed, his face a stony mask, using his silence to project an air of composure.

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