When Xie Zilu was on the way, whether it was due to his threats or not, Tai Yuan indeed dared not touch Lin Lan again.
He spat on the ground, cursing under his breath, “I can’t believe you, you little bastard. You could actually hold Xie Zilu in check. No wonder you used to run to the esports club every day. When did you start with him? You dare seduce someone like him. Aren’t you afraid of death? If you’re not afraid of death, why did you try to commit suicide before? Or were you deliberately acting for us to see? Damn it, you little bastard, I underestimated you. I really thought you failed at suicide, but your damn acting skills are really something…”
It was clear that Tai Yuan really wanted to beat him up. But remembering Xie Zilu’s words, he didn’t dare. So he could only curse to let off steam.
His curses left Tai Zhen feeling overwhelmed. The ground littered with his cigarette butts, one after another, never-ending. “Aren’t you annoyed? Be quiet for a while.”
Tai Yuan was quite vicious. But in front of Tai Zhen, he always lost his temper. He sat down next to him and lit a cigarette for him.
The effects of the anesthesia on Lin Lan had almost worn off, and the pain and cold in his abdomen were particularly noticeable. Shivering from the cold, he couldn’t bear it anymore and looked at the two brothers, “Can you give me some clothes? I’m freezing to death here. How are you going to negotiate with Xie Zilu when he comes?”
Tai Yuan was taken aback for a moment. He really didn’t expect Lin Lan to be so bold, daring to ask him for clothes.
He was about to lose his temper and teach him a lesson when Tai Zhen, beside him, impatiently said, “Give him your clothes.”
Tai Yuan indeed followed his brother’s words, standing up to take off his clothes and give them to Lin Lan. He glared at him fiercely, lowering his voice, “What are you being so arrogant for? Do you really think I won’t dare to touch you just because you’re somewhat famous?”
As he spoke, he grabbed Lin Lan’s face, as if he wanted to gouge out his eyeballs and make him look at him. How dare this bastard, who had been bullied by them, look at him with such eyes?
Just as he grabbed Lin Lan, Tai Zhen fiercely threw the cigarette butt in his hand towards Tai Yuan’s face. “You can’t go a single day without causing trouble, can you?”
A hint of anger flashed in Tai Yuan’s eyes, but he forcefully suppressed it, lowering his head and speaking in a deep voice, “Brother, don’t you think you’ve changed a lot since you met Jiang Xi?”
Tai Zhen paused for a moment, his first reaction being to curse at him, “If I were still a minor, I wouldn’t have let you get away with it.”
Lin Lan’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them, keenly sensing that the gap between these brothers, as Jiang Xi had said, had actually existed for a long time.
He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, “Tai Zhen, do you know that your brother impersonated you and deceived Jiang Xi into a life-threatening situation?”
Tai Yuan froze, then like a raging beast, he lunged forward and punched Lin Lan, “What the hell are you talking about!”
The punch made Lin Lan’s teeth ache, and he tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. His ears were ringing from the impact.
He heard the two brothers arguing loudly over this matter, Tai Zhen slapped Tai Yuan and then kicked him several times. Lin Lan watched them coldly, observing their petty squabble.
In the end, the two brothers got tired of arguing. After all, they were blood brothers and didn’t want to harm each other.
But Lin Lan was different. Tai Yuan, with his bruised face, looked at Lin Lan with a face full of hostility, as if telling him: “Just you wait.”
Lin Lan had always believed that children wouldn’t harbor pure evil. But after meeting these two brothers, he realized that some people were born with it.
After what seemed like a long wait, footsteps sounded from outside. Sure enough, Xie Zilu had arrived.
He didn’t bring anyone with him. The car couldn’t drive in, so he walked over to them openly.
He still liked wearing loose suits, with a face full of rogue charm, rebellious and untamed. No matter how good the clothes were, they only exuded a thug-like style when worn by him.
Tai Yuan and Tai Zhen both stood up simultaneously. Back in school, not a single person dared to challenge Xie Zilu like this; this was the first time.
Xie Zilu was tall and thin, a bit tanned from his three months abroad, and even leaner. In the elongated light, he seemed like a cold blade, sharp and intimidating from every angle.
He didn’t even glance at Lin Lan, just smiled at the two brothers. “I’m here. How do you want to negotiate with me?”
People familiar with Xie Zilu knew that the more he smiled, the more ferocious he was. Tai Yuan looked a bit hesitant and glanced at his brother before finally mustering up the courage to speak, putting on a fake smile. “Xie, you know I don’t want to offend you. I just want to get back my video. I hope you’ll let me off the hook. In return, I’ll give you back your video. I promise no one else will know.”
Xie Zilu smiled back. “Okay. First, release Lin Lan, and let me see your sincerity.”
Tai Yuan hesitated, unsure of Xie Zilu’s temper, not wanting to offend him, yet also reluctant to release Lin Lan.
Seeing his inaction, Xie Zilu chuckled again, trying to appear calm. “Tai Yuan, you don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you either. Let’s be honest, in a trade like this, neither of us will actually hand over the video. We’ll both keep backups as insurance. If either of us leaks it, we both go down.”
Tai Yuan knew this too. But compared to Xie Zilu, he was the weaker party. Holding Xie Zilu’s leverage, he couldn’t expect to walk away from this comfortably. So from the beginning, he never intended for Xie Zilu to leave here alive.
Tai Yuan chuckled, picking up a dagger from the ground. “Alright, since Xie is saying that, I’ll show some sincerity too.”
He seemed to be walking towards Lin Lan, but in reality, he was watching Xie Zilu from the corner of his eye. The moment Xie Zilu lowered his head to light a cigarette, Tai Yuan suddenly lunged at him with a murderous intent. “Die!”
Lin Lan immediately noticed something was amiss and shouted, “Be careful!”
Xie Zilu lifted his head, narrowly avoiding the knife in front of him. He kicked Tai Yuan while at it, and at the same time, Tai Zhen also joined in. The two brothers easily subdued Xie Zilu.
Lin Lan’s heart nearly stopped. He saw several oil drums placed in the factory and instantly understood what Tai Yuan intended to do.
Tai Yuan planned to lure Xie Zilu here, kill them both, and then set the place on fire, erasing all evidence. Lin Lan’s refusal of Xie Zilu in front of so many people three months ago could easily be classified as a crime of passion. Moreover, with Xie Zilu’s mental illness, the media wouldn’t find it strange if he committed such an act.
By getting rid of Xie Zilu, they also created an accident for themselves, making it seem like they inherited the Tai family’s business naturally.
What a terrifying scheme…
Lin Lan panicked. He didn’t want to die here. “Xie Zilu! Hang on!”
He struggled to loosen the rope around his wrist, finally managing to free himself. He grabbed the rope and reached for the broken pieces of iron on the ground.
Xie Zilu was no match for the two brothers at all. His head was pressed to the ground, and Tai Zhen used a cloth soaked with drugs to cover his face.
Even if he could hold his breath and not breathe, how long could he hold on?
At most, just one minute!
It’s over, it’s really over. He’s going to die here today…
Lin Lan exerted all his strength to grab the iron pieces on the ground, clutching them in his hand, and desperately rubbing the rope around his wrist.
Tai Yuan thought victory was assured, his eyes filled with contempt. He reached for the knife lying on the ground, swaying as he stood up. “Xie Zilu, since you’ve seen the video of me killing someone, you should know better than to provoke me. It’s you who insisted on opposing me, forcing me into a corner… It’s you who pushed me too far!”
He ruthlessly stabbed Xie Zilu’s arm, blood gushing out instantly. He vented his anger recklessly, releasing all the resentment he had harbored for years.
“Hahaha, Xie Zilu, what noble bloodline do you think you have? Looking down on us brothers, what kind of mutt are you? My brother and I have already seen that video long ago. Your mom is in cahoots with the school board. She was seduced by Jiang Xi, recorded by her, and you’re so anxious. You’re not your dad’s son, are you? I checked, and there’s no history of alcohol allergy in your dad’s family tree, but that board member has it. You’re just a mutt born out of wedlock by your mom…”
“What noble lineage are you boasting about?”
Tai Yuan slapped Xie Zilu as he spoke. Xie Zilu, pinned down by them, suddenly quieted down. It wasn’t clear if the drugs were taking effect, but his eyes were devoid of any light.
Lin Lan’s heart almost stopped.
So this was the content of that video, this was Xie Zilu’s secret!
No wonder Jiang Xi wouldn’t dare to mention it, no wonder Tai Yuan was so frantic. With Xie Zilu’s character, he would really kill anyone who knew about this!
Lin Lan’s heart clenched with pain again. Watching Xie Zilu gradually become motionless, he felt a sense of despair. If Xie Zilu really died here, there was no way he would survive…
Why do villains’ schemes always seem to succeed?
Why, even in a different world, knowing the true culprit, does it still end in the same result?
Just when Lin Lan thought he and Xie Zilu were doomed, suddenly Tai Yuan screamed in agony. His chin was punched, splitting open, blood pouring out.
Then Tai Zhen was also punched, hitting his brow bone, almost falling to the ground on the spot.
Lin Lan saw Xie Zilu standing up. He seemed to be smiling, his shoulders shaking with laughter. But apart from that, there was no other emotion visible. There was a kind of darkness in his eyes, devouring everything.
The wound on his arm kept bleeding. Xie Zilu looked like an enraged beast, his eye sockets terrifyingly red.
Lin Lan saw the shadow of the clown on him as if it were another personality hidden within Xie Zilu’s body.
Xie Zilu slowly rolled up his sleeve, looking at Tai Yuan, who was trying to get up. His gaze was colder than ice as if he were looking at a dead man, then he raised his foot and kicked him hard in the face.
Lin Lan’s heart also skipped a beat. He couldn’t see clearly, but he could feel how brutal that kick was because after being hit, Tai Yuan made no sound.
Tai Zhen, who was almost fainting from the blow, struggled to get up. Before he could get close to Xie Zilu, he was hit hard again by Xie Zilu, this time completely falling to the ground unable to get up.
What kind of force could knock someone out with just one punch? Lin Lan didn’t know, but he knew that Xie Zilu’s danger level was off the charts right now.
Tai Yuan and his brother unleashed Xie Zilu’s deepest malice, which was akin to a sense of impending doom, like the end of the world.
