Chapter 116: One Bowl of Bitter Medicine After Another

Long Yuezhi believed he had been extremely patient, waiting a full twenty seconds for an apology from Xu Jin.

Yet, she never apologized.

So, he turned and left.

He had forgotten what kind of person Xu Jin was—

Selfish, arrogant, and excessively self-confident.

One must never show her even the slightest bit of kindness.

Otherwise, she would betray you without hesitation.

As soon as he returned to his hotel, a call came in from Xu Jin’s grandparents.

Long Yuezhi rejected the call. “Tell them I’m resting.”

“Understood, Fourth Master.”

He lay down, but not even ten minutes later, Yu Er hesitantly knocked on his door.

“Fourth Master, they won’t stop calling. They insist we wake you up.”

Long Yuezhi’s eyes narrowed in the darkness. After a moment, he sat up.

“I got it. I’ll go now.”

Thus, at the Xu family elders’ earnest pleas, Long Yuezhi finally agreed not to expose what Xu Jin had done.

But that was the extent of his compromise.

He would not clean up her mess.

He was no longer the Long Yuezhi from fifteen years ago.

He was no longer a child.

Since they had chosen to collaborate with the Quan family, then let them take care of everything.

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Now, back to the coal mine meeting—what exactly had Hu Wei announced that left everyone so shocked?

It was the revelation of Li Zhong’s case.

No one had expected it.

After Hu Wei finished reading the investigation report, he added a few formal remarks:

*”Li Zhong has now been brought to justice. However, this incident serves as a wake-up call for us all.

We recognize that there have been many shortcomings in our management.

Through this event, the mine’s management team has come to understand our weaknesses.

In the coming days, we will work diligently to improve our operations, and together with our fellow workers, we will expand and strengthen our coal mine!

The shareholders have unanimously decided to upgrade the equipment as soon as possible and resume operations.

By the end of the year, everyone will receive their bonuses!”*

Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

Yet, despite the public announcement of the investigation results and the well-crafted speech, Xu Jin’s wrongdoing was never mentioned.

This, in part, was thanks to Quan Zhiwen, who managed to settle the previous accident victims in just one day.

And how did he do it?

By silencing them with money.

He ensured that every worker received the full compensation they were owed.

In fact, Quan Zhiwen even paid extra out of his own pocket, calling it a “late payment fee.”

The workers’ families, being ordinary people, had no understanding of the underlying schemes.

Quan Zhiwen casually provided a flimsy excuse to explain why the initial compensation payments had been short.

Since they were now receiving more money than originally promised, they had no reason to complain.

They happily stayed at home, counting their money with satisfaction.

Additionally, Quan Zhiwen had his people inform each family that their compensation was an individual case, unique to them.

No one else had received the same treatment, so they must not spread the word.

Each family believed they had gained an advantage and feared others finding out.

In this way, Quan Zhiwen successfully cleaned up Xu Jin’s mess—

And it only took a single day.

Meanwhile, the journalist who had fabricated reports was taken in by the authorities.

They made him personally verify the so-called thirty deceased miners he had falsely claimed existed.

Unsurprisingly, he found none.

That same day, he was detained by the police.

The series of events that had unfolded over the past few days had spread nationwide.

The mine accident, the rescue efforts, the compensation process, and the final resolution—

Whether through television broadcasts or newspaper reports, the coal mine and the government’s handling of the situation received widespread praise.

The journalists who had spread false rumors appeared on TV, bowing in apology.

They admitted they had fabricated their reports for attention and voluntarily accepted legal punishment.

With that, it seemed like the matter had come to an end.

To prevent future problems, Quan Zhiwen personally met with each coal mine manager who had knowledge of the incident.

Whether out of fear of the Quan and Xu families’ power or simply to protect their jobs, every one of them signed a confidentiality agreement.

Of course, Quan Zhiwen didn’t just use threats—there were also incentives.

And as for Wei Yun and Song Qi, Quan Zhiwen deliberated for a long time before finally deciding to approach Long Yuezhi.

Long Yuezhi simply responded with one sentence:

“Do you really think they have the time to bother with your little issue?”

Even though Quan Zhiwen was skeptical, he still followed Long Yuezhi’s advice.

Xu Jin, who had been slightly nervous at the beginning, now seemed completely indifferent.

As Quan Zhiwen busied himself running back and forth, Xu Jin felt that all his efforts were unnecessary.

“Second Brother, don’t worry. They won’t dare say anything. The only one I’m wary of is that man named Song—everyone else is irrelevant to me.”

Quan Zhiwen changed out of his outdoor clothes and sat down next to Xu Jin. Suddenly remembering he hadn’t washed his hands, he quickly got up to do so. When he returned, he cut a piece of watermelon for Xu Jin.

“Have some first. This is a new variety—juicy and sweet. In a while, it’ll be out of season.”

He then cut the watermelon into smaller pieces, placed them in a bowl, and handed her a fork.

Xu Jin accepted it while Quan Zhiwen continued, “I just want to eliminate any potential threats. What if someone still holds a grudge and spreads rumors? We can’t just deal with them one by one. Besides, we live far away, and since we want to acquire this coal mine entirely, we need to do our homework now.”

Xu Jin ate her watermelon and asked, “Has Fourth Brother agreed to sell all his shares?”

Quan Zhiwen hesitated for a moment. “He didn’t say outright, but I can tell he’s considering it.”

Xu Jin replied, “Then I won’t get involved anymore. I just want to go home soon—staying here is exhausting.”

Quan Zhiwen looked at Xu Jin with affection, rubbing her hand gently. “My dear, you’ve suffered during this time. Don’t worry, we’ll be going home soon. I’ve seen everything you’ve done—even at the cost of tarnishing your own reputation. I have no way to repay you, except for tonight…”

As he spoke, he leaned in close to Xu Jin’s ear and whispered a few vulgar words.

Xu Jin’s face and ears instantly turned red, but excitement flickered in her eyes.

She grabbed Quan Zhiwen’s collar, her voice soft and seductive, while her fair legs brushed against him. “Second Brother, you’re so bad… But I love that about you. You look so refined, but deep down, you’re a beast~”

Quan Zhiwen bit her ear lightly, his voice lingering in her ears.

His mind flashed back to those nights when it was just the two of them—how wild and uninhibited she was.

If not for the fact that Xu Jin had been a virgin when they got married, he might have doubted where she had learned such enticing tricks.

She completely captivated him.

Then he thought about his disabled eldest brother—what did it matter if he was the favored one in the family?

And Long Yue Zhi—so handsome and powerful, yet what did it amount to?

This delicate and beautiful flower, Xu Jin, was his to pluck and enjoy.

The thought alone filled him with immense satisfaction.

Before they could even finish the juicy watermelon, the seductive woman on the couch had already been devoured.

Once wasn’t enough—they had to go for a second round.

Yet, neither of them realized that someone had witnessed everything.

Jing Xi, casually eating her own watermelon, watched the shameless pair from her hidden vantage point. She let out a sigh inside her space.

Then, comparing it to Long Yue Zhi’s situation, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.

That guy hadn’t had a proper rest for days, drinking one bowl of bitter medicine after another.

Even she was starting to feel bad for him.

Over the past few days, she had used her space to observe everything closely.

And through her observations, she confirmed that Xu Jin and Quan Zhiwen were putting on an act.

Their goal? To pressure Long Yue Zhi into selling all his coal mine shares to them.

Or rather—to Quan Zhiwen alone.

Jing Xi recalled Xu Jin’s words about the mine’s net profits increasing by fifteen percent over the years. If Long Yue Zhi sold all his shares to the Xu or Quan family, they would make even more money.

This wasn’t just a small mine. Ordinary small mines had only one entrance.

But this mine had multiple shafts, covered a vast area, employed many workers, and had abundant reserves—enough to be mined for at least another fifty years.

The potential profits were beyond imagination.