Chapter 34: Arrested

On this side, Huang Degang recognized Liang Chen.

Liang Chen smiled faintly. “Mr. Huang, what a surprise to meet you here.”

Huang Degang was completely caught off guard. He never expected—nor could he have imagined—that Liang Chen was associated with the Long family.

The moment he thought of the underground basement at Great World, a shiver ran through him. This was something that couldn’t be covered up.

Because Liang Chen was a regular at Great World.

In fact, not just Great World—he was a frequent patron of all the entertainment venues in town.

And he was always generous with his spending. Liang Chen had been visiting Great World since it first opened.

But he had a peculiar habit: he only ever requested newcomers. And every time he stayed at Great World, it was always exactly one hour—never a minute more, never a minute less.

During that time, no one was allowed to disturb him.

And the last time he visited Great World was just two days ago.

Liang Chen pulled out a stack of photographs and then took out a tape recorder from his black leather bag.

When Hong Qifu saw the recorder, beads of sweat started rolling down his forehead.

Liang Chen pressed play.

The recording lasted for about ten minutes, detailing how the girls ended up at Great World Karaoke Lounge.

The voice from the recorder was that of a young girl, soft and trembling with fear. She described how she was tricked, threatened, and where she had been kept. She exposed everything.

The room fell into silence.

Long Yuezhi’s expression grew increasingly calm.

This was a sure win.

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen had worked separately to investigate and had now uncovered everything about Hong Qifu.

They had both witnesses and solid evidence.

Hong Qifu now understood why Long Yuezhi had avoided meeting him over the past few days under the pretense of being unwell. It was because Long Yuezhi was still verifying whether or not he was truly clean.

But what he couldn’t understand was—he had never heard of the Long family having any businesses in this small city. How did Long Yuezhi manage to extend his reach so far?

Had he underestimated Long Yuezhi?

Who exactly was backing him?

Years of hard work and deep connections in this city—was it all about to be destroyed over something so small?

Hong Qifu was unwilling to accept this, but at the same time, he was terrified.

And he also deeply resented Huang Degang—the worthless fool who ruined everything.

At this moment, Yu Er decided it was time.

“Boss Hong, you’ve known Fourth Master’s rules for a long time. We explained everything to you three months ago in detail. Even if you had truly decided to clean up your business three months ago, everything should have already been settled by now.”

Hong Qifu was speechless.

Yu Er continued, “Fourth Master was originally sincere about doing business with you in the mining industry. He even personally came to meet you—this is as rare as the sun rising from the west. But you… you really let him down.”

Long Yuezhi glanced at Yu Er, as if to say: You’re talking too much.

Yu Er immediately got the message and scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Alright, Boss Hong. So, are you turning yourself in, or would you prefer we take you to the police station ourselves? Pick one.”

It had come to this.

The moment Hong Qifu heard those words, he could no longer hold himself together.

With a loud thud, he dropped to his knees, his voice shaking as he kowtowed repeatedly.

“Fourth Master! Fourth Master, I beg you! Please have mercy on me just this once! I’ll immediately shut down all my illegal businesses! I’ll have those girls sent home and compensate them! Please, Fourth Master! I’m begging you!”

“Fourth Master! I have elderly parents and young children at home! I’ve worked hard for so many years—it hasn’t been easy! Please, I’m already half-buried in the ground, just spare me this once! I swear I’ll never do anything like this again!”

“Fourth Master! Fourth Master!”

Long Yuezhi found him unbearably noisy.

He got up from his lounge chair, stretched lazily, and glanced outside—the sun was nearly setting.

Yawning, he said, “Yu Er, I’m tired. You take care of this.”

And without looking back, he turned and walked into his bedroom.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a young girl behind it, her face filled with curiosity and surprise.

Long Yuezhi motioned for her to stay quiet.

Jing Xi had been eavesdropping by the door. Just then, she heard the sound of police sirens outside.

She quickly went to the window and saw several police cars pulling into the courtyard.

Behind them, there were even two military vehicles!

She whispered to Long Yuezhi, “You already called the police? Wait, why are there military vehicles too?”

That was fast—when did he arrange this?

Long Yuezhi nodded. “Otherwise, what do you think I keep all those people outside for?”

As for why there were military vehicles—Long Yuezhi didn’t answer.

At this moment, although Jing Xi still thought of him as a flamboyant, troublesome, and sickly man, she no longer felt as much resistance toward him.

She even began to wonder if this man was the “big figure” that Old Man Xia had mentioned.

Outside, the living room grew noisier. Jing Xi peeked through a small crack in the door and saw that the police had arrived. They had already handcuffed Hong Qifu, Wu Dazhuang, and Huang Degang.

Wu Dazhuang tried to resist, but a firm shout from the officers made him instantly quiet down.

As people were taken away, the crowd gradually dispersed. Soon, the living room was empty, eerily quiet, as if nothing had ever happened.

Jing Xi closed the door. “Can I use your phone to make a call?”

Long Yue Zhi nodded, watching her small and slender figure walk over.

He couldn’t help but admire her courage. If he hadn’t stepped in to handle this situation, how much longer would she have had to struggle on her own?

But when he thought about her face, the fleeting softness in his heart quickly vanished.

“Hello, is this the Beizhen Police Station? I’d like to speak with Officer Li Tao! Thank you!”

“Officer Li, this is Jing Xi! Here’s the thing—you need to take your team to the Grand World Karaoke Lounge immediately… Oh? Officer Liu has already gone with his team? That’s great! I’ll notify Liu Chun’s parents right away! Alright, I’ll leave you to it. Goodbye!”

Jing Xi hung up the phone, feeling like the heavy shadow that had been weighing on her heart for days had finally lifted.

She took out the 200 yuan from her pocket. “Mr. Long, here’s your money back. You’ve helped me a lot, so consider those two meals I live-streamed as my treat!”

She confidently placed the money by Long Yue Zhi’s bedside.

Long Yue Zhi glanced at the cash but didn’t say a word.

“Uh, I should get going now. I’m heading back to Beizhen. Thanks again! If fate allows, we’ll meet again!”

Long Yue Zhi nodded, ran a hand through his hair, and flashed a flirtatious smile.

“Go ahead. But be more careful in the future—not everyone is as kind-hearted as me, Fourth Master Long.”

“A pretty girl like you, traveling alone? That’s dangerous, you know!”

Ugh, still as insufferable as ever.

Jing Xi made a funny face behind his back where he couldn’t see, then quickly left the room.

In the end, she spent the night at a small inn—there were no buses, and it was too late to travel.

—

The next day.

Yu Er personally came to pick up Jing Xi and drove her back to the village.

He insisted, and Jing Xi couldn’t refuse, so she agreed.

It was only a 30-kilometer drive anyway.

As soon as the car turned into the village, they saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance.

The village chief and secretary were there, and Liu Jianchang and his wife stood at the very front, looking anxious—they must have been waiting for Liu Chun.

The moment Jing Xi got out of the car, the villagers swarmed around her.

Yu Er gave her a nod, then immediately turned the car around and drove away.

She didn’t even get a chance to say thank you—just watched as the car disappeared into the distance, exhaust trailing behind it.

Oh well.

…

“Xiao Jing!”

Liu Jianchang’s wife, Zhang Rui, rushed over and grabbed Jing Xi’s hands tightly, her face full of gratitude. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“Xiao Jing, we heard everything! You were the one who discovered the basement at the Grand World Karaoke Lounge! You risked your life to call the police, and because of you, they found all those missing children!”

“I… I don’t even know how to thank you. From now on, our home is your home! If you don’t mind, I’d love to have you as my goddaughter!”