chapter 20 Cold-blooded

Baldwin Qi hadn't expected that from yesterday's conversation, no one in the Qiao Family had taken it to heart. Instead, Polly Li had listened and even conducted a serious investigation. He nodded slightly, then said, "Since you've investigated, why not give the results to April Qiao and let them withdraw their investments?" The Qiao Family, under the influence of Egbert Zhang, had invested at least thirty million, with April Qiao alone contributing twenty million. April Qiao's position was already unstable, and if the Zhang Group decided to embezzle the funds and run, she would likely face widespread criticism. "I only found some minor clues during my investigation. They wouldn't be convincing if I presented them," Polly Li shook her head. She hadn't conducted any real investigation. She simply believed Baldwin Qi because she saw him being escorted out by Fredric Huang and others. After all, even Baldwin Qi had said that it was directly from Fredric Huang. Mayor Huang, overseeing the vast Zhonghai City, wouldn't make groundless claims... Baldwin Qi felt helpless and decided he would need to persuade Clyde Qiao again later. After all, the potential loss from this could be significant. Polly Li led Baldwin Qi into the restaurant they had booked in advance. It was a private dining establishment that only served ten tables a day. Rumour had it that reservations for this place were booked a month in advance. "So, it's really a head-on collision, huh?" Baldwin Qi caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. It was Tara Long. Tara Long was Cheyenn Yu's assistant. If she was here, Cheyenn Yu was likely here as well. Cheyenn Yu had been seriously injured while capturing the Terror King and was currently recuperating in Zhonghai City. She and Baldwin Qi often ran into each other, much to his annoyance. Baldwin Qi disliked Cheyenn Yu, especially her arrogance and condescension. If she had simply invited him for tea and had a proper conversation during their first meeting, even cancelling their arranged marriage would have been fine. They could even have become friends. But Cheyenn Yu acted as if he owed her something from the very start. Her arrogant attitude made Baldwin Qi want to throw her in a prison cell just to give her a taste of reality. After sitting down, Baldwin Qi overheard Cheyenn Yu speaking with another woman. "Susie, why did you suddenly come to Zhonghai? Weren't you comfortably staying in Kyoto?" Cheyenn Yu asked. "It's simple, business opportunities!" Susie Xu replied with a faint smile. Just from her voice and name, Baldwin Qi could tell this woman was probably just as arrogant as Cheyenn Yu. He was about to ignore their conversation when he heard the words "Xiang Group," which raised his eyebrows. "The Xiang Group? Are you targeting it? I've heard of that group, and they're not easy to deal with. Its owner, Carena Xiang, is quite a formidable figure," Cheyenn Yu remarked thoughtfully. "Now that the Xiang Group is under pressure from the Humen Group, and with Carena Xiang's uncompromising nature, it's the perfect time to take over," Susie Xu confidently responded. "The Humen Group? Doesn't this group have assets roughly equivalent to the Xiang Group? How can they suppress the Xiang Group?" Cheyenn Yu inquired. Susie Xu explained, "The Humen Group grew big with the support of the organization 'Dragon Gate'. Do you think they could suppress the Xiang Group?" Cheyenn Yu calmly replied, "That's not surprising then. Your plan to benefit from their struggle is clever." Listening to this, Baldwin Qi sighed internally. The Xiang Group was the business of Elder Xiang. Elder Xiang was a wealthy individual. Instead of focusing on his successful business, he delved into the arms trade, and he did so with audacity. Elder Xiang probably drifted away. After expanding his business, he secretly embezzled a shipment of military weapons worth billions from a major warlord... Being a warlord, of course, he wouldn't swallow his anger. Not long after, the warlord sent someone to eliminate Elder Xiang's entire family, leaving only Elder Xiang and his sister Carena Xiang alive. With such a massive industry like Xiang Group, after this major incident, all sorts of relatives came to seize the property. Carena Xiang appeared at the board meeting alone, holding her parents' urn, expelled these relatives, and took over the power. Because of the incident, Elder Xiang was imprisoned and hadn't received forgiveness from Carena Xiang till then. When Baldwin Qi came out of the prison, the critically ill Elder Xiang, who had suffered various blows, weakly asked Baldwin Qi for help, hoping that he would look after Carena Xiang if he had the chance. "What were you thinking?" Polly Li noticed Baldwin Qi was lost in thought and gently tapped his wrist with her chopsticks. "Nothing." Baldwin Qi came back to reality, noticing that Polly Li was sitting very close to him, their thighs almost touching. However, Baldwin Qi didn't mind much. His thoughts drifted, thinking of Elder Xiang, and imagined what Carena Xiang should look like. Elder Xiang was a good person in prison and had a good relationship with Baldwin Qi. He even often helped him with some prison affairs, so Baldwin Qi promised to help him. "It seems I need to get in touch with Carena Xiang..." Baldwin Qi murmured. "Carena Xiang! Do you know Carena Xiang?!" Polly Li looked at Baldwin Qi with a hint of surprise. Baldwin Qi nodded and said, "Why? Is knowing her strange?" Polly Li had a weird expression, then slowly said, "She's ruthless. I wouldn't call her a friend, but I know her to some extent..." "Ruthless?" Baldwin Qi smiled and asked. "After the accident in Carena Xiang's family, her parents died tragically. Then, every relative in her family took the opportunity to seize power. However, Carena Xiang appeared at the board meeting holding her parents' urn and spoke a sentence that sounded chilling to everyone... To this day, this sentence is still widely circulated in Zhonghai's business world," Polly Li explained. Baldwin Qi listened and motioned for her to continue. Polly Li then said, "The relatives accused her of trying to seize power before her parents' bodies had even cooled. Then, Carena Xiang replied..." "My parents were cremated; their bodies wouldn't be cold!" Hearing this, even Baldwin Qi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The cold-bloodedness that emanated from that short sentence gave him an overwhelming sense of shock! "You want to get in touch with Carena Xiang? Are you planning to be a scumbag? However, she's not easy to get along with; with her personality, she doesn't even have friends," Polly Li said. "Scumbag? There's nothing between me and April Qiao now, only a title." Baldwin Qi frowned, then sighed helplessly. Seeing his distressed look, Polly Li asked, "Are you planning to hang yourself on a single tree?" Baldwin Qi replied, "I said it yesterday, everything depends on fate. When it's over, I will naturally leave." "It seems you are a scumbag!" Polly Li laughed, showing her neat white teeth. Baldwin Qi remained calm. Polly Li's thigh suddenly touched Baldwin Qi's leg. A warm sensation passed through. She smiled beautifully, her face turning slightly red. "Can you take advantage of me first?" Polly Li said with a suggestive tone. Baldwin Qi was taken aback, but then his attention was drawn by Cheyenn Yu's voice, saying, "If there's anything difficult, you can ask me." Baldwin Qi smirked. It seemed that Cheyenn Yu was preparing to intervene in the Xiang Group's affairs. That was good; he would take this opportunity to blunt her enthusiasm in this confrontation!