Chapter 49: It Seems You Have Forgotten Who I Am

A single meal had cost several thousand yuan, leaving Shen Chutang a little distressed. She was currently teaching at the affiliated high school, earning double wages—not only did the school pay her, but Peking University also provided her with an additional allowance. Yet, even with all this combined, it was only worth a few such meals.

Indeed, marriage had only made her poorer. She needed to make use of her time to research new pills and ask Senior Brother Ling You to help sell them, earning some extra money on the side.

Lu Beiqin, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. He drove her home in silence.

"Xiaobai has recovered quite well over the past couple of days," he said, "and wants to see you."

As soon as Shen Chutang heard this, she nodded eagerly. "I only have classes in the afternoon tomorrow. Why don't we go visit him in the morning?"

"Alright," he agreed.

By now, most of the herbs had been found. Tomorrow, Shen Chutang planned to visit her martial uncle once more and see if he had anything else useful.

When they got home, Shen Chutang carefully placed the leftover food containers in the fridge, while Lu Beiqin went straight to the bedroom. Shen Chutang was glad to have some time to herself. She dragged out her yoga mat and began her routine.

Inside the bedroom, Lu Beiqin was on his phone, his expression cold and menacing. "What did you say?"

His subordinate repeated, "Sir, we've found Hou San!"

Lu Beiqin had long suspected that something was amiss with his parents' plane crash. Yet, everything on that plane had been burned, and nothing was recovered. It wasn't until later, when he cracked his father Lu Hongyu's email password and restored some deleted messages using hacking skills, that he discovered the last message his father received was from Hou San.

Hou San had written: "Lu, betrayal of the organization leads only to death."

At the time, Lu Beiqin had no idea what this organization was or who Hou San might be, and he could only start investigating on his own. Later, from some people in the underworld, he learned that Hou San's real name was Hou Zhiyong, a man known in those circles and called "Hou San" because he ranked third on the local underworld's list.

But one day, Hou San had vanished without a trace. Lu Beiqin had spent ten years searching, and finally, he had found him.

He got up at once and headed for the door. Shen Chutang, still following a yoga video, saw him leaving. "You're going out this late?"

"Yes," he replied.

She thought it made sense—after all, as a salaried worker, when did one ever truly get to rest? Besides, he was also the Shi family's private driver, always on call.

"Will you be back tonight?" she asked.

Lu Beiqin paused. "I'm not sure. Lock the door and get some rest."

Once outside, a car was already waiting not far away. Lu Beiqin got in right away. The driver, Xiao Cang, was a bodyguard who had been with him for years.

"Sir, the target is very cautious. Our people are tailing him and ready for your order."

Lu Beiqin's dark eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light. "Move in."

...

Hou San was having a run of bad luck today, losing every bet until he had emptied his pockets. Cursing under his breath, he left the casino. Passing a small convenience store, he bit down on his cigarette and walked in to grab a bottle of liquor. The owner chased after him for payment, but Hou San scared him off with a flick of his knife. "You care more about money than your life, is that it?"

The shopkeeper was just trying to make a living, but nothing was worth risking his life over. He could only watch as Hou San walked off with both the bottle and a pack of cigarettes.

Hou San stuffed the cigarettes in his pocket, cracked open the bottle of baijiu, and drank it down in big swigs. "Bastards! I can't even get credit here with this face? Someday, you'll all be begging me to come gamble, and I won't! I’ll make every last one of you get on your knees and call me brother!"

He drank the baijiu like water, tossing the empty bottle onto the street, where it shattered with a crisp clang. Humming tunelessly, he strolled back the way he came.

Hou San, still a little tipsy, looked up and saw two men walking toward him. He sensed nothing amiss, but as he walked a few more steps, he realized both men were staring straight at him.

Immediately on guard, he spun around—only to see two more men behind him. They were clearly here for him.

He snatched a brick from the ground and charged at one of them, only to have his wrist caught and pinned effortlessly.

"Gentlemen, there's got to be a mistake! I don't even know you!" Hou San shouted, but his captors said nothing, dragging him into a car.

The ride ended at an old dock, and the fear sobered Hou San up completely.

At last, he saw a man sitting on a sofa. Clad in a dark suit, the man sat with a commanding presence, leaning forward slightly, a dangerous and chilling aura radiating from him.

Hou San swallowed hard, forcing a smile. "Big brother, did your men grab the wrong guy?"

Lu Beiqin slowly raised his head, his eyes sharp and merciless. "It seems you've forgotten who I am."