"Have you gotten any information from your old man?" Xiao Lin refilled Hua Qingyi's glass, noticing the slight stubble on his freshly shaved chin.

"His lips are sealed like a vault. Not a single word mentioned, and I couldn't get anything out of him. These days, he's almost avoiding me, unlike Boss Long, who I can at least get some words out of.

"Lian is at Dragon Soul now?" Xiao Lin didn't pay much mind to Hua Qingyi's complaints. He never expected to learn anything from Hua Muyun anyway. After all, he partnered with his old man for a lifetime; there's nothing he wouldn't understand.

"Yeah, you're really something, bro. How did you know they would keep Lian? I was worried they wouldn't."

"Shen Qizhen is Lian's godfather. As long as you mention Lian's health condition, he'll inevitably turn his attention to Boss Long."

"Got it!" Hua Qingyi downed his drink in one go, clicking his tongue. "This beef is really good. Where did you get it?"

"I'll ask Chief Wu for you later."

"Don't tell me that cop's really keen on you."

"You're overthinking it." Xiao Lin lowered his gaze, looking at himself in the reflection of the glass.

"Xiao Mu met with Xia Xue." Suddenly remembering something, Hua Qingyi mentioned Xiao Mu. "Bro, I'm not trying to lecture you, but shouldn't you let Xia Xue know your identity earlier? That way, she won't feel so embarrassed and upset."

"She knows already?" Xiao Lin wasn't concerned if Xiao Mu had sought out Xia Xue; it was only a matter of time. He knew what he would say to Xia Xue — nothing more than wanting that recording tape.

"I talked a bit with Lian, but..."

"I have a task for you right now." This wasn't the time to consider a woman's feelings, Xiao Lin stopped Hua Qingyi from finishing his sentence.

"Okay!" Xiao Lin dipped his chopsticks in the wine and started writing on the table. Hua Qingyi's expression became odd as the wine marks disappeared.

"Got it?" Xiao Lin captured Hua Qingyi's final glance in his sight. "If you don't understand, I'll explain again."

"I disagree." Xiao Lin didn't expect Hua Qingyi to refuse, he chuckled playfully.

"Why do you disagree?"

"You're just making it worse. It's risky." Hua Qingyi tensed up.

"If you don't do it, I can ask Shou to do it. Is that what you want?"

"Bro, you're threatening me – blatantly threatening me."

"I just think it suits you better to do this task. Don't you think Xiaoxue trusts you more?"

"But this could easily be exposed. As long as Xiao Mu verifies it on the spot, aren't you sending Xia Xue into the fire?" Hua Qingyi felt a bit unnerved when he thought of the plan; if any step is delayed, everything could fail afterward.

"It won't happen." Xiao Lin nodded confidently at Hua Qingyi. "The tape is definitely an original, there won't be any issues. I just need you to confirm one thing."

After a deep breath, Hua Qingyi finally nodded. "But I have one condition: you have to tell me who that person is."

"Ah, there's always a trade-off with you, just like with your old man. Can the practices of the previous generation not continue with us?"

"Either way, I've already made it clear: if the successor of the Xiao Family isn't you, I definitely won't take on that thankless role. That's the condition, you know it."

Xiao Lin raised his glass toward Hua Qingyi. "No need for you here."

"Come on, you know that person's name. Spill it."

Unable to contend with Hua Qingyi, Xiao Lin wrote the name 'Mu Rongyun' on the table.

The name seemed very familiar. When Hua Qingyi saw those three characters, his first reaction was familiarity. He must have seen them somewhere, but he didn't mention it, perhaps it'd be worth investigating.

"How do I contact you?"

"I'll have someone get in touch with you." Hua Qingyi nodded, preparing to pack up the remaining beef to take home.

"I think it's necessary to have a chat with Comrade Night Eagle." Hua Qingyi suddenly remembered something. "It's unsettling not knowing all the key players."

"Night Eagle might not know that much. You can leave now." Hearing footsteps, Xiao Lin motioned for him to leave quickly.

"Got it." Before leaving, Hua Qingyi stuffed two pieces of beef into his mouth.

The forensic expert brushed past Hua Qingyi. This seemed to be the first time they came face to face. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry!"

"Oh, it's okay." Watching the hurriedly passing back, the forensic expert continued forward.

"Friend?"

"Ah! You're always so punctual every day." Xiao Lin put away the cup Hua Qingyi had used. Another cup on the table was prepared for the forensic expert.

"Our Chief Wu is really kind to you." The forensic expert was somewhat envious of the array of dishes. Even though he had just performed an autopsy on a female corpse fished out of the river, it didn't affect his desire to enjoy the feast. "Do you know where I just came from?"

"Other than that basement, where else? Doesn't the school hospital require you to clock in?" Xiao Lin kindly poured Mu Rongyun a glass of wine.

"With Sun Mingwei there, what do I have to worry about?" Mu Rongyun gave a fake smile, spending monthly child support money to him still couldn't repay a dime. "Today, the police found a female corpse in a river up the mountain."

"Your favorite."

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm telling you?"

"If I don't ask, you'll still say it. Talk less, save some energy."

"A woman without a face. I think if I search again, I should find a man without a face."

"Oh!" Xiao Lin didn't need to guess to know who it was. "But can you be sure it's Lin Jiaqi's parents?"

"Isn't the answer in your heart more certain than mine? Should I do a good deed and inform you? However, the corpse is decayed beyond recognition. I wonder if that little girl can bear it." Mu Rongyun deliberately leaned forward, wanting to be closer to Xiao Lin. From this close, Xiao Lin's features were delicate, and his slender fingers held the porcelain cup firmly.

"This is the police's business. I have no right to say good or bad, right?" The bottle reached its end with only half a porcelain cup left, not enough for him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a pervert?"

"You just did!" Mu Rongyun pulled a porcelain bottle out of his pocket. "Homemade brew, have the guts to drink it. It might be poisoned."

"Doesn't matter if it poisons me. It does you no good." Xiao Lin didn't like mixing drinks, finished the little alcohol left in the porcelain cup, and pulled out the cork. "Want some?"

Mu Rongyun promptly declined Xiao Lin's offer. "The wine is poisoned!"

"Hmm!" The clear and transparent alcohol slipped into Xiao Lin's throat as he raised his hand, and Mu Rongyun stared unblinkingly at Xiao Lin.

"It really is highly toxic," he interestingly reminded Xiao Lin.

The burning sensation from alcohol sliding down the throat already told him this was a fact. This wasn't the burn of a strong drink, but the scorching of internal tissue destruction.

"Didn't you come to verify his special constitution?" Xiao Lin's throat wasn't damaged despite such burning. Perhaps slightly uncomfortable, his special blood and constitution made defensive and reparative efforts at the first sign of foreign invasion, so he only felt discomfort. The purification of blood could neutralize the invasive toxins into waste, naturally discharged from his body without much retention inside.

"The components of the poison in the wine are quite high mixtures, but still fall short of forcing me to use my power to expel toxins. Next time, try something that provides the spectacle you wish to see." Xiao Lin, unfazed, drank the poisoned wine as if it were water, without even needing to use power to expel toxins.

"Next time, you should use a sample-collecting tube instead, directly analyzing your blood samples is much more interesting than using poison to test your endurance." Mu Rongyun wasn't too surprised. With Xiao Lin's constitution, such a mixture couldn't pose a threat to his body, let alone force him to use power to expel toxins.

"That depends if you have the ability to take it." Xiao Lin poured himself another glass. After the initial invasion, he could drink the bottle confidently. With full defensive immunity, the rest was the same as regular drinking.

"I think we could try." Mu Rongyun was indeed interested in Xiao Lin's blood. This was merely a test, a definitive test. The components he mixed into the wine surpassed even a highly toxic substance like cyanide, yet still couldn't cause Xiao Lin harm. To him, Xiao Lin's body was a treasure. From a medical standpoint, he wanted to possess it.

"What is the mask man to you?" After downing the third glass, Xiao Lin directly faced Mu Rongyun. "Mu Rongyun, do you dare to admit it?"

Mu Rongyun laughed, his smile genuine without any pretense. "Being your enemy is happier than being your friend."

"You really are a pervert." Probably no one else would think so, except the person before him.

His assumption was valid. With the same method, Xiao Lin didn't need to pursue the question further; Mu Rongyun's appearance wasn't a coincidence.

"Whether happiness or otherwise, you have only one target, Xiao Mu? Involving another person doesn't seem to be your style."

"What if I said it was an accident, would you believe me?"

"No reason not to believe." Xiao Lin pushed the cup towards Mu Rongyun. "The mask man wants my blood. What you want is none of my concern as long as you have the guts to take it. But if you involve innocents, I'll repay tenfold, a hundredfold in return." Xiao Lin's sharp gaze left an impression on Mu Rongyun. He was momentarily dazed, and after that moment passed, he took the cup, of course not to drink, but to spill it aside. The rising green smoke emitted a pungent spiciness. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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