When men are young, they often tease each other with phrases like "impotent," "premature ejaculation," or "are you even capable?" But as they reach a certain age, they suddenly realize everyone has silently stopped these meaningless exchanges.
Lu Yibo had reached that age.
His life was highly regimented—waking up, going to work, coming home at fixed times, occasional social engagements, working out every few days, and going to bed promptly at 11 p.m. But recently, things had changed. Since Ye Jian's death, he had developed insomnia. Every night, he had to run at least three kilometers to exhaust himself completely before he could sleep.
"Yibo, why have you been frowning so much lately?"
In the largest office on the executive floor of the Maple Forest Late Hotel, Lu Yibo stood frozen on the sofa, shoulders hunched, his gaze fixed blankly into the air. It wasn’t until Zhou Qi shook his arm that he snapped out of it. "What did you just say?"
"I said—why have you been frowning so much lately? You’ve been like this since Ye Jian died. Don’t tell me you’re involved in his death?"
Lu Yibo ignored her question and asked instead, "You said that leader from the criminal police is higher-ranked than Wang Ruijun?"
"Yeah, even Brother Jun listens to him."
"Then it can only be him!" Lu Yibo pondered for a long moment before asking again, "Did he personally tell you to keep the club running and notify them if the man I brought last time shows up again?"
"Yeah, he said they wouldn’t shut down the club and would guarantee my safety."
Irritated, Lu Yibo yanked open the coffee table drawer, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
"I thought you quit smoking?"
Ignoring her, he took a few deep drags to calm himself before speaking slowly. "This afternoon, send a message in the group—all the club’s operations are to be suspended."
"For how long?" Zhou Qi asked, unsurprised by the temporary closure. The club often shut down for a few days whenever things got too heated.
"I don’t know. Don’t reopen anytime soon." He exhaled sharply.
"Not at all? Do you know how much money we’ll lose every day?"
"At a time like this, who cares about money?"
"But..." Zhou Qi hesitated. "That leader from the criminal police just told me to keep the club open and notify him when that guest shows up. If we close, won’t we be offending the criminal police?"
"You don’t understand. If you really hand that guest over to the criminal police, we’re finished!"
"Who is he?"
"Luo Ziyue, the mayor of Three Rivers Estuary."
"The mayor!" Zhou Qi swallowed hard. "He... he’s Brother Rong’s friend, right?"
"Which VIP client isn’t Brother Rong’s friend?"
Zhou Qi looked terrified. "Then... why would the criminal police target the mayor?"
"Ah..." Lu Yibo sighed heavily. "If he dares to go after the mayor, he must really be from the provincial level."
"Yibo, explain things clearly. You keep jumping from one thing to another, and I don’t understand any of it."
"I’m in no mood. Just stop asking so many questions."
"We’ve been together for so long—are you really worried I’d blab?" Zhou Qi pouted, gripping Lu Yibo’s arm coquettishly.
Lu Yibo patted her hand impatiently. "This is all Brother Rong and Lang Bowen’s business. I’ll explain it to you properly later. For now, don’t mention the criminal police’s visit to Brother Rong’s people."Zhou Qi observed his expression and realized there were many complexities involved, so she didn’t press further. Instead, she advised him, "Yibo, since the club is shutting down this time, why don’t you discuss it with Brother Rong? You should stop managing the hotel too and return it to them. After all, the money we’ve earned is enough for this lifetime."
Lu Yibo bit his lip and, after a long pause, shook his head. "Brother Rong put the hotel under my name because he trusted me. Over the years, he’s given us plenty of dividends. The money—it wasn’t free..."
Just then, Lu Yibo’s phone rang. The caller ID showed Hu Jianren. Gritting his teeth, he straightened up and answered the call. Hu Jianren asked, "Brother Bo, are you at the company?"
"I am."
"Then Bowen and I will come by your office in half an hour."
"Sure, I’ll wait for you." Lu Yibo forced a casual tone before hanging up. His expression immediately darkened again, and after a moment of silence, he waved Zhou Qi away.
Not long after, three men pushed open the door and entered.
The first was the tall and burly Lang Bowen, Zhou Rong’s business partner. Although Zhou Rong always took the lion’s share, Lang Bowen was still a well-known tycoon in Three Rivers Estuary. Beside him was his younger brother, Lang Botu, who shared some facial resemblance but had a much more refined appearance and had always assisted his brother in the company. The third man was naturally Zhou Rong’s trusted confidant, Hu Jianren.
The three were already familiar with Lu Yibo, so they skipped the pleasantries. Hu Jianren closed the office door, and they all sat down with solemn expressions.
"Brother Bo, there’s something we need to confirm with you. Did the police come to the club looking for Qiqi?" Hu Jianren got straight to the point.
Lu Yibo was startled. His mind raced—the officers who had come to see Zhou Qi had been in plainclothes, and the matter was highly discreet. Even he had only learned about it from Zhou Qi, who certainly wouldn’t have told anyone else. Yet Hu Jianren knew. This meant—there were other informants planted in the hotel. Zhou Rong had entrusted the hotel to him, but it seemed he hadn’t fully trusted him after all.
Under the scrutiny of the three men, Lu Yibo didn’t have much time to deliberate. He could only nod in admission. "It was probably Director Zhang, the one Brother Rong mentioned from the provincial level. He came with three plainclothes officers." He paused, then quickly added, "I was away on business the past couple of days. I just found out about this and haven’t had a chance to inform Brother Rong yet."
Lang Bowen chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "No worries, no need to be nervous among brothers. By the way, what did Director Zhang want with Qiqi?"
"He asked about Ye Jian—whether Qiqi had seen him at the club. Qiqi said no."
The three exchanged glances. Hu Jianren asked curiously, "Why would they ask about the club when investigating Ye Jian?"
Lang Bowen frowned. "Yeah, that kid Ye Jian wasn’t into that kind of thing. Last time you forced a VIP card on him, I don’t think he ever used it."
Lu Yibo shook his head. "I don’t know why Ye Jian’s case led them to the club either."
Lang Botu, who had been silent until now, fixed his gaze on Lu Yibo. He had always given off a sinister, low-key vibe, and his voice carried a sharp edge. "Brother Bo, does Ye Jian’s case actually have something to do with you?"
Lu Yibo froze, then shook his head emphatically. "How could that be? Why would I kill Ye Jian?!"
Hu Jianren laughed. "Brother Rong has made it clear—if he finds out who killed Ye Jian, he’ll avenge him without fail!""I..." Lu Yibo looked at the three of them. "I really have nothing to do with Ye Jian's death!"
Lang Bowen burst into laughter. "Why so nervous, brother? Hu Jianren was just joking with you."
Lu Yibo pressed his lips together.
His younger brother, Lang Botu, studied him for a few seconds with a hint of suspicion. "The police don’t investigate cases without any basis. If they came to the club because of Ye Jian, it’s likely he left something related to the club before he died. Bo-ge, think carefully—was there anything?"
Lu Yibo looked uneasy. "I... I don’t know. He never came to the club."
Lang Botu sneered, his voice dripping with insinuation. "Or maybe the police aren’t targeting the club—but you. Using the club as a pretext to find you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you’re involved in Ye Jian’s death. But was there anything of yours on Ye Jian? Or perhaps, before he died, did he contact you about something?"
"No... really, nothing."
"You’re sure?"
"I... of course I’m sure." Lu Yibo swallowed hard.
"Then besides asking about Ye Jian, what else did the police ask?" Lang Botu pressed further, while the other two stared at him intently.
"Nothing." Lu Yibo didn’t mention the investigation into the mayor.
"You’re certain?"
Lu Yibo took a deep breath and snapped, "What are you implying? I could just as well suspect you guys killed Ye Jian!"
Lang Botu smirked, crossing his arms. "Go ahead, tell us—what reason would we have to kill Ye Jian?"
"Because... nothing." Lu Yibo lowered his head.
The atmosphere grew tense. The eldest brother, Lang Bowen, clapped his hands together, adopting a magnanimous tone. "Yibo, if you have something on your mind, just say it. We’ve been brothers for so many years—no need for baseless suspicions."
Hu Jianren chimed in, "Yeah, Bo-ge, you only said half of what you meant earlier. I didn’t quite follow."
Flustered, Lu Yibo scrambled for a response and countered, "Then why do you suspect I’d have anything to do with Ye Jian?"
Hu Jianren chuckled. "We never suspected you."
Lu Yibo clenched his jaw, straightened up, and snapped, "Anyway, I told you—I have nothing to do with Ye Jian’s death, alright? If you don’t believe me, ask Qiqi."
Lang Botu sneered. "How can we trust a whore’s word?"
"You—" Lu Yibo glared furiously at Lang Botu.
Lang Bowen immediately intervened. "Xiao Tu, watch your mouth. Qiqi is Yibo’s girlfriend. If Yibo says no, then it’s no. If we can’t even trust each other after all these years, who can we trust?—Alright, Yibo, don’t take Botu’s words to heart. You know how his mouth is."
The tension gradually eased under Lang Bowen’s mediation.
Lang Bowen clapped his hands again, offering reassurance. "Yibo, don’t worry. With Uncle Dong around, some minor deputy chief of Three Rivers Estuary won’t be able to stir up trouble. We heard Qiqi closed the club—you did the right thing. Before we came, Uncle Dong already spoke to Rong-ge. The club’s operations will be suspended immediately. Money is secondary—Uncle Dong is the foundation for all of us."
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