The brawl lasted less than twenty minutes and ended quickly. Black Dog's crew were professionals at group fights, and coupled with the formidable skills of Luo Tianshui and Zhang Eryong, the disorganized rabble was no match for them.
Over a dozen people were left bruised and swollen, squatting by the wall at the entrance, heads bowed, holding their faces.
The middle-aged man's leg was broken, and he lay on the ground groaning in pain.
Long Xiao, hands behind his back, walked towards Black Dog and his men.
Shao Yu had always thought Long Xiao was just a pampered son-in-law living off the Lin family, and she rarely paid him much attention.
This time, cornered and attacked, she had been so terrified her legs had gone weak. She hadn't expected Long Xiao to resolve the crisis in such a short time.
Shao Yu's gaze towards Long Xiao changed, her eyes filled with admiration, making him appear tall and heroic in her eyes.
Long Xiao approached the middle-aged man and kicked his broken leg. The man cried out in pain and glared, as if about to lash out.
"If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Don't just think about eating meat, remember when dogs get beaten, they can't even eat shit," Long Xiao squatted down and said with a smile to the man.
"Who are you? Harming people indiscriminately is illegal."
"I'm not afraid, I know the law. You ganging up to attack Lin's Pharmaceutical Company is illegal assembly and disturbing the peace."
"So what if you know the law? Can you eat me?"
"You led the illegal assembly and damaged property. If convicted, you'll get three to five years."
"A few years inside doesn't matter, I'm not new to it."
A hint of coldness appeared on Long Xiao's face. "You should know what it's like inside. After three to five years, I'm afraid you'll come out as a box of ashes."
"Trying to bluff me? Do you have what it takes?" the middle-aged man said dismissively, looking at Long Xiao.
Long Xiao beckoned to Black Dog. "Black Dog, come here."
Black Dog trotted to Long Xiao's side and asked, "Brother Long, what can I do for you?"
Long Xiao pointed to the middle-aged man. "Tell him who you are and who your boss is."
Black Dog squatted beside Long Xiao and whispered, "My name is Black Dog. My boss is Brother Hu from the West City. We all work for Sister Hong."
Hearing the names Brother Hu from the West City and Sister Hong, the middle-aged man was so scared he pushed himself back on his hands and retreated slightly before saying, "I don't believe it."
Long Xiao's voice turned cold again. "Whether you believe it or not is your business. I'm just telling you the facts. Decide for yourself if you want to live or die."
Long Xiao stopped talking and quietly watched the middle-aged man. Fear slowly grew in the man's heart, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you really subordinates of Brother Hu from the West City?"
Long Xiao shook his head. "I'm not his subordinate. He calls me Brother Long."
"Brother Long, I've never heard of you."
"You will hear of me in the future. You only have one chance. If you miss it, you'll bid farewell to this life."
Finally, the middle-aged man's will broke. His lips trembled as he said, "I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything."
The middle-aged man was hired to cause trouble. His employer was an old man named Tu Tian.
Long Xiao didn't know Tu Tian. He had the middle-aged man describe Tu Tian's appearance and then remembered seeing him at the small auction organized by Li Yizhen. He was following Long Nian.
Tu Tian hiring people to cause trouble suggested that the mastermind behind this was Long Nian. The drug poisoning incident might also be related to Long Nian.
The Lin family had no dealings with Long Nian and certainly wouldn't have offended him. Had he offended Long Nian by not selling him the medicine, and now Long Nian was targeting Lin's Pharmaceutical to get revenge?
The middle-aged man confessed that Tu Tian had given him one hundred thousand yuan to hire people to cause trouble at Lin's Pharmaceutical. He had hired over a dozen people at three thousand yuan each, pocketing the rest.
He had also tricked those old men into coming along, having no intention of paying them. He just saw they were easily fooled and brought them along.
While Long Xiao was interrogating the middle-aged man, Lin Xuan publicly announced that Lin's Group would cover all hospitalization costs for anyone poisoned by their medication and compensate each person ten thousand yuan for nutrition upon discharge.
The patients would recover, and receive an additional ten thousand yuan. Everyone agreed to Lin Xuan's arrangement.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Long Xiao called Zhou Zhizhong, the director of the West City branch, to send people to pick up the troublemakers.
The matter was handled smoothly, and the crowd dispersed. Black Dog and his men left.
Mi Tianfu knew Long Xiao had matters he didn't want Lin Xuan to know about. He also left quietly with Zhang Eryong and Luo Tianshui.
The pharmaceutical factory yard gradually quieted down. Lin Xuan walked up to Long Xiao, a radiant smile on her face. "You saved the day for me again. Thank you, Long Xiao."
Long Xiao spread his arms. "Give me something more tangible."
Lin Xuan blushed. "So many people here, what are you doing?"
Long Xiao chuckled. "Just kidding. Alright, everything's settled. Let's go home."
As Lin Xuan and Long Xiao were about to leave, Shao Yu approached. "General Manager Lin, Director Zhao and Manager Lu from the pharmaceutical company are still unreachable today."
Long Xiao asked Lin Xuan for details. It turned out Lin Xuan had tried to contact these two yesterday when the incident occurred, but they were unavailable.
"These two are definitely suspicious. We need to find them."
Lin Xuan nodded. "Long Xiao, why don't we call the police? Let them help us find them."
Long Xiao shook his head. "The police will have a hard time finding them. I think it's better to have Black Dog and his men help."
"Long Xiao, haven't I told you to stay away from these hoodlums? Otherwise, trouble will find you sooner or later."
Long Xiao smiled. "Don't worry, wife. I won't mistreat them if I ask for their help."
Given the current situation, it was indeed more convenient to have Black Dog's crew search than the police. Lin Xuan couldn't think of a better solution, so she let Long Xiao call Black Dog.
Long Xiao directly called Brother Hu from the West City and asked him to help find the two missing people, also hinting that their disappearance might be related to Long Nian.
Long Nian had been very low-key since arriving in Donghai. Apart from a few rare appearances, most people didn't know of his existence.
Although Brother Hu from the West City knew of Long Nian's presence, he had never interacted with him.
Therefore, after receiving Long Xiao's call, he dispatched a large number of men to search for the two missing individuals and investigate anything related to Long Nian.
Long Xiao and Lin Xuan returned to the Lin residence. It wasn't yet dinnertime, and the Lin family hadn't returned.
"I'm very tired and want to rest," Lin Xuan said, her face weary.
Long Xiao followed Lin Xuan into her bedroom. In the past, she would have kicked him out immediately.
Seeing Long Xiao follow her in, Lin Xuan asked, "Do you need something else?"
Long Xiao smiled. "Wife, how are you planning to thank me today?"
Lin Xuan turned and hugged Long Xiao, kissing him on the cheek. "Is this reward enough?"
Long Xiao held Lin Xuan tightly. "Not enough. Shouldn't we take things a step further?"
Lin Xuan struggled with all her might but was no match for Long Xiao's strength. As she couldn't break free, Long Xiao's lips met hers.