Being lectured by her mother, Shang Honglian pouted unhappily, her expression one of world-weariness.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan felt amused and quickly initiated a conversation to rescue Shang Honglian from her predicament.
"Auntie Yang, where is Uncle Shang? Isn't he coming to the hospital today?"
"He came, but he had to go back to work because of something at his unit!"
Yang Meiling said, "Actually, I can manage fine in the hospital by myself. There's not that much to do even with more people."
"Oh, Qin Chuan, I heard from someone that the big fire last night wasn't an accident at all, but arson. Do you have many business rivals?"
This question immediately caught Shang Honglian's attention. Her large, sparkling eyes fixed on Qin Chuan, and her small ears perked up.
Qin Chuan's lips curved upwards slightly. "Auntie, every industry has competitors. If you're not envied, you're just a mediocre talent!"
"Qin Chuan, have you found the arsonist from last night?" Shang Honglian asked.
Qin Chuan shook his head. "How could it be that fast? It's only been one night!"
"But don't worry, the police have already taken the case, and I'm sure they'll find the culprit soon."
Qin Chuan chose to conceal the enmity between himself and Han Shifei, not wanting Yang Meiling and Shang Honglian to know.
After sitting for another ten minutes, he bid farewell to Yang Meiling and Shang Honglian and returned to the construction site.
Due to the numerous affairs at Li Ya's garment factory and his parents' responsibility for the supermarket, Qin Chuan was temporarily staying in the model apartment. He could have the place cleaned up again when the development went on sale.
A group of his brothers were at the construction site, making it much livelier than being alone.
Time slipped by unnoticed until evening. Li Ya came over after work, and they had dinner and chatted.
As it neared midnight, the brothers who had been out on missions gradually returned.
Qin Erge, Zheng Chengdao, Bai Xiaoguang, and a group of them sat around the coffee table.
Qin Yang and Chen Jinyu were also awake and joined them. They couldn't participate in such matters, but they could still be part of the excitement.
"Boss, that old bastard Han Shifei is too cunning. He seems to have anticipated that we would investigate or target his businesses. We haven't seen many of his thugs all day."
"Those who extorted protection money and loan sharks have all vanished as if into thin air!" Bai Xiaoguang reported the day's situation first.
Qin Chuan's expression was as calm as water. "What about the illegal gambling dens? Did Han Shifei have those shut down too?"
"Yes! We had people inquire about several underground establishments they frequented today, and they were all closed."
Zheng Chengdao also spoke up. "According to reliable information I obtained through some channels, the order indeed came from Han Shifei."
"That old fellow is too devious!" Qin Erge cursed indignantly.
"Xiao Chuan, if these people are holed up and won't come out, why don't we learn from their methods and set fires?" Qin Erge suggested.
"Han Shifei has many businesses. Recently, I heard that several new hotels have opened in our city. It's obvious Han Shifei has reclaimed the prostitution business that the Guo family lost and is planning to run it himself! If he dared to burn our place, why can't we burn his?"
"Let's burn down his newly opened hotels and those closed casinos! Burn them all!"
As he spoke, many people's eyes lit up, clearly tempted. Since Han Shifei dared to set fire to their development, they would retaliate with the same tactics!
Noticing everyone's expressions, Qin Chuan said decisively, "No!"
"Why not?"
"If they can set fire to our development, why can't we retaliate in the same way?"
Everyone was angry and full of confusion.
"Everyone, calm down!" Qin Chuan soothed them. "I know you're eager for revenge. If it were in the past, I might have agreed with your approach, but this time it's different!"
"Didn't I tell you? We are cooperating with the police this time. If we also deliberately set fires, what's the difference between us and Han Shifei?"
"If the police were to launch a special crackdown on organized crime, would they target us or Han Shifei's side?"
The originally angry and radical crowd fell silent, gradually quieting down.
"Then, boss, if Han Shifei's side continues to stay hidden, will we have no way to deal with him?" Bai Xiaoguang asked.
Qin Chuan immediately sneered. "Constantly hiding is absolutely impossible!"
"Han Shifei has more businesses and manpower than we do."
"This means that the daily expenses are a huge figure! If they don't operate, Han Shifei has to pay for everything out of his own pocket. Think about it, in such a situation, if you were Han Shifei, how long could you last?"
"Furthermore, the people under him are all restless types who need entertainment every day. How long can they obediently stay put?"
"I bet that within a week at most, whether it's Han Shifei himself or those lackeys, both sides will not be able to hold on!"
As Qin Chuan explained, the anxious crowd's eyes grew brighter.
"I get it, we'll play the waiting game and wait for those people to come out on their own!" Qin Erge said excitedly.
"Then, as soon as those people appear, we'll join forces with the police and arrest them all!"
Qin Chuan snapped his fingers. "Bingo, correct!"
"So, in the coming period, you all need to tell our brothers to be more patient."
"Good food isn't afraid of waiting. The longer we wait, the bigger the commotion those people will make when they come out!"
Everyone nodded excitedly, indicating they understood.
"Alright, it's getting late, everyone go back and rest!"
Thus, a week passed by unnoticed.
During this week, the charred storefronts of the building, which had been burned black, were restored to their former appearance thanks to the hard work of Chen Jinyu's team, and the sales center also regained a fraction of its former glory.
Qin Chuan's leg injury had mostly recovered, and he could walk without a cane. As for Shang Honglian, her feet had completely scabbed over. She could walk as fast as the wind and had returned to her usual bouncing self, making a special trip to the construction site.
One day, early in the morning, Qin Chuan received a call from Zheng Chengdao.
"Boss, I've received reliable information that someone will be coming to collect protection fees at the vegetable market today!"
Qin Chuan's expression immediately brightened. "Are you sure?"
"One hundred percent sure!"
"Have you told Captain Xiao Guodong yet?"
"Not yet!"
"Notify Captain Xiao immediately. Actually, I'll do it! Have your men keep an eye on those guys..."
Just as he finished the call with Zheng Chengdao, another call came in, this time from Qin Erge.
"Xiao Chuan, there's movement at the Yongsheng Hotel you asked me to monitor!"
"A lot of people have come, all for prostitution!"
Qin Chuan cursed, "Damn it, going for prostitutes so early in the morning, they must be really pent up!"
"Don't alert them, I'll notify Captain Xiao right away!"