Chapter 113


    <h4>Desperado</h4>


    Li Yundong stared at the huge throng of people gathered at the 9th floor’s elevator lobby . "Um . . . President Cao? Not that I’m an expert in how entertainmentpanies usually function, but I don’t think this crowd is the status quo . Has one of the movie actors yourpany is managing decided to drop in for a visit?"


    The woman beside him didn’t answer, so Li Yundong nced at her . President Cao looked extremely pale . Her breathing was a bit ragged, and one of her hands was pressed firmly against her chest . A dozen rm bells sounded in Li Yundong’s head . Is she about to hyperventte? He reached out and touched her shoulder gently . The woman flinched as if his touch had burned her .


    "Are you alright, Ma’am?" Li Yundong asked .


    President Cao shook her head . Her eyes had cleared a little . "I’m fine . . . Just wondering what’s going on, is all . . . "


    Li Yundong didn’t buy that for a second . Her face didn’t look fine; she looked ill . Li Yundong nced around a few times . "Why don’t we head over there?" Li Yundong pointed to a spot at the corner of the elevator lobby, where a tall potted nt sat beside a window ledge . "You look like you could use some air . "


    President Cao nodded shakily . Then, under the pretense of guiding her away from the crowd, Li Yundong jabbed his knuckle into an acupoint between President Cao’s shoulder des—the Lingtai .


    By the time they reached the potted nt, the color had already returned into President Cao’s face, and she was tapping furiously on her phone . Once again, Li Yundong was reminded of the fact that Su Chan really did know her stuff . Stimting the Lingtai could probably calm an ADHD patient high on cocaine .


    President Cao released a frustrated growl and lowered her phone from her ear . "Damn it . My assistant isn’t picking up . And nobody’s answering the phones in the office . "


    Li Yundong surveyed the crowd once again . What the hell are all these people doing here? If the floor n of the 9th floor was anything simr to that of the 19th floor, then there would be a long hallway on the right side of the elevator lobby that would lead straight to the office . And judging from the fact that the elevator lobby was jam-packed, the long hallway was most likely crowded as well .


    Li Yundong turned towards President Cao, who was still trying to call someone on her phone . "Do you recognize anyone here?" he asked, gesturing at the crowd . "Maybe one of your employees?"


    President Cao shook her head . "Most of them are from different floors . "


    Li Yundong frowned . Typical, he thought . People and their seemingly infinite nosiness . Without further ado, he grabbed a guy who had just stepped out from the elevator nearest to where they were standing . "Hey, buddy," Li Yundong said, trying to sound as friendly as possible . "Do you know what’s going on? Why did youe up here?"


    "I’m not sure what’s going on," said the guy . "They said something about an incident on the 9th floor . That someone died or something . "


    "What?!" President Cao gasped . "Who died? What did you hear? Tell me everything . "


    The guy blushed . "U- um . . . Hi, President Cao . The truth is I have no idea . That’s why I’m here to find out . "


    The guy walked away and quickly joined the crowd .


    "Oh, God . . . What a mess," President Cao said with a sigh .


    "Calm down, Ma’am," Li Yundong said . "I don’t think we should jump to conclusions just yet . "


    "Easy for you to say," President Cao mumbled . "It’s not your job on the line here . Someone died, for God’s sake . "


    "That’s just what one guy heard from his buddies, who might be just as clueless as you and I . I hardly think that counts as hard evidence . "


    President Cao sighed . "Okay . Yeah . You’re right . " One of her palm moved to her chest again .


    Li Yundong continued as he scanned over the crowd with his eyes . "Based on the size of the crowd, it’s likely this has been going on for quite a while now . If it’s true that someone’s life is in danger, why isn’t the ambnce here yet? Surely, someone must’ve called . "


    President Cao looked out of the window for a moment . "Yeah . You’re right . No ambnce yet . " She sighed . "I guess I’ll have to go over there and find out . I’m the president after all . "


    "Wait," Li Yundong said .


    President Cao turned back around with a raised brow .


    "Are you sure you’re up for this?" he asked seriously . "Earlier, you looked like you were about to pass out . " Something told him that President Cao had a chronic health problem . Call it a gut feeling .


    President Cao waved him off . "Nah . I’m fine . But do you minding with me? I could use some help . "


    "Sure," Li Yundong said .


    They walked away from the potted nt and headed back to the crowded lobby . As soon as they joined the crowd, there was a ding . One of the elevators opened, and President Yin stepped out . There was a young woman with her which . . . Hey . . . Isn’t that . . . ? He groaned inwardly . Zhou Qin was right . What was it with him and these funny coincidences? Geez!


    President Yin had already reached President Cao’s side . "What’s going on here, Kefei?"


    "Hey, Mengfan . " President Cao shook her head . "I’m not sure . I’m about to go check it out . " Then, she pointed at Li Yundong . "And your brilliant employee is offering me his assistance . "


    Li Yundong smiled at President Cao, then stole a nce at the youngdy beside President Yin . The murderous re she was giving him was a clear indication that she had yet to forget about the little "ident" at Uniqlo the other day . Li Yundong forced out a smile, which thedy answered with a snort .


    "What’s the matter, Shen Hui?" President Cao said in a tone of suspicion, her eyes bouncing back and forth between Li Yundong and Miss Forget-To-Lock-The-Door-In-Fitting-Room . "You two know each other?"


    Shen Hui snorted, then red at Li Yundong as though he wanted to skin him alive . "I’d rather die than be acquainted with a pervert like him . " She jabbed her finger in Li Yundong’s direction .


    President Cao’s gaze snapped to him while President Yin did a face palm . Li Yundong clenched his jaw . He was done with this girl’s bullshit .


    "Listen, Miss Shen . I don’t appreciate you throwing out wild and unfair usations like that," he said, taking a step forward . "It was a misunderstanding and you know it . You were the one who forgot to lock the door in the first ce . And you could’ve answered me when I was calling my girlfriend’s name outside that fitting room, but you didn’t!"


    Shen Hui looked like she was about to argue, but a loud scream from the crowd made her stop . Li Yundong nced towards the crowd, where amotion seemed to be taking ce . Li Yundong turned back to Shen Hui and shot her a warning nce . "We’ll finish this discussionter . Now we have a problem to deal with . " Li Yundong walked towards President Cao . "Stay behind me, Ma’am . I’ll clear a way for us to get through . "


    Li Yundong closed his eyes and began to feel the presence of his Qi at his lower Dantian . By the time he opened his eyes, his Qi had already been moved to his Shenting and Lingtai .


    A split secondter, his clear voice sounded over the crowd’s din . "Make way for the president!"


    ***


    They were still trying to squeeze past the crowd in the long hallway when a man’s voice made them stop . "Cao Kefei! You f*cking bitch! Give me the money, or I’ll paint the walls of your office with blood!" Li Yundong could feel President Cao stiffen beside him . Murmurs and whispers sounded in the hallway . Li Yundong pushed his way forward . "Make way, make way . Coming through," he said in a low tone . He turned back around and gestured for President Cao and President Yin to follow .


    "Cao Kefei!! Where are you!! Come out! Now!" Desperation colored the man’s voice, which was a bad sign . Li Yundong knew how dangerous a desperate man could be; this was Zhao Yujian all over again .


    A series of screams rang out . It came from somewhere past the end of the hallway, where the office of Huasheng Studios must be located . "Ten minutes! I’ll give you people ten minutes to get Cao Kefei toe up here! If she isn’t up here in ten minutes, I’ll start slitting throats!"


    So, he’s got a knife, Li Yundong thought as he squeezed past a guy with a beer belly .


    Momentster, they reached the end of the hallway . A few people turned their heads when they saw them . One of them was about to shout, no doubt to announce President Cao’s arrival, but Li Yundong quickly mped his hand over the guy’s mouth . "Shh," Li Yundong said . "Don’t tell him we’re here yet . " Li Yundong held the guy gaze until he nodded . Then he gave the rest of the crowd—near the end of the hallway—warning looks . "Don’t say a word," he whispered loud enough for them to hear . When he saw nods ofpliance, he turned around to face President Cao . "Stay out of sight for now . That guy clearly has a problem with you . "


    "But he said he’ll start killing if I don’t show up," President Cao whispered anxiously, then nced down . "My phone’s already ringing . Someone’s calling me . "


    Li Yundong shook his head . "Put it on vibrate . He gave you ten minutes, right? That’s more than enough time for me to assess the situation first . "


    President Cao thought for a moment, then nodded .


    Li Yundong gave President Yin a pointed look . "This is your building . Do you want the cops involved?"


    President Yin and President Cao shared a look with each other .


    Li Yundong sighed . "You know what, I’ll let you two decide . " Then, he held out his hand to President Yin . "Give me your phone . "


    "Why?" President Yin looked at him warily .


    "Just trust me," Li Yundong said .


    President Yin pressed her phone into Li Yundong’s hand . Li Yundong unlocked the phone’s screen andunched the camera app . He gave the two women a final nce . "Stay here . I’ll be back . "


    Li Yundong crept towards the convex corner at the end of the hallway . "Psst, psst . Guys, make way . " He shouldered past a few guys and peeked out from the corner of the wall . Other than a huge entrance sign with the Chinese characters "Huasheng Studios" carved onto it, he couldn’t see the entrance . I have to get closer . He stepped around the corner and crept towards the entrance sign, using the crowd as his cover . The buzzing was loud in his ears—too many noise within a confined space . It would take too long to sort through the buzzing, so he didn’t bother . He crouched behind two onlookers, then slowly raised himself until he could see past their shoulders . A beefy man stood blocking the entrance of the Huasheng Studios and, as expected, the guy was armed with a knife . The man’s attire stuck out to Li Yundong; it seemed totally out of ce . Li Yundong might not be a fashionista, but he was pretty sure that no one would dress in a thick trench coat during summer . He’s hiding something under that coat . . . Li Yundong zoomed in with Mingmu and tried to identify any bulges on the coat . Well, at least he didn’t see any signs of a gun . When Li Yundong switched back to normal vision, something caught his eye . A womany unmovingly at the man’s feet . He switched to telescopic vision again . The woman’s eyes were closed, but she was still breathing . There were no signs of blood . He raised President Yin’s phone to snap a picture of the scene .


    Momentster, Li Yundong returned to the end of the hallway where President Cao was waiting for him anxiously . "What did you see?" she asked .


    Li Yundong handed her the phone instead of answering . President Cao took the phone and gasped when she saw the photo . "Oh my God . . . Is she . . . "


    "She’s alive," Li Yundong said . "Still breathing . No noticeable wounds . Probably just unconscious . "


    "Six minutes, Cao Kefei!" the man yelled . "You’ve got six minutes before I start slitting throats! I know you’re hiding in your office like a coward!"


    Several loud ms followed suit . "Open the damn door! Ande out!"


    Li Yundong regarded President Cao seriously . "How do you want to handle this?"


    A deathlike pallor formed on President Cao’s face . "I- I’ll have to talk to him . See what he wants . "


    "Kefei . . . " President Yin grabbed the other woman’s shoulder . "Are you sure . . . "


    President Cao’s face held a steely resolve . "I’m sure . "


    President Yin nodded and nced at Li Yundong . "The cops are on the way . " President Yin jerked her thumb at somewhere behind her back . "And my security team’s on standby . "


    Li Yundong was a little surprised that President Yin was even telling him all this instead of just taking charge—after all, she owned the whole building . But for some strange reason, she was letting him, a total stranger, call the shots .


    There was only one usible exnation he could think of—this was another test .


    "The cops can’t do anything here," Li Yundong said firmly . "Maybe they can send a hostage negotiator, but I’m not sure if that will help . And with all due respect, I don’t think there’s anything your security team can do either . " Li Yundong peered over President Yin’s shoulder towards a few uniformed men armed with sticks standing nearby . Li Yundong looked President Yin in the eye . "The bad guy seemed pretty desperate . He might start attacking people if the cops or your men show themselves . Also, I think he’s hiding something under his jacket . We don’t know what he’s hiding or what he’s nning . It’s best not to provoke him . "


    President Yin nodded her agreement . "So, what’s the n, young man?"


    Li Yundong’s eyes slid towards President Cao . "Can you distract him, Ma’am? Just keep him talking . "


    "And then?" President Yin asked .


    Li Yundong looked at the other woman . "I’ll sneak up on the guy and disarm him . "


    A look of rm formed on both women’s faces .


    "And preferably knock him unconscious before he can try anything funny," Li Yundong added .


    "Are you sure you can do all that?" President Yin asked .


    "Yes . " Li Yundong squared his shoulders and took a breath . This was no time for self-doubt . "Yes I can . "


    "What if you fail and he bes aggressive? What if he starts attacking people?"


    "Then I suppose I have to try my best not to fail . "


    President Yin stared at him for a moment before she nodded . Li Yundong gave her a pointed look . "President Yin, I think you should apany President Cao when she talks to the guy . I think she’s unwell . "


    Surprise shed inside President Yin’s eyes, but it was quickly reced with resolve . "I will," she said with a nod .


    Li Yundong turned to Shen Hui . "Look, Miss Shen . I know we got off on the wrong foot, but right now I need your help . Can we put aside our differences and work as a team?"


    Shen Hui huffed . "Fine . What do you need?"


    "Thank you," Li Yundong said . He took President Yin’s phone and passed the device to Shen Hui . "Show the photo to President Yin’s security team . Brief them on the situation . Tell them to start dispersing the crowd . These nosy idiots will just get in the way, not to mention give the bad guy more hostages to pick from . "


    "Fine," Shen Hui said grudgingly .


    "Tell them to do it quietly," Li Yundong said . "Like I said, the bad guy is unstable . We don’t want to provoke him in any way . "


    "Three minutes! Come out you cowardly bitch!"


    The eyes of the onlookers nearby were trained on President Cao . Li Yundong rolled his eyes . "You know what? You guys might as well make yourselves useful . " He raised his brows . "You guys like to make noise, right? Well . Go ahead . Yell . Announce President Cao’s arrival . "


    Li Yundong turned back towards President Cao . "Alright . Time to move . Are you up for this?"


    President Cao took a deep breath, then exhaled . "Yes . "


    "Don’t worry, Kefei . I’ll be there with you the whole time . "


    Li Yundong moved around the corner, then crept towards the entrance sign . The onlookers had begun shouting . "President Cao is here! President Cao has arrived!"


    "Silence!!" the man yelled . The crowd fell silent . Li Yundong crouched lower and kept moving forward through the crowd, squeezing past shoulders while keeping track of the bad guy’s position .


    "Where is she?! Where is that bitch?"


    "I’m over here . . . " President Cao’s voice sounded somewhere behind Li Yundong . He looked behind him and spotted President Cao and President Yin standing at the end of the hallway amidst a sea of onlookers .


    "Excuse me . Let me through," Li Yundong whispered, squeezing past a few guys . He slowly crept forward, making sure to stay hidden behind the bodies of the onlookers . The whole ce was too crowded for Li Yundong to charge at the bad guy and then do a takedown . Obviously, Li Yundong had to sneak up on him and then take him out from behind .


    "I’m here now," President Cao said loudly . "I’m here to listen to your demands . But please put the knife away first . "


    "My demand is simple! Cash!"


    "What’s your name?"


    Good . Keep the bastard talking . Li Yundong tapped on the shoulders of the two guys in front of him, then pressed a finger to his lips when they both turned around . "Let me through," he whispered .


    "My name? Why the f*ck do you care? Just give me the money!"


    "How do I know if I’m paying the money to the right person if you don’t identify yourself? For all I know, you could just be some random guy looking to extort money from my firm . "


    Li Yundong squeezed past the two guys in front .


    "Fine! You want my name? It’s Wang Yong! And I’m here on behalf of the people yourpany owes money to! You can call them and check if you don’t believe me . "


    Several gasps sounded . Suddenly, the crowd was shifting . The people in front of Li Yundong were now retreating .


    "Out of the way!" Wang Yong yelled, drawing more gasps . The crowd started moving and jostling again .


    Wang Yong was slowly making his way from the entrance towards the hallway where President Cao and President Yin stood . Li Yundong moved his Qi towards his legs and arms, just in case he needed to make any explosive movements . Then, he stayed hidden within the crowd and waited . Momentster, Li Yundong started moving towards the front of the crowd again . Wang Yong had already moved past him, so Li Yundong would end up somewhere behind Wang Yong the moment he stepped out from the crowd .


    "Please . . . Put the knife away . . . Please..." President Cao said .


    "Shut up!" Wang Yong screamed . "Where’s the money!"


    "I was told there is a two-day grace period—"


    "I don’t have two days, you bitch!" Wang Yong yelled . "They’re gonna kill me if I don’t collect the money from you today!"


    Li Yundong stepped out from the crowd, wincing when the girl beside him squeaked in surprise . Fearing exposure, Li Yundong quickly took a step back and blended back into the crowd while keeping his eyes locked on Wang Yong .


    Wang Yong was now standing a few feet in front of the two presidents . HHis back was facing Li Yundong, and he hadn’t turned when the girl squeaked . Li Yundong sighed in relief and stepped away from the crowd again . This time, none of the onlookers were stupid enough to make a sound .


    "Calm down . . . please . . . Let’s just talk . . . " President Cao was losing her cool .


    Li Yundong kept walking . He had to go really slow to prevent the heels of his dress shoes from clicking too loudly against the floor . After a few steps, he came to a halt; it was too damned hard to walk quietly in these shoes . He bent down to remove the shoes, then tucked one of them into the waistband of his pants . Just in case he needed a way tounch a long-range attack .


    "I’m done talking!" Wang Yong screamed . "Now give me the money or I’ll stab this knife through your heart!"


    President Cao gasped, then whimpered . President Yin had clearly noticed Li Yundong already as she was now looking past Wang Yong’s shoulder and straight at him .


    Li Yundong pressed his finger to his lips and make a circr motion with his other hand . Keep him distracted, he mouthed the words to her . He tiptoed forward, moving much quicker now that he was barefoot .


    "Hurry up! I want it in cash!"


    "B- But I can’t give you the money because I don’t have that much cash right now!"


    Li Yundong stepped over the body of the unconscious woman and kept moving .


    "Looks like I have no choice but to take things to another level!"


    Wang Yong was now gripping the knife with an icepick grip, and the knife hand was raised above his head . Both President Yin and President Cao screamed .