Chapter 58: Gangland Grudges Part 13

  Lu Zhen'er's father and brother were still trustworthy, and once Su Luo's injury healed, they sent her an invitation to negotiate, the location was set at a temple on the outskirts of the city, where the Zen tea was famous, the teahouse was open to outsiders, but the number of guests it could accommodate each day was limited, so it was relatively quiet and suitable for conversation, and wouldn't be too eye-catching, making them appear guilty.

  Su Luo had originally planned to go alone, the fewer people who knew about it before things became clear, the better. But considering she had recently returned from being injured while going solo, her recent confidants were all looking at her with a more serious gaze. Whenever she wanted to go out, they would quietly follow her one by one, making her laugh and cry at the same time. It wasn't that she couldn't tell them she was going to see Officer Li, it's just that there wouldn't be any danger. After thinking about it, she decided to bring Lin Jingyu along instead. He was still someone she could trust, his martial arts skills were good, and others would also feel at ease.

  Although they've made all the preparations they could over the past few years, and the cooperation is absolutely tempting for the police, it's still unknown whether they'll be able to come to an agreement. Su Luo was still quite nervous on the way there, going over the reasons she had thought of again and again in her mind, hoping that she would be able to successfully persuade the other party - this was a matter of life and death for Qing Long.

  They soon arrived at the mountain gate.

  Circled around the main hall, on the way asked a little monk about the location of the tea room, and then rushed to find it, smoothly found the Chan house where Lu's father and son were.

  "Miss Su and this gentleman, please take a seat." The Lu family father and son greeted them.

  "Thank you." Su Luo and Lin Jingwen sat down cross-legged on the couch, with a small table in front of them, on which tea sets were scattered.

  Lu Zhen'er's father was clearly a connoisseur of tea, as he poured the hot water into the teapot with a smooth and flowing motion. At the same time, he spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, not like a policeman at all, but rather like a scholar: "This time, we invited Miss Su to come, firstly, it's to express our gratitude for what happened last time. My little girl was being unreasonable, and she ended up getting Miss Su injured."

  "Director Lu was being polite, it's just a minor injury."

  "Also, regarding Miss Su's proposal last time, I have also asked my superiors about it. My superiors' intention is...” He stopped here on purpose and continued with the action of pouring tea, lifting his head to pour the remaining tea into each of the four cups one by one, then presenting a cup to each person.

  "Please."

  Su Luo picked up the cup, using her right thumb and index finger to hold the rim of the cup, with her middle finger supporting the bottom of the cup. She first sniffed it under her nose, then sipped it carefully. Although she was not very old, she could be considered an old tea connoisseur, no way around it, having been influenced by her family from a young age.

  During this process, Lu Zhen'er's father also quietly observed her, seeing that she maintained a faint smile, with every move measured and seemingly uninterested in the conversation, as if she had only come to taste tea. He secretly thought to himself "This young person can keep calm".

  "Enough of the small talk, let's get back to the main topic. If something benefits the common people, we will always support it. The Qinglong bleaching factory is not impossible. However, your past actions and current influence are not things we can ignore. Although you saved Zhen'er, which is a great kindness to our entire family, that alone is not enough to wipe clean all your illegal dealings. Even if I wanted to help you, I don't have the power to do so."

  "Of course, I never meant that. Miss Lu's misfortune is also caused by our Qinglong, saving her is a must, and taking advantage of kindness to repay grievances is not my intention, please forgive me for the offense. I'm already grateful for this conversation opportunity." Su Luo lowered her posture, not only because she had something to ask from the other party, but also because this matter went against her usual principles, using a little girl's safety to threaten her family was not what a gentleman would do (not that she was a gentleman in the first place), but it was a helpless move.

  "She continued: 'I know you must have a lot of our information in your hands. I'm sure you're also aware that doing this line of work, we definitely won't be law-abiding good citizens, but I dare say that among all the gangs, Qinglong is the one that does the least harm to society. At least since I took over, things like selling poison, human trafficking, and usury are absolutely prohibited, and our people are strictly managed, they won't go around bullying ordinary people for no reason. And our strength on the road is also among the top. So if the police want to find a partner, I think there's no one more suitable than Qinglong.'"

  "Indeed, the poisonous dragon is very clean, but what about smuggling, arms dealing and money laundering?" Director Lu slowly savored the liquid in his cup, asking a question that was direct and sharp.

  Su Luo was shocked in her heart, she hadn't expected that the other party would be so straightforward and malicious, instantly grasping the several major sources of Qinglong's troubles.

  Calm down, at this time you must not panic, the police will know that these are not surprising, if you panic, you lose.

  "I'm not sure how much you know about the situation here, probably not much, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to sit here with Director Lu and Mr. Lu sipping tea today, right?"

  Lu's father and son remained silent, tacitly acknowledging this statement.

  Luckily, I didn't fall into this old fox's trap.

  The four of them continued drinking tea.

  Su Luo spoke up again, not because she couldn't hold her temper, but because the initiative today was with the other party, and it wasn't good to overdo things. Moreover, from an age perspective, she could also be considered a junior: "I think, Director Lu's previous words about 'above' should mean no more than two points. First, let's see what benefits we can bring to the country. Don't worry, some things that Jun and the police can't handle, Qing Long can still take care of, and is willing to contribute a bit of effort. Secondly, for the forces in our hands now, there are some not-so-clean pasts that need to be rectified and cleaned up, which we can also do. You say, is my understanding correct?"

  Lu Haojie (Director Lu) hadn't seen such a clever young person in a long time, and she was about the same age as Zhen'er. He couldn't help but look at her with admiration. Many old veterans couldn't withstand his pressure, but she could talk freely and accurately infer the meaning from his ambiguous words earlier, grasping the points that were beneficial to herself, which was truly impressive.

  "Miss Su, tell me, what are the things that our police and Jun's side find inconvenient to handle, and need Qinglong to take action? Are you saying that you're even more powerful than the country's armed forces?"

  "Of course not. If that were the case, would we still need to worry about peace?" Su Luo joked. Of course, there have been many such precedents in history, what she needs to do is avoid a tragedy like Shuihu Zhuan, and truly laugh last.

  "As far as I know, recently a not-so-small force from R country has infiltrated our province and secretly collaborated with the Bamboo Alliance, another major faction in our province. What they are after, Director Lu must be clearer than me. Although R country now has wolf-like ambitions, on the surface they are doing legitimate business, so neither the police nor the military can casually handle them without proper reason, lest it lead to diplomatic disputes and make us lose face internationally. Moreover, it's easy to drive the snake out of its hole. But if our superiors are willing, we can take care of this matter, guaranteeing that R country's foothold in our province is eliminated, and leaving no grounds for R country's government to pursue. What do you think?"

  "Miss Su is really calculating, using this matter to sell the police a good deal and also to get rid of their old rival, Zhu He Gang. After that, won't you be the only dominant force? Not only was Su Luo afraid that the police would use them and then regret it, but the police were also worried that Qing Long was not truly willing to surrender, but just taking a temporary measure. So both sides are probing each other."

  "What Director Lu said is correct, we indeed want to get rid of the Bamboo Union Society, and it's likely that we'll need the police's help." Lu Haojie was taken aback, not expecting his opponent to admit it so bluntly.

  Su Luo continued, "But it's not for the sake of territory or power struggles, but for the lives and safety of the many brothers of Qinglong and the old and young of each family. The two factions have been entangled for decades, and it's no longer something that can be resolved just by wanting to resolve it. If Qinglong were to surrender now, they might become the souls under Zhuhe's knife tomorrow, so I couldn't take this risk. Everyone has their own selfish desires, and one cannot let others sleep peacefully beside them. I hope Director Lu understands. Besides, do you think Zhuhe should continue to exist?"

  Su Luo's frankness left Lu Haojie speechless. Zhu He was different from Qing Long, Qing Long mainly committed economic crimes, while Zhu He was truly evil and had connections with high-ranking officials, but there was no strong evidence to take him down, every time they would just sacrifice a few small fries, the common people were also resentful.

  It has to be said that Su Luo's every proposal made him extremely moved, and indeed he had put in a lot of effort. Driving out the R country's forces and eradicating the Bamboo Alliance were currently his two most pressing matters to resolve, but due to many reasons, it was difficult to do so. If Qing Long were to intervene, it would undoubtedly open another door for them who were at an impasse.

  Lu Haojie looked at his son who was already eager to try, and sighed that he was indeed too young and inexperienced. However, if it were twenty years ago, he might have agreed. But for now, he couldn't give in yet, and could still negotiate for better terms.

  "Is that all?" His face remained calm and expressionless, but he seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

  Su Luo didn't fall for it: "I think, just doing well in these things is enough to let Director Lu advance one more step before his retirement. As the leader of the anti-corruption team, this will also add a beautiful stroke to Young Master Lu's resume, and his future prospects will be boundless." Although the father-son duo of the Lu family weren't corrupt officials, men always have a longing for power and authority.

  However, the Green Dragon's capabilities are not limited to this. We can do a lot of things. For example, the country has always wanted to purchase some new Western-style weapons, but there is no way to get them. We happen to know some underground arms dealers who can provide them in the long term. Of course, all these are based on the foundation that both parties can maintain stable cooperation for a long time.

  "Moreover, for Director Lu and your family, this matter will also be greatly beneficial."

  "Miss Su, what does this have to do with our family? Is it just about the promotion you mentioned? I think even without Qinglong's help, this matter would still happen eventually, it's just a matter of time. Besides, whether we get promoted or not, we're not too concerned about it, so don't worry about it." Lu Yuan interrupted, this being his first time speaking up during the conversation. Young people always have some pride, and Su Luo's words had struck a chord with his self-esteem.

  "Of course, I also believe in Mr. Lu's abilities and that he will definitely achieve something. I am referring to Miss Lu." Being intelligent people, they quickly caught on without needing any beating around the bush, and realized that Su Luo was hinting at the relationship between Zhen Er and Long Si.

  This thing is really a headache. Zhen's mother passed away early, and it was always the two of them who brought her up. Out of compensation in their hearts, they went along with her in everything, which led to her current spoiled and arrogant personality. She didn't find a good boyfriend, but instead found a triad leader. Since knowing about their relationship, the father and son had said all the right things, scolded her, and still couldn't awaken her. But she's already so big, they can't bear to hit her, nor can they lock her at home and not let her go out, they can only let her be. What I'm afraid of is that one day because of Long Xiao, she'll get into danger again, or if something happens to Long Xiao, she won't be able to withstand the heartbreak. After all, she's not a strong child.

  If Qing Long could turn white, and Long Xiao became a serious businessman, then he wouldn't be a bad match for Zhen Er either.

  "Right? You two must also hope she can live happily and freely. Being a mistress is not an easy role."

  "What about the second point Miss Su mentioned? How do you plan to account for the past, you can't just erase it completely." Lu Haojie shifted the topic, which was equivalent to acknowledging Su Luo's statement.

  "When the time comes, we will hand over some evidence and people to the police, and also let you explain to your superiors and the ordinary people." Su Luo had already thought of this, so she handed over those who secretly betrayed Qing Long and joined Zhu He. In her previous life, Qing Long would have destroyed these people, and they were one of the main culprits. This way, she didn't need to worry about brotherly love anymore.

  "Does Miss Su think that just sacrificing some insignificant pawns will be enough to settle this black pot incident? Their weight is not enough."

  "It's not just small fries, there will be big shots too, don't worry."

  Lu Haojie smiled and shook his head silently.

  "What do you mean?" Su Luo didn't know why the other person was being so difficult.

  "If Miss So is willing to hand herself over to the police, we will agree to all of the above conditions. The government will recognize the legitimate status of Qing Long, not as a gang, but by establishing a company or group."