Chapter 20: Acting Without Authorization

In no time, Wu Bei arrived at the entrance of the residential complex.

Qi Jinlong and Luo Hou, drenched in blood, immediately approached with enthusiastic expressions.

Luo Hou, shaking off the half-dead look from earlier, grinned excitedly and bared his teeth. "So, buddy, did we get the money back?"

"Here!" Wu Bei smiled and shook the travel bag in his hand.

Qi Jinlong eagerly unzipped the bag and, upon seeing the neatly stacked pink bills inside, instantly jumped up and down with excitement.

"Thanks for all the hard work. Lunch is on me!" Wu Bei said straightforwardly, tossing the bag to Qi Jinlong, his breath steady.

Compared to Qi Jinlong’s ecstatic reaction, Luo Hou remained calm but grumbled with a displeased look, tugging at his clothes, "Buddy, can we stop using pig’s blood next time? It made me stink all over."

Wu Bei pushed him away with an elbow, half amused, half exasperated. "You want a next time?! Once this job is done, we’re parting ways immediately!"

Rewinding to half an hour earlier, after Wu Bei decided to take the lead in collecting the debt, he led the two to a butcher shop.

He then paid out of pocket to buy several pounds of pig’s blood, bagged it, and slipped it inside Luo Hou’s clothes—hence the terrifying scene at Wang Minghui’s house just now.

“Wu Ge, you’re amazing! If I hadn’t known what was coming, I’d have nearly wet myself! The way you handled that knife was just perfect!” Qi Jinlong said, hugging the travel bag, his mouth wide with a grin, his white hair trembling.

Wu Bei modestly waved his hand. “Mainly because you two cooperated well. I couldn’t have done it alone. Alright, let’s contact the boss and wrap this up quickly so we can all breathe easier.”

Just after ten in the morning, under Qi Jinlong’s lead, the group arrived at a cultural antique shop named “Baiyi Cliff” in the city center. Wu Bei finally met the true creditor of this debt.

The owner was a man in his forties, delicate in appearance, with a square face and a crew cut. He wore a white shirt tucked into black trousers, and his shoes were polished to a shine, giving the impression of a small-town official.

The shop’s decor was antique and elegant, with weathered shelves filled with various root carvings and old artifacts, clearly priceless.

After brief pleasantries, Qi Jinlong placed the travel bag on the table and seriously explained, “Boss Deng, this is nine hundred thousand! We really did our best!”

“Oh? That much?” Deng Boss raised his head in mild surprise but then resumed fiddling with a cultural walnut in his hand.

When Qi Jinlong mentioned “nine hundred thousand,” Wu Bei instinctively frowned.

He had counted the money carefully after leaving Wang Minghui’s house, and throughout the journey, the bag had been held tightly by Qi Jinlong, which meant there was definite tampering.

Though displeased, Wu Bei chose not to expose it.

Deng Boss cast a glance over the bag and remarked again, “I always thought you were someone special. Not bad, not bad!”

Though a small gesture, Wu Bei could tell this man wasn’t overly concerned about the money.

Qi Jinlong smiled awkwardly and pulled Wu Bei aside, saying, “Boss Deng, it was actually all thanks to my buddy here. I was just the assistant.”

“Oh?” Deng Boss looked at Wu Bei with interest.

Wu Bei quickly waved his hand. “Jinlong’s exaggerating. We just worked together sincerely. I was at most the mediator.”

“Heh, modest and confident, with a spark in your eyes. Interesting!” Deng Boss put down the walnut and extended his hand. “I’m Deng Yi—the ‘Yi’ as in unexpected.”

“Wu Bei,” Wu Bei responded promptly, shaking his hand.

Deng Yi asked again, “Little brother, where are you employed?”

Before Wu Bei could answer, Qi Jinlong cut in, “He’s currently a full-time caretaker for his seriously ill father.”

“Oh!” Deng Yi nodded slowly, then gestured toward the travel bag. “Though you only got back nine hundred thousand, let’s proceed as agreed. You’ll take fifty thousand as your fee.”

“Uh...”

“Thanks, Boss Deng. With your generosity, making money’s almost impossible to avoid!”

Wu Bei was about to speak when Qi Jinlong quickly interrupted again.

While Qi Jinlong and Luo Hou were busy counting money, Wu Bei hesitated a moment before voicing his concern to Deng Yi: that Deng should keep a close eye on things for a while; he felt Wang Minghui wouldn’t simply accept this loss quietly.

Deng Yi tilted his head with a smile. “And why do you say that?”

Clearing his throat, Wu Bei explained, “Someone who keeps millions in cash at home either feels extremely insecure or is always ready to run. In either case, he won’t be happy if the ‘duck in his pot’ is taken away. Of course, I don’t believe debts must always be repaid; otherwise, this matter wouldn’t have dragged on so long.”

Deng Yi nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense. Thanks for the reminder. When you have time, come by for some tea. The tea I have can’t be found outside.”

“Wu Ge, time’s about up. Let’s not keep Boss Deng any longer,” Qi Jinlong called from the side, energized and holding the travel bag.

“Safe travels, brothers! We won’t see you off!”

Deng Yi stood up and once again extended his hand toward Wu Bei...