MTLNOVEL Chapter 61:
Chapter 61:
During the intense battle with the alliance forces, the Brotherhood didn’t fully commit their strength. They were waiting for the killer who had murdered Old Liu. To their surprise, they managed to catch him.
After eliminating the assassin, Chen Mo and his brothers unleashed their full power, quickly overwhelming the alliance forces, who scattered like frightened chickens.
The Brotherhood then focused on cleaning up the battlefield. Despite their victory, they suffered some losses.
However, knowing that the alliance’s power would no longer exist and that the Brotherhood would now reign supreme in Nancheng, they felt it was worth the sacrifice.
After dismantling the power of the Liu family’s camp, the Brotherhood turned their attention to the Liu family themselves. They hadn’t forgotten that Old Liu was killed by a killer hired by the Liu family.
Now that the assassin was dead, it was time to deal with the Liu family, who were responsible.
The Liu family wasn’t part of the underground forces, so the Brotherhood couldn’t use their usual methods. Instead, the brothers devised a plan to gather evidence of the Liu family’s illegal activities, such as the assault on women by Liu family members and the company’s illegal transactions. Their goal was to bankrupt the Liu family and strip them of their influence.
All members of the Brotherhood were mobilized to investigate the Liu family.
Three days later, they uncovered damning evidence: Liu Shaoqiang had sexually assaulted a female classmate, leading to her suicide, and had also physically assaulted others, leaving them disabled. These crimes had been covered up by Liu’s father.
The Brotherhood also found evidence of tax evasion, substandard product quality, and corrupt practices within the Liu family’s company. With all this information in their hands, they wasted no time and exposed everything online, even purchasing spots on popular search engines to ensure the news spread widely.
In today’s world, where people are under constant pressure, the opportunity to expose a corrupt capitalist like Liu was a welcome distraction.
Netizens quickly shared the news, condemning the Liu family.
Comments flooded in: “The Liu family and his son have committed so many crimes and still live so freely. Is there any justice?”
“We always thought the Liu family was a reputable company. If this hadn’t been exposed, we might have been fooled forever.”
“We demand a thorough investigation of the Liu family and justice for the victims.”
The public outcry put the Liu family at the center of a scandal.
As the controversy grew, the Liu family’s company was severely impacted, with stocks plummeting daily. Panic spread among the company’s employees, but Liu’s father had no time to address it.
He was now under investigation by the authorities.
Although the Liu family and his son hadn’t been arrested yet, they were under close surveillance. If the investigation confirmed their crimes, prison awaited them.
Mr. Liu was now like an ant on a hot pan, fully aware that the evidence exposed online was all true, including the crimes of his own son.
Many of these incidents had been suppressed by him. He had no idea who was targeting him, but he knew he was in serious trouble.
Despite his panic, Mr. Liu had to keep up appearances, going to the company to calm his employees, finding a lawyer to defend him, and trying to buy time.
At the Brotherhood headquarters, the core members gathered.
“The Liu family is doomed. Sixth brother, we’ll soon avenge you,” one of them said.
“Don’t let them off too easily. I want them to suffer for what they did to our brother,” another replied.
“These Liu family bastards deserve what’s coming. My sword is ready, and I can’t wait to finish them off,” said a third.
The brothers were in high spirits, eager to exact their revenge.
“Keep a close watch on the Liu family,” the second-in-command instructed, his voice calm but firm. “If they try to escape, stop them. But if they’re just going to prison, let them go. There’s no need for us to risk everything. Once they’re in prison, we can deal with them through our connections inside.”
Though the brothers were eager for revenge, they had to admit this was the best approach.
Destroying the Liu family now would only create more problems for the Brotherhood. In prison, the Liu family would be helpless, and they could be dealt with at any time.
Seeing that everyone agreed, the second-in-command turned to Chen Mo, who seemed particularly agitated.
“Chen Mo, we all know how much you want revenge on that bastard Liu Fei for framing you. If you still want to settle the score personally, we can arrange it once he’s in prison.”
Chen Mo, who had been imprisoned for three years because of Liu Fei, had long dreamed of taking revenge.
Now, with the opportunity finally within reach, he was filled with mixed emotions.
When he realized his brothers were looking at him, Chen Mo shook his head. “You guys handle it. I don’t need to do it myself.”
He had once been consumed by the thought of killing Liu Fei. But now, with the tables turned, he found the prospect less satisfying.
The truth was, they were no longer equals.
Liu Fei was about to face prison and the wrath of the Brotherhood, while Chen Mo, now powerful and influential, had his sights set on bigger goals.
The Liu family was merely a stepping stone. Next, he would target Xu Hao, a man he loathed for trying to steal both his teacher and his goddess.
In the past, Chen Mo had no way to challenge Xu Hao, the head of a group worth tens of billions. But with the Liu family out of the way, he saw a chance to bring down Xu Hao as well. He planned to expose any criminal activities of Xu’s group, convinced that Xu Hao’s facade couldn’t hold up under scrutiny.
Relieved by Chen Mo’s response, the second-in-command felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He had been worried that Chen Mo, being young and hot-headed, might let his anger get the better of him.
Risking everything to kill the Liu family wasn’t worth it.
…
Meanwhile, at the Xu family villa, three days had passed since Chen Mo exposed the Liu family.
Xu Hao had been teaching Xu Hongjiao the piano during this time.
Xu Hongjiao had a natural talent for music and improved rapidly under Xu Hao’s guidance. He stayed home in the mornings, patiently teaching her. Holding her hands, he guided her fingers across the piano keys, playing the entire Symphony of Destiny.
Xu Hongjiao’s eyes lit up with each lesson. This was already the third time Xu Hao had taught her step by step, and she felt she was finally mastering the piece.
Initially, she had disliked Xu Hao’s methodical approach, but as her skills improved, she began to appreciate it.
What had once felt uncomfortable now felt necessary, and when Xu Hao wasn’t there to guide her, she even missed his presence.
Every time she thought about this, she blushed.
Was she betraying her sister’s organization? But she reasoned that simply learning piano from Xu Hao wasn’t a true betrayal. After all, she hadn’t called him “dad” like her younger sisters did. Surely, that didn’t count as a betrayal.
“Follow the rhythm we just practiced and try it on your own.” Xu Hao instructed, releasing her hands and smiling.
Xu Hongjiao took a deep breath, steadied herself, and began to play.
The Symphony of Destiny flowed from her fingers, much improved from where she had started three days ago. While it wasn’t as flawless as Xu Hao’s rendition, it was a significant improvement.
Now, with her skills polished, Xu Hongjiao finally felt confident enough to face her fans.
For days, she had been too afraid to appear in public, worried that they might ask her to perform live. But after these intensive practice sessions, she was ready to step into the spotlight once more.
With her improved piano skills, she was finally ready to showcase her talent.
As for the Symphony of Destiny that she had uploaded online, how would she explain its origin?
Xu Hao had already prepared an explanation for her: “Just say it was a moment of inspiration, a fleeting whim that I can’t quite capture again.” It was clear that everything had been planned meticulously from the start.
Clap, clap, clap… Applause echoed through the room.
Turning around, Xu Hongjiao saw Xu Hao clapping his hands, a look of approval on his face. “Very impressive, Hongjiao. Your musical talent is truly shining now.”
At this moment, Xu Hongjiao’s gaze softened as she looked at Xu Hao. The distance she once felt toward him seemed to dissolve, replaced by a growing closeness. She pursed her lips, wanting to express her gratitude but hesitated to say the word “Dad.”
It didn’t matter; Xu Hao knew there was still time to bridge that gap. They were in the same place emotionally as they had been after a day spent at the amusement park with his two daughters. He understood that she needed the right moment to call him “Dad.”
“You are my daughter, and it brings me immense joy to see you grow and succeed. There’s no need to thank me.” Xu Hao said, pretending to be slightly displeased as he discussed some piano elements with her before leaving the study.
Meanwhile, Secretary Li Kun drove to the Xu family villa.
Xu Hao got into the car, and they set off. As they traveled, the secretary briefed him on the latest developments with the Brotherhood and the Liu family. The Brotherhood had been diligently collecting incriminating evidence against the Liu family and uploading it online. Xu Hao’s expression remained calm, but he felt a chill run down his spine. He cast a cool glance at the secretary.
Xu Hao thought inwardly, “I must ensure that all evidence against me is destroyed. I can’t afford to make the same mistake as the Liu family.”
Fortunately, Xu Hao had been cautious, delegating most of the operations to Old Mo.
He had only personally intervened a few times, and always with the utmost discretion. Even if someone tried to investigate him, it would take a long time to uncover anything, and by then, all the evidence would be destroyed.
As the secretary continued to report, Xu Hao’s smile grew broader.
Since the Liu family’s criminal activities were exposed online, the stock price of Liu’s company had plummeted. Xu Hao knew it was only a matter of time before Liu’s father would be forced to sell, and Xu Hao was ready to pounce.
The car drove all the way to Liu’s house.
As soon as they arrived, several other cars pulled up. Xu Hao remained unfazed. He wasn’t the only one eyeing the Liu family’s assets. With the Liu family on the brink of bankruptcy, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. It was only natural.
Xu Hao knew the weak would be devoured by the strong, and he had been preparing for this moment for a long time. The Liu family had two companies. One was a food factory, embroiled in tax evasion and fraud scandals. The other was a new energy vehicle company, which had been left untouched. If there had been any issues with it, Xu Hao wouldn’t have waited so long to act.
The new energy vehicle company had passed all investigations without a hitch, and it was now Mr. Liu’s last stronghold. He couldn’t sell the food factory even if he wanted to, so the new energy vehicle company was his only bargaining chip. But the scandal surrounding the food factory had caused the car company’s stock price to plummet as well, and many were eager to acquire it at a bargain.
Mr. Liu had been holding out, hiring top lawyers to defend him and maintaining a façade of integrity. But deep down, he was terrified. He knew there were vultures circling, waiting to snatch the car company from him. In the last few days, numerous buyers had approached him, offering ridiculously low prices. He had refused them all.
As the investigation deepened, Mr. Liu grew increasingly desperate. A wild idea began to take shape in his mind. If he was going to end up in jail, why not take the money and run? If the company was doomed anyway, he might as well sell it.
Today, Mr. Liu was meeting with yet another potential buyer, trying to secure the best possible price. When he saw Xu Hao enter the room, he was taken aback. Unlike the others, Mr. Liu didn’t dare to be arrogant in front of Xu Hao. He quickly greeted him with a fawning smile and personally poured him a cup of tea.
“Mr. Xu, I’m surprised to see you here. What brings you to my humble home?” Mr. Liu asked, his tone ingratiating.
Xu Hao didn’t touch the tea and got straight to the point. “To be honest, our company is planning a transformation and looking to enter new industries. I’m particularly interested in new energy.”
Mr. Liu didn’t need further explanation. He understood immediately that Xu Hao, like everyone else, wanted to buy his car company. But one thing puzzled him. Xu Hao was a real estate tycoon, raking in profits by the millions. Why was he suddenly interested in new energy vehicles?
In the current market, new energy vehicles were still a niche sector, with few entrepreneurs recognizing their massive potential.
Mr. Liu pondered this for a moment but then decided it wasn’t worth overthinking. He was planning to flee anyway, so the only thing that mattered was negotiating a good price.
Mr. Liu sighed, pretending to be resigned. “Mr. Xu, as you can see, I’ve been targeted by malicious rivals, and both of my companies are struggling. I’m open to selling, but…”
Before he could finish, Xu Hao cut him off. “I’m willing to buy it at today’s market price.”
Mr. Liu’s eyes lit up. The stock price of Liu’s car company had been dropping like a rock, and in just three days, it had lost nearly half its value. Worse yet, it showed no signs of stabilizing. The other buyers had offered ridiculously low prices, convinced the stock would continue to fall. But Xu Hao’s offer was the highest he had received.
After a moment of feigned hesitation, Mr. Liu agreed. He was eager to seal the deal quickly and called for someone to draw up the contract and complete the transfer of the company.
As Xu Hao signed the transfer contract, a satisfied smile spread across his face. He had finally secured the prize he had been eyeing for so long. Glancing at Mr. Liu, who was barely containing his excitement, a flicker of disdain flashed in Xu Hao’s eyes. Turning to his secretary, he gave a final order.
“Tell Old Mo I want to have fish for dinner.”