Ch 31: Xie Debiao’s Suspicion

Wang Yue didn’t know that she was like a naive little girl at Li Fan’s place.

Still annoyed by her earlier gaffe, she sat in the car, her face flushing. Having never been in love, she didn’t understand why she had acted so strangely.

Li Fan finished his instant noodles and began collecting his furniture and appliances. He planned to take everything to the Fortress.

Although his Other Space had everything, Li Fan couldn’t bear to part with the things in this room, and he didn’t want to leave them for Xie Debiao.

If he could have removed the floorboards, Li Fan would have taken them too.

Half an hour later, the once neat and cozy home had become an empty shell.

He went to the Fortress that night, and after more organizing and arranging, the originally empty third underground level now held the furniture and appliances from his home, occupying only a small space.

The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, he began receiving calls from various suppliers.

Starting at 8 a.m., large trucks continuously delivered supplies to the Base. So many vehicles naturally attracted the attention of the nearby residential complexes and houses.

Although the outdoor temperature was close to forty degrees, it couldn’t stop the onlookers.

They gathered outside the Base walls, watching batch after batch of supplies being moved into the strange building, speculating about the purpose of this strange structure built in ten days.

Li Fan didn’t have time to worry about what people thought. He kept having workers move supplies underground, then storing them in the Other Space once a group of workers left.

Then he’d wait for the next batch of goods, repeating the cycle until more than 2 p.m.

While Li Fan was arranging for workers to move the last few truckloads of ice and meat underground, Xie Debiao arrived at the Base with three Brothers, driving a car.

Xie Debiao saw trucks heading towards Li Fan’s Base when he woke up, but he didn’t pay much attention at first.

But after three or four hours, the trucks still came continuously. So he decided to come and see what was going on. He felt that this kid wasn’t just starting a business.

Li Fan saw Xie Debiao and the others, and he smilingly approached them, saying:

“Uncle Xie, what brings you here?”

Xie Debiao still wore his usual smiling-tiger expression.

“So you’re all set? When are you opening?”

“Oh, in a couple of days. There are still many things I haven’t prepared yet.”

Xie Debiao frowned slightly. Knowing that trucks had been arriving since this morning, he thought that such a small building should be full by now.

Suspicious, but with an inquiring smile on his face, he said:

“How much merchandise have you prepared? Still not ready?”

“The goods are ready, but some props haven’t been finished yet.”

Xie Debiao watched the workers constantly moving goods in and out, becoming more curious about the interior of the Fortress.

“Let me go inside and have a look.”

He started walking towards the Fortress, but Li Fan quickly stepped in front of Xie Debiao.

With a simple and honest smile, he firmly refused:

“Uncle Xie, it’s not necessary. It’s a mess inside, full of goods. There’s not even room to step.”

Li Fan’s action made Xie Debiao frown. Although Li Fan was smiling, his tone had become firm, which was inconsistent with the impression he had of him.

One of Xie Debiao’s Brothers, a sleeveless Flower Arm Man, glared at Li Fan and shouted:

“Boss Biao wants to have a look, so he’ll have a look. You dare to obstruct him!”

Li Fan still smiled, but with a hidden intent to kill in his eyes, he shook his head again:

“Sorry, it’s not ready yet, you can’t see it.”

The Flower Arm Man was about to intimidate Li Fan, but when he saw Xie Debiao wave his hand, he stopped and retreated.

Xie Debiao looked deeply at Li Fan’s innocent and youthful face, feeling a strange sense of fear, which instantly turned into anger:

“Really can’t go in and have a look?”

“No!”

Li Fan’s refusal was decisive, his smile unchanged throughout.

The two men stared at each other, Xie Debiao slightly narrowing his eyes.

The atmosphere suddenly became strange. Both men were smiling, but each saw a different meaning in the other’s eyes.

At that moment, a cold rebuke came.

“What are you doing?”

Wang Yue, wearing a police short-sleeved shirt and a police belt, showed off a sexy figure. With her high ponytail, she caught the attention of the onlookers.

When Xie Debiao saw who it was, a lewd look flashed in his eyes. He suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, Officer Wang is here too. Are you looking for someone?”

Wang Yue ignored Xie Debiao and looked Li Fan up and down, asking:

“Are you alright?”

Li Fan shook his head, casually replying to Wang Yue:

“I’m fine. Uncle Xie wanted to see my Base, but I told him to wait until it’s tidied up before I invite him to visit.”

Xie Debiao looked back and forth between Li Fan and Wang Yue, smiled, and said:

“Xiao Li said it’s not tidy, then I won’t look. But be sure to let me know when you open. I’ll send you a flower basket.”

With that, Xie Debiao left with his Brothers.

Li Fan looked at Wang Yue questioningly, wondering her purpose, and asked:

“Officer Sister, is there something you need?”

“I was going to your residential complex to find Xie Debiao, and I heard he was here, so I came over. I didn’t expect that this strange building is yours.”

“Yes, a Media Company has to be a little unconventional.”

Seeing that Li Fan didn’t invite her in to see the inside, although she was curious, she wisely didn’t suggest going in. She gave Li Fan some instructions before walking towards her car:

“If Xie Debiao bothers you again, remember to contact me. I’ll help you.”

Li Fan looked at the overly enthusiastic Wang Yue and thanked her:

“Thank you, Officer Sister.”

After giving Li Fan a roll of her eyes, she turned and left.

Wang Yue was originally going to the Beilin District Red Romance Nightclub to see if she could find any more clues.

But she unconsciously drove to the Lishui Courtyard and happened to see Xie Debiao and his men driving out, so she followed them.

Then she saw Li Fan busy working. She didn’t want to interrupt, but when she saw Xie Debiao confronting Li Fan, and it seemed like a fight might break out, she got out of the car without thinking to stop them.

She wanted to stay and chat with this University Graduate, but she didn’t know what to talk about, so she left.

Meanwhile, Xie Debiao and his Brothers drove to his Loan Company. In his Office, Xie Debiao smoked, Li Fan’s indifferent gaze repeatedly flashing in his mind, making him uneasy.

“Zhang Liang, find some Brothers who are good at picking locks, and tonight, get into Li Fan’s Fortress and see how much merchandise he has. I have a bad feeling about this kid.”

The Flower Arm Man’s name was Zhang Liang. He was the head of Xie Debiao’s subordinates who handled dirty work and had many lives on his hands.

Hearing his Boss’s order, he asked:

“Okay, Boss Biao. But what if Li Fan is inside? Do we need to…”

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

“No need. If you find him inside, just scare him a little. Officer Wang knows him, so keep a low profile recently.”

Zhang Liang nodded, turned and left the Office, and called people.

Xie Debiao turned his Boss chair to face Outside the Window, looking at the sweltering heat of North City Street, his unease growing.