Chapter 40: The Cash Cow

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Chapter 40: The Money Tree

“You can’t calculate it that way, miss. If you keep tracing things backward, you might as well blame my father. If he hadn’t brought me into this world, I couldn’t have become a police officer, right? And if I hadn’t become a police officer, your father wouldn’t have been able to ask me to retrieve the surveillance footage.”

Cold sweat broke out across Chen Lixin’s forehead. He had meant to find a way out, but instead had only made things worse. He hurriedly continued, “That’s exactly the problem. You have to identify the original cause—you can’t keep tracing things backward forever. Who was driving the car that hit him? And if it wasn’t an accident, then who caused the accident? You should blame the person who orchestrated it, shouldn’t you?”

“Shut up!” Roland struck Chen Lixin on the head with her pistol. “Stop talking and take us to Canglan International.”

Roland knew that Li Mengli could hear everything they were saying. She had originally intended to redirect the blame for Li Hai’s death onto Chen Lixin, but he had somehow managed to turn it right back on her. Now, the grudge between Li Mengli and herself was certainly impossible to resolve.

“You said Canglan International?” Chen Lixin remembered that when he had retrieved the surveillance footage for Li Hai, Li Mengli had also taken her younger sister to Canglan International. At the time, he had assumed they were simply two children who had gone inside out of curiosity. After all, the place had no residential security gates and never required any third-party security services. Besides, people said its artificial sky was beautiful. It had even gone viral online for a while several years ago. Other than that, however, it had no entertainment facilities, so few people paid it any attention. Occasionally, someone curious would go inside to take a look, but after a while they would find it boring and leave.

But if Li Mengli chose to take refuge there at this critical moment, the situation would be entirely different…

“Which section are you going to?” Chen Lixin asked cautiously.

“Section One. I live there.” Roland pressed the muzzle hard against the hollow above his shoulder and said coldly, “Is there a problem?”

At those words, Chen Lixin felt as if he had fallen into an icy cavern. He drew in a sharp breath, immediately picked up his radio, and said, “Everyone, cease operations. Don’t follow us any farther… What are you waiting for? That’s an order!”

Roland raised an eyebrow. The tension in her expression suddenly eased. She knew Chen Lixin was not playing any tricks. That meant the other party’s status had reached a level granting him basic clearance.

“So you’re not completely ignorant after all.” Roland sat back, opened the window, and tossed the pistol outside. Then she began dismantling the detonators strapped around her waist, relaxing as though she had just returned home.

Tian Hu had no idea what they were talking about. All he saw was Chen Lixin opening the car window as well, lighting a cigarette, and resting the arm holding it on the window frame.

“What are you doing? Have I lost my mind? Is this… are we going on vacation?!” Tian Hu was utterly bewildered.

No one paid him any attention. Chen Lixin said, “Under normal circumstances, we would receive orders from above. But to be honest, I didn’t receive any authorization documents or instructions regarding today’s operation. Strictly speaking, that doesn’t really comply with regulations…”

“You’ve worked hard.” Roland understood what he meant. She slipped a black card into the breast pocket of his police uniform. “There are two thousand on it. Go get yourself a good meal later. By the way, I heard there’s more to Tian Hu’s case than meets the eye, isn’t there?”

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“There’s nothing more to it! I killed the man!” Tian Hu immediately shouted. “Don’t worry, Officer. No matter where I’m taken today, as long as I don’t die, I’ll definitely come back and turn myself in!”

“Tian Hu, is there something wrong with your head?” Chen Lixin watched him through the rearview mirror. “I don’t care who you thought she was before. You need to broaden your horizons now. It’s like an emperor disguising himself and traveling among the people to understand their lives, or a rich heir working odd jobs everywhere to experience ordinary life. Do you understand?”

Tian Hu turned to look at Roland. After struggling for a long while, he asked, “Mengli, that night when you were surrounded by those gangsters, I rescued you. That was real, wasn’t it?”

Roland was about to answer, but Chen Lixin cut in first. “How could it have been real? Did she need you to rescue her? Obviously, it was deliberately arranged to give you a chance to play the hero and save the beauty. I have to say, you’re one lucky bastard. This lady has taken a liking to you, yet you’re still taking the blame for Pan Long? Go back and serve her well. You’re set for life!”

“Why do you talk so much?! Shut up!” More than anything, Roland did not want Tian Hu to regard her as a money tree.

Money could indeed buy many things and accomplish many tasks.

The greatest difference between members and nonmembers of the Tower was this: the former had successfully escaped the status of money’s puppets and become its masters, while the latter were precisely the opposite.

“All right! I’ll shut up right away!” Chen Lixin drove along with a grin. He knew that what lay in his pocket was not two thousand, but twenty million. Money could strip even those who had once stood high above others of their dignity.

“Mengli, my father is waiting in the hospital for the money to pay his medical bills. If you can help me, I’ll do anything for you!” Tian Hu seized Roland’s hand. “I’ll listen to everything you say. I’ll work like an ox or a horse for you!”

Money could make those who had once been indifferent to you become obedient to your every command.

But from the look in Tian Hu’s eyes, Roland knew that completing her mission had just become even more difficult.

Money could not buy sincere love.

“Do you love me?” Roland asked.

Tian Hu answered without the slightest hesitation. “I do! Mengli, I love you very much. From the first time I saw you, I knew I loved you!”

At most, money could buy an actor who appeared to love her deeply.

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But what use was that to Roland?

“You don’t love me. If you truly loved me, I wouldn’t have had the chance to hear you say it…”

“Why?”

After Tian Hu asked the question, Roland had not yet had time to answer when Chen Lixin once again cut in. “You’re really stupid, aren’t you? How can you not understand? If you loved her, you would have kissed her already. With your mouth occupied, how could you speak? So she wouldn’t have had the chance to hear you say it!”

“Shut up!”

This time, Tian Hu and Roland spoke in unison, stopping Chen Lixin from saying anything further.

The car fell silent for a while. Roland was calculating how she might repair the impression that Tian Hu now regarded her as a money tree, when Chen Lixin could not resist speaking again.

“Seeing the two of you reminds me of when I was young. I think it was my second year of university. I liked a girl, but her family was very wealthy. My own family couldn’t be called poor, but we were still far below her in circumstances. Back then, I thought that at the very least, I couldn’t let myself have regrets for the rest of my life. So I went and confessed my feelings.

“And then that girl…” Chen Lixin chuckled. “She berated me in front of the entire class.”

Roland and Tian Hu remained silent.

“To put it in modern terms, she didn’t like me, but she didn’t need to hurt me either, right?” he continued. “At the time, she probably said something about a toad wanting to eat swan meat. I don’t remember clearly anymore, but I still remember how it felt. I thought, I have to become rich. No matter what I do, I must make money! Not so that I could one day be worthy of her, but simply to prove myself… So that if I ever saw her again, I wouldn’t feel inferior. Hahaha, was I terribly childish?”

“Did you succeed?” Roland asked. “I mean, did you earn enough money to prove yourself?”

“I succeeded a long time ago… But once I had the money, I discovered that the world suddenly became much larger. Desire can take root, sprout, and grow to heights beyond imagination…” Chen Lixin shook his head, muttering to himself. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, “I’m getting off track! What I mean is, Tian Hu, don’t fail to appreciate what you have. Do you know how many men in this world dream of finding a wealthy woman? Besides, she’s young and beautiful, isn’t she?”

After all that, Chen Lixin had still managed to reinforce the idea that Tian Hu should regard Roland as a money tree. She covered her face and said helplessly, “You really can’t get anything decent out of that filthy mouth of yours…”

End of Chapter