Villain Is Bodyguard of Heroine’s Poisonous Stepmother

Chapter 127: Chen Luo as the Puppet Master

After being brutally beaten, Li Zhong was thrown out of the Luo residence, while Li Ting was temporarily detained by Luo Mingde.

He planned for Li Ting to accompany Luo Zixuan in death, yet he deemed the timing not yet right, deciding that the day of his son’s funeral would be the appropriate moment for Li Ting to join him. Also, he wouldn’t bury his son until the killer was dealt with, as his son couldn’t rest in peace otherwise.

“Everything is proceeding as planned,” Chen Luo, monitoring the developments, was aware of Li Zhong’s beating.

Luo Mingde killing Li Zhong would undoubtedly lead the Li family to fight to the death to avenge him, so Luo Mingde would definitely not kill Li Zhong. However, he was certain to discipline Li Zhong, thereby deepening the hatred between the Luo and Li families.

“Now, it’s time to prepare evidence to deal with Luo Mingde.”

“Do you think Luo Mingde suspects you?” Zhao Yingxuan cuddled closer to Chen Luo.

“Ye Chen’s alive, he’ll definitely reveal the truth. Even if it’s just to stir conflict between me and Luo Mingde, Li Zhong will surely inform Luo Mingde. How could Luo Mingde not suspect me then?”

Even without Ye Chen exposing the truth, Chen Luo believed Luo Mingde would harbor suspicions toward him. After all, while Ah Da, Ah Er, and Ah San were officially under the Luo family’s command, they were actually operatives supplied by Chen Luo to the Luo family.

Could Luo Mingde truly have no doubts about him?

This was also why Chen Luo instructed the system to erase all traces of his presence at the time and to fabricate an alibi. The alibi created by the system would be indistinguishable from the truth.

“Qingxue, I’ve managed to cripple one of Ye Chen’s hands. How will you repay me?” Chen Luo said as he pulled Xiao Qingxue closer.

Zhao Yingxuan, seeing the interaction, let out a soft huff.

“What… what would you like?” Xiao Qingxue asked, visibly uncomfortable, especially with Zhao Yingxuan watching. She couldn’t let loose.

“Since you’re asking what I want, does that mean you’re willing to agree to any request I have?” Chen Luo whispered in Xiao Qingxue’s ear.

Xiao Qingxue rolled her eyes and coldly responded, “Of course not, you’re dreaming.”

Agreeing to Chen Luo’s every demand was out of the question, especially since she anticipated he would likely ask for something embarrassingly excessive.

“What about wearing a qipao and performing a dance for me?” Chen Luo suggested, intrigued at the thought of seeing Xiao Qingxue in a qipao.

“Wearing a qipao?”

Xiao Qingxue felt uneasy about the idea, particularly about dancing in front of Chen Luo.

“I can’t dance.”

“No worries, I’ll arrange for someone to teach you. Let’s consider it settled then. You have three days to learn the dance,” Chen Luo said authoritatively, leaving no room for Xiao Qingxue to argue.

“Let me pick the dance,” Zhao Yingxuan chimed in, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she glanced at Xiao Qingxue.

“Alright.”

Chen Luo agreed without hesitation before Xiao Qingxue could protest. He did so because Zhao Yingxuan knew him too well, and he was sure she knew exactly the kind of dance he wanted to see.

However, Xiao Qingxue was reluctant. She was aware that Zhao Yingxuan would likely not choose a simple dance for her.

Xiao Qingxue gave Zhao Yingxuan a gold glance, then said, “With Li Zhong severely beaten, he certainly won’t have the capacity to handle his business affairs right now. It’s an ideal time to make a move against the Li family’s group.”

It was a golden opportunity to target the Li family, one neither Xiao Qingxue nor the Luo family intended to miss.

“You’re in charge of the business decisions. There’s no need to inform me about them,” Chen Luo said.

He wasn’t interested in the business side of things, as long as Xiao Qingxue could generate profits for him.

The Morning Star Conglomerate, under Xiao Qingxue’s management, had recently been very profitable. In just under a month, after subtracting the cost of goods from the system, Chen Luo had earned around one hundred million.

This was only the beginning, with a promising financial future ahead. Xiao Qingxue saw even more potential in the Morning Star Conglomerate than in the Yongqiang Group. Chen Luo’s trust in her by handing it over to her management was also a sign of his trust.

***

On the other hand, Ye Chen, severely injured, returned to the Li family in a dire state. With only one arm remaining, the arm disabled by Chen Luo had become a liability, prompting Ye Chen to grimly sever it.

Ye Chen had now become a one-armed warrior, having lost his crucial right arm. Though many left-handed people find their left hand to be more adept and powerful, Ye Chen was not one of those individuals.

The Li family’s butler, upon seeing Ye Chen’s condition, promptly had him taken to the hospital. Ye Chen received surgery at the hospital, where Li Zhong, also a victim of a brutal beating, was present.

He was also aware that Ye Chen had returned with severe injuries and had been rushed to the operating room.

When Ye Chen was wheeled out from the operating room, Li Zhong quickly approached him, eager to find out exactly what had transpired.

“What happened to you, son-in-law?”

Simultaneously, Li Zhong harbored anger toward Ye Chen. Ye Chen had acted with reckless audacity, daring to kill Luo Zixuan.

Did he not understand the consequences of killing Luo Zixuan?

Despite his severe condition, Ye Chen, having a robust constitution, regained consciousness less than an hour after leaving the operating room.

“Ye Chen, can you explain precisely what happened? Did you really kill Luo Zixuan?” Li Zhong pressed Ye Chen for answers immediately.

“I did kill Luo Zixuan, but even if I hadn’t, he was bound to die. The blame for Luo Zixuan’s death would have fallen on me regardless,” Ye Chen replied.

“What exactly went down?”

Li Zhong frowned deeply upon hearing Ye Chen’s explanation, suggesting the situation might be more complicated than he had anticipated.

“This situation involves Chen Luo. The ones who kidnapped Li Ting were Luo Zixuan’s people, but the true mastermind behind all this is Chen Luo.”

“Chen Luo? How does this relate to him?”

Li Zhong awaited further explanation from Ye Chen.

“Chen Luo wanted to target me. Ah Da and their group were Chen Luo’s men from the start. At the time, when I captured Luo Zixuan to threaten Ah Da and his group to release Li Ting, they were not intimidated at all. They didn’t care about Luo Zixuan’s life or death. They even hoped I would kill Luo Zixuan.”

“Why did you still go ahead and kill Luo Zixuan knowing it was a trap?” Li Zhong was furious.

By killing Luo Zixuan, the situation had escalated beyond repair. No matter the justification, it had irrevocably set them against the Luo family.

“Even if I hadn’t, Luo Zixuan’s fate was sealed. He would have met his end at Chen Luo’s hands, and the blame would still fall on me,” Ye Chen said with a cool detachment.

Ye Chen was acutely aware that from the moment he became involved, escaping the situation was impossible. Whether he killed Luo Zixuan or not had become inconsequential, Luo Zixuan’s death was certain, and the accusation would surely be directed at him.

Of course, there was also an element of venting his anger in killing Luo Zixuan. He had long harbored the desire to kill the nuisance that was Luo Zixuan.

Ultimately, the outcome would be unchanged, regardless of his action or inaction.

“If he framed you, there might have been a chance to find evidence to exonerate yourself. But it’s different when you’re the one who acts,” Li Zhong said angrily.

His disdain for Ye Chen was growing. Despite acknowledging Ye Chen’s strength, his impulsiveness and lack of thought in his actions made Li Zhong look down on him.

Ye Chen was likened to Lü Bu, only having brute strength.

“Heh,” Ye Chen scoffed sarcastically. He understood his opponent Chen Luo all too well.

Would Chen Luo, once he began his machinations, actually leave evidence for you to turn the tables? Chen Luo’s maneuvers were meticulously executed, leaving no room for error.