HBWMA -Chapter 283 The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

At the basement of a residential building—an underground gambling den.

“She replied. She said to meet at the café in North Lake Bay Park.”

Su Li held her phone, looking fawningly at the bald man in front of her. “Brother Zhao?”

The bald man stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and took out a stack of cash from a black bag. “Do you know what to say?”

Su Li’s eyes lit up. She shot him a flirtatious look. “I know, I know. Don’t worry.”

The man lit another cigarette, his gaze cold and sinister. “And the other matter needs to be handled quickly. The people above are waiting.”

Su Li rolled her eyes and clung to his arm, twisting her hips. “Brother Zhao, that girl is very sharp. She’s not easy to fool.”

The bald man narrowed his eyes slightly. Su Li immediately changed her expression and patted his chest.

“But don’t worry, I’ve already thought of a way. It’s just… just…” She pretended to be troubled and rubbed her fingers together. “Just a little short.”

The man glanced at her and pulled out another thicker stack of cash. “Is this enough?”

“Enough, enough, enough!” Su Li’s eyes were greedy as she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the money.

The man’s expression darkened. He suddenly grabbed her neck and lifted her up like a chick. “If you get it done, this is just pocket change. If you fail, this will be your coffin fee.”

Su Li’s face changed slightly. She carefully held onto the money. “Brother Zhao, don’t worry.”

The bald man’s expression eased slightly. He wasn’t worried she would betray them—after being controlled for so many years, Su Li had long been trained into a greedy beast. What he feared was her stupidity ruining the plan from above.

After a moment of thought, the man pulled out a few bills and stuffed them into her revealing cleavage.

“If it doesn’t work, use some methods. It’s just a little girl. She can be trained to obey. Find a way to bring her over. You don’t need to worry about the rest.”

“Understood.”

Su Li agreed, but the man’s hand was still in an inappropriate place. She glanced at him and immediately put on a coquettish smile, taking his hand and guiding it further inside. “Brother Zhao~”

The bald man shoved her away and took out a lighter. “Don’t act like a slut in front of me. Get lost. If you mess this up, I’ll sell you to a dairy farm.”

“Yes.” Su Li smiled, picking up the money and leaving in a submissive manner.

“Spit!” As soon as she left the room, her expression changed. She cursed coldly, “Useless bastard who can’t last even a minute after taking off his pants. Who the hell cares?”

She went up the narrow staircase. As soon as she reached the first floor, noise and curses flooded her ears.

This was an underground casino—everything imaginable was being gambled on. The gamblers were local thugs and loafers. In the suffocating space, most men were bare-chested, smoking and exhaling thick clouds of smoke.

In their eyes, Su Li—with her dyed golden waves, painted brows, and bright red lips—was already considered a rare beauty.

She was an old gambling addict, and everyone here knew her. As she walked through the crowd, many men casually groped her waist and butt. This kind of greeting bordering on sexual harassment was already routine to her. In fact, since she had just gotten money today, she even flirted back cheerfully.

“Ah Li, looks like you met a rich boss today. Want to play a few rounds?”

Su Li was tempted for a moment, but remembering the bald man’s methods, she still smiled and refused.

“Not today. I’ll come back to win it back another time.”

Then she turned and left the casino.

“Ah Li.”

Just as she stepped out of the building, a man ran after her.

His surname was Li, a small contractor. People in the casino called him “Boss Li.”

Su Li greeted him with a fake smile. “Oh, Boss Li. What is it?”

The man pulled out a stack of cash from his jacket. “Here’s two thousand. So, when are you going to bring that girl out?”

Su Li waved her hand and pushed the money back. “That was the old price. Now it’s this amount.”

“How much? Five thousand? You greedy woman, why don’t you just rob me?”

Before, Su Li was drowning in gambling debts and planned to sell Su Yun to make money. Boss Li was her buyer.

Originally, Li thought two thousand was already too expensive and tried to bargain. But a few days ago, he happened to see Su Yun returning from school and was instantly captivated. After much hesitation, he finally agreed to pay—but now Su Li had suddenly raised the price.

“If it’s too expensive, wait a few more days. After she’s been ‘opened,’ I’ll sell her at the original price.”

“Already played with?” Boss Li looked unhappy. He only wanted her because she was fresh.

Su Li rolled her eyes. “With my daughter’s looks, any club would charge ten to twenty thousand a night. If you can’t afford it, get lost. Don’t waste my business.”

Boss Li couldn’t bear to give up the five thousand, but also didn’t want to miss out. In the end, he gritted his teeth and handed over two thousand.

“Fine! Deal! I’ll pay first.”

Su Li immediately softened her attitude and gave him a flirtatious look. “Don’t worry, your money won’t be wasted. My daughter is a treasure—you’ll know it later.”

With that, she swayed away from the building like a water snake.

Meanwhile, shortly after Su Li left the room, the bald man immediately locked the door and entered a secret passage.

At the end was a steel door with a biometric lock.

He entered the password according to instructions on his phone and passed through.

Beyond the door was an abandoned room. Outside it lay a deserted steel smelting factory. Above, all the glass rooms were lit with harsh white lights.

The bald man climbed up the steel staircase. The sound of his footsteps alerted guards. Several armed men came out, glanced at him, recognized him, and returned inside.

Passing through a corridor, he stopped in front of the largest room and knocked gently on the glass door.

“Boss.”

“Come in.”

After permission, he entered.

The moment the door opened, a strong smell of blood hit him.

Xia Xingchen lay on the ground with his hands over his head. Four or five burly men surrounded him, each holding thick steel pipes. The instigator sat in a leather chair with his back to them, a cigar between his fingers.

The bald man scanned the room silently and stepped aside.

The man’s voice was deep and cold.

“Even such a small matter couldn’t be handled. Xingchen, you really disappoint me.”

Xia Xingchen gritted his teeth and sat up, holding his bleeding wound.

“Boss, the sniper was definitely aiming at Shen Mianzhi.”

“Oh?” The man tapped the ash off his cigar and turned his chair slowly.

“Then explain to me—why was the one injured in the end Fu Sui’er? Don’t tell me you don’t know she’s my daughter.”