Chapter 131: They Are Already About to Surrender

"Damn, I'm done for!"

When Lin Li woke up, it was already early the next morning. He was startled to find himself lying in a hotel bed and leaped up in surprise.

"What's going on here?"

Lin Li only remembered drinking the previous day, but everything that followed was a complete blank.

"It seems Xu Miaoling must have used some trick to try and pry information out of me," Lin Li sneered. He knew exactly what she was after, but he was impeccable; everything he had said was the truth. The Tianxin District project would indeed bring massive returns, but that didn't stop him from seeking benefits for the common people. Furthermore, everything he was doing was part of the original master plan for the district.

As Lin Li pondered this, he heard a cautious knock on the door before Xu Miaoling walked in.

"Mr. Lin, you drank too much yesterday. I didn't know how to get you back home, so I had to arrange this room for you. How are you feeling?"

As his assistant, Xu Miaoling was quite reliable in these matters. Lin Li rubbed his forehead.

"My head feels a bit uncomfortable. Also, I feel like I've forgotten everything that happened last night. Is there anything you need to remind me of?"

Lin Li looked at her as he spoke. Her eyes flickered with evasion for a fleeting second, but Lin Li caught it—it seemed there was a trace of guilt in her heart. Everyone had assumed Lin Li was an irredeemable villain like Qin Guosheng, but after last night, they should have realized he wasn't a bad person; his actions in the Tianxin District were driven by a far grander goal.

"You passed out at the table after drinking too much, so naturally, nothing untoward happened," she replied.

Lin Li nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your hard work. Getting me here must have taken quite a bit of time."

Xu Miaoling smiled faintly. "I found two people to help."

Lin Li stood up from the bed and stretched. "In that case, we can't let today's work slide. The Four Great Families are currently being criticized by the public. If they want to salvage their reputations, they have only one choice: to make charitable investments in our Tianxin District project."

Xu Miaoling looked at him in surprise. "Mr. Lin, what if they aren't willing? After all, everything they've done is merely to get a foothold in the project. Charitable investment offers them no real benefit."

Lin Li smiled confidently. "You don't really think the Four Great Families are a solid, unified block, do you? You're right, charitable investment offers them no direct gain; it's just a way to donate. However, it would prove they aren't standing in opposition to the common people. At the end of the day, no matter how powerful they are, the Four Great Families still rely on the support of the people."

Lin Li could see past the surface to the essence of the problem. What the Four Great Families wanted meant nothing to him, and he had plenty of ways to bring them to heel later. Although Xu Miaoling didn't fully grasp it, his words made the situation clearer. Could it be that the Four Great Families were on the verge of collapse, unable to continue their joint campaign against him? If so, their so-called alliance was nothing more than a joke.

"It seems you are fully confident, Mr. Lin."

Lin Li nodded with a smile. "Of course. I wouldn't do this if I weren't. You know the pressure they've been under lately; some have already begun to compromise with me, looking to invest in the Tianxin District project."

Xu Miaoling silently noted everything he said. Since someone within the Four Great Families was already having these thoughts, she had to inform Ye Aotian immediately to stabilize the situation.

Lin Li knew exactly what Xu Miaoling was thinking. The Four Great Families hadn't actually contacted him; both sides were still in a standoff. If anyone blinked first, their entire objective would fail. The Four Great Families could withstand the public pressure for now—they just needed to find a crack in Lin Li's armor to resolve their predicament. But Lin Li's goal was to ensure they never reached that moment by fomenting internal conflict.

Xu Miaoling, naively believing that Lin Li hadn't seen through her identity, took his words as absolute truth. When Ye Aotian received the news, he was so furious he nearly tore his house apart.

"Those old fools are short-sighted! They can't see where the future is heading. At a time like this, instead of uniting to suppress the Qin Group, some are secretly planning to surrender? Do they think they'll get forgiveness from the Qin Group just by bowing their heads?"

Chen Along stood to the side, head bowed, not daring to utter a word. It was the first time he had seen Ye Aotian this angry; it was clear that today's events had rattled him significantly.

"Young Master, don't worry. Even if those few have ideas, they can't achieve anything in the short term. Lin Li shouldn't trust so quickly that the Four Great Families are willing to cooperate."

Ye Aotian sneered at Chen Along’s comment. "You're right, but if they really do prepare to make charitable investments in the Tianxin District, even a small amount of money would instantly neutralize the public pressure they're facing. For those old men, that’s an incredibly attractive option."

In Ye Aotian's mind, the prime suspect was Xiao Qimin, who couldn't fully control the Xiao family. If Xiao Meier applied pressure, he would have no choice but to compromise.

With that thought, Ye Aotian said, "Help me contact them. I must talk to them in person. They need to understand the gravity of this—we absolutely cannot allow the Qin Group to dominate alone. Otherwise, we'll never have another chance to deal with them."