Chapter 138: I Really Am a Villain After All

Within just a few days, Lin Li received a definite affirmative response from Wang Qisheng’s side.

The four great families took the lead in preparing to have all the companies in Jiang City contribute funds to donate to the Tianxin District project. In doing so, they effectively erased all the negative impact they had previously caused.

However, the other companies mercilessly berated the four great families, though everyone understood the situation clearly.

The reason the four great families made this decision was that they had recklessly offended Lin Li, causing the people of Jiang City to look down on them. Now, this was merely a matter of crisis management.

Lin Li, in turn, relayed to Xu Miaoling exactly what he had discussed earlier with Su Lan.

Upon receiving this news, Xu Miaoling immediately informed Ye Aotian.

Once word spread, the situation changed dramatically.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Yiyi called Lin Li aside.

“Have we met before?” she asked.

Lin Li smiled as he looked at Lin Yiyi and then took a seat opposite her.

Lin Yiyi then turned her gaze toward him.

“I’m quite curious about what exactly you intend to do. Could you tell me?” Her tone carried a hint of surprise.

Originally, they had all believed that the combined efforts of the four great families would be enough to overwhelm Lin Li. Yet, Lin Yiyi had not expected that Lin Li not only successfully resolved the crisis but also entangled the four great families in a trap he had meticulously designed.

If Lin Yiyi had once felt some sympathy for Lin Li, now she regarded him as a man of deep and intricate schemes.

Indeed, no one from the Qin family was ever simple.

She even began to doubt whether what Lin Li had said that night was true.

“This lady, we hardly know each other yet, and you come up to me and say all this?” Lin Yiyi scoffed coldly.

“You don’t have to pretend in front of me, Lin Li.”

“From the moment you saw me, I knew you must have secretly investigated my identity and who I am. So is there any need for us to keep playing these riddles?”

Seeing Lin Yiyi so certain, Lin Li smiled awkwardly.

“As expected of the eldest daughter of the Lin family, your abilities in this regard are far beyond what I imagined. I must admit, I admire your skill,” he said with a chuckle.

But Lin Yiyi clearly had no intention of wasting time on such pleasantries.

She cut straight to the point.

“What exactly do you want to do with the four great families? Give me a straight answer now.”

“According to your arrangement, the four great families are already embroiled in this enormous trouble. Even if they wanted to stay out of it, they can’t.”

Lin Yiyi looked at Lin Li. She had thought she understood his true intentions, but now it seemed she was increasingly unable to see through this man.

“Miss Lin, I honestly don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

“Some might think I’m targeting the four great families, but in reality, everything is their own doing. If they hadn’t gone after me, how could I have found a good opportunity to make them suffer?”

Lin Yiyi was silent. In this regard, Lin Li was not joking—the four great families had brought all these consequences upon themselves.

“But in this matter, you must have other motives. It’s definitely not as simple as it seems.”

“I’m asking you now as an investigator.”

Lin Yiyi stared at Lin Li and said, “You’ve been with Qin Guosheng all these years and have cleaned up a lot of your image, but the mistakes you made before can never be wiped away.”

“If you don’t want to be constantly watched like this, it’s best to be clear with me about everything. That way, both sides can have a good outcome.”

She gazed straight into Lin Li’s eyes, as if she already possessed all the evidence of his crimes.

Yet Lin Li showed no anger. Slowly, he stood up and then, to her surprise, sat down beside her.

“Miss Lin still likes to scare people this way, just like before. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you’re in some grave danger right now.”

Lin Li’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he spoke, his demeanor utterly casual.

Lin Yiyi, though trying to maintain her composure, was shocked beyond expectation. She never imagined Lin Li would be so bold.

The next moment, she raised her hand, prepared to strike.

But to her astonishment, Lin Li exerted even greater force, firmly restraining her movement.

“Miss Lin, what are you trying to do?”

Lin Li leaned close and whispered into her ear, “I know you’re part of the investigative team, but you say you already know everything about me.”

“Do you really think I’d believe that? If you truly had all that evidence, wouldn’t you have arrested me instead of letting me stay here?”

[Notification: Host detected engaging in villainous behavior, villainy score increased by 1000 points.]

At this, Lin Yiyi’s face flushed. She hadn’t expected Lin Li to be so brazen.

But what frightened her even more was that her body felt completely immobilized.

“What did you do to me?” she began to panic.

She knew Lin Li was audacious, but never imagined he’d be so reckless as to openly tease an investigator in public.

“You called me a heinous scoundrel, didn’t you?”

“But surely you’ve investigated everything about me and should know all I’ve done was because of Qin Guosheng.”

“I was just trying to see our situations clearly. When facing someone like Qin Guosheng, is there any choice but obedience?”

Lin Li’s words left Lin Yiyi momentarily speechless.

After all, Lin Li’s early days had indeed been harsh. Had he not followed Qin Guosheng’s orders, death would have been his only option.

Everyone urged him toward kindness in this world, but back then, who had ever offered Lin Li another path?

Then Lin Li, acting quite seriously, returned to his original seat.

“So, Miss Lin, don’t put yourself on such a pedestal. After all, you never gave me any help before, yet now you expect me to obey. That’s hardly normal.”

Lin Li snorted impatiently.

By now, he knew exactly what he needed to do next.

Lin Yiyi watched him quietly for a moment before speaking again.

“But what do you mean by your threats against the four great families now?”