Chapter 44: Extortion
The incident at Infinity demanded attention, and as its CEO, Ye Xiwen couldn't stand idle. She gathered Wu Yifan and Liao Zhiyuan, and together they headed to the hospital. There, they found the two men—no longer clinging to life, but still pale and weak, faint red rashes lingering on their cheeks like smudged paint.
Two police officers, posted by Fu Junyao, stood guard outside the door. Their orders were clear: protect the "victims" while ensuring no one from the outside—especially the mastermind—slipped in to coordinate the next move. Recognizing Ye's connection to their boss, they stepped aside without protest.
"How are you feeling?" Ye asked, her voice warm as a mountain spring, gentle enough to soothe. "On behalf of Infinity, I apologize for what happened. All medical expenses will be covered, of course."
The thinner man—jittery, with a temper that flared at the slightest provocation—shot up in bed, eyes blazing. "Cover expenses? That's it? You sell fake liquor, poison us, and think a few bills will fix it? I'll go to the papers! To the news! You'll rot in jail for this!" His rashes seemed to pulse with his rage, a grotesque flush that made Wu and Liao glance away.
His quieter companion, lying listlessly, spoke up, his voice soft but sharp. "We don't want your money. We want justice. The world deserves to know what Infinity really is—a den of frauds."
Wu watched their act, a cold smirk playing on his lips. *Amateurs.* He'd seen better lies in street corners.
Ye, clinging to a last shred of hope, kept her smile steady. "Naturally. We've asked authorities to test the liquor. If it's our fault, we'll take full responsibility. No excuses."
"Your fault? Of course it's your fault!" the thin man snapped, sitting upright. "We've drunk at a hundred bars, a hundred KTVs—never a problem! Only here! No tests needed—you're guilty! Prepare to close down!"
"Calm down, brother," the quiet one murmured. "The police will handle it. We just need patience."
Wu saw his opening. He leaned against the wall, feigning casual interest. "You two have expensive taste—Louis XVIII? Even I've never touched that stuff. Must be nice."
The thin man preened. "Damn right. We only drink the best. Trash liquor? We wouldn't touch it. Shame your 'Louis XVIII' was fake. Disgusting. I'll blast this on every website, every channel—let the world see you peddle poison!"
"Louis XVIII, huh?" Wu repeated, tilting his head.
"Got a problem with that? Think we can't afford it? We've downed more fine wine than you've seen in your sad little life, hick," the thin man sneered.
Wu burst out laughing. "Impressive. Real impressive."
"What's so funny?!" the man barked, jumping to his feet. "Who the hell are you? This is between us and the boss! Get out!"
"There's no such thing as Louis XVIII," Wu said, deadpan. "Not in China, not anywhere. You drank Louis XIII at Infinity. Not XVIII. Which means either you're lying about your 'refined taste'… or you're just here to scam money."
The thin man froze, his face turning crimson. "I… I mixed up the name! Stress, y'know? So what? It was still fake! You think that trick works? I'll tell the news you're harassing us! Bullying victims!"
"Brother, stop," the quiet one said, but his eyes flickered—*too late*.
Wu turned to him, smiling. "Let's cut the act. What do you want?"
The thin man opened his mouth, but his brother silenced him with a look. "We don't want 'something.' We want justice. But… if you're *insisting* on compensation…" He paused, as if weighing his words. "1.5 million yuan. And a public apology on TV. Admit you sold fake liquor, nearly killed us. Then we'll drop it. No court, no headlines."
"1.5 million?!" Liao yelped, stepping forward. "That's robbery!"
"Robbery? We nearly died!" the thin man shouted. "1.5 million is nothing! Pocket change!"
Wu's smile faded. "You're bold, I'll give you that. But 1.5 million? For a lie?"
"Take it or leave it," the quiet one said, flatly.
Ye's patience snapped. "We'll wait for the test results. If we're guilty, we'll pay. If not… you'll regret this."
"Regret? Please." The thin man laughed. "We've got friends in low places. Your little club won't last a week. Mark my words."
"Calm down," his brother said again, though there was a edge to his voice. "Justice will prevail. They can't hide forever."
Wu nodded, heading for the door. "Suit yourselves. Court it is. We'll see who the judge believes—two 'victims' who can't even name the wine they drank… or a club with a clean record."
He left, with Ye and Liao close behind.
Outside the room, the thin man's voice erupted: "Idiots! They'll regret this! 1.5 million was generous!"
His brother hissed back: "Shut up! You almost blew it! No more talking—*anything*—when they're around. We've got a script, stick to it. Qian's paying us 500,000 to ruin them. Let the courts and the news do the rest."
"500k? Should've asked for more…"
Wu, pausing at the door, smirked. *Bingo.*
He motioned for Ye and Liao to keep walking, his voice low. "They're working for Qian. 500k to frame us. And they're terrible at it."
Ye's shoulders tensed, but her eyes hardened. "Good. Now we have a lead."
Liao exhaled, relief washing over him. "What now?"
"Now," Wu said, heading for the elevator, "we wait for the test results. And when they come back clean? We hit back. Hard."
As they stepped outside, the sun glinted off the hospital windows, sharp and bright. The storm wasn't over—but for the first time, Ye felt like they might just weather it.
With Wu's grin, steady and sure, she almost believed it.