"I"ve heard of people stealing gold and silver, but stealing ashes? Why… don"t tell me you have a crush on my brother-in-law?"
When Cen Mo received news of Lu Xiangsi"s death while overseas, after handling the Jiang family"s matters, he quietly removed Lu Xiangsi"s ashes from her grave and carried them with him, keeping the promise he once made to her.
Less than three days after Cen Mo removed Lu Xiangsi"s ashes, he felt terrible for separating Lu Xiangsi and Jiang Ming"an after their deaths considering how close the two were while they were still alive. He then reluctantly carried Jiang Ming"an"s ashes with him as well.
Fu Huai"an didn"t know that Cen Mo did that, as he was far away from home back then.
As a result, the grave Fu Huai"an brought Tuan Tuan to in order to pay respects… was actually empty.
The man lifted his head with much difficulty. One of his eyes was bruised and as swollen as a walnut. He parted his lips, and blood dripped from his mouth. His Adam"s apple bobbed as he said to Cen Mo in a hoa.r.s.e voice, "My status is too low, and this is the only way I can see you… I wanted to steal your younger sister"s ashes, but who knew… that I would end up stealing your brother-in-law"s ashes instead. It really was an accident."
Cen Mo"s fingers lay against the backrest of the sofa as he let out a puff of smoke and moved his cigarette away from the corner of his mouth. "Tell me why you want to meet me!"
"Ah Zhan—the personal a.s.sistant of Mr. De Niro, the chairman of the De Niro Company in the US—sent me a message saying that Mr. De Niro is being controlled by Mr. Moral"s men and wants your help… The business deals you wanted will be given to you in the future! And you"ll also receive a huge gift!"
The man then smiled as he looked at Cen Mo, as if his broken bones and the blood he"d lost were nothing and that riches and power awaited him…
Cen Mo"s eyes narrowed at this, and he leaned back against the couch. He calmly took a drag of his cigarette. "If Mr. Moral… really has control over the De Niro family"s a.s.sets, why should I believe… that Ah Zhan, Mr. De Niro"s right-hand man, sent you a message? For all I know… this could be a trap."
"Ah Zhan and I are cousins! We have a way of contacting each other independently! He received a satellite phone call, and after thinking it through, he only dared to contact me, the person he trusts most. He wanted me to find a way to meet you, but it was just too hard! I could only alarm your younger sister! If you don"t believe me, you can wait until 3 am. Ah Zhan and I have agreed to contact each other then… At 3 am Morocco time, he will call me, and you can personally talk to him then!"
There was a strong smell of blood in the room, and only the sound of the man"s blood dripping onto the floor could be heard.
Cen Mo tapped away some cigarette ash. The spark between his fingers flickered in the darkness, just like his deep eyes.
Even Saihand, who was standing at the side, couldn"t read Cen Mo"s mind. In this eerily quiet environment, he looked at Cen Mo and waited for his orders.
"Lock him up first and get a doctor to check on him. Don"t let him die. We"ll talk more after we get the phone call!" Cen Mo said unhurriedly. Before Saihand could react, Cen Mo continued to ask calmly, "Where are my brother-in-law"s ashes?"
The man, who was badly mutilated from being beaten, seemed to heave a sigh of relief. He smiled and spoke with a more relaxed tone. "I apologize. Your brother-in-law"s ashes are on the rooftop of the building where I was caught. They are in the ventilation duct on the right."
Cen Mo exhaled white smoke. After the smoke cleared to reveal his cold and defined features, he said, "As for you stealing my brother-in-law"s ashes…"
Cen Mo"s unhurried voice caused a chill to run down the man"s spine as he knelt on the floor. He raised his head and looked at Cen Mo with blurred vision as he waited for Cen Mo to finish his sentence…
Cen Mo"s eyes looked over the man, who was still kneeling on the floor and had blood all over him. He continued, "Rip off his fingers and toes one by one as punishment!"
"Mr. Cen!" The man kneeling on the floor suddenly became agitated and struggled to get up, but he was pinned down by Cen Mo"s men.
"Mr. Cen, you can"t do this to me!" He looked at Cen Mo. "I gave you such crucial information. Even if I stole your brother-in-law"s ashes, I only did that so I could meet you! I"m the point of contact between you and Mr. De Niro! You can"t do this to me!"
"I… have always been very clear about merits and demerits!" Cen Mo extinguished his cigarette b.u.t.t with his foot and stood up. "A merit is a merit, and a demerit is a demerit! If everyone who wants to see me steals my brother-in-law"s ashes and prevents my younger sister and brother-in-law from resting peacefully, there would be chaos!"
Cen Mo looked towards Saihand, who nodded and ordered his men to carry out the punishment…
Cen Mo looked down at the man"s fearful expression and unhurriedly adjusted his sleeves as he ordered, "Let him clearly see how he loses his fingers and toes. Don"t let him pa.s.s out!"
"Don"t worry, Sir!" Saihand nodded.
Cen Mo began to walk out of the bas.e.m.e.nt. As the door opened, the man"s hysterical screams reverberated through the room.
"Mr. Cen! You can"t do this to me! I"m your informant. I helped you get such a huge business deal. No! No! Ah…"
The bone-chilling screams rushed out through the open metal door. Song Yao, who was standing outside, took a step back. She was so startled by the screams that she stumbled and nearly fell.
Cen Mo didn"t think that Song Yao would be standing outside the bas.e.m.e.nt. He calmly closed the door and blocked out the man"s hair-raising screams. He looked behind the two bodyguards guarding the entrance and asked Song Yao, "Why did you come downstairs?"
"I suddenly woke up and couldn"t find you. I… I heard you were downstairs, so I came to look for you!" Song Yao clenched her fists tightly. The smell of blood coming from inside the bas.e.m.e.nt made her nauseous. She tried to hold herself back, causing her face to turn pale.
Song Yao was just a lady who"d lived in a peaceful and harmonious world for twenty-odd years. She knew Cen Mo"s ident.i.ty was unusual and had imagined him covered in blood, but seeing it in real life was ultimately different from what she"d imagined.
"Let"s go! I"ll come upstairs with you. In the future… don"t come down to the bas.e.m.e.nt!" Cen Mo held onto Song Yao.
The smell of blood on Cen Mo was extremely unbearable to Song Yao, who was sensitive to smells due to her pregnancy. She frowned and gently pushed away Cen Mo"s arm to create some distance between them.
Cen Mo looked down at Song Yao"s hand with his dark eyes. His features turned as dark as a cloudy sky. Even the two bodyguards guarding the entrance could sense that the atmosphere suddenly became colder.
Song Yao also felt the atmosphere turn so cold that the air around them seemed to freeze. She swallowed back the nauseous feeling in her gut. Her small hand gripped onto Cen Mo"s arm as she pointed at her stomach and grumbled, "Quickly go upstairs to shower and change. The baby can"t stand the smell of blood and is tormenting me!"