"I'm not doing this for you, but for your mother." Xiao Lin's words completely broke Xia Xue down in sorrow.

"Hasn't this always been what you wanted to do?" He hugged the sobbing girl and gently wiped away her tears with his large hand. "Silly girl, this thorn has always been in your heart. Only if I pull it out for you will you truly be happy. This is the respect your mother deserves. So, this battle, you must fight yourself, but I'll be standing behind you, understood?"

Xia Xue, unable to speak through her tears, could only nod desperately. Did she have anything else to say? The man behind her had thought of everything that needed consideration. Could she refuse? She couldn't. This was the respect he had fought for her; could she just discard it? She couldn't.

"Honey, look, it's very excited too." He said while placing Xia Xue's hand on his proudly standing area.

"Deal with it yourself." Xia Xue shrugged off Xiao Lin's hand and walked into the bathroom. Outside, Xiao Lin protested loudly. Facing the mirror, Xia Xue smiled.

"I'm going to see Grandpa." After changing her clothes, Xia Xue spoke to Xiao Lin, who was still sulking in bed, "Since you said this is my battleground, I want to face Grandpa myself."

"Don't you need me with you?" Xiao Lin had experienced the old man's fiery temper before, and he still worried that Xia Xue might suffer verbal attacks.

"After listening to the same yelling for over twenty years, what else can't I hear?" Xia Xue said self-deprecatingly, "I trust you, and you must trust me too."

A confident woman is captivating. Perhaps he was really too worried. Watching Xia Xue's proud back, Xiao Lin thought wildly, the peace at the Xia Family should end, the undercurrents were all visible, some people needed to be eliminated in this battle, others rightly deserved their place, and some needed to be removed.

"Son-in-law!" There was a knock on the door, and the servant of the Xia Family stood at the door with hands crossed in front, in a thirty-degree angle stance.

"Is there anything?"

"A police officer by the name of Wu is looking for you."

"Wu Shuang?" Did something happen again that brought her personally here?

"Where is she?"

"She's been placed in the side hall." Putting on a coat, Xiao Lin hurriedly walked away, ignoring the gazes from behind.

This was his second entry into the Xia Family, and compared to last time, the courtyard looked simpler and more forlorn, with tea and snacks on the coffee table. Wu Shuang was holding a photograph, without any appetite or impulse to eat. She was anxious, feeling a bit like a headless chicken, and in the vast space, seemed even more lost.

"Did something happen? Officer Wu?"

"Take a look at this." Seeing Xiao Lin walk in with messy hair, Wu Shuang quickly handed him the photograph, as she had not received any response from the Lin Family's security.

"Lin Jiaqi's mom?" Just a quick glance and Xiao Lin already had a judgment, "Is she dead?"

"It's not certain yet, but I think she's been murdered. Yesterday, I received a piece of human skin, and this portrait was simulated based on it."

"What's your opinion now?" The photo had no effect on him, just something to prove identity.

"Lin Jiaqi hasn't reported the case?"

Xiao Lin was sure if Wu Shuang had received any report, she wouldn't have rushed here to find him. Lin Jiaqi was a member of the Fei Feng Gang, and Liang Feng would certainly be aware of what happened. A week at the Xia Family, it was like being in a paradise.

"Can your phone access the internet?" When bringing Xia Xue to the Xia Family, Xiao Lin had left his phone at the hospital.

"Yes."

"Let me borrow it." Without bothering about Wu Shuang's confusion, he grabbed the phone and logged into QQ. As expected, a phoenix spreading its wings kept jumping.

"I'll go with you to the police station, but let's meet someone first."

"But, here..." Wu Shuang hesitated.

"Go wait in the car for me, fifteen minutes." Xiao Lin returned the phone to Wu Shuang as he watched the bouncing avatar on the screen, then Wu Shuang logged off Q.

Standing at the study's door, the sound of arguing came from inside, and Xiao Lin hesitated.

"Why not go in?" Xia Yusheng stood beside him, also hearing the argument inside. Father's stubbornness had far-reaching consequences, expanding the harm to an irreparable degree.

"Uncle, I leave Xia Xue in your care. Please don't let anyone from the Xia Family hurt her anymore, including yourself." Xiao Lin glanced at the door, then turned to leave.

"She needs you now."

Xia Yusheng silently watched Xiao Lin's tall back, though his words were spoken quietly and indifferently, every word felt like a hammer hitting the heart, each one capable of shattering his resolve. Pushing the sliding door open, he removed his shoes and stood by Xia Xue, encircling her trembling shoulders within his arms.

Wu Shuang saw Xiao Lin come out and started the car. Her SUV was covered in dust: "Where to?"

"Fei Feng Gang." The car sped along the road, Xiao Lin's heart so heavy he couldn't lift it: "Where is the human skin?"

"It's still at the forensic office." Wu Shuang turned the steering wheel. There was some distance from the Xia Family to the city. She glanced at Xiao Lin beside her. His seriousness left her tongue-tied. She was used to his teasing, his playful irreverence, and this sudden gravity gave her a sense of illusion.

"Is it serious?"

"Let's talk after we see Liang Feng." Human skin? Is it the same?

The Fei Feng Gang was built on the original site of the Poison Dragon Gang. After renovations, only one floor was kept as the activity area for Fei Feng Gang. The rest of the floors were rented out separately, becoming a source of funds for Fei Feng Gang. To Xiao Lin, this arrangement was without significance. Liang Feng didn't want to rely on Xiao Lin's financial aid. A compromise was reached, and this method was the best. However, Liang Feng didn't know that Xiao Lin was the one who bought the entire building.

The renovated building lost its original disorder. Compared to the nearby office buildings' rental prices, being almost half the cost, this building attracted considerable popularity.

"No need to go up there; she's there."

Xiao Lin grabbed the person who was ready to squeeze into the elevator and took them outside the main entrance. Liang Feng stood alone in the wind, her face pale and bloodless, her expression dazed. Her weakness as a young girl showed behind the facade of strength.

"Where is she going?" Liang Feng got into a cab at the intersection and left, seemingly holding a package.

"Let's follow and see." Quickly getting into the car, Xiao Lin took Wu Shuang's car keys and sat in the driver's seat: "Fasten your seatbelt."

"Be careful of the traffic!" Having learned from the first experience, Wu Shuang kindly reminded Xiao Lin. He really drove as if nothing else mattered, under the premise of urgency.

As they went through two intersections, they caught up with the red cab, maintaining a two-car distance, it was easy to see Liang Feng continuously dialing a phone.

"You mentioned earlier that you received a package yesterday. Was it in a dark gray bag?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Wu Shuang looked curiously at Xiao Lin. His driving skills were impeccable. Her SUV was not small, and usually parking between two cars required a lot of backward and forward maneuvering, but Xiao Lin switched lanes and positioned himself precisely while overtaking.

"Liang Feng also has a similar package in her hand." Xiao Lin held the steering wheel with one hand, the other resting on the car door, closely following the cab ahead.

"Was there no delivery record?"

"Checked the surveillance cameras; there was no trace of the person. The package was placed on my assistant's desk." Wu Shuang was still doubtful about this person's existence. How could such a large person manage to evade so much surveillance? The City Police Department is not just any regular police office. For this person to infiltrate was not an easy feat.

"Also, there is another person. The chief said it's someone from your side."

"Hmm, have you already met?" Xiao Lin nodded. His thoughts differed from Wu Shuang's. Someone who could enter the City Police Department undetected must either be extremely skilled or an insider.

"I met him! Why?" Wu Shuang raised her eyebrows.

"I intended for him to be there to assist you when needed. But it seems considerations on other fronts are necessary now."

"I'm asking why it's necessary for me to have such a person." Wu Shuang raised her voice a little.

"Remember Lao Chen's case?" Xiao Lin followed the car in front into a curved road, finally understanding Liang Feng's whereabouts.

"The person from the Liger Gang we brought in died at the police station."

"That's right."

"Now, someone placed a package on your assistant's desk, and you have no idea who sent it. The City Police Department is supposed to have the most secure surveillance in Yanjing. How did this person get in? Haven't you thought it over carefully?" Xiao Lin hinted at Wu Shuang, suggesting apart from being extremely skilled, it's most likely there's an internal mole.

"I have thought about it but don't dare delve deeper." Wu Shuang had considered the issue, but suspecting colleagues she'd worked with for years could easily spark panic within the department, which might hinder solving cases.

"Yi isn't an ordinary person. He will enter your City Police Department through normal channels, uncover the existence of a mole, and eliminate them when necessary. That's his task, but the specific plan requires your cooperation. I don't want a similar incident like Zhang Teng's escape from the police station to happen again." The taxi stopped at the entrance of the wholesale market. Xiao Lin parked the car in the open area. From afar, he saw the high-hanging noodle shop's signboard. It was close to 4 PM, and it got dark early in winter. The noodle shop's door was tightly closed, with only a faint light shining from the window on the second floor.

"The Wang Family has long arms, so I need to place such a person by your side for protection. Consider him another assistant, don't mind too much, just don't greet him unexpectedly from behind. Generally, things will remain calm."

After safely parking the car and seeing Liang Feng enter the noodle shop, Xiao Lin got out of the car.

Utilizing those people was something beyond his expectations. They belonged to no faction but solely to Xiao Lin himself.

Since before he was ten, when the old man announced him as the future successor, he started preparing his own team of forces. He hoped he would never need to use these people because he never anticipated that over ten years later, the old man would still be so stubborn, and the other siblings still couldn't gain his favor to replace Xiao Lin. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to recommend it or vote for it at Qidian.com, your support is my biggest motivation.)

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