My American magical life
Chapter 254 - 254 108 A Good Show Elder Li's Heart Cries Again!

254: Chapter 108: A Good Show, Elder Li’s Heart Cries Again!

254: Chapter 108: A Good Show, Elder Li’s Heart Cries Again!

Gru feared losing power, but his past methods were no longer applicable after his own life update, leaving him at a loss.

Under Cheng Daqi’s reminders and guidance, he saw the cliff that could make him lose everything.

So, even if it meant truly bowing his head to Cheng Daqi, he did so without hesitation.

Gru was smart, but he respected those smarter than himself!

“It’s simple, we play a good act, and then test Jax’s acting skills.”

Cheng Daqi stated that Gru’s problem was no problem at all for him.

“Acting?

How do you plan to act?”

The top crooked cops can perform, the real artists aren’t in the film and TV industry, they’ve all gone off to climb the mountain of power.

“Bring Elder Li over, and we’ll talk to him, get him to take a beating from Jax.

Then, let Jax beat him to the brink.

If Elder Li can’t stand it and spills something, then he doesn’t deserve my money.

While he’s being beaten, the two of us will start to argue, acting as if we could turn on each other at any moment.

If Jax has already colluded with someone else, he would be pleased to see you and me falling out.

If Jax is still your man, and there is no hidden agenda about his promotion, with his cunning, he definitely wouldn’t want to risk you having to face the fallout with me and the senatorial family behind me because of his actions.”

Gru was ruthless, which required Cheng Daqi to be equally ruthless in his dealings with Gru.

That’s why he was holding a knife when he went to see the Grey Wolf that day.

That’s why he suggested this venomous plan.

Still the familiar tactic of killing four birds with one stone.

Cheng Daqi disliked danger, but the temptation to completely subdue Gru was too great.

Test Elder Li’s mettle, deter Gru with a persona, probe Jax’s stance, and ensure Elder Li becomes truly reliable.

A single venomous plan—Elder Li would suffer, but everyone benefits.

To test Elder Li’s mettle, if he really couldn’t stand it and said something, Cheng Daqi hadn’t yet truly involved himself in the identity trading.

He could just pull out in time.

To deter Gru with a persona, Cheng Daqi would show through this act a disdain for Elder Li’s life, even using him as a prop.

This would convey to Gru the message that although you’re good, I’m not bad either—let’s respect each other a little!

The overt goal was to probe Jax’s stance.

Ensuring Elder Li becomes truly reliable was a bit more convoluted, touching on some deeply cynical things.

Human nature is sensitive to sunk costs.

The sunk costs Elder Li had invested in Cheng Daqi, compared to the entangled interests between them, were not yet high enough.

Identity trading would be Cheng Daqi’s cash cow, potentially bringing in tens of millions of Dollars in profits in the future.

Tens of millions of Dollars in the story of starting a business sound ordinary, but in reality, tens of millions could buy Elder Li’s life a hundred times over, and then some.

Since identity trading was a grey market business tiptoeing at the edge of legality, if Elder Li messed up, it would trouble Cheng Daqi greatly.

Therefore, CEO Cheng needed Elder Li to feel some real pain, to tie him tightly to his own war chariot of interests for the future.

After listening to Cheng Daqi’s suggestion, Gru thought for a while before looking up and asking.

“You know Jax very well?”

How do you know my underling is smart?

Such a question was a standard trap—no matter how Cheng Daqi answered, he would be playing into Gru’s hands.

“Mr.

Gru, would you like to try my suggestion?

If you don’t think it will work, then maybe I should leave.

It’s getting very late, and my girlfriend is waiting for me at home.”

Avoiding Gru’s question, Cheng Daqi chose to corner Gru directly.

Understand your place, Lao Deng, you sought me out for solutions!

“Chan, maybe we shouldn’t go through with it, it’s too cruel.”

The crooked cop rejected Cheng Daqi’s proposal.

Not that Cheng Daqi’s idea was bad, but following Cheng Daqi’s thought process, he came up with an even better solution.

“Call your friend over.

We won’t beat him; instead, we’ll spend some time with him, creating a time difference.

Then, have Jax come over, and I’ll tell him to waterboard your friend.

If Jax dares to agree to it, then there’s a problem!”

The top crooked cop’s eyes twinkled.

He knew how smart his subordinate was.

If Jax ignored the trouble his actions could bring upon Gru and readily accepted Gru’s orders, that would be enough to suggest his motives were questionable!

“Mr.

Gru, let’s go over our lines.

In this new script you’ve designed, Elder Li cannot know the truth.

If his fear isn’t genuine later, it could give us away, especially since your subordinates are just as clever as you are.”

Unable to achieve his objective of killing four birds with one stone, Cheng Daqi felt it was a pity.

…..

Chen Zihao was nervously eating his meal because Thor was sitting opposite him, holding a gun and playing with his phone.

Who wouldn’t be confused by this situation?

He was clearly caught by the police, but the banditry in them was bigger than the villains in TV dramas.

Chen Zihao really didn’t have any fight left in him.

When he was first brought in, he thought about finding a lawyer.

Then, under the practiced and comprehensive ‘big memory recovery technique’ utilized by Gru’s men, he spilled everything he knew.

However, noticing something was off and realizing he might have been implicated by Elder Li, he kept the big business that Elder Li had once reminded him of deep in his heart, revealing not even a hint of it.

That’s what the hostages of the new era are like, or so Chen Zihao thought he understood.

What he was thinking was that some things are better left unsaid, for there was still hope they might live, still hope for rescue.

But if spoken, there might be no one coming to save them.

What’s more, the fear was that those who came would not be rescuers but silencers.

In any case, the clever Chen Zihao was now devouring a McDonald’s meal as if it were his last supper—he considered it his last meal!

Elder Li was comparatively calm, believing that everything would be safe once CEO Cheng arrived, and all troubles would no longer concern him.

When the sky falls, there’s a tall person to hold it up!

However, he did not plan to share the news that CEO Cheng had arrived and the crisis had been averted with Chen Zihao.

Given the current situation, there was definitely something mystifying.

Elder Li felt that Little Chen might be in trouble.

Li Haiping was clear in his thinking; he was Cheng Daqi’s man, and of course, Cheng Daqi would save him.

As for Chen Zihao, he was still an outsider, yet knew too much about their covert affairs.

If not him, then who else would die?

Thus, Elder Li said nothing to Chen Zihao, merely watching him eat what might be his last meal in silence.

This Elder Deng was not aware that he had almost been a casualty of his dear CEO Cheng’s clever plan and had nearly taken a walk to the afterlife moments ago.

The usually fierce Gru had ironically become the one to save him.

The absurdity of this world never related to the limits of human imagination; there’s always an unreachable, real distance between what people perceive and the actual absurdity that occurs.

“Come out!”

Thor, having received a message from Jax, sneered and gestured for his men to drag Li Haiping out.

…

Jax could hear the quarreling inside the abandoned factory from outside.

“Chan, you’re too fond of playing little tricks.

Perhaps your father forgot to teach you one thing—too many tricks make you forget who you actually are!”

That was his boss talking, and Jax thought that Gru seemed really frantic, even bringing up Cheng Daqi’s family.

“Good kid, as long as you remember what I’ve taught you, that’s fine.

In the future, don’t touch my people or play those nonsensical little clever games.”

Cheng Daqi replied calmly, achieving an ultimate sarcastic effect.

“You think I wouldn’t dare touch you?

Keep talking like that, and I’ll rip your mouth apart!”

To Gru’s performance, Cheng Daqi could only express regret.

It’s natural when acting is good, but becomes somewhat distorted when following a script.

However, it was enough, at least the emotional portrayal was spot on.

Of course, Gru’s emotions were spot on, Cheng Daqi’s words were so sarcastic, how could he not be furious.

If we’re talking about a dog, it had to be CEO Cheng’s dog.

In the script written by Cheng Daqi, Gru was supposed to be extremely angered, but to achieve the desired probing effect, he had to stick to the script.

“Gru, in Hua Country, there’s a saying, ‘a barking dog seldom bites’, but do you know, your voice sounds quite loud tonight.”

Even though Gru already knew the script, he still felt a bit flushed hearing that.

Even Li Haiping thought Cheng Daqi was going too far.

If you’re going to insult someone, just do it straightforwardly; this roundabout way of mocking is too much, CEO Cheng.

Gru acted out a ‘laugh in extreme anger’ and pointed at Li Haiping and Jax, then said to Cheng Daqi.

“Haha, Chan, look, they’re here.”

The top dirty cop was furious, grinding his teeth as he managed to squeeze out his words.

“I’ll ask him to his face, I look forward to how he’ll respond!”

After speaking, without waiting for Cheng Daqi’s reaction, Gru strode over to Li Haiping.

Before Elder Li could react, the tall and sturdy Gru had already grabbed him by the neck.

“Mr.

Gru, kill him, kill him now, and I will be very afraid~”

Li Haiping was already scared enough to pay a second respect to Death, and Cheng Daqi’s words startled him even more.

That’s not right, is it?

CEO Cheng, aren’t you supposed to save me?

What about the promise you made to me that as long as we stayed out of Saint Rodu, I’d be safe?

Are you going back on your word now?

CEO Cheng, I’ve worked for you for free, toiling away, and this is what I get—a direct execution without even taking off the millstone?

A great play was in full swing, and Elder Li’s heart cried out because of Cheng Daqi once more.

The top dirty cop, appearing completely enraged and no longer willing to communicate, said in a chilling tone.

“Jax, waterboard him, now!”

Waterboarding, a well-known interrogation method that leaves no marks.

Elder Li knew how horrifying it was and that he would not be able to endure it.

He looked to Cheng Daqi for help, but saw that Cheng Daqi was still squabbling with Gru.

“Let him ask.

You two seem to enjoy gossip so much, go ahead, I respect the LGBTQ community!”

Gru was so irritated by Cheng Daqi’s lines that he gritted his teeth but had to endure!

Jax, how will you respond?