But then she straightened her expression and asked seriously.
“Brother Li, what have I done that you find so detestable that you’re avoiding me like this?”
This question again…
Li Chonglou regretted it. If he had known, he wouldn’t have pursued the information that piqued his interest. He hated it most when Luo Qingqing pestered him.
This wasn’t him being conceited; his intuition was always spot-on. He could sense Luo Qingqing’s unusual emotions towards him.
The emotion was that of love. He had rejected even a beauty like Yu Ke, so Luo Qingqing was no exception!
What was more, speaking ill of her gang in front of others didn’t seem appropriate, and these were just his personal feelings.
Thus, Li Chonglou was momentarily at a loss for how to answer Luo Qingqing’s question.
Seeing Li Chonglou’s silence, Luo Qingqing assumed he was trying to evade the topic again and pressed on, “Brother Li, can you please just tell me directly?”
Since it had come to this, Li Chonglou thought for a moment and then voiced his thoughts.
“Two points.”
Luo Qingqing’s eyes lit up, and she quickly sat up straighter.
Li Chonglou continued, “First, I’ve told you I’m already married, so I don’t want you to hold onto any fantasies about me. I don’t befriend people who have feelings for me.”
Luo Qingqing’s expression froze, and then her face suddenly dimmed.
Seeing this, Li Chonglou didn’t rush to state his second point but waited for Luo Qingqing’s response.
If she could accept this point, he could treat her as a friend.
But if Luo Qingqing couldn’t accept it, there would be nothing more to say, and he would leave immediately.
So, Li Chonglou watched Luo Qingqing quietly. The private room fell silent.
After a long while, Luo Qingqing seemed to have made a significant decision and suddenly gritted her teeth before speaking.
“Brother Li, I understand what you mean, but I also hope you can understand me. This kind of thing cannot be resolved overnight, but I still hope we can be friends.”
As she said this, Luo Qingqing raised her head and met Li Chonglou’s eyes.
“You saved my life, you are my benefactor. I don’t want these things to prevent me from repaying you!”
Li Chonglou’s brows furrowed slightly. Luo Qingqing’s answer left him with mixed feelings.
He could feel that Luo Qingqing was genuinely answering his question, but he didn’t particularly want her to treat him as a benefactor.
Because in Li Chonglou’s view, anyone with the ability would have offered help in such a situation.
However, when he considered Luo Qingqing’s status as the young lady of the Xi Gang, he suddenly understood her attitude.
The underworld always valued loyalty and righteousness. Luo Qingqing had grown up in such an environment and naturally held more traditional views on repaying kindness.
In simple terms, a kindness must be repaid.
Li Chonglou was also such a person. Thinking this, his mood was no longer complicated.
Then, Li Chonglou proactively stated his second point.
“I have a grievance with your Xi Gang.”
“A grievance?”
Upon hearing these three words, Luo Qingqing’s brow immediately furrowed. Her first thought was about the restaurant incident.
However, before she could speak, Li Chonglou continued, “One of my friends was captured by your Xi Gang members. Not because of me, they might have already lost their lives.”
Haiyan’s incident was the biggest reason for Li Chonglou’s prejudice against the Xi Gang.
Although it wasn’t necessarily true behind the scenes, as he had only heard one side of the story, regardless, the incident acted like a fuse, amplifying everything that followed regarding the Xi Gang.
What Li Chonglou hadn’t expected was that Luo Qingqing had misinterpreted his words.
She thought it was because of that scoundrel at the restaurant, so she immediately apologized to Li Chonglou again, “Brother Li, I’m sorry. I failed to properly discipline my subordinates, but I can assure you that something like this will never happen again!”
Li Chonglou remained silent, just watching her.
Luo Qingqing thought for a moment and then said, “How about this, Brother Li, if you encounter anyone from our Xi Gang again, just mention your name. If they still give you trouble, you can tell me directly!”
Li Chonglou smiled and said, “That won’t be necessary. I understand that as a major gang, it’s impossible to manage everyone perfectly. There are bound to be a few rotten fish and shrimp.”
“I can handle these things myself.”
The reason he hadn’t spoken earlier was to gauge Luo Qingqing’s attitude. It was clear now that she was sincere, so Li Chonglou temporarily put aside the past grievances with the Xi Gang, at least not bringing them up with Luo Qingqing.
However, Luo Qingqing insisted on her own idea.
“No, it’s settled! The number I gave you earlier is my private number, and you can reach me twenty-four hours a day.”
Seeing this, Li Chonglou didn’t say more and instead steered the conversation back to the point that interested him.
“So, what was the news you said you had that I would definitely be interested in?”
A smile reappeared on Luo Qingqing’s face.
“Brother Li, this news took me a lot of effort to uncover, and it will definitely be helpful to you!”
“No, I should say it will be helpful to your Sacred Beast.”
Li Chonglou’s eyes narrowed instantly, and his expression turned serious.
“What do you know? Have you investigated me?”
Seeing Li Chonglou’s mood shift, Luo Qingqing, though slightly puzzled, quickly explained.
“No, Brother Li, I haven’t investigated you. It’s…”
“It’s what.”
Li Chonglou’s expression had become extremely somber. If Luo Qingqing had indeed investigated him and managed to uncover these details, it was no trivial matter.
After all, his experiences abroad were not even known to many high-ranking officials in the country. How could Luo Qingqing, the daughter of one of the four major gangs, have obtained such information?
“I was too curious about why you entered that place twice, so I did some searching and discovered your Sacred Beast…”
In the end, she had indeed investigated. However, Li Chonglou’s focus was not on that.
“How did you know about the Sacred Beast?”
This was Li Chonglou’s most pressing concern!
Many people, even participants in the Iron Forest competition, were unaware of the existence of Sacred Beasts. Otherwise, obtaining one wouldn’t rely on luck and opportunity.
Luo Qingqing’s expression suddenly became hesitant.
“Well, my grandfather told me not to tell others…”
Grandfather? Li Chonglou suddenly had a guess!