Chapter 183 Deal

Inside the reception room of the sanatorium, Xue Pingan, observing Zhou Xian’s reaction, clearly sensed the other man’s displeasure. But in this situation, Xue Pingan had no other choice. If he didn’t fight for it today, he might lose his entire family.

Nothing was more worth risking one's life for than family, and this held true for both ordinary people and drug lords.

Xue Pingan paused slightly and continued, "Chief Zhou, I'm only asking to borrow someone. Using An Qiqi as a bargaining chip to threaten An Zecheng and Su Tianyu. I guarantee nothing will happen to her while she's in my hands."

The smile had vanished from Zhou Xian's face. He crossed his arms and replied flatly, "You can't even guarantee the safety of your own family, how can you guarantee that nothing will happen to An Qiqi?"

Hearing this, Xue Pingan’s anger flared, and he retorted, somewhat losing control, "If it weren't for the higher-ups wanting to retaliate against An Zecheng so urgently, we could have locked down An Qiqi through long-term groundwork and operations in other ways. We wouldn't have left so many clues and opportunities for Su Tianyu... Chief Zhou, in this matter, our Xue family...!"

Zhou Xian looked at Xue Pingan, his gaze sharp. "Are you complaining about me? That my decision was wrong?!"

Hearing this, Xue Pingan realized he had gotten carried away and spoken out of turn.

Zhou Xian stared coldly at Xue Pingan. "The issue of An Qiqi's case is no longer something I alone can decide. The higher-ups have intervened and specifically stated that An Qiqi should be used to divide and restrain Tan Hengqiang and An Zecheng, to ensure that the problems in Bana City can be resolved as soon as possible. Therefore, I don't have the authority to extract her on my own."

With one sentence, Zhou Xian shut down all possibilities. Xue Pingan stared blankly at him and asked, "Chief, then what about my family?"

"Didn't I just say? The higher-ups will do everything possible to communicate with Lao Li's side." Zhou Xian's expression softened slightly. "I'll also keep an eye on things for you. As long as the conditions Lao Li offers aren't too outrageous, we can negotiate. Furthermore, I'm planning to have you do auxiliary work in the subsequent Bana City matters. Frankly, you're not a frontline unit, so it will be difficult for Su Tianyu to make excessive demands on you. Your family won't have a decisive impact in his hands, so there's no point in him holding onto them."

Kang Dinghuang heard this and took a sip from his teacup.

"Stay calm, Lao Xue!" Zhou Xian comforted softly. "The higher-ups won't easily abandon their own people, especially families like the Xue family who are enthusiastic about the region's cause and loyal to their beliefs. They are indispensable."

Xue Pingan was dazed upon hearing this, his mind blank and his ears ringing.

Clearly, Zhou Xian would absolutely not agree to the plan of using An Qiqi. As for what he said later, if Xue Pingan believed it, then he would be the biggest fool of the century.

What to do about his family?

Xue Pingan, whose hair was already half white, felt utterly lost at that moment.

"Lao Xue, go outside and get some air. I'll chat with Zhou Xian for a bit," Kang Dinghuang suddenly said.

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Xue Pingan's originally dull eyes. He immediately got up and replied, "Okay, I'll go for a walk. You guys talk."

"Lao Xue, stay calm! I'll keep an eye on things here for you," Zhou Xian proactively said.

"Okay." Xue Pingan nodded woodenly, turned, and left the reception room.

Inside the room, Kang Dinghuang picked up the teapot and said softly, "Actually, An Qiqi's role is no longer that significant. With Xue Nan arrested, the frame-up can’t probably be hidden anymore. Lao An and Tan Hengqiang aren't ordinary characters. They'll use connections in the First District to navigate the legal process. If the lawsuit goes all the way, they might even release him in the end."

"I thought of that! But the problem is that criminal homicide cases have uncertain judicial cycles. Simply put, I can drag this case out for a year if I want, or three years if I want." Zhou Xian spread his palms and said with a slight frown, "Suppose Xue Nan spills the beans in there, doesn't he have to provide evidence of framing An Qiqi? Doesn't that need to be investigated? When it enters the litigation stage, won't the lawyers from all sides need to gather evidence? All of this takes time! I can drag Lao An to death, you believe it?"

"Dragging him only limits his actions. He won't break with Tan Hengqiang over this, let alone..."

"Dragging him is enough!" Zhou Xian replied concisely. "One An Qiqi can buy a military commander three years of inaction. Isn't that worth it?"

Kang Dinghuang rubbed his palms together. "What about the Xue family?"

"Didn't I say, let the higher-ups communicate with Lao Li...!"

"Do you think Xue Pingan can believe that, or can I?" Kang Dinghuang retorted. "The Xue family hasn't had it easy, Xiao Xian! Over the years, they've followed us and handled a lot of dirty work on the periphery, and they've been hardworking and dedicated. They are even more reliable than Hui Hong and Bao Long in some matters, because their demands are very simple... they just want to use our political connections to make some economic gains outside the district. But now that they're in such big trouble, you're not giving them any chances and even marginalizing them. Isn't that... lacking a bit of humanity?!"

"Haha!"

Zhou Xian laughed, crossed his arms, and looked at Kang Dinghuang. "When did you learn the word 'humanity'?! Brother, what kind of people are they? They're drug lords, thugs mixed in outside the district! To put it bluntly, they can kiss our ass today and cozy up to Tan Hengqiang tomorrow. Whoever has milk is their mother, that's the kind of people they are. And do we lack people like that? Without the Xue family, there's the Wang family, the Li family... just bedpans. Big brother, you can't use it to drink tea! You throw it away when it's dirty. Is it worth using such an important bargaining chip like An Qiqi to trade for a bunch of people I've never even met?"

Kang Dinghuang stared blankly at Zhou Xian. "You've changed from before..."

"Don't mention the past!" Zhou Xian waved his hand dismissively and put his leg on the coffee table. "Before, I was fully limbed. Now, haha, what do you call this? A disabled person! In less than half a year, my left and right legs aren't even at the same height anymore. How could I not change?"

Outside the door.

Xue Pingan peered through the gap in the window film, his eyes filled with dark clouds as he stared at Zhou Xian. He remained silent for a full half minute before leaving with a grimace.

There shouldn't be any room for reconciliation regarding An Qiqi's matter.

What should Xue Pingan do?

Inside the room, Kang Dinghuang drank his tea, glancing at Zhou Xian out of the corner of his eye.

Zhou Xian slowly stood up. "Xiao Kang, the Dragon City incident reminded me. The prerequisite for realizing ideals is that you must first abandon them!"

Downstairs.

Xue Pingan got into the car with a sullen face and ordered coldly, "Go back!"