Chapter 239 - Sacrificial Lamb (1/2)

I in Hai-Zhu City but it was the most unique Chinese restaurant It looked like an ancient palace and the furnishi+ngs were also done in the old style One felt rather ‘iht Xia Lei to a private room the moment he arrived

There were several starters on the table and red and white wine The hot dishes had not been served yet but the cost of thefroave a sh “What is this, Mayor Hu?” That sentence counted as his greeting

Hu Hou laughed dryly, “You know al to s; showso for to say or have any requests of me I’ll do it for you if I can,” said Xia Lei

“You said it I’d like you to get your workers to disperse and go back - can you do that?”

“I’ll pour you some alcohol, Mayor Hu” Xia Lei had his slippery lass with his hand and looked at Xia Lei with displeasure “Look at you, changing yourthat I can make any request”

Xia Lei put down the bottle of Wuliangye Liquor in his hand “Mayor Hu, thisso the rice bowls of hundreds You’ve had oing to pay my workers with? What about insurance? This concerns the cutting of livelihoods and the workers have anger in their hearts They just want to vent - is that not allowed? It’s not that I haven’t tried to dissuade them; they did not listen What can I do?”

Hu Hou looked like he was holding back a laugh “You’re not afraid of being arrested?”

“Mayor Hu, if arresting me solves the problem then have someone come arrest me now I’ll have no complaints,” said Xia Lei with a smile

Hu Hou shook his head and s were just walking on the streets and were holding placards with non-discrians on them so what basis had he to arrest Xia Lei? If he did have Xia Lei arrested, it wouldn’t solve the proble thejustice for you, but… Politics is thein the world You’re an outsider so you cannot understand my difficulty I want to help you but I have no power to do so Even if I stand on your side, I won’t be able to protect your interests - I’ll also be made to step down So please, understand my difficulties”

“I understand That’s why I’m here,” said Xia Lei

Even shi+ Bo-Ren was unable to help, much less a small city mayor like Hu Hou

At that moment, a server pushed the door to the private roo out the dishes

There weren’t h quality

Hu Hou’s phone rang all of a sudden when the server was uncorking the red wine He stood and walked towards the exit as he said, “Excuseto take this call”

Xia Lei nodded and watched Hu Hou walk out of the private roo Hu Hou at this tiht and the wooden wall disappeared from his vision

Hu Hou stood outside the private room to take the call with a respectful look on his face

Xia Lei fixed his gaze on Hu Hou’s lips and lip-read the conversation on his end

“Yes… Mr Gu, I’ve invited hi? Yes… I s out Things have escalated to this point, I can’t step down… Right, right, everything has a solution You two sit down and have a talk I’ll be the ether, what do you think? M up

Xia Lei stopped using his ability and thought ‘So he’s trying to be a et is Gu Ke-Wu It’s not possible for hi to negotiate with me? Wait… Hu Hou said he ‘ invited hi’ so doesn’t that actually mean that it wasn’t Hu Hou who invited me of his own initiative but that someone else asked him to…?’

Hu Hou walked in The server had put the red wine in a decanter and pushed the serving trolley away

“Excuse me” Hu Hou seated hi but stopped

Xia Lei’s gaze went to the decanter the server had put on the table and quietly activated the power of his eye The decanter and its contents werepool Everything had been e was crisp and clear He quickly discovered a white powder in the botto slowly

Xia Lei’s gaze then went to the hot dishes which the server had just brought in and discovered that these dishes too, had some white powdery substance in them The white powder in the dishes dissolved more slowly than in the wine and was more obvious

This was a trap!

Xia Lei felt a chill go down his back He would have been on his guard if it had been Gu Ke-Wu who had invited him However, he was not as wary since it was Hu Hou He would not have known that this was a trap if he had not lip-read Hu Hou’s phone call and discovered soe!

Hu Hou picked up the decanter “Let’s first have soreement and his left eye penetrated the wooden wall of the private rooain

There were no diners in the room to the left

Xia Lei looked at the wall on the right Two people sat in the roo Wu and Qin Qi The table before the Wu and Qin Qi were staring at the wooden wall separating their rooms They did not speak but listened quietly to thehis power He looked at the glass of red hich Hu Hou had poured for him and said with a smile, “Let’s first have a toast, Mayor Hu”

“Sure” Hu Hou raised his glass and clinked it with Xia Lei’s, then tipped his head backwards as he drank

Xia Lei took the opportunity to swiftly throw the red wine in his glass over his shoulder and into the potted giant alocasia plant behind hi had proved useful; his hand was as quick as lightning Xia Lei had colass to his lips before Hu Hou finished drinking and he pretended to enjoy finishi+ng his wine