Chapter 133: Setting the Trap

That moment of hesitation from Li Qianshan had merely been him wondering what method to use to lure Madam Li into the trap.

He knew perfectly well that she had a powerful son-in-law behind her, and that there would certainly be plenty of money in it for him.

The so-called financial manager was nothing but a lie—a mere disguise.

Even when dealing with relatives, he had no concern for saving face. His own kin were precisely the people he intended to cheat.

Madam Li, entirely unaware of any of this, rose from the bed and gathered all her identification documents.

She hurriedly did her hair and makeup, chose an outfit, and prepared to attend the meeting.

Dressed to the nines, Madam Li left the villa and made her way to the café where Li Qianshan had arranged to meet her.

When she arrived, she saw Li Qianshan sitting with a rather fierce-looking man. She could not help feeling uneasy.

In her mind, people involved in investments were all supposed to wear suits and look refined and scholarly.

“Second Aunt, I’m over here.”

Li Qianshan waved cheerfully, motioning for Madam Li to come over and sit down.

“Second Aunt, this is the friend I told you about.”

Li Qianshan briefly introduced the man beside him. The man smiled at Madam Li, making her shudder involuntarily.

“Little Shan, is your friend really trustworthy?” Madam Li leaned closer and whispered to Li Qianshan, not realizing that the man beside them had heard her.

“Auntie, I know I look a little intimidating, but please rest assured. Our institution has all the proper professional licenses. The approval process is quick, and the requirements are minimal. You can put your mind at ease.”

The man smiled, hoping to dispel Madam Li’s doubts.

“You brought your documents, didn’t you? We’ll need them later.”

Li Qianshan asked her while repeatedly glancing toward the bag she carried.

“I brought them. I didn’t know which ones would be necessary, so I brought quite a few. Take a look and see which ones you can use.”

With that, Madam Li took out all her documents.

“Auntie, may I ask how much you intend to borrow this time?”

The man took out his phone, tapped at the screen for a while, and then questioned Madam Li.

“This time, I plan to borrow five million!”

Madam Li answered decisively and with great confidence.

She needed this money desperately. If she succeeded this time, she would not only make a profit herself, but also change her standing in the Liu family. She might even be able to find Qin Xue’er a better husband. She had never forgotten about that.

Li Qianshan exchanged a glance with the man before saying, “I don’t think you need to borrow that much right now. Anywhere money is involved, there’s risk. You should start small and test the waters. If you’re truly interested, we can always increase the amount later.”

The man beside him nodded in agreement.

Naturally, Madam Li was unwilling to accept that. After much negotiation, the man agreed to lend her seven hundred thousand, which would be added to his investment fund.

“Why not have Sister Xue’er act as guarantor?” Li Qianshan suggested, luring her deeper step by step. “She’s still young, and she’ll have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future. If the investment really fails, your son-in-law and she surely won’t refuse to take responsibility, will they?”

Li Qianshan had brought Qin Xue’er directly into the matter.

Madam Li nodded. She still clung to her illusions about the bond between herself and Qin Xue’er.

No matter how outrageous her actions were, Qin Xue’er could not possibly abandon her.

What she did not know was that Li Qianshan was watching her with a smile as she stepped, one step at a time, into the trap he had designed.

The paperwork was completed quickly. In Qin Xue’er’s name, Madam Li borrowed seven hundred thousand from the institution.

Before she could even receive confirmation that the money had entered the account, the man beside her spoke again.

“Since our lending and investment services are handled by the same institution, we currently have a project that has already made money for many people. You might as well invest in it directly and spare yourself the trouble of making another choice.”

The man and Li Qianshan played off one another, clearly acting according to a prearranged plan.

But Madam Li had already been swept away by her excitement over investing. All she wanted now was to see money appear in her account.

Seven hundred thousand was far from enough. Since such a wonderful opportunity had appeared, she wanted to make even more money as quickly as possible.

Without seeing a single cent of the money she had borrowed, she foolishly poured the entire amount into the investment the men had recommended.

“All right. The lending and investment arrangements are complete. The money has been placed into our investment project. Over the next few days, you’ll certainly receive dividends in installments. I have some other business to attend to, so I’ll leave the two of you to talk.”

Seeing that the man had finished operating his phone, Madam Li thanked him and watched as he left.

“Tell me, is this man really trustworthy?” Madam Li asked Li Qianshan doubtfully. Her previous experience had made her wary.

“Of course he is. He’s a friend of mine. You can put your mind completely at ease. Do you really think I would cheat you?”

Li Qianshan spoke with solemn conviction.

Come to think of it, he was right. How could her own nephew deceive her?

Madam Li spent a little money treating Li Qianshan to a meal before returning to the villa, where she waited contentedly for her investment profits.

After leaving the villa that morning, Xiao Ye had not gone to the company.

He investigated where Madam Li’s money had gone, but the company’s affairs were far too complicated, and its flow of funds far too enormous. He was unable to determine anything clearly.

“Red Dragon, I have a task for you. Find out where the money my mother-in-law invested in the Li family’s company has gone,” Xiao Ye said into the phone.

At that moment, no one had yet realized that Madam Li had been cheated again.

Li Qianshan was sitting in a restaurant with the same friend from that morning, drinking red wine and chatting merrily.

The fierce-looking man was actually a member of an underground organization in the Suzhou-Zhejiang region. They did engage in lending, but it was all high-interest loan sharking.

That morning, he had not lent Madam Li anything at all. With only a few words and Li Qianshan’s cooperation, he had won her trust outright.

“Wasn’t what we did today a little too ruthless?” the man asked Shen Long after taking a sip of red wine.

“It’s fine. They were the ones we intended to exploit. You don’t need to concern yourself with this anymore. Disappear on schedule three days from now, and have your boss come to collect the debt.”

The two men clinked their glasses. A strange glint flickered in Shen Long’s eyes.

Three days later, Qin Xue’er’s mood had improved considerably thanks to Chen Beixuan’s guidance. He planned to return to the villa and bring back the three of their personal belongings. Qin Xue’er did not want to continue living there either.

Since there was not much to take, Chen Beixuan returned to the villa alone.

As for Madam Li, she was about to suffer the heaviest blow of all.

She had returned to the villa filled with anticipation, waiting for the dividends to come. During the first two days, she had indeed made a small profit—the balance in her account had inexplicably increased by more than a thousand.