Chapter 117: What Worthless Jade? Worth Fifty Million?

The hall erupted in a commotion, all eyes fixed on Li Hongyu.

Gao Qiqiang’s face turned ashen; he glared coldly at Li Hongyu, his voice laced with a hint of menace. “What did you say?”

Li Hongyu sneered, meeting Gao Qiqiang’s gaze without fear. “Gao Qiqiang, your brother Gao Youde owes me more than just money—he owes me his life. I know every sordid deed your Gao family has done, down to the last detail.”

“That debt is just an advance on my payment for his life. If he died early, that’s his problem—not mine,” Gao Qiqiang retorted, a flicker of murderous intent flashing in his eyes before he quickly regained his composure. His voice dropped low. “Do you have proof?”

Li Hongyu pulled a paper from her pocket and held it up. “Here’s a list of the people I helped him eliminate. If you don’t believe me, take a look.”

The hall buzzed with whispers and speculation.

Gao Qiqiang’s expression darkened further, but he knew better than to act rashly in front of so many witnesses. He fixed Li Hongyu with a cold stare and asked in a low voice, “What do you want?”

Li Hongyu smiled bitterly. “Simple. I want your Gao family to publicly acknowledge that these debts are fully settled and compensate me for my losses. Otherwise, I’ll expose all this evidence.”

“I, Li Hongyu, won’t hesitate to drag you all down with me.”

“Those things your brother Gao Youde did—dig them up and shoot him a few more times if you must—that’s only justice!”

A chill flickered in Gao Qiqiang’s eyes. He was silent for a moment before nodding. “Very well. Since your claims are disputed, we’ll discuss this further.”

Li Hongyu nodded in satisfaction, pocketed the evidence, and turned to leave the hall.

Gao Qiqiang watched her retreating figure, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.

I stood to the side, my gaze calm and detached as I observed the scene.

Gao Qiqiang didn’t stop there. He scanned the crowd and announced, “Next, the second creditor: Red Sister Hong, amounting to sixty million.”

Hearing the name Red Sister Hong, I was stunned.

I hadn’t expected that behind Red Sister Hong, there was also a capital tied to Gao Youde.

As Gao Qiqiang’s eyes settled on a spot, I searched but saw no sign of Red Sister Hong. Instead, Su Li slowly stood up and spoke: “Red Sister Hong’s funds are ready. Mr. Gao Qiqiang, I also bring news of Red Sister Hong—please accept my condolences.”

The atmosphere in the hall tightened instantly, all eyes turning to Su Li.

Her tone was calm and resolute.

Gao Qiqiang’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded. “It’s said that Red Sister Hong is meticulous in her dealings within this city. I, Gao, feel that—thank you for your support, Red Sister Hong! My brother, may he prosper in the underworld!”

In front of everyone, Su Li arranged for several boxes of cash to be delivered.

Her gaze also swept over to me.

It seemed she had long known that I was the third debtor.

Gao Qiqiang’s gaze casually swept over Su Li before turning to me.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Next, the third creditor, Wang Hu, repay my brother’s debt—fifty million!”

“Wang Hu?”

Though I had some reputation in the regional Xiaoyu market, my name carried little weight across the entire city’s business community.

So when my name was called, whispers rippled through the crowd.

The hall fell silent; all eyes fixed on me. I took a deep breath, striving to remain composed as I slowly stood.

“Mr. Gao Qiqiang,” I began, my voice low but clear enough for everyone to hear, “I admit I owed Gao Youde money, but I have something to say.”

Gao Qiqiang smiled faintly, a trace of amusement in his eyes. “Oh? Do tell.”

I met his gaze and said, “I’ve already repaid Gao Youde’s money!”

The hall erupted once more, all eyes back on me. Gao Qiqiang’s smile faded, replaced by coldness and suspicion. “What did you say?”

I straightened my back and continued, “I’ve settled the debt with Gao Youde. This was a transaction between us; all debts have long been cleared.”

A flicker of disbelief passed through Gao Qiqiang’s eyes, but he didn’t immediately object. Instead, he scrutinized me. “Do you have proof?”

I pointed to one of Gao Youde’s underlings. “I repaid the debt with a piece of jade. His men should all know about it.”

At that moment, several of Gao Youde’s underlings looked towards me.

Gao Qiqiang turned to them. “Is this true?”

The underlings exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating to speak.

Finally, the lead underling said, “No, that’s not true. Don’t talk nonsense here!”

Seeing their disorder, I sneered, “That jade was taken by you and your brothers. If you don’t believe me, check the surveillance footage from the Sharp Market. There should be recordings of you taking the jade.”

My words left the underling stunned.

Gao Qiqiang frowned slightly, clearly doubting me, but he didn’t rush to judgment.

He turned to a nearby bodyguard and whispered a few instructions; the bodyguard immediately left the hall.

The tension in the room thickened; everyone held their breath awaiting the outcome.

Gao Qiqiang’s gaze returned to me, cold and sharp. “Wang Hu, you’d better not be lying. Otherwise, face the consequences.”

I met his gaze without fear, resolute. “I’m not lying. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Minutes later, the bodyguard returned with a file and a surveillance screenshot.

He handed the documents to Gao Qiqiang and whispered a brief report.

Gao Qiqiang’s face darkened further as he reviewed the papers. Slowly, he lifted his head and fixed the underling with a cold glare. “Anything to say?”

The underling’s face drained of color, sweat beading on his forehead as he stammered, “Boss Gao, I... I gave that jade to Brother Youde, but he never said anything about it!”

“Later, Brother Youde passed away...”

“Does that count as repayment? We never even got our cut. Just this worthless stone?”

Gao Qiqiang’s brow furrowed deeply, clearly dissatisfied with the explanation.

He swept his gaze over the room before locking eyes with the underling. “Your cut and settling the debt are two different things. Since the jade was given to Youde... it has to count as payment!”

After a pause, Gao Qiqiang looked at me. “Brother Wang Hu, whether that jade is worth fifty million is another matter.”