Villain Is Bodyguard of Heroine’s Poisonous Stepmother

“Mom, I didn’t clean up properly, and the old man’s people have found the evidence. I’ve been exposed. What do I do now?” Li Qiwen asked Gu Wanyu in a panic.

If he hadn’t been vigilant, he might have been captured already. He was currently grateful for his quick thinking that allowed him to escape.

“Useless,” Gu Wanyu spat out in frustration.

“I know I’m useless. Is there any way to save me? That old man will definitely kill me.”

“Find somewhere to hide for now.”

After ending the call with Li Qiwen, Gu Wanyu immediately reached out to Chen Luo.

“This guy is truly useless.”

Upon learning of Li Qiwen’s exposure, Chen Luo was equally dismissive of him. He had already devised a plan for Li Qiwen to evade suspicion, yet Li Qiwen had somehow managed to blow his own cover. To Chen Luo, Li Qiwen was as useless as a pig.

“If he gets caught, he might expose us. I think we might need to kill him before he’s captured,” Gu Wanyu said.

She harbored no maternal feelings towards Li Qiwen, seeing him merely as a pawn. Now that he had become a liability, she contemplated removing him from the equation.

“We can’t kill him, let him stay hidden for now. He still serves a purpose. Li Zhong surely won’t make such a scandal public. As long as it stays hidden, it’s fine.”

Chen Luo wanted Li Qiwen alive to serve as a puppet, allowing him to inherit the Li family legitimately after Li Zhong’s death. With Li Qiwen at the helm, controlling the Li family would effectively be the same as having it in Chen Luo’s grasp.

Li Qiwen’s youth was seen as a drawback, but it wasn’t an issue. It made perfect sense for his mother, Gu Wanyu, to take the reins of the Li family in his stead due to his age.

This was precisely the outcome Chen Luo wished for.

Once the Li family was completely under his control, Li Qiwen would become redundant, rendering the puppet valueless.

“I’ll arrange a secure hiding spot for Li Qiwen so he can lay low for now,” Chen Luo said.

“Are we still planning to take out Li Zhong?”

“Absolutely. If poisoning didn’t work, we’ll just find another method. Killing him shouldn’t be hard.”

For Chen Luo, orchestrating Li Zhong’s death wouldn’t be challenging. As long as Ye Chen wasn’t guarding Li Zhong, it would be simple. Regarding the bodyguards at Li Zhong’s side, they were hardly a concern for Chen Luo, they were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs, easily defeated.

“I’ve got a plan ready for taking out Li Zhong. I’ll share the details with you later,” said Gu Wanyu.

“Before we act against Li Zhong, there’s another matter to address. We need to thoroughly investigate who knows about Li Qiwen’s attempt at poisoning. I’ll leave that task to you.”

Chen Luo delegated this investigation to Gu Wanyu, considering it within her capabilities.

***

“With the Wang family gone, and once Li Zhong is dealt with, Ye Chen will be next.”

Chen Luo doubted Ye Chen, with his current fortunes, could secure another protector. After the consecutive setbacks engineered by Chen Luo, Ye Chen’s protagonist aura should be significantly weakened.

The end seemed near for this protagonist, but Chen Luo wasn’t overjoyed. The system had warned him that the death of Ye Chen might usher in another protagonist, potentially even more powerful.

Being naturally cautious, Chen Luo wanted to ensure all preparations were in place before dealing with Ye Chen.

With Li Qiwen safely hidden by Chen Luo, Li Zhong found it impossible to locate his son.

As Chen Luo had previously said, even if Li Qiwen had intended his father’s death via poisoning, Li Zhong would likely keep the incident under wraps. Publicizing a son’s attempt on his father’s life would turn Li Zhong into a city-wide joke.

“Keep searching, even if it means turning Magic City upside down. I need to find that traitor.”

Though Li Zhong wasn’t inclined to publicize Li Qiwen’s poisoning attempt, he was determined to capture his son for a full explanation.

“There has to be a mastermind behind Li Qiwen,” Li Zhong said, knowing his son’s personality all too well.

Would he dare poison him so readily? His intention to find Li Qiwen was not only to confront him but also to uncover the mastermind behind the scenes.

“I have someone in mind,” Ye Chen said, standing behind Li Zhong.

“Who? You’re not about to say it’s Chen Luo, are you?” Li Zhong scrutinized Ye Chen, aware of Ye Chen’s obsession with implicating Chen Luo in everything. Li Zhong considered Ye Chen’s fixation on Chen Luo to be excessive.

“Remember the kidnapping incident? Haven’t you noticed something off about Li Qiwen since his return?” Ye Chen prompted.

Reflecting upon Ye Chen’s observation, Li Zhong indeed recognized an unsettling change in Li Qiwen post-kidnapping. Initially, Li Zhong attributed this to trauma, but given the poisoning incident, the inconsistencies began to stack up.

“So, you’re implying that Li Qiwen is under the kidnappers’ control?” The masterminds behind the previous abduction remained at large, with no clues unearthed. They had extorted twenty billion from him, a loss that still stung Li Zhong.

“It’s very likely. Li Qiwen could have been coerced into poisoning us,” Ye Chen suggested.

Hearing this, Li Zhong felt somewhat relieved. Coercion was preferable to a genuine attempt on his life.

“If I’m correct in my assumption, then your wife is also implicated,” Ye Chen added, hinting at Gu Wanyu. With Li Qiwen under suspicion, what about Gu Wanyu?

Instantly, Li Zhong’s gaze sharpened, as numerous thoughts raced through his mind.

“If your suspicion holds, the issues with Gu Wanyu might be even more serious than those with Li Qiwen.”

He recalled that on the day Li Qiwen and Gu Wanyu were kidnapped, he had specifically sent Li Qiwen to investigate potential issues with Gu Wanyu.

As a result, on the very day Li Zhong planned to investigate, an incident occurred, leading him to have suspicions now.

“I must speak with Gu Wanyu,” Li Zhong declared, a hint of frost in his gaze.

Previously, Li Zhong harbored suspicions about Gu Wanyu’s infidelity, leading him to dispatch Li Qiwen to verify any undisclosed secrets on her phone. That day coincided with the kidnapping of both Li Qiwen and Gu Wanyu.

Upon questioning Li Qiwen later about any findings on Gu Wanyu’s phone, Li Qiwen reassured him all was well, suggesting Li Zhong was overthinking. At that moment, Li Zhong harbored no doubts. But now, could Li Qiwen’s assurances still hold water? Answers to these lingering doubts would only surface after a direct confrontation with Gu Wanyu.

“Li Qiwen’s insistence on having Li Feng as a bodyguard also raises eyebrows.”

The deeper Li Zhong delved, the more inconsistencies he found surrounding Gu Wanyu. Li Feng had been specifically assigned to surveil Gu Wanyu, yet Li Qiwen later requisitioned her under the pretext of wanting to learn self-defense.

“Summon Li Feng,” commanded Li Zhong to his confidant, Azheng.

Shortly after, Azheng escorted Li Feng to Li Zhong.

“Tell me, did Li Qiwen truly learn anything from you?”

“Chairman, the young master didn’t learn anything from me.”

A sharp glint crossed Li Zhong’s eyes before he pressed further, “During your surveillance, did Gu Wanyu ever go out alone?”

“Yes, she instructed me not to follow her during those times.”

“Very well,” Li Zhong remarked, his expression turning steely. “Reach out to Ah Wen and probe into madam’s recent activities,” he tasked Li Feng.

“Now?” asked Li Feng, seeking confirmation from the chairman.

“Yes, right now. Place the call.”

Li Feng nodded, retrieving her phone to contact Ah Wen, with whom she shared a tentative friendship.

Li Zhong took a moment to compose himself, his certainty about Gu Wanyu’s culpability solidifying. His initial suspicions might have indeed been accurate. This realization sent a wave of anger coursing through him.