Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 258 Secretly assassinating Chen Cang
surprise?

At this moment, Li Dan felt that Zhou Xia was simply the best man in the world. Not only was he gentle and had a pleasant voice, but he also thoughtfully prepared a big surprise for her.

No longer caring about Liu Yanran, Li Dan now only wants to be with Zhou Xia, forever.

At the same time, she also regretted her actions that morning, which had made her waver because of some strangers' words.

Li Dan, how could you just give up on Zhou Xia, who was so good to you?
A blush quickly spread across Li Dan's face, and she said hesitantly:

"Brother Xia, don't misunderstand, I'm not angry with you at all."

"I just had something come up at the last minute, that's why I couldn't keep the appointment. I'm so sorry to have worried you."

Zhou Xia gently covered Li Dan's mouth and said:

"Don't apologize. You never need to apologize to me."

"At first I thought the surprise I prepared for you was a bit abrupt, but now it seems it was just right."

"I have passed your father's test and have earned the right to propose to you."

"If you don't mind that I'm poor and that I'm capable, I'll go and propose to your father right now."

Proposal?

The enormous surprise completely stunned Li Dan; she never imagined that their relationship would progress so quickly.

I wanted to say something, but my throat felt blocked, and I couldn't open my mouth at all.

In her confused state, Li Dan only managed to say "Whatever" before hurriedly closing the door.

Seeing the closed door, Zhou Xia was not surprised but pleased, thinking to himself that everything was proceeding as he had expected.

Although he didn't have Wang Chengpeng's strategic planning skills, he could easily manipulate a woman.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Xia knew that the climax of the battle was about to begin, and that old fox Li Weiguo was not as easily fooled as Li Dan.

Fortunately, he had the upper hand and made many preparations that afternoon.

Putting aside everything else, Zhou Xia went to great lengths just to hide the tape recorder.

Technology was underdeveloped in this era, and productivity was far behind.

Forget about voice recorders, you can't even find a small recorder.

Zhou Xia went to great lengths to hide the tape recorder, and the large box in his hand that looks like a gift is the result of his afternoon of hard work.

From the moment you enter the Li family home, the hidden tape recorder begins to work.

The recorder is easy to disguise, so it won't be discovered for at least a while, but its retrieval has become a huge problem.

After much deliberation, Zhou Xia felt that the only option was to take a risk, as there was no risk-free solution.

After all, it is perfectly reasonable for him to come and present gifts to propose marriage, but taking the gifts back is something that anyone with eyes can see is wrong.

Anyway, the hiring of a hitman will soon come to light, and Zhou Xia will soon have a falling out with the Li family, so all he needs to do is find a way to retrieve the tape.

Compared to bulky tape recorders, recycling a small cassette tape is much easier.

Thinking this, Zhou Xia tidied himself up before taking the carefully prepared gift and going to find Li Weiguo.

Li Weiguo was clearly surprised by Zhou Xia's sudden visit and asked:
"Zhou Xia, I thought you came here just to talk about love with my daughter. What are you dressed so formally for?"

In Li Weiguo's view, Zhou Xia was just a nobody who could be manipulated at will and posed no threat to him at all. Therefore, he had no concern whatsoever about the gift box that Zhou Xia had so openly displayed on the table.

Faced with Li Weiguo's questioning, Zhou Xia shamelessly replied:
“Father-in-law, why do you ask such a question when you already know the answer? I’m here today, of course, to discuss my marriage with Li Dan.”

"Now that I have passed your test, marriage is a foregone conclusion."

"Father-in-law, don't worry, I will definitely treat Danmei well and make her the happiest woman in the world."

"So please marry Danmei to me!"

In the end, Zhou Xia actually knelt down in front of Li Weiguo, appearing formal and solemn.

On the surface, Li Weiguo remained calm, but in reality, he held Zhou Xia in utter contempt.

This Zhou Xia is really impatient; he dared to propose marriage to me right after completing the task I assigned him.

They didn't even bother to bring any decent gifts when they proposed marriage; they just brought some cheap, worthless junk.

However, as long as my daughter is happy, nothing else matters.

After a moment's thought, Li Weiguo said in a deep voice, "Although marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, since you want to marry my daughter, you naturally need her consent."

What did my daughter say?

With a shy smile, Zhou Xia explained, "I went to Danmei's room just now because of this."

"Naturally, I only dared to do such a bold and reckless thing after obtaining her consent."

Without saying whether he agreed or disagreed, Li Weiguo instead brought up another matter:
"Since you say you have completed the trial, that family must be dead, eliminating any future trouble."

"If that's the case, why haven't you brought back the pistol I gave you back then?"

"Pistols are controlled items; you can't handle them."

Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Xia was overjoyed, thinking to himself that Li Weiguo, that old fox, had finally brought up the matter of hiring someone to kill.

It wasn't that he didn't want to get straight to the point, but doing so would definitely arouse Li Weiguo's suspicion.

In that case, he might as well use the marriage as an opportunity to get Li Weiguo to ask about it.

Although the attempt to hire someone to commit murder ultimately failed, it was a sudden event, and Li Weiguo was extremely busy, so he was certainly unaware of the outcome at that time.

In this situation, wouldn't this matter be something that Zhou Xia could decide to succeed or fail at will?
Even if this matter comes to light tomorrow, he has already obtained the evidence he wanted today. What does it matter to Zhou Xia what happens tomorrow?
Thinking this through, Zhou Xia continued, following Li Weiguo's lead:
"Father-in-law, you've already persuaded me to get Bi Jun to help. Taking the lives of Wang Chengpeng's family is a piece of cake, isn't it?"

"As for that gun?"

Zhou Xia gave an embarrassed smile and said awkwardly:
“Father-in-law, I’ve never handled anything like this before, so I’d like to play with it for a couple of days first.”

"If you mind, I'll go home now and get it, and bring that Type 64 pistol back immediately."

Li Weiguo frowned slightly, feeling that something was not quite right.

Zhou Xia went on to explain things in far too much detail, as if he were setting a trap for himself.

However, since it was he who brought up the matter first, Zhou Xia didn't seem to have any reason to set a trap for him.

For a moment, Li Weiguo was caught in a dilemma.

He hesitated, and Zhou Xia was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Whether we live or die depends on this one move!
Zhou Xia slapped himself hard across the face, saying with immense regret:
“Father-in-law, I was presumptuous. I shouldn’t have taken your pistol without permission.”

"Wait here, I'll go get the pistol right now for you to inspect!" With that, Zhou Xia got up to leave, revealing his entire outfit.

This outfit was specially prepared by Zhou Xia for today. It looks high-end and classy, ​​but there isn't even a place to hide anything.

Seeing Zhou Xia's clothes, which had nowhere to hide, and his innocently foolish expression, Li Weiguo finally believed his story and said:
"Good son-in-law, you are a man too, it's only natural for you to like guns."

"There's no rush. As long as no outsiders see it, you can play with it for a couple of days and then return it to me when you're tired of it. That's perfectly fine."

"But this matter between you and my daughter has been a bit too hasty."

However, just as Li Weiguo finished speaking, a clear voice suddenly came from the side:

"Not rushed, not rushed at all!"

"Father, please quickly agree to Brother Xia's request. I... am... willing."

Judging from the voice, it was Li Dan who had just come downstairs.

Zhou Xia was talking about proposing marriage. Although Li Dan was shy, she finally mustered up the courage to come down.

As luck would have it, she overheard Li Weiguo saying something that came out too fast.

In a moment of impulsiveness, she actually stepped forward and said something astonishing.

To be honest, Zhou Xia was actually hoping that Li Weiguo would disagree.

At least that way, he would have a legitimate reason to take back the betrothal gifts he brought.

Although it seems abrupt, it is logically plausible.

With Li Dan's intervention, Zhou Xia lost this opportunity.

However, this is not without its drawbacks; at least Zhou Xia can carry out another plan.

Seeing Li Weiguo's astonished expression, Li Dan's face felt like it was on fire, instantly turning burning hot.

Without a second thought, she shyly ran back to her room, leaving the two of them, whose presence was rather ambiguous, behind.

With a heavy sigh, Li Weiguo seemed to give in, and said:
“I only have one daughter. Although it does seem a bit rushed, I am still willing to accept you as long as she is happy.”

At this point, Li Weiguo looked at the gift Zhou Xia had brought and said:

"I haven't had a drink in a long time, so I'll have a good drink with my son-in-law today."

Upon hearing Li Weiguo's invitation to drink, Zhou Xia's eyes lit up; this was exactly what he wanted.

To deceive young girls, Zhou Xia had trained his alcohol tolerance, making him much stronger than most people.

Whether it's knocking Li Weiguo out or pretending to be drunk to find an opportunity, this will be a great chance to recycle the tapes.

This was actually part of his plan, and if Li Weiguo hadn't brought it up, he would have brought it up himself.

With an awkward smile, Zhou Xia said, "Such a good day is certainly worth celebrating with a drink."

"It's just that the wine I brought is rather ordinary, I hope my father-in-law won't find it offensive."

After saying that, Zhou Xia pulled the large gift bag containing the wine to his front, shook it a few times, and then took out a beautifully packaged box of wine from it.

As for the large gift bag containing the tape recorder, it was left beside Zhou Xia.

While Zhou Xia was unpacking the gift box, Li Weiguo also asked the servants to bring over wine glasses, and the two of them drank one glass after another.

The Li family used a high-end, elegant, and classy solid wood red table, which, while indeed prestigious, also obscured their view.

After a few quick rummages, Zhou Xia successfully snatched the cassette tape into his hand.

However, given his specially prepared attire today, there was really no place to hide the tape.

After hesitating for a moment, he didn't care about being respectable and simply stuffed the cassette tape into his underwear.

After doing all this, he finally drank with Li Weiguo, his heart pounding with fear.

It turns out that most people who become leaders in this era have a good alcohol tolerance.

After discovering that Li Weiguo showed no signs of intoxication after drinking a glass, Zhou Xia decisively changed tactics, pretending to be unable to hold his liquor.

Shaking his head slightly, Li Weiguo looked at Zhou Xia with a disappointed expression and said:
"Xiao Zhou, your alcohol tolerance is really not good. You need to practice more."

Zhou Xia pretended to have a dazed look in his eyes and nodded in response, "Father-in-law is right. I will definitely study and practice diligently when I get back."

"But I really can't drink anymore today. How about we, father-in-law and son-in-law, finish this drink and call it a day?"

Although he was somewhat disapproving of Zhou Xia's inability to drink, he couldn't push him too far since Zhou Xia was his future son-in-law. After thinking it over, he finally nodded.

With a clink of glasses, most of the wine was gone in an instant.

Seeing Zhou Xia's apparent inability to hold his liquor, Li Weiguo frowned and shouted:
“Daughter, come down and help Zhou.”

"It might not be safe to let him go back like this."

Since Zhou Xia has already been accepted as a prospective son-in-law, Li Weiguo's arrangement is perfectly reasonable.

Li Dan gave Li Weiguo a reproachful look and said irritably:

"Dad, it's rare for Brother Xia to come to our house, how did you manage to get him into this state?"

What if Brother Xia doesn't dare to come to our house next time?

Seeing Li Dan's worthless appearance, Li Weiguo shook his head and said:
"You really have forgotten your father now that you have a husband."

"Fine, I won't get in your way. You two can go your own way."

After saying that, Li Weiguo got up and went back to his room, leaving Zhou Xia and Li Dan with all the space.

Looking at Li Dan, who was incredibly enthusiastic towards him, Zhou Xia felt utterly overwhelmed.

"Dan, this is not good. If word gets out, it will damage your reputation."

"Could you call me a taxi to go home? There are security guards at the factory gate, and they'll take me to my dormitory safely."

Zhou Xia was no pushover either; he quickly found an excuse to send Li Dan away.

Despite her hesitation, Li Dan ultimately agreed to call a taxi for him at Zhou Xia's insistence.

After a moment of tender conversation, Li Dan reluctantly saw Zhou Xia off into a taxi.

Watching the taxi speed away, Li Dan's eyes were filled with the excitement of being in love.

Little did she know that Zhou Xia's departure might mark the end of the Li family!

(End of this chapter)