Novel

Chapter 5: Blood on the Balance Sheet

Kai deciphers the hidden family ledger in a cramped back-alley café, revealing financial traps and medical evidence of deliberate poisoning that threatens the ancestral restaurant and Uncle Liang’s life. He negotiates a tense truce with a mid-level consortium contact, securing a temporary stay on asset seizures but triggering dangerous retaliation. Returning home, Kai confronts Aunt Mei’s sudden collapse, covertly stabilizing her while enlisting Cousin Lian’s reluctant alliance through the ledger’s revelations. The chapter ends with violent threats against the restaurant staff, escalating the external pressure and forcing Kai to prepare for a deeper conflict to protect family legacy and life.