It's normal for a man to feel a stir at the sight of a beautiful woman. A fleeting, unrealistic fantasy in the mind? Also normal. But when those thoughts are overheard by the woman in question, things get… awkward.
Zhang Shener's budding sliver of goodwill toward Lu Chengwen evaporated in an instant. Her face darkened. "Does President Lu have to run every beautiful woman through his disgusting fantasies?"
Lu Chengwen froze. [Whoa, can this chick read minds?]
He flashed a grin. "No, no, I'm not that kind of guy. I'm noble, upright, refined, moral…"
"Enough," Zhang Shener cut him off. "Let's talk about the case. Leng Tianhao denies he was kidnapped. What's your take?"
Lu Chengwen chuckled. "Probably worried about the stock price. Understandable."
Zhang Shener eyed Leng Qingqiu. "I'm a bit confused. Leng Qingqiu, you've always despised Lu Chengwen, yet now you're inseparable. You were just ousted as Qianfeng Group's CEO, and then Leng Tianhao gets kidnapped. Now you and Lu Chengwen hold major shares in Qianfeng and are celebrating together. I've got a script in my head—care to tell me if it's true?"
"It's not," Leng Qingqiu said firmly. "In fact, I've just decided to urge Chengwen-ge to take over Qianfeng. He didn't need to kidnap my father. If he did, he wouldn't have called the police or let my father go without securing his shares."
Zhang Shener considered this, nodding. "Fair point. We'll keep investigating. As for you, Lu Chengwen, you'd better stay on the right side of the law, or I won't go easy on you."
She stormed off, fuming. Lu Chengwen's nothing but a rich creep. Fantasizing about me like that? Disgusting!
Lu Chengwen was rattled, his mind a mess. The web of relationships was unraveling. The leading ladies were gravitating toward him, which was bound to provoke Long Aotian's wrath. Until that was resolved, Long Aotian would keep coming for him.
But this wasn't just about stealing the protagonist's women anymore—it was about who would control Xuecheng's future. If Long Aotian teamed up with Huo Wendong and devoured the four great families, the Lu family would be in jeopardy. Worse, the shantytown project—Lu Chengwen's priority—would likely be abandoned or left to rot.
He had to move fast. Lock in the project, make it a done deal. Even if Long Aotian crushed him later, he wouldn't tear down completed buildings, right?
Tietuo Wang was proving invaluable. If Lu Chengwen hadn't swayed him, he'd likely be Long Aotian's top enforcer by now. He was doing an excellent job protecting Leng Qingqiu, diligent and dedicated.
As for Tongtuo Wang and his brothers, they needed to stay close, cut off from the outside world. Jiang Shihan would keep them in line, drowning them in the city's pleasures—wine, women, and wealth—to ensure their loyalty.
Long Aotian lay in bed, Luo Shiyin feeding him medicine. High-grade, potent elixirs were rare, and Luo Shiyin hadn't expected to use a life-saving one so soon after arriving in Xuecheng.
The elixir worked quickly, and Long Aotian's condition improved. Hua Xuening returned, her face pale as death.
Luo Shiyin glanced at her. "You're injured?"
"It's nothing," Hua Xuening said, her eyes filled with guilt and anguish as they fell on Long Aotian. "Who hurt the Young Master so badly?"
Luo Shiyin shook her head. "A mysterious figure."
"Mysterious figure?" Hua Xuening echoed, confused.
"Yes," Luo Shiyin said. "Their methods were brutal. Several of the Young Master's major acupoints were damaged by sword qi, and the attacker twisted the blade to maximize pain and complicate recovery."
Hua Xuening froze. "What? Let me see!"
Luo Shiyin blocked her. "You're injured too. Go heal. I've got the Young Master covered."
Hua Xuening gritted her teeth. "Thank you."
Luo Shiyin suddenly asked, "Lu Chengwen—is he tough to deal with?"
Hua Xuening's head snapped up, her jaw clenched. "I'll kill him. Sooner or later."
Luo Shiyin shook her head. "There's something off about him. He's not like our usual enemies. He always pulls off things we don't expect. Every plan we make goes sideways when he's involved."
"He's just lucky," Hua Xuening spat.
Luo Shiyin frowned. "Luck might explain one or two wins, but every time? That's not just luck."
"I'll kill him," Hua Xuening insisted.
"Hold off," Luo Shiyin said. "Wait for the Young Master to wake and plan our next move."
She sighed. "Looks like I'll have to handle Lu Chengwen myself."
Hua Xuening raised an eyebrow. "You're using that technique?"
Luo Shiyin smiled faintly. "No need. My strongest techniques have strict conditions and take a heavy toll on my body. The stronger the technique, the better the result, but I don't need that for him. Lu Chengwen… I'll just have to put in a bit more effort."
Hua Xuening nodded. "I'll heal up and guard the Young Master here. You deal with Lu Chengwen. Signal me when it's done."
"Got it."
Soon after, Long Aotian stirred awake. "Young Master," Luo Shiyin said, tears welling as she touched his face, her voice heavy with sorrow. "Who did this to you?"
Long Aotian's voice was weak. "Is… Xuening back?"
"She's back," Luo Shiyin said. "She saw you like this and broke down. I sent her to rest."
Long Aotian managed a faint scoff. "She's crying? And she dared come back?"
"Young Master, don't blame her," Luo Shiyin said. "Lu Chengwen's cunning. This failed assassination isn't entirely her fault."
Long Aotian shook his head. "I'm not blaming her. It's just…"
He trailed off, thinking, How do I even explain this?
Tell them I was beaten by multiple groups? First, my so-called ally Bang Daomang fought me to internal injuries. Then the Xuecheng branch, sent to help me, turned on me—slapping me senseless and breaking both my legs. And the worst? My own guard, Hua Xuening, went berserk, stabbing me and twisting the blade, demanding I speak when I physically couldn't. If I could've talked, don't they think I would've?
Lu Chengwen hadn't even shown his face.
Long Aotian's pride couldn't take it. The mighty Young Master, nearly killed by Lu Chengwen's schemes? If he told these two women, they'd laugh about it for years. He couldn't bear the humiliation.
Struggling to sit up, he said, "Go. I need to make a call."
He dialed his strategist. "Young Master," the strategist's voice was steady. "You've met Tongtuo Wang, right?"
"Yeah," Long Aotian said curtly.
"Great!" the strategist chuckled. "Tongtuo Wang's not the strongest, but he's reliable. He'll make your enemies regret crossing you—might even beat them into a pig's head and break their legs for good measure!"
Long Aotian clutched his chest, his heart pounding with rage. "Can you contact him?"
"Of course!"
"Give me his number."
The strategist hesitated. "But… haven't you already met?"
"Young Master," he continued quickly, "we're just a branch here. We can send manpower, but money… we're tapped out. That fifty billion was nearly all we had, and the next fifty billion was scraping the barrel. Use it wisely, and when you make a profit, maybe send some back to help us out…"
Long Aotian cut him off. "Your damn Tongtuo Wang defected to Lu Chengwen, you idiot!"
"What? No way!"
"Call him yourself!" Long Aotian growled. "Tell that bastard to report to me with his men, now! Are your people brainless? Is it that hard to tell me apart from Lu Chengwen?"
The strategist was sweating bullets. Twice? The same stupid mistake twice? Impossible!
"Young Master, could there be a misunderstanding?"
"Of course there's a misunderstanding!" Long Aotian roared. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be helping Lu Chengwen beat the crap out of me!"
"I'm on it," the strategist said. "I'll contact him immediately."
"And the money!" Long Aotian snapped. "Tell him to bring it to me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, Tongtuo Wang lounged in a high-end KTV private room, a beauty on each arm, belting out, "Gotta love till I die! No holding back, no regrets! Even if the universe crumbles… my heart… still… beats!"
Fatty and Skinny set down their own companions, clapping wildly. "Amazing! Big Bro's voice is unmatched!"
Skinny grinned. "Your vocal range is world-class!"
Fatty added, "Sometimes deep and rich, sometimes sharp and tight—most people can't pull that off! Killer range!"
Tongtuo Wang, basking in the praise, set down the mic. "Brothers, drink!"
When had they ever lived like this? In their old organization, life was bleak—training in secrecy or fighting bloody battles. The city's glitz and glamour felt like a distant dream, a life for gods. Now, here they were, living it.
Tongtuo Wang raised his glass. "First toast—to the Young Master!"
Fatty and Skinny raised theirs. "To the Young Master!"
Tongtuo Wang took a deep breath, wiping a tear from his eye. "Brothers, you know how it was in the organization."
Fatty bit his lip, holding back tears. Skinny lowered his head, sighing.
"But that's over!" Tongtuo Wang declared, sweeping his arm. "Look at this! In the city, money makes you king! This wine—how much a bottle? This fruit platter? Thousands! These girls? Five hundred just to show up! But we've got cash!"
"Damn right!" Fatty shouted.
Skinny stuffed a wad of bills into a girl's dress, grinning fiercely. "I'm rich now!"
Fatty lit a cigarette with a hundred-yuan note. "Money's awesome! Back in the organization, spending a hundred bucks meant explaining yourself to accounting. Now, with the Young Master, money's nothing!"
They raised their glasses again. "The Young Master's grace is boundless!" Tongtuo Wang said.
"For him, I'd walk through fire!" Fatty vowed.
"Anyone who crosses him is an enemy of my new life!" Skinny added.
"Cheers!" they roared.
Skinny grinned. "Big Bro, the strategist probably knows by now. Think he'll praise us?"
Tongtuo Wang laughed, pulling a beauty closer. "Who needs his praise? You think we care about him? He's nothing! We're the Young Master's men now!"
"Exactly!" Fatty said. "No more groveling to the strategist. We were dogs back then. That life's gone. Now we're the Young Master's dogs!"
The four women exchanged glances, thinking, Did these guys rob a bank or something?
Minutes later, the strategist called Long Aotian back. "Young Master, I… couldn't reach Tongtuo Wang."
"What about the money?"
"Well… I checked the account. The transfer's complete."
Long Aotian's mind exploded. "I didn't get a single damn cent!"
_
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