Xu Tingsheng and Fang Yuqing were brought from Suzhou to Xihu City that very night. Zhong Wusheng drove and followed after them for a bit, his phone ringing incessantly. The impact of this incident surpassed the predictions of many, Xu Tingsheng himself included.
Arresting a person like Xu Tingsheng in such a public setting was clearly not a very rational move. This person who had seemingly appeared from nowhere had seemingly achieved all glorious feats in a mere two years. Moreover, he was so young too.
The rousing, motivational achievement of starting out with nothing, his legendary experiences and schemes...oh right, and his looks were good too.
Recently, China’s media had been rejoicing over finally having an entrepreneur idol who could combat the entertainment industry.
Suddenly arresting a person like this? Even a fool would be clear on the various implications of this. Therefore, with such a thing still having occurred, one had to think deeply about what might be going on behind the scenes.
Thinking deeply might not produce a correct answer. Sometimes, they were wild guesses all the same.
The next day, as another piece of news also spread amongst the higher echelons of Jianhai Province, the meaning behind this arrest was infinitely magnified. While an official lawsuit had yet to come, the sentence of the eldest uncle of the Fang family had basically been decided. He would face the death sentence or a reprieve.
Connecting the two incidents together, many people were flustered. Many people...acted.
Various people, various mindsets, various motivations, various actions.
Yanzhou.
Mr and Mrs Xiang had originally wanted to bring Xiang Ning back home to stay and accompany her, even if it meant closing up shop and resting for a few days. Still, Xiang Ning stubbornly insisted on staying in that flat of hers and Xu Tingsheng’s, waiting for him to come home.
While the young girl put on a brave front, she was actually hugging her blanket and crying alone quietly, hugging her books and crying, crying quietly even as she watched the comedies that Du Jin had put on for her…
In the end, Mr and Mrs Xiang had no choice but to move over themselves.
Like this, all the details of Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning living together were displayed in front of them. All of them were prepared with Xiang Ning in mind, including fridge stickers, carpet, couple toothbrushes, towels, even tissue paper boxes which could not be any more girlish…
Having stayed here for so long, Xiang Ning did not even know where the mop and rags were placed. This was because she had actually never even cleaned up her own room before. This had all been taken care of by that guy who was probably entitled to say that he earned a couple hundred thousand every minute.
What followed was Mrs Xiang hugging her daughter and weeping silently with her. It looked like it indeed made sense that mother-in-laws doted on their son-in-laws. A melancholic Mr Xiang felt like smoking, but looking around the entire house, he could not find a single ashtray...Xu Tingsheng virtually never smoked in this house. Now, as he looked at his weeping wife and daughter, the eyes of this big man in his forties could not help but redden as well.
“However this turns out, when Tingsheng comes out, let’s get their engagement done,” Mr Xiang said.
“I’ll go call our in-laws,” Mrs Xiang said.
Xiang Ning’s lips trembled as she asked, “Can’t we just directly get married?”
“...”
Hucheng.
Hearing of what had happened at the banquet, a furious Old Wai beat heavily on Lu Zhixin’s door, having come to vent his anger. Lu Zhixin opened the door. Old Wai didn’t cause a scene anymore, because he discovered that Lu Zhixin was already utterly soulless at this point.
The two founders of Hucheng who had once been friends and ‘battle buddies’ but had later become estranged sat together.
“Since you were doing this for his sake, why didn’t you do it earlier?” The first person to guess Lu Zhixin’s motives was actually Old Wai, just that his first words were still of blame.
“I got used to it. He was always able to deal with anything before. Only after the Fang family lost so many lives did I think of stopping him,” Lu Zhixin said numbly.
“What now? Aren’t you very resourceful?” Old Wai pressed.
Lu Zhixin shook her head, saying nothing. Having reached a certain level, fighting with the bureaucracy as a merchant was akin to throwing an egg at a rock.
Binzhou.
The clothes behind him jutting out, Huang Yaming rushed into Old Jin’s room, exclaiming, “Give me a few people. I’m returning to Yanzhou.”
Looking at him, Old Jin walked to his side and untucked that part, “Going back like this...what are you planning? Breaking him out of jail? Taking revenge for him? What’s with your brains?”
Huang Yaming roared, “Over a dozen people from the Fang family already died overseas! Now, they’re acting against Tingsheng. Who is to say they won’t do anything inside? I told Tingsheng before: I’ll take care of all these underhanded things.”
Old Jin pondered for a while before sitting down as he said, “Give me a few days to consider it.”
“A few days?!”
“Three at most.”
Tokyo.
Ruanjin Corporation’s Director, Tadashi Kasai, was presiding over a meeting.
This higher-up of the company who had always been thought of as being too scholarly and not so interested in company affairs before had suddenly changed a lot recently. Participating more in the affairs of the company, he appeared increasingly enthusiastic too. Also, he had proposed many measures which they could not get their heads around.
Still, as his superiors were allowing this behaviour, they as subordinates could naturally not say anything to object.
A ringtone sounded.
As a strict corporation, it was a grave transgression to not turn off one’s phone at a meeting of this level. Fortunately, it was Mr Kasai’s own phone that was ringing today.
Cen Xishan took it out and glanced at it.
“Dismissed.”
The meeting suddenly stopped partway through the discussion of such an important topic. Then, the employees all witnessed their higher-up’s eyes glowing like a beggar who had just picked up a golden ingot. He incomparably excitedly ran off with his handphone, nearly colliding with the door in the process.
This was Cen Xishan’s first time receiving a call from Apple.
“Hello, Xiyu…” The incomparably nervous Cen Xishan only greeted her, not knowing how to continue.
“Hello,” Cen Xiyu’s voice resounded from the other end.
“Is there any reason you’re looking for Da...for me? Actually, it’s okay too if there’s no particular reason…”
“There is one. I’d like your help.”
“Alright. What is it?”
“Something’s happened to Xu Tingsheng…” Apple explained the situation she knew of.
“If it’s the government…” Cen Xishan mused aloud.
“You can’t help?”
“I can. I’ll immediately think of a way.”
“Right, please make haste. I don’t want him in there for any longer than is necessary. Thank you.”
Having received an ‘imperial edict’, Cen Xishan was greatly regretting having interacted too little with China’s government in the past.
“Ask for her help? ...I was clearly dealing with that brat! Why must I suddenly switch to helping him now?! Xu Tingsheng, if you don’t marry my daughter after this, see how I take care of you.”
Binzhou.
He Twenty-seven picked up his phone, hesitated for a bit and put it down again, “I was nearly too hasty.”
He called someone in and instructed, “Keep a close eye on all Jin Twenty-four’s movements.”
Yanzhou.
Ding Miao was making calls the entire morning.
After closing his eyes and not moving for more than half an hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, “Xu Tingsheng, oh, Xu Tingsheng, since somebody has already incapacitated you, if I don’t capitalise on this opportunity and help to nail you dead...it’d really be too much of a pity.”
He immediately got up and made a trip to his private villa in the suburbs of Yanzhou.
Old Dog and Dongzi had already been waiting there doing nothing for some time.
“What? You’re saying that it’s because of a woman that Xu Tingsheng knew your plans before?” After hearing Dongzi’s narration, Ding Miao asked.
“Yes. They...set a beauty trap, taking away the phone that we were using to contact Bro Sen.”
“You didn’t delete the contents of the phone?”
“Yes.”
“Idiot.”
Dongzi dared not say anything.
Ding Miao made a brief calculation. If this woman was willing to cooperate, it should not be hard to connect Ding Sen’s death to Xu Tingsheng. The problem was just how to place himself here…
So, firstly, he had to find that woman. Secondly, someone had to disappear. This was the person he had initially placed beside Ding Sen and later used to mislead Old Dog and Dongzi.
Ding Miao’s efficiency had always been very high.
That afternoon, that subordinate of his was tasked to help with a business deal in Binzhou. Of course, he did not know that the person he was meeting was called He Twenty-seven.
At the same time, Ding Miao threw a stack of photographs before Dongzi, picking out one and showing it to him as he asked, “This woman is called Shasha. Is it her?”
Dongzi took a look and shook his head.
A rather irritable Ding Miao glared at him, “All the women who have been going in and out of Wu Kun’s nightclub over the past two years are here. Look carefully and find her…”
Dongzi hurriedly nodded before looking through those photographs.
“It’s her...she’s Shasha,” Dongzi raised a photograph.
Ding Miao glanced at it, “A bit familiar...where have I seen her before,” He concentrated, “Bright Brilliance, right. That manager...is called, Tongtong? No wonder. No wonder that somebody like her could become Bright Brilliance’s manager. She even caught He Twenty-seven’s eye before.”
“Xu Tingsheng’s woman? It shouldn’t be. Doesn’t he have many? That young girl, celebrity, Lu Zhixin...it wouldn’t fall to her no matter what, right? In that case...it shouldn’t be hard…”
Ding Miao’s lips curled as he enunciated, “Women are merciless.”
Yanjing.
The team from Yanzhou, a city where the housing prices were being kept from rising too quickly, had already been in the capital for three days.
As one of the members of the team, Chen Jianxing actually had no task. What he had to do was memorise all the contents and statistics that were being reported and listen while being ready to answer all the questions from the higher-ups.
He had a document in his bag.
His target higher-up was seated not far away.
Should he hand it to him or not?
He had long since heard of Xu Tingsheng’s imprisonment. Under these circumstances, should he continue to trust that he had the ability to help him take care of his wife and daughter, doing what had been weighing down on his chest for over two years? Or should he wait a while more, thinking of another plan and alternative arrangements?
Yanzhou.
A hand against the doorframe, Tan Yap blocked Fang Chen.
“Tingsheng told you not to do anything at all.”
Tears in her eyes, Fang Chen glared furiously at him.
“Since Xu Tingsheng said that it’ll be okay, it’ll be okay. Relax.”
“It’ll be okay? Those from the Fang family are all dying. It’ll be okay? Even if he and Yuqing are safe for the time being, what about my Dad? Right after eldest uncle is my Dad, you know?”
Fang Chen pushed Tan Yao, but he would not budge.
“Get lost,” Fang Chen bit down on his arm.
While blood flowed, Tan Yao neither evaded nor let go as he tried to hug Fang Chen, saying gently, “Fang Chen, calm down. Let’s believe in Tingsheng, okay?”
Fang Chen pushed his hands away.
“Believe in Xu Tingsheng. That’s all you know how to say. Why won’t you let me believe in you then?” Suddenly flaring up and losing control of herself, Fang Chen slapped Tan Yao, “Besides sleeping with women and following behind Xu Tingsheng like a dog, what else can you do? Do you have any bit of use at all?!”
As Fang Chen hollered, Tan Yao lowered his head, then raised it again.
“I know I’m very useless. Still, calm down first. Wait at home for me for a while. I’ll go look for Ye Qing. Her family’s connections are definitely not simple. She…”
“As expected, you only know how to look for women. Let me tell you, Tan Yao, I’ve also slept with Ye Qing before...but do you think she’ll be willing to get involved in these turbid waters? Do you think anyone in this industry is like Xu Tingsheng?” The overwhelming pressure was really getting to her as Fang Chen unconsciously vented it all on Tan Yao, saying such hurtful things.
Tan Yao tried hard and smiled, “I’m really useless, huh. Sorry. Still, I don’t have any other way now. Let me try. I’ll beg her.”
An hour later.
Tan Yao dumped the only present he had accepted from Ye Qing, a yellow string of beads, at the door of her office.
Ye Qing asked, “Can’t you try to understand me, Tan Yao? I am not the decision-maker in our family. I…”
“I understand. I know that you still have to fight for the family inheritance. Sorry for putting you in a tough spot,” Tan Yao said as he left.
It had always been this way between them. Ye Qing was used to letting Tan Yao have his way, while Tan Yao was used to letting Fang Chen have her way…
While she had never complained about it before, at this moment, the feeling of not being understood and never being empathised with, not even once, caused her heart to turn cold.
She was Ye Qing. Before she had liked someone...she had been the loftiest, most unattainable woman in Yanzhou whom no one had any means against!
Libei.
Mr Xu smoked a cigarette, feigning normalcy as he chatted with Mrs Xu about that game of mahjong she had played the previous day. There was one game where she had discarded a wrong tile which was really vexing, and another which was even more vexing, where just a little bit more and she would have won with a full flush.
“Have an afternoon nap. Then, tonight, kill them all to kingdom come,” Mr Xu smiled.
Mrs Xu happily nodded and returned to the bedroom.
After stubbing out the cigarette in the ashtray, Mr Xu took out his handphone.
“Has that meal in Xihu City tomorrow been properly arranged?”
“It’s all been arranged, Boss Xu.”
“Alright. Send a car to pick me up. Also, that joint investment plan that Zhongliang mentioned last time...get them to send someone over to discuss it.”
The little elephant from the small hills was going off to stomp its feet on the wide plains.
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