Chapter 69: Chess Game

However--

"Ledger?"

Zhou Huaian felt like he had heard some huge joke.

He even chuckled.

He put down the hand that was stroking Lin Muci, slowly straightened his sleeves, and then, under the gaze of Gu Ming and Lin Xiaomao, walked straight to the built-in safe.

Zhou Huaian stretched out his hand and casually pressed a few numbers on the combination lock, without any hesitation from the outsiders present.

“Beep—”

A soft sound.

The door of the safe opened with a sound.

Lin Xiaomiao widened his cat eyes and stretched his neck to look inside.

Gu Ming's gaze also swept over.

However, in the safe—

Empty.

Not to mention the account book, there isn't even a piece of paper.

【Empty? ! 】

【The safe is actually empty!!!】

Lin Xiaomiao's cat brain suddenly crashed.

[This... is this a trap?! ]

【From the beginning, this was a bait! 】

He understood.

Zhou Huaian didn’t put the black accounts in this so-called safe at all!

He deliberately left this safe to attract attention, and no one knew where the real account book was hidden.

What a good trick to make a feint to the east and attack in the west?

No!

For him, this is like walking into a trap!

Lin Muci felt like a clown.

He originally thought that he was a secret agent cat on a secret mission, but after all, he found out that he was just a chess piece that was temporarily used as a cover on the chessboard of the battle between two top old foxes!

His task changed from "finding the account book" to "how to survive the fight between gods and figure out where the account book is"!

Gu Ming's face looked extremely ugly.

He stared at the empty safe, and his aura became more violent.

Zhou Huaian seemed not to notice.

He slowly closed the door of the safe, turned around, and looked at Gu Ming, whose face was ashen, with a meaningful smile on his face.

"Director Gu, what are you looking for?"

Gu Ming sneered.

"Mr. Zhou."

"You'd better not forget our friendship over the years."

“Who is the one who allows you to enjoy your old age here?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiaomao felt the arm holding him being lifted up steadily.

Zhou Huaian seemed not to hear his threat. Instead, he lowered his head and gently scratched Lin Xiaomiao's chin with his fingers.

[So…so scary! ]

[This Gu Ming is simply a lunatic! ]

"friendship?"

Zhou Huaian finally spoke.

He raised his head and looked at Gu Ming calmly.

"Boss Gu, what you call friendship is just treating me as a safe?"

"A safe to hide all your dirty secrets."

“When using it, use it in a nice way.”

"After you're done using it, you just want to pry it open and then kick it open?"

【!!! ！ ！】

[Holy crap! How dare you say that!]

[Big boss is awesome! This is a slap in the face!]

Lin Xiaomiao was in Zhou Huaian's arms, so excited that she almost wagged her tail.

He only hated that he was a cat now and couldn't applaud on the spot.

This is simply a case of a thousand-pound collision!

Gu Ming's patience was completely exhausted at this moment.

The muscles on his face twitched slightly with anger, and the mask of a gentleman was completely torn apart.

"Zhou Huaian!"

"Don't be so shameless!"

"I can let you retire peacefully and live a comfortable life as a superior person!"

He stretched out his finger and pointed it at Zhou Huaian viciously.

"I can also make you and your most precious granddaughter live a miserable old age!"

[He used a little girl to threaten Mr. Zhou?!]

【This beast! 】

[He is truly a madman with no bottom line! ]

【It’s over! It’s over!】

【This is really over! 】

[This old man can't stand the threat of his family!]

He nervously stretched out his claws and tugged at Zhou Huaian's clothes, trying to remind him that the other party was a madman who could do anything and he should never confront him head-on.

However, unexpectedly, when Zhou Huaian heard that his most beloved granddaughter was threatened, there was not a trace of panic or anger on his face. Instead, the sneer on the corner of his mouth deepened.

There seemed to be a hint of... pity in that smile.

It's like an adult looking at a child who is being unreasonable and thinks he has everything under control.

"Gu Ming."

Zhou Huaian held Lin Xiaomao in his arms, turned around slowly, and walked to the window.

"Your biggest problem is that you always think everyone is the same as you."

"No conscience, no bottom line."

"You won't be able to experience the subtle emotions between people like this."

"If you continue like this, you'll be deserted by everyone and everyone will be your ultimate fate!"

Lin Xiaomiao froze in his arms, motionless.

【This...what is going on?】

【Is Mr. Zhou not afraid? 】

Gu Ming was also stunned by Zhou Huaian's unreasonable reaction, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

Zhou Huaian continued:

"Do you really think that for the past ten years, I've just been fishing, growing flowers, enjoying my grandchildren, and enjoying my old age?"

He slowly turned his head.

At that moment, an "astonishing light" burst out from his cloudy old eyes!

"That 'account' is no longer in my hands."

What? !

Lin Muci's cat ears suddenly stood up.

Gu Ming's pupils also shrank suddenly.

"I handed it over to one of the top trust institutions in Switzerland."

"And, an irrevocable death order was set."

"If anything 'accident' happens to me or my family..."

"The entire contents of the account book will be made public within 24 hours."

"It was delivered to major media outlets around the world, as well as... relevant regulatory authorities."

Hearing this, Gu Ming's face became even uglier. He stared at Zhou Huaian, trying to find even the slightest trace of a lie in his calm expression.

However, no.

He didn't see anything.

Zhou Huaian's expression was terrifyingly calm.

That is a kind of...confidence that comes from holding the trump card and being invincible!

At this moment, Gu Ming's threat became a complete joke.

The weakness he used to exploit others turned out to be a noose around his own neck!

[Holy crap! ! ! !]

【Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! ! ! 】

[Master...master! This is a top-tier player!!!]

[Handing over the fatal evidence to a trust institution, using your own life as insurance?!]

[This operation... this operation is simply in the atmosphere! ]

He finally understood now.

His and Gu Chaoyu's so-called "feint to the east and attack in the west" plan was nothing but a child's play in the face of the game of these old foxes!

In this extremely tense atmosphere, Lin Xiaomiao's cat nose suddenly twitched uncontrollably twice.

He smelled a very faint but very unique scent.

The smell was a mixture of the subtle fragrance of fine ink sticks, mixed with a hint of... the woody aroma of some special resin soaked in time.

Very familiar.

But I can't remember where I smelled it.

He followed the source of the smell, his gaze passed Gu Ming's ashen face, and finally locked onto the desk.

The source of the flavor...

It seems to be the inkstone itself!

This inkstone...

[So familiar...]

【I feel like I've seen this somewhere.】

And the other side.

Gu Ming knew that he lost tonight.

A complete defeat.

He looked at Zhou Huaian deeply, and then his cold gaze turned to Lin Xiaomiao in Zhou Huaian's arms.

The cat that witnessed all his embarrassment from beginning to end.

"good."

"very good."

"Mr. Zhou, let's wait and see."

After saying that, he suddenly swung his hand and turned away.