Chapter 40 Fatal Misunderstanding
The Lu family study.
Lu Wenbo hung up the phone, and the refined smile on his face slowly vanished, turning into a cold and sinister expression.
We lost.
He held a black chess piece between his fingers, hovering it above the chessboard, where it remained for a long time.
The night outside the window was dark, and the lamplight stretched the shadows on his face even deeper.
The Ye family mother and daughter are useless, and so is that idiot from the Liu family. He originally thought he could use them to cause trouble for Su Wantang, but unexpectedly, that little brat seized the opportunity instead, not only establishing her authority but also winning over people's hearts and making Tangdixuan thrive.
What's unsettling is that Lu Jingyan's investigation into the theft of military supplies has begun to extend towards Shenzhen.
What's even more unsettling is that his people, whom he planted around Lu Jingyan, have sent word that Lu Jingyan has begun a secret investigation into the old case of the Xishan Sanatorium from ten years ago.
We can't wait any longer.
If we wait any longer, that kid will trace it back to Mr. Huo.
"Smack."
The piece was placed, cutting off a large dragon of white pieces.
Lu Wenbo picked up the phone and dialed a number that hadn't been used in a long time.
“It’s me.” His voice was devoid of emotion. “Start ‘Operation Gecko.’ Get what I need to the right people.”
He hung up the phone, looked at the chessboard, and revealed a sinister smile.
Jingyan, your biggest weakness is that you're too sentimental. And Su Wantang, her most fatal flaw is that she's too suspicious.
To stab into the strongest alliance, a knife only needs to find the smallest crack.
...
Two days later, Qin Zheng hurriedly walked into the top floor of Tangdixuan.
"Young Miss." He placed something wrapped tightly in oil paper on the table, his expression more solemn than ever before.
“A person claiming to be an old friend of your mother asked me to personally deliver this to you.”
Su Wantang put down the ledger in her hand and looked up at him.
Qin Zheng added, "I checked that person's name. He was indeed the old steward of the Bai family before, but he later returned to his hometown to retire. He said that this was entrusted by an old friend, and once the things were delivered, he would fulfill a wish."
Su Wantang's heart sank slightly.
An old friend of my mother?
She untied the oil paper package, inside which was an old kraft paper bag.
Upon opening it, several yellowed sheets of paper and a photograph slid out.
The photo shows several young soldiers in military uniforms against a backdrop of a desolate Gobi Desert. One of them is none other than Qin Zheng in his youth.
Her gaze shifted to the few sheets of paper.
It was a handwritten incident report, the handwriting messy, as if it had been written in a hurry.
The report detailed a border ambush. The time, location, unit designation... everything matched perfectly with the tragedy that had left Qin Zheng and his comrades either dead or maimed years ago.
Su Wantang held her breath little by little.
She forced herself to look down.
The report concluded by pointing the finger at a communications soldier in the unit for the leak of intelligence.
In all the transfer records and background information of that communications soldier, one name appeared repeatedly—Gao Jianjun.
Lu Jingyan's most trusted confidant, the bodyguard who had been by his side since Shanghai.
boom!
Something seemed to explode in Su Wantang's mind.
She gripped the few sheets of paper tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
It's fake.
This must be Lu Wenbo's trap!
She didn't believe it entirely. The capitalist's first rule is: never trust information that comes to you for free.
Reason was screaming, but the report was too detailed, every detail exuding an undeniable sense of reality.
She trusted Qin Zheng and began to learn to trust Lu Jingyan as well.
But this "evidence" tells her that the culprit who betrayed Qin Zheng and caused the deaths of his brothers was actually hiding under Lu Jingyan's protection.
Did Lu Jingyan know about it?
Gao Jianjun was a trusted confidant whom he had personally promoted. How could he not know the true nature of his subordinates?
No.
Don't scare yourself.
Su Wantang took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
This matter must never be asked of Lu Jingyan.
Asking will be the first step to a confrontation. Regardless of whether it's true or not, the fragile trust they've just built will crumble instantly.
She has to find out the truth herself!
"Qin Zheng." She put away the documents, her voice flat and emotionless. "Who is the most well-informed person on the black market in Beijing?"
Qin Zheng paused for a moment, then replied, "Liu Mazi. This guy has connections everywhere; as long as you're willing to pay the price, he can get any kind of information. However, he's very cautious and rarely meets strangers."
"Find a way to contact him." Su Wantang stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the busy figures in the yard. "I need to see him."
...
Lu Jingyan had just returned to his office after finishing a combat meeting at the military region when the phone rang.
When the call connected to an unfamiliar number, a hoarse voice, altered and indistinguishable as male or female, came from the other end.
"Commander Lu, it's not a pleasant feeling to have your own backyard on fire, is it?"
Lu Jingyan's dark eyes suddenly narrowed, and the pressure around him instantly dropped.
"Who are you?"
"Who I am is not important." The voice carried a hint of mockery. "What is important is that your precious fiancée, whom you hold in the palm of your hand, is using your secrets to make a deal with someone."
Lu Jingyan's hand holding the microphone was bulging with veins.
"Northern suburbs, abandoned cement plant. If you get there too late, the lives of your comrades will become someone else's pledge of allegiance."
The phone was abruptly hung up.
Gao Jianjun stood to the side and clearly saw Lu Jingyan's face turn as cold as iron in an instant.
It was a look that mixed rage, surprise, and...betrayal.
"Get the car ready!"
Lu Jingyan's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a bloodthirsty and murderous aura.
...
Abandoned cement plant in the northern suburbs.
The air was filled with a strange smell of dust and engine oil.
Su Wantang stood under a huge cement mixer. The man in front of her had a pockmarked face and his eyes darted around, revealing a shrewdness and greed of a stock market savvy person.
"Miss Su, I've found out what you wanted to investigate." Liu Mazi rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "That kid Gao Jianjun, his background is definitely not clean. Back then at the border..."
Before he could finish speaking, a blinding beam of headlights suddenly shone through the factory gate, illuminating the dim corner as if it were daytime.
The roar of the engine grew louder as it approached, finally stopping a short distance away with a piercing screech of brakes.
The car door opened.
A tall, imposing figure walked against the light, followed by several men in military uniforms, each exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.
The light shone from behind him, obscuring his face in shadow.
Upon seeing this scene, Liu Mazi was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he trembled as he hid behind Su Wantang.
Gao Jianjun followed behind Lu Jingyan, and when he saw that the man standing opposite Su Wantang was Liu Mazi, his expression changed drastically!
This Liu Mazi is a black market intelligence broker! How did Miss Su get involved with him? And in such a godforsaken place!
Liu Mazi stammered as he raised his hand: "Sir...Sir, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding...I was just discussing some business with this young lady..."
Lu Jingyan didn't even glance at him.
He walked towards Su Wantang step by step.
Every step felt like stepping on everyone's heart.
Su Wantang stood still, without moving or offering any explanation.
She watched him approach, seeing the raging anger and...disappointment in his eyes.
Her heart turned ice-cold; this wasn't in the original plot.
Lu Jingyan stopped in front of her, his tall figure completely enveloping her.
The smell of tobacco emanating from him, mixed with a biting chill, was overwhelming.
He slowly raised his hand, as if to touch her face, but his fingers froze in mid-air and finally fell limply to the ground.
Silence, a deathly silence.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded, each word conveying extreme repression and pain.
"Su Wantang, you'd better give me an explanation."
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