Chapter 75 A New Game
Peace Hotel, penthouse suite.
The cold yet familiar voice on the phone struck Du Kangnian like a thunderbolt.
His hand holding the receiver trembled violently. He practically stumbled and crawled out of the office, rushing frantically towards the stairs, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.
"Bang!"
He slammed the door open to the suite.
In the living room, the curtains were drawn, and the light was dim. A woman stood with her back to him in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
She had a slender figure, wore a well-tailored black suit trousers and a white shirt, and her long hair was tied up high, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck.
That silhouette...
Du Kangnian's breath caught in his throat, his eyes instantly reddened, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Young...Young Miss?"
The woman slowly turned around.
It was still the same face, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, only her skin tone had darkened to a healthy wheat color. Those eyes, which should have been soft and charming, now had sharp lines, like a deep pool hiding cold stars, unfathomable.
Her entire demeanor underwent a complete transformation.
If Su Wantang in the past was a thorny begonia, then the woman before her was a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.
Du Kangnian's mind went blank, as if his soul had been blasted away. He staggered forward, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
"Manager Du," Su Wantang said, her voice calm and even, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.
She walked to the wine cabinet, poured herself a glass of water, and moved with composure and elegance.
"The one pulled out of the river in Shanghai is Su Wantang, the eldest daughter of the Su family."
She looked at her reflection in the water and said calmly, "She's dead."
Du Kangnian looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Su Wantang raised her eyes, her gaze piercing him directly. The sharpness and coldness in her eyes instantly snapped Du Kangnian out of his shock, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out of his back.
“Standing before you,” she said, emphasizing each word, “is the head of the Bai family. My name is Bai Shu.”
"From now on, you shall call me that in any public setting."
Du Kangnian was no fool; he understood instantly.
The young lady is about to enter this deadly game with a completely new identity!
To die and be reborn, to escape like a cicada shedding its shell! What courage! What wisdom!
The grief and shock in his heart were instantly replaced by an indescribable awe and ecstasy. The Bai family had a worthy successor!
“Yes, Miss Bai!” Du Kangnian knelt down on one knee with a “plop,” his voice trembling with excitement, yet unwavering.
Su Wantang placed the water glass on the table, making a crisp sound.
"Get up. Now is not the time to pledge allegiance."
She walked to the sofa, sat down, crossed her legs, and exuded confidence.
"The first thing I need you to do is to mobilize all the old subordinates and intelligence networks of the Bai family that you can use to investigate for me."
"Investigate what?" Du Kangnian immediately stood up, like a soldier awaiting a general's order.
“Investigate all organizations in Shanghai that are associated with the words ‘children,’ ‘charity,’ and ‘medical.’”
Su Wantang's fingertips tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, producing a rhythmic tapping sound.
“Especially those that are secretly controlled by Lu Wenbo, or those with whom there is a transfer of benefits.”
Du Kangnian was taken aback: "Miss, you suspect 'Candle Dragon'..."
"The hotter something is, the more it should be hidden in the most conspicuous place, where no one dares to touch it."
A cold glint flashed in Su Wantang's eyes.
"Where else is there a safer place than an organization that operates under the guise of charity and is protected by public opinion?"
One sentence was a wake-up call for Du Kangnian. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
Using a children's shelter to hide treasonous goods—only a truly depraved person would do such a thing!
"I understand! I'll take care of it right away!" Du Kangnian nodded emphatically and turned to leave.
"Wait," Su Wantang called out to him. "This matter needs to be handled quickly and discreetly. Don't let anyone discover our intentions."
"yes!"
On the other side, in the suburbs of Shanghai.
Zheng Kai's eyes were bloodshot, his beard was unshaven, and he looked as if all his energy had been drained away, huddled in a corner.
When Li Hu told him that his sister Zheng Xiaorou had been rescued by Su Wantang at great personal risk and had now been picked up by people sent by the Lu family and sent to the best sanatorium in Beijing.
But Su Wantang himself... when his body was completely destroyed, this man who had spent half his life in the underworld and killed without blinking an eye completely broke down.
He wailed like a child, pounding his head with his fists, repeatedly muttering, "I'm sorry to her," and "I'm not human."
Li Hu just watched him quietly, without saying a word.
After crying for an unknown amount of time, Zheng Kai seemed to have made up his mind. He crawled to Li Hu, knelt down with a thud, and banged his head on the cold cement floor.
"Brother Li! I, Zheng Kai, am a scoundrel! I was blinded by greed and followed that old dog Lu Wenbo!"
He raised his head, his face covered in tears and snot, but his eyes revealed a resolute and ruthless determination.
"The young lady died saving my sister! I owe her a life! From this moment on, that life belongs to you!"
After saying that, he took out a small booklet, which was slightly wrinkled from being soaked in sweat, from his pocket and presented it with both hands.
"This contains all of Lu Wenbo's old accomplices in Shanghai, their contact information, and several secret bank accounts! I've written it all down for you! Please, let me do something! I want to avenge Miss!"
Li Hu looked at him for a long time before finally reaching out to take the booklet.
He knew that the last thing Miss Su threw before she died not only saved a girl's life, but also tamed a real vicious dog for them.
...
Beijing, Lu family's second branch.
Lu Wenbo paced back and forth in the study in agitation, leaving a mark on the expensive Persian carpet.
Lu Jingyan is a madman! He's absolutely insane!
In the past few days, his connections in various departments have been falling apart one after another, like wheat being harvested.
His business empire, which he had painstakingly built up over a decade, was almost completely destroyed by seizures and freezes.
What's most infuriating is that his wife, Zhou Yafen, was taken away in public because of a broken brooch, making Lu Wenbo a laughing stock in the entire Beijing compound!
"Useless! All of you are useless!" He grabbed the antique teacup on the table and smashed it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.
No, this can't go on.
Lu Wenbo walked to the innermost wall of the study, moved aside a priceless landscape painting, revealing a secret telephone behind it.
He dialed the number he knew by heart.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered. A woman's voice, both alluring and languid, came from the other end, like that of a well-fed cat, with a hint of nonchalance.
"Oh, isn't this our Second Master Lu? What's wrong? You've finished dealing with things on the mainland, and you're already missing me?"
"Third Sister Huo!"
Lu Wenbo suppressed his anger and growled through gritted teeth.
"What's wrong with your people! Why did you leave Lin Zihang alive! Now that little bastard Lu Jingyan has gone mad, he's relentlessly attacking me!"
"Giggle..."
Huo Sanniang on the other end of the phone chuckled, her laughter full of sarcasm.
"Second Master Lu, why are you so angry? It's your own incompetence that you can't even handle a nephew, so why are you blaming me?"
"You!" Lu Wenbo was so angry he almost had a heart attack.
"Besides,"
Huo San Niang's tone turned cold, carrying an undeniable forcefulness.
"What difference does it make whether Lin Zihang is dead or alive? You don't think that without him, Lu Jingyan won't come after you, do you? You're adorably naive."
Lu Wenbo was rendered speechless by the rebuttal. He took a deep breath and softened his tone:
"Third Sister, now is not the time to argue. I need you to come over right now and help me clean up this mess! That little beast must die!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
"I can help you, sure." Huo San Niang's voice became languid again.
"However, the price needs to be renegotiated."
"What do you mean?" Lu Wenbo's heart tightened.
"I have no interest in what your Lu family has to offer."
Huo Sanniang chuckled lightly, "I'm quite interested in the overseas inheritance left by the Bai family. Give me the clues about it, and I'll help you get rid of Lu Jingyan cleanly."
"Greedy, despicable woman!" Lu Wenbo cursed inwardly, but forced a smile: "Alright, alright, as long as you come, everything is negotiable!"
After hanging up the phone, Lu Wenbo's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister look.
...
Two days later, at the Peace Hotel.
Du Kangnian respectfully placed a sealed kraft paper bag in front of Su Wantang.
"Young Miss, everything you requested is here."
Su Wantang opened the file folder and pulled out the investigation report inside. Her eyes quickly scanned the pages, turning them rapidly, one after another.
Suddenly, her fingers stopped.
One page of the report contains information about an organization called "Spring Bud Children's Welfare Institute." This welfare institute is small in scale but has a good reputation and frequently receives donations from overseas Chinese.
And in the column for legal representative, a name is clearly written—Zhou Yali.
The notes in the document state: Zhou Yali, a distant cousin of Zhou Yafen, Lu Wenbo's wife.
Su Wantang tapped lightly on the three characters "Zhou Yali" with her fingertips, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
Found it.
A cruel smile curved her lips as she whispered:
"Let me use you as a sacrifice to the first flag of my Bai family."
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