Chapter 39 Cutting off his arm to help
The living room of the Ye family was a complete mess.
Another precious purple clay teapot shattered into dust. Ye Manrou's chest heaved violently, her beautiful eyes were bloodshot, and all traces of her elegant demeanor were gone.
"Useless! Idiot! What a terrible idea you came up with!" She pointed at Liu Sisi, who was huddled in the corner of the sofa, her voice shrill and grating. "Now the whole of Beijing knows that I, Ye Manrou, am a joke! I've become the laughingstock of our circle!"
The scene of Director Zhang of the Health Bureau dragging Feng Jianguo out of Tangdixuan spread to everyone who needed to know within half a day. The process was embellished and exaggerated to the extreme, but the core idea was the same: the eldest daughter of the Ye family tried to bully others by relying on her power, but ended up kicking a hornet's nest and getting a bad taste in her mouth.
Liu Sisi's face turned deathly pale, and she stammered in defense, "Manrou, I... how was I supposed to know that Old Chen was behind her... who could have imagined..."
"You don't know?" Ye Manrou sneered, her eyes full of disdain. "Didn't you pride yourself on being the smartest among us? How come you're not smart now? After things went wrong, you're trying to shirk all responsibility?"
"I didn't! I just..."
"You just want to see me make a fool of myself, and you want to see the Ye family suffer!" Ye Manrou completely lost her temper and poured all her humiliation and anger onto her "best friend".
Liu Sisi's face turned from white to pale, and her fingers, gripping the hem of her clothes, turned white. She bit her lower lip, and the grievances and resentments in her heart grew wildly like weeds.
She came up with the idea, but it was your own uncle, Ye Manrou, who carried it out! Now that things have gone wrong, you're trying to pin all the blame on me? Why should I?!
An invisible rift quietly formed between the two.
...
Tangdixuan, a tea room.
Su Wantang held a silver stick between her fingers and slowly and methodically stirred the sandalwood shavings in the incense burner.
Qin Zheng stood aside, reporting the farce in the Ye family in a low voice, a hint of pleasure in his tone.
After listening, Su Wantang put the silver token back on the ebony tray, making a soft "ding" sound.
She raised her eyes, her gaze clear and bright, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Ye Manrou is the ringleader, and Liu Sisi is at most an accomplice. Hitting only the ringleader hurts, but it won't teach them a lesson. We need to let them know that messing with me is not as simple as getting a slap."
Qin Zheng listened quietly; he knew that the young lady was about to make her move again.
“Go investigate Liu Sisi’s father, Director Liu.” Su Wantang picked up her teacup and blew on the foam. “I need all his information, especially recently, what he’s planning to do and what he’s afraid of.”
"Yes." Qin Zheng accepted the order without uttering a word of nonsense and turned to go downstairs.
He had already witnessed Su Wantang's methods. When she did strike, she would always hit the snake where it hurt most.
Qin Zheng was extremely efficient; in just two days, a detailed report was placed on Su Wantang's desk.
Director Liu has spent half his life in the ministry, stuck in a limbo, and recently he's been scheming to get a deputy director-general position, spending a considerable amount on networking. His biggest competitor is Deputy Director Qian, who is more capable in his work.
What a coincidence.
This Deputy Director Qian was one of the first members of Tangdixuan. He suffered from persistent migraines, which were greatly relieved after drinking the herbal tea at Tangdixuan twice, leading him to place great trust in the place.
This is truly... a godsend for those who are sleepy.
Three days later, Deputy Director Qian visited again.
Su Wantang personally received them, and the two chatted and drank tea in the waterside pavilion.
During the conversation, Su Wantang seemed to suddenly remember something and said in a casual tone, "Uncle Qian, I heard that you've been having some trouble at work lately?"
Deputy Director Qian sighed and said with a wry smile, "Su girl, you're well-informed. There's a position in the department that I'm fiercely competing with Lao Liu for. He has connections, and I'm afraid I can't win."
Su Wantang lifted the small purple clay teapot with her slender fingers and refilled it with tea for him. The rising steam obscured the glint of light that flashed in her eyes.
“Having connections can sometimes lead to disaster.” She said softly, “I overheard people chatting the other day that Director Liu apparently embezzled a sum of money meant for technological upgrades from a subordinate unit in order to smooth things over. The amount wasn’t large, but the nature of the embezzlement was quite unusual. Also, his brother-in-law’s hardware store was the sole supplier to the ministry for several batches of goods last year, and the prices… were much higher than the market price.”
She spoke of it casually, as if she were talking about some trivial gossip.
Deputy Director Qian's hand, which was holding a teacup, suddenly paused.
Who was he? Having spent decades navigating the cutthroat world of government, he immediately understood the weight of those words. This wasn't just a hint; it was practically a knife being shoved into his hand!
He looked up and gave Su Wantang a deep look. This young girl's energy had once again refreshed his understanding of her.
“Su girl,” he put down his teacup and said solemnly, “Uncle Qian will remember this favor you’ve done.”
After seeing off Deputy Director Qian, Su Wantang summoned "February".
"Go outside and spread a message." She handed February a note. "Find someone clever and find a way to let Liu Sisi 'accidentally' overhear what's on this."
The note read: Ye Manrou told people that the whole idea of the health bureau's raid was Liu Sisi's, and her uncle Feng Jianguo was also instigated by Liu Sisi. The Ye family was also a victim, implicated by the Liu family.
This news was like a stone thrown with pinpoint accuracy, creating a massive wave in Liu Sisi's already icy heart.
In a coffee shop she frequented, she overheard two girls at the next table, whom she didn't know, discussing the matter vividly.
Every word was like an awl, piercing her heart.
Ye Manrou!
How dare you slander me like this! You're putting all the blame on me!
Liu Sisi's fingers, gripping the coffee cup tightly, turned white from the force. A deep-seated hatred of betrayal instantly overwhelmed all her reason.
The storm came quickly and fiercely.
A week later, an anonymous letter containing detailed information and solid evidence appeared on the desk of the discipline inspection commission leaders.
Director Liu was immediately suspended from his duties pending investigation.
His chances of being promoted to deputy director have completely vanished; he'll be lucky if he's not dismissed from his post.
When the news reached the Liu family, it was like the sky had fallen. Director Liu's wife immediately went to the Ye family's house and made a scene, accusing the Ye family of being ungrateful and ruining their entire family.
The two sides have completely broken off relations.
At a weekend dance party in the compound, enemies met and their eyes blazed with hatred.
"Ye Manrou!" Liu Sisi, holding a glass of red wine, walked straight up to Ye Manrou, who was surrounded by a crowd, with a twisted smile on her face. "I heard you've been spreading rumors that I ruined you? You really are my 'good sister'!"
Ye Manrou's expression changed, but she forced a haughty air: "Liu Sisi, what's wrong with you!"
"I'm crazy?" Liu Sisi laughed, her laughter tinged with malice. "Even if I'm crazy, I'm no match for you! You wanted to sleep with someone's fiancé and then wanted to kill him in the countryside. What, now that she's doing well, you're driven mad with jealousy? Your underhanded methods are only good for showing off in front of me!"
These words caused an uproar throughout the room!
All eyes were on Ye Manrou, filled with shock and curiosity.
"You...you're talking nonsense!" Ye Manrou was so angry that she trembled all over. Without thinking, she raised her hand and splashed a glass of wine at Liu Sisi.
Liu Sisi was prepared and dodged to the side, spilling the wine squarely onto Zhao Linlin's brand-new dress.
A gathering of socialites instantly turned into a farcical spectacle filled with embarrassing moments.
Two once closest best friends publicly exposed each other's shortcomings, hurled insults and tore each other apart, and brutally exposed each other's darkest and most shameful sides to the light of day.
A gentle evening breeze wafts from the top floor of Tangdixuan.
Su Wantang, wrapped in a thin blanket, leaned back in the rattan chair, looking at the report Qin Zheng handed her.
The report details the farce that took place at the ball, and the intensity of the event can be felt in every word.
A smile that was both sweet and cold curled at the corners of her lips.
This is the result she wanted.
Cut off Ye Manrou's support, leaving her a helpless madwoman.
Just then, a steady sound of footsteps came from behind.
A military overcoat, still warm from a man's body and faintly smelling of tobacco, was draped over her shoulders.
Lu Jingyan's tall figure loomed over her, encircling her in his arms. He didn't speak, but simply handed her a manila envelope.
Su Wantang opened it and, by the moonlight, saw the contents inside.
Several photos show a man wearing sunglasses secretly meeting with an unfamiliar middle-aged man at a dock in Shenzhen.
The following document is attached.
"Lu Wenbo has recently made three secret contacts with Mr. Huo, a businessman with 'Hongmen' background in Hong Kong Island. The specific details are unknown."
Su Wantang's pupils contracted slightly.
Hong Kong Island, the "Hung Society".
In her mind, the words from her mother's letter flashed by instantly—Liu Liyun, with a heart of a snake and a scorpion, of unknown origin, seemingly related to the Hong Kong Hung Society.
At this moment, the two lines intersected in a bizarre way.
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