"It's Cao He. He issued a kill order with a bounty of 300,000 on my head. That's a lot of money, isn't it?"
The girl gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Three hundred thousand! Has Cao He gone mad? What did you do to offend him?" Susan's eyes widened, then she felt she should show some concern, so she sighed and said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped you think of a solution."
What kind of grudge could make Cao He spend a fortune to try and kill Zhichuan?
Chuanliu leaned back in his chair, his finger tapping on his cup. "Well, I still need to be alive to see you. You have no idea what I went through on my way here."
Chuanliu then briefly recounted her experience of being assassinated, naturally skipping over the part about meeting Tang Qing.
Susan was deeply shocked, both by the hardships Chuanliu had endured and by Cao He's ruthless methods. She took a deep breath to calm herself and asked, "So, what do you want by risking your life to come find me?"
Having heard the girl's words, Susan could sense the purpose behind Chuanliu's arrival.
To be honest, after hearing Chuanliu's story, she didn't want to get involved. If Chuanliu really threatened Caohe's interests, helping her would be directly offending her superior, which would be tantamount to playing with fire.
Now that Jiulong has just been dealt with, and the new "Nine of Hearts" is someone who poses no threat to her, Susan doesn't want to get involved in such matters.
Just like her joking remark to Chuanliu at the beginning, she doesn't need to report everything to Brother Qian Liu.
For example, this matter.
Chuanliu naturally sensed her intention to back down, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he acted as if he hadn't noticed anything and continued, "You just asked me how I offended him. Actually, I've been thinking about that question too."
He didn't know I was involved in the Jiulong incident, and I believe you wouldn't tell him either. But it was indeed me who brought in "Black Spade 10" for that operation, and the end result was that Cao He lost three of his most capable henchmen. If that's the only reason, then the person Cao He hates the most shouldn't be me.
But from another perspective, what if Cao He felt that it was me, you, and Brother Qian Liu who had formed an alliance?
The latter was taken aback and quickly said, "Your deal with Brother Qian is your business. We've never had any cooperation between us."
Susan felt that she hadn't gained anything and was even being blamed for something.
Chuanliu looked directly at the woman and snapped her back to reality with a single sentence: "Do you think Cao He will believe what you're saying?"
Susan was speechless.
Indeed, from Cao He's perspective, they are a community of shared interests.
Chuanliu continued, "So, in his eyes, I, you, Qianchuan, '10 of Spades,' plus those official residents of the Hearts Casino who support you... we've already killed Long Dongqiang and the other two. Do you think Cao He will let this threat grow?"
"Then...why did he target you? You weren't a key figure in the Jiulong incident, and you didn't even do anything," Susan asked, puzzled.
Chuanliu put down his cup and said, "The 'Six of Diamonds' has deep resources and extensive connections; the 'Ten of Hearts' has just weathered the storm and alarmed the higher-ups; the 'Ten of Spades' has formidable strength; and the 'Ten of Diamonds' has just risen to power and has an unstable foundation. If I were Cao He, I would choose myself."
Susan lowered her eyes, forced to admit that the girl's words had swayed her, who had initially intended to remain indifferent. However, she still felt she shouldn't interfere; if Cao He was only targeting Chuanliu, why should she create trouble for herself?
Chuanliu glanced at the woman and still said the same thing: "So, I came to ask you for help. If we join forces, we might not be able to overwhelm Caohe, but we should be able to be about the same level as him, right?"
That's a bit naive.
As the number of identities increases, the resources held by formal residents will not increase additively, but exponentially.
Susan wanted to refuse, but didn't want to say it directly, so she advised, "Chuanliu, why don't you reconsider? The strength of 'King of Hearts' is beyond what the two of us can contend with together."
The girl seemed a little anxious. She grabbed Susan's hand and pleaded, "Sister Susan, think about it again. If I'm killed by Cao He, who will be his next target? What if he's not satisfied with his current power and wants to crush Chunling's power?"
Susan paused when Huang Chunling was mentioned.
This information has never been made public. To some extent, Huang Chunling, the "Ace of Hearts," and Cao He, the "King of Hearts," are the two major forces in the City of Hearts. One represents the Hearts Casino, while the other represents the red-light district. Cao He has been cultivating his own power, and the death of the three Long Dongqiang brothers has greatly reduced his sphere of influence. Even the appointment authority for "7" and "8" has been returned to Huang Chunling.
If we divide them into these two factions, Wang Shuo, the "5 of Hearts," and Susan, the "10 of Hearts," are actually both Huang Chunling's people.
However, the two sides never openly competed, nor did they ever break off relations.
But isn't all of this just Chuanliu's speculation? Cao He has been quiet for so many years, he wouldn't be making any moves at this time, right? Susan thought to herself.
"As the saying goes, the first to strike wins, Sister Susan, would you be willing to cooperate with me?" The girl looked at her with hopeful eyes.
Susan felt a surge of emotions; she thought the girl's words made some sense, but she also felt she shouldn't get involved in this mess.
After a long silence, she gritted her teeth and made a decision: "I'm sorry, Chuanliu, I don't want to confront President Cao directly. He hasn't done anything to harm me, so I shouldn't provoke a conflict. I think you should also think about it carefully; perhaps there's some misunderstanding between you two?"
The girl sighed, slumping back into her chair in disappointment. "Okay, Susan, I won't pressure you. I know you might not believe some of the things I'm about to say, but..."
She pursed her lips and continued to express her speculation, "But I'm sure that if something happens to me, his next target will definitely be the people at Red Peach Casino. You don't feel threatened by him now, but if it really happens to you one day, don't blame me for not having anyone to rely on then."
Chuanliu's tone was not friendly; it was as if he had slapped Susan directly.
Susan felt embarrassed and said with a hint of anger, "Chuanliu, are you lecturing me?"
The girl seemed to realize her attitude was inappropriate and quickly softened her tone. "I'm sorry, Susan, I was just too hasty... My suggestion is still valid. If you've thought it through, feel free to contact me... if I'm still alive."
Susan saw Chuanliu off, and as she watched the girl's departing figure, she fell into deep thought.
A thought quietly took root in her mind.
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