The auction is just around the corner, and there is no room for error.
This is her first real battle in the Hong Kong government; she can only win, not lose.
Ning Yuan led Aheng straight to Madam Ning's room.
There are some things Ning Bingyu can do, but his interests are not entirely aligned with hers.
And her mother, at least for now, is an ally she can trust unconditionally.
...
In early March, the air in Hong Kong was filled with a faint salty smell, mixed with damp rain.
Fine, dense rain shrouded Victoria Harbour in a hazy mist.
In the luxury hotel suite, the view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows unfolds like a traditional Chinese ink painting.
Ning Manfei was wearing a silk nightgown and was having a Filipino maid paint her nails, the nail polish on her fingertips as red as blood.
She gets annoyed whenever she sees Ning Yuan living in the old house. The atmosphere there is oppressive, and Ning Bing'an has always been cold to her.
She simply booked the presidential suite of a five-star hotel and brought two trusted maids to stay there, hoping to avoid seeing or being bothered by the sight of the guests.
"So, you didn't find anything?" Ning Manfei asked, raising an eyebrow.
Across from her, the female secretary respectfully replied, "Yes, Miss, the customs officials have checked and there are absolutely no recent customs declaration records for antiques under the name of Chenguang Socialite Club."
Ning Manfei sneered. Just as she had predicted, the customs declaration records in the socialite club materials were all forged!
She simply didn't believe that a country bumpkin from the mainland could really come up with anything interesting.
"Keep investigating! I don't believe she can conjure things up!" A ruthless glint flashed in Ning Manfei's eyes.
Just then, the phone rang.
"Hello?" Ning Manfei answered the phone impatiently.
"Miss Ning, this is Detective Li. We've found some clues regarding the matter you requested. Would it be convenient for you to meet now?" A rough, hoarse male voice came from the other end of the phone.
Ning Manfei perked up and quickly asked, "What clue? Detective Li!"
She was introduced to this Detective Li by a friend. He works for Hong Kong's top private detective agency, specializing in spying on the mistresses of wealthy women and monitoring their husbands' financial transactions.
The man on the other end of the phone said, "We followed Ning Yuan for a while and found that she frequently visited an antique shop near Kowloon Walled City."
Detective Li paused, his tone meaningful: "That shop... isn't very clean. I heard they specialize in doing shady business."
Ning Manfei sneered inwardly, "Just as I thought!"
She said, "How could that country bumpkin suddenly become so powerful? It turns out he found a way to access the black market!"
"Okay, I understand. Prepare the photos and documents, and we'll talk in person," Ning Manfei said with a cold snort.
An hour later, Ning Manfei sat in a dimly lit corner of a coffee shop when Detective Li pushed a brown paper bag in front of her.
“Miss Ning, the person you asked us to investigate has been frequently visiting an antique shop near Kowloon Walled City recently.”
As he spoke, Detective Li took out a stack of photos from the paper bag and placed them one by one in front of Ning Manfei.
In the photo, Ning Yuan is seen entering and leaving the dilapidated antique shop multiple times, looking calm, and talking to a burly man with a fierce face, seemingly engaged in some kind of secret transaction.
"And this too." Detective Li handed her another document.
Detective Li: "This is the background information we found for that antique shop. The owner's nickname is 'Ghost Old Fourth'."
“We’ve investigated. The owner of this shop has a complicated background and is closely connected with underworld organizations. The seventh young lady of the Ning family goes there almost every two or three days recently, and she stays there for a long time each time.”
Ning Manfei looked at the photos and documents, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. It was truly a case of "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly!"
I originally thought Ning Yuan was just a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, but I never expected that she would actually have connections with the underworld!
He was just worried about not being able to find any leverage over Ning Yuan, but unexpectedly, she delivered herself to his door.
"Detective Li, you did a great job. I will give you double the reward." Ning Manfei nodded in satisfaction.
She paused, then asked, "Any other discoveries?"
“Of course!” Detective Li lowered his voice and gave a mysterious smile.
Detective Li: "I spent some money to bribe a foreman who works at the cargo terminal. He said he personally saw Ning Yuan and 'Ghost Fourth' go to the terminal to pick up a batch of goods, and that the goods were eventually delivered to... the warehouse of the Socialite Club's charity auction."
As he spoke, he pulled out several more photos from the brown paper bag. The photos were somewhat blurry, clearly taken secretly.
Under the dim streetlights, a truck was parked at the warehouse entrance, and several workers were busy unloading goods.
Detective Li spread out the photos, pointed to one of the blurry images, and said, "These are the exhibits. They were packaged very carefully and mysteriously, and they don't even have names."
"Currently, only specially invited guests can receive invitations. They are all representatives of the four major wealthy families in Hong Kong, as well as those who can rank in the top 20 of the rich list."
“Our people went to great lengths to get a photo of the unloading process from a low-level employee at a socialite club…” He pointed to an item peeking out from the corner of another photo, “Look, doesn’t it look like a Buddha head?”
Ning Manfei's pupils contracted sharply; she snatched the photo and examined it closely.
Although only part of the Buddha head was visible, she recognized it at a glance; it was indeed the stolen Buddha head!
She had seen this Buddha head in a museum when she traveled to France two years ago.
I carefully admired the jewelry carvings on the Buddha's head at the time and thought that designers could replicate them, which is why it left such a deep impression on me!
Her heart pounded like a drum, and a surge of joy welled up inside her. The truth was out!
That bitch Ning Yuan, how dare she smuggle cultural relics!
All the clues have come together!
She was almost certain that Ning Yuan had obtained the stolen goods from the black market and then laundered them under the guise of a charity auction, using this despicable method to make a fortune!
Then she would put on airs in front of her father and grandfather, pretending to be very capable, so that her father and grandfather would be more determined to support her marriage to Ning Bing'an!
What a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone scheme! That bitch! How dare she do such a thing!
A sinister glint flashed in Ning Manfei's eyes; she would absolutely not let Ning Yuan's scheme succeed!
Ning Manfei took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing her emotions—
"Detective Li, you've really helped me a lot this time! I'll need you to keep an eye on this for me. Let me know immediately if there are any new developments, and I'll give you an extra reward!"
A glint of greed flashed in Detective Li's eyes, and he quickly and solemnly assured him—
“No problem, Miss. We will continue to follow Ning Yuan and will not let any clue slip by.”
Ning Manfei thanked Detective Li and immediately got up and left the coffee shop.
As soon as she got in the car, she immediately ordered the driver to drive back to the old house. She had to tell her father and grandfather about this, expose Ning Yuan's true colors, and make that little bitch completely lose the right to marry Ning Bing'an!
My dad just returned from the mainland recently, and unusually, he didn't go to the company. He stayed in his study all day with my grandpa and Ning Bingyu, and I don't know what they were plotting.
But now she knows her daddy is in the study, so she can find him easily!
Throughout the journey, Ning Manfei imagined the furious expressions on Ning Zhengkun and the old man's faces when they found out that Ning Yuan was colluding with the underworld and had deceived them with stolen goods.
They'll definitely give their second aunt and even their eldest brother Ning Bingyu a good scolding, and then kick Ning Yuan out!
This way, she could even help her eldest sister in the succession battle!
Upon returning to the Ning family's old residence, Ning Manfei went straight to Ning Zhengkun's study.
She saw two assistants coming out of there, one of whom was a special assistant.
Only the four core figures directly involved in the group's operations—the old man, Ning Zhengkun, Ning Bingyu, and Ning Man'an—have senior management-level special assistants and business assistants; others are at most secretaries.
The kind of secretary who works with her is more like a personal secretary and housekeeper.
She nodded haughtily at them, then reached out to knock on the door.
"Come in," Ning Zhengkun's deep voice came from inside the room.
Ning Manfei rushed into the study, slamming the photos and documents in her hand heavily in front of Ning Zhengkun, causing the cups on the table to tremble slightly.
"Daddy, I've discovered Ning Yuan's secret!" Her voice was urgent and excited, as if she wanted to ignite the air in the entire room.
Ning Manfei continued, "Look at this! This is your beloved niece! She's actually colluding with the underworld to smuggle cultural relics! This is going to ruin the reputation of our Ning family and cause international disputes!"
She was so emotional that she didn't notice the three other people in the room who were engrossed in their work around the table.
They were all Ning Zhengkun's confidants, and now they were looking at each other in bewilderment.
Ning Zhengkun's face instantly darkened, and his sharp eyes swept over Assistant Chen, who was still standing at the door.
Assistant Chen immediately understood, coughed lightly, and winked at the others in the room: "Excuse me, Miss Er has been arguing with Miss Qi recently, and she's a bit emotional."
Then he gestured for them to leave the study first.
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