Conspiracy

In the morning, as Guo Qinggang and I were approaching the school gate, we were stopped by a few men in black suits.

"Do you need something?" I asked nervously. The way these guys were dressed, they looked like the gang bosses you'd see on TV. What do they want with me?

"We need to talk to you, don't worry, we mean you no harm. Please, come with us," one of them said, gesturing toward their car.

At that moment, my brain was working at full speed. Gangsters? What do they want with me? I don't think I've done anything particularly outrageous. The only thing I've done recently is beat up two thugs, but that's hardly something that would attract the attention of the mob. If anything, the police should be after me, not gangsters. Those two thugs didn't seem to have powerful connections, or they wouldn't be randomly trying to assault a woman. Could it be that they have some business with me after all?

But the situation didn't look good—these guys were all stone-faced, like something bad was about to happen. So I quickly said, "I still need to go to school. Can we talk about this another time?"

As I was speaking, I turned to leave, but the closest man in the black suit pulled out a small black handgun from his pocket and coldly said, "If you're not going to cooperate, then I'll have to use force. I don't want to do this myself, so please, cooperate."

Seeing that it had come to this, I knew there was no way out. If I didn't cooperate, there was a real chance they'd just grab me and do whatever they wanted. So I turned to Guo Qing and said, "You go back to school. I'll go with them for now."

When I spoke to Guo Qing, the men didn't stop me. My heart eased a little. Maybe they just wanted to talk and it wasn't as bad as it seemed. If they really meant me harm, they wouldn't have let Guo Qing go off to warn me.

I followed them to the car, and the ride wasn't like what you see in the movies—no one put a blindfold on me or anything. Instead, I was taken straight to a room at the Songjiang State Guest Hotel.

Inside the room, a well-dressed young man with a somewhat bratty demeanor was sitting on the couch. "Hello, Liu Lei. My name is Lei Xiaolong," he said.

"Alright, let's get to the point. What do you want with me?" I immediately disliked this guy. He had the typical air of a rich second-generation heir—arrogant and entitled. I'd dealt with enough of these types back when I was at M-soft, kids who thought they could get away with anything just because their parents were powerful and rich.

"Fine, I'll get straight to the point," Lei Xiaolong said, taking a photo out of a folder. "Do you recognize this girl?"

It was Xia Jing! I was sure the girl in the photo was the same Xia Jing I had spent the last few days with. For a moment, I felt a slight panic, but I quickly regained my composure and replied calmly, "I've never seen her before."

I couldn't be sure what these people were after, but I had a sinking feeling that these were the people Xia Jing had warned me about.

"What? You don't remember such a memorable event, Liu?" Lei Xiaolong seemed surprised by my response. He thought I would immediately spill the details once he asked.

"I do a lot of good deeds, saving women in danger. If I kept track of every girl I helped, I wouldn't have time for anything else," I replied, annoyed by Lei Xiaolong's attitude.

"Heh! Don't think I don't know what you're up to!" Lei Xiaolong's demeanor shifted, and he reverted to the arrogant, spoiled rich kid persona. "Three days ago, you saved a girl who was about to be assaulted by two thugs and injured them. You've already forgotten about that?"

"Helping people in need is every citizen's responsibility. I don't think I need to report that to you," I said, standing my ground.

"Just for disrespecting me like that, I could have someone turn you into a pancake right now," Lei Xiaolong sneered. "But since you saved my fiancée, I'll let it slide for now. Now, you better tell me where this girl is."

"I don't know," I said without thinking. This guy thinks he can manipulate me? Dream on.

"What's going on? How did Xia Jing become your fiancée? No wonder she didn't want to go back. If I were her, I wouldn't want to be around you, either, you pig-headed fool."

"What are you looking at? Do you even know who I am?" Lei Xiaolong snapped, his anger boiling over. "Don't get arrogant. Bin Uncle, take care of him!"

One of the men in black suits approached me, his face expressionless. From his movements, I could tell he was highly trained.

Bin Uncle closed the distance quickly and, without warning, threw a punch straight at my stomach with brutal force. I immediately sidestepped, narrowly avoiding it.

"Damn, Lei Xiaolong is seriously ruthless! If I hadn't trained, that punch might've ruptured my organs. A normal person would be on the ground in pain right now," I thought to myself, realizing just how much my recent training had paid off.

"Lei Xiaolong, I don't have any beef with you. What the hell do you want?" I demanded, my voice steady.

"Hmph, what do you think I want? Where have you hidden Xia Jing?" Lei Xiaolong's expression darkened as he glared at me.

"Hidden her? Even if I saved her, why would I need to know where she went?"

"Good, very good! So you finally admit you've met Xia Jing! Now tell me—where is she?" Lei Xiaolong shouted angrily.

"Are you forgetful or something? I already told you, I don't know!" I replied fearlessly. I realized that Bin Uncle's skills weren't that impressive; my reflexes were now so sharp that his punch looked like it was in slow motion to me.

"You… Fine, you want to play it this way?" Lei Xiaolong sneered. "Bin Uncle, you handle him. I'm going for a walk." With that, Lei Xiaolong gave a cold smile and walked out of the room.

"Bin Uncle, right? I think it's better if we don't fight. I'm afraid you might die." I said, my confidence growing. I had become increasingly aware of how impressive my skills were. I wasn't sure if it was due to my recent persistent training or because of my experience as a former sanda champion, but ever since the "hero saves the beauty" incident, I'd been quite pleased with my abilities. The true reason, however, wouldn't be clear to me until much later, during a conversation with the King of Hell himself.

"Kid, not bad. There are a few in China who can dodge my punch, but they're all much older than you. Truly, heroes are born young!" Bin Uncle said, impressed. "But I can't go against Young Master Lei's orders. Even if it costs me my life, I'm still going to spar with you."

Bin Uncle seemed like a man of honor, just unfortunate enough to be serving the wrong master. Just as we were about to face off, the door to the room opened.

In walked Zhao Yanyan. She quickly walked up to me and asked, "Liu Lei, are you alright?"

I shook my head. I had already changed a lot since being reborn—my skills had improved considerably. I had planned to have a good fight with Bin Uncle today, but it seemed that would have to wait.

At that moment, Lei Xiaolong stood awkwardly to the side, watching Zhao Yanyan and me, not knowing what to say.

"Lei Xiaolong, what gives you the right to capture my husband?" Zhao Yanyan said angrily, now that she saw I was unharmed.

"Well, uh, hehe, I didn't know he was... your boyfriend, Yanyan. It's all a misunderstanding. Just a misunderstanding." Lei Xiaolong was frustrated but didn't dare say much more. He knew exactly who Zhao Yanyan was. Years ago, when her father came to invest in Songjiang Province, Lei Xiaolong had met her briefly. Her grandfather was someone so powerful that even his own father would never dare to cross him. Lei Xiaolong's father, though influential, didn't want to make enemies with someone at the provincial level over a trivial matter like this.

At that moment, one of the men in black suits hurried over and whispered something into Lei Xiaolong's ear. His expression immediately darkened, and he turned to me, saying, "What's going on here? Xia Jing is clearly at your place—why are you still saying you don't know anything? Let me make it clear, Xia Jing's background is something you can't reach. If anything happens to her, you'll regret it."

Before Lei Xiaolong could finish his sentence, Zhao Yanyan shot him a sharp look and interrupted, "Who are you trying to scare?"

"I—I—" Lei Xiaolong tried to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. He thought to himself, I'll settle this with you after your grandfather passes away.

It seemed that things were no longer able to be hidden. If I kept pushing, the conflict between Lei Xiaolong and me would likely escalate into a bigger feud between Zhao Yanyan's grandfather and Lei Xiaolong's father.

"Yes, Xia Jing is indeed at my place, but I don't know who she really is, and I didn't know the person you were looking for was her," I said.

Seeing that I had softened my stance, Lei Xiaolong didn't press further. He simply replied, "It's nothing. I should thank you for saving my fiancée." He couldn't figure out what exactly my connection was to the Zhao family, but since I had given him a way out, he took it. After all, even someone as reckless as Lei Xiaolong wouldn't be foolish enough to create a strong enemy for his father without reason.

Although Lei Xiaolong seemed to be offering an olive branch, the words "fiancée" still grated on my ears. I couldn't help but furrow my brows.

Zhao Yanyan noticed the change in my expression and gently took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I understood she was telling me to stay calm.

A moment later, Xia Jing was pushed into the room by two men in black suits, her eyes wide with what seemed like a sense of sacrificial determination. When she saw me, her face immediately filled with panic, and she glared at Lei Xiaolong, "Lei Xiaolong, what have you done to… Liu Lei?"

Hearing her, I couldn't help but feel a warm sensation in my heart. The little beauty still cared about me! I could tell she had almost called me Big Brother just now, but the room was too crowded, and she must have caught herself.

"What's the matter, Jingjing? He's Yanyan's boyfriend. What do you think I'd do to him?" Lei Xiaolong said irritably.

At this point, Xia Jing noticed Zhao Yanyan standing beside me, holding my hand, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. But it was fleeting, and she quickly masked it.

I saw it, and my heart leaped with joy. Good, this arrogant second-generation heir isn't so untouchable after all. I'll make sure to deal with him later.

As soon as Zhao Yanyan and I left the hotel, I asked, "Yanyan, how did you find me?"

"You still ask? As soon as Guo Qing told me you'd been taken, I knew it must have been Lei Xiaolong. I immediately had Uncle Zhang help me track down the hotel they were staying at," Zhao Yanyan replied.

"You've known Lei Xiaolong before?" I was surprised. From her tone, it sounded like Zhao Yanyan had known Lei Xiaolong for some time.

"Mm, his father is Lei Fubai. He came to Songjiang once with his father, and we met a few times," Zhao Yanyan said, no longer hiding anything from me. She spoke honestly, because these things were important for my safety.

"Lei Fubai? The chairman of Lei Group?" I said in surprise. Lei Fubai was definitely a big shot in China.

Although Lei Xiaolong was Lei Fubai's son, how could Zhao Yanyan immediately connect the people who had taken me to Lei Xiaolong? There had to be something more to this situation.

"Yanyan, are you hiding something from me?" I suddenly asked.

"No... no, of course not!" Zhao Yanyan quickly denied.

"You've known Xia Jing before, haven't you?" I recalled the look on Xia Jing's face when she saw Zhao Yanyan earlier.

"Mm, she came to Songjiang once too. And I know she and Lei Xiaolong have been betrothed since childhood," Zhao Yanyan admitted, no longer trying to hide anything. She saw I had figured it out, so she told me the truth.

"Then why did you encourage me to sleep with her?" A sudden wave of fear washed over me. I was really glad I hadn't done anything with Xia Jing. If I had, I would've been a sitting duck, with the Lei family hunting me down every day.

"Because I hate Lei Xiaolong. He's been betrothed to Xia Jing, yet still has the nerve to pursue me." Zhao Yanyan's face twisted in disgust as she spoke his name.

"What kind of reasoning is that?" I thought to myself. You hate Lei Xiaolong, so you send me to sleep with his fiancée? No wonder you were so eager to push me toward Xia Jing. But doesn't that mean I'd be walking straight into a deathtrap? It was just typical narrow-minded thinking!

"You can't let go of Xia Jing, can you?" Zhao Yanyan asked, noticing my silence, thinking I was still thinking about Xia Jing.

"A little," I answered honestly. How could I not regret losing such a little beauty?

"Then I'll talk to Grandpa. Maybe he can get the Xia family to call off the engagement," Zhao Yanyan said innocently.

I was dumbfounded. Forget the chances of success for a moment—if Zhao Grandpa finds out that his granddaughter helped her boyfriend chase after another woman, wouldn't he just kill me? This wasn't just pushing me into a fire pit, it was like throwing me straight into a volcano!

"Forget it, we'll talk about this later. If we run into her again, that's great. If not, then it's just not meant to be." I thought of the promise Xia Jing had made me...

"Leilei, Xia Jing was taken away by the police." When I got home that evening, my mom said to me.

I had already known about this, so I simply nodded.

"Sigh, someone came to our office today asking for Xia Jing. At first, I didn't want to tell them anything, but later I found out they were police, so I ended up giving her to them." My mother muttered to herself.

Lei Xiaolong really had his ways, huh? He had even sent a few people disguised as police officers to trick my mother and just like that, took Xia Jing away.

"Leilei, did you ask where Xia Jing's family is from? When you're on vacation, your dad and I will take you to find her. I think you two really hit it off." My mother said, not giving up. In her mind, Xia Jing was already going to be her daughter-in-law, and she never expected that the duck she had almost caught would fly away.

"Forget it, Mom. Xia Jing has been betrothed since childhood, and her family is better off than ours. She wouldn't be interested in someone like me!" I said, but inside I was secretly pleased. Well, she does seem to be interested in me after all.

Xia Jing had left for a while now. Although I occasionally thought of that little beauty—her sweet smile and the passion of those two nights—I knew some things couldn't be forced. Zhao Yanyan still hadn't told me Xia Jing's true identity, but I could guess. That little beauty's family was either wealthy or powerful.

I thought everything had settled down, but trouble came knocking again. One day, as soon as I got home, I received a call from Zhao Junsheng.

"Xiao Liu, what have you been up to lately?" Zhao Junsheng asked urgently from the other side of the line.

"Nothing much, why?" I asked, confused. Could this be about Xia Jing? But there was no connection between Zhao Junsheng and Xia Jing.

"Today I received a notice from Huaxia Bank and the People's Bank of China. The anonymous account I helped you open has been frozen!" Zhao Junsheng said.

"What? Frozen?" My heart skipped a beat. That $160 million was still in that account!

"Yeah, I'm just as puzzled! Normally, with an anonymous account, no one should be able to trace the account holder. But somehow, today, they managed to find me!" Zhao Junsheng sounded equally confused.

"...Do you know why they did it?" I hesitated for a moment before asking. Damn! Looks like I need to open an account in Switzerland soon.

"I don't know yet. I just got the notice when I was off work. I was thinking about asking my father about it to see if he knows anything." Zhao Junsheng said.

"Okay, then hurry up and find out. My money's in there!" I said, frustrated. If that money gets lost, I'm screwed.

After hanging up, Zhao Junsheng immediately called his father.

"Hello, Dad. Our company's anonymous account was frozen. Do you know about this?" Zhao Junsheng asked.

"Your company's? Are you saying that account belongs to your company?" Zhao Limin asked in surprise.

"Yeah, the account belongs to Xiao Liu, the guy I told you about, Yanyan's classmate, the one who developed the Shuguang input method." Zhao Junsheng explained.

"Are you sure about this? The account they're investigating has a huge amount of unknown foreign exchange. Your input method may be profitable, but it couldn't have earned over a hundred million dollars, right?" Zhao Limin asked skeptically.

"What? Over a hundred million?" Zhao Junsheng was taken aback. His company's total assets were only around that much, and in 1994, that was already considered impressive in China.

"It's in U.S. dollars!" Zhao Limin added.

"Ah!" This time, Zhao Junsheng was stunned. He began to question whether the account his father was talking about was the same as Liu Lei's.

"Let me check. I'll call you back." Zhao Limin said before hanging up.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Junsheng's office phone rang.

"Hello, Junsheng, are you hiding something from me?" Zhao Limin's voice came through, serious and direct.

"Hiding something? What's going on? Dad, you don't believe me anymore? If there's something wrong, just tell me!" Zhao Junsheng said anxiously.

"That account belongs to your company, Tianheng Computers. It belongs to the Liu Lei you've mentioned. It has $160 million in it! And I reported it to the authorities. You should understand the seriousness of this. Make sure it's not connected to any terrorist organization. Contact Liu Lei and see if he's being manipulated by any terrorist forces. I really don't want him to go down the wrong path. I think very highly of this kid!" Zhao Limin said slowly.

"I understand!" Zhao Junsheng's face darkened, and he hung up the phone.

Zhao Junsheng was very clear on his father's meaning. He knew that if this large sum of money ended up in the hands of a terrorist organization, it could be catastrophic. But he couldn't understand how this seemingly brilliant young man could be involved with such a large amount of money.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Junsheng finally picked up the phone on his desk.