Chapter 97: Well Done

It's normal for a man to feel his heart race when he sees a beautiful woman.

It's also normal to have a few unrealistic fantasies in his mind.

But if those thoughts are overheard by the woman in question, then it's no longer normal.

The faint trace of goodwill Zhang Shen'er had just developed toward Lu Chengyin vanished instantly.

Her expression turned cold. "Mr. Lu, do you mentally undress every beautiful woman you see with disgusting thoughts?"

Lu Chengyin was taken aback. *Damn, can this girl read minds?*

He forced a smile. "No, no, of course not. I'm not that kind of person. I'm noble, magnanimous, tasteful, moral—"

"Enough. Let's talk about the case. Leng Tianhao denies being kidnapped. What do you say to that?"

Lu Chengyin chuckled. "He's probably worried about stock price fluctuations. Understandable."

Zhang Shen'er said, "Mr. Lu made a big move today, swallowing twenty percent of Qianfeng Group's shares. Impressive."

Lu Chengyin kept smiling. "Just a small deal."

Zhang Shen'er glanced at Leng Qingqiu. "I'm a bit confused. Leng Qingqiu used to despise you, but now she's always by your side. The moment she was dismissed as president of Qianfeng Group, Leng Tianhao was kidnapped. And now, both you and Leng Qingqiu hold large stakes in Qianfeng and are celebrating together. I have a theory in mind—wonder if it's true."

"Definitely not," Leng Qingqiu interjected. "In fact, I've just made up my mind—I want Chengyin to take over Qianfeng. He didn't need to kidnap my father. If he had done it, he wouldn't have called the police, nor would he have released my father without getting his shares first."

Zhang Shen'er thought about it and nodded. "We'll keep investigating. As for you, Lu Chengyin, you'd better stay on the right side of the law. Otherwise, I won't let you off easy."

With that, Zhang Shen'er left—angrily.

Lu Chengyin was truly a man with nothing going for him except money.

To think he'd actually fantasized about her in his mind—disgusting!

---

Lu Chengyin was feeling restless, his mind in chaos.

Too many relationships had already spiraled out of control.

The female leads had all shifted their focus, becoming entangled with him.

This would undoubtedly provoke Long Aotian's furious retaliation. As long as this issue remained unresolved, Long Aotian would keep coming after him.

But now, it wasn't just about competing with the protagonist for the women—it was about who would call the shots in Snow City's future.

If Long Aotian teamed up with Huo Wendong to take down the four major families, Lu Chengyin's own family aside, the slum redevelopment project would likely be abandoned, leaving it unfinished once again.

He had to act fast.

He needed to cement things before it was too late. Even if Long Aotian eventually crushed him, as long as the project was completed, he couldn't just blow up the buildings, right?

Iron Tuo King was proving to be a capable ally.

If not for Lu Chengyin's earlier deception, the guy would probably have become Long Aotian's top enforcer by now.

He was doing an excellent job protecting Leng Qingqiu, fully committed to his task.

As for Bronze Tuo King, he had to keep him close, isolated from outside contact. Jiang Shihan would handle them.

They'd be given all the food, drinks, and luxuries of city life—enough to drown them in decadence. That was the only way.

---

Long Aotian lay in bed as Luo Shiyin fed him medicine.

High-grade, highly effective elixirs were rare. Luo Shiyin hadn't expected they'd need life-saving pills so soon after arriving in Snow City.

After taking the medicine, Long Aotian recovered somewhat.

Just then, Hua Xuening returned, her face pale.

Luo Shiyin looked at her. "You're injured?"

"It's nothing." Hua Xuening's eyes filled with guilt and concern when she saw Long Aotian.

"Who hurt the Young Master this badly?"

Luo Shiyin shook her head. "A mysterious man."

"Mysterious man?"

"Yes. His methods were brutal. The Young Master's major acupoints were injured by sword energy, and to prolong his suffering, the attacker twisted the blade, intensifying the pain and making recovery even harder."

Hua Xuening froze. "What? Let me see!"

Luo Shiyin stopped her. "You're hurt too. Go tend to your wounds first. I'll take care of the Young Master."

Hua Xuening gritted her teeth. "Then I'll leave it to you."

"Mm." Luo Shiyin suddenly asked, "Is Lu Chengyin really that hard to deal with?"

Hua Xuening looked up, meeting Luo Shiyin's gaze, and said through clenched teeth, "I'll kill him. Sooner or later."

Luo Shiyin sighed. "There's something off about that man. He's not like the opponents we've faced before. He always manages to do the unexpected. Every time we confront him, things spiral out of our control…"

"He's just lucky."

Luo Shiyin frowned. "Luck might explain one or two incidents, but if he's lucky every single time, there's more to it than just chance."

Hua Xuening insisted, "I'll kill him no matter what."

Luo Shiyin shook her head. "Let's wait. Once the Young Master recovers, we'll plan our next move."

She sighed. "It seems Lu Chengyin will have to be dealt with by me."

Hua Xuening asked, "Are you going to use *that* move?"

Luo Shiyin smiled faintly. "No need. That's reserved for more important targets. The higher-level techniques come with stricter activation conditions and greater backlash. Of course, the effects are also more potent."

She paused, considering. "Lu Chengyin… might require a bit more effort from me."

Hua Xuening nodded. "I'll go heal first. I'll guard the Young Master while he rests here. You handle Lu Chengyin—signal me when it's time."

"Mm."

A short while later, Long Aotian regained consciousness.

"Young Master." Luo Shiyin's eyes welled with tears as she stroked his face, heartbroken.

"Who did this to you?"

Long Aotian weakly asked, "Is Xuening… back?"

"Yes. She cried when she saw you like this. I sent her away to rest."

Long Aotian's voice was hoarse. "She *cried*? And she dared to come back?"

Luo Shiyin said, "Young Master, Lu Chengyin is too unpredictable. This assassination attempt failed, but it's not entirely her fault."

Long Aotian shook his head. "I'm not blaming her. It's just…"

He trailed off, unsure how to explain.

How could he say it?

That the people who beat him up came in waves?

The first wave was from his own ally—Bang Daomang, who fought him until they were both injured!

The second wave was from the Snow City branch of their organization, who were supposed to help him but instead beat him senseless, slapped him around, and even broke his legs before leaving!

And the third wave was his own bodyguard, who also turned on him!

And she was the cruelest of all! The crazy girl had gone berserk, stabbing him repeatedly with her sword, demanding he speak.

As if he *could* speak at that point!

Lu Chengyin hadn't even shown his face.

This was too humiliating. If he told these women the truth, they'd probably laugh about it for years.

The mighty Young Master, nearly killed by Lu Chengyin's schemes—how pathetic!

They might believe it, but he couldn't bear to admit it!

Long Aotian struggled to sit up. "Leave me. I need to make a call."

He dialed the Strategist's number.

"Young Master." The Strategist's voice was steady and assured. "Has Bronze Tuo King made contact with you?"

"We've met."

"Ha! Good!" The Strategist laughed. "Bronze Tuo King may not be the strongest, but he's reliable! With him handling your enemies, things will go smoothly. Who knows—he might even beat your foes to a pulp and break their legs before leaving! Heh!"

Long Aotian felt his heart might give out from rage. Clutching his chest, he said through gritted teeth, "Can you contact him?"

"Of course!"

Long Aotian nodded. "Give me his number."

"But… you've already met, haven't you?" The Strategist seemed to misunderstand. "Young Master, our branch is just a small outpost. We can spare some manpower, but as for money… we're really tapped out. The first five billion was nearly all our savings, and the next five billion was scraping the bottom of the barrel. Please use it wisely. Once you start turning a profit, well… we'd appreciate some reimbursement to ease our—"

Long Aotian couldn't take it anymore. "That idiot Bronze Tuo King has switched sides to Lu Chengyin, you moron!"

"What? Impossible!"

"Contact him yourself!" Long Aotian snarled. "Order that bastard and his men to report to me immediately! Damn it, is everyone in your organization brain-dead? Can none of you tell me apart from Lu Chengyin!?"

The Strategist broke out in a cold sweat.

What the hell!?

How could they make the same stupid mistake twice!?

No way!?

"Young Master, perhaps there's been some misunderstanding?"

Long Aotian roared, "There *was* a misunderstanding! Otherwise, he wouldn't have helped Lu Chengyin beat me up!"

"Understood. Hold on—I'll contact him right away!"

"The money! Tell him to bring the money back!"

"Yes! Don't worry!"

---

Meanwhile…

Bronze Tuo King sat in a VIP KTV room, arms around two beauties, belting out a song:

"*We could die for love! No half-heartedness, no regrets! Even if the universe perishes… our hearts will remain!*"

The fat and thin lackeys set aside their own girls and applauded.

"Bravo! Boss's singing is unmatched!"

The thin one said, "Boss's vocal range is peerless!"

The fat one added, "Sometimes deep and powerful, sometimes narrow and sharp—ordinary people can't match this skill! Such a great voice!"

Bronze Tuo King, satisfied, set down the microphone. "Brothers, let's drink!"

The three of them had never lived so lavishly before.

In the organization, their lives had been bleak—training in seclusion, only emerging for missions…

The luxuries of the city had seemed so distant. This life of wine and women was like paradise!

Bronze Tuo King raised his glass. "First toast—to the Young Master!"

The fat and thin lackeys echoed, "To the Young Master!"

Bronze Tuo King took a deep breath, wiping away a tear. "Brothers, you know how it was in the organization."

The fat one bit his lip, holding back tears.

The thin one lowered his head with a sigh.

"But those days are over!" Bronze Tuo King waved grandly. "See this? In the city, money is king! How much is this bottle? Huh? This fruit platter costs thousands! These girls—each one costs five hundred just to show up! But we've got money now!"

"That's right! We're rich!"

The thin one pulled out a wad of cash, stuffing it into a girl's cleavage. "We're loaded now, damn it!"

The fat one lit a hundred-yuan bill to light his cigarette. "Being rich is the best! Back in the organization, spending a hundred bucks required explaining to accounting. Now that we serve the Young Master, money means nothing!"

The three raised their glasses again.

Bronze Tuo King: "The Young Master's kindness is as vast as the mountains!"

Fat Lackey: "For the Young Master, I'd walk through fire!"

Thin Lackey: "Anyone who messes with the Young Master is my enemy!"

Together: "Bottoms up!"

The thin one drank, then asked, "Boss, by now the Strategist must know. Do you think he'll praise us?"

Bronze Tuo King scoffed, tightening his grip around the girl. "Who cares about his praise? Are you stupid? The Strategist is nothing now! We serve the Young Master!"

"Right!" The fat one agreed. "No more bowing to the Strategist! We used to live like dogs under him—those days are gone! Now we're the Young Master's dogs!"

The four girls exchanged glances.

*Are these guys bank robbers or something?*

---

A few minutes later, the Strategist called Long Aotian back.

"Young Master, Bronze Tuo King… is unreachable."

"What do you mean? What about the money?"

"Uh… we just checked the account. The transfer is complete."

Long Aotian's mind went blank.

"I… haven't received… a single cent!"