South City.
The Discipline Inspection Commission building.
The aroma of tea drifted through Gao Jianmin’s office.
It was this year’s pre-Qingming Longjing tea.
He had brewed it himself. He poured a cup for Judge Li, who sat across from him, visibly restless.
“Old Li, don’t be nervous. I only invited you here for a casual chat.”
Holding his teacup, Gao Jianmin spoke in a tone so calm that not a trace of emotion could be heard.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Judge Li’s forehead.
He had been fighting Gao Jianmin for half a lifetime.
No one understood this man’s methods better than he did.
The calmer Gao Jianmin appeared, the deadlier the card he held in his hand.
“If Team Leader Gao has something to say, please speak plainly.”
Judge Li lifted his teacup, trying to hide his nervousness.
His hand trembled badly.
Several drops spilled onto his dark suit trousers, spreading into damp stains.
Gao Jianmin smiled.
He opened a drawer, took out a tablet, and pushed a document across the table.
It was a bank transaction record.
Twenty million yuan had passed through seven intermediary accounts before finally being deposited into an overseas study account.
The account belonged to Judge Li’s son, who was studying in Australia.
Judge Li’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
The transaction trail had been crafted flawlessly. Back then, the Bai family had assured him that not even the gods themselves could uncover it.
“This… what is this?”
His lips trembled as he made one final attempt to struggle.
“A public-minded citizen sent it to my email.”
Gao Jianmin retrieved the tablet and leisurely blew on the steam rising from his teacup.
“Funny coincidence, isn’t it? The money arrived exactly three days before the verdict in the Fu family bankruptcy case. Old Li, why do you think there are so many coincidences in this world?”
Judge Li’s psychological defenses collapsed completely.
He knew he had been sold out by the Bai family.
Or rather, the supposedly unsinkable ship called the Bai family had already begun taking on water.
“Team Leader Gao, I…”
“Old Li, we’ve been rivals for years, but we’ve also been colleagues for years.”
Gao Jianmin cut him off.
“I didn’t bring you here today to investigate you. I just wanted to remind you that some people have reached too far. The waters surrounding the Fu family case run too deep. If you stay trapped in them, sooner or later you’ll drown.”
He rose and walked to the window.
Below, traffic flowed endlessly through the streets.
“That girl from the Bai family is too ruthless. She never leaves herself room to maneuver. If she can push you out as a scapegoat today, she’ll dump every bit of blame on you tomorrow. When that happens, who’s going to pay your son’s tuition and living expenses overseas?”
The moment those words landed, all the strength seemed to drain from Judge Li’s body.
He jumped to his feet so abruptly that he nearly overturned the coffee table.
“Team Leader Gao, I’ll confess! I’ll tell you everything!”
Hai City! A rental apartment in the urban village.
Su Ran received an encrypted message from Shen Zhixing.
The message was short.
“The fish has taken the bait. It’s already spitting out bones.”
After deleting the message, she turned toward Fu Yechuan, who was doing rehabilitation exercises nearby.
His foot had mostly recovered. He could already walk slowly with the help of crutches.
Over the past half month, he had trained relentlessly, pushing himself until he was drenched in sweat every day.
Old Chen had helped the Fu family during their darkest days. Now that he had been dragged into this mess because of them, Fu Yechuan was more anxious than anyone.
“Judge Li confessed,” Su Ran said.
Fu Yechuan stopped moving and accepted the towel she handed him.
“That’s faster than I expected.”
“How is Bai Weiwei reacting?”
“Shen Zhixing said she locked herself inside the villa and smashed everything she could get her hands on. Bai Jingshan has been sent out to search everywhere for us.”
“She’s panicking.”
A cold smile tugged at Fu Yechuan’s lips.
“A snake cornered against a wall is about to start biting anything within reach.”
“Who’s her next target?”
“Old Chen.”
Fu Yechuan’s expression darkened.
“The middleman who helped us pawn the necklace. He’s the only person who knows where our first startup funds came from. If Bai Weiwei can’t find us, she’ll go after him and force him to reveal our whereabouts.”
Su Ran’s heart tightened. “Didn’t you tell him to lie low?”
“He can hide for a day, maybe for a week, but not forever. With the Bai family’s influence, finding someone in a neighboring city isn’t difficult.”
Su Ran frowned. Old Chen had only been dragged into this because of them.
If something happened to him, neither of them would be able to live with it.
“We need to protect him.”
“How?”
Leaning on his crutch, Fu Yechuan walked toward the window.
“We can’t even show our faces outside right now.”
Su Ran stared at his straight-backed silhouette and suddenly had an idea.
“Fu Yechuan, let’s go back to South City.”
He whipped around.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“No.” Her thoughts were perfectly clear.
“Right now, all of the Bai family’s attention is focused outward. They assume we’ve fled, which means South City has become their blind spot. Besides, we can’t keep hiding and waiting to be attacked. We need to take the initiative and bring the battlefield back to the Bai family’s backyard.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Judge Li has already turned on them. The case involving Bai Weiwei’s fabricated evidence will soon be reopened. When that happens, Shen Zhixing becomes the most important cooperating witness. Our job is to get him safely in front of Gao Jianmin before the Bai family silences him.”
Fu Yechuan fell silent.
It was risky, but it was feasible.
A dangerous move. And the only move that could completely reverse the situation.
“Alright.”
He nodded.
“When do we leave?”
“Tonight.”
South City! The night was dark as ink.
Bai Weiwei sat alone in the spacious living room of the Bai family villa, a glass of red wine in her hand.
The crimson liquid swirled within the crystal glass, reflecting off a face that was flawlessly beautiful yet as cold as a mask.
A tablet computer lay
open on the coffee table before her.
Displayed on the screen was a photograph of Shen Zhixing being escorted out of his law firm by two plainclothes officers.
The picture had clearly been taken in secret.
Though the angle was awkward, it captured the unusual calmness on Shen Zhixing’s face perfectly.
There was no resistance.
No panic.
Before getting into the vehicle, he had even adjusted his glasses while looking directly toward the camera.
Bai Weiwei understood.
It was a provocation. He was telling her he had boarded a different ship.
“Useless trash!”
She hurled the wine glass at the screen.
Red wine and shattered glass exploded across the room, staining the expensive carpet with a shocking crimson blotch.
“Where’s Bai Jingshan?!”
She screamed into the empty living room.
A bodyguard emerged nervously from the shadows.
“Brother Shan is still searching the neighboring city for Old Chen. He says there should be news soon.”
“Tell him to get back here!”
Her voice had turned hoarse.
“He can’t even find one old man. What’s the point of keeping him around? Tell him this: Fu Yechuan and Su Ran have probably already returned to South City.”
This wasn’t a guess.
It was instinct. She knew exactly what kind of man Fu Yechuan was.
He would never run away like a stray dog with his tail between his legs.
He would return.
And when he did, he would strike in the most unexpected way possible and tear out her throat.
“Block every route into and out of South City. Airports, train stations, long-distance bus terminals. Don’t miss a single one. And investigate! Check every newly registered company in South City, especially shell companies with registered capital above five million yuan!”
Bai Weiwei’s mind raced. Fu Yechuan had money now.
He wasn’t going to leave it rotting in an offshore account.
He would definitely find a way to bring it back into the country.
Registering a new company was the cleanest method.
As long as they found that company, they could follow the trail straight to Su Ran and Fu Yechuan.
“Miss.”
The bodyguard hesitated.
“We’re running short on manpower. Brother Shan took half our people, and ever since the Discipline Inspection Commission started watching Lawyer Shen, many of our connections are afraid to help.”
“Then throw money at the problem!”
Madness gleamed in Bai Weiwei’s eyes.
“Post a bounty on the black market! Five million yuan for information on Fu Yechuan and Su Ran’s whereabouts! Ten million for their lives!”
Cold sweat instantly drenched the bodyguard’s back.
He knew this time the young miss had truly gone mad.
At the same time. An ordinary gray van was traveling along the national highway back toward South City.
Su Ran sat in the passenger seat with a laptop balanced on her knees.
The screen displayed the official website of South City’s business registration system.
“Found it.”
She pointed to a company profile.
“Hai City Yuanhang Trading Co., Ltd. I registered three days ago. Registered capital: eight million yuan. Legal representative: Su Hang.”
Fu Yechuan raised an eyebrow while driving.
“Su Hang?”
“I made it up. Su from Su Ran, Hang from Yuanhang.”
She shrugged. “I generated the ID number too. Special software. It can pass most preliminary system checks, but it won’t survive a thorough investigation.”
“The Bai family will find it soon.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
Su Ran smiled, her eyes shining.
“The registered address is an industrial park in West City that’s currently being demolished. When Bai Jingshan storms over there with his men, he’ll discover there’s not even a ghost left.”
It was a smokescreen. A fake target designed to attract the Bai family’s attention.
“What about our real operation?” Fu Yechuan asked.
Su Ran opened another file.
“South City Fengxing Technology Co., Ltd.”
She pointed at the screen.
“A technology company established five years ago that’s on the verge of bankruptcy. Its main business is software development, but its products are completely outdated. It owes three million yuan in debt, and the owner fled last month.”
“You want to acquire it?”
“Exactly! We’ll use the offshore funds under the name of a foreign venture capital firm to purchase all of its shares at a premium and clear its debts at the same time. That gives us a clean company with operating history and legitimate business activities. We can use it as our shell for everything we do in South City.”
Fu Yechuan’s eyes lit up. The plan was even more comprehensive than he had imagined.
One fake company to attract enemy fire.
One real company quietly advancing under cover.
“How do we get the money in?”
“I’ve already contacted an acquisition intermediary. They have specialized channels for handling overseas mergers and acquisitions. The fees are high, but it’s safe.”
Su Ran closed the laptop.
“In as little as three days, we’ll become the actual controlling shareholders.”
Fu Yechuan looked at her, his eyes brighter than ever.
He realized her rate of growth had far exceeded his expectations.
“Su Ran.” He suddenly spoke.
“Hm?”
“Bai Weiwei has put a bounty on us in the black market.”
She handed him a message she had received from a black market informant.
Fu Yechuan glanced at it expressionlessly.
“Five million for our location. Ten million for our lives. Young Master Fu, you’re pretty valuable these days.”
Ignoring her teasing, he simply pressed harder on the accelerator.
The van surged forward through the darkness, racing straight toward the glowing lights of South City.
It was the center of the storm. The most dangerous battlefield.
And the only place where they could turn the tables.
“Su Ran.”
He spoke again.
“What now?”
“Put your name down as the legal representative of Fengxing Technology.”
Su Ran froze. Instinctively, she wanted to refuse, but the words that came out instead were:
“Why?”
“Because the name ‘Fu Yechuan’ is currently a liability.”
His voice was calm as he stared at the road illuminated by the headlights.
“And ‘Su Ran’ is the trump card Bai Weiwei wants to destroy most, yet is forced to fear.”
With his own hands, he placed the company’s control, the sharpest blade they possessed, into her grasp.
It was both a test. And an act of trust.
Su Ran gazed at his resolute profile.
Outside the window, the night no longer seemed quite so dark.