Two days later, the entire Yangzhou business world was shaken.
Old Master Su had suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage on the night of his birthday banquet. He was rushed to the hospital, but the doctors were unable to save him.
The man who had controlled the Su family for thirty years ultimately failed to live long enough to see the next sunrise.
The moment the stock market opened, Su Group’s shares immediately hit the daily limit down.
Investigation teams from the taxation authorities, market regulators, and other departments arrived one after another.
Core members of the Su family were taken away for questioning one by one. Irregularities in their accounts and shady transactions that could never withstand scrutiny were all dragged into the light, with the Wang family secretly pushing matters along from behind the scenes.
As for those collateral branches of the Su family that tried to resist?
One person drunkenly fell into a river. Another suddenly suffered a heart attack. Someone else discovered that his car had mysteriously malfunctioned when he tried to brake.
Everything appeared perfectly “reasonable.”
Meanwhile, Wang Xiaodong gently swirled the wineglass in his hand. His cold smile was reflected in the amber liquid.
‘Lin Chen is nothing more than a small fry. The War God, live-in son-in-law, Dragon King, and the others who appear later will be much harder to deal with.’
‘I have to squeeze every last drop of value out of him!’
At that moment, a mature and alluring woman walked over.
She was Zheng Yiyun, Wang Xiaodong’s mother’s best friend. She had watched him grow up and had always treated this villa as comfortably as her own home.
Zheng Yiyun had also come to Yangzhou with him, so Su Wan had asked her to take good care of Wang Xiaodong.
As for exactly how she was supposed to take care of him, that was up to her. If she somehow ended up taking care of him in bed… well, that would be another matter entirely.
She wore a champagne-colored silk nightgown, its straps hanging loosely around her arms. Her long hair fell in lazy waves around her shoulders.
Wearing his slippers, she sauntered toward him, the soles making playful taps against the floor.
“Xiaodong, I just made some bird’s nest soup.” Her red lips parted slightly. “Want a taste?”
The scent of rose perfume mingled with the distinctive fragrance of a mature woman and drifted toward him.
Her slender fingertips seemingly brushed his jaw by accident, while her warm breath grazed his ear.
Wang Xiaodong tilted his head away, set his wineglass on the coffee table, and swallowed almost imperceptibly. “Aunt Zheng, if my mom saw you dressed like this…”
“What about it?” Zheng Yiyun chuckled and suddenly straddled his lap.
The hem of her silk nightgown slid upward with the movement, revealing a pair of long, fair legs.
“You used to cry for your aunt to hold you when you were little. Now you know how to be embarrassed?”
Her slender fingers moved to his tie, leisurely winding it around them.
As she moved, the neckline of her nightgown loosened slightly, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her curves in the fading evening light.
“I heard you dealt with that girl from the Su family?” Her red lips moved closer to his ear, her fragrant breath warm against his skin. “Would you like… a reward from your aunt?”
Her fingertip slowly traced a circle over his Adam’s apple. “Your mother told me over the phone that day that she was finally relieved to see you come to your senses.”
Wang Xiaodong caught her restless hand and felt the warmth of her skin.
[Name: Zheng Yiyun
Charm: 98
Strength: None
Destiny: 500
Favorability: 80
Script: The Dragon King Returns, and 100,000 Soldiers Help Me Take Revenge.]
‘Aunt Zheng is a female lead too?’
Wang Xiaodong almost laughed.
‘This Heavenly Dao really does reach everywhere.’
Her Destiny was even higher than Lin Chen’s. That Dragon King was probably another new protagonist.
When Wang Xiaodong raised his eyes, he met the amusement in Zheng Yiyun’s gaze. There was the affection and satisfaction of an elder in those eyes, but even more obvious was the suggestive interest of a mature woman.
“What? After dealing with the Su family, you don’t want to have a little fun?” Zheng Yiyun leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice, giving it an almost bewitching quality. “I’ve been bored staying in Yangzhou. Why don’t you come with me to check out that newly opened bar?”
Her lips nearly brushed his ear, but Wang Xiaodong suddenly smiled and reached up to gently pinch her cheek.
“Aunt Zheng, if you keep acting like this, I’m going to start wondering whether my mom sent you here to spy on me.”
“Spy on you for what?” Zheng Yiyun raised an eyebrow.
She reached out and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then traced a fingertip along his collarbone.
“To see whether you’re going to do something stupid again, or… to see whether you’re secretly doing something naughty?”
“You can use my stockings and high heels however you like, Xiaodong.”
Her movements were bold yet natural, as though the two of them had always been this close.
This time, Wang Xiaodong did not move away. He allowed her warm, soft body to settle against him.
The rich scent of roses lingered around his nose, reminding him of when he had been a child and this woman would sit him on her lap and tell him stories.
Back then, Zheng Yiyun had always loved telling him stories about beautiful women. Dressed in white, she had been as gentle as water.
Who could have imagined that the gentle aunt from those days would grow into such a thorny red rose? He knew she was dangerous, yet that only made it harder to resist reaching out and plucking her.
“Forget the bar.” Wang Xiaodong lowered his gaze to her fingers, which were painted with scarlet nail polish. “There’s a good private restaurant nearby. Would Aunt Zheng do me the honor?”
A smile immediately blossomed in Zheng Yiyun’s eyes. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and used him for support as she rose to her feet.
“That’s more like it.”
When she turned around, her silk nightgown fluttered gracefully, tracing a beautiful curve beneath the lights.
“Give me ten minutes.”
The sound of her footsteps gradually faded into the distance, leaving only a lingering trace of fragrance in the air.
Wang Xiaodong watched her retreating figure, lightly tapping his fingers against his knee. Suddenly, the system panel appeared before him.
[The host has developed an ambiguous romantic atmosphere with a female lead. Destiny is continuously increasing.]
Still, spending time with an intelligent woman like Zheng Yiyun, who knew exactly how far she could go, was certainly far more entertaining than dealing with a two-faced woman like Su Qingyue.
Ten minutes later, Zheng Yiyun came downstairs wearing a black spaghetti-strap dress with Wang Xiaodong’s suit jacket draped over it.
She adjusted the collar in front of the mirror, then suddenly turned around and gave him a seductive wink. “Shall we go, my little boss?”
Wang Xiaodong stood up and naturally wrapped an arm around her waist.
The moment the car door closed, he lowered his head and whispered beside her ear, “Don’t call me Little Boss tonight.”
Zheng Yiyun laughed until her body trembled. She reached out and pinched his cheek.
“Then what should I call you? Little Brother Xiaodong?”
The arm Wang Xiaodong had wrapped around Zheng Yiyun’s waist instantly stiffened.
The lingering tone in her words, “Little Brother Xiaodong,” brushed across his ear like a feather.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he turned to look out the window.
‘In my previous life, I was an experienced driver, for goodness’ sake.’
‘It must be because of this body. Right. That has to be it.’
The passing streetlights cast shifting patterns of light and shadow across his profile. His usually sharp jawline seemed softer than usual, and even his tightly pressed lips had relaxed slightly.
Zheng Yiyun stared at the redness creeping over the tips of his ears and suddenly found this version of him even more attractive than the ruthless man she had seen at the banquet.
So this wolf who charged fearlessly through the business world actually knew how to get embarrassed.
She deliberately pressed herself more tightly against him, tracing circles over his chest with her fingertip.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did your aunt hit the nail on the head?”
Wang Xiaodong abruptly turned back toward her. A trace of panic still lingered in his eyes, making him resemble a young man who had been caught red-handed.
“Aunt Zheng, stop teasing me.”
His voice was lower than usual, and even the final syllable sounded slightly hoarse.
Seeing him like this, Zheng Yiyun suddenly felt a strange itch spreading through her heart.
Inside a private room at the restaurant, the crystal chandelier cast a warm golden glow.
Zheng Yiyun speared a piece of foie gras with a silver fork and held it to Wang Xiaodong’s lips. Her fingertip deliberately brushed against his lower lip.
“Try it. It’s their signature dish.”
When Wang Xiaodong opened his mouth and bit down, his teeth accidentally brushed against the pad of her finger.
Zheng Yiyun immediately withdrew her hand as though she had been burned, yet the warmth of his lips and teeth still lingered on her fingertip.
She lifted her glass of red wine to conceal her racing heartbeat. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that the roots of his ears had turned red again, and the strange itch in her heart grew even stronger.
“Xiaodong, do you remember when you were little?” She gently swirled her wineglass with a smile. “You were always following me around, calling me ‘Aunt Yiyun’ and stealing strawberries from my plate.”
“How old was I back then?” Wang Xiaodong lowered his head and continued cutting his steak, his voice slightly muffled.
“What? Now that you’ve grown up, you don’t recognize your aunt anymore?” Zheng Yiyun leaned closer, her neckline opening slightly. “Or do you think calling me ‘Aunt’ feels too distant now?”
The scent of her perfume mingled with the aroma of wine and enveloped him.
Wang Xiaodong’s grip on his knife and fork tightened.
When he raised his eyes, he met her smiling gaze. The blatant teasing in her eyes was almost overflowing.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. Just as he was about to say something, Zheng Yiyun suddenly straightened and casually helped herself to another piece of bread as though nothing had happened.
‘Only a lunatic would seriously take this any further with him.’
Given Su Wan’s temper, if she discovered that Zheng Yiyun was harboring improper thoughts about her precious son, she might very well charge all the way from Magic city with a kitchen knife in hand.
Back then, the two women had even agreed that if they became pregnant around the same time and one had a boy while the other had a girl, they would arrange a childhood engagement between them.
Wang Xiaodong was already a grown man, yet Zheng Yiyun still had not found herself a husband. Su Wan had teased her about it for years.
If Su Wan discovered that she was now flirting with her son…
Zheng Yiyun shuddered and hurriedly took a sip of red wine to calm herself.
However, when she saw Wang Xiaodong lower his head and expose the clean line of his Adam’s apple, she could not resist reaching out again.
Her fingertips gently brushed the loose strands of hair at the back of his neck.
“Your hair needs a trim. When you go back, ask your mom to take you to the salon she usually visits.”
The instant those words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Her tone had sounded far too much like an elder’s, instantly diluting the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
Sure enough, Wang Xiaodong looked at her with considerably more composure and even nodded.
“We’ll talk about it when I get back.”
Zheng Yiyun inwardly lamented the missed opportunity, but her smile remained perfectly natural.
“Your mother messaged me earlier and asked whether you’d gotten yourself into trouble again in Yangzhou. You’ve become much more sensible lately. She’s absolutely delighted.”
At the mention of his mother, Wang Xiaodong’s expression softened considerably.
“She just worries too much.”
“Your mother worries because she loves you.” Zheng Yiyun sighed, genuine emotion entering her voice. “Back then, when you argued with her because of Su Qingyue, she hid in her room and cried several times. She said she was afraid that girl would deceive you, and even more afraid that you would regret everything someday.”
Wang Xiaodong silently took a sip of wine.
‘She’s right. I really did go too far.’
‘Mom deserves to be cherished too.’
Zheng Yiyun looked at the tension in his profile and suddenly felt that her earlier teasing had gone a little too far.
She had watched him grow up. She was both his elder and someone who harbored a vague affection for him that even she could not fully explain.
However, there was still a line she could not cross.
Su Wan was her best friend. That relationship could not be broken.
‘What freaking line? A mother-in-law is practically the same as an older sister anyway!’
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” Zheng Yiyun finally put away her playful expression.
Wang Xiaodong raised his eyes and met her now-clear gaze. He felt relieved, yet for some inexplicable reason, there was also a faint sense of disappointment.
He was just about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.
The word “Mom” appeared on the screen.
Zheng Yiyun instantly sat upright and adjusted her neckline. Then she raised her eyebrows at him mischievously.
“Answer it. I promise I won’t say a word.”