Chapter 57: The Old Woman's Triple Deadly Strike
You! That move was a game-changer—Cai Yueyao couldn’t take it! She cast a resentful glance at Lu Ye and finally left...
Inside the Li family villa, the air suddenly grew silent, the atmosphere unbearably awkward.
“Oh my! Fourth sister and brother-in-law, come, take your seats, why are you still standing?”
“Hurry, hurry, sit at the main table!”
“Brother-in-law hasn’t been back for so many years, you must get close to the old master, we’re all family, can’t let feelings fade, am I right?”
Li Yifan, Li Erfan, and their wives instantly donned faces of extreme flattery, as if the previous harsh and cutting words had never come from their mouths. Anyone watching might have thought this was the most harmonious family gathering.
Su Shiming and Li Shuqi were ushered to sit beside Li Zhongshan, a position they had never enjoyed before. Previously, forget the main table—even Li Shuqi and Su Qianqian had only been able to eat hastily with the family’s servants in the courtyard, then leave quickly.
Who would have thought that this year, coming back with their son-in-law would bring such pride!
Did you know Lady Cai from the Cai family?
Daughter of the richest man in Licheng!
She pursued our son-in-law relentlessly, but he wouldn’t even spare her a glance!
The lion’s head meatballs that Li Shuqi had prepared over fifty years finally made their way to Li Zhongshan, as they were always intended to be his birthday gift. Now, Li Zhongshan did not hide his delight, acting as the host of an antique appraisal show, holding the two walnuts and boasting endlessly.
Though most didn’t understand, it became clear these were rare items purchased at auction for over eight million yuan. The eldest son had failed to recognize their worth, dismissing them as mere walnuts, and Li Yifan now wished desperately for the earth to swallow him.
On the way back to Mingzhu City, Su Shiming and Li Shuqi finally wore smiles of relief, the bitterness accumulated over decades finally returned with interest.
Only Su Qianqian kept a sullen face, gazing silently out the passenger window...
She could certainly sense Cai Yueyao’s hostility toward her, and it was obvious Cai hadn’t given up on her “little brat.”
To say she felt no sense of crisis would be a lie!
The more she thought, the angrier she became—how dare that woman swagger in front of the rightful wife!
Su Qianqian turned her head and asked, “Little brat, you had such a flamboyant ex-girlfriend—why did you bother with me back then?”
Lu Ye was momentarily stunned and replied, “You two can’t be compared!”
This was not the answer Su Qianqian wanted. Her pretty face soured, and she threatened lightly, “Hmm?”
Lu Ye’s survival instincts exploded: “Because you’re a hundred, no, a thousand times better than her!”
Su Qianqian’s fatal double: “Am I prettier or is she prettier?”
“Of course you! No one’s uglier than an ex-girlfriend!”
Su Qianqian’s triple threat: “If my mom and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?”
“I’d save your mother first, then you, and if I couldn’t save you, I’d die with you!”
Three deadly questions, perfectly answered!
Seeing Su Qianqian finally smile, Lu Ye was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Unbeknownst to him, Su Shiming, sitting behind them, quietly gave a thumbs-up. Thanks to his son-in-law’s flawless answers—he’d learned something!
Night had fallen by the time they got home.
Li Shuqi, in excellent spirits, pulled Su Shiming back to their room for exercise.
Su Qianqian stretched and yawned, “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m going to bed early today. Little brat, good night!”
“Good night, old lady!”
Well, that left me all alone.
After some thought, Lu Ye drove to the yacht dock.
“You’re all here?”
Aboard the “Walker Apostle,” everyone except Luo Ying, who was still on Ximen Island, was present.
The most frustrated was Lin Zhongze—he’d only just joined the team, and now the team was gone!
What a mess!
Chen Xi said, “I’ve already contacted Director Chen today. He’s taking the mole incident very seriously, so he’s agreed to let us temporarily relinquish our official identities. We’re to protect ourselves while continuing to wrestle with Hongying Society.”
“And all the equipment and support we’re due will still be provided.”
To cancel files without upper-level approval was a major taboo.
Luckily, the boss of the Shield Bureau, Chen Xiaoting, was an old friend of Lu Ye’s mother. To put it bluntly, no matter how Lu Ye acted up, Chen Xiaoting would always cover for Cheng Qimeng’s only son.
Besides, the mole incident broke out so suddenly—for self-preservation, Lu Ye had no choice but to urgently cancel his file.
Chen Xiaoting, far from blaming him, would instead offer all possible assistance.
Hearing this, Lu Ye was delighted.
“It’s best this way. With the official agent title gone, we can act without any more restraint!”
Chen Xi nodded with a smile. “I agree.”
The siblings had always been of one mind.
But Lu Ye didn’t know how Lin Zhongze and Liu Yiyi felt.
He tested them, “Bro, Yiyi, it’s a critical time. I can’t force you to go through this trial with me. If you want out, I won’t stop you.”
Lin Zhongze sighed, “Forget it, I’ve boarded your pirate ship. Turning back now would mean drowning in the sea!”
Liu Yiyi chuckled, “Captain, I’m sticking with you!”
Her ambiguous words made Lu Ye shiver. “Yiyi, please don’t use that tone in front of Qianqian.”
“I ran into my ex-girlfriend today and chatted a bit, almost got torn apart by the old lady.”
...
The tides in Mingzhu City, once turbulent, were unusually calm for more than half a month.
Hongying Society hadn’t made any new moves, but the Xu family from the capital sent wave after wave of people, turning Fuguo Real Estate upside down.
Though news of Xu Fuguo’s death hadn’t been released, the capital’s Xu family had been unable to contact him for ages—they knew something had happened to that rascal.
Xu Fuguo’s second brother, Xu Zhaocai, was sent by the capital’s Xu family to Mingzhu City to clean up his brother’s mess.
After investigating, Xu Zhaocai found the accounts of Fuguo Real Estate especially suspicious.
Billions in loans had all been funneled through the Jiangbei District development project into the Su family’s coffers, so he naturally targeted the Su family...
Xu Zhaocai visited Yi Ren Group more than once, intending to talk to Su Qianqian about Xu Fuguo and get some benefits from the Jiangbei project.
But every time, Su Qianqian had the front desk girl reply with two words: “Not meeting!”
Repeatedly rebuffed at Yi Ren Group, Xu Zhaocai grew more suspicious that his brother’s disappearance was linked to the Su family.
You won’t meet me, eh?
Fine, then your Jiangbei development can forget about starting!
That day, after being turned away again, Xu Zhaocai left Yi Ren Group and made a call, gathering a group to head straight for Jiangbei District.
The construction at the new Jiangbei development was in full swing—they weren’t short on money. Yi Ren Group and Su Group’s construction teams were working at full throttle; several real estate projects and commercial streets were already taking shape, with finishing touches and facilities being installed.
Xu Zhaocai hired a dozen excavators to block the entrances to the construction site.
Waste couldn’t be hauled out, and needed materials couldn’t be brought in—Jiangbei’s progress was stalled.
Before long, Su Qianqian received a call from the site manager, informing her of Xu Zhaocai’s actions.
At that moment, Lu Ye was in her office, idly peeling pomelo fruit for her...
“Little brat, Xu Fuguo’s second brother is causing trouble at our site. Come with me to handle it.”
“As you command!”
Worried that the low chassis of the Koenigsegg would suffer on the rough site roads, Su Qianqian reluctantly set aside her urge to show off and obediently got into Lu Ye’s Passat.
They hadn’t crossed the bridge yet when they saw dump trucks lining up in a long row.
Most drivers weren’t in their vehicles, but had walked ahead to see why there was a traffic jam: three heavy excavators were parked side by side at the bridgehead.
The culprit, Xu Zhaocai, sat in the cab of the middle excavator, legs crossed. Seeing the black Passat slowly approaching, a sly, triumphant smile spread across his lips.