Chapter 101: The Dark Hand Quietly Reaches Out

Little Jade's pleading left Chu Dong feeling both amused and exasperated—how could it make sense for a sister-in-law to borrow her brother-in-law for wedding photos? But seeing her innocent look, her pure eyes, and her expectant expression, Tan Xue and Chu Dong agreed anyway.

Wedding photography prices in Dalian were hardly cheap; the budget options started at four or five thousand yuan, while the premium packages could run to tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand. Chu Dong was normally modest and frugal, but on matters like this he naturally wouldn't quibble over such small change. So he selected the most expensive service package available.

Customers like this were clearly a rarity, and the entire studio sprang into action—makeup artists, photographers, stylists, and set designers all threw themselves into full working mode.

Wedding photos always began with makeup, primarily for the bride. Chu Dong tidied himself up in no time, but when it came time for the makeup artist to work on Tan Xue, she found herself in a genuine bind. Foundation powder? That delicate, dewy complexion was as pure as crystal; no foundation could rival her natural skin. False eyelashes? Her own lashes were so strikingly long that adding falsies seemed entirely redundant. Clutching her makeup kit, she stood there at a loss for quite a while before finally applying a bit of mascara to Tan Xue's lashes, after which she had no idea what to do next. In the end, prompted by her assistant, she devoted all her efforts to Tan Xue's long hair instead.

When Chu Dong brought out the wedding gowns and dresses he had prepared, everyone present gasped.

Wedding photography studios always kept gowns on hand, with a variety of styles and colors, mostly concentrated in white and soft pale yellow, with a few others—red classical Chinese gowns and the like. These were meant for ordinary customers; a wedding dress was typically worn only once, and even for those marrying for a second time, few would spend a fortune just to have custom gowns made for a photo session.

The three people who had just walked in were clearly no ordinary customers. Setting aside the strikingly handsome young man, the two sisters were beauties straight out of a fairy tale. And the collection of gowns the young man had brought—every single one was pink, each paired with different jewels, with fine crushed diamonds adorning the cuffs and collars alike. Long gowns, short ones, voluminous ones, fitted ones… dozens laid out one after another, dazzling to the eye.

When Tan Xue saw these pink dresses, the softest place in her heart seemed to be touched, and a faint mist rose unbidden in her eyes.

"He actually remembered that I love wearing pink dresses. He knows I adore sparkly things. He understands that I want most of all to walk into that sacred hall wearing a gown that belongs only to me…"

"Brother-in-law, which one is for me?" Little Jade was thrilled beyond measure too, drifting over to touch this one and admire that one.

"Let your sister pick for you." Chu Dong took the outfits prepared for himself and went off to change, leaving Little Jade's question to Tan Xue.

Under the envious gaze of everyone present, Tan Xue rose, chose a court-style wedding gown for herself, and picked a similar one for Little Jade—except that one had two extra rose ornaments on the cuffs.

Little Jade followed her sister's example and styled her hair up in the same manner. Each sister wore a few freshly picked lilies, and then the two of them went into the changing room to put on the gowns Chu Dong had so carefully prepared.

When they emerged, the two sisters once again stunned everyone present. Tan Xue was amazed—she had no idea how Chu Dong had managed it, but every gown seemed tailor-made. Little Jade's was a bit loose on her, but with the help of a young shop assistant, a few paper clips discreetly took in the excess so the fit was hardly noticeable. The two sisters trailed long pale-pink trains behind them, the sheer veils from their headpieces draping over their smooth arms, which they held up delicately with their fingers. They stepped out in tiny, measured steps—two beauties, one tall and one small, looking for all the world like princesses out of a fairy tale.

The photographer was a little emotional. He felt that the most beautiful photographs of his entire career would be born today. Only people like these could truly unleash his talent, could truly ignite an unprecedented surge of creative inspiration.

Under the photographer's direction, Chu Dong and Tan Xue gradually eased into their poses.

"Young man, don't smile so exaggeratedly—ah, tone it down, tone it down a bit. Miss, look this way, in this direction—yes, smile, show just a hint of teeth. Good." The photographer was drenched in sweat, his creative passion truly unleashed. The only thing he wasn't entirely satisfied with was that the groom seemed a little overexcited, grinning far too broadly with every shot, and he kept reminding Chu Dong to hold back, just a little more. In his eyes, every inch of Tan Xue was beautiful—every smile, every frown, every playful pout was perfection itself. The shutter clicked without pause…

It wasn't until the photographer noticed Tan Xue starting to tire that he finally stopped.

"Let's take a break. Groom, we'll do a few solo shots of you first, and we'll continue with the lady afterward." He wiped the sweat from his brow, clearly showing greater consideration for Tan Xue.

Little Jade, naturally, couldn't stand being left out. She waited until her sister was resting, then immediately ran over. "Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, you promised to take some of me too! Sister's tired, but I'm not."

Chu Dong's legs were about to give out as well, but seeing the look on Little Jade's face—if he refused, she'd surely burst into tears—he had no choice but to nod.

In the photographer's eyes, the two sisters were both works of art crafted by God, and seeing Little Jade want her picture taken, how could he refuse? But just as he raised his camera, Little Jade suddenly called for a halt and summoned the young woman who had helped her into the gown, whispering something in her ear. The girl smiled and led her back into the changing room.

Before long, the young woman emerged again, holding Little Jade's hand.

Something was off. Chu Dong couldn't quite put his finger on what, until Little Jade, almost provocatively, gave her chest a little boost upward. Then he realized—the girl had seen her sister's full, rounded figure and, finding herself too flat in comparison, had asked the attendant to find something to pad her dress with. And sure enough, a hint of a cleavage line was now visible.

Chu Dong was so overcome with laughter that he doubled over, unable to straighten up, and no amount of pounding on his back from the little girl could stop him. Even Tan Xue couldn't help but laugh, raising a hand to cover her mouth while her eyes betrayed a fond, indulgent smile.

Throughout it all, the photographer never once stopped shooting. In his eyes, no matter the moment, the combination of these three people was the most beautiful picture imaginable, and his finger on the shutter grew sore from pressing. It wasn't until the battery died that he remembered the camera's memory card had its limits too. He swapped in a new battery, transferred the captured shots to a computer, and had no time to lament the moments that hadn't been saved before he threw himself back into the shoot.

The entire morning passed in this way. Tan Xue and her sister were comparatively fine, since they could take turns resting, but Chu Dong and the photographer had no one to relieve them, and both were utterly exhausted. Chu Dong slumped motionless on the sofa, while the photographer could barely lift the hand holding the camera, the index finger on the shutter nearly blistered. The indoor shoot thus came to an end.

The afternoon was reserved for outdoor shots. To justify the steep fees, the studio had specially rented a small yacht for the outdoor session.

Around noon, the studio manager ordered boxed lunches from a nearby restaurant, including portions for Chu Dong and the two sisters. The three of them were truly worn out, so they settled for whatever was available. Chu Dong had a hearty appetite—having eaten little that morning, he was now genuinely famished. He polished off his own box, and then finished whatever the Tan sisters had left over as well.

Just as Chu Dong let out a satisfied burp and leaned back against the sofa, a lunchtime news segment on the LCD television hanging in the studio's main hall caught his attention.

"A famous local enterprise, the Haifeng Group, is about to join forces with the American Eternal Fund, a Fortune 500 company, to jointly establish Henghai Securities, building China's largest securities institution. Now let's bring you the detailed report from our correspondent." As the news anchor's words concluded, the screen changed.

There appeared Wang Dongliang's handsome face. Surrounded by reporters brandishing cameras and microphones, he was answering questions with a smile.

"Henghai Securities will inject two billion US dollars in capital, which is positive news for domestic enterprises. We do not rule out taking controlling stakes in competitive companies with strong growth potential, and we may also pursue broader investment cooperation on certain advantageous projects. We hope to contribute our share to the nation's economic development…"

Speaking with ease and confidence, Wang Dongliang showed not the slightest trace of being affected by yesterday's defeat. He was, in his own way, a formidable figure.

When Chu Dong heard the name "Eternal Fund," his face stiffened slightly. That name—he knew it all too well. He had first heard it when he'd just arrived in America as a student: a fund institution nicknamed the "financial leviathan." Their sole purpose was amassing wealth, yet their choice of methods left industry insiders gaping in disbelief. That was also why, despite its rapid growth and immense power, its reputation had never been particularly good.

Then something else happened later, turning Chu Dong's contempt and disgust for the fund into outright hatred. Because the Sturgeon Fund that he had organized had, after a period of development, reached a fairly complete organizational structure—and it was right around then that the Chu family empire collapsed. Following the faint traces left by the bankruptcy, he eventually discovered that the shadows of the Eternal Fund were implicated in the downfall of the Chu family.

Now, hearing the name Eternal Fund once again, his sharply drawn brows knitted together involuntarily.

In the Development Zone, inside the villa that Wang Dongliang used to conceal the team that had schemed to topple YIN LONG, a silver-haired foreign man was sipping tea in Wang Dongliang's company.

"Have you found out what happened? How could the money in the account simply vanish without a trace?" Setting down his teacup, the silver-haired man asked Wang Dongliang.

"Our computers were infected with a virus. What ran on them was some kind of unrecognizable offline-game-like software. We were hacked." Wang Dongliang seemed somewhat afraid of the silver-haired man and answered with deference.

"And that's it?" The silver-haired man was clearly unsatisfied with this explanation. His brows rose, and he cast a sidelong glance at Wang Dongliang.

"We're still tracing where the funds went. That account was overseas and was transferred several times in rapid succession. Despite our best efforts, we've lost the trail." Wang Dongliang's body trembled slightly, and his voice wavered as he spoke.

"That Chu—what was his name again? Chu something-or-other. Where is he now? He should be a prime suspect. Keep a close eye on him. If it comes to it, just take care of him." The silver-haired man mentioned killing someone with complete calm, as casually as if he were slaughtering a chicken.