Tea Room.
Long Aotian and Xu Zhiyun are sitting face to face, drinking tea and playing chess.
With a stern face, Long Aotian places a chess piece:
"Mr. Xu."
"Hmm? What's the matter, Aotian?"
"Do you truly agree to Xu Xuejiao being with me?" Long Aotian's expression is dark as he continues, "Or… are you and your daughter conspiring together to play me for a fool?"
Xu Zhiyun immediately raises his head and looks at him:
"What did you just say!?"
Long Aotian lets out a cold laugh:
"I took out 12 billion yuan to help her build a general hospital; another 5 billion to serve as her token of loyalty to Lu Chengwen; and later, another 7 billion to assist her in securing the amusement park project. But now…"
Long Aotian fiddles with the chess piece in his hand:
"A total of 24 billion yuan has gone up in smoke. Xu Xuejiao hasn't even called me once, hasn't sent a single message. Mr. Xu, are you and your daughter trying to scam me?"
Xu Zhiyun is enraged, truly enraged. His face is contorted with fury.
"Long Aotian! Do you even realize what you're saying?
"12 billion for the hospital? That was your decision, wasn't it? The so-called 5 billion token of loyalty—did you ever inform me about that? And as for the amusement park project, I've been completely in the dark from the beginning to the end!"
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Long Aotian replies:
"I've already invested over 20 billion! More than 20 billion! Now I don't even see a ripple, let alone results. I've lost everything—money and time. What am I supposed to think? If you were in my shoes, what would you think?"
Xu Zhiyun, furious beyond words, says:
"What exactly do you mean? Are you suggesting that Xuejiao and I are scheming against you?"
"Isn't that the case?"
Xu Zhiyun retorts:
"I'm calling Xu Xuejiao right now to clear this up!"
At that moment, the door opens, and Xu Xuejiao walks in.
She's dressed in a branded coat, wearing high-heeled boots, and carrying a designer bag.
So beautiful, so stylish!
She's even singing as she enters:
"Scamming you, scamming you, endlessly… I'm willing to scam you every day, every year, forever! Scamming you, scamming you, endlessly… Scamming you! Turns out! It's not that hard…"
Then she belts out a high note:
"I'm scamming you, scamming you…"
She stops abruptly and exclaims, "Ah! Brother Long! Dad! You're both here? Eh? Why do you look so unhappy?"
Xu Zhiyun says, "Mr. Long believes we're working together to scam him."
Xu Xuejiao freezes for a moment:
"Brother, what's going on?"
Long Aotian stares intently at Xu Xuejiao:
"What's happening with the amusement park project?"
Xu Xuejiao replies casually:
"It's still in the early planning stages!"
Behind Long Aotian, Qi Meishao says coldly:
"They won't let me audit the accounts. They say I don't have the authority. You're the shareholder; only you have the right to audit."
"I've already audited them. No issues."
"No issues!?" Long Aotian responds:
"Xu Xuejiao, that's not what we agreed on, is it?"
Xu Xuejiao gets upset, throwing her bag onto the ground:
"Brother Long, what do you mean by this?"
"Xuejiao, I, Long Aotian, am not a fool! If you can't give me a proper explanation, this matter won't end well today."
Xu Xuejiao widens her eyes:
"Brother Long, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Don't you understand what I'm saying? Do you not get it!?"
Xu Xuejiao stares at Long Aotian:
"You're yelling at me!?"
"Ah?"
Tears immediately well up in Xu Xuejiao's eyes, and she starts crying:
"You actually yelled at me!"
"Wait, no… I didn't… I'm sorry…"
Xu Xuejiao sobs as she says:
"For you, I risked danger going undercover with Lu Chengwen, working hard as a double agent, carefully creating opportunities for you, painstakingly trying to keep Lu Chengwen happy, using every trick in the book to trick him into cooperating with you…"
"Yes, yes, I… wait, no! That's not right!" Long Aotian says:
"Lu Chengwen hasn't put a single cent into this! I've already thrown in over 20 billion!"
Xu Xuejiao widens her eyes in disbelief, staring at Long Aotian:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Lu Chengwen hasn't spent a single cent!"
"Is that so? Sorry… wait!? Wait!? Are you trying to fool me again? Trying to confuse me again? What I said is also an issue! He hasn't invested any money!"
"So what? I'm a traitor? I'm the type of person who stabs people in the back? Am I two-faced, acting one way in front of you and another behind your back? Are my dad and I scheming against you? Is that what you think?"
Long Aotian, feeling aggrieved, says:
"No, don't be mad. I didn't mean it that way. It's just that everything that's been happening lately is so strange, and I just feel… wait! No, this doesn't make sense! You've been giving emotional responses all this time! Your tone and demeanor are convincing, but your words haven't addressed any of my doubts!"
Xu Xuejiao wipes away her tears and sits at the table:
"Fine. Whatever doubts you have, tell me! I'll explain everything to you!"
Long Aotian is stunned.
Looking at Xu Xuejiao's posture, it's clear she isn't flustered in the slightest and is ready to make him feel completely ashamed.
"Uh… I… actually… I don't have any real doubts. I just…"
"So, someone else has doubts and made you feel uneasy?"
Long Aotian turns to look at Qi Meishao.
Qi Meishao narrows her eyes:
"First of all, up to this point, Lu Chengwen hasn't spent a single cent! How do you explain that?"
Xu Xuejiao lets out a cold laugh:
"I see. Meishao is your person. The only people you trust are Qi Meishao and Luo Shiyin. As for me, I'm just an outsider. Got it."
Long Aotian hurriedly explains:
"Xuejiao, don't say that. You know that's not what I mean…"
Qi Meishao cuts him off firmly:
"Miss Xuejiao, please don't try to manipulate the situation or deflect from the issue. This has nothing to do with whom the young master trusts. The point is that you've been undercover for so long, yet there has been absolutely no progress!"
Xu Xuejiao looked at Qi Meishao: "I have no progress? Do you? Does Luo Shiyin? Or does Hua Xuening?"
Long Aotian was about to speak when Qi Meishao firmly placed one hand on the table: "Right now, we're not talking about anyone else. We're talking about you! What exactly are you doing?"
Xu Xuejiao got fired up.
She thought to herself, even Luo Shiyin can't get anything out of me, and I can't handle you, Qi Meishao!?
A woman who can't even keep her own underwear safe!
"Fine! Let me ask you this first: Who is Lu Chengwen? Do you know him? Do you know his style? Do you know what his first successful deal was? Do you know how he climbed to the top to become the president of Dasheng Group? Do you even know how many deals he's done so far, or how many of them have yielded over a billion in profit?"
The two of them glanced at each other but couldn't say a word.
"Let me tell you! Lu Chengwen's first deal was a city greening project. He became Dasheng Group's president partly because his father fell ill and partly because of a power struggle within the group. He used schemes and conspiracies to rise to power, even sidelining his own father! Up to now, he's only completed about twenty deals with profits exceeding a billion!"
"As for Lu Chengwen's style, he's the kind of person who, no matter how small the profit, even if it's just one penny, will pocket it. He absolutely won't spend money he doesn't need to spend, and he won't spend more than necessary. If it's money he can avoid spending, he absolutely won't spend it!"
Long Aotian was stunned: "Wow, that's some cutthroat behavior!"
Xu Xuejiao said, "With someone like him, who scrapes the meat off every bone, do you think it's easy to entrap him and plunge him into a financial crisis? Is it something we can plan today, execute tomorrow, and watch him collapse the day after? If that's what you think, sorry, I can't do it! And I'm certain no one can! Not in the whole of Snow City, Beiguo, or even Huaxia!"
Qi Meishao said, "Then do you or do you not have a plan?"
"Of course I do! But did you even ask me to share it?"
Qi Meishao's tone softened a little: "I understand that taking down Lu Chengwen isn't something that can be done overnight, and I know your position isn't easy…"
"And this is the attitude you show me? This is how you repay me?"
Qi Meishao said, "Why do you always avoid contacting us? It's so hard for me to reach you, and you never respond!"
Xu Xuejiao replied, "Lu Chengwen has already become suspicious! Ever since the last time we negotiated together, he's felt like I've been speaking in your favor! Do I even need to tell you how cunning he is?"
"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to call you frequently for no reason, saying something like, 'Brother Long, Sister Meishao, keep it up! We're about to ruin Lu Chengwen!' Should I be doing that? Should I!?"
Long Aotian felt guilty and laughed awkwardly: "Sister Xuejiao, don't get so worked up…"
"Don't call me Sister Xuejiao! I don't deserve it!" Xu Xuejiao cried even harder. "I'm just a two-faced backstabber. Everything I've done in front of you is fake, all an act. The truth is, I like Lu Chengwen! Is that what you want? I like it when Lu Chengwen takes advantage of me! I like sitting on his lap, letting him grope me! I like him cuddling me to sleep in the middle of the night! Does this satisfy you? Is this enough? Is it!?"
Long Aotian quickly stood up to calm her down: "Oh no, Sister Xuejiao, don't be angry! This… this is all…"
Then he turned angrily to Qi Meishao: "Qi Meishao! I told you long ago that Sister Xuejiao is as loyal as iron to me, but you just had to test her on purpose. Look what you've done—how hurtful!"
"Sister Xuejiao, I've trusted you completely from the very beginning."
Xu Xuejiao turned her face away, full of grievance: "I'm heartbroken. I've decided to withdraw from this plan. Whatever business you have with Lu Chengwen, handle it yourselves. Boohoohoo…"
Long Aotian said, "Sister Xuejiao, you can't blame us entirely. The truth is… we're panicking a bit here! We've poured in over 20 billion yuan, and there's been no return at all!"
Xu Xuejiao turned to look at Long Aotian: "120 billion—that was the money you gave me to build a hospital! How… how are you even calculating this?"
"Oh, look at me!" Long Aotian slapped himself on the head. "I made a mistake! Right, right, that's money I gave you! But what about the remaining 120 billion…?"
"Brother Long! That 120 billion was the money we tricked Huo Wendong out of! Not to mention that it wasn't your money, but even if it was, I contributed to that scheme too, didn't I?"
Long Aotian slapped his forehead: "Oh, right! Right, right! So that means…"
"You didn't lose anything at all!"
"Right!" Long Aotian suddenly realized. "Sister Xuejiao, I… I deserve to die!"
"You really do deserve to die!"
"I'll go die right now!"
"Good."
"Uh?"
"No!" Xu Xuejiao blushed. "How could I let you die so easily?"
"Huh?"
"No… I mean… how could I bear to let you die so easily?"
"Uh…"
"Oh, you've made me so confused I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Boohoohoo…"
"Alright, alright, Sister, don't cry. Don't cry, don't cry… It's my fault, okay? It's all my fault!"
Long Aotian said, "Tell me, what should I do next?"
Xu Xuejiao stopped crying: "The fish is already on the hook."
"Who's on the hook?"
"Don't worry about it. Just know that success is close."
"Oh. So, what should I do now?"
Xu Xuejiao looked at Long Aotian: "You need to raise another 7 billion for me!"
Long Aotian leaned back in shock: "Another… 7 billion?"
Xu Xuejiao looked at him pitifully: "You don't trust me?"
Long Aotian said firmly: "I trust you! What's 7 billion? I'll give it to you!"
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