Deadly Trap.

Chapter 24. Betrayal
It's exactly 11 p.m.

A glass of cognac and a glass of chilled Scotch soda, both exuding the same pungent alcoholic aroma, yet irreconcilable. On the tray, they sway with Lulu's burgundy skirt, passing through the "staff passage" to the deepest part of the "Cloud" lounge: a dimly lit cubicle.

This is one of the most important offices in Minzhou.

Lulu knocked gently on the door.

"Enter."

The renowned proprietress beamed with a sweet smile. Her every gesture exuded a natural grace, sweet yet not cloying.

In Dai Ze's memory, Lulu loved to laugh. But there was always something more or less in that laughter. When he thought about how she was the widow of the former FN chief, Dai Ze began to understand her melancholy.

Under the lamplight, Lulu gently placed the crystal glass on the desk and pushed a palm-sized black velvet box next to the cognac.

"Thank you for choosing the pearl, Lulu."

Lulu scoffed. This guy only remembered to thank me after comforting and seeing his sweetheart off?
She simply smiled demurely and said, "Please feel free to ring the bell if you need anything."

Only after the landlady's skirt disappeared at the end of the corridor did Dai silently close the office door. He spoke urgently, "Mu Fei, tonight..."

However, Gu Mufeng's thoughts were elsewhere. He seemed to see the car winding through Minxiu Mountain, kilometers away, at the end of a snow-covered terrace, where she stood all alone.

Su Li needed to sort out her thoughts. But what would she think?

Facing the magnificent night view of Minhang Port outside the curtain wall, Gu Mufeng cast a dark shadow in the room.

"Mu Fei?"

His thoughts were abruptly pulled back. Gu Mufeng tried to suppress his distraction, but he couldn't stop Su Li's image from resurfacing in his mind once again.

"It's rare that you can still see my good intentions."

The answer was casual. But Gu Mufei's tone held a hint of annoyance: "Dai Ze, if it were you, what are your plans for tonight?"

"Me?" Dai raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

"I'll probably keep it a secret and then secretly find the mole? Actually, if it weren't for Bran, the meeting wouldn't have even discussed the mole. Mu Fei, aren't you going to alert the mole?"

"Startle the snake by beating the grass?" Gu Mufeng chuckled. "It's more like luring the snake out of its hole."

Dai was startled.

Although he had been fully aware of Gu Mufeng's methods for twelve years, Dai Ze still pondered tonight's meeting more carefully:
From Gu Mufeng's disappearance, the woman surnamed Su, and Welsh's hint that he should temporarily take over; to Gu Mufeng's on-site recounting of the events triggered by the bullet—was all of this under Gu Mufeng's control, merely a test of the cadres' loyalty?
Dai seemed to see that while he was anxiously worrying about Gu Mufei's safety, the latter was probably comfortably staying in his office.

Dai Zeke had no idea who Gu Mufeng was so anxious about. Yet, he still couldn't help feeling disgusted by this scheme.

"Then what about Wei? You know perfectly well that he can't stand being rejected."

Dai managed a weak rebuttal. He had to suppress the turmoil within him. After all, Gu Mufeng was capable of seeing through people's hearts.

"dimension?"

Gu Mufeng's words were laced with sarcasm:
"You think I kept him alone after the meeting to invite him for tea and snacks?"
"Although I personally selected him, he was too arrogant and thought too highly of himself. But in the end, he was only after money, Dai Ze."

"He came from a humble background, but was kicked out of a big company because of illness. Without money for a transplant, he wouldn't live for more than a few years. All his passion went to waste, so naturally he was full of resentment. However, even if I picked him up and gave him a new position, he might not appreciate it or be grateful."

“Dai Ze, he is the weakest link. It is my responsibility to bring him to his senses.”

Hearing Gu Mufeng's sharp critique, Dai was utterly astonished. He had heard about Wei's past before, but he had always assumed that Wei was grateful to the organization. He had never given it much thought.

Clearly, Gu Mufeng understood better than him: all gratitude must come at a real price.

Dai suddenly felt that if he hadn't personally witnessed Gu Mufeng's warm and humane demeanor, he would have doubted whether the person in front of him was just a machine that could only calculate.

"Dai Ze, why has Vain disappeared?"

Suddenly, Gu Mufei's question startled Dai Ze, who was deep in thought. Dai Ze tried to calm himself down and realized that he had probably been silent for a long time.

He set aside the stability-maintaining rhetoric from the meeting room and frankly stated:
"Mufei, someone set fire to the nursing home. When Vain briefed me, he only said it was a small fire as a diversionary tactic, and told me not to worry."

"But in the end, the fire really got out of control. And the bad news is: Vain's phone number has been cancelled. The traffic department can't find him either."

The cancellation of cadres' mobile phones is a special mechanism within the group: this is often because the owner of the phone has fallen into enemy hands.

"You know perfectly well that's not what I'm asking."

Now, Dai was truly confused: "I don't understand, Mu Fei, you—"

"When I used the survivor as bait, I sent out not just Vain, but an entire commando team; and most importantly, you."

"And you, you went to pick up Su Li?"

Gu Mufeng sounded like he was gritting his teeth: "Where were you when this happened?" "Me? I had to leave beforehand. There was an emergency in the foreign affairs team."

"Mu Fei, I was just picking up Miss Su on my way. But I have to go. The Zhou family specifically asked to see me."

The Yi, Sheng, Gu, and Zhou families are the four major conglomerates that firmly control the public economic system of Minzhou. While the Zhou family appears to be fourth, they hold a cross-industry monopoly in retail, department stores, foreign trade, and logistics nationwide. Ordinary businesses simply cannot compare.

"The Zhou family? What do they want with you?" Putting Su Li back in his heart, Gu Mufeng asked coldly.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. What loan? Isn't this a matter for the finance team? Why do you insist on seeing me? That young master of the Zhou family—"

"Oh?"

“I remember you said that this young master Zhou is not cut out for business. Besides, I thought you two were friends.”

"I did say that. But that doesn't stop me from lending him the money; he's also desperately hoping I can help him. He's being driven to desperation by his younger brother. It's about inheritance and such. In the future, he can use him to blackmail the Zhou family."

"However, this still doesn't explain why he insisted on seeing you; or why you insisted on leaving."

Gu Mufeng turned around, his eyes fixed on Dai Ze's face: "I told Zhou Yi that if there's anything, we should talk in private."

"Mu Fei! Could it be... could it be that you suspect me? You suspect I'm the mole, that I conspired with someone from the inside to eliminate Vain?"

"Given the current circumstances, I have no choice but to have such suspicions. You have both the motive and the conditions."

"Motive? What good would it do me to get rid of Vain?"

"...You can get rid of me."

"Gu Mufeng!"

Clenching his teeth, Dai growled in a low voice, "Am I really that untrustworthy?"

"—Are you worth it?!" Gu Mufeng roared.

Finally, he had a reason to vent his anger from the day. He strode forward, grabbed Dai Ze by the collar with his right hand, and pulled him up from the chair.

Beneath his flowing blond hair, his lips barely moved, yet a thunderous rage erupted from him:

"Precisely because you are the only person I trust! That's why I sent you! Even after the terrible mistake eleven years ago—"

"Eleven years! Gu Mufeng! Eleven years have passed!"

"Eleven years is just a number to you, but for me it was hell on earth! If you hadn't leaked the secret, Xiao Fan—"

His roar was wild and unrestrained, bursting from the depths of his heart and escaping from his lips, but he suddenly stopped abruptly.

Yes. Whom should he blame? Dai Ze?

Although Dai Ze did indeed make a grave mistake in Xiao Fan's death—he shouldn't have carelessly leaked the secret—was he really to blame?
Gu Mufei shook his head.

When he spoke again, his anger was tinged with a deep, visceral bitterness:

“If Xiaofan were still here, Dai Ze, do you know? This year, I should be celebrating her graduation from university, celebrating the start of her new life. Maybe she would be with Su Li…”

It was a tangled mess, impossible to unravel. Gu Mufeng would never forget the face that "beep beep pop" in the sea of ​​fire, gradually turning into charred remains. He would never be able to shake off this deep sense of self-reproach.

“Mu Fei…” Dai Ze lowered his head, “I’m sorry.”

"...So, Dai Ze, you'd better wake up. You and I are in the same boat. Either we're the hunters, or we're both the prey."

Grasping Dai Ze's collar tightly, Gu Mufeng's hand twisted from excessive force: "Don't make me want to kill you, Dai Ze."

This oppressive force of desperately wanting to tear everything apart.

Just then, the phone on the table vibrated. The contact name was clearly displayed, but only the three words "blurred" were visible. Suddenly releasing Dai Ze, Gu Mufeng turned back to the table, giving the new text message a cold glance.

Su Li: "I can't sleep."

"Boss~ I'm here to report for duty. Oh, Brother Dai is here too."

>>>>>
Next chapter: Bloodless siege

[Author's Note | Chapter Twenty-Four]

What are your thoughts on the conflict between Dai Ze and Mu Fei? Is it a crisis of trust, or a falling out between comrades?
What exactly happened to Xiao Fan eleven years ago that made Gu Mufeng suddenly think of Xiao Fan and Su Li's relationship...?
How will President Gu handle the situation when faced with the three words "can't sleep"?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Thank you, dear readers, for your support, for adding this to your favorites, and for voting!



(End of this chapter)