Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

Holding the microphone, Zhao Hongtu felt as if his spine had been removed, and he slid down the chair to the ground.

Suppress it?

How to press?

With the current prevalence of online live streaming, news of an accident spread across the entire internet almost instantly.

Adding to the public relations department's report just now, it seems there's an unseen force pushing things along behind the scenes, with the headlines of major portal websites all featuring news of the collapse of Yujing Mansion.

Top three trending topics:

#Crane Collapse at Royal Garden#

#Jiang's Foundation's 200 Million Yuan Investment Goes Down the Drain#

#Zhao's Group's Shoddy Construction Project#

It’s over.

It's completely over.

Zhao Hongtu stared blankly at the ceiling. In his whole life, he had fought against thugs, his peers, and policies, but in the end, he lost to his own people.

"Fourth Master..." the third brother was still kowtowing on the ground, "Shall we...shall we run away? To Southeast Asia, we still have some cash..."

"run?"

Zhao Hongtu gave a bitter laugh, a tear rolling down his cloudy old eyes. "Can we escape? Will the Jiang family let us go? Will the bank let us go? Or will that Bai family brat who's been watching from behind the scenes let us go?"

He suddenly remembered the young man with a calm voice on the phone last night.

"Bai Jingyou..."

Zhao Hongtu muttered to himself.

He finally understood why Bai Jingyou hadn't completely killed him, and even left him a breath to seek help from Jiang Han.

It turns out he was bait from the very beginning.

A dead bait used to catch Jiang Han, this big fish.

……

The next day, at 9:30 a.m.

Conference room at DeepBlue Technology Building.

With dark circles under his eyes, Li He was as excited as a bear that had just stolen some honey, and slammed a newspaper on the table.

"Bro! That's amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

Li He gesticulated wildly, "The Zhao Group's stock plummeted to its daily limit at the open! The sell orders were terrifyingly large! The listed company controlled by the Jiang family was also affected, dropping five points! When I arrived just now, I saw Jiang Han's car parked in front of the Municipal Bureau; that bastard was taken in to assist with the investigation! Hahaha!"

Bai Jingyou sat in the main seat, leisurely sipping a cup of Americano.

Compared to Li He's excitement, he appeared overly calm.

"This is just the beginning." Bai Jingyou put down his coffee cup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "The Jiang family has deep roots after all. This little thing won't hurt them much. At most, it will just make Jiang Han suffer a bit. The old master of the Jiang family will definitely step in to protect him and push all the responsibility onto Zhao Hongtu."

"Then what do we do? Just watch Jiang Han come out like this?" Li He was somewhat unwilling.

"Come out?" Bai Jingyou laughed. "The real show is just beginning. Jiang Han lost 200 million yuan in cash this time and lost all face in the industry. Do you think, given his personality, he'll let Zhao Hongtu off the hook?"

Li He paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Dogs fighting?"

"No." Bai Jingyou shook his finger. "It's about beating a dog when it's down."

He turned to look at Zhang Yi, who had remained silent.

"Mr. Zhang, is the acquisition contract ready?"

Zhang Yi took a deep breath and took out a thick document from her briefcase.

This time, her hands were steady, and her eyes gleamed with a light called ambition.

"Ready. But the price..."

"Price?" Bai Jingyou's lips curled slightly, a chilling coldness in his smile. "The Zhao Group right now is a rotting corpse. Apart from those few plots of land, everything else is debt. We're not here to acquire it; we're here to do charity, to help resolve social instability."

"Reducing the price to 90% of the original price."

"A 10% discount?!" Zhang Yi exclaimed in surprise. "Would Zhao Hongtu agree to that? That's his life's work!"

"He'll agree." Bai Jingyou stood up, straightened his suit collar, and looked deep and unfathomable. "Because right now, in the entire capital, only I dare to take on this mess. And only I can guarantee that he won't be thrown into the Huangpu River by Jiang Han."

At this point, Bai Jingyou paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Prepare the car."

"Where to?" Li He asked instinctively.

"The Zhao family's old residence." Bai Jingyou strode out, his back straight as a pine tree, "To see Fourth Master Zhao off on his final journey."

……

The old Zhao family residence was shrouded in gloom and despair.

The Zhao residence, which was usually bustling with visitors, was now deserted.

The stone lions at the entrance seemed to exude an air of decay.

The gate was tightly shut, and only a few bodyguards were walking around the courtyard looking flustered.

A black Maybach slowly pulled up at the entrance.

The car door opened, and Bai Jingyou stepped out.

Today he wore a black trench coat over a well-tailored dark gray suit, which was neither overly formal nor lacked a solemn and imposing feel.

Chen Mo stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Who is it? No visitors! Fourth Master won't see anyone!" The voice from the gatehouse was filled with impatience and fear.

"Bai Jingyou".

Chen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated the heavy wooden door.

A deathly silence fell instantly inside the door.

After a full half minute, the door slowly opened a crack with a heavy creak.

The one who opened the door was the same old butler who was arrogant yesterday, but now looked haggard.

He looked at Bai Jingyou standing at the bottom of the steps, his eyes filled with an extremely complex mix of emotions: hatred, fear, but mostly a sense of utter despair.

"Young Master Bai..." the butler opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, "Are you here to see a joke?"

"I'm here to save your life."

Bai Jingyou said something indifferently, and without waiting for the butler's invitation, he pushed open the door and walked into the power center that once symbolized the underground forces of the southern city.

The yard was covered with fallen leaves, clearly indicating that no one had cleaned it.

After passing through the corridor, we arrived at the main hall.

Zhao Hongtu sat on the armchair in the main hall, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, his eyes closed, and muttering incantations.

In just one day, he seemed to have aged twenty years. His hair had turned gray, his body was hunched, and his former imposing aura had vanished, leaving only an old man awaiting the judgment of fate.

Hearing footsteps, Zhao Hongtu slowly opened his eyes.

Those once bright and piercing eyes are now murky and cloudy.

"You've come." Zhao Hongtu's voice was eerily calm, as if he had long anticipated this moment.

"Fourth Master, you're in such high spirits, still chanting Buddhist scriptures at this hour." Bai Jingyou didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in the guest seat.

"What's the use of chanting Buddha's name? Buddha can't save the poor, nor can he save the dead." Zhao Hongtu laughed self-deprecatingly, tossing his prayer beads onto the table. "Are you here to collect corpses?"

"I'm here to discuss business."

Bai Jingyou gave Chen Mo a wink.

Chen Mo gently placed the acquisition contract, which was only worth 10% of the original price, in front of Zhao Hongtu.

Zhao Hongtu didn't even glance at the contract, but stared intently at Bai Jingyou: "A 10% discount? You really have the nerve to ask for that. Bai Jingyou, you're ruthless. But even if I let this land rot in my hands, even if I donate it to the country, I won't give it to you!"

"Donate it to the country?"

Bai Jingyou seemed to have heard a joke, leaning forward slightly and looking directly into Zhao Hongtu's eyes. "Fourth Master, you may not understand the situation yet. The accident at Yujing Mansion is about to be classified. It's a major accident due to negligence, and the legal representative will go to jail. Moreover, the Jiang family has already said they will take good care of you while you're in jail."

Upon hearing the name "Jiang family," Zhao Hongtu's face twitched violently.

"Sign this contract, and I'll take on the debts and the mess." Bai Jingyou's voice was full of temptation, like the devil's whisper. "In addition, I will arrange for someone to send you to Australia. Although you will never be able to come back in this lifetime, at least you can enjoy your old age in peace without worrying about being smuggled in a sack in the middle of the night."

Zhao Hongtu remained silent.

His chest heaved violently, his eyes darting back and forth between the contract and Bai Jingyou.

At this moment, dignity and survival were locked in a fierce battle within him.

a long time.

Zhao Hongtu let out a long sigh, his whole body collapsing like a deflated balloon.

"The younger generation is truly formidable...the younger generation is indeed formidable..."

With trembling hands, he picked up the pen and signed the contract with that once-famous name in the capital.

Every stroke seemed to be engraved on his heart and soul.

After signing the document, Zhao Hongtu seemed to have exhausted all his strength, slumping into the chair and staring blankly at the roof beam.

"Baek Kyung-woo, I lost. But can I ask you a question?"

"Please speak." Bai Jingyou put away the contract, his expression indifferent.

"Was that batch of building materials... a setup by you?"

Bai Jingyou stood up, straightened his clothes, and turned to walk outside.

As he reached the door, he stopped, without turning back, leaving behind a sentence that Zhao Hongtu could never let go of until his death:

"Fourth Master, hunters never kill their prey with their own hands. What killed you was your own greed, and your pride in... the martial world."

Bai Jingyou walked out of the Zhao family's gate.

The sunlight was blinding.

Li He came up to him excitedly and asked, "Brother, did you get it?"

Bai Jingyou handed him the contract and looked up at the birds flying across the sky.

"Notify the company to prepare for a press conference."

"Announce Xi Yao?"

Bai Jingyou narrowed his eyes, concealing the sharp, cold glint in them.

"DeepBlue Technology has officially entered the real estate industry. Also…"

He paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Send a big gift to the Jiang family. Anonymously send the evidence provided by Zhao Hongtu regarding Jiang Han's money laundering through underground banks to the China Securities Regulatory Commission."

Li He gasped.

This isn't just about skinning Jiang Han; it's about tearing out his tendons and bones!

"Brother... are you going to start a full-scale war with the Jiang family?"

"Go to war?"

Bai Jingyou got into the car and looked at the bustling yet cruel city through the dark-colored windows.

"No, this is just cleaning up the battlefield."

Meanwhile, inside the interrogation room of the Kyoto City Police Department.

Jiang Han sat on the iron chair with a gloomy expression, while the police officer opposite him was taking a statement.

Suddenly, the interrogation room door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in uniform walked in, holding a freshly printed document in his hand, his expression stern.

"Jiang Han, someone has reported you for suspected stock price manipulation and money laundering, and the evidence is conclusive. We are now going to formally arrest you."

Jiang Han looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

But out of his sight, a huge net had just tightened its first rope.