After finishing his meal, Lin Feng returned to his room, charged his phone, and replied to messages from Shen Qianqian, Zhou Mei, Yang Ru, He Qianwen, and Luo Ruoxi one by one.

Shen Qianqian replied with a long voice message in a second. Lin Feng listened to it and found that she hadn't been able to concentrate in class for the past few days. If Su Mengya hadn't stopped her, she would have almost gone to the disciplinary committee to wait outside.

He Qianwen replied succinctly, asking him to go to Tianlong to review the new project proposal. Yang Ru simply said, "Come to my house for a class next week." Luo Ruoxi sent real photos of the new yoga studio, saying she was waiting for him to come and try out the class. After replying to each of them, he put his phone on the bedside table, leaned against the headboard, and stared blankly for a while.

He then went out onto the balcony and closed the glass sliding door. The night wind outside carried the damp smell of earth after the rain. A few lights were on in the windows of several buildings in the distance. A broken street lamp in the alley below had not yet been repaired, and several black garbage bags were piled up under it.

He took out his phone and dialed Shangguan Jinghong's number.

The phone rang twice before he answered. Lin Feng leaned against the balcony railing and said he had just come out and that Kui Zi had told him that he owed a lot to Sister Hong this time.

Shangguan Jinghong smiled and said that Wan Jingquan's move was indeed a gamble that paid off. She told Lin Feng that this person had always been a very peripheral member of the Dragon Scale Group, and he rarely appeared in the group. Even Kui Zi didn't really recognize him.

When Zuo Ning sent Ma Jinli to search for clues at the unfinished building, he happened to run into Wan Jingquan. Wan Jingquan went along with the other party's wishes and pretended to reveal some ambiguous information. In addition, he was paid to give a false testimony and successfully gained Zuo Ning's trust, and was taken into the Keda Hotel.

After that, he remained infiltrated within Keda, regularly sending messages to Longlin. The fact that he deliberately described the vehicle's color as blue in the last recording was something he and Shangguan Jinghong had planned beforehand—it would make Zuo Ning think the testimony was usable, and also allow them to recant their testimony in court.

Wan Jingquan has now taken up the position of deputy manager of Bai Jinhai.

Lin Feng listened in silence for a moment, then chuckled softly. Recalling Wan Jingquan's squinting, bewildered, and innocent expression in court, saying, "He seems a bit fatter than this one," he had to admit the old man's acting skills were truly impressive. He then inquired about the specifics of Ma Jinli's situation.

Shangguan Jinghong recounted the general events. Ma Jinli was targeted the moment she boarded the flight to Nanning. The smuggler she contacted was backed by a local thug named Gao Feng, an old buddy who had followed her father out into the world. After her father's death, Gao Feng and a few of his old buddies went to the Golden Triangle to do some small business, maintaining contact with Long Lin all along.

Ma Jinli had just landed in Nanning and made contact with the smuggler when he was intercepted by Gao Feng's men. By the time Kui Zi arrived, Gao Feng had already detained Ma Jinli for two days and had asked him almost everything he needed to know.

Kui Zi used some more tricks, and Ma Jinli confessed everything. Now he's staying with Gao Feng, helping to manage the banana plantation business. Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh when he heard the words "growing bananas."

Finally, the two discussed their future plans.

All of Zuo Ning's properties have been seized. Several nightclubs in the east of the city, a mahjong parlor in the south of the city, and some companies that are registered under other people's names but are actually controlled by Zuo Ning will all be put up for judicial auction.

Dragon Scales wanted to take this opportunity to completely take over Zuo Ning's territory and reclaim the market share that had been eroded by the other party.

Shangguan Jinghong said he had already arranged for Brother Biao to investigate the properties slated for auction and to select a few in good locations with clean records to acquire first. Lin Feng nodded in agreement, adding that he needed to keep a low profile for a while.

After emerging from the detention room, he was under the watchful eyes of everyone, so it was not advisable for him to make a public appearance too soon.

The two chatted about some more details, and before they knew it, it was already one in the morning. After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng stood on the balcony for a while, enjoying the night breeze, watching the antenna on the opposite building sway slightly in the darkness.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw a message from Su Mengya: "Are you asleep?"

He replied, "No, I just finished the call."

A few seconds later, a very soft door opening sounded from the direction of the living room. Lin Feng walked into the living room from the balcony and, by the light of the street lamp shining through the window, saw Su Mengya wearing a light purple silk slip dress, barefoot on the wooden floor, holding a mobile phone in her hand.

Upon seeing Lin Feng, she put her index finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, quickly walked over, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him into the room.

As soon as the door closed, Su Mengya tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips. This kiss contained the worry and longing that had been suppressed for several days. The moment their lips touched, they both breathed softly.

Lin Feng reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His palm was pressed against her warm back, and he could feel her trembling slightly.

"I was so worried about you." Su Mengya buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled, tinged with a hint of grievance and a soft joy at having found what she had lost. Lin Feng didn't speak, but simply tightened his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head.

The room was quiet, save for the sound of their overlapping breaths. Lin Feng carried her back to the edge of the bed and sat her on his lap, his fingertips gently stroking her long hair. Su Mengya clung to his neck, unwilling to let go, as if trying to make up for all the longing she had felt these past few days.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of Lin's mother getting up suddenly came from outside. The two of them froze instantly, even their breathing became extremely soft.

It wasn't until they heard Lin's mother take a glass of water and go back to her room, closing the door behind her, that the two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile, feeling a secret thrill.

Afterwards, the two snuggled up and lay on the bed. Su Mengya nestled in Lin Feng's arms, gently drawing circles on his chest with her fingers.

She was exhausted after tossing and turning most of the night, but she couldn't bear to sleep.

Lin Feng pulled the blanket over them both, gently massaging the back of her neck with his fingertips to help her relax. Soon, Su Mengya's breathing gradually calmed, and she nestled in his arms, falling into a deep sleep, her face peaceful and soft.

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