After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

Zhu Xun Chuan looked at the screen, a faint smile curving his lips.

He was already fully aware of the Zhao family's background.

Jiang Ting's retreat was within his expectations. After all, risking the lives of the entire gang to crash into the wall of the state apparatus wasn't loyalty, it was idiocy.

He tapped the screen with one hand.

[Zhu Xun Chuan]: "It's not your fault. Just stay in the hall and don't cause trouble. Your man can handle this. I'll come pick you up personally after I've finished my business."

The message was sent less than two seconds ago.

[Dark Rose]: "Really? You're not angry with me? You don't think I'm useless?"

[Zhu Xun Chuan]: "My Yao Yao is the most useful. Stop crying, you look awful."

[Dark Rose]: "You're the ugly one! You wait, I'm going to steal a few good guns from that old man and bring them to you. Brother Chuan, you absolutely have to come back safely, or I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

Zhu Xun Chuan suppressed his smile.

The Jiang family's overt military force is no longer reliable. To break through the Zhao family's defenses in a power-driven arena like the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, it is necessary to rely on higher-level official power.

Fu Xinghe could get an invitation, but as the daughter of a municipal party committee member, she lacked the seniority and influence to overshadow Zhao Tingzhi.

We still need an ace up our sleeve.

Zhu Xun Chuan rolled down the car window and lit a cigarette.

Just as he exhaled a puff of pale blue smoke and was about to start the car to return to Peking University, a dialog box suddenly popped up at the top of his phone screen.

The sender's profile picture was an extremely elegant white magnolia.

The name I used to add to his WeChat contacts hasn't appeared in his chat list for a long time.

Meng Wanqing, Executive Vice President of Peking University.

The one who, at the school anniversary gala, wore a dark gold high-slit backless dress and powerfully intimidated the 50,000 teachers and students with a tango performance of "One Step Away," leaving Xia Wanying, Gu Qinghan, Jiang Yao, and others breathless.

That icy, aloof older sister with an unfathomable background who holds sway over half of Kyoto University.

[Meng Wanqing]: "You are investigating Zhao Tingzhi."

It is not a question. It is a very certain statement.

Zhu Xun Chuan paused slightly, his fingers holding the cigarette between his fingers.

His movements were kept within the top-secret area of ​​four women, yet Meng Wanqing bypassed all the firewalls and accurately pinpointed his core target.

The phone screen lit up again. A second message followed immediately.

[Meng Wanqing]: "Come to my private residence at Ziyu Manor. Now."

An Audi A8L is parked on the side of the road.

The carriage was dimly lit, with only the screen in Zhu Xunchuan's hand emitting a faint glow.

Meng Wanqing's WeChat profile picture is an elegant white magnolia. Opening the chat window, the third message from this usually aloof and dignified executive vice president, who holds a significant position at Peking University, is not text, but a ten-second voice message.

Zhu Xunchuan brought the phone close to his ear.

"You ungrateful brat. You caused such a commotion, and you didn't even come to see your sister?"

Meng Wanqing's voice was two octaves lower than usual, carrying a distinct hint of being slightly tipsy from red wine. A touch of languor, a hint of melancholy, penetrated the airwaves with incredible power, captivating the listener.

Zhu Xun Chuan casually tapped the screen: "Zhao Tingzhi's waters are too murky; I'm afraid he'll get Principal Meng's shoes dirty."

"That's too formal. My father and Zhao Tingzhi have some old scores from back in Jiangnan that haven't been settled yet." Meng Wanqing replied instantly, then sent a location, which showed that the land in Ziyu Villa was extremely valuable.

"Come to my house tonight, and I'll tell you the whole story."

This last line carries an undisguised hint from a mature woman.

Zhao Tingzhi's 70th birthday banquet was a power struggle. The Zhao family was deeply entrenched in the capital, and the Jiang family's influence, the Shen family's military network, and even the Fu family's internal reports were not enough to directly seal their fate. A powerful figure who could directly confront the Zhao family at the administrative level was needed to enter the fray.

Meng Wanqing's father, Meng Changjin, the top official of Shanghai, is this ultimate trump card.

Zhu Xun Chuan put away his phone, turned the car around, and drove towards a private luxury apartment near Peking University. He needed to go back and change his clothes; the situation at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse couldn't be turned upside down while wearing a casual hoodie.

Half an hour later.

Zhu Xun Chuan took a shower and changed into a perfectly tailored black bespoke casual suit. He wasn't wearing a tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were casually undone, revealing his strong collarbone.

Pushing open the apartment door, I found the motion-sensor lights in the hallway were broken, leaving it completely dark.

In the darkness, a tiny, scarlet spark flickered on and off.

The rhythmic "click" of metal colliding rang out.

Zhu Xunchuan paused in his steps.

A slender, tall figure leaned against the wall on the right side of the corridor. She wore a short, fitted black leather jacket over a white cropped tank top and knee-high military-style combat boots. Her long, wild legs were crossed.

Jiang Yao had a slender cigarette dangling from her mouth, while her right hand deftly toyed with a butterfly knife. The knife flashed, its blade reflecting the cold light of the waning moon outside the window.

"Those two-meter-high walls and dozens of guards at the headquarters really can't keep you here," Zhu Xun Chuan said calmly, his hands in his suit pockets.

Jiang Yao took the cigarette out of her mouth, threw it on the ground, and crushed it out heavily with the sole of her Martin boot.

She straightened up and took two steps closer. A strong scent of black datura mixed with the coolness of the night breeze wafted over her.

"My dad chickened out, but I didn't. He closed the door, so I climbed over the wall." Jiang Yao flicked her wrist, and the butterfly knife grazed Zhu Xun Chuan's suit sleeve with extreme precision before disappearing into her palm.

She tilted her head slightly, her dark gaze sweeping over Zhu Xun Chuan's impeccably tailored attire.

"Brother Chuan looks so handsome in the middle of the night, and he's even wearing that agarwood incense." Jiang Yao smirked, her voice laced with a dangerous sourness and possessiveness. "Is he going to investigate a case, or to check up on someone's room?"

This girl was full of grievances and resentment. When she realized she couldn't help, she came to block the door, afraid that someone else would take advantage of the situation and steal her position.

Zhu Xunchuan did not retreat an inch.

He pulled out his right hand and pinched Jiang Yao's pretty face, which was pretending to be fierce.

The pressure was just right, not too light or too heavy, enough to make her pout.

"Go to Ziyu Villa." Zhu Xun Chuan looked directly into her eyes. "It's the private residence of Meng Wanqing, the executive vice president of Peking University. Go and get some information about the Zhao family in Jiangnan back then."

Jiang Yao was stunned.

She had assumed Zhu Xun Chuan would come up with a flawless excuse to brush her off. She had even mentally rehearsed three times how to throw a tantrum and act coquettishly after the lie was exposed.

As a result, he told the truth directly.

This extremely open and honest attitude actually extinguished Jiang Yao's wicked and obsessive nature.

"Meng Wanqing? That old woman in the high-slit dress at the school anniversary gala who dragged you to dance the tango?!" Jiang Yao instantly exploded, slapping Zhu Xun Chuan's hand away, gritting her teeth, "Going to a single woman's private residence in the middle of the night to ask for information? Are you going to ask for information, or to sell yourself?! I'm not allowing you to go!"

"The Zhao family must die, but Baihe must live. We have no choice but to go." Zhu Xun Chuan reached out and flicked her forehead.

Jiang Yao gripped the hem of his suit jacket tightly, her eyes filled with stubbornness.

"I want to go!" Jiang Yao said, tilting her head back without backing down.

Zhu Xun Chuan smiled faintly, casually took a car key out of his pocket, and tossed it into her arms.

"Okay." Zhu Xun Chuan turned to the side and pointed downstairs, "Go get the car."

Jiang Yao hurriedly caught the car keys, completely bewildered.

What was this all about? Was he taking the wife to catch the mistress, or taking the mistress to cause trouble? She couldn't figure out this man's tactics at all. But Zhu Xun Chuan didn't give her time to react, already striding towards the elevator.

Ten minutes later, a black Land Rover Range Rover drove into the Beijing night.

Jiang Yao sat in the driver's seat.

The car was filled with the rich scent of genuine leather and the domineering fragrance of black datura stalks emanating from Jiang Yao. These two scents intertwined, filling the cramped car with a static-like atmosphere, like the eve of a fierce battle.

Jiang Yao gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning blue from the force.

She would occasionally glance at Zhu Xunchuan in the passenger seat out of the corner of her eye.

Zhu Xun Chuan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. He knew all too well the temperaments of the women around him.

The more you try to hide it, the more thoroughly they'll investigate. It's better to lay everything out in the open. Since they're all powerful and arrogant, let them face the consequences themselves.

Only by breaking their comfort zones where they fight their own battles can he truly tether these wild horses to his own stable.