"Keep watching. Don't move without my order."
"Hey, do you think it's Xia Yan?" Zhan Meng leaned against the car, smiling as she spoke.
"Shut up."
"I have a mouth, but you keep telling me to shut it. Why? Is my voice not pleasant to hear?"
Old Ghost was irritated by Zhan Meng's incessant chatter. He moved the two fingers holding his cigarette, pinched the burning tip, and extinguished the flame with his bare hand. Then, with a cold face, he walked toward Zhan Meng.
"I don't like people getting too close to me."
"Has anyone ever told you you're annoying?"
"No one's ever said that to me."
"Damn it, shut the hell up. If you say one more word, I'll shoot you right now, believe me?" Old Ghost roared at her, unable to take it anymore.
Zhan Meng frowned. The strong smell of smoke from Old Ghost made her feel sick. "Fine, from now on, I'll keep quiet. But the person you're waiting for—he's here."
As she finished speaking, she innocently raised her hand and pointed at the car getting closer to them.
"Screech..."
The car charged straight toward them. Zhan Meng reacted quickly, slipping away to the side. Old Ghost didn't notice in time, and by the time he realized it, Zhan Meng was already gone.
"Damn it!" Old Ghost roared, pulling a black pistol from his pocket and aiming it directly at the driver's seat.
The window rolled down slowly. Before he could see who it was, the door suddenly swung open, and a fist slammed into his stomach. Ning Xi's cold, fierce expression appeared before him. Grabbing him by the collar, he said through gritted teeth, "You dare mess with my little sister-in-law?"
"Where's Xia Yan?"
"Still thinking about my little sister-in-law? That depends on whether you can beat me." As he spoke, Ning Xi immediately threw a high kick, but Old Ghost dodged it.
Ning Xi lifted his chin slightly, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, and threw another punch...
Zhan Meng watched from the shadows as the two fought, occasionally nodding while stroking her chin. Ning Xi's moves were absolutely stunning, incredibly cool.
Yeah, that's it, hit him like that. Keep going...
Old Ghost was Yang Jinkuan's right-hand man not just because of his brains, but mainly because of his skills. Few could last more than ten moves against him.
But Ning Xi's abilities weren't just for show either. Having survived Ning Dong's godlike skills and his twisted training, he'd grown up healthy, which meant his skills were far from ordinary.
"Ning Xi."
Hearing Zhan Meng call his name suddenly, Ning Xi got distracted. Old Ghost seized the opportunity and kicked him to the ground. Ning Xi rubbed his chest and looked to his left. Zhan Meng's hands were tied with rope, and the man behind her had a gun pressed to her head.
"Ghost."
Old Ghost's eyes were naturally narrow and small. Whenever he squinted, he exuded that cold, thuggish aura.
Zhan Meng frowned deeply. She had been hiding well just moments ago, but who would've thought someone would appear from behind and catch her completely off guard? She should've hidden farther away.
The two faced off, and Ning Xi's gaze never left Zhan Meng. Seeing this, Old Ghost suddenly sneered, "Just call Xia Yan here, and I'll let this woman go."
Hearing this, Ning Xi let out a cold laugh. Knowing that Lu Zhengting was monitoring remotely and was annoyed he hadn't acted yet, he muttered a curse under his breath, "If anything happens to Zhan Meng, I won't let you off."
"Haha," Old Ghost laughed loudly, squinting. The man holding Zhan Meng received a signal and suddenly slapped her across the face.
"Damn it, you hit my woman!" Ning Xi roared.
"Damn it, you hit your auntie!" Zhan Meng shouted from the depths of her gut.
Before Zhan Meng could process Ning Xi's words, she saw him throw a hook punch and a sweeping kick, engaging Old Ghost again.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhengting, monitoring remotely from the car, heard Ning Xi's shout. His usually expressionless face unconsciously showed a faint smile. The driver in the front seat caught this and was as amazed as if he'd discovered a new continent.
"Send someone to help Young Master Ning."
"Mr. Lu, what about us now?"
"Back to the hotel."
"That's it?"
Lu Zhengting glanced at the speaker. He had set up this trap not for Xia Yan but with a hidden agenda. Besides, now that Xia Yan had the Xiao family backing her, anyone who wanted to move against her would have to think twice about whether they could take on both the Xiao and Lu families.
Back at the hotel, Lu Zhengting seemed in a good mood. He took a shower and came out in casual clothes, catching sight of Ning Xi sitting on the sofa out of the corner of his eye. He paused, adjusted his sleeves with slender fingers, and asked flatly, "Why are you here?"
"I caught Old Ghost."
"Oh, since you caught him, have someone keep an eye on him."
"Aren't you going to explain?" Ning Xi asked, somewhat annoyed.
Lu Zhengting, expressionless, calmly shifted his gaze to Ning Xi. "What do you want to hear?"
"You set me up?"
"Set you up? What would I gain from that?" Lu Zhengting countered without anger.
Ning Xi was stunned, silently pondering. Lu Zhengting had nothing to gain from scheming against him, but something still felt off.
He wouldn't figure it out until years later, when he realized it wasn't Lu Zhengting who had set him up, but Zhan Meng.
"You're going out?"
"Yeah, meeting someone."
"I didn't know you had friends in Yuzhou."
"You don't know what underwear I'm wearing today either." Lu Zhengting was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. Turning back to the dazed Ning Xi, he added, "I heard she's pregnant."
"Pregnant? Little sister-in-law is pregnant?" Ning Xi asked excitedly.
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting felt a headache coming on. Same parents, Ning the eldest was dull but a natural at romance, Ning the second had different experiences, so no comparison, but Ning the youngest wasn't as clueless as Ning Xi in this area.
"Bro, you're something else." Ning Xi gave Lu Zhengting a thumbs-up, nodding repeatedly.
"You're not bad either." Seeing how clueless he was, Lu Zhengting lost the urge to correct him. Since he'd misunderstood, let him be happy.
The person Lu Zhengting was meeting today was none other than Xiao Yusheng, the current head of the Xiao family.
The Xiao Group was a household name in Yuzhou, involved in restaurants, culture, construction... In this regard, the Lu Group's reach was comparable.
Xiao Yusheng had taken over this massive enterprise from Old Master Xiao at twenty-two, starting a power struggle. Lu Zhengting hadn't experienced this because the Xiao family's branches were all ambitious, trying to snatch power from Xiao Yusheng.
A black Lincoln business car pulled up smoothly at the entrance of the Xiao Group headquarters. The driver got out first, walked to the back, opened the door, and held it respectfully, waiting for Lu Zhengting to step out.
After getting out, Lu Zhengting walked into the lobby alone. The moment he appeared, he drew the attention of everyone around. Despite his casual attire and slightly messy hair, it couldn't hide his innate kingly aura.
His deep features highlighted his coldness and nobility, like an elegant prince. The sharp lines of his side profile added a mature charm. He raised his hand slightly, revealing half of his watch, and glanced at the time—ten minutes until his meeting with Xiao Yusheng.
Perhaps his presence overshadowed everything around him. The front desk staff stared at him until he entered the elevator before snapping out of it.
The elevator dinged, stopping at the thirtieth floor.
"Mr. Lu, hello. I'm Secretary to President Xiao. He instructed me to wait for you here."
Lu Zhengting stepped out of the elevator and saw the woman at the door. He scanned her expressionlessly and asked flatly, "Where's your President Xiao?"
"He's in his office. Mr. Lu, please follow me."
Lu Zhengting nodded and followed the secretary to Xiao Yusheng's office. This was his first meeting with Xiao Yusheng.
They nodded slightly at each other, exchanging smiles, both seemingly harboring their own thoughts. Xiao Yusheng's eyes, filled with a hint of amusement, fixed on him. His deep, steady voice slowly rang out, "I've long heard of you, Mr. Lu. Seeing is indeed believing—you're truly impressive and formidable."
"In terms of status, we're equals, so I should call you President Xiao. In terms of seniority, you're my elder, and I should show respect. Moreover, considering Xia Yan's position, it seems I should call you Uncle."
Hearing this, Xiao Yusheng's brow furrowed instantly, his gaze toward Lu Zhengting sharpening. "Mr. Lu, I can't accept that 'Uncle.' From my investigation, you and our Yan Yan don't seem to have any real relationship."
Lu Zhengting pressed his lips together, smiled, and didn't seem inclined to answer. He calmly looked down and asked, "I believe you didn't call me here just to ask about my relationship with Xia Yan, did you?"
Xiao Yusheng wasn't angered by Lu Zhengting's disregard; instead, a hint of admiration flickered in his eyes. "When Lan Zhi left Yuzhou for Jiangcheng, she never came back. The next time I heard of her, she was gone forever. She died of illness, and I can only sigh at fate's cruelty. But I heard Xu Guang's death wasn't an accident."
"Since you know, why ask?"
"I could indeed stay out of it, but this seems to involve a lot. Is the truth Yan Yan knows real?"
"Half true, half false."
"This concerns Yan Yan's happiness. Are you still unwilling to reveal the truth?"
Lu Zhengting's brow tightened, forming a deep crease. After a long silence, he slowly spoke, "The information and evidence I've found so far..."