“It seems you’re not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also remarkably adept at counter-surveillance. Help me find out who planted this listening device,” Liu Shi said.
“This listening device was placed not long ago. It should be after the assassination attempt in Japan—when they failed to kill you, they changed their strategy. We can start by checking the surveillance footage for anything suspicious,” Su Jie said.
Liu Shi immediately called in his assistant and gave a few instructions.
The assistant went out and returned about half an hour later. “Boss, after reviewing the surveillance footage, we found that only a cleaning staff member came in to clean over the past two days. But he resigned yesterday and is now nowhere to be found.”
“Alright, you may go.” Liu Shi knew that the trail had gone cold.
“It seems some parts of your Hedao Group have been infiltrated,” Su Jie said upon hearing this. He knew there was something wrong inside Hedao Group—like a large tree hollow at its core.
If this had happened in Larry’s building, within a minute the computers would have automatically identified all persons involved. Yet Hedao Group had taken half an hour just to check surveillance footage—a clear sign of inefficiency.
Of course, this was also because Liu Shi had not made security so precise.
Larry had been terrorized by assassination attempts.
“From the current evidence, this listening device has nothing to do with Wen Ting. If there are other moles within our group, that would be very troublesome,” Liu Shi said. Through this incident, he also felt the crisis. “By the way, you’re good at reading people. The executives here are all core members of our Hedao Group. Take a look and tell me who is loyal and who is treacherous—who has ill intentions.”
“They each have their own agendas,” Su Jie said. “But I don’t have the ability to see through all their thoughts at a glance—that would make me a god, not a human. Physiognomy isn’t very accurate either—it can only determine part of the picture. Besides, everything should be based on evidence. In short, don’t overestimate my abilities. I haven’t reached the level of being able to predict events with divine accuracy.”
“Very well.” Liu Shi nodded. “Help me with one thing: keep an eye on Wen Ting. Find out how he obtained the Feng family’s illegal evidence, whether this matter is real, and whether he is colluding with the Feng family.”
“It seems you also sense the danger. Think about it—if you had truly met with misfortune this time, who would benefit the most?” Su Jie asked.
“That’s exactly what puzzles me,” Liu Shi said. “If something happened to me, Wen Ting would certainly not be the biggest beneficiary. In fact, he might even be suppressed. If someone else became chairman, he would essentially be sidelined. According to his own interests, he would definitely want me to stay—waiting eight or ten years until his foundation is stable before making a move. That’s why I find it puzzling. Because no one else has a motive either.”
“You are the spiritual leader of Hedao Group. If you fall, the entire group will be cast in shadow, and no one can hold the fort,” Su Jie nodded. “Even Xia Shang of Mingxia doesn’t want anything to happen to you. If something happened to you, he would stand out too prominently, and that wouldn’t last long either.”
“Things must be taken step by step. I currently lack truly reliable advisors. If you can persuade Master Luo and Master Ma to give me strategic advice, I will surely reward you handsomely,” Liu Shi said.
“Master Luo and Master Ma are actually scientific researchers,” Su Jie said. “One more thing: your struggle with Mingxia is likely to put you on the back foot for quite some time.”
“Why?” Liu Shi did not understand.
“Because a friend of mine has joined Mingxia,” Su Jie said. “He has great talent. If he devotes himself fully to Mingxia’s cause, I’ve observed that apart from this Wen Ting, no one can truly stand against him.”
“You’re talking about Zhang Jinchuan, aren’t you?” Liu Shi smiled mysteriously. “I have a deep friendship with his father, Zhang Yixian.”
“There’s this connection as well.” Su Jie suddenly realized he had underestimated Liu Shi. If Liu Shi hadn’t revealed this now, he would still have been in the dark.
“Zhang Yixian is skilled in the innate divine calculations, living as a recluse in the Zhongnan Mountains. He is truly a hermit, roaming the forests with ease and living a life of great comfort,” Liu Shi said, with evident envy.
“Let’s not dwell on that. I do need to investigate Wen Ting’s relationship with the Feng family, but you must give me resources within the group—people you trust to help me,” Su Jie said.
“I’ll have Liu Guan work with you,” Liu Shi said. “My own son—that should be enough resources. And he gets along well with you.”
“That works,” Su Jie nodded.
“You must get to the bottom of this before the acquisition,” Liu Shi said.
“I can’t guarantee that,” Su Jie said, not bothering to ingratiate himself with his superior. “Wen Ting is very difficult to deal with.”
To his credit, Liu Shi was actually satisfied with this response. “Just do your best. This matter also concerns your sister. I have an idea—think about it: if Wen Ting is indeed up to something, it’s very likely that the organization behind him is more powerful than the Feng family. Otherwise, why would the Feng family cooperate with him so readily? If we can start from him, might we obtain information about your sister’s whereabouts?”
“There’s a possibility,” Su Jie’s eyes flickered. “But your daughter is in a relationship with him—that’s very dangerous.”
“That’s why I hope you can change my daughter’s mind.” Liu Shi was also helpless when it came to his daughter. “If Wen Ting has no secrets, then as a man from a poor family, he would actually be a good match for my daughter. If my daughter chose someone of equal social standing, she might not be happy. According to my interests, an equal match would be best, but for my daughter’s happiness, I think someone without a background would be better.”
“Someone without a background isn’t necessarily going to be happy. Look at the princess of S@msung Group in Korea—beautiful, wealthy, highly educated—she married a security guard, but he was uneducated, abusive, and even demanded billions in compensation after their divorce. That wasn’t happiness either,” Su Jie laughed. “Wen Ting is a formidable character. Your daughter definitely can’t handle him.”
“They must be separated.” Liu Shi said. “I’m entrusting this to you.”
“I won’t be the villain,” Su Jie waved his hand.
“You have no choice. Dealing with Wen Ting inevitably involves dealing with my daughter. It depends on how you handle it,” Liu Shi said with a half-smile.
“If Wen Ting is truly connected to the danger surrounding my sister, then he’s finished. If your daughter stands in the way, don’t blame me for being ruthless,” Su Jie said bluntly, warning Liu Shi first. He couldn’t let Liu Shi think he was someone who could be pushed around.
“You…” Liu Shi was taken aback, uncomfortable—no one had ever dared speak to him like this. But looking at Su Jie, he really couldn’t do anything about him. He waved his hand. “Alright, let’s not discuss this. I’ll handle my daughter. You do your part.”
“That would be for the best.” Su Jie nodded and walked out directly.
Watching Su Jie leave, Liu Shi remained silent for a long time.
After about ten minutes, Liu Guan came in.
“Dad, how did it go?”
“What do you think of Su Jie?” Liu Shi asked.
“Formidable. He can match some of the truly strong, and his potential for growth is immense,” Liu Guan said. “I want to learn from him, hoping to reach his level.”
“I’m asking whether he has ambition,” Liu Shi said.
“He doesn’t have much ambition. He’s not interested in power or wealth—the only things he cares about are breakthroughs, cultivation, and family. Money is merely a tool for him,” Liu Guan said. “People like him can see clearly, which is also why he’s so strong.”
“I want you to work with him now to find out how Wen Ting managed to deal with the Feng family this time,” Liu Shi said. “Give him your full cooperation, and also learn something from him.”
“Dad, why don’t you just ask Wen Ting directly?” Liu Guan asked.
“Even if I asked him, he would have come up with a flawless explanation. I wouldn’t get to the bottom of it—better not to ask at all.” Liu Shi waved his hand. “Also, I need you to get your sister to completely break her dependence on Wen Ting. Split them up.”
“I can’t handle that. You know my sister—she’s stubborn. And she’s blinded by love. It’s not impossible she might even elope,” Liu Guan said, already getting a headache. “More importantly, Wen Ting treats her very well, never letting her suffer, with no faults to be found. Now many executives in the group have also accepted him. There’s not a single flaw to pick at.”
“I heard your sister is moving in with him?” Liu Shi asked.
“Yes,” Liu Guan nodded.
“Absolutely not allowed.” Anger was evident on Liu Shi’s face. “Here’s what I’ll arrange—separate your sister from him for a while. What do you think is the best way?”
“My sister already has a PhD. It’s not a good idea to send her abroad for further study,” Liu Guan said. “How about I send her to Blackwater Training Camp for some training?”
“That could work—kills two birds with one stone. First, the situation is getting more dangerous, and she needs some self-defense skills. Second, being away from Wen Ting for a while might create new opportunities. But I don’t know if your sister will agree—that’s up to you to persuade her.” Liu Shi could speak freely when confiding in his son.
“Dad, are you trying to set my sister up with Su Jie?” Liu Guan seemed to have caught on.
“Originally, I did think of that.” Liu Shi said. “I can see Su Jie clearly—I understand everything about him. But I can’t see Wen Ting clearly. So Su Jie is the safer choice. However, he doesn’t show me any respect—but I suppose that’s fine.”
“If Wen Ting has nothing going on, that would be ideal—he’d be a good match for my sister. But now it seems there’s a big problem,” Liu Guan said. He was no ordinary character either—having trained at Blackwater Training Camp for a long time, he was well-traveled and far from being a useless rich kid.
Liu Shi had specially trained him from a young age, adopting the same strategy as Feng Shoucheng.
“Dad, what about your security team? Are you really going to invest in that company your friend recommended and train abroad?” Liu Guan asked. “I looked into it—the head of that security company is a woman named Zhang Manman. Her father is a truly significant figure—Zhang Hongqing.”