Chapter 760

When the plane landed at the capital airport, it was already late at night.

Lin Dongfan stepped out of the cabin door, and the cool wind of the autumn night hit his face, carrying the dryness unique to the north. He took a deep breath, leaving behind the humid air of Wuzhou mixed with disinfectant and haze.

Lao Ba was waiting in a car at the exit.

After getting into the car, Lin Dongfan's first words were: "How's home?"

"Madam is doing well, but..." Lao Ba glanced at him in the rearview mirror, his expression somewhat subtle: "She's recently gotten into futures again, supposedly losing money faster than stocks."

Lin Dongfan rubbed his faintly aching temples: "Let's go back to the company first."

"Going to the company this late?"

Lao Ba expressed surprise verbally, but his actions were sincere; he immediately started the car and drove toward the headquarters of Guoyun Technology.

The CBD at night remained brightly lit, though the streets were much quieter. Lin Dongfan entered the empty office building, and the elevator went straight to the top floor.

His office still had the lights on—Yu Youwei was waiting for him.

"Mr. Lin." Yu Youwei stood up, holding a folder: "The Zhao Group materials you requested have been preliminarily organized."

"Give me the key points."

Lin Dongfan took off his coat and sat down behind the desk.

Yu Youwei opened the folder.

Speaking steadily and professionally: "Zhao Group, Chairman Zhao Hongwei, 62 years old, started in the 1990s with demolition and construction, completed initial accumulation then shifted to finance and real estate. Currently its four main divisions are real estate, finance, minerals, and healthcare. The group's total assets are estimated at around 50 billion, possibly higher in reality."

She pulled out one page and pushed it toward Lin Dongfan.

She continued: "His son Zhao Tianyu, 32, is currently the group's vice president. This person acts flamboyantly, enjoys mingling in various circles, but his methods..."

She paused, then added a four-word evaluation: "Not very clean."

"How exactly is it not clean?" Lin Dongfan asked.

Yu Youwei replied: "In the past three years, there have been seventeen lawsuits related to Zhao Tianyu, including commercial fraud, contract disputes, and even two personal injury cases, but they were all ultimately settled or dismissed due to insufficient evidence."

Yu Youwei pointed to a marked line: "Most importantly, in three of those cases, the plaintiffs or key witnesses encountered accidents during the litigation—car crashes, falls from buildings, or sudden illness leading to death."

Lin Dongfan's eyes narrowed slightly: "Is it related to the case Yang Qing is investigating?"

"There's an indirect connection."

Yu Youwei pulled out another document.

Continuing: "The Zhao Group's real estate project in Wuzhou—Jinxiu Shanhe—saw a construction worker fall to his death last year. When the family sought compensation, they discovered evidence that the project had used substandard building materials in violation of regulations and cut corners. After the incident blew up, Zhao Tianyu tried to hush it with money, but the victims' family handed the evidence to the media."

"What happened then?"

"On the third day after the media exposure, the deceased's parents' home caught fire; the elderly couple suffered severe burns, and all original evidence was burned. The police concluded the investigation was due to aging wiring, which caused the fire."

"Damn!"

"Coincidentally, the unit responsible for overseeing this safety accident at the time was the Wuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. Deputy Director Yang of the Provincial Department had raised doubts and demanded a thorough investigation."

"Still gotta be Old Yang."

Lin Dongfan tapped his fingers on the desk, and the puzzle in his mind began to piece together.

Construction accident, criminal investigation, Zhao Tianyu's usual tactics, Yang Qing's involvement... and later the arson targeting Yang Qing's entire family.

This is no coincidence; it's cause and effect.

"Go on."

"After Yang Qing took over, he conducted a comprehensive investigation into the fire's truth. We don't know exactly which stage the investigation had reached, but not long after, a terrifying fire broke out at Yang Qing's home."

"I know these."

"Also, there's Madam's close friend Xu Lili, who has been in close contact with Zhao Tianyu. The properties under Xu Lili's name and the so-called living expenses she receives each month trace their funds to shell companies controlled by Zhao Tianyu. Put bluntly, Xu Lili is a canary kept by Zhao Tianyu; her approaching Madam must have an ulterior motive."

Hearing this, Lin Dongfan closed his eyes and ran through all the information in his mind.

Zhao Tianyu's sending Xu Lili to approach Chu Lingxi is likely related to the national-level "Smart Energy" project that Guoyun Technology is currently reviewing, since the Zhao Group is one of the bidders.

This is a multidimensional web.

Business, criminal, interpersonal, and power—intertwined together.

"You think..."

Lin Dongfan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp: "Xu Lili is coaxing Lingxi into trading stocks and futures—does she want Lingxi to lose money and collapse, or to make money? Or perhaps to convey benefits to Lingxi."

"Based on what we see now, it's more likely she wants Madam to lose money and collapse." Yu Youwei explained, half-laughing, half-crying: "These past few days, Madam's operations in the futures market... hard to put into words, her losses have already exceeded seven figures. The tutor Xu Lili recommended specializes in leading people into ditches."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dongfan not only didn't get angry but showed a faint smile: "As long as it's not secretly conveying benefits, the rest is easy to handle. Arrange a reliable person to pose as a 'folk master,' gain Lingxi's trust, and take her to play the stock and futures markets. Whether they make money or not doesn't matter; I just want her to be happy."

Yu Youwei was slightly surprised: "Not expose Xu Lili's true face?"

"Exposing her now would startle the snake." Lin Dongfan stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the sleeping city: "Xu Lili is the bait, Zhao Tianyu is the fish. I want to see what tricks they're trying to pull."

"Understood." Yu Youwei nodded: "Then... should we strengthen Madam's personal security?"

"Hmm, arrange a female bodyguard to follow her under the guise of a lifestyle assistant or financial advisor." Lin Dongfan paused: "You can discuss this with Xie Xiaofeng of the Security Department."

"Alright, I'll go say hello to Old Xie."

After Yu Youwei left, Lin Dongfan stood alone by the floor-to-ceiling window.

At two o'clock in the morning, Jingcheng still had sleepless lights.

He took out his phone and dialed Lin Zhenhua's number: "Uncle, am I disturbing your rest?"

"I just finished reviewing a document." Lin Zhenhua's voice carried the hoarseness of staying up late: "You're back from Wuzhou? How's the situation on Yang Qing's side?"

"His act is pretty good so far, and he hasn't shown any telltale signs yet." Lin Dongfan paused, then added: "Uncle, the waters of Wuzhou are murkier than we imagined. Have you heard of Zhao Hongwei and his son from the Zhao Group?"

On the other end of the line, there was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of a lighter.

"Never heard of them..." Lin Zhenhua took a puff of cigarette, then asked: "What's up? Did they provoke you?"

"The incident where Yang Qing's home was burned might be related to the Zhao Group. Moreover, the Zhao father and son have already reached out to Lingxi's side, seemingly trying to use Lingxi to manipulate me..."

Lin Dongfan briefly recounted the matter of Xu Lili.

After hearing it, Lin Zhenhua gave a cold snort: "This Zhao father and son really don't know the meaning of death!"

"The Mayor of Wuzhou—Wang Qigang—supposedly parachuted in from the central ministries in Jing; can we rely on him?" Lin Dongfan pressed.

"Moving Wang Qigang to Wuzhou is a decision of the Central Organization Department; don't rashly question baseless matters."

"When it concerns others' reputations, Lin Zhenhua does not lightly comment; he is very cautious."

"Mainly, he doesn't really know that person Wang Qigang; he's swamped with daily affairs, so he has no time to monitor a minor mayor's movements."

"Lin Zhenhua again instructed Lin Dongfan: 'Keep an eye on Lingxi; don't let her become a loophole for corrupt elements to attack our Lin Family.'"

"Hmm, rest assured, I've made arrangements for this."

"As for Lingxi's character, Lin Dongfan has never doubted it; he believes that no matter how much Lingxi wants to prove her financial ability, she will never touch others' bribes."