After five bigwigs in Beijing's elite circle fell into their trap, I fled.

Chapter 232 The Secret of the Meridian Pavilion
A bureau in Beijing.

"Miss Jiang and those others have gone on a trip abroad. Rong Jingchen has withdrawn all his forces in China, and I heard that all the S-class mercenaries from the Jitian headquarters have also secretly set off to carry out a top-level mission."

Nie Zheng listened to his subordinate's report with a blank expression: "Just pay appropriate attention. As long as it's not targeting us, there's no need to be too nervous."

The subordinate nodded in agreement, looking at his superior, who had become especially taciturn and lifeless since the passing of Madam Jiang:

"There are also unusual developments in the US. It is said that the fighter jets of the FY tycoon princes, which are under control, have also left the country, and their specific destination is unknown."

Nie Zheng knew how much the FY Crown Prince doted on Jiang Shu: "As long as Xiao Shu is safe, there's no need to worry about anything else. That Crown Prince is a very sensible person."

“Alright, there’s one more thing.” The subordinate took out a document. “Before Rong Jingchen left, he temporarily detained someone in a secret base and left a message saying that if he didn’t return from this trip, the person would be handed over to you. He said you would understand when you saw the person.”

Nie Zheng took the document, which contained a photo of a gaunt man who looked as if he had been pulled out of a pile of corpses, with his cheekbones clearly visible.

His gaze fell on the personal profile, and the three characters "Ning Yunzhan" in the name column made his eyes narrow slightly.

He immediately stood up: "Let's go to the Ning family."

Domestically, Nie Zheng began a thorough investigation of the Ning family and Ning Yunzhan's Yunduan Group.

Abroad, Jiang Shu, with her camera, accompanied Li Yubai and his group to various famous tourist attractions, enjoying themselves immensely.

On the fifth day of their trip, the group checked into a luxury hotel in the Norwegian Sea.

That night, it was Ning Yunzhan's turn to 'serve the emperor', and the men's feelings were somewhat complicated.

Feng Li pulled out a deck of cards: "Sleep? What are you talking about? Playing cards all night long, dare you?"

Ning Yunzhan's expression was inscrutable: "What, are you afraid I'll eat her?"

Jiang Shu was also baffled by Feng Li's apparent aversion: "I'm holding a fish tank, and you're jealous, Ali? Have you forgotten how you rubbed against me the other day? That was way more inappropriate than just being separated by a fish tank!"

Feng Li: "...Ning Yunzhan, just tell me if you're going to play or not?"

"I'm not playing." Ning Yunzhan refused without hesitation.

Feng Li scoffed, "You don't even dare to take on such a low-level challenge? Are you even a man?"

Ning Yunzhan smiled gently and asked in return, "If I were to choose to play cards instead of taking this perfect opportunity to spend the night with my sugar daddy, I would truly be unmanly."

Jiang Shu sighed, "You guys are going too far again. Ali, the four of you can play. Ning Yunzhan, come with me to the room."

Jiang Shu was a little tired today.

She hadn't slept much for several days. Apart from Ning Yunzhan and Yan Yu, the other men were acting strangely, always making a fuss at night. Feng Li would rub against her, his cat-like head almost crawling into her pajamas several times. His sticky movements kept her awake all night.

Li Yubai's dog was well-behaved, lying obediently in her arms, but its dark eyes stared at her without blinking, like a last look before parting, which made her feel uneasy. She stared at the dog with wide eyes all night.

Rong Jingchen changed into a new bird of paradise fiber fur, but that guy refused to enter the space no matter what, pestering him to watch the scenery outside the window all night and chat idly all night.

Finally, they presented her with a problem that had driven countless men to bald:
He and Ning Yunzhan are destined to die, so who does she want to die?
To be honest, after these few days of family travel, Jiang Shu clearly felt that Ning Yunzhan was being targeted. As for the reason...

Jiang Shu couldn't understand it, and the men refused to say anything even if it meant death.

As night deepened and dews fell, Jiang Shu and Ning Yunzhan went upstairs under several pairs of overly attentive gazes.

"Am I really that bad?" Jiang Shu sighed softly.

“How could our sugar daddy be a scumbag? We were the ones who proposed this sleep-with-me contract.” Ning Yunzhan smiled. “We just brought this upon ourselves.” Jiang Shu’s guilt vanished instantly: “Yes, I am the innocent victim who was forced to suffer.”

Ning Yunzhan: "...Is it tough to have two women on your left and one on your right, and change boyfriends every day?"

Jiang Shu: "..."

After Jiang Shu and Ning Yunzhan disappeared down the corridor, Yan Yu picked up the cards and asked, "Shall we play by ourselves?"

"What are you playing? You're the only one who's interested in playing." Feng Li gave him a disdainful look.

Yan Yu looked bewildered: "Isn't the point of coming out to have fun? During the day, we enjoy the scenery, go skiing, rafting, and mountain climbing; at night, we play cards, watch dramas, and keep my sister company, right?"

"Yes." Li Yubai took over the conversation, then took out a travel guide map and handed it to him. "In a few days, we will arrive at the Devil's Triangle. You will be responsible for taking our patron to these places, day and night, it's all up to you."

Yan Yu glanced at the travel guide. It was an area far from the Devil's Triangle, and the itinerary in the guide was three days long.

"What about you?"

“We have something much bigger to do,” Rong Jingchen said, “the kind that involves risking your life.”

Yan Yu frowned, glancing back and forth between the men's faces, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Shu still couldn't sleep well in the bedroom because Ning Yunzhan had accidentally knocked over the fish tank.

Jiang Shu silently looked at the water stains on the floor and Ning Yunzhan's innocent and helpless expression, feeling somewhat speechless:
“You guys have all been acting strange ever since we started our trip.”

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that I'm in a foreign country and not used to it." Ning Yunzhan paused for a moment, "I heard that my patron has been spending the last few nights with his beauty. Will he spend the night with me tonight too?"

Jiang Shu had a bit of a headache: "This isn't a good idea..."

"So, does the generous benefactor's 'equal distribution' also apply to different people?"

Jiang Shu paused for a moment, pulled over a thin blanket, walked towards the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, and then sat down on the carpet as if she were doing nothing: "Come on, let's spend the night together."

Ning Yunzhan walked over and sat down next to her, looking at the unfamiliar night view outside: "May I ask the sugar daddy a question?"

Jiang Shu: "Speak."

"If one of me, Rong Jingchen, Feng Li, and Li Yubai is destined to die, who would you choose to die for?"

Jiang Shu: "...Did you guys conspire to make me miserable?"

"I was just saying it casually; I never thought I would die," Ning Yunzhan said softly. "I also wanted to spend my life with my benefactor..."

Li Yubai's room.

Rong Jingchen opened a bottle of wine: "Let's talk about the Ziwu Pavilion."

Li Yubai's cool gaze swept across his face for a moment: "What do you want to say?"

“I’ve told you every detail I can think of,” Rong Jingchen said, looking at him. “Then, I hope to find an answer from you.”

"Does it really have to be at this time?"

“I had a dream last night, in which you died,” Rong Jingchen said. “And you died during the final battle with the new master. Things can change in the long run, so it’s better to have the answer in our own hands sooner rather than later.”

"Oh?" Li Yubai paused slightly. "The night is long, so speak slowly, I'm listening."