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Cheng Ying's fingers swiped rapidly across the tablet, re-demonstrating Suning's final few moves in the Go match.

"Su Ning, your move, 'Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens,' was absolutely brilliant! Even a professional 9-dan player might not have thought of such an opening." Her eyes sparkled. "With your talent, if you focus on a professional career, you will definitely be able to win the world championship within three years."

Suning leaned back in the leather sofa, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Outside the window, the skyscrapers of Lujiazui in Shanghai gleam in the setting sun, a part of his business empire.

"Ms. Cheng, are you joking with me?" he said slowly and deliberately. "Do you know how much cash flow I handle every day?"

Before the other person could answer, he held up three fingers. "At least 30 billion! Do you think I would give up all that to compete for a world championship title?"

"It's still possible that I'll be the one to present the award to the world champion."

"..." Cheng Ying was speechless for a moment.

Then she looked at her best friend Jiang Tanle sitting next to her, her eyes pleading for help.

Jiang Tanle was elegantly sipping a cup of black tea when his eyelashes trembled slightly as he met Su Ning's gaze.

The main reason was that the bet was too exciting, and I lost in a moment of impulsiveness.

“Suning is indeed a good strategist,” Jiang Tanle said, setting down his teacup, the porcelain clinking against the glass coffee table. “But he is also a businessman.”

She paused, a meaningful smile curving her red lips, "And she's a very shrewd businesswoman."

"Hahaha..." Su Ning laughed loudly upon hearing this.

I got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below.

“Tan Le is right. Go is just a hobby for me, just like this game…” He turned around and looked intently at the two ladies, “However, I am serious about fulfilling our bet.”

"What bet?" Cheng Ying asked, her face full of confusion.

"..." Jiang Tanle naturally turned her face away shyly, not daring to look directly into Su Ning's extremely aggressive gaze.

Just then, Cheng Ying's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and her expression turned serious.

"Excuse me, I have to take this call." She strode out of the meeting room, her high heels clicking rapidly on the marble floor.

Only Su Ning and Jiang Tanle remained in the room.

A subtle tension suddenly filled the air.

“Speaking of the bet,” Jiang Tanle put down his teacup, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup, “you won the game, so I should indeed keep my promise.”

She looked up at Su Ning, her eyes flashing with a complex light. "But before that, I'd like to treat you to a meal as a way of... thanking you."

Su Ning approached her, leaning over and resting his hands on the sofa armrests on either side of her. The two were so close that they could feel each other's breath.

"Eat?" he chuckled. "Right now, I'd rather eat you."

"..."

Half an hour later, Suning's private driver parked the car in front of a low-key yet luxurious apartment building on the banks of the Huangpu River.

Looking out the car window at this renowned high-end residence in Shanghai, Jiang Tanle raised an eyebrow: "Is this your mansion?"

“One of them.” Su Ning opened the car door for her, his fingers casually brushing against her waist. “Do you like it?”

Jiang Tanle did not answer, but when she stepped into the top-floor apartment and saw the night view of the Huangpu River unfold like a scroll outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, she involuntarily held her breath.

Across the river, the skyscrapers of Lujiazui gleam with lights, resembling a futuristic world.

“This view…” she murmured.

Su Ning hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Much bigger than a Go board, isn’t it?” His breath brushed against her earlobe. “My world is here, in those buildings, in every deal and merger.”

Jiang Tanle turned around and cupped his face in her hands.

“But the look in your eyes when you play chess… that’s different,” she said softly. “Back then, there was a light in your eyes.”

Su Ning stared at her, then suddenly smiled.

“You know what? You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.” He picked her up in one swift motion. “But tonight, we have something more important to do.”

Outside the window, cruise ships on the Huangpu River sounded their horns, the sound distant and vast.

It is said that Jiang Tanle has a split personality and had a very unforgettable experience in her childhood.

However, Su Ning seems to have an innate talent for dealing with such pretentious women, and soon brought a different world to Jiang Tanle.

In this world, Jiang Tanle felt like a carefree little bird, soaring freely in the sky.

Su Ning didn't have the same sense of constraint that Lin Peng had given her, and Jiang Tanle quickly grew to like that feeling.

……

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the sheer curtains.

When Jiang Tanle woke up, he found that Su Ning was already dressed and making a phone call in front of the French windows.

"Yes, are the arrangements in Hangzhou all set?... No, President Cai won't be going in person this time. She introduced a woman named Pei Luoshen... Hmm, I know Pei Luoshen's reputation..."

Su Ning's voice was deep and calm, completely unlike the man who had been breathing heavily in her ear last night.

Jiang Tanle sat up, and the bed sheet slipped off.

Su Ning turned to look at her, his eyes darkened, and he quickly ended the call.

"Good morning." He walked back to the bedside, leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Jiang Tanle grabbed his wrist: "Are you going to Hangzhou?"

"Yes, I have some business to discuss." Su Ning sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers twirling a strand of her long hair. "The Nanshan Chamber of Commerce has some resources over there, and I'd like to see if we can cooperate."

Jiang Tanle frowned: "Nanshan Chamber of Commerce?"

She shook her head. "That's not a good option. They're very xenophobic, and..."

She hesitated for a moment, "I heard that they have some issues with your father... Zhao Xin."

Suning's expression instantly turned cold.

“Zhao Xin is not my father.” His voice was eerily calm. “I have never acknowledged him as my father.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop suddenly.

Jiang Tanle realized she had touched a taboo, but she did not back down.

"In any case, the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce is not a place for young entrepreneurs. The financial industry is too murky. Su Ning, you're not even thirty yet..."

“It’s not the environment that’s rigid, it’s our mindset.” Su Ning interrupted her, his eyes sharp as knives. “I can see the situation ten moves ahead on a Go board, and I can see through my opponent’s hand in the business world just as well.”

He stood up and straightened his cuffs. "Age is just a number, Jiang Tanle. My mental age is probably older than Zhao Xin's."

"..." Jiang Tanle looked at his straight back and suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

This young man carries too much on his shoulders: the halo of success, the pressure of a business empire, and the shadow cast by a father he has never acknowledged.

“Okay,” she finally relented, “but at least let me have breakfast with you?”

Su Ning's expression softened, and he reached out to help her up.

“Of course, my wild beauty. But…” he looked meaningfully at her bare shoulders, “you need to get dressed first.”

Jiang Tanle laughed and slapped his hand away, but secretly made a decision in her heart: she must hold onto this kind of man tightly.

……

Meanwhile, in a cemetery on the outskirts of Shanghai, Wei Jinghai stood in front of a simple tombstone.

The tombstone simply reads "Tomb of Wei Mingyi" and his/her birth and death dates, without any other words.

"Dad, I've come to see you," Wei Jinghai said softly, placing a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the grave.

He was in his early forties, with graying temples, a resolute face as if carved by a knife, and a terrifyingly cold gaze.

The scene from more than 20 years ago reappeared in his mind: when he was twelve years old, he came home from school and saw his father standing on the edge of the roof of the company building.

The wind blew up my father's suit jacket, like two dying wings.

"Jinghai, remember, there are only two kinds of people in this world..." His father's voice drifted on the wind, "...those who exploit others, and those who are exploited..."

Then, that figure leaped into the air.

Wei Jinghai closed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously clenching.

After his father's death, he was "taken in" by Li Minxian of the Li Group.

That seemingly kind elder secretly appropriated his father's hard work for himself, and only gave him one evaluation: "Wei Mingyi... is a good person."

“Good people…” Wei Jinghai sneered, “Yes! The end result for good people is that they lose everything.”

He crouched down and wiped the dust off the tombstone with his fingers.

“I’ve found Li Minxian’s weakness, Dad,” he whispered. “I will take back what’s ours in a new way.”

"Let him experience the helplessness you felt back then."

When he stood up, Wei Jinghai had already reverted to his usual cold and aloof demeanor as a business elite.

He straightened his suit and turned to leave the cemetery.

Beside the black Mercedes, the driver respectfully opened the car door.

"Go to the company," Wei Jinghai ordered curtly. "Notify all department heads to have a meeting in an hour. I need to personally oversee the project in Hangzhou."

As the car drove away from the cemetery, Wei Jinghai glanced at the rearview mirror.

In the mirror, the father's tombstone gradually recedes into the distance and eventually disappears from view.

Just like the figure that fell from the high-rise building more than twenty years ago, it is forever etched in his memory.

In an old teahouse on the banks of the Huangpu River, Zhao Xin stared at the photo in his hand, his brows furrowed.

The photo shows Suning and Jiang Tanle strolling intimately on Nanjing Road. The girl is holding Suning's arm and has a bright smile.

"Who is this girl?" Zhao Xin threw the photo on the table, his voice hoarse.

Across from him, Huang Fengtu leisurely sipped his tea, his silver-white hair meticulously combed.

“Jiang Tanle, the granddaughter of the former president of Shanghai Sanjiang College. I heard she’s quite good at Go, and now it seems she’s Suning’s…” He paused meaningfully, “…a confidante.”

Zhao Xin snorted coldly: "Hmph! My son certainly knows how to enjoy himself."

"Your son?" Huang Fengtu laughed. "Old Zhao, that kid has never acknowledged you as his father."

Zhao Xin's face turned ugly.

He is not yet fifty years old, but he has already been kicked out of the house by his own son, but his eyes are still as sharp as an eagle's.

“Blood ties aren’t something you can just sever.” He gritted his teeth and said, “He has my blood flowing in his veins, and he’ll understand sooner or later…”

"Understand what? Understand the hardship you endured when you abandoned them, mother and son?" Huang Fengtu shook his head. "Old Zhao, stop deceiving yourself. That child has no memory of you at all. He has already done more than enough by holding a funeral for the old lady."

Zhao Xin didn't respond, but instead asked, "How's the investigation into Wei Jinghai going?"

Huang Fengtu took a folder out of his briefcase.

Interestingly, Wei Jinghai is actually Wei Mingyi's son.

"What?" Zhao Xin looked up abruptly. "Mingyi's son?"

“That’s right! After Wei Mingyi committed suicide, Li Minxian took him in and trained him into the business assassin he is today.” Huang Fengtu sighed. “Fate is truly ironic. The three of us started this business together back then, and now…”

Zhao Xin's expression became complicated.

He opened the folder and saw a photo of Wei Jinghai, a face that bore a striking resemblance to his father.

“Mingyi…” he murmured, his fingers gently tracing the photograph, “If only I could have raised the money sooner back then…”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Huang Fengtu interrupted him. “None of us expected Li Minxian to be so ruthless. The problem now is that Wei Jinghai is clearly targeting you, his enemy, and your son Su Ning seems to be aiming to enter the Hangzhou market as well…”

He looked at Zhao Xin meaningfully and said, "The business world is about to change, Lao Zhao."

Zhao Xin closed the folder, his eyes filled with malice.

“I don’t care what Wei Jinghai wants to do, but Su Ning…”

He clenched his fist. "That kid is too arrogant. He needs to learn a lesson."

Huang Fengtu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Your Zhao family has been stubborn for three generations. Your biggest problem is that you are too arrogant. It's not unjust for you to lose to your son."

"Don't mention him to me!" Zhao Xin suddenly erupted in anger, slamming his fist on the table, the teaware clattering loudly. "That unfilial son!"

His face turned bright red, and his breathing became rapid.

Huang Fengtu quickly handed over the medicine bottle: "Calm down, your heart..."

Zhao Xin swallowed the pills and it took him a while to calm down.

He looked out the window and saw ships coming and going on the Huangpu River.

“Am I really getting old, Fengtu? But I’m not even fifty yet?” he suddenly said, his voice filled with unprecedented frustration and resentment.

Being kicked out of the house by your own son is truly the most frustrating thing.

"..." Huang Fengtu didn't know how to comfort the dejected Zhao Xin.

"But I will never give up! I will make that kid know who the real business tycoon is."

Huang Fengtu did not answer, but silently poured him another cup of hot tea.

Amidst the fragrant aroma of tea, the two elderly figures appeared exceptionally lonely.

……

A week later, on the shores of West Lake in Hangzhou.

Suning stood in a suite at a five-star hotel, overlooking the beautiful scenery of West Lake.

For the past seven days, he and Jiang Tanle have been inseparable. From Shanghai to Hangzhou, the two of them went shopping, ate, and cruised the lake like any ordinary couple.

But Suning knew that this relationship was far more complicated than it appeared.

Jiang Tanle showed unusual interest in his business plan, and he was happy to showcase his business acumen in front of her.

This is a subtle game, much like the probing and strategic positioning in Go.

After seeing off the reluctant Jiang Tanle, Su Ning knew he needed to start fighting.

The doorbell rang, interrupting Su Ning's thoughts.

He opened the door, and a woman in a red cheongsam stood outside.

She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall, with exquisitely beautiful features that were almost bewitching, especially her slightly upturned phoenix eyes, which seemed to be able to captivate and bewitch.

"President Su, I've heard so much about you." The woman extended her hand, her voice as sweet as honey. "I'm Pei Luoshen. Sister Cai sent me to pick you up."

Su Ning held her hand; it felt cool and smooth like jade.

"Hello! Miss Pei is even more... stunning than the rumors suggest." He smiled politely, but subtly released her hand.

Pei Luoshen chuckled, her red lips as red as blood: "Sister Cai said you have extraordinary self-control, but I didn't believe it."

She entered the room, her high heels leaving faint marks on the carpet. "I've already made arrangements with the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce, but..."

She turned around, her eyes suddenly sharpening. "They seem to have some... prejudice against you."

"Because of Zhao Xin?" Su Ning raised an eyebrow.

“Smart.” Pei Luoshen nodded approvingly. “Zhao Xin and his Jinhai Group were quite ruthless back then, almost driving the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce to the brink of ruin. They’ve held a grudge for over a decade.”

Suning walked to the liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of whiskey.

"In the business world, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests." He handed Pei Luoshen a glass. "I believe the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce understands this principle."

Pei Luoshen took the wine glass, her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against the back of Su Ning's hand.

“The problem is…” she took a sip, leaving an ambiguous mark of her red lips on the rim of the glass, “what benefits can you offer them?”

Suning did not respond immediately.

He walked to the window and looked at the tourists boating on West Lake.

"Ma Yun is currently looking for new investors," he said casually. "Alibaba is preparing to enter the Southeast Asian market."

Pei Luoshen's eyes widened slightly: "Aren't you and Ma Yun mortal enemies in the internet industry?"

“That’s right!” Su Ning turned around, his smile meaningful. “But after tomorrow, all of Hangzhou will know that we are close friends.”

"..."

……

The next day, the headlines of major media outlets in Hangzhou all featured the same news: business genius Suning made a high-profile visit to Alibaba and had a boat trip on West Lake with Ma Yun to discuss cooperation.

In the photo, two business elites of vastly different ages raise their glasses and smile at each other on a painted boat, with the famous Three Pools Mirroring the Moon of West Lake in the background.

In the president's office of the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce, a teacup was smashed on the floor, shards of porcelain flying everywhere.

"Arrogant!" Chairman Li Minxian was furious. "They actually dare to bypass us and cooperate directly with Ma Yun in Hangzhou!"

The secretary nervously handed over the tablet: "President, what's worse... Mr. Liu from JD.com and Mr. Ma from Tencent have both sent messages saying they're coming to Hangzhou to 'attend the Internet Summit'..."

Chairman Li Minxian's face instantly turned ashen.

He naturally understood Suning's intentions. This was no business visit; it was clearly a slap in the face to the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce in front of the entire industry!

"Grandpa, what made you so angry?"

"Girl, did you come here to laugh at your grandpa?"

"Hehe, how could I dare! I just came here to check on you."

"Hmph! I originally intended to give this little wolf cub a hard time, but I didn't expect..."

"I didn't expect that little wolf cub to flip the table like that?"

"..."

Meanwhile, in the conference hall of the West Lake State Guesthouse, various media outlets aimed their cameras and microphones at the makeshift stage.

Suning stood on the stage, with a smiling Ma Yun beside him.

"I am honored to have reached a strategic partnership with Alibaba," Suning said into the microphone, his voice steady and powerful. "This marks the beginning of a broader era for the Chinese internet..."

Flashbulbs went off one after another from the audience.

In the last row, Pei Luoshen squinted at the radiant young businessman on the stage, a playful smile curving her red lips.

“Interesting…” she murmured to herself, “Zhao Xin’s son is even more ruthless than his father.”

At the edge of the media area, a woman wearing a baseball cap quietly pressed the shutter.

When the camera was pointed at Suning, Jiang Tanle's hand trembled slightly.

She didn't know if she was there to gather business intelligence or simply to see how this man, who had already captured her heart, would manipulate the business world.

...(End of chapter)