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Zhao Xin stared at the news feed on his computer screen, his fingers trembling slightly.

On the screen, a photo of Suning and Ma Yun raising their glasses on a painted boat on West Lake was particularly eye-catching, with the title "Business genius Suning joins hands with Ma Yun, causing a sensation at the Hangzhou Internet Summit".

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhao Xin suddenly said "good" three times in a row, his wrinkles smoothing out and revealing a rare smile. "That was a beautiful slap!"

Huang Fengtu's hand, holding the teapot, froze in mid-air. He looked at his old friend in surprise: "Are you... praising Su Ning? Have you already forgotten about being dealt with by your son?"

"Hmph! I'm praising this slap in the face!" Zhao Xin slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at the screen. "Those old foxes from the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce, how did they treat me back then? Now my son has publicly humiliated them, how satisfying!"

Huang Fengtu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Old Zhao, you've forgotten again! Your son doesn't acknowledge you as his father."

“I told you! Blood ties are something you can't deny, whether you acknowledge them or not.” Zhao Xin narrowed his eyes, his gaze passing through the tea room window and looking towards Hangzhou. “This kid is even more ruthless than I was back then. He knows how to strike at the heart of the matter. What does the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce care about most? Face! He's determined to trample their most valued face underfoot in front of the whole of Hangzhou.”

Zhao Xin picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, completely unaware that tea was dripping down his chin.

For so many years, he had never felt so exhilarated.

The Nanshan Chamber of Commerce once joined forces with the Jinhai Group to drive him to the brink of despair, but now it is being targeted by his own bloodline?
The son who had never acknowledged him was publicly humiliated.

"Fengtu, book me a plane ticket to Hangzhou," Zhao Xin suddenly said.

"Are you going to see Su Ning?"

“No,” Zhao Xin revealed a shrewd smile, “I’m going to watch the show. This good show has only just begun.”

"Huh? Old Zhao, you're really boring."

"..."

……

Pei Luoshen's red Maserati was parked in front of a quiet alley by West Lake.

She took off her sunglasses, her red lips slightly parted: "We've arrived."

Suning looked up at the antique building in front of him, with the words "As Before" written on a black plaque with gold lettering.

Two hostesses in cheongsams stood on either side of the door, their smiles so perfect they looked like they were cut from the same mold.

"Pretentious," Su Ning commented with a sneer.

Pei Luoshen chuckled: "Hmph! This is the most exclusive private club in Hangzhou, it's members-only, and ordinary people can't even get in."

“So it’s even more pretentious.” Su Ning put his hands in his pockets, showing no intention of going in. “Making simple things complicated and turning natural interactions into routines, that’s not taste, that’s pretentious.”

Pei Luoshen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, attracting the attention of passersby.

“Sister Cai is right, you really are different from others.” She leaned closer to Su Ning, the scent of her expensive perfume faintly emanating from her. “But I just love your aloofness.”

She took Suning's hand: "Just keep me company, okay? I promise the Longjing tea inside is the best in all of Hangzhou."

The interior of the teahouse is even more luxurious than its exterior.

The antique-style furniture is all made of rosewood, the walls are adorned with calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, and even the tea sets are antique treasures.

The waiters moved silently among them, their movements as precise as if they were performing a tea ceremony.

Pei Luoshen was clearly a regular customer and was led to a private room at the very back.

Outside the window is a meticulously designed bridge over a stream, with artificial mist swirling around it, creating a dreamlike fairyland atmosphere.

"How is it?" Pei Luoshen elegantly poured tea.

Suning looked around and bluntly stated, "It's fake."

"Oh?"

“True antiquity comes from the sedimentation of time, not from piling up money. It’s certainly not about decorating with this kind of dim lighting.” Su Ning picked up his teacup and took a sip. “Just like this tea, no matter how expensive the packaging is, it can’t compare to the wild tea brewed by an old farmer in the mountains in a rough porcelain bowl.”

A hint of surprise flashed in Pei Luoshen's eyes, then her smile deepened: "Interesting! So what do you think is true?"

"Interests." Su Ning put down his teacup and looked directly into her eyes. "For example, you brought me here, not just for tea. Tell me! What do you want?"

The air in the private room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Pei Luoshen's smile faded, a sharp glint flashing in her phoenix eyes: "Cooperation."

"What kind of cooperation?"

“Comprehensive.” Pei Luoshen took a document out of her Hermès bag and pushed it to Su Ning. “I have some connections in Hangzhou, and you have capital and brains. We can… complement each other.”

Suning opened the document and quickly browsed through it.

This is a business plan that involves the development rights to several prime plots of land in Hangzhou.

One of them happens to be the location of the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

"Quite an appetite." Su Ning closed the file. "Why did you choose me?"

“Because you’re not afraid of the Nanshan Chamber of Commerce.” Pei Luoshen tapped her fingers lightly on the table. “And also because… of your relationship with Zhao Xin.”

Su Ning's eyes suddenly turned cold: "I have nothing to do with Zhao Xin."

“Blood ties are blood ties,” Pei Luoshen said meaningfully. “Just like the name of this teahouse—'As Before.' Some people and some things are destined to be inescapable.”

"Don't laugh at me! I'm not really interested in the real estate industry. The reason I acquired Jinhai Group was simply to fill any gaps in my business."

Is this a rejection?

Actually, I'm more interested in you than in these plots of land.

"Oh? Aren't you afraid I'm a Medusa?"

"If you really are Medusa, then I am Perseus."

"..." Originally, he wanted to seduce and test Su Ning, but unexpectedly, he was the one who was seduced by Su Ning.

Therefore, Pei Luoshen hesitated at this moment, after all, most women are hypocritical.

……

In a top-tier office building in Hangzhou's Qianjiang New City, Li Zhijin stands in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the Qiantang River.

She was wearing a sharply tailored Armani suit, her hair meticulously styled in a bun, making her look completely different from the lively and adorable female netizen she was online.

My phone vibrated, and a text message appeared on the screen: [Zhijin, what's your thought about meeting? —Wei Jinghai]

Li Zhijin frowned and placed her phone face down on the table.

Wei Jinghai has been contacting her frequently lately, ostensibly to discuss cooperation on crude oil projects, but she always feels that something is amiss.

He wanted to consult that powerful grandfather, but Li Minxian trusted Wei Jinghai completely.

There was a knock on the office door, and the assistant poked his head in: "Mr. Li, the background check report for the crude oil project is out."

Li Zhijin took the thick stack of documents and quickly flipped through them.

The data is detailed and the analysis is professional; it looks like a sure-fire way to make money.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy she felt.

"Have you applied for the quota?" she asked without looking up.

"It's being processed, but the port has been cracking down lately, so it might take a while."

Li Zhijin closed the document: "Tell President Wei that we need more time to assess market risks."

The assistant had just left when the office door was pushed open again.

Wei Jinghai himself stood at the door, holding an exquisite doll box in his hand.

"I hope you won't mind my unauthorized visit, Zhijin?" He walked in with a smile and placed the box on the table. "I heard you say you liked the limited edition of this series last time, and since I happened to see it, I bought it."

Li Zhijin stared in surprise at the doll in the box; it was the hardest-to-find piece in her collection. She instinctively reached out, then withdrew her hand warily: "Brother Hai, you're really too kind…"

"It's just a small gift." Wei Jinghai smiled gently. "I understand your concerns about the crude oil project. Actually, I have an idea. How about we partner with Sunrise Capital to do it together and share the risks?"

“Sunrise?” Li Zhijin raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t they our competitors?”

"There are no permanent enemies in the business world," Wei Jinghai said meaningfully. "Just like your grandfather and my father... they were once business partners."

Li Zhijin nodded thoughtfully, unaware of the fleeting cold glint in Wei Jinghai's eyes.

When she finally accepted the doll, Wei Jinghai's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

Hidden in the doll's eyes are state-of-the-art miniature listening devices.

As the general manager of the Li Group, Wei Jinghai has been using the Li Group to engage in smuggling.

In fact, Wei Jinghai and Chen Hongxiong were the same kind of people, blinded by hatred, who ultimately pushed themselves into an abyss.

……

Late at night, at an abandoned dock in Hangzhou.

A salty, damp river breeze carrying the smell of diesel fuel blew in. Wei Jinghai stood in the shadows, looking at the Russian man with a face full of scars in front of him.

"Where's the goods?" he asked in fluent Russian.

The scarred man grinned, revealing his gold-plated front teeth: "Boss Wei is straightforward."

He snapped his fingers, and several of his men opened the container, which contained neatly stacked metal barrels.

Wei Jinghai stepped forward to examine him, his expression normal, but he was secretly shocked.

The purity of these crude oils far exceeded expectations, and the quantity was also 30% more than agreed upon.

"The extra part..."

"A gift." The scarred man patted Wei Jinghai on the shoulder. "Hoping for a long-term partnership."

Wei Jinghai knew what this "gift" meant.

This crude oil is of dubious origin; if something goes wrong, it could be enough for him to spend the rest of his life in prison.

But he simply nodded calmly: "The port has been cracking down lately, and I need three days to arrange the shipment."

"I want to see the money in three days." A fierce glint flashed in the scarred man's eyes. "Otherwise..."

“I know the rules,” Wei Jinghai interrupted him, taking a check from his inner pocket. “This is the deposit.”

After leaving the dock, Wei Jinghai dialed a number in his car: "Gather the brothers, there's a big order."

After hanging up the phone, he looked at himself in the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with a hatred that had never been extinguished in the past twenty years.

“Li Minxian,” he murmured to himself, “your granddaughter will be your greatest weakness.”

In fact, Wei Jinghai had always regarded Li Zhijin as his own possession. Everyone around him said that he was Li's son-in-law, and he actually believed it.

……

Meanwhile, at a high-end restaurant on the Bund in Shanghai, Cai Yanzhi was having dinner with her best friend.

When her phone displayed a call from "Pei Luoshen," she frowned slightly.

"Excuse me for a moment," she said to her best friend, walking into the hallway to answer the call.

“Sister Cai, your little friend is so interesting.” Pei Luoshen’s voice was playful. “Today he belittled ‘Ruguo’ to the point of being worthless.”

Cai Yanzhi chuckled: "So?"

“That’s why I want him even more.” Pei Luoshen paused. “Just who is he? Why does he react so strongly to Zhao Xin?”

“Luoshen,” Cai Yanzhi’s tone turned cold, “I introduced you to each other to discuss business, not to satisfy your curiosity.”

"Don't be so serious," Pei Luoshen said with a smile. "I just think... he's a bit like Wei Jinghai. They're both the kind of men who harbor deep hatred in their hearts."

Cai Yanzhi suddenly fell silent.

At the end of the corridor, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a dazzling night view of the Huangpu River, with cruise ships resembling a flowing galaxy.

She finally said, "Su Ning is different from Wei Jinghai! He's the kind of man who can truly ruin a woman's life."

"real or fake?"

"Also, Su Ming's relationship with Zhao Xin is a bit complicated. When he was nine years old, he was kidnapped by Zhao Xin's enemies. He fought back and killed three kidnappers by himself. Since then, he has been missing. Some people say that he suffered a brain injury and lost his memory. So his relationship with the Zhao family cannot be explained in a few words."

"So that's how it is! No wonder he said Zhao Xin wasn't his father."

"Alright! Try not to provoke Suning, it's for your own good."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Cai Yanzhi stared at the phone screen for a long time.

She vaguely sensed that a storm was brewing, and that Su Ning, Pei Luoshen, Wei Jinghai, Li Zhijin...

Everyone will be involved.

……

In Li Zhijin's apartment, the exquisite doll sat quietly on the bookshelf.

Its glass eyes reflected the blue light from the computer screen, recording everything in the room.

Li Zhijin is on a video call, and on the screen is the kind face of her grandfather, Li Minxian.

"Zhijin, it's your birthday next month. Grandpa has a big gift for you."

"What kind of mysterious gift is this?" Li Zhijin asked with a smile.

"I ordered a watch for you in Switzerland, a limited edition Patek Philippe." The old man's eyes were full of affection. "By the way, how's the oil project going?"

Li Zhijin's expression turned serious: "Wei Jinghai proposed to partner with Risen Capital to trade crude oil futures. Grandpa, I always feel that he..."

“Xiao Hai?” Li Minxian suddenly interrupted her, his expression particularly relaxed. “Don’t overthink it! Xiao Hai is still trustworthy. If you don’t want to play around, hurry back and inherit the family fortune.”

"Hmph! Grandpa, you're looking down on me! I'll prove you wrong."

"Fine! Do whatever you want, just don't forget the bet between us."

"..."

After the video ended, Li Zhijin frowned in confusion.

She got up and walked to the bookshelf, unconsciously picking up a doll and playing with it.

Unbeknownst to her, this conversation was being transmitted in real time to a monitoring room several kilometers away via a hidden transmitter.

Wei Jinghai stared at the screen, his lips twisting into a ferocious smile.

“Interesting…” he repeated Li Minxian’s words softly, his eyes filled with murderous intent. “Li Minxian, I didn’t expect you to trust me so much?”

He then pressed the record-save button, and this conversation would become the most important piece in his revenge plan.

Of course, he also needed to understand Li Zhijin and Li Minxian's every move, only in this way could the plan be perfectly executed.

After a twenty-year wait, it's finally time to reap the rewards.

Outside the window, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the Hangzhou night sky, followed by rumbling thunder.

A storm is coming.

...(End of chapter)