A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Cheng Tianxun rushed to the printing factory.

His personal guards, numbering about a hundred, had surrounded the printing factory from top to bottom.

Several thugs from the factory, who were also servants of the Du family, were confronting his men.

With one side armed with a gun and the other with sticks, the outcome was obvious. But Cheng Tianxun's men did not act rashly.

They were just besieging it.

"Can't I even make a phone call?" The middle-aged man said, annoyed and helpless. "Since you say there's a wanted criminal hiding in our factory, you should at least let us in to help search, right?"

One of Cheng Tianxun's adjutants said, "It's pitch black, and this is your territory. If you all go in and search, and let the person escape, how are we supposed to explain ourselves?"

The middle-aged man was so angry he was dizzy: "I can't reason with you. My master will call the warlord later, and you'll be shot."

Cheng Tianxun has arrived.

He casually picked up a long spear and fired a shot at the ground in front of the shouting man.

The man turned pale with fright and fell to the ground; the bullet nearly whizzed through his shoe. Such marksmanship!

This was a warning, not an attempt to kill him. Even so, he was still terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. A gust of cold wind blew, making his back and forehead feel chilly.

"Young Marshal Cheng..."

"Since you recognize me, I won't hold it against you." Cheng Tianxun stood still, his spear planted firmly on the ground. "Du Liangzhong's bond company committed fraud, attempting to abscond with the money during the New Year. After being exposed, they fled to this factory. Were you aware of this?"

The middle-aged man shuddered, his arrogance from when he faced his adjutant gone. He probably knew that Cheng Tianxun was domineering and ruthless, and that his life might end here.

He stood up quickly, not daring to step forward, but bowed slightly: "He did come this afternoon. He was there to collect a sum of money he had left at the factory. I gave him the money, but he had already left."

"I received a tip that someone else had arrived here, but I couldn't find out that he had already left," Cheng Tianxun said.

"You can go in and look for it."

"My adjutant just said it's hard to find in the dark. Let's wait until dawn," Cheng Tianxun said.

His men surrounded the printing plant.

However, after Cheng Tianxun arrived, the middle-aged man was released. He was allowed to enter the factory, but he was not allowed to leave the perimeter of the factory.

The middle-aged man hurriedly went to his office to make a phone call.

I can't get through; the phone lines are all broken.

Even flies can't get out.

This factory prints the Nancheng Daily, published by Miss Seven; it's a morning publication.

The newspapers must be on the market by 3 a.m. today and delivered to readers tomorrow morning.

Now that they're surrounded like this, the important newspaper for the first day of the Lunar New Year can't be published, and the Seventh Miss might skin them alive.

Middle-aged men understand what's going on better.

He read the sample copy, and the front page, in its New Year's greetings, contained a metaphor advising people against "opportunism."

This metaphor is anything but clever; it's almost blatantly written. The target of the satire is Cheng Tianxun's wife.

The vernacular newspaper, the illegitimate daughter's marriage to a wealthy man, the eagerness to make quick success and instant benefits by reopening the morning magazine, etc., all match up with Cheng Tianxun's wife.

The only thing unknown to the world is that she is an "illegitimate child".

While it's described as a metaphor and satire, it's actually an exposure of a scandal.

The middle-aged man wanted to remind Miss Seven to delete the content, but it was too late; he couldn't get out of the house now.

We can only wait for Miss Seven to come looking for us.

Cheng Tianxun made some arrangements and then returned to the club.

The round trip took up most of the hour. The club was preparing for their "New Year's Eve dinner," and the dishes were almost ready, just waiting for his return.

The mahjong table has been transformed into a dining table, and the dim, yellowish lighting has been replaced by glaring electric light bulbs, making it strangely bright.

Xiang Linchuan was saying, "I was thinking there would be a late-night snack, but I didn't expect there to actually be a meal."

The manager, standing nearby, said with a smile, "The young marshal instructed us to hire five top chefs to ensure that every dish is exquisite."

"Second brother still has this thought?" Xiang Linchuan said. "Second brother, he..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cheng Tianxun and stopped talking.

Cheng Tianxun raised an eyebrow: "What about me?"

"Meticulous and thoughtful," Xiang Linchuan said.

Cheng Tianxun casually slapped his head: "What nonsense are you talking about? Say something nice."

Xiang Linchuan hurriedly covered his head and tidied his hair. He had applied a lot of hair oil to keep his hair neat. He had so much hair that it often flew around and he couldn't hold it down.

Cheng Tianxun, looking disgusted, wiped his hands on Xiang Linchuan's clean coat again.

Xiang Linchuan: "..."

The westernmost seat was reserved for Cheng Tianxun, and Qin Yan sat next to him.

After he sat down, Qin Yan asked in a low voice, "What were you doing?"

"We'll talk about it later," he said.

Xiang Linchuan was also at this table. He couldn't stop talking, subtly mentioning Cheng Tianxun's romantic entanglements and implying that he should wag his tail like a big dog.

Cheng Tianxun was about to hit him with a wine glass when Cen Yan stopped him.

Taro soup was served just in time.

Cheng Tianxun ladled a bowl for Qin Yan: "Try it."

Qin Yan tasted it.

It was cooked until soft and flavorful, much better than what she and Ling Manyun cooked themselves.

Qin Yan took a bite and nodded: "It's delicious."

She was about to take her second bite when she remembered something and brought it to Cheng Tianxun's lips: "This is the prize, you should have a bite too."

Cheng Tianxun was slightly taken aback.

Everyone at the table looked at the two of them, especially Xiang Linchuan.

Cheng Tianxun was only stunned for a moment before taking a big bite out of the spot where she had bitten.

Qin Yan: "Be careful not to choke."

I put down the bowl, ladled out some soup, and placed it beside him.

Xiang Linchuan was overjoyed: "Sister-in-law, you are so virtuous."

Lin Zi: "You should eat, so you don't get shot later."

"What? My cousin's wife is so virtuous, and she has such a good relationship with my second brother, can't we say anything?"

"You can say that," Qin Yan replied.

Qin Yan added, "I have a reputation for being a virtuous wife, thank you for your praise, cousin."

Whether her words were sarcastic or not was unclear, but she responded with a straight face, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, which made the joke fall apart.

Xiang Linchuan, on the contrary, felt embarrassed.

Lin Zi said he deserved it.

Qin Yan finished one taro and then ate a second one. The taro was small and round, and there were three in one bowl.

Cheng Tianxun: "Are you going to finish it all?"

"Um."

Cheng Tianxun: "There's a whole table of food, don't eat too much taro and you'll get stuffed."

He said to her, "Take a bite from each one."

Qin Yan bit it.

Cheng Tianxun took it and ate the rest.

The taro soup on the table was untouched because people in the southern part of the city don't eat it during the Lunar New Year, and compared to the other dishes that looked and smelled delicious, it didn't look very appetizing.

Qin Yan then said that she and Cheng Tianxun got to eat the first serving: "The first prize is ours."

During Chinese New Year, she and Ling Manyun would always compete to see who could finish eating first.

She was somewhat pleased.

Cheng Tianxun's eyes were unreadable, but the corners of his lips curled up, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I wish you all the best next year," Qin Yan said again.

Cheng Tianxun: "You too."

The New Year's Eve dinner was eaten quickly because Cheng Tianxun forbade everyone to drink excessively, lest they get too drunk to play cards or stay up all night.

Alcohol is just something to moisten the throat.

Because we drank less alcohol, we ate quickly, and the area outside the club was bustling with noise afterward.

Fireworks and firecrackers were set off all over the city.

They also went downstairs to put it away.

Qin Yan and Cheng Tianxun set off a cluster of fireworks together and talked under the eaves, watching Xiang Linchuan and his friends make a ruckus.

Lin Zi and Cen Yan stood at the entrance of the club, watching the fireworks.

"What were you doing just now?" Qin Yan asked Cheng Tianxun again.

Cheng Tianxun: "We sent men to surround Du Zhuojun's printing factory."

Qin Yan: "..."