Chapter Sixty-Eight: Dongfang Ping's Ambition...

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"Can you tell me about it?" As soon as they got into the car, Lan Zhenghao was the first to speak.

Knowing her father would ask, Lan Qian remained calm. "Dad, I think you've already guessed it. I like that Zhuo Nan..."

Although this was indeed what Lan Zhenghao had suspected, that boy was seven years younger than Lan Qian... How could such a thing be possible? Seeing the confusion on her father’s face, Lan Qian continued, "Dad, do you remember that floppy disk I gave you? He’s the one who got it..."

"And do you remember the last time I caught Lei Bao? He was the one who tipped me off. And it was thanks to him that I was able to expose Zhang Ning’s true identity. I’ve hopelessly fallen in love with him..." Lan Qian spoke with composure, but Lan Zhenghao could sense the excitement in her eyes. He, too, had been young once and knew that when young people fell truly in love, it was a matter of life and death.

Lan Zhenghao didn’t know much about Zhuo Nan, but hearing his daughter speak like this, he began to develop a favorable impression of the boy. Adding in the earth-shattering events of today, he could see that this young man was of good character. Lan Zhenghao had become more open-minded since the whole Zhang Ning incident; he no longer interfered in Lan Qian’s romantic affairs and left everything up to her. Now that she had fallen for this boy, there was just one issue—the age gap was simply too large...

"Qianqian, I’m not against you," Lan Zhenghao said tactfully, "it’s just that you two are so far apart in age. You’re still young now, but later, when you’re together, the issue of age will become apparent..." Though he put it delicately, Lan Qian understood perfectly well what he meant. "A woman ages quickly after thirty, while a man only becomes more attractive with age." Her father’s concerns were not unfounded, but Lan Qian was unconcerned. "Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t let myself come to harm..."

"And what about Zhuo Nan? How does he feel about you?" At the mention of his daughter’s lifelong happiness, Lan Zhenghao’s interest was piqued.

A faint blush crept onto Lan Qian’s cheeks, and she murmured, "I don’t know..."

So she was the only one truly invested in this, while the other party’s feelings remained a mystery. Lan Zhenghao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He understood his daughter’s temperament better than anyone. Now, having bared her heart for a man, she still didn’t know how he felt about her...

"Qianqian, this won’t do. If you really like him, you need to find out if he likes you..." Lan Zhenghao was about to continue when Lan Qian interrupted, "Dad, I’m not in the mood to talk about this right now..."

Lan Zhenghao awkwardly fell silent. It seemed only his daughter could keep him in check...

The Oriental Kailai Grand Hotel was one of the Dongfang family’s properties in Deqing, the most luxurious five-star hotel in the city. At this moment, in the presidential suite, an elderly man with white hair sat in the center of the sofa, exuding an air of authority without anger. He was turning a purple clay teapot in his hands, with two tall, burly bodyguards in black standing behind him.

This old man was Dongfang Shiguo, the current head of the Dongfang family. Standing respectfully at his right was a middle-aged man, his second son, Dongfang Ping. At this moment, Dongfang Ping's gaze toward his father was tinged with a trace of resentment.

"Ping’er, tell me, how did this happen?" Dongfang Shiguo raised his head, his eyes fixed on Dongfang Ping.

Under his father’s invisible pressure, Dongfang Ping appeared nervous, stammering, "Father, this was purely an accident... I had no idea something like this would happen..."

Dongfang Shiguo stared intently into his eyes, trying to glean some truth. Unable to withstand his father’s snake-like gaze, Dongfang Ping had to avert his eyes. Dongfang Shiguo sighed, "Ping’er, I hope you remember our family rules. I don’t want to see this happen again..."

Dongfang Ping remained silent, his back already drenched in sweat. After staring at his second son for several minutes, Dongfang Shiguo sighed and waved his hand. "You may all leave..."

Everyone withdrew. At that moment, a bodyguard outside the door announced, "Sir, the young lady has returned."

Upon hearing that Dongfang Zhiyi had come, Dongfang Shiguo immediately stood up, saying happily, "Quick, let Zhiyi in..."

As soon as Dongfang Zhiyi entered, tears streamed down her face as she threw herself into Dongfang Shiguo’s arms. "Grandfather, I was so scared..."

Dongfang Shiguo affectionately stroked his granddaughter’s hair. "Grandfather knows. Don’t be afraid. Nothing like this will ever happen again..."

Dongfang Zhiyi nodded, wiping her tears. "Grandfather, if that boy hadn’t saved me this time, you would never have seen your granddaughter again..."

The old man nodded slightly, then asked, "How is that boy now?"

"The bullet’s been removed, but he hasn’t woken up yet," Dongfang Zhiyi replied honestly.

"Yuyan..." The old man beckoned Dongfang Yuyan over and said, "Arrange for the best doctors and the finest medicine. Do everything possible to treat that boy. Our family owes him a great debt..."

Dongfang Yuyan nodded respectfully. "Rest assured, sir. I’ve already made the arrangements."

The old man smiled with satisfaction. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his second son, Dongfang Ping, still standing nearby. He frowned in displeasure and said, "What, didn’t you hear what I just said? Why are you still here? Leave at once..."

Dongfang Ping felt deeply humiliated but dared not show it. He could only bow in reply and exit the room. After he left, the old man sighed. The Dongfang family’s rule was that inheritance passed to the eldest, not the youngest. Even if the eldest was a daughter, the family estate would still go to her—this was an ancestral rule. Dongfang Zhiyi was the eldest granddaughter; her parents had died in an accident years ago. According to tradition, after the old man passed, the family business would go to Dongfang Zhiyi.

Because of this rule, Dongfang Ping harbored deep resentment. Though the old man could not be sure Dongfang Ping had anything to do with what happened today, he still sounded the alarm. If it turned out that Dongfang Ping was indeed involved, the old man would show no mercy.

"Yuyan, take good care of the young lady. If anything else happens, you alone will answer to me..." The old man’s words were forceful and brooked no argument. Dongfang Yuyan quickly nodded, "Please rest assured, sir. I guarantee the young lady’s safety with my life..."

Leaving the presidential suite, Dongfang Ping found a secluded spot and dialed a number, speaking into the phone with a vicious expression, "Who did you send me? Damn it, I don’t care what you do—just make sure I’m not exposed. Handle it. And get rid of that boy who ruined my plans as well... Don’t worry, you’ll get your money, but do it cleanly. I don’t want any more mistakes..."

A dull voice replied, "Don’t worry, since I’ve taken your money, I’ll get the job done..." With a click, the call ended.

Dongfang Ping stared coldly ahead, muttering under his breath, "You old fool, you’re completely senile now. Don’t blame me for being ruthless..."

The Dongfang family had investments in Deqing, and Dongfang Zhiyi, taking advantage of her summer break, had come for a visit, bringing only two bodyguards. She never imagined something like this would happen. Dongfang Ping had spent a fortune hiring a killer, but Zhuo Nan’s unexpected appearance ruined his plans. With this chance lost, the old man would surely be on guard, making it much harder to strike again—and he might even expose himself...

Driven by greed, Dongfang Ping was no longer thinking clearly. He would never willingly watch the vast family fortune fall into Dongfang Zhiyi’s hands. At this moment, a terrifying thought surfaced in his mind...

The shootout on Hongjing Road had not been reported on TV, not even for a second, but that didn’t mean no one knew about it. The first to learn of it were those in the criminal underworld, though they didn’t know the identities of those involved—only that a gunfight had taken place.

In the bar, Long Kun and Yang Yilin had been waiting for Zhuo Nan, both finding it strange. Brother Nan was always punctual—if he said he’d come in the afternoon, he would. Especially since today they were discussing major business, deals worth tens of millions. There was no way Brother Nan would be so careless...

Just then, Shi Yang burst in, shouting as soon as he saw Long Kun, "Kun, something big’s happened! Something big!"

"Damn it, Shi Yang, what are you yelling about? How bad can it be?" Long Kun was clearly displeased by the outburst.

Shi Yang rushed over, caught his breath, and blurted out, "Kun, it’s really bad—Brother Nan’s in trouble, Brother Nan’s in trouble..."

Long Kun’s hands clamped onto Shi Yang’s shoulders like iron pincers, making him grimace in pain. "Shi Yang, what did you say? What happened to Brother Nan?"

"Kun, let go, you’re killing me..."

Yang Yilin was just as anxious. "Kun, let go—let Shi Yang talk." In truth, her nerves were no less strained than theirs.

"Sorry, sorry. Go on, tell me!" Long Kun released him and urged him to speak.

"I don’t know the details, but when I got home, I heard from my mom that the police came to our factory this afternoon to find Brother Nan’s mother. It seems something’s happened to Brother Nan."

Long Kun was alarmed. Could it be that Brother Nan had been arrested again? He thought of Old Liu from the criminal police squad—they’d given him plenty of favors these past months, now it was time to call one in. "Let me call Old Liu and ask..." He took out his phone and dialed.

"Hello, Captain Liu? It’s Long Kun... Haha, have you eaten? Oh, you’re busy. I want to ask about someone, a classmate of my little brother, Zhuo Nan..." Before he could finish, Old Liu interrupted, "Long Kun, how do you know about Zhuo Nan?"

Hearing this, Long Kun’s heart skipped a beat. Judging by Old Liu’s reaction, Brother Nan was really in serious trouble. "Captain Liu, please tell me, what did Zhuo Nan do?"

Old Liu was silent for a moment before replying, "Long Kun, we’ve always been on good terms, so I’ll tell you—but keep it to yourself."

That made Long Kun aware of the gravity of the situation. He forced himself to stay calm. "Go ahead, Captain Liu, I’m listening."

"Zhuo Nan was injured—shot by someone. He’s in the hospital now..."

Long Kun nearly dropped his phone. Shot? His first reaction was that Gui Nan Chao had ambushed Brother Nan. Steadying himself, he said, "Thank you, Captain Liu. Come by for a visit sometime. I’ll hang up now."

After ending the call, he saw everyone’s eyes on him. Long Kun gathered Yang Yilin and the other key members in the manager’s office before speaking, "Brother Nan was seriously injured—he’s been shot and is now in the hospital."

Yang Yilin covered her mouth in disbelief, while Shi Yang erupted in fury. "Which bastard ambushed Brother Nan? I’ll cut him to pieces..."

Long Kun shouted, "Shut up! I suspect Gui Nan Chao did this, but we have no proof yet. Everyone, be alert and don’t get into a direct confrontation with Gui Nan Chao. I’ll go to the hospital to check on Brother Nan..." Confirming Zhuo Nan’s situation, Long Kun became more composed, giving clear and steady orders. With the enemy’s identity still unknown, everything was speculation; keeping their own side stable was most important.

With Zhuo Nan absent, Long Kun was the boss. This had always been the rule. Now, whatever Long Kun said was as good as Brother Nan himself, and no one objected. At this point, Yang Yilin spoke up, "President Long, let me go with you..."

Long Kun glanced at her and nodded.

***Highly recommend a great book: "Super Memory" by VIP Chess Piece, Book Number: 79891***