That night, Jiang Fuyue didn’t return to Yutianhua Residence.
She went to the office above Yufeng Kitchen and sat in Liu Jinzhong’s usual seat.
“Uncle Liu, pull up Meng Zhiru’s network of contacts and all the companies under his name. Especially the joint ventures he shares with Lou Mingxin.”
Liu Jinzhong’s expression tightened slightly. He immediately went to work.
Jiang Fuyue then called Niu Rui. It rang for a long time before the other end picked up—
“Who is it?” The tone wasn’t very pleasant.
He’d been fast asleep—who the heck was calling at this hour? Must be crazy.
Jiang Fuyue: “It’s me.”
Niu Rui instantly jolted upright in bed. “Y-yes, ma’am.”
All his drowsiness, complaints, and frustration vanished into thin air.
Jiang Fuyue: “Look into Meng Zhiru. Focus on his relationships—with women and men.”
“Now?” Niu Rui was a bit dazed.
“Before sunrise, I want a full report.”
“…Understood.”
Resigned to his fate, Niu Rui climbed out of bed in his pajamas and headed down to the underground garage.
On the way, he ran into Niu Chunhua, who was up late applying a face mask.
“Holy sh—! A ghost—!”
“Open those pig eyes of yours. Does any ghost look as gorgeous as your mother?”
“Still… why are you walking around silently in the dead of night? And what’s with your face being so white it glows?”
“I’m maintaining! Beauty care! Understand? I can’t have a single wrinkle until I find your next dad!”
“…Right. With this attitude, you’re probably aiming for immortality.”
“Exactly… wait a minute! What’s that supposed to mean? You saying I’ll never find a man?”
“Glad you know. Anyway, enough nonsense, I’m heading down.”
“Hold on—what’re you doing down there in the middle of the night?”
Niu Rui gritted his teeth. “Jiang Fuyue gave me a last-minute assignment. Needs to be done before dawn. Treating me like a d*mn workhorse!”
Niu Chunhua absentmindedly patted his shoulder. “Good luck then. And hey, you are a Niu [‘ox’] after all…”
“!”
Ahem.
“Anyway, try to take some of the burden off her. Ming… I mean, Yueyue, she’s working so hard.”
Niu Chunhua didn’t spare her son much concern—she was far more worried about her bestie.
Expression flat, Niu Rui said, “Why don’t you go ahead and adopt her as your daughter? No—your ancestor.”
“Scram! What nonsense are you spouting? Go!”
Niu Rui hit the elevator button.
Niu Chunhua casually asked, “What’s she having you look into?”
“Meng Zhiru. That freeloader from the Lou family.”
“Oh, that one from the Lou fami—wait, what?! The Lou family?!”
“Yeah. What about it?”
Niu Chunhua’s face froze instantly, then quickly relaxed, as if something had clicked into place.
Niu Rui was about to ask more, but the elevator arrived. He stepped inside, and the metal doors slid shut.
Niu Chunhua opened her mouth slightly. The cream mask on her face had started to dry and pull uncomfortably tight.
It’s starting, huh?
She’s starting with Meng Zhiru…
—
3 a.m.
Liu Jinzhong brought Jiang Fuyue all the data she requested.
“Miss, everything’s here.”
Jiang Fuyue looked up and stretched her stiff neck. “Thank you, Uncle Liu.”
“It’s no trouble. It’s getting late. Why don’t you rest in the lounge? I can wake you at dawn.”
Jiang Fuyue waved her hand. “There’s no time to waste.”
Liu Jinzhong hesitated, then finally voiced his thoughts. “…You don’t have to go to the Imperial Capital the day after tomorrow. A delay wouldn’t hurt.”
Jiang Fuyue shook her head. “Xiao Shan is too cautious. If he doesn’t see results right away, I won’t be able to use him.”
“He’s… an important figure?”
Jiang Fuyue’s gaze drifted off into the distance, momentarily lost in thought.
“Very important,” she replied.
He’s a math nerd—can’t lift a thing, looks harmless—what could he possibly do?
Liu Jinzhong was skeptical but held his tongue.
“Uncle Liu, get ready. Tomorrow, I need to visit Camp A and pick two capable fighters to bring to the capital with me.”
Liu Jinzhong’s eyes sharpened. “Capable fighters”… So this trip to the Imperial Capital won’t be peaceful.
“Understood.”
Jiang Fuyue continued, “Also, make arrangements over there. Follow this plan…”
—
7 a.m.
The sun was just rising.
With dark circles under his eyes, Niu Rui bundled up the report and sent it through an encrypted email.
Only after clicking “send” did he slump into his chair with a deep exhale.
Finally… a moment of peace.
Jiang Fuyue’s probably still fast asleep, right?
Tch. Making him rush like this before dawn—clearly just messing with him, Fat Tiger style!
What difference would half a day make? Seriously…
Niu Rui grumbled inwardly.
Fuming but powerless.
Suddenly—ding!
A reply from Jiang Fuyue?!
Niu Rui shot upright and opened the message.
Just two words:
“Good work.”
In that moment, for some reason, he felt a pang of guilt.
But also—d*mn, this woman is intense.
Is she being chased by ghosts or what?
She pulls all-nighters better than he does…
—
Jiang Fuyue had stayed up all night. After receiving Niu Rui’s report, she spent another half hour going through it.
Meng Zhiru’s personal life was, to put it mildly—eventful.
She wondered whether Lou Mingxin knew anything about it.
Thinking about the drama about to unfold, she couldn’t help feeling a little excited.
—
8 a.m.
Liu Jinzhong entered the room.
“Camp A is ready. We can go now.”
“Let’s.”
They left and drove off at full speed.
Eventually, the car stopped in a remote overgrown field.
Liu Jinzhong got out first, with Jiang Fuyue—wearing a baseball cap—right behind him.
He came to a stop in front of a solitary grave. After tapping the tombstone in a precise sequence, the weathered grave split open to reveal a narrow passage barely wide enough for one person, descending deep underground.
They entered one after the other. The entrance quickly sealed shut behind them.
In the sunlight, the wind stirred the grass. It looked like just another grave—completely unremarkable.
A crow landed on the tomb, paused, then flew off again.
—
In stark contrast to the bleak entrance, the other side of the tunnel opened into a completely different world.
The latest Airface bulletproof blue-glass lined the walls—each square meter worth over 3 million, yet here it was everywhere.
Every 100 meters, a gene recognition checkpoint awaited. If the visitor’s DNA didn’t match the system, deadly defense mechanisms would activate immediately.
After passing through several layers of security, the final door opened—
The view expanded dramatically.
Rolling green hills, clear water, neatly arranged buildings.
A vast training field basked in sunlight—still and silent.
Suddenly, rapid gunfire echoed in the air…
Liu Jinzhong: “Must be the shooting range.”
Jiang Fuyue: “Let’s take a look.”
—
At the range, two young men were competing in marksmanship.
The rules: both fired at the same target at once—whoever hit the bullseye more times won.
This game was called “Snatch the Bullseye,” testing not just accuracy but also nerves.
When one moved, it inevitably affected the other’s rhythm.
Jiang Fuyue accepted a pair of earplugs from Liu Jinzhong and looked at the wrecked targets off to the side—six or seven had already been shredded.
Clearly, the game had been going on for several rounds.
Liu Jinzhong explained, “When they’re not in training, these young guys have too much energy. So they come here to shoot it out.”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “Nice setup. Trains both accuracy and mental resilience.”
“This batch just joined. They still have three more months of training.”
After training, they’ll sign official contracts with Yufeng Group and be assigned to overseas branches based on their strengths.
If they perform well, they might get promoted to the group’s core.
There’s a whole evaluation system in place—one that Lou Mingyue herself established.
Back when she founded Yufeng Group, she poured in unmatched time, effort, and dedication.
Even though she left twenty years ago, the group still stands strong—thriving, even.
Of course, Liu Jinzhong’s meticulous management played a big part, but it also proved Lou Mingyue’s foresight and strategic brilliance.
Suddenly, Jiang Fuyue asked, “Who’s that?”
A tall, slender young man stood at the firing line. Wearing earplugs and goggles, focused and unwavering, he hit the bullseye every single time, completely unaffected by the other shooter.
Compared to the burly trainees around him, he wasn’t exactly frail—but definitely looked more refined.
Like a scholar among warriors.
He stood out immediately.
Liu Jinzhong glanced over, then nodded knowingly. “That’s Yan Zhixing. He’s the most stable one in this group.”
Thank you!!💕