101: guest

"Sister, you were so right. Once the Zhao Family's affairs were exposed, all sorts of monsters and demons really did come crawling out!" After carefully arranging the guests with his mother, Zhuohua emerged from the dining room once again.

"You're still sighing? Can't you see they're here for you and Qinghe?" Yan Zhuoyan hadn't even finished scolding them before his targets vanished, and now he still had a belly full of fire with nowhere to vent. "Also, Cousin, why did you just throw them out? Couldn't you wait until I'd finished scolding them?"

Zhuohua shrunk his neck, not daring to provoke his second brother's current bad mood; it was a bit terrifying.

Zhuoyi didn't care. "Why bother arguing with them? People who can't recognize their own faults won't think you're right no matter how much you scold them. Other than upsetting yourself and indulging in a bit of verbal spite, it's useless. Better to just throw them out so they can never associate with us again."

"True," Zhuoyue chimed in. "I've already sent letters to my manager and friends. From now on, in the entertainment industry, it's either her or me. I'd like to see what she can do then."

"Where's Qinghe?" Zhuohua looked around but didn't see him, so he asked his Uncle and Aunt who were drinking tea in the back.

"He went up to contact Special Assistant Xiao. Said he wants to give that little company of the Liang Family a hard time."

Special Assistant Xiao? He was indeed the right choice. Ranked number one in loving his work, if given enough overtime pay, he was even willing to be on call 24/7, 365 days a year—let alone on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

Aside from Yan Zhuoyan, who was still muttering incessantly, everyone treated the Liang Family incident as a minor interlude.

Today was another batch of guests coming for New Year greetings, but they weren't just relatives; there were also business partners and people from other families visiting.

For example, the Fu Family from far-off City C.

Fu Yifeng and Fu Muyu had come—the same duo as last time.

Zhuohua welcomed them directly into a private tea room.

"Why is Mr. Yan hosting us privately? Was the observation at the hotel last time not clear enough, and you want a closer look?" Fu Yifeng spoke jokingly, but it made Zhuohua instantly tense up.

Sheng Xufeng! He knew that guy was unreliable. How could he mess up such a simple tailing mission!

"Don't be nervous. Since I'm telling you directly, I certainly don't mean anything else by it." Fu Yifeng sat down composedly. "It's not that I'm too guarded against you, but that young master you entrusted was indeed... a bit crude in his methods."

You're right, I'll definitely use this as an excuse to scold him again.

"Then I was indeed rude." Zhuohua also relaxed immediately. "I only wanted to confirm something; I've offended you."

"I understand. You wanted to investigate those past events." Fu Yifeng's tone was gentle. "I've long heard of the Yan Family heir's reputation. That business with the Zhao Family was indeed a clever move. Brilliant."

"You flatter me. For you to clearly perceive my methods is what's truly brilliant."

"Alright, let's stop the mutual flattery." Fu Muyu interjected. "I just don't know if Mr. Yan thoroughly believes now that we have nothing to do with those matters."

"Of course I believe it." Zhao Mingting had already spilled everything. The force behind the scenes wanted to disrupt their research progress at one point; it wasn't something the Fu Family would do.

"That's good. Otherwise, if there were any estrangement when our two families cooperate, it would affect the big picture." Fu Muyu's words were very sincere. "This matter is of great importance, so we came specifically at the Family Head's request. It's both to give a New Year greeting to an important future partner and exchange sentiments, and also to clear up the misunderstanding."

"There is no misunderstanding; I just wanted to eliminate possibilities one by one." Zhuohua smiled lightly. "I did indeed handle this poorly, but it was something that had to be done. However, you can rest assured; since I've confirmed this has nothing to do with you, I will no longer be guarded or hesitant."

"Understandable. If I encountered such a thing, I might have been even more aggressive." Fu Yifeng drank his tea. "Coming here this time, I also have some information to share with the Yan Family. If I may ask, can you..." Can you make the decisions for the Yan Family?

"Please, feel free to speak." Zhuohua understood their implication.

"Good." Fu Muyu's gaze became more appreciative. "You're likely aware that one of our Researchers was nearly kidnapped the day before yesterday."

"Has there been any progress?"

"Yes. We carefully screened everyone around that Researcher and found a distant relative of his who has financial dealings abroad."

"A distant relative?" Zhuohua twirled his teacup. "That doesn't seem like enough weight, does it?"

"Naturally, it's not enough. This relative was only bought off a few years ago and only today did the one thing the person behind the scenes ordered—which was very simple: tell them the Researcher's specific itinerary for recently. As for the kidnapping, it was done by others whose backgrounds haven't been traced yet."

Zhuohua chuckled. "That's quite a coincidence; it's a very familiar methodology."

Fu Yifeng and Fu Muyu understood instantly.

"Understood."

"I do have a question," Zhuohua refilled the tea for the two guests. "This group has repeatedly targeted our Researchers and their families. How are they so accurately determining the list of personnel involved in the project?"

"We're not quite sure about that either, but thinking about it, that's just how it is. Likely a spy has emerged." Fu Muyu shook her head and smiled helplessly. "So, you should still be careful during this time. Don't go out alone."

"And we must be careful of those around us," Zhuohua added. "Their several moves were all supported by sufficient information, which is enough to see that they must have placed people around us. And it's very likely they started arranging this years ago."

Fu Yifeng nodded in agreement. "You're right. We really should conduct a thorough investigation of the people around us."

The three chatted in the tea room for over half an hour until Yan Qinghe, who hadn't seen his wife for a long while, came looking for them, finally ending the topic.

"The relationship between you two is so good; it's truly rare." Fu Yifeng teased Zhuohua, who had been sought out, and then said jokingly to Yan Qinghe, "Don't worry, we were only talking about serious business, no secret affairs!"

"With those words of yours, I can rest easy!" Yan Qinghe had just gone through that business with the Liang Family and was eager to prove to everyone that he and Zhuohua were deeply in love. So, hearing Fu Yifeng's banter, he not only didn't mind but even added to it. "Zhuohua is indeed a bit too likable; I have to keep a close eye on him."

"You!" Zhuohua was so ashamed and angry he wanted to give him a kick, but mindful of the guests, he could only swallow his anger for now and settle the score later.

Fu Yifeng had never seen someone cooperate with him so well; he nearly doubled over laughing. "Mr. Yan is both talented and beautiful, and his character is top-notch; you really do have to keep a close eye. Brother, don't worry! When he goes for training in a while, I'll definitely help you watch him for any suspicious movements!"

Already calling each other brothers? Zhuohua gritted his teeth and smiled, but before he could retort, Yan Qinghe, whose eyes had lit up, beat him to it.

"Then it's a deal! If you help me watch him, we'll be brothers for life!"

The two of them happily ignored the teeth-gritting Zhuohua beside them and reached an agreement.

"You two better shut up, or Mr. Yan is going to beat you in a moment." Seeing Zhuohua's expression becoming increasingly dangerous, Fu Muyu quickly stepped forward to save her cousin who was acting a bit too wild. "I certainly can't beat him in a fight!"

Not only could Fu Muyu not beat him, but Fu Yifeng and Yan Qinghe couldn't either. So the two who were bonding as brothers immediately shut their mouths.

Zhuohua tried hard to adjust his expression and tone. "It's about noon, isn't it? Let's go eat, otherwise we'll be failing in our hospitality."