Su Family Manor.
Drunk, Su Hao returned to his room, locked the door, and then opened the window, letting the cold wind blow away his drunkenness.
After sitting in silence at his desk for thirty minutes, Su Hao finally picked up his phone and called Fang Mingchao, "Mr. Fang, a golden opportunity has presented itself to me. Should I fight for the position of heir?"
He was unwilling to remain a shadow in the dark.
Fang Mingchao, already swamped with problems from earlier, laughed after hearing Su Hao's troubles, "If an opportunity presents itself, why not seize it? There's an old saying—"
"He who does not take what heaven offers will be punished for it!"
Su Hao's body trembled, and his mind suddenly cleared.
"Mr. Fang, I know what I need to do. How are things on your end?"
Fang Mingchao smiled faintly, "I've encountered some difficulties, but they are manageable. Since you've decided to contend for that position, I can lend you a hand."
They chatted for a good half hour, their conversation flowing smoothly.
After hanging up, Su Hao's emotions remained turbulent. He knew that from this night on, everything would change. But he also understood that Fang Mingchao's help was far from enough; he still needed Qin Fengwu's support.
Thus.
After much deliberation, Su Hao dialed Qin Fengwu's number and got straight to the point, "Brother Qin, I want to work for you from now on. Can you give me a chance?"
...
A night passed.
Jiangnan appeared calm on the surface, but beneath the waves, an undercurrent surged, heading in an unknown direction.
Chen Jinzhao woke up to find an anonymous text message on his phone. Upon reading its content, Chen Jinzhao's brows furrowed.
The message was brief—
"Su Jian is not dead, he is living as Su Mingze."
Chen Jinzhao was not surprised that Su Jian was alive. What surprised him was how much the sender knew, almost as if they were deliberately casting bait for him to bite.
Who sent the message?
Chen Jinzhao was unsure.
He only knew that the sender was likely someone very close to the Su family, or perhaps even a member of the Su family, but their intentions were unclear.
"They want to use me as a knife, to kill with my hand," Chen Jinzhao mused to himself. However, he was willing to be that sharp blade, for Su Jian had to die.
Before taking action, Chen Jinzhao sent a text message to Su Wen, informing him of Su Jian's current identity and asking him to verify the message's truthfulness.
If it was true, the net would soon be cast.
In addition,
Chen Jinzhao also shared this crucial piece of information with Tao Qiyue, telling her to be prepared for the capture of Su Jian at any moment, so that such a killer would no longer roam free.
Tao Qiyue was shocked, "Then, who was the Su Jian who was shot?"
Chen Jinzhao said gravely, "Most likely a scapegoat. With the Su family's influence, finding a few scapegoats shouldn't be difficult. After all, money makes the world go round."
"This Su family is truly lawless. To accomplish something like this would require the cooperation of many within the system. If this is true, a lot of people will fall," Tao Qiyue said coldly, eager to get to work.
Yu Hongzhi would undoubtedly be the first to be targeted.
Chen Jinzhao nodded, "Don't let anyone else know about this for now. Once I confirm Su Jian's identity, we will move to net him."
Tao Qiyue nodded.
Chen Jinzhao thought of something and added, "By the way, if your people have some free time, you could send a couple to protect Yu Huaiqing in the hospital. There might be a surprise."
"Why are you so sure there will be a gain?" Tao Qiyue looked at Chen Jinzhao suspiciously. Chen Jinzhao smiled, "I'm just confirming my suspicion. If my suspicion is true, then the Su family might already be in chaos."
"I trust your intuition. I'll send someone to keep an eye on Yu Huaiqing's safety these few days. I'll inform you immediately of any developments."
"Alright, thank you for the trouble."
Tao Qiyue smiled, "Between you and me, why be so formal with 'thank you'? After all, I suppose I can consider myself half your comrade-in-arms."
Chen Jinzhao also smiled, "You're right, we are both friends and comrades."
They looked at each other and smiled.
In the afternoon.
Chen Jinzhao visited Yu Huaiqing in the hospital alone again. To his surprise, Bai Meizi was still in the ward. It seemed she had made her decision.
Seeing Chen Jinzhao's arrival, Yu Huaiqing, who had been in an intimate embrace, immediately sat up in bed and awkwardly scratched his head, saying, "You've seen us at our silliest."
"It seems you're both in good spirits, much better than yesterday," Chen Jinzhao said.
Bai Meizi pursed her lips and smiled, "I've confronted my family. They can either let me divorce Su Yuan, or they can watch me die with Yu Huaiqing."
"Yes, at worst, it's death. After I'm gone, who cares about the flood," Yu Huaiqing added in agreement.
Chen Jinzhao couldn't help but be surprised.
He thought that Bai Meizi was also a woman of strong character, and their love was admirable. He also said, "Seeking death will not solve the problem; it is an escape from it. If you continue to be so openly together, the Su family will act soon. Be careful in the coming days."
"Chen Jinzhao, thank you," Bai Meizi said solemnly.
"No need to thank me. Yu Huaiqing is my girlfriend's third elder brother, so in a way, we are family," Chen Jinzhao said, easing the atmosphere and dispelling the pessimistic mood hanging over the couple.
Two more days passed.
The season in Jiangnan shifted from late autumn to early winter, and it even began to snow for the first time this year. Everyone could feel that the weather was colder than in previous years.
Chen Jinzhao did not wait for the Su family to make a move against Yu Huaiqing. Instead, he received a call from Su Wen, "Instructor Chen, I've investigated. There's a ninety-nine percent chance that this Su Mingze is Su Jian. Especially since Su Mingze's right hand is weak, and he has a distinct scar on his wrist."
"I understand. Keep a close eye on him for me. I plan to go to Jiangning myself to apprehend him," Chen Jinzhao said.
Su Wen readily agreed.
After the call.
Chen Jinzhao stood at his doorstep for a long time, quietly watching the falling snow. After a while, he murmured with a strange expression, "It's odd, I don't feel this cold. Instead, I feel rather cool."
He looked down at his palms, increasingly suspecting that his body had undergone a mutation.
He didn't know how long he had been standing there when Yu Mengzhi, returning home from work, saw snow on Chen Jinzhao's hair. She hurried over, patted the snow off his head, and then said with a hint of complaint, "What are you doing standing out in the freezing weather? And dressed so thinly! What if you catch a cold?"
Chen Jinzhao remained silent.
Yu Mengzhi gradually realized that Chen Jinzhao's mood was off. She looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see a hint of panic in them.
After all,
Chen Jinzhao had never shown any signs of panic or fear in front of Yu Mengzhi before.
This was the first time.
It made Yu Mengzhi's eyes dart around nervously. She grabbed Chen Jinzhao's arms and asked, "Jin Zhao, what's wrong? You seem very out of sorts."
Chen Jinzhao hesitated, wanting to speak but unable to. Yu Mengzhi continued, "You promised me that you would never hide anything from me, no matter what. So, I hope you'll tell me truthfully."
"I..."
Chen Jinzhao was speechless, his eyes showing a renewed sense of confusion. "I'm starting to think I might not be a normal human. It's hard for me to accept."
"What should I do?"