"What do you mean?" Fan Lei narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint appearing in them.
"It's just the two of us, Fan Da. Why be secretive?" Li Chonglou smiled, his expression calm. "In this world, where does love come from without reason?"
"You didn't kill me when I killed the old ghost who was kind to you, and you even took a liking to me. That's not logical."
"Later, you sent me, a newcomer, on a mission to Zhonghai. Weren't you afraid I'd be tempted by money and collude with the Xingzhi Group?"
"You should know my mother has just recovered from a serious illness, and I'm still a live-in son-in-law. I'm desperate for money, right?"
"After I returned from Zhonghai, it became even more unreasonable. You completely ignored me. Whether Xiong Ying or I return to base is up to me, although the regulations state Bai Jing must return before her recovery. But whether she's recovered is a subjective judgment."
"In other words, she might not recover for half a year, right?"
Li Chonglou poured out his thoughts. Fan Lei's eyelids twitched. Although his expression remained unchanged, the subtle flickering in his eyes, hidden within his narrowed gaze, did not escape Li Chonglou's sharp perception.
He guessed correctly; there had to be a secret behind all this!
However, Fan Lei was no man of wavering resolve. Hearing Li Chonglou's words, he sneered, "Kid, you're thinking too much."
"I think you're just being nosy. What? Do I need to explain my personal preferences to you?"
"I think you're asking for a beating!"
"Of the eight great families, two are in Shangjing: the Wu family and the Yu family. The Yu family has declined, while the Wu family is flourishing. In the current environment, it's difficult for family powers to maintain even the facade of prosperity. Take the Fan family in Zhonghai, for example. Although their foundation is not weak, they are already inferior to the newly emerging financial groups," Li Chonglou said calmly, his words flowing.
"Why is it only the Wu family that can stand out and go against the trend?"
"Without the support of the military and government, could they achieve this?"
"Wu Zhengjiang once came to Qin Prefecture to find me, so I asked a friend to investigate all the secrets hidden behind the Wu family."
"Guess what?"
During the three days he kept vigil for Xu Lie, Li Chonglou had thought of many things, replaying his past and present life.
The more he thought, the more something felt wrong.
Since his rebirth, he felt as if he were being controlled by an invisible hand. Every action, including the events he encountered, seemed deliberately arranged.
At the time of these events, he hadn't thought too deeply.
But once he calmed down, he discovered these anomalies.
The most peculiar was Xiong Ying. He was inexplicably favored by a figure as important as Fan Lei. Later, his joining Xiong Ying to protect Liu Ping'er went smoothly.
On the other hand, the police flower He Yin, who was determined to join Xiong Ying, could not. This showed the high threshold of Xiong Ying.
How could he, with no military experience, directly enter Xiong Ying and then be sent on a covert mission?
This led to a fatal enmity with Tian Shan, resulting in the current situation.
Looking back, it was all too coincidental.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Fan Lei's pupils contracted, and he let out a cold snort.
"The Wu family has close ties with you. Wu Zhengjiang's brother, Wu Zhengguo, should be your childhood friend, right?" Li Chonglou dropped a bombshell. "Are you behind the Wu family, or is the Wu family behind you?"
"Or are both of you merely chess pieces in the open, with someone else pulling the strings from behind?"
All of this was merely his speculation.
Fan Lei did have connections with the Wu family, but there were no dealings of mutual benefit.
However, everything was too coincidental, forcing him to suspect.
His purpose in coming to Xiong Ying this time, demanding Fan Lei mobilize the state apparatus to avenge Xu Lie, was to provoke Fan Lei and test the truth from him.
He didn't want to be manipulated anymore.
No matter the reason of the mysterious magnate controlling everything, they had to be responsible for Xu Lie's death!
"Enough," Fan Lei commanded. "Stop being suspicious and guessing wildly. If it weren't for me, you would have been assassinated long ago."
"Oh, now that a friend is dead, you come looking for trouble with me?"
"And you want me to set a precedent and let the state machinery handle your personal matters? How childish!"
"Get out quickly. Go report to Zhou Jiao. Until I cool down, you are not allowed back in Xiong Ying. Seeing you irritates me now."
This was not an expulsion order, but an implicit approval!
He was told to report to Zhou Jiao and not return to the Xiong Ying base. What did this mean?
As long as he didn't do anything that crossed the line, he wouldn't have to report to Fan Lei.
This was clearly showing leniency beyond the law.
It seemed his conjecture was correct; there was indeed a powerful figure behind Fan Lei who was watching him.
But he had only been a useless live-in son-in-law before. Apart from his master and senior sisters, no one knew he had been reborn. Why would this magnate be watching him?
He had no value. Was it just because of the appraisal skills he displayed after rebirth?
This was the only point he couldn't figure out.
Currently, it was clearly not the right time to force Fan Lei to reveal the truth. Fan Lei was not someone who would be easily controlled.
He could only proceed slowly.
He would first find a way to avenge Xu Lie.
The person manipulating events from behind the scenes would be dealt with after Tian Shan was dead.
"Yes!" Li Chonglou knew when to stop. He gave a crisp salute.
Then, he turned and exited the room.
"Brother Li?" As he stepped out, he heard a familiar voice.
Liu Ping'er, in her regular military uniform and holding a folder, was walking towards the office.
Seeing him, her pretty face was filled with joy, and she quickly ran over.
"Ping'er, are you getting used to staying here?" Li Chonglou saw that she had become a lot tanner. He surmised that training was also required in Xiong Ying's communications department.
"Mhm."
Liu Ping'er nodded, looking Li Chonglou up and down. "I heard Sister Jing was injured in Zhonghai and is recovering. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I have to go now. Fan Da has assigned me another task, to help Zhou Jiao." Li Chonglou's mind was preoccupied with Xu Lie's matter, and he didn't have the mood to chat with Liu Ping'er. After a brief greeting, he prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Liu Ping'er, however, tugged at his arm.
She then took a small, crystal-clear bottle from her pocket. It was made of crystal, about the size of a finger, with a hole drilled through the mouth and a string threaded through it.
A blush spread across her face as she placed the bottle into Li Chonglou's hand.
The bottle was still warm from her touch and emitted a faint fragrance.
"This is my protective charm. Wear it, and it will keep you safe."
As she spoke, Liu Ping'er dared not meet Li Chonglou's gaze. After speaking, she didn't wait for him to refuse before darting into Fan Lei's office.
Li Chonglou, holding the crystal bottle, frowned slightly.
Liu Ping'er's demeanor made him feel uneasy. If it were gratitude, why would her expression change?
If she had fallen for him, it would only be in vain.
He already had a family, Jiang Yuxin, and his soul was not empty, not needing to be filled by lust.
His encounter with Yu Ke last time was purely an accident.
Of course, he didn't feel any guilt. Once something was done, there was nothing to blame himself for.
However, with any other woman, he would refuse from the very beginning.
"Liu Ping'er, your fervent passion is likely to be misplaced," Li Chonglou muttered, putting the crystal bottle into his pocket and shaking his head as he left.