CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 48: TEMPESTUOUS WAVES (PART 2)

Seeing Wen Maixue persist in denying it, Su Ziceng and the others could only withdraw for the time being.

As soon as they left the Wen family, the thick iron gate symbolizing the Wen family’s centuries of history closed shut. Old Master Wen also asked Maixue a few questions, which she brushed aside. Maixue, worried that Ziceng might use Su Qingzhang’s influence to extort them again, told Shang Yin everything.

After hearing about it, Shang Yin was not anxious but retorted sarcastically, "Eldest Lady Wen, for such a small amount of money, do you really expect me to spit it out?"

"That’s not what I mean," Wen Maixue said gravely, "Those items are worth tens of millions at most; I now have the funds to cover it. But here’s the thing, if Ziceng truly wants the original items returned, when it comes down to investigating, you won’t be able to disentangle yourself from it. By then, the entire Mo City will know you, Shang Yin, are just a bandit who was born from kidnapping and extortion. The crimes you’ve committed, both domestically and internationally, are enough to execute you a hundred times over."

Such ruthlessly harsh words came from Maixue’s mouth, making one’s hair stand on end, but Shang Yin remained cool and collected, chuckling, "Who are you trying to con or fool? If I’m taken down, Pello goes down with me. Do you think your old-fashioned family would agree to marry you to a penniless poor boy? Just speak plainly if you have something to say."

Maixue steeled her heart, "You know there’s a surviving descendant of the Qiao Family left in Wolong Mountain, find a chance..."

"Oh my," Shang Yin made a grinding noise with his teeth, tapping on the receiver, "Miss Wen, I want no further part in murder. I’d rather fall into police hands than leave a handle in the hands of a venomous woman like you."

Wen Maixue, exasperated, said: "Shang Yin, don’t play the role of a merciful saint here; when you single-handedly burst into the house of Bianjing City’s richest man, taking his eldest son hostage, you didn’t hesitate to kill. Now you’re making it sound easy."

"Wen Maixue," Shang Yin lowered his voice, indeed that left Maixue at a loss, but he currently had good goods in hand, all of which had been moved through the Wen family’s shipping company. Falling out with her wasn’t going to benefit him at all.

That very night, a logging truck drove up the mountain road of Wolong Mountain. Climbing up in the dead of night and descending before dawn, it stopped at Shang Yin’s private pier, and shortly after, only a trail was left on the water.

When Su Ziceng and Yang Wuxu went back up the mountain to look for the person, they found only an empty, deserted room. The three waited from dawn till dusk and never saw Qiao Zhi’an again.

Ziceng’s suddenly emerged relative, like a dream after waking, disappeared without a trace after a short nap.

Initially, Ziceng was worried about Zhi’an having an accident; after forty-eight hours, he hurriedly went to report it to the police. The police, hearing that a mountain guard was lost, didn’t take it seriously. Wolong Mountain is full of wild boars and deer; what does missing one person matter? Later, seeing that Ziceng was becoming increasingly frequent, they sent a symbolic search party into the mountain a few times, finding no signs of fierce animals disturbing the mountain hut.

Such a big living person had simply vanished. It wasn’t until half a month later that a telegram arrived from across the ocean, stating that the immigration office had received a document regarding the identification of a stowaway, with Qiao Zhi’an’s name written prominently on it.

Wen Maixue, who also received the news, questioned Shang Yin again, who simply replied, "I promised you I’d handle it, but didn’t specify dead or alive. Since he’s gone now, you can rest easy."

Su Ziceng breathed a sigh of relief, while Yang Wuxu was filled with regret. The abrupt departure of Qiao Zhi’an meant that the auction item they thought was within reach had vanished like a bubble. Subi Auction House faced the peculiar situation of having no goods to auction off once again.

The police news were also conveyed word for word to Su Qingzhang and Chang Mei. Chang Mei, who had just managed to stabilize Chang Chi, became furrowed with worry again after hearing the news, "I said it long ago, as long as someone from the Qiao Family remains in Mo City, they’re a calamity."

Su Qingzhang, already accustomed to Chang Mei’s womanly whims, exhaled a puff of smoke, "After all, the Qiao Family is Xiao Chu’s clan; besides, back then, it was you who said to leave the Qiao Family a way out."

"I couldn’t stand the way you cornered the Qiao Family to a dead end," recalling Qiao Chu’s demeanor before his death, Chang Mei closed her eyes, her hand tight around her teacup.

"So that’s why you and Xiao Chu, without telling me, sold ’Yellow Love’?" Su Qingzhang tapped his pipe forcefully, knocking out the ash and embers. His brow was furrowed, his face dark and brooding.

"What, you can’t bear to part with it? Aside from ’Red Love’ that Ye Taina gave Qiao Chu back then, didn’t all the other ’Mussen’s Blessing’ end up in your hands anyway? They were going to be sold one way or another; what’s the difference between you selling them and us selling them?" Chang Mei didn’t back down either.

Qiao Chu was dead, and before Su Qingzhang returned to the country, the "Mussen’s Blessing" he had transported in advance had also gone missing. The people in the world who had once seen the full set of "Mussen’s Blessing" were almost all gone, leaving only her and Su Qingzhang, their hands filled with jewels as well as filth.

"Why would I be unwilling to let go? I only..." Su Qingzhang knew it was useless to argue any further and could only continue to somberly smoke.

"If it wasn’t for me bringing Qiao Chu into the Sixth District back then, where would you have gotten the chance to get close to him? If it wasn’t for that drunken fool listening to me, and going to humiliate Qiao Chu, where would your ’hero saving the beauty’ come from?" Chang Mei laid out the past events one by one.

Su Qingzhang covered her mouth, half-coaxing and half-persuading as he spoke, "Mei, don’t say anymore; we’re an old married couple, there’s no need for such words of anger." In Su Qing’s study, the two, huddled together, coming from the Sixth District, their lives and deaths intertwined, were like two drowning people clutching onto the rotting wood of the Su family, neither able to let go first.

Outside the room, Yang Wuxu silently listened, holding a cup of ginseng tea. A flash of shock crossed her eyes, which was quickly replaced by an ominous anger, as if a storm was coming. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)