Three women, one play, let alone four. Chen Yuanshu's Moon Lake apartment was particularly lively today. Chen Yuanshu stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, constantly making phone calls. Cao Jingjian held a copy of "Zuo Zhuan" in the antique study. Chen Xiangyu listened to the opera "Taiyuan Lianhua Luo" in the hall, accompanied by Zhou Jingyun. The four women all had intricate relationships with Chen Ergou. Although they hadn't spoken to each other before, it seemed to Wang Huren that there was a mysterious and complicated meaning behind their interactions. If he wasn't careful, sparks would fly, sending him, the most innocent one, to the 18th level of hell.

  So the young master retreated to a corner to appreciate Chen Yuanshu's collection of antique artifacts, which were displayed on a four-tiered shelf. The shelf was divided into sections for ceramics, incense burners, jade Guanyin statues, and oracle bones from the Yin ruins. Wang Huzi, the second-place winner, was in some ways more genuine than Wang Xuance, the first-place winner, and Chen Qingzhi, the third-place winner. He had a keen eye for spotting fakes among the antiques. With just one glance, he picked out several fake items from the shelf. Upon closer inspection, he identified over 20 items as fakes. If all these items were personally selected by Chen Yuanshu, Wang Huzi concluded that this woman's taste was impressive, almost on par with a connoisseur in their circle. It wasn't uncommon for people to spend decades collecting fake antiques and still not be able to tell the difference. With advancements in counterfeiting techniques, those who sold fakes were becoming increasingly skilled at deception. Wang Huzi dared say that no expert could avoid paying tuition fees in this line of work. Finally, the short-statured Wang Huzi stood on tiptoes and picked up an oracle bone. With one tap, he knew it was a fake made from cow bone. The calligraphy style was wrong - the strokes were too round at the beginning and too sharp at the end, with uneven thickness. It should have been from the era of King Taigong or King Pangeng.

  Chen Qingzhi loved to study oracle bones and had a few turtle shells in his hands. In his free time, he once said that the old Chen family in Taiyuan had collected over 400 pieces of oracle bones at their peak, but later on, about 15 or 16 were donated to the museum inside the Forbidden City for display and collection, while about 12 or 13 flowed into private hands or were taken away by the Li family along with calligraphy, paintings, jade stones, and other treasures. Just then, Wang Hu was thinking to himself whether he should quietly take a few pieces to exchange with Chen Qingzhi for some traditional martial arts techniques. In his opinion, women like Chen Yuanshu, who had never lacked money since birth, wouldn't care about losing a few thousand-year-old bones.

  Just as Wang Hu was about to put the thing into his pocket, Chen Yuanshu suddenly chuckled softly behind him and said, "Young master, are you interested in Oracle bones?"

  With a guilty conscience, Wang Hu's face stiffened, putting the things back in their original place, turned around and forced a smile: "No, no, it's just that I haven't touched good stuff for too long, my hands are itching."

  "If you like it, just take it away. These things were all collected by me through friends, without distinguishing between the genuine and fake ones. As long as I think they look good and have a classical charm, I'll buy them. I don't care about investment potential or appreciation in value; it's just for my own enjoyment. The authenticity can be secondary."

  "There's a limit to this. 'A thousand pieces of gold can't buy a good head,' and that's exactly what you are, Miss Chen." Wang Huzi flattered with a smile, perhaps because he was taken aback by the stunning beauty of her buttocks, or maybe it was because he was embarrassed at being caught red-handed while trying to take advantage of the situation. Wang Huzi's hands hastily combed through his hair, unaware that his middle-parted traitorous head no matter how he styled it would always be dazzlingly eye-catching, and it was really hard to improve on perfection."

  "Little master, although I'm a businessman, at home I've always been straightforward and honest. If you don't want it, I won't force it on you. If you do want it, just take it." Chen Yuanshu smiled, neither overly enthusiastic nor coldly indifferent, but with an air of comfort that was almost seductive, yet also made one feel slightly uneasy - this was the result of Chen Yuanshu's years of honing her skills in the business world.

  "Then I won't be polite!" Wang Hu's smile was a replica of the silly grin that had been passed down through the Chen brothers, but on his face, with that hairstyle, it only made him look sly and cunning. He seemed to be completely unaware of this himself, his small eyes narrowing into slits as he struggled to hold back the urge to run over to Chen Yuanshu's side and admire her curves from behind. In his heart, he was marveling at how this woman was truly a rare beauty - in her 30s, with that figure and charm, she would be able to drain men dry after a few rounds in bed.

  Wang Hu's eyes gleamed with excitement as he picked up two pieces of oracle bones, one being the coveted ox bone and the other a deer skull. Just when Chen Yuanshu thought he was done, he scratched his hair, which made her stifle a laugh, and said with a mischievous grin: "How about giving me another bag? There's too much, my pockets can't hold it all."

  Chen Yuanshu stood still, seemingly unaccustomed to Wang Huzi's excessive sincerity. However, since she was willing to give Chen Ergou a Hummer without saying a word, she wasn't a petty woman. Without giving Wang Huzi any face, she brought out several eco-friendly bags and over a dozen silk scarves, carefully wrapping them up and helping to pack them away. Although Wang Huzi smiled like an idiot, he was secretly impressed - this woman had managed to hook Chen Ergou, and it wasn't without reason.

  Chen Yuanshu then chatted with Chen Xiangyu and Zhou Jingzhen in the hall for a while before going to the study, where he "paid his respects" to Cao Jingjian.

  Cao Jing stood in front of the bookshelf, flipping through Zuo Qiuming's "Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals". Chen Yuanshu also didn't make a sound to disturb her, but stood at a distance that was not aggressive but not distant either. She casually pulled out a copy of "The Real Story of Ba Bao Shan" and quietly observed this woman who had never been mentioned by Chen Er Gou, but whom everyone knew held an extraordinary position in his heart. Was she beautiful? Chen Yuanshu lightly shook her head. Some women could be so powerful that they made people overlook their appearance, just like the leaders of her grandfather's generation, who had a majestic aura that was not related to their height or weight. What Chen Yuanshu found curious was how this woman, who had a deep connection with Chen Fusheng before, would compare to her. According to Chen Yuanshu's way of thinking, if she favored Chen Fusheng, she should have been generous in creating opportunities and providing assistance. But during the big shake-up in Nanjing, Chen Yuanshu hadn't seen this woman's shadow. She seemed to be always like this, a bystander within the circle. Chen Yuanshu couldn't figure out the mystery behind it. Was it because the family's power base was not in Nanjing, and the emperor was too far away to help Chen Fusheng? Or was she quietly observing and waiting for Chen Fusheng to be worn down by multiple disasters?

  "Chen Jie, are you clear about the market price of second-hand houses in Nanjing?" Cao Jing asked Chen Yuanshu a question that she could not have anticipated even if she had died and come back to life.

  Chen Yuanshu was a bit caught off guard, this question was quite common, she couldn't connect it with Cao Jingjian at all. However, seeing that Cao Jingjian didn't seem to be joking, Chen Yuanshu didn't dare to let her guard down either. As for Cao Jingjian, she decided to keep a distance before figuring out the situation and replied: "I'm not too familiar with this, but I have friends in this line of work, I'll help you ask."

  "It's best around Xuanwu Lake, the house can be a bit old and small, but the price should be within 700,000 yuan." Cao Jingjian smiled.

  Chen Yuanshu was increasingly unclear what this woman was up to, but it wasn't good to pry too deeply, so she just went along with it. At first, she thought the woman surnamed Cao wanted to take advantage of Wei Gonggong's absence to speculate in real estate on a large scale in Nanjing. But it turned out that all she wanted was an ordinary second-hand house. In Chen Yuanshu's world, not every man and woman was extravagant and wasteful, and there were many business elites with assets worth hundreds of millions who didn't care about their clothes or food. But it seemed that no one was really interested in a second-hand house for less than 700,000 yuan. Was this woman surnamed Cao just unusually refined, without a substantial fortune?

  Chen Yuanshu is a businessman and naturally thinks about problems in a businesslike way.

  "Chen Jie, Xia He and Qian Zixiang are what kind of people, I mean their personalities." Cao Jing asked softly.

  "Xia He is the core of Shanghai Pudong, a self-made man and the creator of Pudong International Investment. He can be considered a small person among big shots, who has been engaging in speculative activities, clinging to power and following a purely evil path. Over the years, he has done too many despicable things that have aroused public outrage, and being shot ten times would not be enough for him. Qian Zixiang is a native of Nanjing, with a broad mind and a good understanding of the overall situation. Jiangsu and Shanghai are close, too close. In these 20 years, although Qian Zixiang has been unremarkable, he has never taken a wrong stand, which is not simple. He and Xia He are two completely different roles, and his foundation is far from being comparable to Xia He's." Chen Yuanshu explained in detail.

  Cao Jing nodded in agreement.

  "Did Guo Qietou really die like that?" Chen Yuanshu asked with a hint of melancholy and doubt. At the height of her career in the business world, Guo Qietou had already risen to prominence alongside Wei Gonggong in Nanjing. The two men were indeed ruthless, and now Chen Yuanshu was only following Chen Ergou's request to deliver the license plates and take care of some trivial matters with Wang Hu and a few women. This was well within her capabilities and moral boundaries, so she hadn't hesitated at all. But when she heard that Guo Qietou had died, she was shocked. Murder wasn't just a matter of punching or slapping someone; it was especially serious when the victim was Guo Qietou. Chen Yuanshu was now desperately thinking of a way to get out of this predicament.

  "Guo Jue was captured, Xia He was killed, Fang Jie and Qian Ziying were also beheaded. After passing through the four gates, I don't know how many generals will be executed."

  Cao Jing softly sighed and glanced at Chen Yuanshu who was frowning in deep thought, saying: "But tomorrow we can know the answer."

  "Aren't you worried about your fleeting life?" Chen Yuanshu couldn't help but ask.

  Cao Jing did not answer.

  ————————————————

  Qian didn't think Chen would dare enter his mansion alone.

  Chen Ergou didn't expect that Qian Lao would dare to meet him alone in the study, especially since he was someone who dared to play with knives alongside Qiao Liu and his gang.

  Qian Ziyuan's study was grand and majestic, with a large splashed ink painting, a Qinghua porcelain vase as tall as a person, and a set of dark red sandalwood furniture that was all of the highest quality. The lake pen, Huizhou inkstone, and other calligraphy tools were also of the finest craftsmanship. Even Chen Ergou, who didn't understand refined tastes, could tell that these things were valuable. Standing among them, looking at Qian Ziyuan standing behind his desk painting, Chen Ergou calmed himself down and was about to speak when Qian Ziyuan casually threw out a sentence: "You have 5 minutes to say what you want to say, after that you can leave. I sleep at 12 o'clock every night, this habit has been kept for decades without fail, there's no reason to break it because of you. And don't worry, after you leave, I won't secretly plot against you or stab you in the back. Those kinds of things are only done by people like Wei Duan and Guo Jie, a bunch of good-for-nothings who would do anything for food."

  Chen Ergou was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a blunt opening. It seemed that Lao Yezi didn't think much of Wei Duangong either, and his tone was quite arrogant. However, after some thought, Chen Ergou recalled the high praise he had received from Chen Yuanshu and Zhou Jingzhen, so he didn't feel too inferior. After all, Lao Yezi's status and position were evident, giving him the capital to speak boldly. Chen Ergou slightly bowed his head, occasionally stealing glances around the room, but didn't show any disgust. Hearing that they only had 5 minutes, he didn't beat around the bush, cleared his throat, and said: "Lao Yezi, I know from Chen Yuanshu and Fang Niang that you want me to leave Nanjing because I didn't know my place and lost face in front of you. You want to drive me away, and I have no complaints. But Guo Qietu was too much, saying he wanted one of my hands and one of my legs. So, I decided to take drastic measures and kill him. Xia He wanted to move against my woman Zhou Jingzhen, so I broke the pot and went all out, dragging him to a place in Marsland and solving the problem with a swipe of his neck. Today, I came here to apologize to you."

  This is 70% true and 30% false. Chen Ergou spent half a day on the road thinking about how to phrase it, before finally coming up with this stuff. Guo Qianrou wouldn't dare to cut off one of his hands or feet, and Zhou Jingyi was temporarily not his woman at all - all of this was just for show. These past few days, she had been playing Go with Cao Jing, explaining the concepts of creating momentum, taking advantage of momentum, and storing up momentum in a way that was easy to understand but also profound, frequently citing classics and examples, allowing Chen Ergou to benefit greatly. Seeing Qianrou's calm demeanor, Chen Ergou thought to himself that her surface-level skills had already surpassed Fang Jie by a notch - truly worthy of being called an old fox from the south of the Yangtze River.

  Undeterred, Chen Ergou continued: "Master Qian, although I haven't yet grasped all of Guo Jue's resources, I've already spoken with Fang Niang and we've agreed that I'll take over Wei Ye's territory. Although I've never dealt with Xia He's Pudong International before, Chen Yuanshu will use her connections to help me control Pudong International after Xia He's death. If you don't trust Chen Yuanshu, Master Qian, no problem - I guarantee she won't touch the core secrets that Xia He entrusted solely to me. Just give me a foothold and I'll double your losses back."

  This was perhaps the first time Chen Ergou had spoken so many "you"s in a conversation with someone.

  It was also the first time he bowed his head so devoutly.

  "Is it done?"

  Qian Zixiang didn't even lift his head, and never looked Chen Ergou straight in the eye all night. Chen Ergou glanced at him briefly and said indifferently: "It's almost five minutes, finish up and get out."

  Chen Ergou's face, which had been calm in the face of Qiao Liu's sixty or seventy knives, suddenly turned bright red with shame. This humiliation was even more profound than Zhao Kunpeng's death, like a dagger that lightly cut through the skin and then ripped out a whole piece of flesh, along with the tendons and blood.

  Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Chen Erdog suppressed the anger in his heart, as if he would burst out at any moment, pull out the Alaskan harpoon that had already harvested two lives, wipe out a third person, and then flee across provinces. The young man remained silent for two long minutes, finally not saying another word, and suddenly turned to leave the study.

  Qian Zixiang raised his head, expressionless, gazing at the young back that was filled with unspoken resentment and disappointment, his mouth seeming to smile yet not quite smiling.

  Chen Qingzhi was leaning against the car outside Qian's villa, smoking. Chen Ergou wanted to go in alone for a banquet, and although he was worried, he didn't stop him. There are some thresholds, some difficulties, but ultimately one has to face them alone. However, Chen Qingzhi had made up his mind that if Chen Ergou encountered any problems inside the house, he would do what Guo Jue did back then - even if it meant dying. Unexpectedly, Chen Ergou came out quickly, but his face looked terrible. This was the first time Chen Qingzhi saw Chen Ergou reveal such unhidden anger and despair. In Chen Qingzhi's impression, this Northeastern man was always smiling and serious when dealing with people, without great anger or great joy.

  Chen Qing stepped on the cigarette that was only half smoked and walked towards Chen Erdog, asking in a low voice: "Didn't the old man agree?"

  Chen Erdog crouched beside the car, took out a lighter to smoke a cigarette. Because of excessive force, the lighter was pressed broken at once. Chen Qingzhi helped him light the cigarette and lit one for himself too. He puffed out a ring of smoke, gazed up at the sky and said softly: "Fosheng, hand over the dagger to me, you drive away. From now on, help me take care of Xiang Yu, don't let her get too hot or cold."

  Chen Qing is intelligent, very intelligent, and even has great wisdom.

  He naturally understood what Chen Erdog wanted, killing Guo and cutting off the Wei family's financial resources, killing Xia He to make Qian Ziyuan have no choice, everything was part of the plan. Tonight, Chen Fusheng should be the only choice for both Mr. Qian and Fang Jie according to reason, maximizing benefits and minimizing risks. However, Chen Qingzhi understood the phrase "the world is unpredictable" more deeply than anyone else. Qian Ziyuan was cunning and treacherous, who knew if he had any hidden tricks up his sleeve? Since there was no room for negotiation, the talks were completely broken down. In his view, Chen Fusheng would not have a good outcome next. Taking someone's money and accepting their kindness wasn't about taking advantage of them, but rather to help them resolve their troubles. Although sacrificing one's life might be considered a bad deal, Chen Qingzhi didn't hesitate or regret it.

  "Floating life, instead of finding a good man for you, I'd like to thank you first." Chen Qing's cigarette was almost finished, his face growing increasingly resolute and cold, like an unsheathed Jingpo knife.

  Chen Ergou didn't hand the Alaska harpoon gun to Chen Qingzhi, nor did he let Chen Qingzhi get up. Instead, he smiled and said: "You have no reason to die so quickly here. I don't want to escape back to see her like this either. I just want to bring her to the grave in style in the future."

  Chen Ergou stepped into the Qian family for the second time.

  His already humble figure seemed even more bent in Chen Qing's eyes at this moment.

  Chen Qing didn't know what was supporting this northeastern man to move forward with difficulty, his eyes slightly sour, slowly standing up, the majestic white horse wiped its face with a loud neigh and muttered: "A son must have his father, I really don't know which man can be your father."

  That night, except for Qian Zixiang and Chen Ergou, the two parties involved, no one knew what had been discussed or what had happened, but the situation ended with Chen Ergou becoming the new spokesperson for both the Qian and Fang families in the turbulent city of Nanjing.

  Moreover, Bai Ma Tan Hua Chen Qing Zhi knew a point that others did not know. Chen Er Gou did all these things just to have the face to go back and see a woman.

  Nanjing, unrelated to desolation, unrelated to grandeur, in the endurance and rise of a young man, the great wind falls. (If you want to know what happens next, please log in, more chapters, support the author, support the genuine version!)