A woman's relationship with emotions is like a cat and mouse, young girls treat emotions like a kitten that has just started to venture out, seeing a certain mouse thinking it's the only one in the world, wanting to swallow it whole and treasure it for life, losing it makes them cry their hearts out, catching it again makes them anxious.

  But at Chen Yuanshu's age, with her background and identity, she was like a noble Persian cat who had seen all sorts of mice and wouldn't deign to pounce on them. Even the most emotional and fastidious woman, as Cao's wife said, is ultimately just an ordinary woman who bleeds when hurt and cries when sad. Occasionally, when they encounter a slightly different mouse, they will often show more feminine charm. That's why Chen Yuanshu would help Chen Er Dog with his clothes like a woman between a wife and a concubine. Her actions were probably unintentional, but once the words were spoken, the tone changed. Even Wang Hu, who was so obtuse about men and women's affairs, sensed the flirtatious element in it. Chen Yuanshu's face, which had lost its true age, showed a faint, shallow, and delicate flush, which flashed by in an instant. This small, feminine charm was then submerged in her elegant and refined demeanor. She said with a smile, "Don't pretend anymore, I ran out of the spa halfway through. Do you need to go to Shi Qingfeng's Tianyuan Pavilion for a while? It's quiet there."

  "Sister Chen, no need."

  Chen Ergou shook his head and didn't play the trick of diverting attention, but instead got straight to the point. He glanced at Wang Hu with a hint in his eyes, and the latter immediately put the box on the table. Chen Ergou said directly: "Sister Chen, this is the Tang Sancai Tianwang statue that Old Master Zhuge wants. I don't have time to go to Beijing myself, so I thought of asking you for help to deliver it. This thing is probably very valuable, and I can rest assured if you take care of it. Otherwise, I'd be worried sick about something happening to it on the way."

  "Can you trust Sister Chen?" Chen Yuanshu finally got the answer and result she wanted, but her face remained calm and peaceful.

  This made Chen Ergou, who was facing him, feel envious and think about when he could gain such composure. Wei Duan Gong, who was 9,000 years old, gave him a hint about the city's layout, as if leading him through a big gate, suddenly becoming clear and bright. Chen Ergou thought complicatedly about some people and things, then looked at Chen Yuanshu again, completely dispelling the idea of a man having lustful thoughts when seeing a beautiful woman up close, nodded and said: "Believable."

  "Are you sure? Don't you feel a pang of conscience now? I'll tell you the truth, this Tang Sancai Heavenly King statue is officially known as the Tang Sancai Eastern Heavenly King Wrathful Image. This Buddha image is different from the usual ones we have in our country because it's influenced by 'The Investiture of the Gods' and holds a pipa. But according to 'The Sixteen Good Deities of the Prajna Guardian', its body is green, hair is purple, face shows wrath, wearing red armor, and it's said that not only does Zhuge Liang think highly of it, but even Li Kui mentioned it to Jiutian after arriving in Nanjing. So if you secretly hand over the statue to Li Kui, that influential man from Luoyang who can make things happen with a single word, who knows, you might just rise to the top overnight."

  Chen Yuanshu said with a playful smile. With a pleased expression, now that she had gotten what she wanted, her mood was great, and looking at Chen Ergou made her feel even more comfortable. She wasn't like Wei Xiacao, a naive woman who hadn't experienced much, nor was she like those middle-aged women who were seduced by Wang Jiefang and became resentful. Chen Yuanshu's spiritual world was strong enough, so when it came to looking at Chen Ergou or any other man, whether they qualified as a kept man was secondary, and even too greasy to the point of being nauseating.

  "Chen sister, Li Kuaifu and the like are too far away from me. My vision is limited, I can only see things that are close to me. As for now, in Nanjing, you're the only big shot I know, and you're willing to put aside your dignity to talk to me. Plus, it was you who paid for my first stay at a star-rated hotel. Wouldn't it be too ungrateful of me if I didn't get close to you?"

  Chen Yuanshu took a sip of tea and smiled with her hand covering her mouth: "Two months haven't seen, the skills on this mouth have improved a lot."

  "This is what's in my heart."

  "Alright."

  Chen Yuanshu suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Second Dog. Chen Jie is a businesswoman. The saying 'a drop of water in return for a gushing spring' doesn't apply to me, but I can still repay you with peaches if you give me plums." She raised her hand slightly. The person in charge of Shi Qingfeng's private club, who was waiting in the distance, immediately jogged over to Chen Yuanshu and heard her say, "Prepare a Yangzhou-style meal at Tianyuan Hall, I want to invite a few people to come and catch up with us siblings."

  The person in charge of the guest business immediately went to work, and inside Shi Qingfeng, there was a list that listed the distinguished guests who had been to the club into three six nine grades. Chen Yuanshu was not the most outstanding one, but because she was from Nanjing, Wei Duogong felt that distant water could not save the fire, following the principle of being far away from relatives and neighbors, he listed her as a key object to be treated with importance. In addition, she would never eat or drink for free when she came to the club, so Shi Qingfeng's upper and lower levels had a very good impression of her.

  This news quickly reached the ears of Song Dynasty and Wang Chou, and the two words "sister and brother" exploded in their ears like thunder. They only then remembered that Chen Fusheng and Chen Yuanshu were both surnamed Chen, and it was impossible for them to be biological siblings. Everyone in Nanjing knew that Chen Yuanshu had only two older brothers who worked at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, but no younger brother. Even if they weren't biological siblings, being cousins or sworn brothers would still make Song Dynasty and Wang Chou look at them with new eyes. The Chen family may not be able to rival the Wu family, the "earth emperor", but in Nanjing, they were a major player who could shake things up just by stomping their foot. With this kind of relationship, Chen Fusheng still came to work as a driver for the Wei family - was he intentionally trying to monopolize the Wei family's underground world?

  Two men met and smiled at each other, both with a hint of bitterness.

  The front door has just refused a tiger, and the back door welcomes a wolf?

  The walls of the Tianyuan Hall are adorned with purple sand-burned paper cloud paintings, resplendent and magnificent. The remaining walls are made of Chinese toon wood, with traditional Chinese tea tables and chairs. A pot of Bi Luo Chun tea is placed on the table, filling the air with its fragrance. After waiting for over 40 minutes, a pot of tea was not enough for the Wang brothers, who gulped down half a cup in one mouthful, like cows chewing cud. Once they finished their tea, seven or eight cold dishes were served. Two guests, a man and a woman, arrived soon after, looking very much like a married couple.

  It turned out that Chen Ergou was not mistaken, and the couple were indeed newlyweds. The man was refined to the point of being gloomy, while the woman had a typical Shandong woman's demeanor - carefree and straightforward, although rough but not coarse. She wasn't as delicate as Chen Yuanshu, but she was pleasant to look at. After introducing themselves, Chen Ergou learned that they were Fan Jinghua and Huang Wutong. From Chen Yuanshu's mouth, he knew that the couple had grown up together in a large courtyard and were close friends. According to Chen Yuanshu, among the four young couples who were favored by their elders in the courtyard, most of them either went their separate ways or became sworn enemies, but this couple quietly achieved their goal without making a sound. The man, Fan Jinghua, was not a high-ranking official, at least according to Chen Yuanshu, and worked in the 2nd Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The woman also came from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, but worked in the 7th Touring Group. Chen Ergou wasn't too concerned about this, although he had vaguely heard of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection before. When he thought about the 2nd Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office and the 7th Touring Group, his instincts told him that it didn't seem very reliable, and it was probably a relatively marginal department in the party and government system.

  The couple, who looked to be in their 30s, exchanged a knowing glance as they watched Chen Yuanshu and Chen Ergou. They had been friends with Chen Yuanshu since childhood, and it was clear that they were aware of the teasing glint in his eye. However, they didn't seem to mind, thinking that they had nothing to hide, so they let the couple continue their wild speculations.

  Chen Ergou sat up straight, looking serious. There wasn't much time to observe and ponder the strange husband-and-wife duo, who looked benevolent but occasionally gave off a creepy feeling. The meal was uneventful, but it seemed that Chen Yuanshu wanted to get something out of them. Every time he tried, Fan Jinghua would scowl and lecture him on discipline, while Huang Weitong, who appeared more approachable, would smile and pretend not to hear.

  Finally, after much prodding, Huang Weitong said that the sudden departure of several high-ranking officials from the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Ministry of Public Security was not just a simple matter. It was a complex issue involving many problems, which had finally reached a boiling point. As for when this storm would pass, it depended on when the couple would leave.

  Huang Weitong sighed and told Chen Yuanshu that she would call him to say goodbye when they returned to Beijing. This was the bottom line. Chen Yuanshu smiled and agreed, not forgetting to remind them to mention his name in the future. Fan Jinghua glanced at Chen Ergou, but didn't say anything, probably thinking that he wasn't worth paying attention to yet.

  In contrast, Huang Weitong was much warmer and more affectionate towards Chen Ergou. Perhaps it was because she had a soft spot for him, as evidenced by her constant smiling face whenever she looked at him. At the end of the meal, they even invited him to visit their new home when he had the chance.

  Chen Yuanshu and Huang Wutong went to the restroom together. Huang Wutong stood in front of the mirror at the sink, took out her makeup box, and lightly touched up her makeup. She smiled and said, "Sister, she looks okay, but her temperament is just average. It's not like she'll embarrass you if you take her out, but maybe she's a bit too young?"

  Chen Yuanshu scolded with a smile: "Little vixen, stop looking at me with your sickly eyes, I'm not you, I won't pretend to be a saint in the inspection team and get sick from holding it in. You'd better transfer out, or else you'll become more and more abnormal, one of the couple is already in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, what's the point of both of you being together? Fan Jinghua has always been a big shot since he was young, what are you doing going to that ghostly place with your lively and cheerful personality?"

  Huang Wutong retouched her makeup and smiled coquettishly at herself in the mirror, saying: "I'd love to, go ahead and bite me."

  Chen Yuanshu sighed and said: "Are there few people who want to bite you to death?"

  Huang Wutong put away the makeup box and said in a low voice, "Yuanshu sister, I'm not as clever as you. In business, except for relying on old capital and playing with father's cards, one can only be deceived and slaughtered by others. So I had to take the civil service exam honestly. Being able to enter the Central Inspection Team is also a fluke. I think the team leader probably liked my stupid enthusiasm that doesn't know how to cry until seeing the coffin. However, I think it's pretty good. I may not be able to make good people have good fortune, but at least I can make bad people have bad fortune."

  Chen Yuanshu patted her head and sighed, "From a young age, you've been a silly child who can't even get a speck of dust in your eyes. You're still willing to believe that doing good deeds will bring peace for the rest of your life at an age when you should be married. I don't know whether to call you foolish or wise beyond measure. By the way, there's something that has been stuck in my stomach for a long time - Jing Hua is not like you. You also know he's been very cunning since childhood. We grew up playing together, so maybe we didn't think of him as a bad person. But from another perspective, Jing Hua really isn't a good person. Now that he's in the 2nd Supervision Room, keep an eye on him and don't let him stray onto the wrong path. He's very intelligent, but once smart people make mistakes, it's hard for us to help them no matter what."

  Huang Wutong's eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

  Chen Yuanshu smiled and said, "I just casually mentioned it, don't take it to heart. After all, in the capital city, there are many shady dealings, but I've been caught only a few times since childhood."

  "I'll be careful."

  "Are you really going to kill your own family for the greater good?"

  Huang Wutong snorted with laughter and rolled her eyes, saying: "Do you really think the 8 disciplinary inspection offices of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and our 11 tour groups are vegetarian? Fan Jinghua may have a thief's heart, but he doesn't have the guts to do bad things. Besides, he is determined to climb to the provincial and ministerial level, and he won't be stupid enough to get himself into trouble now."

  At this point, Chen Yuanshu didn't say much more. Earlier, at the dinner table in Tianyuan Hall, Chen Ergou wasn't very clear about the background of this couple. After hearing that the Second Inspection and Supervision Room and the Central Seventh Inspection Group were unmoved, it was easy for Wutong River Jinghua to see through their true nature. She had indeed said that they weren't high-ranking officials, but not needing to be at the level of Wei Duan Gong, as long as they were in the government system or business circles, even if only slightly larger, just hearing about these two places would evoke not only surprise but also great reverence. Wei Duan Gong chose Chen Yuanshu back then because she had a strong backing from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision, which was a special red capital that the Wu family lacked. The term "double designation" was so sensitive that it made politicians turn pale, precisely because it corresponded to the joint offices of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision. Even the highest-ranking officials had a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads, and who knows when they might lose their official hats or even their heads.

  A group of people left the private club of Shi Qingfeng, after saying goodbye, Fan Jinghua and Huang Wutong took the lead in getting into an unassuming old Mazda, Chen Yuanshu wouldn't go to great lengths to tell Chen Ergou about the couple's identity being so extraordinary, she believed that without needing two years, this young man would understand her good intentions today.

  Wei Duan Gong spent a lot of money and effort to get her to do it, but Chen Yuanshu declined every time. Today, however, she gave in to Chen Ergou, which is actually a huge favor, but the person involved has too little experience, too shallow a foundation, and has seen too small a world, so they just don't understand yet.

  Chen Yuanshu drove away in her Maserati, carrying a suitcase and gazing deeply at the young man standing at the entrance of Shi Qingfeng through the rearview mirror. She suddenly felt a little unwilling to let this young man, who was valued by Zhuge Lao, be seen through and belittled by Fan Jinghua. This young Northeasterner, nicknamed "Er Gou", was like a Rain Flower Stone that Chen Yuanshu had discovered with great difficulty. Unwilling to be treated as an ordinary pebble, she withdrew her gaze. Glancing at the suitcase, her lips tightened, her eyes narrowed, and a certain irrational thought floated in her mind.

  Wang Hu Sheng and Wang Jiefang stayed at Shi Qingfeng's private club, while Chen Ergou drove his Audi A6 back to the Zhongshan Golf Villa in the eastern foothills of Zijin Mountain. He enjoyed driving around this so-called top-notch villa residential area in China for a few laps, admiring each household and feeling that every family was hiding a shocking story, similar to Wei Duan Gong, which was a habit he developed while working as a security guard at Shan Shui Hua Men.

  They arrived at the villa, where only Wu Ma and Wei Chi Da Shu, who was in charge of raising dogs, were present. The black leopard had also been handed over to Wei Chi Da Shu, who was said to be brave enough to fight with Wei Duan Gong. He had several good dogs, which were fierce and powerful, and could catch a lot of prey for their master even if they went deep into the mountains. Wei Chi Da Shu didn't like to talk or smoke, and seemed to be immune to the five poisons. When he saw Chen Er Gou, he just nodded slightly, without showing much enthusiasm. Chen Er Gou also didn't take it seriously, as he was just a private driver for the family, and wouldn't get arrogant just because he wore high-end clothes and drove a good car. After asking Wei Chi Da Shu for permission, he took the black leopard out for some fresh air, and finally sat down on a piece of grass, staring at the few men and women playing golf in the distance, with a blade of grass in his mouth, lost in thought. The black leopard lay beside him, breathing softly, perhaps missing the icy skies and snowy lands of Northeast China.

  "Hei Cha, you said that during Qingming Festival this year, if we don't go to the old man's grave and offer him a few cups of wine, he might get drunk." Chen Ergou lay down, gazing at the sky, imitating Cao's wife by stretching out his hands to form a rectangular frame. Today, he was no longer that high school student who could only learn about the world from pitiful books, nor was he that Zhangjiashan farmer who wanted to make life better for his mother but didn't know how."

  The black wolf lifted its head and gazed at its master, who had been through life and death with it in the deep mountains on a snowy day, and let out a mournful howl.

  "You think Mother wasn't afraid, lying alone in that small place, not even able to see me one last time when she died? And what about that heartless and ruthless man who left for twenty years and should be hacked to pieces a thousand times? You think Mother didn't hate him?" Chen Ergou gazed up at the sky, his eyes red, like a wolf cub whose mother had just died, with a surge of hatred in his eyes. Before standing up, he muttered: "Don't let me find you, if I do, I'll dig out your heart and liver."

  Complete book