The car drove steadily on the main road of Yanjing late at night. Lu Xuan held the steering wheel with one hand, and a cigarette with the other, the crimson glow flickering between his fingers.
The thrill of having just conquered Lin Zhiling had not completely faded, and a sense of controlling everything flowed through his heart.
The best way to eliminate an enemy is not to make him disappear, but to make him kneel at your feet and become your most loyal dog.
Lin Zhiling, this chess piece, was even more useful than he had anticipated.
Just then, his phone screen lit up, showing an incoming call from “Chen Yubing.”
Lu Xuan swiped to answer, his tone flat: “Speak.”
On the other end of the line, Chen Yubing, playfully yet respectfully and quickly, reported: “Master, the matter you assigned has yielded results. Your cousin’s grades have been restored, and the admission notice will be reissued in the next two days.”
“Mm,” Lu Xuan responded, not surprised by this.
“But…” Chen Yubing’s tone carried a hint of solemnity, “We couldn’t directly identify the person behind it. My father and Elder Master Bai both used some old connections to get a bit of information from the Ye family in Modu.”
“The Ye family?” Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, the specific person who handled it was Ye Qingcheng, one of the Four Young Masters of Modu.”
Chen Yubing’s voice dropped even lower, “Ye Qingcheng personally admitted that he did it, but he said he was only entrusted by a friend. When we pressed him about who that ‘friend’ was, Ye Qingcheng refused to say anything, only leaving one sentence.”
“What sentence?”
“He said that friend was someone he couldn’t afford to offend.”
Couldn’t afford to offend?
“Who is that Ye Qingcheng, one of the Four Young Masters of Modu? Is he very powerful?” Lu Xuan frowned.
“Ye Qingcheng is the eldest granddaughter of the Ye family. Their Ye family is one of the Four Great Families of Modu, and they have significant influence in both military and political circles,” Chen Yubing quickly explained.
“Isn’t it ‘Four Young Masters’? Why is she a woman?”
“Because she is the designated heir of the Ye family. Many men in the Modu circle are not as capable as her.”
“I understand,” Lu Xuan’s voice betrayed no emotion.
“Master, do you need me to…”
“No need, that’s enough,” Lu Xuan directly interrupted her. “Have your people withdraw; don’t investigate any further.”
Lu Xuan’s eyes instantly turned cold. For the eldest young master of the Ye family to say “couldn’t afford to offend,” the other party’s background was probably more terrifying than the Chen family and Bai family combined.
Further investigation would only alert the enemy and be pointless.
A few seconds after he hung up, Bai Yanxi’s call came in immediately, reporting similar content to Chen Yubing, but with a few more hints of deliberate flattery and seeking credit.
Lu Xuan responded perfunctorily for a few sentences, then hung up.
He slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and the car interior fell into dead silence.
It was this feeling again.
A chilling sensation of being manipulated by an unseen hand from behind, exactly the same feeling he had in his previous life when he was besieged by the entire network and ultimately disgraced!
Replacing college entrance examination scores, for ordinary people, was a huge deal, but for people of that level, it was just a matter of moving their lips.
But why did they specifically target his cousin, who had no background?
There was only one answer: Xiang Zhuang performed the sword dance, his intent was for Pei Gong.
The opponent’s target, from beginning to end, was him, Lu Xuan!
“Heh…” Lu Xuan let out a cold laugh, the killing intent in his eyes almost solidifying.
Rats hiding in the dark, one day, I will wipe you out completely!
He restarted the car, but the irritation in his heart was greatly diluted by another phone call.
The caller ID showed “Mom.”
Lu Xuan took a deep breath, reining in his aggressive aura, and answered the phone.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Xuan Xuan! Your Second Aunt just called me and said the grades can be checked! The school also called and said it was a system error, and I can report tomorrow!” On the other end of the line, his mother’s voice was filled with surprise and excitement.
“Mm, I asked a friend for help, and it’s resolved,” Lu Xuan said lightly.
“Oh, my good son! You are truly too capable!” His mother first praised him, then her tone shifted, filled with sobs and deep self-reproach, “Xuan Xuan… it’s Mom’s fault. This matter… Mom was too anxious, I shouldn’t have pushed you. I thought about it later, how difficult this must have been, you must have had to beg and plead and face so many people’s expressions… Mom is sorry, I caused you so much trouble… Wuwu…”
“Your dad gave me a good scolding, saying I was thoughtless!”
Hearing his mother’s crying, the softest part of Lu Xuan’s heart was touched. He smiled helplessly: “It’s alright, Mom, it’s a small matter, it’s all in the past. I didn’t face anyone’s expressions, I just owe a few favors to friends, I’ll find a chance to repay them later.”
“But still…”
“Alright, alright,” Lu Xuan interrupted her, “Just don’t take on such big responsibilities yourself in the future. Our family is just an ordinary family; living a stable life is better than anything.”
“Okay, I know, Mom won’t cause you trouble again,” Lu Xuan’s mother sighed deeply, seemingly relieved of a heavy burden, and quickly changed the subject: “Oh, by the way, Xuan Xuan, let me tell you something! I heard from the villagers, and they’re saying it with such conviction, that the land in our village seems like it’s going to be acquired!”
“Land acquisition?”
“Yes! They say they’re going to build some… some super big project! The town leaders have been secretly checking it out several times! The villagers are all saying that our few acres of land, and that old house, are going to make us rich this time! Our family’s good days are finally coming!”
His mother’s voice was full of anticipation and joy, as if she had already seen piles of banknotes.
Lu Xuan’s fingers, gripping the steering wheel, suddenly tightened.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
In his previous life, his hometown did have a land acquisition, but it was small in scale, and the compensation was meager, definitely not the “big project” his mother was talking about.
Could it be… this was also because of his rebirth?
Or perhaps, in his previous life, because he was framed, there was no land acquisition for a big project.
A playful curve slowly appeared at the corner of Lu Xuan’s mouth.
Whether it was the mastermind or the big project.
It was getting more and more interesting.
He smiled into the phone: “Mom, I know about this. You just wait at home with peace of mind. The rest, leave it to me.”
After hanging up the phone, his deep gaze looked towards the direction of Jinchuan.
