For Chen Ling, who Zhou Nianchen spoke of, returning to her hometown was another story.
…
After breaking up with Jiang Keyang, Chen Ling didn't want to live an ordinary life; she was involved in the drug scene. Therefore, her idea was simple: arrest a drug dealer and earn merit.
Through old connections, Chen Ling quickly learned that the current drug trafficker was Brother Hu. Brother Hu was originally a hidden drug dealer under Liu Zhaodi, at a level similar to Chen Ling back then.
However, Brother Hu operated in a triad-like manner, with some subordinates. After Liu Zhaodi was arrested, Brother Hu lay low for a while. Once things had settled, he became the boss here.
In terms of drug trafficking methods, Brother Hu was similar to Liu Zhaodi back then, but he lacked Liu Zhaodi's many rules, and his management was somewhat chaotic. Perhaps because of this, Chen Ling quickly figured out Brother Hu's pattern. She reported him to the police, filing a real-name accusation, believing that once Brother Hu, the drug dealer, was caught red-handed, she would receive merit, become a civil servant, and be an anti-drug elite.
But reality is always different from imagination. While Brother Hu appeared to be operating in the same way as Liu Zhaodi, he was not. Brother Hu's greatest skill was colluding with the powerful. He befriended the local official Li Qing, and the powerful Li Qing suppressed these matters. Chen Ling, who had filed a real-name accusation, was instead arrested. Coincidentally, on the day Chen Ling was dealt with, Li Qing also had Brother Hu handle someone – this person was Li Qing's mistress, Xu Xiaoting.
…
It was somewhat dramatic. Xu Xiaoting was thrown into the river first. However, she was rescued by Qingzi. News of this reached Brother Hu, and chaos ensued. Brother Hu did not have that much influence, and Li Qing couldn't cover everything up. Fortunately, Xu Xiaoting was also scared and didn't pursue the matter further. During this period of confusion, Chen Ling was rescued by a subordinate of Brother Hu named Zhou Hang.
This Zhou Hang was a habitual thief. It was when he was stealing that Chen A-sir stopped him and subsequently stabbed Chen A-sir. Later, the heroic Chen A-sir was judged by public opinion, a fact Zhou Hang was aware of. Knowing that Chen Ling was Chen A-sir's daughter, Zhou Hang rescued Chen Ling without hesitation. Who knows what Zhou Hang was thinking? Was it a pang of conscience, or something else? Chen Ling was unsure, and they had no real interaction. This Zhou Hang also died not long after, reportedly stabbed to death by someone named Qingzi.
Chen Ling didn't ask many questions, nor did she help Zhou Hang seek justice. This was the reality of life; it didn't have much artistic flair. Chen Ling was more concerned with her own survival. Later, she worked and earned money to live a normal life. It was rumored that she underwent plastic surgery in Korea, after which no one ever saw Chen Ling again.
…
After listening to Zhou Nianchen finish, I looked at her. I knew in my heart that she was Chen Ling. But she wouldn't admit it, and I saw no need to pry further.
"Miss Zhou, thank you for telling me this. Is Chen Ling your friend?"
"No, just a story I heard."
"Then why are you working here?"
"I got this job by passing the civil service exam. Although the anti-drug station staff are not police officers, they are still civil servants."
"Are you married?"
"I got married last year. My husband is a teacher; we met through a blind date."
Hearing this, I smiled with relief. "I'm sorry for the trouble caused by mistaking you for someone else. Since everything is clear, I won't disturb you further."
"Then goodbye, Tang Nan."
"We won't meet again."
I stood up. Zhou Nianchen extended her hand to say goodbye. I didn't shake her hand but leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Whether or not there's artistic flair in real life, Chen A-sir will always be a hero in my heart."
After saying this, I left. As I closed the door, I saw glistening tears in Zhou Nianchen's eyes.
…
When I came out, Xu Xiaoting had just returned after buying coffee. Seeing that I was already out, she seemed a bit puzzled. "So quickly? Did you find Chen Ling's whereabouts?"
"No, Chen Ling probably escaped that day. She might have fled to the ends of the earth."
"Then what do we do?"
"Let's stop looking for now. I have something to do, and I'm returning to Beijing tonight."
"So soon? Is there a flight?"
"A private jet."
Hearing "private jet," Xu Xiaoting's expression became awkward. "I'm so sorry. You chartered a plane because I mistook someone."
I waved my hand, signaling it was fine. I couldn't tell Xu Xiaoting the truth. Whether it was Xu Xiaoting or Chen Ling, they both had stable and happy lives. I couldn't drag them into this anymore. Chen Ling's matter would end here.
…
By the time I got back on the plane, I was exhausted. But no matter how I tried, I couldn't sleep. My mind was filled with thoughts of that Chen Ling. Thinking carefully, the Chen Ling I met in Beijing looked exactly like the one in the photos. In reality, there were still differences from Chen Ling. However, with some makeup techniques, it was difficult for me to discern the truth.
Who actually orchestrated this scheme? If I could just figure out who hired this fake Chen Ling, perhaps everything would become clear.
By the time I returned to Beijing, it was already daylight. I went directly to the hotel to find Lao Tie. Lao Tie invited me to have breakfast together. He ate heartily while I quietly drank my coffee.
"Did you see Chen Ling?"
"Not exactly. But I know the Chen Ling in Beijing is fake."
"What's the next step?"
"I want to find this Chen Ling," I said seriously.
"Can you find her?"
"It's unlikely."
Lao Tie chuckled. "Then let's talk about something else?"
"About what?"
"We have more money than we can count now, but do you know what would happen to your money if you died?"
"Isn't my money with you? If I die, all the money is yours, so this is your scheme."
Hearing me say this, Lao Tie glared at me unceremoniously. "What's the difference between having 10 billion and 20 billion? In the end, we still sleep in the same bed. At this point, do I need to harm someone for money?"
"I was just kidding, sorry!" I was indeed joking, but Lao Tie took it seriously, and I apologized awkwardly.
"We made a lot of money from Cao Qian, and I want to return it to you. The handling of this money is through Shenxian Kejiu Lou."
"Ke Yingying?"
"Yes. I've discovered a problem: if you die, your money won't pass to your wife according to will law. Your money will become a research and development fund."
"Research and development for what?"
"I don't know. There's no project description, so it might be a shell company. I consulted some financial professionals, and they said this is a normal practice, mainly for tax avoidance."
"You don't believe it."
"I believe it, but you almost died a few months ago."
I knew Lao Tie was referring to the earthquake. I looked at him, perplexed. "You don't think someone could have predicted even a natural disaster, do you?"
"What if the incident that happened then wasn't a natural disaster, but a man-made one?"
Lao Tie's words hit the nail on the head. If it hadn't been for that earthquake, I would have almost died at Ye Qingcheng's hands. At the time, I hadn't thought about the financial aspects. I always felt secure knowing the money was with Lao Tie.
"You think Ke Yingying is the one who tried to harm me?"
"Yes!"
"Could it be him?"
"Then you'll have to investigate yourself. However, my suggestion is that you should get some sleep before you investigate."
Hearing Lao Tie say this, I widened my eyes and suddenly had an epiphany. "I see, so that's how it is."
"You see what?"
"I understand, I understand! This isn't one scheme, but someone pieced it together. In this scheme, I shouldn't have encountered Chen Ling. But because of Ke Yingying, I became entangled with Chen Ling."
"Tang Nan, what are you talking about?"
…
Lao Tie might not understand, but I completely do.
Originally, Chen Ling's target was not me. I was just a disruptor from the start.
This scheme was never aimed at me. The decision to expose Chen Ling happened when we were eating together. Chen Ling and Liu Ran's plan to deal with Jiang Keyang began before Liu Ran disappeared, a month earlier than I thought.
When it comes to understanding a scheme, it's easy to be biased. In this process, I always thought Jiang Keyang was the bad guy, which led me down the wrong path. If Jiang Keyang wasn't the bad guy, things might have been different.
Why do I say that?
The most crucial element of this scheme is Chen Ling, or more precisely, Chen Ling's tragic story, artistically embellished. In such tragic circumstances, Chen Ling becoming a drug lord seemed only natural.
But after meeting the real Chen Ling, I discovered it was two different things. Chen Ling was not that drug lord at all.
However, there is indeed a mysterious drug lord known as Sister Ling, a major supplier in the drug network. Furthermore, Sister Ling has a strategist called "Heart Eater" from the "Southern Faction."
When Chen Ling told her story, she actually revealed a key point. But because the story was so tragic, everyone couldn't help but want to avenge Chen Ling, thus overlooking one point: Sister Ling herself didn't know who "Heart Eater" was.
Therefore, the initial goal of this scheme was "Heart Eater."