Lu Fan hesitated, then glanced at Zhao Zhichao. Zhao Zhichao pouted, "Lu Fan, be a man. Whatever you choose, I'll respect it."
This time, Lu Fan didn't cry. He opened his eyes wide and said loudly and firmly, "I choose to seek justice for my mother."
...
I saw Director Lu on trial in court. His eyes held a hint of helplessness. He had schemed his whole life, only to fall into his son's hands in the end. This left him unwilling, yet also powerless.
After leaving the court, Zhao Zhichao came to my side and said softly, "President Tang, thank you for helping me get revenge."
"Why can you turn a blind eye to the death of your Uncle Zhao Shicheng?"
"Uncle was sick. Death was a release for him."
"Even so, what right do you have to decide someone else's life or death?"
Zhao Zhichao was clearly The Schemer. She should have seen something, felt something? But she did nothing, obediently left Xi'an, and let Zhao Shicheng's life slip away for nothing.
...
Hearing the host say that, I smiled slightly, "Since that's the case, you should know about Xi'an's Queen of Underground Palaces. She likes to appear later, as the grand finale."
As expected, Lin Han made her grand entrance, just as I had predicted. With her luxury car and beauty, in her red evening gown, my unreliable wife was, as always, full of presence.
I stood there, reporters abandoning me and rushing towards Lin Han. Lin Han, however, walked towards me. I extended my arm, and she took it. I whispered in her ear, "No need to turn around, just say 'All subjects, peace be upon you'?"
"They didn't even shout 'Long live, long live, long, long live'."
"Where have you been hiding these days?"
"That's a secret."
I smiled faintly, "Is Mom still accustomed to living at Huang Aiguo's place?"
Lin Han pursed her lips, not answering my question. The host walked over and handed a microphone to Lin Han. Lin Han's playful expression vanished, replaced by a solemn one as she looked at the reporters, "They actually gave the microphone to someone who only speaks the truth."
The reporters burst into a chorus of laughter, some shouting, "Miss Lin, then tell us the truth."
"I dare to speak, do you dare to listen? If you understand, do you dare to write?"
...
This was Lin Han's stage. I walked silently in the corner, watching her with doting eyes. The story of replacing a terracotta soldier's head with another, no matter how the tour guide tells it, it's just a story.
Of course, what my wife says isn't necessarily true.
Truth or falsehood, why bother to dwell on it?
...
From afar, I listened and felt like laughing more and more. So, taking advantage of the fact that even the host paid me no attention, I quietly left. I hadn't escaped far when I saw Ke Yingying walking towards me.
"Where on earth is she hiding?"
Hearing Ke Yingying ask this, I smiled knowingly, "I don't know about that. You'll have to ask her."
"What if she also says she doesn't know?"
"Then you give up. If she doesn't say, then when I'm in danger next time, at least this hiding place will still be one of the 'cunning rabbits' three burrows."
"I understand, Master."
"You seem quite anxious. Have you found Lu Yao and Ye Qingcheng?"
...
After Director Lu was brought to justice, Ke Yingying had been looking for people, looking for Lin Han, Lu Yao, and Ye Qingcheng. I knew Lin Han's whereabouts, but I didn't tell Ke Yingying. It wasn't because I didn't trust Ke Yingying, but because what I had just told Ke Yingying was the truth. If I were to encounter danger again, Lin Han would at least have a place to stay safe.
How would Lin Han know if she was out of danger? Of course, by watching the news. "National Treasure Returns Home" was going to be broadcast live, with pre-show warm-ups. I even appeared on the program. Receiving my message, she would naturally appear here.
As for Lu Yao and Ye Qingcheng, I really didn't know their whereabouts. At that time, Lu Yao, unable to find Lin Han, went to find Ye Qingcheng. Ye Qingcheng was a master of acting. From Ke Yingying's perspective, they, the four of them, felt like a group, but in reality, no one trusted anyone. Therefore, I thought the possibility of Ye Qingcheng being harmed by Lu Yao was not high.
However, now Ke Yingying has told me something even more outrageous: Lu Yao is dead.
...
Lu Yao is dead?
I asked the staff to inform Lin Han and left the "National Treasure Returns Home" site first. Ke Yingying and I got into a car and headed to the scene of Lu Yao's death.
"How did Lu Yao die?"
"I don't know. Let's retrace our steps. Because of your plan, Lu Yao overturned his own scheme. If our enemy is Teacher Wang Ren, then our chances of winning are not high. Even if Lu Yao is better than us at scheming, he wouldn't be confident. The only way to defeat Teacher Wang Ren might be to enlist one of the four-color old k's."
"Ke Yingying, you mean Lu Yao changed his initial intention to kill Ye Qingcheng and instead formed an alliance with Ye Qingcheng?"
"Master, is that what I mean?"
"What method could Lu Yao use to persuade Ye Qingcheng?"
"Ye Qingcheng, like me, wouldn't trust any of the four-color old k's. The method Lu Yao could use is probably the same as mine: to draw a pie for Ye Qingcheng. But my pie is no longer just theoretical. Could he offer better terms than I did?"
I listened, utterly confused. I looked at Ke Yingying, "What do you mean by drawing a pie?"
"After Teacher Li Jiu's death, 'Logical Paradox' was as good as defunct. Apart from me, the other three had no intention of continuing in this organization. However, Cao Qian once approached us, using Teacher Li Jiu's cause of death as a condition to persuade us to stay. This made Ye Qingcheng, who had planned to retire, return. But Ye Qingcheng didn't trust Cao Qian, so we didn't actually join the 'Goblin Forest'. At that time, we chose 'Zhengqi', hoping to leverage its power. But 'Zhengqi' also perished."
The more I listened, the more confused I became. "Teacher Li Jiu's cause of death can be used as a condition? He died of cancer!"
"That's what the doctor said. Actually, he was poisoned."
"What?"
Ke Yingying sighed helplessly, "Master, we'll discuss this later. Lu Yao is dead, and this condition is no longer valid. Lu Yao wasn't killed by Ye Qingcheng. The core of Teacher Li Jiu's teachings was that a schemer is not a murderer. If someone is to die, it is by the hands of willing pawns."
"The one from the coal mine?"
"Director Lu framed Ye Qingcheng to deal with you."
As we spoke, we arrived at the scene of Lu Yao's murder. Several henchmen were standing outside, looking extremely grim. Seeing us about to go in, one of the henchmen handed us two masks. Ke Yingying glared, "What for? Haven't we seen a dead person before?"
"Boss, just wear them. It's really a gruesome sight."
Ke Yingying and I entered the scene. My head buzzed, and I rushed out to throw up.