109 The Architect, Part II

Ling Xue said, "Chairman Luo of the Dongzhou Group is a close friend of my father's, and I call him Uncle Luo. He happened to be hiking on Mount Patong that night to exercise. After I mentioned you to him, he decided to test you, which is why he intentionally dropped his wallet for you to find..."

I thought to myself that if Luo Dingguo was arranged by Ling Xue, then she must know who orchestrated the scheme to ruin Jin Yulian's company.

I said, "Ling Xue, if Chairman Luo is your uncle, then you must know who set up the trap to sabotage Jin Yulian's business."

Ling Xue smiled brightly and replied, "Of course I know, but I don't want to tell you." I asked curiously, "Why?"

Ling Xue laughed, "I want to test your intelligence. I want you to guess who it is."

I said, "Is it Qian Duobao from the Qian Group?" Ling Xue shook her head and said, "That guy doesn't have the capability."

I was stunned. If it wasn't Qian Duobao, then who could it be?

Ling Xue smiled sweetly, "If you can't even guess this, has your brain been smashed into mush? That person isn't far away, but right before your eyes."

I was horrified and blurted out, "Ling Xue, it was you! Why would you do such a thing? What good does this do for you?"

Han Lingxue retorted, "Why can't I do it? I certainly have my reasons. Do you want to hear them?"

I said, "Ling Xue, you're definitely going to spout some sophistry. Jin Yulian never offended you..."

Suddenly, I realized something was wrong. Since everything was arranged by Ling Xue, she must have known long ago that Jin Baoqiang intended to assault her, which was certainly an offense.

Sure enough, Ling Xue said coldly, "Jin Yulian's brother, Jin Baoqiang, thought I was drunk and tried to violate me. Jin Yulian knew full well that her brother had committed a crime, yet she made you take the fall for him. Tell me, shouldn't I set up a scheme to retaliate against them?"

I was speechless, realizing that since Ling Xue had orchestrated the downfall of Jin Yulian's company, it was hard to blame her.

I asked, "Now that this is all in the past, can you let Jin Yulian go?"

By now, I was completely terrified by her cunning. Ling Xue's schemes were frightening; Jin Yulian was no match for her. Furthermore, the wealth and connections of the Han family far surpassed Jin Yulian's. For Ling Xue to toy with her was as simple as a cat playing with a mouse.

Ling Xue said, "Since I've told you all this, of course I will let Jin Yulian go, but I won't let that guy Jin Baoqiang off the hook."

I asked, "What do you intend to do?" Ling Xue giggled, "It's simple: I'll make him go bankrupt and turn him into a stray dog."

Suddenly, I felt that Jin Baoqiang was also quite pathetic. He was being played in the palm of Ling Xue's hand without even knowing it. Of course, if Ling Xue wanted to toy with me, I would be just as oblivious.

In *Journey to the West*, Sun Wukong's pilgrimage was all arranged by the Buddha and Guanyin. Now, many things I had encountered since coming here were also arranged by Ling Xue.

Suddenly, something felt wrong. If Luo Dingguo was arranged by Ling Xue, then what about Du Guoqiang in Shanghai? If Du Guoqiang followed Ling Xue's arrangements, their relationship must be very close. Why, then, did Ling Xue have a verbal conflict with A-Yun?

Seeing my dazed expression, Ling Xue giggled, "Are you wondering why I had Uncle Luo introduce you to A-Yun's father?"

I nodded and said, "Yes, Old Luo introduced me to Shanghai to meet A-Yun's father, President Du, so their relationship must be very close."

Ling Xue said, "That's true, Uncle Luo and A-Yun's father are old friends, but that doesn't mean my relationship with A-Yun is good."

I nodded, "Then when you had Old Luo send me to Shanghai, were you really trying to help Jin Yulian's company out of trouble..." I suddenly realized my question was naive. Ling Xue was the mastermind behind the scenes; she couldn't care less if Jin Yulian's company went bankrupt.

Sure enough, Ling Xue laughed, "I wanted to give you a chance to shine. If you helped Jin Yulian solve her financial crisis, she would certainly be grateful to you... wouldn't she?"

A more terrifying thought occurred to me: the fact that Jin Yulian couldn't fulfill the contract she signed with President Du must also have been a trap she set. She wanted to turn the siblings against each other. Her schemes were truly chilling.

As I recalled this, I felt a shiver run down my spine. Jin Yulian, her brother, and even I were all being toyed with in the palm of her hand.

I asked, "Jin Baoqiang selling that batch of goods privately at a low price—was that a trap you set too?"

Ling Xue said, "Jin Baoqiang wanted to speculate on crude oil futures and needed capital. He wanted to do that on his own; there was no need for me to set a trap."

I doubted her, "So you mean you didn't know that the contract between Jin Yulian and President Du would end in failure?"

Ling Xue rolled her eyes at me and said, "Do you really think I'm that evil? I was just too naive to tell you all of this."

I asked skeptically, "Do you mean you are willing to let Jin Yulian's company escape its financial crisis?"

Ling Xue said indifferently, "I have no interest in whether her company goes bankrupt. I just wanted you to perform well and regain your confidence. As for Jin Duobao selling the goods privately, I truly didn't know, just as I didn't know that A-Yun would fall in love with you."

I said, "Now that I've been beaten into a mummy, have you thought about getting revenge for me?"

Ling Xue chuckled, "You're a man. Do you need me to take revenge for you?"

I said, "I understand. I'll handle it myself." Ling Xue replied, "Don't worry, if necessary, I am still willing to help you."

Because I was so engrossed in our conversation, I didn't notice when the IV drip finished. By the time I realized it, my venous blood had already started to backflow.

Ling Xue hurriedly pressed the call button for the nurse to remove the needle.

Without realizing it, it was already deep into the night. Seeing that Ling Xue looked tired, I said, "Are you really not going back?"

Ling Xue rested her chin on her hands, her beautiful eyes lingering on me as she asked, "Don't you like me staying with you like this?"

I said, "I'm just worried that it's so late and you haven't gone home. Won't your parents be worried?"

Ling Xue shook her head gently, "No, because I brought people with me; they are waiting outside."

I was startled, "You brought bodyguards?" Ling Xue nodded, "Yes, ever since that incident that year, my father has had people follow me. I'm so annoyed by it."