Bai Li disappeared from the Du family's residence without a trace. Rumor had it that when she left, her face looked terribly ill, as though she had a severe illness.
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow in his mind, went upstairs, and brought out his computer. He directly immersed his mental energy into the vast sea of data. However, the system's energy was insufficient, and the provided information was too limited. In order to quickly obtain complete and detailed information, he had no choice but to resort to this self-inflicted, risky method.
Enduring the excruciating pain as the massive data washed over him, he finally found most of the information about Bai's family and her fiancé, Yang Wei.
Yang Wei, as described in the system's data, was a gentle and kind-hearted person. He was currently pursuing a master's degree at the best medical school in Y Country, and his family was involved in the pharmaceutical business, making him both wealthy and influential. However, despite being the heir, he lived quite frugally, using most of his money for charity and research projects. His gentle and quiet nature led him to voluntarily give up the family business inheritance earlier in the year, deciding to become a pure doctor and scholar. The female lead had returned to the country shortly after this news became public.
Ye Zhizhou disconnected from the ocean of data, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and smiled faintly. He had figured out why the female lead had returned to the country and how she had erased all traces of her background that even Yun Ke couldn't detect.
He then discovered more information about He Fangfei, Bai Li's mother. She had a fondness for luxury brands and various jewelry items, always proud of her identity as the future mother-in-law of the Yang family. Interestingly, within the extensive data flow, he "saw" numerous records of He Fangfei booking hotel rooms, but her companions were not Bai's father but her distant cousin, He Ze.
He Ze, the illegitimate son of the current head of the He family, was ruthless and cunning. He had received care from He Fangfei when he was first accepted into the He family and was eight years younger than her. On the surface, he was a jewelry merchant, but secretly, he operated a gambling den with a shady background.
The data stated that the female lead had returned to the country for a vacation, but in reality, she had returned to escape from her year-end engagement ceremony. To avoid being found by the Yang family, she had asked He Ze to help cover all traces of her whereabouts.
With all the information he wanted to know, Ye Zhizhou smiled contentedly and tapped the dressing table. He asked, "My task is to prevent the female lead from getting close to any of the male leads mentioned in the data provided by the system. Can her original fate be altered?"
[Make sure the female lead stays away from all the male leads mentioned in the data provided by the system.]
He raised an eyebrow, "What about other people?"
[Others are acceptable.]
"Very well." He turned off the computer, stretched lazily, and squinted his eyes slightly. "It's time to deal with the mission in this world." He couldn't help but blame himself for previously thinking naively that he could accomplish the task in a gentle manner without considering cutting off the female lead's escape route. But now... the real show was about to begin.
Soon, New Year's Eve arrived.
Ye Zhizhou looked at himself in the mirror, appearing more refined and elegant after meticulous grooming. He smiled faintly, turned around, and walked confidently toward the door. In these past few days, he had done everything he could. Today, it was time to see the results.
The venue for the party wasn't far from the Yun family mansion. It only took half an hour by car. Yun Ke, worried that Ye Zhizhou might not eat well at the party, took him to a private restaurant to fill up first.
As soon as they left the restaurant, Ye Zhizhou felt a trace of spiritual power restraining Bai Li. He paused for a moment and then continued walking toward Yun Ke, who looked puzzled.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the party began on time. In the magnificent and spacious hall, fragrant scents and elegantly dressed figures filled the room. Top executives and representatives from various cooperating companies mingled, department heads gathered in groups, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
Ye Zhizhou attracted the attention of everyone as soon as he appeared beside Yun Ke. Employees gossiped, shareholders contemplated, and the managers left by the Du family showed a mix of excitement and grim expressions.
Contrary to Yun Ke's concerns, Ye Zhizhou appeared quite generous. He spoke politely and graciously when conversing with others, responded humbly to compliments, and effortlessly defused any hidden provocations. He didn't seem like a newcomer to such events at all.
Watching the young man, Yun Ke's gaze became increasingly tender, with a hint of indulgent amusement. The employees and shareholders of Yun Yuan Group were stunned. After working for the company for so many years, they were witnessing their boss smile so gently for the first time. It was like a bolt from the blue on a clear day.
After a round of greetings went smoothly, Yun Ke was pulled away by business partners, and Ye Zhizhou took a seat in the corner of the venue's resting area with a glass of juice in hand. His gaze shifted subtly as he observed the representative sent by the Wen family, which was in the clothing business and had some overlapping business with the Du family. After Yun Ke had taken over the Du family's industry, the Wen family used their previous connections with the Du family to establish ties with the Yun family, which was involved in finance and real estate.
He couldn't help but smile coldly when he thought about the information he had pieced together during this time. The Wen family had originally prospered through their connections with the Du family but had risen to power by exploiting the Du family. Now, they had also hitched a ride on the Yun family's big ship. It was remarkable how thoroughly they had used the Du family. He couldn't help but sneer at how blind the Du family's patriarch had been, taking in this pack of wolves as fellow villagers and even supporting them in their clothing business.
After Du's father took control of the family business, he had maintained close ties with the younger generation of the Wen family, referring to them as brothers. However, the Wen family had already labeled Du's father as their archenemy. What a bunch of ungrateful wolves!
The secret design drawing stolen by the Wen family was actually intended as a gift from Du's mother to her children, Du Yun and Du Yang. It consisted of a series of clothing designs for young girls and children. When she passed away, only half of the children's clothing designs had been completed, and they had been carefully locked in the bedroom safe. Because she wanted to surprise her children, Du's father and mother had never revealed the existence of this design to anyone except for the Wen family members who saw them as brothers...
After Du's father's death, Du Yun, who was only nineteen at the time, returned to take over the family business. She had been studying abroad before and was unaware of the conflict between the Du and Wen families. After stabilizing the family business, she continued to help the Wen family with the chaos that ensued after their new products were launched, out of friendship and gratitude. She even publicly praised the Wen family's new series during an interview, saying how much she liked it...
As Ye Zhizhou pondered the tangled web of truths he had pieced together, his attention was drawn when a representative from the Wen family approached Yun Ke. His smile deepened.
"Young Master, I finally found you."
A familiar, honest voice rang out in front of him, and he retracted his gaze, turning to look at it. He squinted his eyes and smiled innocently, "Ah, Uncle Li, what can I do for you?"
Li Qun, the driver arranged by the Yun family for Du Yang, had been working for the Yun family for over twenty years. His son was currently working as Yun Ke's driver and had earned Yun Ke's trust.
After meticulously piecing together most of the facts after the possibility of damage to his mental power, he realized one thing—there was a mole in the Yun family.
Du Yun's car accident was too suspicious, and there were too many coincidences in the car accident that led to the original owner being kicked out of the Yun family. Most importantly, why was the Wen family so confident that the drugs they had placed in the female lead's tea would be consumed by Du Yang?
After careful consideration, there was only one possibility: someone inside the Yun family had informed the Wen family about the original owner's strong attachment to and affection for the female lead.
There were only a few people in the Yun family, and it couldn't be Uncle Fu, as he didn't have the opportunity. The only person who could monitor Du Yang's condition at all times was Li Qun, who happened to be the driver during Du Yun's accident.
It was all too suspicious.
Li Qun, whose hair had turned mostly gray, was momentarily taken aback by Ye Zhizhou's smile. He looked pleased and said, "Young Master, you look even more handsome after losing weight."
"Really?" The smile on Ye Zhizhou's face grew wider, and he leaned in slightly, whispering, "Then, Uncle Li, take a close look and tell me, do my sister and I look quite alike? Wu Mama once mentioned that Little Li Ge had a crush on my sister."
For some reason, Li Qun felt a chill from the gaze that accompanied Ye Zhizhou's smile. He couldn't help but take a step back, using a forced grin to hide his unease. "Your Wu Mama is just talking nonsense. Miss Yun is a noble lady, and Little Li Ge wouldn't dare to think that way."
"I think Little Li Ge is quite decent. He's not just some insignificant person." Ye Zhizhou's eyes flashed with a hidden glint as his mental power followed his words and entered Li Qun's brain. He straightened his posture and continued to play the role of an innocent youth who knew nothing. "Uncle Li, you haven't told me why you wanted to see me. Is it to ask me to call Yun Ge for you?"
"No, no, I came to see you, Young Master." Li Qun quickly waved his hand, still maintaining his trustworthy and honest appearance. "Mr. Yun was worried that you wouldn't eat well at the party, so he had Wu Mama make some soup before we left. It was just delivered. I was afraid you might get hungry, so I disregarded the rules and came over."
Yun Ke did indeed worry that Ye Zhizhou might not eat well, but ordering Wu Mama to make soup and sending it over was not something he would do. While he thought this, he wore an expression of pleasant surprise and set down his juice as he urged, "Where's the soup? It seems Yun Ge understands me well. At this party, it's either alcohol or snacks, and there's nothing warm to eat. It's so suffocating."
"The soup is in the car. There are too many people here, and it wouldn't be good if someone saw, so I didn't bring it. Young Master, do you mind going to the car to have some?"
"In the car?" Ye Zhizhou's eyes flashed briefly, and he smiled with a deeper meaning. "I don't mind at all. Of course, I don't mind." He was delighted to have such good leverage in his hands. He cast a glance at Yun Ke, who was entangled by the representatives from the Wen family in the hall, pursed his lips, and followed Li Qun without looking back.
Yun Ke, sensing something, tried to look toward the door but was quickly blocked by the Wen family representative. "Mr. Yun, are you really willing to hand over the project you just mentioned to the Wen family? We are so grateful for this!"
His emotions in his eyes grew impatient, tinged with a hint of coldness. Yun Ke retracted his gaze, his tone icy. "Someone from our company will follow up on the project later. I have other matters to attend to, excuse me." With that, he walked briskly toward the resting area where Ye Zhizhou had been earlier. Thinking of the investigative report he had seen a few days ago, his aura turned even colder. A small family like the Wen family dared to meddle with Du Yang. A profitable project? No, it was a death warrant he had carefully prepared for the Wen family.
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