Chapter 49
“…His surname is Lu, is it.”
The corner of Shu Ci’s mouth twitched. A thousand curses for his father and mother ran through his mind, finally dissolving into a simple, polite smile.
“What were the exact dates?”
Gu Lanzhu might have investigated him through the brand because he lost the necklace at the Central Hotel back then. But what about this Mr. Lu?
“Let me see.”
The general manager gave two dates.
As expected, the first date was right before Gu Lanzhu had Zhao Qian invite him to the Shu residence.
The second date was after he had just returned from Dragon Spine Island and before he went to the base for filming.
This also matched the time Lu Wanqing was in City A.
Although he had barely seen Lu Wanqing leave the base during the filming, it didn’t completely rule out the possibility that it was him.
Shu Ci felt like a wealthy patron visiting a brothel, barging in without a word and stripping the clothes off some innocent young man layer by layer.
The difference was—
He had no specific goal; the truth just kept smacking him in the face unexpectedly.
Lu Wanqing, General of the Seventh District, senior from medical school… how was he now connected to some overseas N.O. Group?
Looking at General Lu’s pristine official bio…
Even Marshal He probably didn’t know he had so many identities.
Shu Ci pondered for a long time and realized he was part of the problem too.
He should have realized something was off back when Lu Wanqing said he owned five islands and recommended an island management company to him!
He turned to look at Shen Ti. “Do you know…”
“Wait, wait.” Shen Ti pressed her temples.
When she heard the surname Lu, a million suspicions flashed through her mind. Seeing Shu Ci’s calm expression, it all clicked.
He had accidentally stumbled upon some major gossip.
But he maintained a final shred of sanity and cut Shu Ci off. He turned to the general manager of Shichen Jewelry. “Have this season’s new products packaged for me and sent down to my driver. Today—”
“Today, you two are here to select new items,” the general manager quickly stood up. “Rest assured, I’ll prepare them for you right away.”
Normally, they had strict rules against disclosing client information, but the three people who had come asking were each more formidable than the last. The general manager didn’t dare offend anyone and could only serve them diligently, answering whatever they asked.
Now that Shen Ti was proactively using a purchase to do him a favor and give him an out, he knew he had to keep his mouth shut about any personal grudges or inside stories, pretending none of it ever happened.
Seeing that he was quick on the uptake, Shen Ti nodded in satisfaction, pulled Shu Ci along to browse for a bit, and then left the building.
The general manager respectfully saw the two of them downstairs, even adding quite a few extra gifts to the packaged box.
Once they were in Shu Ci’s car, Shen Ti picked up the topic he’d been cut off from. “You were going to ask about N.O.’s shareholding structure, right?”
Shen Ti knew what he was going to ask with just one look. “You won’t find anything.”
Shu Ci raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Because my brother keeps an eye on the Gu family’s movements, he recently asked me to pay attention to the N.O. Group. Honestly, corporate law over in the M Federation is more complicated and more favorable to Alphas. The group’s equity and board relationships are a tangled mess. On the surface, there’s no one with the surname Lu.”
It was the answer he expected. Shu Ci lowered his eyes.
Although he didn’t have solid proof like a witness like Yi Xing-shui, he was convinced that this Mr. Lu from the N.O. Group had to be connected to Lu Wanqing.
“So you think the General is investigating you? You two… what exactly is the situation between you now?”
Besides the Shu family, Shen Ti was the only one who knew about their compatibility rating.
No matter how well they got along, in his eyes, the marriage was already on shaky ground. He wouldn’t be surprised at all if they divorced at any moment.
Shu Ci glared at him. “Can’t your clever little brain think about something else for a change? We’re doing fine right now.”
At least they were at a point where they could hug each other without any barriers.
“He’s probably… investigating something else.”
He suspected something was wrong with the necklace because of the unknown mineral discovered on the island, which looked very similar to the necklace’s material.
And Lu Wanqing had also only investigated the necklace’s origin after returning from Dragon Spine Island. Could it be that they also discovered something on the island?
Thinking of this, something suddenly occurred to Shu Ci.
—Both men who investigated the necklace had registered their inquiries openly.
If these two business tycoons had wanted to erase their tracks, there were a thousand ways to do so without being discovered, yet they had both left a record.
With Gu Lanzhu’s arrogant personality, it was plausible he’d have Zhao Qian use the Gu Corporation’s name to pressure people. He might have even wanted Shu Ci to know how flamboyantly he was searching for him.
So what about Mr. Lu from N.O.?
Lu Wanqing had never hidden his various identities from him before. He had been completely open about having access when he brought him into the self-service medical room.
Was it possible that Lu Wanqing wanted him to know?
The island belonged to Shu Changze, and the necklace was custom-made by Shichen Jewelry at Shu Changze’s request…
When Lu Wanqing discovered the anomaly and started investigating, did he ever consider that he, the one who inherited the island, would also discover the problem one day?
By revealing this clue through another secret, undiscovered identity, Lu Wanqing might be indicating that the matter he was investigating was not suitable to be discussed openly.
For example, something involving the military?
For example, something involving many secrets, and he didn’t want Shu Ci to investigate rashly on his own, so he was reminding him this way?
Shu Ci made a bold guess: perhaps this mineral was also related to the unknown creatures they had encountered at sea.
“Let’s just pretend today never happened,” Shu Ci said, his expression growing more solemn the more he thought. “We’ll talk about it when he gets back.”
Shen Ti didn’t know the full story, but seeing Shu Ci’s serious look, he could only nod in agreement.
Halfway through the drive, he seemed to have figured something out and slapped Shu Ci’s leg hard. “You and your husband have a little secret between you, don’t you!?”
Shu Ci: “…”
Yeah, yeah, you’re right.
“I won’t tell my brother about his connection to the N.O. Group for now. I’ll wait until the disaster situation stabilizes and they’re back before I trouble him with it.” Shen Ti threw up his hands. “I have my own position. With the election coming up, I can’t keep hiding things for you forever.”
“I understand,” Shu Ci nodded.
Shen Ti represented the Shen family’s stance. Shu Ci knew exactly what he was thinking.
The marriage between the Cui and Shen families meant they were in the same boat as Shen Lin. And with Lu Wanqing and Cui You being inseparable in the same unit, they would naturally be drawn into the same camp, whether they had a position or not.
N.O. Group causing trouble overseas and disrupting Gu Lanzhu’s plans was a potential asset for Councilman Shen.
If Shen Lin knew that this group was also connected to a certain general from the military, bringing Lu Wanqing completely onto his side would surely increase his chances of winning.
“But it seems you haven’t been dealing with the messes within your own family lately. Have you been helping your brother instead?”
Shen Ti blinked. “Yes, I was surprised when he asked me too. Normally, families like ours aren’t too keen on Omegas getting involved in these outside affairs.”
“It means he’s practicing what he preaches.”
Whether it was sincere or just for show, since Shen Lin was a vocal supporter of raising the status of Omegas, he had to lead by example with his own family.
Otherwise, people would see him as a hypocrite and he would lose votes.
“But the Cui family has no such precedent. I’m afraid that when I go home with Cui You, they’ll…”
“Have you ever thought that they don’t let Omegas participate because they’re afraid we might do a better job? Let the Cui family produce a councilman who can compete for the position of Chief Executive before they get to judge you. Your brother doesn’t just use anyone; this just goes to show how much he recognizes your abilities.”
Shen Ti’s eyes lit up, Shu Ci’s praise hitting a sweet spot.
Shu Ci reached out and pinched Shen Ti’s cheek. “It’s good. I can see you’re enjoying what you’re doing now, and you’re in a much better state. I was actually thinking of finding something for you to do, but it seems you have more important things on your plate.”
“What is it? Tell me.” Shen Ti held his hand. “I’m not that busy, you know.”
Shu Ci paused for a moment, then said, “I recently got the inheritance and dividends I was supposed to receive, right? So I was thinking of investing in building a brand that integrates clothing, jewelry, makeup, and perfume, starting with jewelry.”
He had been watching a lot of classic movies in class recently and was deeply dissatisfied with the fashion and styling. This world was too conservative when it came to Omegas. Many of the famous high-fashion designs from his original world were nowhere to be found here.
What had just happened only strengthened his idea. If he needed to investigate mineral raw materials in the future, having a jewelry company as a cover would be more plausible.
“So, you want me to—”
“You’re studying business management, and you know so much about jewelry. I wanted to ask you to help me…”
Before he could finish, he saw Shen Ti’s lips tremble. Then, with a loud sob, Shen Ti threw his arms around Shu Ci’s neck, crying and agreeing at the same time.
“Don’t, don’t cry.”
Shu Ci patted his back, a little flustered. “If you agree, you’ll be President Shen from now on. We’ll be facing a lot more criticism then. You can’t just cry whenever you want.”
Shen Ti hit him, sobbing. “How, how can I not cry!”
For Omegas like them, their choice of major was often not for pursuing a career like Alphas, but merely to serve as a bragging point when attending formal events with their husbands.
Although he was working for Shen Lin and had a sense of participation in important matters, his name would never appear on Shen Lin’s campaign team roster.
Starting a company with Shu Ci was completely different.
They would be standing on the same chessboard as Alphas, as Omegas. They would be carving out a market for themselves, discovering their own needs.
“Waaaah, I’ll cry if I want to! You can’t stop me!”
“Fine, I won’t stop you. Go ahead and cry.” Shu Ci leaned back in resignation. “If you agree, come with me to see Shu Cui in a few days.”
Shen Ti immediately stopped crying and sniffled. “He’s the one who framed you and handed you over to Gu Lanzhu. Why are you looking for him?”
“I think the brooch he designed is quite good. He’s a talented person,” Shu Ci said with a calm smile.
Shen Ti retorted, “You’re really one to let bygones be bygones.”
“Oh, I hold a grudge. Of course, I do.”
Shu Ci’s eyes curved into a smile. “It’s just that while I was organizing the evidence these past few days, I got the feeling that he’s still hiding something.”
In the original novel, Shu Cui and Bai Yue had also teamed up to bully him. He had to eliminate that potential threat.
“First, I’ll make him one of my people. If I want to send Gu Lanzhu to prison in the future, I’ll need him to testify in court.”
Shen Ti looked at Shu Ci’s slightly sinister expression and clicked his tongue. “Sometimes I wonder if Gu Lanzhu regrets ever messing with you.”
This guy was willing to do almost anything to send Gu Lanzhu to prison.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think some Omega in prison had paid a hefty price for Shu Ci to send this top-tier Alpha in for a private, lifelong commitment.
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