The next day.
With the official start of the school term still some time away, Liu Yutong arrived early at her office to organize documents. After the full resumption of work on the eighth day of the lunar new year, she would still need to finalize this year's targets with the company's executives.
However, she had barely settled into her office chair for a few minutes when Yun Cheng hurriedly pushed the door open and delivered shocking news.
"What did you say? Wang Shi is dead?"
"Miss, we just received the news and haven’t fully confirmed it yet. It’s said he jumped into the river late last night—likely out of guilt, believing he couldn’t escape the law, so he chose this path."
"Suicide?" Liu Yutong’s first reaction was disbelief.
Whether in her past life or this one, Wang Shi, that ambitious man, was the last person she’d expect to take his own life.
From the trajectory of her past life, Wang Shi had eventually become a powerful figure in the underworld, only to be arrested during a major crackdown. Even when cornered in that life, he had never considered suicide—proof of how fiercely he clung to life.
Yet in this life, not only had he exited the scene years ahead of schedule, but he had done so by suicide. Clearly, something was amiss.
Liu Yutong was almost certain this was Zhao Weixiang’s doing, and his motives likely went far beyond mere silencing.
Zhao Weixiang probably never imagined that his supposedly flawless plan would be pieced together so quickly. Under normal circumstances, who would connect the dots between the underground fight, the East Harbor fire, and Wang Shi’s death to Zhao Weixiang, that low-profile small-time boss?
Zhao Weixiang had always been meticulous—erasing potential evidence, wiping away traces of his recent interactions with Wang Shi, leaving virtually no clues.
With such thorough preparation, he naturally assumed no one would suspect him. Instead, the blame would inevitably fall on the underworld’s major players.
To put it bluntly, Liu Yutong herself was a far more likely suspect than him. After all, she was directly involved in the incident, while he was merely an "irrelevant" bystander.
But what Zhao Weixiang hadn’t accounted for was that someone had already been wary of him before the fight even took place.
There was no helping it—Liu Yutong’s foresight simply surpassed ordinary comprehension. Even someone as calculating and deeply scheming as Zhao Weixiang couldn’t have anticipated that a person would understand him years in advance.
Though Liu Yutong was convinced Zhao Weixiang was behind Wang Shi’s "suicide," she still felt a headache coming on.
Things were changing too fast, and many people’s fates had already veered off the tracks of her past life.
This was yet another reminder that she couldn’t rely entirely on her knowledge of the past to navigate the present.
Previously, she had imagined Wang Shi’s end would mirror her past life—arrested by the authorities, though this time it would be her sister Gao Min who brought him in.
The evidence Yun Cheng and the others had captured yesterday had already been handed over to Gao Min. Though the footage was limited, it was enough to label Wang Shi a suspect and summon him for questioning.
Yet before Gao Min could act, Wang Shi had already met his end, catching Liu Yutong completely off guard.
Still, this gave her a new understanding of Zhao Weixiang, a man she had only met once.
He was ruthless, willing to do anything to achieve his goals, and chillingly decisive.
After all, Wang Shi had followed him for years—Zhao Weixiang had even once planned to replace the Yilian Society’s leader, Pan Xing, with Wang Shi.
This meant Wang Shi had once been highly useful to him. Yet now, he had discarded him without hesitation.
After a brief pause, Liu Yutong instructed Yun Cheng, "Yun Cheng, arrange for someone to investigate Wang Shi’s recent movements—screen every detail."
She needed to confirm whether her suspicions aligned with reality.
If Wang Shi had died without a clear reason, given what she knew of Zhao Weixiang, it would seem like a waste.
But if recent events were connected—especially if it could be confirmed that Wang Shi’s last interactions were with the people she suspected—then it would make sense.
Once confirmed, Wang Shi’s death would at least serve Zhao Weixiang’s purposes.
Of course, for Liu Yutong, this was undoubtedly a major problem.
As everyone knew, her Wanlong Society was a legitimate business—no involvement in violence or bloodshed.
"Yes, Miss." Yun Cheng immediately set to work.
Liu Yutong checked the time—her meeting with Lin Muyang was still a while off—and returned to her tasks.
But before she could get much done, Li Xiaohui called.
On the other end of the line, Li Xiaohui’s tone was full of resentment, her words laced with complaints. Clearly, she wasn’t having a great time at home.
On top of that, Liu Yutong had promised to take her back to her hometown before the New Year, but unforeseen events had delayed the trip. The girl hadn’t forgotten.
"Yutong-jie, you broke your promise! You said you’d take me to your hometown before the New Year, but it’s already the second day of the new year, and you still haven’t. I’m so bored at home—it’s like being in prison!"
Liu Yutong rubbed her temples, sighing at Li Xiaohui’s grievances.
"Alright, alright, I’ll take you next time. You know how busy things have been before and after the New Year—I really couldn’t spare the time. And then there was that huge mess at East Harbor yesterday..."
At the mention of the East Harbor fire, Li Xiaohui’s attitude instantly shifted. Her earlier complaints vanished, replaced by concern.
"Oh! Right, Yutong-jie, I was just about to ask you about that! I saw the news this morning and nearly had a heart attack! Such a huge fire, and explosions too! I heard you were there yesterday—are you hurt?"
Liu Yutong felt a warmth in her chest. Despite the girl’s usual flighty demeanor, she did care.
"I’m fine. I got lucky—ran fast enough and didn’t get a scratch."
"Oh, good, good! That’s a relief!"
Li Xiaohui audibly exhaled in relief, but then her sulky tone returned.
"Since you’re okay, Yutong-jie, how are you going to make it up to me?"
Liu Yutong: "..."
This girl really could switch moods in an instant.
"Name it. I’ll do my best."
Li Xiaohui didn’t hold back. "I don’t want much. You assigned me to the investment department, right? My first project is investing in an internet café—you supported the idea before. So from now on, you have to give me more advice. Don’t just focus on the supermarket—spend more time on my first project. If it fails right out the gate, I’ll be so embarrassed!"
Liu Yutong couldn’t help but laugh. "Fine. If you run into any problems, come to me anytime. I’ll help you figure it out, alright?"
Li Xiaohui’s voice brightened immediately. "You promise?"
Liu Yutong: "Yes, I promise."
"Yay! Then the internet cafe project I invested in is bound to succeed! When the time comes, I’ll definitely deliver dazzling results and show Brother Ma and the others what I’m capable of! Hahaha..."
Liu Yutong couldn’t help but shake her head at Li Xiaohui’s infectious laughter on the other end of the line.
Yet, it suddenly struck her that she might have underestimated this seemingly carefree and playful girl.
Apparently, deep down, Li Xiaohui wasn’t content with just being an idle slacker—she genuinely wanted to achieve something and prove herself.
But this thought barely lasted three seconds before Li Xiaohui shattered it with her next words.
"Oh, by the way, Yutong-jie, don’t tell anyone about you helping me, okay? Let’s keep it our little secret."
"No problem."
