Chapter Forty: Arranged Marriage

Wang Zhibing had gone traveling, with Victoria—a beautiful city in the Americas—as his top choice. He completely ignored Qin Yang's absurd suggestion to escape the cold by heading to the Sahara and experiencing the vastness of the desert. After Wang Zhibing left, however, some troubling news reached Qin Yang: Cao Long's attempt to target Long Qiuhu had been thwarted by a mysterious force, and even Cao Long's boss, Cao Xianhu, had stepped in to put pressure on him.

Major media sites began to withdraw their negative reports about Long Qiuhu. Instead, evidence emerged suggesting he was falsely accused, and the rumors surrounding Long Qiuhu were gradually suppressed.

Inside the Golden Den office.

"These old bastards!" Cao Long cursed. "They nearly exposed us. If Long Hao finds out we’re going after his son, he won’t let us off the hook."

"Who’s getting in your way?" Qin Yang asked, genuinely puzzled. There weren’t many left who would dare support Long Qiuhu—helping someone like him was a thankless task, especially since the public deeply resented those who abused their power. A single misstep could spark outrage. Standing up for Long Qiuhu now was practically courting death.

"I don’t know. Even Cao Xianhu can’t figure it out," Cao Long said bitterly. "Those victims have all zipped their lips shut, refusing to mention Long Qiuhu. Some have even turned things around and accused us instead. Fortunately, we kept things hidden well enough that outsiders only know there’s some shadowy group behind this—they don’t know who’s really pulling the strings. The worst part is, Long Qiuhu has started doing good deeds at just the right time. His reputation is starting to recover. I’ve tried inviting him out here several times, but he keeps making a show of going to some impoverished district instead. Damn it, it’s infuriating!"

Cao Long was no longer just working for Qin Yang; his own survival was at stake. With everything suddenly put on hold, Cao Long knew he couldn’t keep his involvement secret much longer. If Long Qiuhu caught wind of it, he’d quickly realize who was behind it all. Now, Cao Long was utterly desperate to get rid of him.

"Someone is definitely helping them," Qin Yang said, crossing one leg over the other. He was both frustrated and regretful; after coming so close to success, the situation had been overturned at the last moment. No one could accept such a reversal, least of all the hot-blooded Qin Yang.

"Mr. Qin, we can’t just sit here and wait for the axe to fall," Cao Long said gloomily. "If Long Qiuhu gets the upper hand, it’ll be much harder to bring him down—and he certainly won’t let us go easily."

Qin Yang waved his hand. "I’ll handle this. I’ll also find out who’s behind it. What about that group of jewel thieves I had you investigate?"

"Still no word—very secretive," Cao Long replied with a shake of his head. "There’s barely a trace of them. I think they might have left Haitianshi."

"Left?" Qin Yang shook his head. Sun Qi was still fixated on the case, and from what he’d heard through Liu Molan, the police intelligence network was certainly more thorough than Cao Long working alone. Those jewel thieves hadn’t left Haitianshi. Just as he was about to instruct Cao Long to keep investigating, his phone rang—it was Ji Liehu.

"Hey, brother, we’ve got some leads on those jewel thieves. Got time for a drink?"

"Sure."

They agreed on a time and place. Qin Yang quickly left, driving the car Liu Molan had provided to a hotel. Ji Liehu arrived just as he did. The two sat down, not rushing into business, but first sharing a few drinks. Finally, Ji Liehu pulled out some photos and tossed them on the table. "Take a look. Li Meng took these."

Qin Yang flipped through the photos. The first showed a foreign man, heavily disguised, photographing the entrance of a company under renovation. The rest were of the same man at different locations. Qin Yang thought he looked vaguely familiar but couldn’t confirm if this was one of the jewel thieves—after all, the previous incident had ended ambiguously. "When were these taken?" he asked.

"This morning," Ji Liehu replied. "Li Meng heard that this jewelry company had just acquired a batch of gems, including a diamond of Asian renown called the East Sea Star, reportedly worth over nine million dollars. The company is holding an exhibition to boost its reputation. The jewel thieves probably won’t let this opportunity pass, so Li Meng staked the place out, disguised as a photographer. Even then, he nearly got spotted by that man. It was a close call, but he managed."

"Which jewelry company is this? Sounds like they’ve got some serious backing," Qin Yang said, frowning. "Is it a new one?"

"Yes and no," Ji Liehu answered. "It used to be Yang’s Jewelry, but Hailong Group bought it out and changed its name. Supposedly, a woman is in charge now, though I haven’t met her. This high-profile exhibition is clearly meant to make a splash."

Qin Yang grinned. "Sounds like this company’s in for some trouble, completely unaware that an international gang of jewel thieves has set their sights on them."

"So, what’s your plan for revenge?" Ji Liehu asked. "These guys aren’t easy—well-equipped, well-trained. Hailong Group surely has some idea what’s coming and will have taken precautions. The police have been searching for these thieves too. It’s a complicated mess. Even with the three of us helping, it’d be risky."

"It’s risky, but worst-case, I’ll just wait and see how things play out," Qin Yang said, stretching. "No need for you to get involved. I’m not looking to get revenge right away. We can talk more later—I'm heading back now."

Ji Liehu finished his drink and drove off too. Qin Yang sat in his car, his mind wandering. Seeing it was already past ten, he wasn’t in a hurry to go home. He stopped by a nearby bar—not as lively or popular as the Golden Pavilion, but quieter, more refined, with soft classical music rather than the usual racket.

The day’s chaos had left him with a headache. Long Qiuhu needed to be handled quickly—otherwise, if their efforts against that mangy dog were discovered, things would get very complicated. The jewel thieves weren’t an immediate threat, but he couldn’t ignore them either. What really annoyed him was Liu Yan, who was making such a fuss just to retaliate against him for making her lose face. And then there was Wang Zhibing’s final bombshell before leaving: his parents were now in Haitianshi, and they’d already arranged his marriage to Liu Yan!

"I hate nothing more than arranged marriages," Qin Yang muttered, taking a fierce swig of his drink.

"Why are you all alone?"

A soft, lingering voice sounded behind him. Qin Yang raised his eyebrows, shrugged, and forced a bitter smile. "Just a solitary soul, I suppose."