Chapter 168 - 165: The Plan Succeeds

Words : 1245 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 168: Chapter 165: The Plan Succeeds "What?" Little Hua turned her head, pretending not to have heard, but a mischievous, triumphant grin twinkled in her bright, large eyes. "I... I said..." Zhu Xiaozhu stammered, finding it somewhat difficult to express herself. "Xiaozhu, if you don’t say it now, I’ll have to make a phone call. Alas, if Big Brother finds out, he probably won’t come to our Martial Arts Academy again, and who knows if there will be another chance to see him in the future." Hearing this, Zhu Xiaozhu quickly grabbed her hand, and with a touch of shyness asked, "What... what message did he ask you to pass on to me?" "Big Brother said that he has reserved dinner tonight at a restaurant and would like to invite you. If you’re interested in him, then go meet him. If not, I’ll make an excuse for you." "Which restaurant?" Little Hua said with a beaming smile, "Xiaozhu, by the look of it, are you planning to go?" "I..." Zhu Xiaozhu, with her head lowered, hesitated. "Xiaozhu, think it over. Big Brother is a good man. He’s helped us so many times. You really shouldn’t miss this chance. If Big Brother takes a liking to some other woman later, you’ll regret it." Little Hua continued to spur her on, eagerly persuading. Zhu Xiaozhu bit the corner of her lip, and after a while, she spoke hesitantly, "Tell me the restaurant’s address and time, I’ll think about it." Little Hua snickered secretly; she knew Zhu Xiaozhu too well. Such words meant she had already agreed. After leaving behind the restaurant’s details and the time, Little Hua bounced out of the room. Just as she left, she bumped into He Ziyun, who was in the midst of his Breathing Control in the courtyard. "You little rascal, did you secretly use my money to book the restaurant?" Little Hua replied discontentedly, "Old man, why are you so stingy? It’s just a few thousand bucks. Besides, don’t you want Big Brother to be together with Xiaozhu? If things work out, I can just ask Big Brother to pay you back. Hmph, he still owes me two boxes of lollipops." He Ziyun shook his head helplessly. "You, you’re betraying your Xiaozhu for two boxes of lollipops. If she found out, who knows how sad she’d be." "I’m thinking of her lifelong happiness," Little Hua defended. During this conversation, there came a knock at the door from outside the Martial Arts Academy. "Who is it?" Little Hua was a bit puzzled—it was early morning, who would come here? Could it be Big Brother couldn’t wait to see Xiaozhu? With that thought, she hurried to the door and opened it. Instantly, a well-dressed man greeted her politely, "Hello, may I speak with Miss Zhu?" "Who are you? What do you want with Xiaozhu?" "Not him seeking, but I need to find her." As the words fell, a handsome young man with a gentle smile approached, escorted by several suited bodyguards, "Little sister, you should have seen me at Nanrong’s house last time. My name is Zhu Hong, and I am your Xiaozhu’s brother." "I remember you." "May I see her now?" Little Hua hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Come in, then." Upon entering the room, Zhu Hong looked around and asked, "Little sister, why don’t I see the others?" Little Hua was also perplexed; the old man was still here just a moment ago, and now he was nowhere to be seen. "They haven’t gotten up yet," she replied offhandedly. "Please have a seat, Xiaozhu will be here soon." A few minutes later, Zhu Xiaozhu, fresh from her morning routines, gracefully walked into the main hall of the Martial Arts Academy. Seeing her, Zhu Hong immediately stood up from the chair, welcoming her with a smile, "Xiaozhu." "Big Brother, why are you so early today?" "An urgent matter at the company, I have to take a trip out of town soon. I wanted to see you before I leave. I didn’t disturb your rest, did I?" "No, it’s fine. I was already awake." Zhu Hong nodded, then suddenly asked, "Xiaozhu, how are you and Ling Chen getting along?" Zhu Xiaozhu was taken aback, somewhat surprised, and unsure why Zhu Hong would suddenly bring up Ling Chen. "It’s fine. We are friends." As she said this, her thoughts inadvertantly turned to the evening’s appointment, painting a touch of blush on her pretty face. "Big Brother, do you need to see him for something?" "Not really," Zhu Hong waved his hand. "It’s like this; I have a misunderstanding with Ling Chen that may not be resolved in a few words. Since he’s your friend, I wouldn’t want our issues to affect your relationship, so I wanted to tell you in advance." "Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?" "That... let’s not talk about it. It’s hard to clarify in a few words. Alright, let’s not talk about him now. I came especially to see you. Also, I brought some Beijing delicacies you love." "Thank you, Big Brother." "We’re siblings, no need for formalities." After finishing, he looked at the time and stood up, "It’s getting late. I need to catch my flight. I’ll call you after I get back." "Sure, Big Brother, travel safely." After leaving Qingyun Martial Arts Hall, Zhu Hong got back into his car and looked at the man beside him, asking, "How’s it going?" "All set up, and the signal is stable." The man tapped on his laptop for a bit before turning the screen towards Zhu Hong. In an instant, the screen displayed several surveillance feeds, with Zhu Xiaozhu passing through one of them in the courtyard. "Very good." Zhu Hong nodded his approval. During his chat with Zhu Xiaozhu, his guards had discreetly installed micro-cameras around the Martial Arts Academy, allowing them to monitor the entirety of the establishment. "By the way, boss, the information you requested has been found." With that, the man beside him handed over a folder. Zhu Hong took it and browsed through, his brows soon furrowing, "You’ve investigated for so many days, and this is all the information you’ve found?" "Boss, that Ling Chen’s background is quite mysterious, and this is all the information available. The records show that he was previously in the army; I think he must have been a member of Huaxia’s secret forces. People like him, once discharged, have their records sealed by the government, making them very hard to trace." "Secret forces?" Zhu Hong murmured to himself. After pondering for a while, he said, "Get in touch with our contacts; use their resources. I want to see what kind of background this Ling Chen really has." "Yes, sir." 8:30 in the morning. Ling Chen was punctual in dropping off Nanrong Wanqing at her office. Just after returning to his own, he received a call from Little Hua. "Xiyuan Restaurant, 7:30 tonight... Okay, got it. Uh... will Xiaozhu also be there?" Little Hua giggled mysteriously on the phone, "You guess?" Leaving him with two exasperating words, she hung up. This girl! Ling Chen shook his head; with the restaurant already booked, it was certain that Zhu Xiaozhu would be there. Checking the time, there were still eleven hours to go. At the moment, however, he couldn’t help feeling nervous. Along with the nerves, there was also a little hint of anticipation. (Kneeling for recommendation tickets, favorites)

Chapter 168 - 165: The Plan Succeeds

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