Bian Yiqiu hung up the phone and turned to He Xu, who was sitting across from him. “Are you saying that Qian Ying might soon surpass his father and start doing arms deals with foreign weapon merchants?”

He Xu nodded, pulling out a few photos from his file. Though the clarity wasn’t great due to the angle from which they were taken, it was still clear that the man in the photo had a rugged look, different from that of a typical Eastern man.

“Do you recognize this man?”

Bian Yiqiu picked up the photo and flipped through it. After a moment, he said with certainty, “He’s the one sitting to the left of Qian Ying at Old Qian’s birthday banquet.”

He Xu couldn’t help but feel a mix of envy and jealousy at Bian Yiqiu’s impressive memory. “If you’d studied, you’d probably have a higher education than me.”

Bian Yiqiu couldn’t be bothered to respond. “Is that all for the business talk?”

Of course not. So He Xu continued, “This man is the third heir to the Svoboda family, the largest arms manufacturer in the Czech Republic. He’s coming back to China with Qian Ying, probably under the guise of a business trip to inspect the Qian family’s influence in Z City.”

“Being third in line, if he doesn’t have the ability to eliminate the first two, his chances of inheriting the family business are slim.”

“Exactly. That’s why he needs the Qian family to help him break into the Chinese market. If they can form a long-term partnership, his position in the family would become much more secure.”

Bian Yiqiu stroked his chin, thinking for a moment before asking the crucial question, “What does this have to do with the 7-15 plot?”

“I haven’t figured out why he insists on this piece of land, but I have a feeling the kid’s ambitions lie elsewhere.”

“Tell me your thoughts.”

“You mentioned on the phone earlier that Qian Ying doesn’t intend to get into real estate or open hotels. He just wants that piece of land?”

“Yeah. That’s what he said.”

“Can I interpret it as he just doesn’t want our hotel to be built?”

“Going through all this trouble just to block a hotel project? That’s a huge cost…” Before he finished speaking, a sudden realization hit Bian Yiqiu. “Wait, if he doesn’t want the hotel built… that means it could affect him or get in his way somehow. After the hotel is built, what would be the biggest impact on the area around the peninsula?”

“Foot traffic,” He Xu answered without hesitation.

The Bay Peninsula, backed by mountains and facing the sea, offers breathtaking views, with its own private beach and oxygen-rich valleys. Originally, this project was designed to be a high-end resort. Plus, with the nearby ocean park struggling to meet the demand due to a surge in visitors over the past few years, hotels in the area are in short supply. It’s easy to imagine how many tourists would flock there once the peninsula hotel is built. All the companies that participated in the bidding knew this, which is why they were all so eager to secure this prime piece of land.

“Yeah, foot traffic.” Bian Yiqiu muttered to himself, then added, “So it’s not that he’s afraid of me building a hotel there; he’s afraid my hotel will make that place too lively.”

He Xu quickly caught up with his line of thought and gave him a knowing look. “You mean…”

Bian Yiqiu gave a mysterious smile. “If he really has ties to that sparta family…”

The mysterious aura instantly shattered, and Lawyer He, with a look of frustration, corrected him. “Svoboda family.”

“What family?”

“The Svoboda family.”

“It’s kind of like Sparta, right?”

“…Focus on the point,” He Xu gave up.

“If he really is involved in arms deals with the Svoboda family, he’ll definitely need a convenient yet discreet place to store those weapons. Do you think it’s possible that it’s near the peninsula?”

If this theory holds, then Qian Ying’s desperate attempt to buy the 7-15 plot makes perfect sense. After all, the higher the foot traffic, the greater the chance of secrets being exposed.

But this is just a guess. Whether Qian Ying is actually working with the Svoboda family is still uncertain, and it’s impossible to know if there’s an arms depot near the peninsula. As for the exact location, it won’t be easy to figure out.

They had always said the kid had big ambitions, but who would have thought he’d be after arms deals? That’s a far more high-end operation than his father’s drug smuggling back in the day.

Bian Yiqiu instructed He Xu to keep investigating, leaving no part of the peninsula, its surrounding bays, or mountain areas overlooked. Only by finding the other side’s weak point could they avoid being at a disadvantage in the upcoming confrontation.

They talked about other things for a while, and when He Xu heard that Ke Mingxuan was coming over, he quickly ended the conversation and left, hoping to avoid being bombarded with dog food. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Bian Yiqiu. “Oh, right, I found something else I forgot to tell you.”

Bian Yiqiu leaned back on the sofa and glanced at him. “How many times Qian Ying did it in one night?”

He Xu laughed loudly. “I don’t know how many times, but I did find out who he’s been seeing recently.”

Bian Yiqiu raised an eyebrow, signaling him to stop dragging it out. So, He Xu simply said three words: “Lin Jiayan.”

“Who?” Bian Yiqiu asked, genuinely surprised. How could Qian Ying be involved with Lin Jiayan?

“Young Master Ke’s childhood friend, the only son of the military district’s political commissar, Lin Zhengwei. Don’t you know him?”

“I know him.” Bian Yiqiu sneered coldly. He sure knew him all too well.

He Xu continued, “I stumbled upon this information by accident. I’m not sure if there’s someone from the military behind Qian Ying’s arms smuggling… You know what I mean? If that’s the case, we’d be in serious trouble.”

“Probably not.” Although he didn’t have a good impression of Lin Jiayan, Bian Yiqiu had a gut feeling that he wouldn’t be bold enough for something like that. “If there were military connections, why would Qian Ying need to spend his own money buying land from me? He could easily have someone use a fake identity to stop Jiu’an from developing and constructing the peninsula project.”

He Xu thought about it and agreed. “Let’s hope that’s not the case.” He turned to leave, opening the door, and left Bian Yiqiu alone in the private room. Bian Yiqiu sat there, deeply troubled, contemplating a serious question: When he saw Ke Mingxuan later, should he tell him about Lin Jiayan?

Although Bian Yiqiu had no idea how Qian Ying got involved with Lin Jiayan, or whether their relationship was genuine or just for fun, he knew one thing for sure: Ke Mingxuan had grown up with Lin Jiayan and cared about him a lot. With Qian Ying getting involved in something so reckless, if Lin Jiayan got too deeply involved, it would be hard to extricate him later.

Honestly, Bian Yiqiu didn’t have a good opinion of Lin Jiayan. He thought someone like him, who was oblivious to the dangers of the world, needed to experience some hardship to learn a lesson. Without that, he’d never become wiser.

But arms smuggling was far from an ordinary small crime. If Lin Jiayan got involved, the Lin family would likely be implicated, and with the close relationship between the Ke and Lin families, would the Ke family be affected as well?

Before Bian Yiqiu could sort through the implications, Ke Mingxuan’s call came in. He was outside the Celebrity Club, asking Bian Yiqiu to come out.

On the way home, Bian Yiqiu casually asked, “Did you see your Lin Jiayan today at the mansion?”

Ke Mingxuan’s heart skipped a beat as he wondered why Bian Yiqiu was suddenly asking about Lin Jiayan. Had something about the photos been exposed? That shouldn’t be possible—only Lin Jiayan, Ruan Chengjie, and he himself knew that Lin Jiayan had sent the photos. He hadn’t had much contact with the other two recently, and unless he had let something slip in his sleep, there was no way Bian Yiqiu could know about it.

The seriousness in Bian Yiqiu’s tone made Ke Mingxuan even more uneasy. He recalled what Bian Yiqiu had once said: “You’d better not let me find out you’re lying to me.” Suddenly, he felt a chill at the back of his neck.

“You know, your Lin Jiayan seems to have hooked up with another lover recently.” Bian Yiqiu said, then, seeing Ke Mingxuan’s lack of reaction, added quickly, “I didn’t have someone tailing him or anything. I just happened to run into him by chance.”

Ke Mingxuan, who had been so focused on the photos, now realized he’d been worrying in the wrong direction. Feeling both relieved and deeply convinced that honesty was the best policy—otherwise, it made him feel guilty—he exhaled.

“So what does that have to do with me?” he asked.

Bian Yiqiu muttered, “Isn’t he your childhood friend?”

Ke Mingxuan glanced at him, wondering when Bian Yiqiu had started caring about his childhood friend, especially one who had clearly been hostile toward him in the past.

Bian Yiqiu felt uncomfortable under Ke Mingxuan’s gaze and cleared his throat. “That guy… he’s not someone you want to mess with.”

Ke Mingxuan shifted his gaze forward, casually asking, “How bad can he be? Is he worse than you?”

“He’s definitely worse than me,” Bian Yiqiu replied with complete sincerity, only to realize something was off. “Wait, what do you mean? Are you saying Bian Yiqiu’s that bad?”

Ke Mingxuan chuckled, turning the steering wheel as he entered the Junlin Tianxia community. “We’ll discuss that at home.”

Meanwhile, a few kilometers away from Junlin Tianxia, another person even worse than Bian Yiqiu, Young Master Qian, was driving Lin Jiayan home.

Thanks to Ruan Chengjie’s appearance, the meal had been rather dull. Lin Jiayan, in a foul mood, hadn’t said a word since getting in the car. Young Master Qian, with one hand on the steering wheel, reached over to pinch Lin Jiayan’s cheek, but Lin Jiayan slapped his hand away.

The back of Lin Jiayan’s hand burned from the slap, and Young Master Qian, irritated, couldn’t help but laugh. “What kind of family raises someone like you with such spoiled brat behavior?”

“None of your business.” Lin Jiayan didn’t even spare him a glance.

“It’s not my business, but it’s your ‘business,'” Young Master Qian turned to look at him, his gaze sliding from Lin Jiayan’s delicate, beautiful face down to the seat connected to his rear. “Or is it that you actually enjoy being punished by me in bed, and that’s why you’re deliberately provoking me?”

Lin Jiayan let out a cold laugh. “Qian, have some self-respect.”

Young Master Qian, playing along, touched his own face. “Since you like this face so much, I’ll keep it for now.”

At this point, Lin Jiayan was completely at a loss for words.

The car pulled up on Yushan Road, stopping about 200 meters from the courtyard. Lin Jiayan unbuckled his seatbelt to get out, but found the door wouldn’t open. He turned and glared at Qian Ying without saying a word. Qian Ying looked at him with a playful smile. “So, you’re just leaving like that?”

Lin Jiayan released the door handle, grabbed Qian Ying by the collar, and yanked him toward himself. He almost collided with his lips, giving him a quick kiss. “Is that good enough?”

“Of course not.” Qian Ying replied, his hand locking around the back of Lin Jiayan’s head as he forced his tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss with fierce intensity.

Lin Jiayan’s tongue went numb from the force, and he pushed against Qian Ying’s shoulders, trying to break free. But Qian Ying held him in place, unyielding, like an immovable wall. It wasn’t until the last bit of oxygen in his lungs was stolen that Qian Ying finally let him go.

Lin Jiayan, thoroughly disgusted, wiped his mouth and opened the car door, walking away without looking back.

Qian Ying watched as Lin Jiayan’s tall figure grew smaller under the streetlights, but instead of driving off as usual, he made a phone call, instructing someone to investigate Lin Jiayan’s background.

The person on the other end of the line was surprised. “Lin Jiayan? The little beauty you’ve been into recently? His father’s just an ordinary officer in the logistics department. What’s there to investigate?”

“Finish the investigation, and then tell me who his father really is.”

“It seems the little beauty wasn’t being entirely truthful, huh?”

“There’s also someone named Mingxuan. Look into him as well.”

“Mingxuan? What’s his full name?”

Qian Ying was caught off guard by the question. He only remembered Lin Jiayan mumbling “Mingxuan ge” a couple of times when he was unconscious. He had no other information about the person.

“I’m not sure either. He’s a friend of Lin Jiayan’s. Look into the people around him.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try. But you’re being vague, so I’m not sure how much I can find.”

“Find whatever you can.”

After hanging up, Qian Ying’s gaze returned to the entrance of the courtyard, watching until Lin Jiayan’s figure disappeared from sight before he turned the car around and drove off.

Lin Jiayan worked at the Quality Supervision Bureau as an ordinary staff member. Despite his job being quite modest, during their meals and intimate encounters, he often displayed an arrogance and bad temper far beyond his position. Qian Ying had always thought this was due to him being spoiled by his family. After all, with his good looks, a little temper seemed rather charming.

But the fact that he knew Ruan Chengjie, Huarui group CEO, and that Ruan was so respectful towards him, was something else entirely.

It was like a small wild cat playing around with lions and tigers—a rather intriguing scenario.

Better not let me find out you’ve had anything to do with the one named Ruan.

Half in jest, half in truth, Qian Ying thought this to himself, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his lips.

However, what Qian Ying didn’t expect was that, while his people were still figuring out Lin Jiayan’s background, it was Ruan Chengjie who would come knocking first.