118: 118. What a coincidence

Lu Feng's consciousness pierced through the dream fragments, and the scene before his eyes made his pupils contract sharply, his mind immersed in it.

This was a scene filled with suppression and despair.

Before him was a dimly lit study, with only a single dim yellow desk lamp on. Old Master Xu sat withered behind a large desk, tightly clutching an old photo of his two sons, silent.

At this moment, the door behind him was knocked open, and footsteps approached, stopping three meters away from him.

Old Master Xu did not turn around or speak. The voice behind him calmly said, "Master, it has been investigated."

Hearing this, Old Master Xu's body trembled almost imperceptibly, but he did not turn around. His voice was dry and hoarse: "...Tell me, who is it?"

The voice hesitated for a moment, then said with a complex tone: "We used all our connections, tracing along the sources of funds, personnel, and details... Ultimately, all clues, without exception, pointed to... the second young master, Xu Jianfang."

Old Master Xu still made no movement, but his breathing instantly became heavy and rapid. He closed his eyes in pain.

Although he had long suspected it, when the cold evidence and conclusion were laid before him, he still found it difficult to bear.

Fratricide... "That mistress was the second young master's person from beginning to end. Through the detailed information provided by the second young master about the eldest young master's preferences and itinerary, she had the opportunity to approach and win the eldest young master's trust and affection."

"This relationship lasted for seven or eight years... During this period, she had been using a very special synthetic drug, difficult to be detected by conventional means, through long-term micro-ingestion, gradually inducing and aggravating cardiac load..."

Lu Feng's eyes narrowed, his heart shaken. Indeed... there was a third truth!

And this... was probably the ultimate truth!

"The eldest young master's physical foundation was weak from a young age... This chronic poison, ultimately..." The rest of the words did not need to be said.

Old Master Xu tremblingly picked up the investigation report, looking at the lines and columns on it, finally settling on the name of his second son.

This name shattered his spirit.

"That mistress immigrated not long after the eldest young master passed away, and now... is nowhere to be found. We suspect she may have already..."

Old Master Xu clenched his fists, painstakingly tore up the report, then grabbed the rosewood cane beside him and furiously smashed it against the desk and the floor, making dull and desperate thuds.

"Master, you must take care of yourself," the voice behind him advised.

After venting, Old Master Xu felt as if all his strength had been drained, covering his face in immense pain, his voice as faint as a mosquito's, filled with endless sorrow and despair: "I only have one son left... My eldest son is gone. If... if I send my second son to prison, the Xu Family... the Xu Family will truly be finished... ruined..."

The atmosphere in the room was as oppressive as hell.

After a long while, Old Master Xu raised his head again, his face numb and ashen, his voice devoid of any emotion, terrifyingly cold.

"For the family's reputation, for the stability of the group's stock price... This matter ends here. Go and use all resources to change Hanlin's place of death... to the city center hospital, and the cause of death... to acute myocardial infarction. All informed personnel, silence."

The person behind him was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Yes."

As the study door gently closed, the room fell into a dim silence once more.

Old Master Xu picked up the photo again, his gaze on the smiling young faces of his two sons in the picture, gradually blurring... When Lu Feng returned to the auction site, his mood was still somewhat heavy. He had always heard that wealthy families were as deep as the sea, with endless internal strife, but he had never so directly experienced the cruelty and coldness within.

In the face of immense power and wealth, blood relations and family affection could be so easily trampled and sacrificed.

He took a deep breath, his gaze becoming firm, and walked directly to Xu Ting's seat in the front row, naturally sitting in the empty seat that originally belonged to Su Wenxi.

Xu Ting was intently watching the auction stage. Her secretary beside her was the first to notice Lu Feng and immediately whispered a reminder.

Xu Ting turned her head, and seeing that it was Lu Feng, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "Little Lu? Why are you here too? Oh, right, this kind of occasion is indeed suitable for you now."

She thought Lu Feng had come with Yu Tianxiong to gain experience.

Before Lu Feng could speak, Xu Ting smiled and said, "You've come at a good time. The next item is my target, an antique watch. It's one that my father really wanted to get during his lifetime..."

Lu Feng cut straight to the chase: "Sister Xu, I have already found out what you wanted to know."

Xu Ting's smile instantly froze, her eyes staring blankly at Lu Feng, her heart involuntarily speeding up, her voice trembling: "My father... he..."

"It wasn't an accident, it wasn't death by illness, but... murder," Lu Feng said directly.

Xu Ting's whole body trembled violently, her pupils contracted sharply, her face instantly turned pale, and her voice was trembling: "Who... who is it?! Who exactly?!"

"Your second uncle, Xu Jianfang."

Lu Feng's voice was calm, yet it exploded in Xu Ting's ears like a clap of thunder.

He explained everything: "...The evidence is with your grandfather, but he chose to destroy it, to preserve the Xu Family, and to save his last son."

Grandfather... also knew... and even... was an accomplice?

Xu Ting's face instantly turned ashen upon hearing this. All the suspicions and various anomalies over the years... suddenly had an answer.

Huge shock, a sense of betrayal, and anger swept over her, almost suffocating her. Tears uncontrollably welled up, but she abruptly raised her hand and fiercely wiped them away.

Xu Ting stared blankly at the antique watch being auctioned on the stage, her gaze unfocused.

One minute... two minutes... five minutes... ten minutes... Until the watch was bought by someone else and the gavel fell, her eyes gradually changed from grief and confusion to coldness, and an almost terrifying determination.

The strong-willed woman within her was awakened. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "No... Even if my father made mistakes, he didn't deserve to die! All of this was orchestrated by Xu Jianfang... I will never let him off! I must make him pay the price!"

She abruptly stood up and quickly said to Lu Feng, "Little Lu, for this matter... I owe you a huge favor! Let me go deal with this first..."

Her voice trembled slightly with agitation.

"What do you plan to do?" Lu Feng asked calmly.

"I don't know... but I can't be kept in the dark any longer! I can't let the murderer get away with it! I'm going to find Grandfather and get to the bottom of this! I'm going to..." Xu Ting's mind was in a mess, but the fire of revenge urged her to act immediately.

Lu Feng thought for a moment and said, "If you try to confront him now, without evidence, you'll only alert him. Besides, your grandfather's choice also indicates his stance."

Xu Ting gritted her teeth and said, "I know, I'll find my own way to resolve it."

After saying that, she hastily left, and her secretary, after a moment ofstunned, quickly followed.

Outside the art gallery, the cool night breeze calmed Xu Ting down a bit, but her anger remained undiminished.

She told her secretary to get the car, then called her mother, making an excuse that there was an urgent company matter requiring her to leave for a while.

Soon, a black car stopped in front of her. The secretary got out and opened the car door for Xu Ting. Just as she was about to get in, Lu Feng's voice sounded behind her: "Sister Xu, wait."

The voice was calm and without emotion. Xu Ting stopped, and just as she turned around, she saw Lu Feng pull her.

Before she could understand, almost at the same instant, screams erupted from the crowd at the intersection, followed by the screech of brakes.

"Bang!!"

A deafening crash came, accompanied by a violent gust of wind that swept through Xu Ting's hair.

She watched in horror as a large truck, which had been driving normally, suddenly, without warning, broke through the roadside barrier like a runaway wild horse and slammed into her luxury car!

The immense impact directly sent the car tumbling, pushing it more than ten meters like a toy, leaving a trail of dazzling sparks on the road!

The street instantly descended into chaos, people scattered and fled, and car alarms blared one after another.

Xu Ting stared dumbfounded at the car, which had instantly become scrap metal, and the chaotic scene below, feeling the breath of death that had almost grazed her face. A chill shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, her face as pale as paper.

Her female secretary, even more terrified, collapsed to the ground, a puddle spreading beneath her, a pungent stench emanating from her. She was completely stunned and had lost control of her bladder.

She almost... died.

"Boom!!"

The wrecked black car burst into raging flames, instantly engulfing the vehicle, and a wave of heat rushed towards them!

If she had gotten into the car just now, she would be a charred corpse by now.

Still shaken, Xu Ting's heart was pounding almost to the point of bursting, but she was not a fool. With strong professional composure, she forced herself to calm down.

This was too coincidental! Terrifyingly coincidental!

She had just learned the truth, was preparing to confront Xu Jianfang, and immediately encountered an accidental car crash?!

"Could it be him?!... But how could he... know so quickly?!" Her voice trembled, filled with disbelief and lingering fear.

Lu Feng's gaze swept across the scene, finally landing on the female secretary who was slumped on the ground, incontinent and stunned. He said calmly, "The news leaked, so naturally... there's an insider by your side."

Lu Feng had also caught a fragment of memory in his mind, which was how he knew someone was going to make a move.

Xu Ting followed his gaze and saw the secretary's panicked appearance, instantly understanding.

A surge of fury from being utterly betrayed, mixed with the grief of losing her father and the fear of almost being harmed, burned fiercely within her.

Her eyes became colder and more determined than ever before.