74: 74. Big Mansion

Banshan East Road, one of Jiangcheng's famous luxury residential areas, was also a proud achievement of Donghai Group.

Located in the core area of Jiangcheng's financial and trade zone, adjacent to Wangjiang Park, this prime location was clearly not built for ordinary people; the wealthy were their target customers.

Everyone who bought a house here was, without exception, a billionaire with assets exceeding 100 million, and in addition, there were many celebrities and artists.

When Lu Feng got out of the taxi, he saw the familiar black luxury car parked at the entrance of the complex, and Xu Ting was pacing back and forth anxiously on the roadside, her face still flushed from being drunk.

Meanwhile, Yu Tianxiong stood like a statue in the shadows, unmoving.

"Long time no see," Lu Feng said, raising his hand in greeting.

Hearing his voice, Xu Ting suddenly looked up and quickly stepped forward, asking, "Xiao Lu, are you alright?"

Lu Feng chuckled, turning around and saying, "What could possibly happen to me? I just handled a small matter, and here I am, aren't I?"

Seeing that he spoke so casually and indeed seemed fine, Xu Ting couldn't help but wonder if she had been overly worried.

Only Yu Tianxiong, standing nearby, knew that someone must have suffered today.

"Is this the legendary Banshan East Road? I've always heard it's a top-tier luxury residence, Sister Xu, are you really giving me a house here?"

Lu Feng timely changed the subject, and Xu Ting suppressed her doubts, smiling, "Of course! Since you're fine, I'll take you inside to have a look."

Xu Ting led the way, skillfully greeting the security guard at the entrance before walking inside.

Although it was evening, the lighting design within the complex was very soft, prioritizing privacy while also considering aesthetics, with no light pollution whatsoever.

"The entire complex only has four buildings. Whether it's the architectural design or the landscape design, world-renowned top masters were personally invited to create them. Look, the house I kept for myself is on the top floor of Building C. Each floor here only has two units, each around 500 square meters."

Lu Feng looked left and right curiously, asking, "Houses here aren't cheap, are they?"

"Around 200,000 per square meter, I think," Xu Ting said, unsure.

Lu Feng secretly gasped. He had originally thought Sister Xu was giving him a regular commercial apartment, but he never expected it to be such a top-tier luxury residence. Even though he had just earned 3 billion today, spending 100 million on a house like this would still make his heart ache.

"Sister Xu, I'm still just a student. How could I possibly live in such a large 500-square-meter house?" Lu Feng said with a wry smile.

Xu Ting pursed her lips and smiled: "It's like me, I actually wasn't used to living here at first, but I got used to it over time."

Arriving at Building C, Xu Ting swiped her card to enter the lobby and took the elevator directly to the top floor.

Even the elevator space was different, very luxurious. Xu Ting went to the large door on the left, pressed the fingerprint lock, and with a soft "beep," the door slowly opened. The 500-square-meter top-tier duplex luxury apartment before them made Lu Feng gasp.

It was too big!

A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the six-meter-high living room, the walls were made of whole pieces of Italian marble, incredibly grand. The overall style leaned towards traditional Chinese, combined with modern design, with an orderly layout that was simple yet rich in detail.

Impressionist paintings on the walls, exquisite handicrafts in the corners, a gleaming piano and vintage leather furniture in the living room—everything here looked incredibly valuable.

On the other side, there was also a huge floor-to-ceiling window, which not only offered a magnificent view of the river in front but also allowed one to take in the bustling lights of the entire Jiangcheng.

"There are six bedrooms and two living rooms here... maid's room, study, guest rooms, entertainment room, everything you could want. I've rarely stayed here before, but I've always hired someone to clean, so you can just move in with your bags," Xu Ting said with a smile.

Lu Feng, who had no concept of it before, was stunned after seeing such a large place: "Sister Xu, this place is too big. I'm afraid I'll get lost if I get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night."

Xu Ting teased, "Don't worry, it won't be that bad. Besides, when you bring your girlfriend back in the future, you can't always stay in the dorm, can you?"

"But this house is too valuable."

Xu Ting chuckled, "Compared to what you earned for me, this is a drop in the bucket. You absolutely must accept it, or I'll be angry."

Just as she was speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang. She walked over and opened the door, and a faint, elegant scent of roses wafted in first.

Standing outside the door was a languid woman, swaying a glass of red wine in her hand, looking quite content.

"Tingting, I knew I saw your lights on, it must be you... Eh..."

The languid woman didn't finish her sentence when she saw two unfamiliar men standing inside the house behind Xu Ting. Her eyebrows shot up, and she covered her mouth in surprise, exclaiming, "Oh, no way, am I seeing things? Tingting, you actually brought men home? And two at once?"

Hearing this, Xu Ting made a gesture to hit her: "Wang Yuxi, what nonsense are you spouting? Shut up! Let me introduce them. This is my younger brother, Lu Feng, and this is Yu Tianxiong from Tingfeng Capital. I'm preparing this house for my brother to live in."

Hearing this, the woman was incredibly surprised. She knew that Xu Ting cherished this house, and she never expected her to be willing to give it to someone else.

Wang Yuxi looked at Yu Tianxiong, smiled, and extended her hand, saying, "This must be Mr. Yu, the renowned trader who has recently made a name for himself in the business world. Hello, I am Wang Yuxi, an actress."

She and Xu Ting were best friends and often paid attention to her affairs, so she was aware of the recent controversy surrounding Donghai Group and Tingfeng Capital's cooperation in land acquisition.

"Hello."

After a brief handshake, Yu Tianxiong subtly retreated to Lu Feng's back and to his left.

Having worked in the entertainment industry for ten years, she was well aware of the meaning behind power dynamics, so she also looked at Lu Feng with new eyes.

She suddenly leaned closer to Lu Feng and smiled, "Hello, little brother. Xu Ting's brother is my brother..."

"Yuxi!"

Xu Ting helplessly pulled her away, "Mind your image, don't scare the child."

Lu Feng gave a wry smile.

He naturally knew who this person was: Wang Yuxi, a powerful actress in Xia Country, and the recent recipient of the Golden Blossom Award for Best Actress. Her popularity was such that even Lu Feng, who didn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry, knew of her.

He just didn't expect... her private personality to be so... easygoing?

"Xiao Lu, don't mind her," Xu Ting said with a smile to Lu Feng, then pulled Wang Yuxi aside and whispered, "He just graduated from high school, what are you doing?!"

Wang Yuxi's eyes widened in surprise, "That young? Tingting, tell me honestly, what's the background of this... brother of yours? How come I've never seen him before?"

Xu Ting waved her hand and said directly, "No background, just a child from an ordinary family."

Wang Yuxi was speechless: "Are you taking me for a fool? Is an ordinary student worth you giving him a house valued over 100 million?"

"I'm willing! Is that a problem?!"

Seeing Wang Yuxi unable to get any gossip, her heart was itching with curiosity. However, she wasn't stupid. Looking at Yu Tianxiong's attitude towards Lu Feng, she knew that whatever Tingfeng Capital was, the real power behind it must be this young man.

"Alright, if you won't tell me, I'll find out myself. Anyway, your brother will be living right across from me, so I'll have plenty of opportunities," Wang Yuxi said with a beaming smile.

Xu Ting suddenly felt a bit of regret.

What a mess!

Wang Yuxi walked past Xu Ting and came over, smiling, "Little brother Lu, President Yu, since we're all neighbors now, why don't we come over to my place tonight? I just returned from abroad today and brought some local specialties. Let's try them together."

Yu Tianxiong did not speak; he would go wherever Lu Feng went.

Lu Feng shrugged. He had time now, and it would be good to get to know his neighbors.

Wang Yuxi's home decoration was also very nice. Although she lived alone, it was arranged more warmly. Lu Feng also saw a whole wall of film and television awards hanging on a shelf in the corner of the living room, indicating her strong achievements.

After a brief tour, the group sat on the balcony, eating pastries, drinking tea, and chatting about various topics, gradually becoming more familiar with each other.

"Oh, by the way, have you heard about Zheng Mingtao?" Wang Yuxi suddenly whispered.

Hearing the name, Xu Ting frowned slightly and asked, "What happened to him?"

"You don't know yet? I just saw the news that he was kidnapped, it happened not long ago... Don't you think the Zheng family has been having terrible luck lately? Yesterday, news broke that Zheng Mingtao was cheated on, and today he's been kidnapped. His fate is still unknown, and Old Master Zheng must be going crazy," Wang Yuxi exclaimed with a tsk-tsk.

Xu Ting instinctively looked at Lu Feng, because not long ago they had just come out of the restaurant, and there was that inexplicable minivan incident. Although she wasn't sure what those people wanted to do, the situation at the time seemed to be targeting them.

Xu Ting had suspected Zheng Mingtao; it seemed like something he would do. However... he was actually kidnapped?

That was too much of a coincidence, wasn't it?

Could it be... that Xiao Lu kidnapped him?

Impossible, impossible. Xiao Lu wasn't that kind of person, and more importantly, Xiao Lu shouldn't have that capability.

Seeing Xu Ting lost in thought, Wang Yuxi continued, "I have some insider information, absolutely reliable. It's said that the kidnappers are connected to a leader named Liu Jinquan from Xinghai City. For some unknown reason, he wanted to kidnap Zheng Mingtao. Now, police across the city are searching for them, causing quite a stir."

Hearing that it had nothing to do with Lu Feng, Xu Ting completely relaxed, shaking her head with a wry smile, thinking to herself: I knew it couldn't be Xiao Lu.

But the next moment, her smile froze, because the name sounded a bit familiar. Suddenly, she remembered Zhang Shuo's report after he returned from his business trip.

Liu Jinquan, wasn't he the leader who took 8 million from Wang Dongliang, the one who handled the procedures for the three land plots!

How... were they connected again?

Her gaze unconsciously drifted to Lu Feng. At this moment, the young man was focused on eating pastries, which seemed to taste very good. A youthful smile hung on the corner of his mouth, showing no abnormality.

"Sister Xu, why are you looking at me?" Lu Feng noticed her gaze and looked over, his eyes clear and clean.

Xu Ting, as if possessed, asked, "I wonder... how is Zheng Mingtao?"

Lu Feng casually said, "For a leader to resort to kidnapping, the hatred must be immense. It's quite possible he's already been killed, you know, Old Yu."

Yu Tianxiong nodded noncommittally.

Wang Yuxi chuckled upon hearing this, "That's great then. Zheng Mingtao has a terrible reputation, so it's like eliminating a public nuisance."

...On the turbulent surface of the sea, the heavy rain and thunder had ceased. Several helicopters were scattered, searching meticulously.

Searchlights, like beams of light, continuously fell upon the sea.

Soon, the searchlight of one of the helicopters swept across a dark object and immediately stopped. Upon closer inspection, it was a fishing boat!

"Found it! It's here!" a police officer shouted excitedly into the communicator.

The coordinates were sent out, and speedboats and helicopters successively surrounded the area, all lights focusing on the boat.

"Those on board, listen up, you are surrounded..."

The officer's voice echoed through the loudspeaker, and everyone held their weapons, vigilantly staring at the fishing boat.

However, there was silence, no response whatsoever.

When the criminal police landed on the fishing boat, they only saw a blood-soaked cockpit and an empty cabin, all looking somewhat bewildered.

"What's going on here... Could they have all fallen into the sea?"

"It's highly possible. From the traces at the scene, there must have been a struggle. First, let's bring the boat back for a thorough investigation. Also, continue the search without stopping, to see if they are still floating on the sea."

"Yes!"

...It was already two in the morning when they left Wang Yuxi's house.

Lu Feng was yawning, exhausted. He took Yu Tianxiong back to their new home, while Xu Ting stayed at Wang Yuxi's place; it seemed the two women had a lot more to talk about.

Lu Feng quickly washed up and casually found a master bedroom to lie down in.

As expected of a luxury home, the master bedroom was huge, at least dozens of square meters. The bed was softer than any hotel bed; lying on it felt like lying on a cloud. Sister Xu said the mattress alone cost at least 100,000.

However, Lu Feng tossed and turned, uncharacteristically suffering from insomnia.

During the day, he had earned 3 billion, and by night, he was living in a top-tier luxury home worth 100 million, even having an award-winning actress as a neighbor.

Such things were unimaginable two months ago, but now they were truly happening before his eyes, feeling as unreal as a dream.

Lu Feng subtly reached out and gently pinched his arm.

Hmm, there was pain. Good, then he could sleep peacefully.

He gently closed his eyes, his consciousness falling into the boundless darkness. Soon, the familiar dream space appeared before him.

Lu Feng immediately wanted to access the dreams of Liu Jinquan and Yang Lao San. He had entered their dreams before and had dream anchors for them.

However... this time there was no reaction.

Not only did they not respond, but Zheng Mingtao's didn't either.

"Could it be... they're dead?"

As this thought surfaced, a patch of red bubbles suddenly lit up below. Lu Feng dived in and found that they were all the dreams of the police officers involved in the search that night.

By connecting these fragments, he saw Zheng Mingtao's corpse in the familiar seaside house, the fishing boat drifting on the sea, the blood-stained deck... and the empty cabin.

Lu Feng was somewhat dumbfounded, never expecting that the three of them would perish together like this?

This ending was very unexpected, but it was even more perfect than he had imagined!