Chapter 492: Family History

He certainly knew about these Four Great Families. He had learned about them in history class.

"You know the fate of some of them, as it was taught in class. But there are some you aren't clear about, like the Kong Family. This family, which has spanned thousands of years, is vast and prosperous, with descendants spread all over the world. I'm just telling you a story, so just listen."

"When one branch of the Kong Family fled to the United States, they brought with them the wealth the family had accumulated over countless generations."

"Of course, they also profited immensely from our country's national crisis at the time. Kong Xiangxi used various means to ascend to the positions of Minister of Industry and Commerce and Minister of Industry, imposing all sorts of chaotic taxes, making life miserable for the people. He was absolutely unscrupulous in his pursuit of wealth."

"Just how rich were they later on? No one knows, but you can get a glimpse of it from a single figure. Kong Xiangxi's son, Kong Lingjie, established an oil company in Houston and went on a massive land-buying spree... Conservatively estimated, Kong Lingjie alone had billions of US dollars in wealth in the 1940s and 50s... That was billions of dollars nearly a hundred years ago!"

As Wei Rusi spoke these words, her body was even trembling slightly.

Zheng Qian took a drag of his cigarette and did not interrupt her.

"And before they arrived in the United States, the Ran Family actually already existed. They had a very high reputation locally, and the Kong Family wasn't even in their league back then. But later, as the war intensified, things began to change..."

Listening to Wei Rusi's narration, Zheng Qian felt like his CPU was about to burn out.

He had finally completely sorted out the relationship between them.

To start with the conclusion, Ran Xiang is Jin Lu's biological younger sister.

The Ran Family had a glorious history in the United States in its early years, but due to internal Chinese conflicts, primarily the opportunistic plundering by the American branch of the Kong Family, almost all of the family's wealth was lost, forcing them to return to Jiuzhou to develop.

They happened to catch the country's period of opening up and development at the end of the last century, becoming a highly prestigious family in Shanghu.

The Chunshen Club was established during that time.

It's just a pity, and I don't know for what strange reason.

The Ran Family's lineage was not prosperous, especially with very few male heirs; those in charge were basically all women.

Jin Lu rarely mentioned anything about her mother; Zheng Qian only knew that she had passed away due to illness in her early years. Little did he know, she had actually died of melancholy. This was because she had violated family rules, refusing to follow the designated marriage, and instead choosing to be with Jin Zhiyuan.

She was the only heir of that generation.

After secretly eloping with Jin Zhiyuan and giving birth to Jin Lu and Ran Xiang, the family found her again. The Ran Family was a family that valued lineage very much, and initially, they wanted to take both Jin Lu and Ran Xiang away.

Jin Lu's mother threatened suicide, not wanting her daughters to live such unhappy lives.

The situation was stronger than the man; at that time, Jin Zhiyuan was nothing, and he was powerless to resist the powerful Ran Family. He was forced to choose between Jin Lu and Ran Xiang, and Ran Xiang... was taken away from a young age like that. She had never seen her own father.

She and Jin Lu's mother were also forced to return to the family, eventually dying of melancholy.

From a young age, Ran Xiang shouldered the mission of revitalizing the family, and she was raised with that in mind.

With no one in her mother's generation qualified to inherit the family, under the manipulation of her great-grandmother, Ran Xiang became a prospective manager early on, and after coming of age, she directly assumed the role of the person in charge of the Chunshen Club, one of the three top clubs in Shanghu.

This time, Jin Lu suddenly came to Shanghu because another major event had occurred in the Ran Family.

Ran Xiang was diagnosed with a terminal illness and did not have long to live.

"Why did Jin Lu still jump into this pit of fire?" Although Zheng Qian's tone was not high, Wei Rusi could clearly feel a bone-chilling coldness. He stared intently into Wei Rusi's eyes. "Why didn't you stop her? Damn it! If I had known that Jin Lu was going back to do this kind of thing... Damn, the Ran Family falling into such a state is entirely their own fault!"

"Tell me, how much money does it take to buy the entire Ran Family?"

Zheng Qian stood up abruptly, gripping Wei Rusi's arm tightly, his eyes bloodshot and incredibly crimson.

Wei Rusi did not dare to meet Zheng Qian's gaze.

She bit her lip tightly, enduring that piercing gaze, and said earnestly, "It's not just a matter of money. Jin Lu must have her own thoughts about going back. She didn't tell me, and I don't know either! Zheng Qian, since you already know the reason for all this, you should stay calm. Ran Xiang is not a bad person; she and Jin Lu have always been in contact..."

"As for the plan between the sisters, I believe only you have a chance to understand it clearly."

"Perhaps you are very rich, and overturning the entire Ran Family would be a breeze, but as I just said, I am an outsider after all, just Jin Lu's good friend, and that's it! Only they know their family's internal affairs best!"

That's right, isn't that the purpose of the system's existence?

Zheng Qian suddenly laughed.

He released Wei Rusi's arm and sat back on the sofa. He silently lit a cigarette, his pupils flashing with genuine excitement. Calculating it, his assets now amounted to two trillion Jiuzhou currency; he had so much money he didn't even know what to do with it.

Even buying things to spend money, he now had no motivation for it.

But! Now it's different!

He was going to use this money to complete Jin Lu's plan and confront those guys who were as rich as a nation. Was it just the Ran Family? Not necessarily. When Jin Lu proposed going to the United States to study, she might have had other intentions.

The Kong Family? It's possible. Only such a behemoth, an opponent that has accumulated countless wealth, is worthy of being his opponent.

Excellent. Zheng Qian once again felt the significance of the system's existence. Originally, he had thought about playing slowly with the three major clubs, and finally defeating and acquiring them one by one. Now it seems, perhaps it's time to speed things up.

He even had a feeling that besides the Ran Family and the Kong Family, there were other things about Jin Lu's background that he didn't know.

But regardless, at least now he had a direction to move forward.

[Thump—]

Hmm? What sound was that?

Just as Zheng Qian was pondering how to make a big move when he went back, he suddenly heard a strange sound. He looked at Wei Rusi suspiciously, then looked under the bed... The sound seemed to be coming from there!

Could it be that my sister-in-law is hiding someone under the bed behind my back?

Perhaps sensing the strangeness in Zheng Qian's eyes, Wei Rusi began to feel a bit nervous.

"It seems the sound really is coming from under the bed."

Her voice was trembling slightly.

Zheng Qian's heart tightened, and just as he was about to pull Wei Rusi and rush out, a cold voice rang out:

"Stop, don't move."

Immediately after, he saw a blood-covered teenager crawling out from under the bed.

His body was covered in blood, his face was covered in blood. Even his black hair was covered in blood.

"Sorry, I actually have no interest in the story you were telling, and I don't understand it either. But you were talking for too long, and I was worried about missing the time, so I couldn't help but come out."

"It seems Rahman really trusts you, since he didn't even send anyone to search this room just now."

"Excuse me, you two, I need to go kill someone."