368: Chapter 367 Bai Ruoxue's Background (Part 1)

Upon receiving this news, Shen Jianan's heart sank, and her voice trembled with nervousness: "Sister Qingcheng, if Bai Ruoxue is really that powerful, isn't Qin Yi in great danger?"

Ye Qingcheng's expression was solemn. She paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, the situation is indeed not optimistic. However, I have already warned Qin Yi, and I hope he can be prepared."

She paused, her tone becoming even more grave. "Furthermore, for the next few days, you should stay by Qin Yi's side. At the very least, don't let him be alone with Zhao Lintai. I'm worried... if Zhao Lintai uses Bai Ruoxue to keep pushing, with Qin Yi's temperament, he might not be able to hold back and could strike Zhao Lintai right then and there!"

"I understand." Shen Jianan took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "I felt the atmosphere between them wasn't right today, it was very tense."

"Mm. I have also notified Captain Yan to keep a close eye on Zhao Lintai and Bai Ruoxue tomorrow." Ye Qingcheng's voice carried a deep sense of powerlessness. "Things have reached this point; for now, all we can do is make full preparations beforehand. The rest... is up to fate."

"Alright, Sister Qingcheng, I know what to do."

After finishing the call, Ye Qingcheng dragged her body, which had almost reached its physical limit, back to her residence. Several consecutive days of high-intensity work had caused her temples to throb. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to take a hot bath and then fall into a deep sleep; perhaps only then could she temporarily escape the pressure that followed her like a shadow.

Meanwhile, in a suite at the Southwest International Hotel.

Ye Ziming leaned over. Seeing Shen Jianan holding her phone with a face full of gloom, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "Jianan, what's wrong? Is there something going on with my sister?"

Shen Jianan nodded, her brow furrowed, as she recounted everything Ye Qingcheng had mentioned on the phone.

Ye Ziming's eyes widened, and he asked in disbelief, "Could Zhao Lintai really be that bold? He'd even dare to kill someone?" In his understanding, murder was no small matter. Even as a member of the Ye Family, he wouldn't dare commit such an act. How could Zhao Lintai be so reckless!

"Highly likely!" Shen Jianan's tone was decisive, her mind racing with analysis. "Qin Yi posing as Si Yao's boyfriend gave the Si Family the perfect excuse to refuse to fulfill the marriage contract! Zhao Lintai must absolutely hate Qin Yi! Coupled with their previous grievances and Hongmen sending the unfathomable 'Bai Ruoxue' to assist, Zhao Lintai will be even more emboldened!" The more she spoke, the more alarmed she felt.

"Then what should we do? Young Master Qin can't have anything happen to him; I haven't even finished learning my kung fu yet!" Ye Ziming became even more nervous, subconsciously rubbing his hands together.

Shen Jianan gave him an annoyed look. At a time like this, he was still thinking about kung fu!

She said in a low voice, "All we can do now is wait. As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you need the loot. We don't know if Zhao Lintai will act or how he will do it, so we have no reason to strike first." She paused for a moment, her gaze becoming firm again. "However, to prevent any accidents, we'll go to the Si Family Old Residence tomorrow morning and try our best to keep Qin Yi from acting alone away from the Si Family. After all, the Southwest is the Si Family's territory. No matter how arrogant Zhao Lintai is, he wouldn't dare act openly under the Si Family's nose!"

"Mm, that makes sense!" Hearing this, Ye Ziming immediately pulled out his phone. "In that case, I'll call Young Master Qin first to ask for his location, and we'll head over there first thing tomorrow morning!" As he spoke, he impatiently dialed Qin Yi's number.

...

9:00 PM, Beijing.

After several hours of traveling at high speed, Xu Anguo returned to Beijing, looking travel-worn. He didn't even have time to go home and change his clothes before heading straight to Donghe Villa.

Bypassing the bluestone path with its gurgling stream, the familiar, quaint courtyard came into view.

Just as he stood still, a man in a black suit came forward and gave a respectful salute: "Hello, Director Xu."

"Hello, Secretary Zhang." Xu Anguo returned the salute and asked politely, "Is the leader still busy?"

"Knowing you were coming, the leader arranged for me to wait here early on." Secretary Zhang smiled and stepped aside to lead the way. He tapped lightly on the door and reported in a low voice, "Leader, Director Xu has arrived."

"Come in." A steady voice came from inside.

After receiving permission, Secretary Zhang gently pushed open the door and let Xu Anguo inside.

"Leader, I'm truly sorry to disturb you so late." Xu Anguo said apologetically, bowing slightly.

The leader stood up, took the initiative to shake Xu Anguo's hand firmly, and then motioned for him to sit: "Sit down. You've come to report right after returning from Shanghai without a break. It's been hard on you."

Just as Xu Anguo was about to sit on the sofa, Secretary Zhang walked over with a cup of hot tea. He quickly stood up again, took the tea with both hands, and thanked him repeatedly.

Having completed his duty, Secretary Zhang quietly exited the room and gently closed the door.

"Anguo, how did that child Xiao Ye do in Shanghai? Did she live up to your expectations?" The leader picked up his own teacup, blew on the foam, and asked with a smile.

Xu Anguo immediately took a serious expression and praised sincerely, "Haha, Comrade Ye Qingcheng is truly excellent, a top-notch professional in security work! Those moles from Hongmen were tough nuts to crack, but she managed to pry their mouths open and get every detail. You could say she has both courage and strategy, very much like Old Master Ye in his younger days." This wasn't entirely flattery; Ye Qingcheng's abilities had indeed impressed him.

"Hahaha, that's good." The leader laughed heartily. "I saw Old Master Ye yesterday. Knowing his granddaughter is under you, he even asked me to pass a message: you must give Xiao Ye more responsibilities. Young people need to be tempered; only through more exercise can they make progress!"

"Yes, I think so too." Xu Anguo nodded in agreement. "In fact, the Organization Department just passed a resolution to officially appoint Comrade Ye Qingcheng as the Director of the Special Operations Department, with full responsibility for the department's work, including the delegation of personnel appointment and dismissal powers."

"You've done the right thing. Those children drawn from the major families are all incredibly arrogant. Without someone who can command respect, the team would indeed be hard to lead."

"Yes, you wouldn't believe it. When I announced the appointment today, there were still a few people with defiant looks on their faces. Once the order was finished being read, every single one of them fell silent, not even daring to breathe loudly." Xu Anguo said, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.

The leader pointed at him and laughed, "You, you're exaggerating a bit. Alright, back to business. What important matter do you have to report in person this time?" He stopped laughing, and his gaze became sharp.

Xu Anguo's expression turned solemn as he carefully took a recording tape from a plastic box in his pocket and presented it to the leader with both hands.

"Leader, it's like this. While investigating the Hongmen case, Comrade Ye Qingcheng uncovered Li Bing as a mole and found this recording tape among his belongings. The content... is somewhat beyond her level of authority, so she handed it over to me. After listening to it carefully, I also felt it was of great importance and didn't dare act on my own, so I came to report to you."

The leader took the tape. Looking at the label, his brow furrowed slightly, and his voice deepened: "Have you heard the contents?"

Xu Anguo didn't dare hide it and immediately nodded: "I have. It does involve some... disciplinary issues. But a single recording tape alone cannot determine that Minister Chen has a problem. The specific situation needs in-depth investigation and verification."

The leader remained silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the tape, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he handed the tape back to Xu Anguo and said in a heavy voice, "Since there's suspicion, then investigate! Investigate to the very end! If the investigation confirms there's a problem, we will show no leniency—arrest whoever needs to be arrested! If the investigation shows no problem, we must also clear our comrade's name!"

"However, Anguo, I must remind you that before the matter is thoroughly investigated, it must be kept strictly confidential. Not a single word must leak out. You should understand the gravity of this matter!"

Xu Anguo took the tape with both hands as if receiving a thousand-pound weight, and nodded solemnly: "Understood! Leader, I know what to do."

After reporting the most important matter, a hint of hesitation appeared on Xu Anguo's face, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

The leader keenly caught his expression and said, "What? Is there something else?"

Only then did Xu Anguo pull out his phone again, light up the screen, bring up the photo of Bai Ruoxue in the album, and respectfully present it to the leader: "Leader, please take a look at this person."

The leader took the phone and carefully studied the woman on the screen.

The woman had a delicate face and a cold temperament, but he didn't see anything special about her, so he looked up at Xu Anguo with inquiry in his eyes: "Who is this?"

"This woman is named Bai Ruoxue. She is the latest person sent by Lei Poshan of Hongmen, and she has already made contact with Zhao Lintai of the Zhao Family."

"Bai Ruoxue?" The leader searched through his memory and shook his head, "I haven't heard of such a person in Hongmen before."

"Yes, it's also the first time I've heard this name." Xu Anguo leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "According to what Comrade Ye Qingcheng learned from Zhang Yu, this woman has been by Lei Poshan's side since she was a child. He took her in as his foster daughter, treated her as his own, and taught her carefully..."

Hearing this, the leader suddenly looked up, a flash of shock in his eyes as a long-buried memory was instantly awakened.

He looked at Xu Anguo in disbelief, his voice carrying a faint, imperceptible tremor: "You mean... this Bai Ruoxue is the little girl Lei Poshan took from the Bai Family back then?"