Volume One, Chapter 15: The Inquiry

The stout man nodded with satisfaction, then a ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes as he crushed out the cigarette butt in his hand.

“That brat from the Duan family has been frequently visiting that abandoned house in the suburbs lately. We can’t let him ruin the adults’ plans. Issue orders to keep a close watch on him, and if an opportunity arises, eliminate him without hesitation.”

The man in black acknowledged the command and left.

Duan Wuhen and Yan Xiyue returned to their residence. Duan Wuhen sat on the sofa, his brow deeply furrowed, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Yan Xiyue quietly approached and sat beside him, holding his hand gently.

“Duan Wuhen, don’t worry too much. We will definitely uncover the mastermind behind this.”

Duan Wuhen turned to look at Yan Xiyue and nodded slightly.

“I know, but the forces behind this seem very powerful. They’re ruthless because they’re afraid the truth from back then will be exposed.”

Meanwhile, in the capital city at the Huangfu family estate, Huangfu Tingfeng was pacing in his study, a vague sense of unease gnawing at him.

Those men and women who appeared in Hancheng, especially the man who seemed to be a remnant of the Duan family, gave him a bad premonition.

He knew well that although the matters of the past were handled in secrecy, even the slightest flaw could drag the Huangfu family into an abyss with no escape.

“Fubo, send more people to Hancheng. We must thoroughly investigate the identities of those two and find out exactly what they discovered at the Duan family villa.”

Fubo acknowledged and went to make arrangements.

Meanwhile, Duan Wuhen hurriedly headed to the Yan Group.

At the Yan Group’s reception desk, the receptionist saw a man rushing in anxiously and quickly stepped forward to stop him.

“Sir, may I ask whom you are looking for? Do you have an appointment?”

“I’m here to see your chairman. No appointment.”

Just as the receptionist was about to turn him away, a senior colleague beside her tugged on her sleeve and shook her head.

“Xiaoli, do you know why you passed the probation period so easily?”

“I know. Someone offended the wrong person and got fired, so this position opened up and I was able to get confirmed.”

The senior colleague gave her a sharp smack on the head. “You better remember this: they offended the very person standing right here.”

Hearing this, the receptionist suddenly panicked.

She hurriedly bowed and apologized to Duan Wuhen, “Sorry, sir. The chairman is in the office. You can go right up.”

Duan Wuhen was momentarily stunned; he did not understand why the receptionist apologized without reason.

But he had no time to ask and took the elevator to the top floor.

Once he was on the elevator, the receptionist sighed in relief.

“Phew— that scared me! Thanks, senior.”

“Xiaoli, you still have a lot to learn.”

In the chairman’s office, Yan Mingjun was berating several department heads sharply.

“What are you all doing? How did last month’s sales get so low?”

The department heads lowered their heads silently under the reprimand.

Beep beep beep—

“Come in! Oh, Wuhen, what brings you here at a busy time like this?”

Yan Mingjun was still angry but quickly replaced his expression with a smile upon seeing the visitor.

“Uncle…”

Duan Wuhen glanced at the outsiders, hesitating to speak.

“Alright, you all go now. If next month’s sales don’t improve, you’ll have to reflect on yourselves.”

The department heads all breathed a sigh of relief, gratefully glanced at Duan Wuhen, and then filed out one by one.

“Wuhen, what can I do for you?”

Without a word, Duan Wuhen took a bugging device from under the desk and tossed it onto the table.

“There’s a bugging device in my office? No wonder my business plans were leaked to competitors in advance. Wuhen, you’ve really helped me this time.”

Duan Wuhen waved his hand and then explained the reason for his visit.

“Uncle, you have wide connections. I want to ask if there is any family with the surname Huang in the capital city?”

“Huang? Let me think.”

Yan Mingjun racked his brain for news in recent years and then gave Duan Wuhen a wry smile.

“Wuhen, as far as I know, there isn’t any prominent family named Huang here.”

Duan Wuhen’s eyes were filled with disbelief. Could it be that the person had lied to him before dying?

But then Yan Mingjun’s words revived his spirits.

“However, there is the Huangfu family in the capital. Could that be who you’re looking for?”

Duan Wuhen’s heart stirred. “The Huangfu family? Uncle, could you tell me more about them?”

Yan Mingjun stood up and slowly paced to the window, gazing toward the city.

“The Huangfu family is a prestigious and renowned clan in the capital, one of the five great families. Their influence is deeply rooted and sprawling, involved in many fields, with strong connections in both political and business circles. They operate very discreetly, but when they make a move, it often causes significant ripples throughout the city.”

Duan Wuhen furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment.

“Uncle, I suspect what I’m investigating is related to the Huangfu family. Lately, I feel like a mysterious force is watching me, and they seem desperate to stop me from uncovering some truths from the past.”

Yan Mingjun looked at him with concern. “Wuhen, if the Huangfu family is involved, you must be extremely careful. They’re not to be trifled with. Over the years, they have stopped at nothing to gain their interests.”

Duan Wuhen clenched his fists, his eyes fierce. “I know, but I won’t back down because of danger. When my Duan family suffered those calamities, there must have been a huge conspiracy behind it. I will get to the bottom of this and avenge nearly a hundred people from my family.”

Yan Mingjun patted his shoulder gently. “Wuhen, I understand your determination. But you can’t fight alone. If you need help, just say the word. Although the Yan Group can’t match the Huangfu family, we will fully support you.”

Duan Wuhen nodded gratefully. “Uncle, hearing that makes me feel much more at ease. I still don’t know exactly what role the Huangfu family played back then, but I will keep investigating.”

Declining Yan Mingjun’s invitation to stay, Duan Wuhen headed toward Hancheng University.

Dormitory 4-101.

At this moment, only three people remained in the dorm, lying on their beds in utter boredom.

“Ah, the fourth hasn’t been back for days. Do you think he went on a honeymoon with the campus beauty?”

“No way, not so soon. He just arrived.”

Gao Fan retorted, “Why not? With his looks, even I, as a guy, admire him.”

Hearing this, the other two immediately distanced themselves as if avoiding a plague, looking at Gao Fan with strange expressions.

“Hey, why are you all staring at me like that?”

“Gao Fan, I wonder why my underwear keeps going missing. Did you take it? Don’t worry, just admit it boldly; we won’t look at you strangely.”