Chapter 94: Old Friend: Uncle Huang

"It’s true!"

"I… I never doubted him! Even if I suspected everyone else, I never suspected him…"

"Because of your friendship?"

"The path of research is a lonely one. Few can keep up with our pace. Whenever I hit a bottleneck, I’d always have him over, or I’d go over to his place…" Ding Lizhong slowly stood up, raised his head, and took a deep breath. "Tell me, what should I do that’s right?"

"Sometimes, you need to put yourself in someone else’s shoes." Lin Xiaosu also stood up, picked up the teacup from the tea table, and handed Ding Lizhong’s cup to him.

"Go on!"

"Your uncle is currently confined to the villa, but there are no explicit orders forbidding you from leaving, correct?"

"Correct!"

"In the designer’s eyes, you still have the opportunity to exert influence within the ChangSheng Group, correct?"

"Correct!"

"So, his plan isn’t truly complete yet!"

"Yes, as long as I’m still a free man, he can’t truly get his wish."

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "That’s the breakthrough!"

Ding Ruoshui shuddered slightly and glanced back.

The teacup in Ding Lizhong’s hand also trembled gently. "Explain yourself…"

"Although the other party has laid out a grand scheme, they haven’t truly pushed you into a corner. Your reputation and influence have left you a glimmer of hope. This is the only hidden danger in his plan." Lin Xiaosu said, "If he had an opportunity to put you to death, do you think he would miss it?"

"What kind of opportunity?"

"You sneak out, to find your chance to break free!" Lin Xiaosu said, "This sneaking out needs to be concealed from everyone, but it must be known to that person!"

Ding Lizhong was completely bewildered. "What will happen if he knows?"

"He might launch another alien spider killing! Then find an opportunity to catch you in the act…"

"Then… then can I still clear my name?" Ding Lizhong’s eyes widened. "I’ve been trapped in the villa for two months, and the spiders haven’t moved. The moment I step out of the villa and enter the outside world, the spiders immediately activate… What will the police think? What will others think? I could jump into the Yellow River and still be unable to wash myself clean! Boy, are you trying to kill me…"

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "I don’t want to kill you, but please don’t forget, that person really does!"

Ding Lizhong froze…

Ding Ruoshui’s heart pounded…

She understood!

This was fishing!

Fishing requires bait…

You had to let the other party know that reactivating the alien spider killings would be beneficial, only then would they risk starting it up again.

Was there a benefit?

It was huge.

Her father hadn’t left the villa for two months, and the outside world was calm and uneventful.

If alien spider killings suddenly occurred again, what would people outside think? They would immediately turn their attention to the Ding family, looking to see if Ding Lizhong, the most likely person to control the alien spiders, had the means to commit the crime and whether he had been outside the signal-blocking area.

Upon investigation, her father just happened to have disguised himself and left the house.

How could he ever clear his name? Her father would very likely be arrested! Once her father was arrested, regardless of whether he was ultimately convicted, his influence within the ChangSheng Group would be completely eliminated!

The other party’s project would change course, sweeping away all obstacles and paving the way for smooth sailing.

This was the benefit that person could see.

"Two questions!" Ding Ruoshui said, "First question, if that person launches another attack, do you really have the certainty to find the source?"

"You can rest assured on that point!" Lin Xiaosu said.

When he investigated a case, his focus was never the case itself, but time.

Currently, Reverse time and space could only trace back half a month, far short of two months, but as long as they reactivated, no matter how ingenious their methods, he could always find clues.

"Second question!" Ding Ruoshui said, "If my dad plans to sneak out, how do we let the other party know?"

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "Doesn’t Uncle have a communicator in his study?"

Ding Lizhong’s eyes suddenly lit up…

Ding Ruoshui’s eyes also lit up.

The monitor in the study! This was a brilliant move by the other party, but in the use of strategies, what couldn’t be transformed?

This could just become a wonderful trick in their counterattack…

Ding Lizhong returned to the study and paced around it three times…

Then he opened the study door and called out downstairs, "Ruoshui, come up for a moment!"

Ding Ruoshui entered the study.

"Close the door!"

Ding Ruoshui closed the study door and lowered her voice, "Dad, what’s wrong?"

"Help Dad with something, do it secretly, don’t let anyone know."

"Tell me!"

"Go to Chuyuan Temple and find Master Huikong. Make an appointment with him. I’m going to see him!"

Ding Ruoshui was a little surprised. "Dad, it’s not convenient for you to go out now."

"I know, that’s why I said, let you secretly go find him."

"What are you looking for him for? He’s a monk…"

"You don’t understand! My predicament, perhaps only he can resolve…"

"Okay!"

The two left the study at the same time, closed the study door, went downstairs to have lunch, and after lunch, Ding Ruoshui went out to Chuyuan Temple, met Master Huikong, and returned.

Ding Lizhong was waiting for her in the study. The study door was closed, and Ding Ruoshui reported to her father, "It’s been arranged with Master Huikong. The master said he’ll be waiting for you in the meditation room tonight!"

"Good, go get me Uncle Sun’s clothes and hat. After dinner, we’ll go to Chuyuan Temple."

It got dark.

The gardener, Uncle Sun, got off work.

Ding Ruoshui and Lin Xiaosu said they were going to Nanhu Park to see the night scenery, drove her car out of the villa, and took Uncle Sun along the way.

No one knew that the person sitting in the car wasn’t the gardener, Uncle Sun, but the owner of the villa, Ding Lizhong.

No one noticed that the car didn’t enter Nanhu Park, but instead went up a small mountain next to Nanhu Lake.

This small mountain was called Tiger Mountain.

Tiger Mountain wasn’t big, just like a tiger lying on the Jiangcheng beach.

But this mountain was extraordinary in the hearts of the people of Jiangcheng, because on this mountain was an ancient temple that had stood for a thousand years, Chuyuan Temple.

"Chu" meant the beginning, and "Yuan" also represented the beginning. Buddhist and Taoist traditions carried the meaning of beginning and always seemed particularly sacred.

The car stopped in the shade of a tree. Ding Lizhong was wearing Uncle Sun’s clothes. He got out of the car and entered the temple.

Inside the car, the lights were turned off, and Ding Ruoshui gently exhaled. "Do you think he’ll fall for it?"

"Possibly!"

"I think the excuse my dad came up with is a little weak. Looking for a monk to solve his predicament, what’s he thinking?"

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "You’re wrong on that point. The excuse he came up with is quite wise."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "Do you know who this Master Huikong is?"

"I really don’t know. I haven’t even figured out the people in the mortal world, how would I have time to look at the people in the empty gate?"

"He used to be the Secretary-General of the provincial government, saw through the vanity of the world and entered the empty gate. High-ranking officials often come to him for help, and he can really help people solve problems."

Ding Ruoshui was dumbfounded. "He’s not an official anymore, can he still solve matters in the officialdom?"

"Precisely because he’s not an official, it’s easier for him to solve official matters. The position of Secretary-General is very special. It looks like he doesn’t have real power, but he actually knows the most secrets of the officialdom. Don’t forget the added bonus of time!"

"Time bonus? I don’t understand that! When he first retired from the officialdom, I’d believe that he had some energy, but he’s been out of the officialdom for decades, how can his energy not decrease but increase instead?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "As time has passed, some of the officials who held secrets that he knew have also been promoted. His energy has naturally risen along with them. What’s more, over the years, he’s solved problems for some officials, and the process of solving problems is also the process of accumulating new merit…"

"Merit? You call this unscrupulous behind-the-scenes operation merit?" Ding Ruoshui felt a little nauseous.

Lin Xiaosu said, "In the language of the common people, it can also be called ‘chips’!"

Ding Ruoshui sighed, "It seems I’m not deeply involved enough in the mortal world. I understand these principles when you explain them, but if you didn’t tell me, I would never have thought that there’s so much to learn from being a monk…"

"It doesn’t matter that you’re not deeply involved in the world. It’s enough that my cheap father-in-law and that secret peeper are."

Ding Lizhong proposed to look for Huikong.

That secret peeper knew this was a brilliant move.

Huikong had great energy and could really solve Ding Lizhong’s predicament.

This would put pressure on that secret peeper.

Under pressure, he would step up new actions to completely crush Ding Lizhong.

This was what Lin Xiaosu wanted! Ding Ruoshui stared at him. "Cheap father-in-law? Is this father-in-law of yours really cheap? I spent four hundred thousand!"

"Haha, so your mother wasn’t wrong, you’re just a spendthrift!" Lin Xiaosu laughed. "Other people find boyfriends and take the opportunity to bleed them dry for bride price, while you find a gigolo and have to shell out four hundred thousand at the starting stage."

"Don’t be so smug, I’ll get it back from you sooner or later…"

Knock knock…

On Lin Xiaosu’s side of the car window, a finger gently tapped…

Lin Xiaosu opened the car window.

Outside the car window, a beautiful woman held a pair of glasses. "Handsome, want to buy a pair of glasses?"

These glasses looked very beautiful at first glance.

Lin Xiaosu said, "What kind of glasses?"

"They have sun protection function, night vision function, and the key is that you’ll look especially handsome wearing them, and your girlfriend will especially like them." The beautiful woman smiled charmingly.

"You’re too good at talking. I have to buy them!" Lin Xiaosu said, "How much?"

"Fifty!"

"I’ll scan you!" Lin Xiaosu took out his phone.

Beep!

He scanned it.

The car window closed, and Lin Xiaosu put on the glasses.

Ding Ruoshui looked him up and down. "Hey, they really are quite handsome!"

"That’s right, and they even have a night vision function."

"Tch, what’s so great about the night vision function? One day I’ll give you a pair of really high-end glasses… the kind that can see through people’s clothes, are you excited?"

There was an excited expression on Lin Xiaosu’s face…

Ding Ruoshui gently shook her head. "Oh my god, you’re really excited. You’re so ‘horny’ that you’re basically unbridled."

"Life is short, like grass in spring and autumn. Follow your heart, do what you want to do. Anyway, no one will carve the sacred halo of a ‘gentleman’ on my bones just because I’m not horny…"

Ding Ruoshui would never have thought that Lin Xiaosu’s excitement was completely different from what she imagined.

Lin Xiaosu was simply excited about the glasses.

These weren’t ordinary glasses. These were Dragon Eye! The moment he put on Dragon Eye, there was iris scanning inside.

After confirming that it was him, Dragon Eye truly activated—if it wasn’t him, even if he wore these Dragon Eye, they would just be ordinary glasses.

(End of Chapter)