Futile Devices Scans

The other piece of information Gu Ping provided was extremely useful. Although Wang Ning’an had already entered the Gu Corporation, he still did not know exactly who his enemies were or which people lurking in the shadows were targeting him. Now that he knew Gu Ping’s superior was one of their people, Wang Ning’an could follow the trail and uncover the rest.

On the other side, although Zheng Jingen had promised to get Gu Ping out of detention, they did not act immediately in order to avoid alerting the enemy. They also instructed Gu Ping not to tell his parents that he would avoid prison. Gu Jiaqing and Su Dan were definitely not people capable of keeping secrets.

At this point, Gu Ping’s fate was entirely in Wang Ning’an’s hands. He did not dare disobey any of Wang Ning’an’s requests. Even though he desperately wanted to leave the detention center, he could only endure it. Following Wang Ning’an’s instructions, he had his parents go to Old Madam Gu and pressure her into helping. If she refused, they were to expose all the things she had done in the past. Old Madam Gu remained firm in her refusal. In the end, as expected, the matter exploded into the open.

Gu Ping’s case had been personally ordered by Gu Shouzhuo. Just as Wang Ning’an and Zheng Jingen predicted, Old Madam Gu did not dare interfere directly. However, she also could not simply watch Gu Jiaqing reveal those secrets. As a result, she contacted the people behind these schemes and asked them to deal with Gu Jiaqing. If Gu Jiaqing died, it would become a murder case. Fortunately, Wang Ning’an and Zheng Jingen had already anticipated every possible counterattack from Old Madam Gu. They arranged protection for Gu Jiaqing, preventing him from dying to their schemes. At the same time, the people orchestrating everything behind the scenes gradually began to reveal themselves.

More than ten years ago, the Mu family’s greed for wealth and power resulted in their destruction. However, there was another hidden truth behind that incident that very few people knew.

For more than a decade, Old Madam Gu had always presented herself to Gu Shouzhuo as a victim. In reality, she bore an undeniable share of responsibility in the matter. Contrary to popular belief, she had not remained uninvolved. Behind the scenes, she had secretly assisted members of the Mu family and provided them with information to use against her own husband.

Old Madam Gu had always believed Gu Shouzhuo was unaware of this. It was only after the land auction incident, when Gu Shouzhuo spoke with her privately, that she learned he had known all along. He had simply chosen to let the matter go out of consideration for their many years as husband and wife.

When this information spread, the entire Gu family was stunned.

For over a decade, Old Madam Gu had practiced Buddhism and maintained a detached image before the public, appearing indifferent to everything. Yet it had all been an illusion. For someone to conceal her true nature for so many years without anyone suspecting a thing was genuinely terrifying.

However, Wang Ning’an felt the truth was far more complicated than that. Just as he intended to continue investigating, Gu Shouzhuo suddenly called him in for a conversation and said several things that essentially amounted to asking him to stop investigating. That only made Wang Ning’an more certain that there were still things he did not know.

“Grandfather, I’m afraid I can’t agree to that.”

Wang Ning’an looked at him with unwavering determination.

A trace of solemnity appeared in Gu Shouzhuo’s expression.

“Continuing this investigation will bring you no benefit. You should know that I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

“When problems arise, retreating has never been part of my character,” Wang Ning’an replied. “Besides, they’ve already stepped on my head. If I don’t strike back now, they’ll only think less of me.”

“Since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t stop you anymore,” Gu Shouzhuo said. “Just remember that your grandfather will always stand on your side.”

He knew this grandson’s personality extremely well. He was very much like himself when he was young. Once Wang Ning’an had made a decision, no amount of persuasion would change it.

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

When Wang Ning’an went downstairs, he encountered Old Madam Gu returning from a walk. Her face remained as cold and expressionless as ever, as though the entire world owed her millions. The more time he spent around her, the more he found her deeply unpleasant.

As he passed by her, he casually threw out a sentence.

“I won’t go easy on you just because you don’t have many good years left.”

A ripple finally appeared in Old Madam Gu’s stagnant eyes. Her cloudy gaze settled on him.

“Young people shouldn’t be so full of themselves.”

“Whether I’m full of myself or not, the answer will reveal itself soon enough,” Wang Ning’an said calmly. “Everyone thinks you have no desires and no ambitions. In my eyes, you’re greedier than anyone.

“You pretend to devote yourself to Buddhism, but whenever you stand before the Buddha, aren’t you constantly resentful?

“Your son died. Your family members left you one after another. Meanwhile, other people get to reunite with their families and live happily ever after.

“You’re angry.

“Why do they get happiness while you continue struggling in pain?

“You’re unwilling to accept it, aren’t you?”

His sharp gaze remained fixed on her.

Old Madam Gu’s emotions visibly fluctuated. For a brief instant, a twisted expression flashed across her face. It was as though Wang Ning’an had struck directly at her deepest thoughts. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides as she turned to glare at him.

“There’s no need to look at me like that,” Wang Ning’an said coldly. “You blame everyone else, but have you ever considered that all of this was caused by your own actions?

“Perhaps your son died because you committed too many wrongs and the punishment fell upon him.”

“Shut up!”

Having her innermost thoughts exposed, Old Madam Gu finally lost control and shouted.

“You may have fooled Grandfather, but you can’t fool me. Some things are due to be brought into the light.”

His words carried an unmistakable deeper meaning.

Old Madam Gu stared at him intensely.

“What exactly do you know? Do you really think anyone would believe you?”

Wang Ning’an met her gaze without flinching.

“Who do you think Grandfather would believe? Me—or you?”

There was no need for an answer. Old Madam Gu already knew.

Family affection was something she could no longer hope for. To Gu Shouzhuo, who had waited decades for reunion, family was even more precious. In order to cherish that hard-won reunion, he would unquestionably stand on Wang Ning’an’s side. If their positions were reversed, she knew she would do exactly the same.

…

Wang Ning’an arrived at the place where he had arranged to meet Zheng Jingen. Seeing Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng there as well did not surprise him in the slightest. He had already known there was no way to keep this matter hidden from them.

Wang Cheng immediately scolded him for not informing him about something so important. The people orchestrating this entire chain of conspiracies clearly did not take them seriously at all. The Gu Corporation might have nothing to do with him personally, but did they really think that hiding inside the Gu Corporation meant he had no way to deal with them?

“Calm down first,” Wang Ning’an said. “With your brother helping, I’m reasonably confident about this matter.”

Chu Yifeng also urged him to settle down.

“I already told you. Your brother can handle this. You need to trust them.”

“I know, I know. I’m just worried because I care,” Wang Cheng replied. Then he turned to Wang Ning’an. “Big Brother, what are you planning to do next? At least give me an idea. Do you need my help?”

Behind Wang Cheng stood both the Zheng family and the Chu family. Most of the Chu family’s influence was concentrated in military circles. Although there were figures such as Chu Li in politics, their reach was limited. The deeply entrenched Zheng family was therefore far better suited for this matter. However, since Zheng Jingen had already agreed to help, additional assistance was unnecessary for the time being.

Even so, Wang Cheng was not disappointed. Whether he acted or his brother acted, the result would be the same.

Wang Ning’an then asked Zheng Jingen how the investigation was progressing.

Setting down his teacup, Zheng Jingen replied, “We’ve identified the force behind all this. They’re difficult opponents. It’s a foreign organization.”

Wang Ning’an frowned. That possibility had not occurred to him.

“What exactly is the situation?”

“More than twenty years ago, the Gu Corporation encountered serious problems with its cash flow,” Zheng Jingen explained. “At the time, Chairman Gu had no choice but to bring in shareholders. He didn’t want the government’s influence within the corporation to become too extensive, so he accepted foreign investment.

“Unfortunately, those investors became increasingly ambitious. They secretly continued purchasing Gu Corporation shares. By the time Chairman Gu discovered what they were doing, they had already accumulated enough influence to compete with him.

“Fortunately, he still held the largest shareholding, so the Gu Corporation remained under his control.

“Later, after Chairman Gu’s son died, those people became active again. As far as we can tell, the Mu family’s interest in the Gu Corporation back then was likely encouraged by them.”

“But if they’re a foreign force,” Wang Ning’an said, “they shouldn’t be able to extend their influence into China so easily.”

“Correct,” Zheng Jingen nodded. “That’s why they needed domestic allies. And there’s no shortage of groups within China interested in the Gu Corporation.”

“Could the foreign force you’re talking about happen to be a research organization called DS?” Chu Yifeng suddenly asked.

Both men turned toward him, clearly surprised he knew about it.

“That’s right,” Zheng Jingen replied. “You know them?”

“DS is the biggest rival of Dr. James’s research team. Their methods are despicable. They constantly attack people from the shadows. If you intend to deal with them, you should consider working with Dr. James. He has information in his possession that could be very damaging to DS.”

Wang Ning’an and Zheng Jingen exchanged a glance.

Today’s meeting had yielded an unexpected bonus.

The enemy of an enemy was a friend.

Dr. James’s team had never taken action against DS because they lacked sufficient leverage. They also knew DS maintained ties with certain forces inside China. Acting recklessly could trigger retaliation they might not be able to withstand. Now, however, they had found like-minded allies. And since they were acquaintances of Chu Yifeng, Dr. James felt even more reassured.

Once both sides joined forces, plans against the DS organization officially began.

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