The situation was bizarre, indescribably bizarre!
It was one in the afternoon, a full ten hours after the farce had concluded.
Logically, Mr. He, who had handled the power struggle overnight, shouldn't be too busy to answer the phone today.
Even if he intended to go back on his word, with his decisive personality, he could have openly refused me. There was no need for him to resort to such a low-class tactic of stalling for time.
Unknowingly, another hour passed.
By this time, with no call from Mr. He, I could no longer sit still.
So, I immediately took out my phone and called Li Wenting.
After a long ring, the call was finally connected.
As soon as it was picked up, I impatiently blurted out, "Sister Wenting, has something happened to Mr. He?"
Upon hearing my question, Li Wenting on the other end of the line seemed to freeze.
"You, how did you know?"
Receiving the answer I least wanted to hear, my heart gave a sudden, heavy thump. Taking a deep breath, I asked, "What happened?"
After a silence of about one or two minutes, I heard Li Wenting speak in a sorrowful and dejected tone, "Perhaps due to not resting well last night, Mr. He was in very poor condition this morning. He..."
"He unfortunately slipped and fell, sustaining a head injury. He fainted on the spot and is currently in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment!"
"The doctors say Mr. He's condition might not be optimistic, and we should be prepared!"
Hearing Li Wenting's words, an extremely uneasy feeling surged through me.
"Where are you now?"
"I'm at the hospital."
"Are Mr. He's wife and children also at the hospital?" What I really wanted to ask was about He Zhonghua.
I heard Li Wenting reply, "Everyone who should be here has arrived!"
"What about He Zhonghua?" I quickly pressed.
"I don't know," Li Wenting replied truthfully.
"Sister Wenting..." After taking a deep breath, I said quickly, "Although the questions I'm about to ask might touch upon Mr. He's privacy, please forgive me if it's offensive!"
"I want to ask, after the power struggle concluded, how did Mr. He... deal with He Zhonghua?"
"I don't know."
As if fearing I wouldn't believe her, Li Wenting added after her answer, "Chen Xiang, I truly don't know!"
"Because after Mr. He left the Grand Lisboa, he had another private conversation with He Zhonghua, and none of us were present, so no one knows the specific content of their discussion."
"Then quickly send someone out to gather information and see what He Zhonghua is up to!"
After speaking, I immediately hung up the phone and, turning, dialed Camel.
With the unexpected turn of events, the situation was becoming increasingly unsettling, giving me an involuntary feeling of suffocation, like the calm before a storm.
The moment the call connected...
"Now, immediately, at once, gather everyone in my room!" I commanded Camel without preamble.
Camel, as always, was obedient and agreed without asking for reasons.
About five or six minutes passed.
When I heard a knock and went to open the door, I found only Gao Jing, Camel, and Xiao Long, the master and disciple pair, standing there. The others were nowhere to be seen.
This scene rapidly intensified the deep unease and suffocating feeling in my heart.
Frowning deeply, I heard Camel say urgently, "I called Cheng Minglang, but he didn't answer. I knocked on his door, but there was no response!"
Upon hearing this, I immediately dialed Cheng Minglang's phone.
The result: the voice prompt indicated the phone was turned off!
"The situation is not good, something big is likely to happen!"
Voicing the thought in my mind, I turned to Gao Jing, Camel, and Xiao Long and sternly instructed, "From now on, the three of you stay with me. No matter who looks for you or what excuse they use, you must not be moved from here!"
"Also, no matter if you receive calls or texts asking you to do something, ignore them all!"
Seeing my solemn expression, Gao Jing and Camel nodded seriously.
Just then, Li Wenting's call came in.
Seeing this, I decisively pressed the answer button.
As soon as the call was connected, I heard Li Wenting say with a heavy tone, "I asked someone. He Zhonghua has been confined to his own residence for reflection, which seems to be Mr. He's decision."
"What about his subordinates? Like He Chenguang and Hu Dinggui, where are they now? Last night Mr. He said he would deal with them, how exactly did he handle it?"
"After He Chenguang, Hu Dinggui, and the others were taken away last night, there have been no further rumors. I estimate that the private conversation Mr. He had with He Zhonghua was most likely about how to deal with He Chenguang and the others."
After a slight pause, Li Wenting asked, "What's wrong, Chen Xiang? Did something happen?"
"My side... something might be happening!"
"Something is happening on your side?" Li Wenting exclaimed.
I didn't waste any more words, but truthfully recounted the disappearance of Cheng Minglang and the others.
After listening to me, Li Wenting on the other end of the line immediately said in a grave tone, "Your side is indeed very strange. Wait..."
"I'll call and ask for you right away!"
With that, Li Wenting hung up.
While waiting for Li Wenting's call back, my phone received two text messages.
One was from an unknown number, and the other was from Yu Shuang.
The content of the text message from the unknown number was simple: To save people, come to Wynn Palace!
As for Yu Shuang's message, it was even more concise, summarized by two words: Join forces!
Yu Shuang wanted to join forces with me to rescue her people at He Zhonghua's Wynn Palace.
Of course, she would rescue her people, and I would rescue mine, but we would act together.
After reading the two text messages, I immediately realized: He Zhonghua had made a move from afar!
Regardless of what he and Mr. He discussed later, if I guessed correctly, he seemed to attribute the failure of the power struggle last night entirely to Yu Shuang and me!
This is truly a disaster!
I never expected that the conflict and struggle between father and son, triggered by the power grab, would not truly end last night. Instead, it had escalated, drawing in a series of unrelated outsiders...