Xiao Chenyi picked up the paper with disdain and looked at its contents.
"Xu Changliang? That man was meritorious and famous. Many people spontaneously mourned him when he died."
"What was the cause of death?"
Zhou Xuan pressed.
"His cause of death was said to be a sudden myocardial infarction," Xiao Chenyi said with a frown. "That's just what's rumored, and I'm not very clear about it!"
Hearing him, Zhou Xuan also fell into thought.
"Brother Xiao, what do you think of this case? Is it possible to find out the truth?"
Zhou Xuan looked at Xiao Chenyi beside him.
"It's too early to draw a conclusion," Xiao Chenyi shook his head. "However, if this case is investigated, there will definitely be clues!"
"Mhm."
Zhou Xuan nodded. "Then let's go investigate first."
"Qiu Wenlong privately gave money to a killer from Silver Triangle to kill Xu Changliang. I suspect Xu Changliang was the traitor back then. Qiu Wenlong must have ordered him to do something and killed him to silence him for fear of him turning against them."
Xiao Chenyi nodded.
"Xu Changliang's family lived in a military compound. How could someone from Silver Triangle kill him?" Xiao Chenyi asked.
Zhou Xuan shook his head. "No, it was near the military academy."
"Near the military academy, then it's even less likely to kill him! Not to mention the heavy guard around, and the place is full of capable people."
Xiao Chenyi was perplexed.
"That person is called Taishu. He has some unusual methods. Xu Changliang was just ambushed. Even the most formidable tiger has its moments of slumber, doesn't it?"
Zhou Xuan's words made a lot of sense, and Xiao Chenyi felt it was likely the case.
"The problem is, we have no way of knowing how Xu Changliang betrayed Master Xu Tianhua's special forces back then. Xu Changliang's matter needs to be reported to Elder Huang and Master Xu for discussion. After all, they are from that generation, and they understand Xu Changliang better than we do..."
"Alright, let's go to the Qiu family tonight to probe them, and then make plans after Master returns."
Zhou Xuan said, and he and Xiao Chenyi were ready.
After nightfall.
The Qiu family held a modest banquet at a hotel.
Although it was small, the venue was chosen to be relatively decent to avoid ostentation and waste.
Qiu Wenlong desired connections but also wanted to appear as an upright gentleman.
Therefore, all the attendees were influential figures. Apart from that, every aspect of the venue's arrangement was low-key and luxurious, yet subtle.
"Mr. Qiu, you've already reached the position of commander, and you're truly devoted to your wife."
"Yes, a birthday banquet like this is quite good."
"If my wife had such a heart, I would wake up laughing in my dreams at midnight."
...
Hearing the praise from his business partners, Qiu Wenlong was in high spirits.
He raised his glass and clinked glasses with everyone. "On such a joyous occasion today, everyone must drink to their heart's content. Don't spoil the mood!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Qiu, we absolutely won't."
"Come, come, I'll toast you."
...
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually heated up.
"Yes..."
The crowd chattered noisily, and Qiu Wenlong's smile remained.
"Mr. Qiu, how could you not invite me to Mrs. Qiu's birthday today?"
Suddenly, a voice came, drawing everyone's attention.
Qiu Wenlong turned to look at the entrance, where several men in suits were slowly walking over.
"So it's Director Zhao. Why do you have time to attend my wife's birthday banquet?"
Qiu Wenlong's eyes lit up, and he went to greet them enthusiastically.
Director Zhao was the man who had just spoken, a partner of the Qiu family.
"Heh heh, Mr. Qiu, please don't misunderstand. My attendance at your wife's banquet today is uninvited." Director Zhao smiled mysteriously. "I'm here at someone's request to congratulate your devoted marital affection."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Wenlong's face showed a look of confusion.
At someone's request...
Who has so much leisure time?
"Director Zhao, may I know who this 'someone' you mentioned is..."
"Heh heh, Mr. Qiu, please don't guess," Director Zhao said with a smile. "I've chosen a small gift for Mrs. Qiu."
A man in a suit behind him brought over a gift box, which contained South African uncut diamonds that glowed with luminescence. They were carved into a pair of white swans, connected to each other.
Li Huihui could only pretend to be very pleased with his gift at the banquet. She accepted it and had it carefully put away.
Director Zhao looked at Li Huihui and gave a meaningful smile.
"White swans are very loyal. A pair is one, and they never live on alone after their mate dies. It seems Mr. Qiu and his wife's affection is comparable to that of white swans."
Li Huihui's expression was a little stiff and awkward.
Qiu Wenlong forced a smile and soon excused himself to discuss Qiu family business, diverting the topic.
"Mr. Qiu, you are truly blessed with happiness and fulfillment. We can only envy you."
Qiu Wenlong smiled but said nothing.
He had worked diligently all these years. Although his career had been smooth sailing, he was unwilling to let people know about his family background.
His relationship with Li Huihui was not as it appeared to the outside world.
He hated Li Huihui, yet loved her.
For so many years, obsession had become a madness.
"Look over there, who is that beauty? I haven't seen her before." someone suggested.
Qiu Wenlong looked in the direction pointed by the crowd and immediately saw Lu Linger in a black evening gown.
Zhou Xuan was beside her.
He was dressed formally tonight, in a gray suit with a bow tie, looking very sharp.
Lu Linger stood there motionlessly.
Several young men and women were surrounding her, chatting and laughing, appearing very close.
Looking at them, it seemed the young ladies from the Fang, Zhuge, and Lu families were all around her.
Sun Zhibiao from the Sun family was even serving her attentively upon seeing the beauty.
From this, it appeared that Zhou Xuan was their leader.
Qiu Wenlong knew that Zhou Xuan had a grudge against Qiu Yuelian.
However, given that he was now the richest man in Shangjing, having merged the five major families of Shangjing, no one dared to offend him.
Qiu Wenlong naturally did not think that Zhou Xuan should be his adversary, unlike his daughter Qiu Yuelian.
There were no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies in this world.
He approached Zhou Xuan with a warm smile, and Zhou Xuan responded enthusiastically.
It seemed that all the previous unpleasantness between their families had vanished into thin air today.
"Senior Qiu, it was my ignorance before. How about we bury the hatchet with drinks today?"
"Alright, I'll drink it all. Young friend Zhou, please feel free!"
Qiu Wenlong was very pleased, acting as if he greatly admired Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan also drank down the brandy in his glass in one gulp.
They looked at each other and smiled.
Soon, Qiu Yuanhang and Li Huihui also came over to greet Zhou Xuan.
The Zhou Group had now become the most sought-after group in Shangjing.
Regardless of whether the Qiu Group had government backing, they still wanted to cooperate with such a large conglomerate.
Zhou Xuan was young and perhaps easier to fool.
"Young friend Zhou, you and my youngest daughter did not know each other until you fought, perhaps this is fate. She spoke recklessly before and made poor choices in friends. We have disciplined her properly and made her reflect for a month."
Qiu Yuanhang said with a smile.