Chapter 174 - 172: Cunning Fox
Jiang Li and her team followed Huang Zhongyu to the Huang Family’s residence. "Uncle Huang, may I see the invitation list for this event?"
Huang Zhongyu smiled and handed over a pre-screened list. "Here are a few individuals who meet the criteria. Miss Jiang, please take a look."
"Thank you, Uncle Huang. This is great!"
Jiang Li looked at the three people who had been singled out. Their photos were attached. Jiang Li immediately ruled out the one who was on the heavier side.
Chi Yu, from a prestigious medical family. Ji Yan, a tech professional of mixed Chinese-Russian descent.
"Ji Yan," Jiang Li said, turning to look at the others beside her.
"Mm, he’s definitely the most suspicious," Zheng Qichuan agreed with a nod.
Lu Xingye pulled out his laptop and started searching for information on Ji Yan.
"Ji Yan, twenty-seven years old. His family is in foreign trade. He taught himself to code at three, was taken away for specialized training at five, became famous at sixteen, and won an international invention award at eighteen..."
Jiang Li nodded and got up to change. ’True or not, I’ll know once I see him at the banquet.’
"Aunt Jiang, Ping’an missed you so much!"
As soon as she arrived at the banquet, Hu Ping’an ran over and threw his arms around her.
Jiang Li smiled, crouching down to pat his head. "Auntie missed Ping’an too."
Hu Ping’an was wearing a custom-made Zhongshan suit, looking prim and proper, and utterly adorable.
"Uncle Xingye." After hugging Jiang Li, Hu Ping’an hugged Lu Xingye too.
’If it weren’t for them, he would never have met such a wonderful Aunt Huang.’
Dressed in a qipao and holding a fan, Huang Nianci approached with Huang Zhongyu.
The entire hall fell silent in an instant, and all eyes snapped to Jiang Li.
"Who is that woman? To think Huang Nianci would personally go to greet her."
Huang Nianci smiled and nodded in greeting.
Huang Nianci glanced at Huang Zhongyu, who nodded, then led Hu Ping’an forward to announce the purpose of the day’s event.
"Thank you all for attending the Huang Family’s recognition banquet. Upon coming of age, Young Master Hu Ping’an will receive fifty percent of the Huang Family’s shares.
Furthermore, to express our gratitude to Miss Jiang, the Huang Family will be allocating five percent of our shares to establish the Dawn Foundation in her name. Miss Jiang herself will hold ten percent of the foundation’s shares..."
GASP!
A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
Jiang Li’s eyes widened in shock. She whipped her head around to look at Huang Nianci. "Miss Huang, this... this is far too generous."
’I’m getting shares?!’
Huang Nianci smiled at her. "It’s just a small token of my appreciation. If you don’t accept, my conscience won’t be clear."
Jiang Li was too stunned to speak.
All eyes in the room zeroed in on her again, and Jiang Li suddenly felt an immense, invisible pressure.
A commotion arose from the front of the hall, and Jiang Li looked up.
Ji Yan was dressed in black trousers and a wine-red V-neck shirt. Chi Yu wore white slacks, a white shirt with a vest, and a black overcoat.
The two of them walked in with an imposing air.
"Those two... they know each other?"
"No. On the contrary, they’re mortal enemies."
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked over.
As it turned out, both of them were looking back at her.
Jiang Li’s lips twitched. She quietly averted her gaze. ’I was trying to keep a low profile, but now I’m the center of attention.’
Upon entering, Ji Yan and Chi Yu immediately went their separate ways.
Jiang Li’s eyes couldn’t help but follow Ji Yan.
Noticing Jiang Li staring at him, Ji Yan walked directly toward her.
"Miss, can I help you with something?" Ji Yan lowered his gaze, sizing up the woman before him whom he had never seen before.
Jiang Li looked up at him. ’No, that’s not right.’
’It shouldn’t be like this.’
"My apologies." Jiang Li looked away and began scanning the crowd again.
’That person is cold-blooded, emotionless.’
Jiang Li’s gaze fell on Chi Yu’s figure. ’Could it be him?’
"Hah." Ji Yan scoffed and turned to leave.
After he turned his back, Jiang Li’s gaze returned to him.
’Sly fox.’
The team observed in silence.
Miao Anji, arms crossed, was looking around curiously. Seeing Jiang Li’s focus return to Ji Yan, he swallowed the warning that was on the tip of his tongue.
Ji Yan moved to the side, a wine glass in hand, smiling and greeting those who came up to chat. He moved through the crowd with effortless ease.
In contrast, Chi Yu stood in a corner, exuding a cold, unapproachable aura.
’If it weren’t for Ji Yan’s scoff just now, I really would have focused on Chi Yu as the target.’
’After all, his current demeanor is a much better match for the person I saw in my dream.’
Chi Yu frowned in annoyance. His grandfather had insisted he come, and he had to stay for at least ten minutes.
He kept checking the watch on his wrist, eager to leave the second his time was up.
After watching for a moment, Jiang Li came to a conclusion: Chi Yu was a mysophobe.
Ji Yan saw Jiang Li staring at Chi Yu and gave a sarcastic smirk, but a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.
’How foolish. And I thought she was so clever. She can’t even identify the right person.’
A hint of impatience flashed in Ji Yan’s eyes. He set down his glass and headed for the restroom.
The moment Ji Yan left, Zheng Qichuan immediately signaled his teammates.
A teammate’s voice came through his earpiece. "Ji Yan is heading to the restroom."
Jiang Li was suddenly struck by a bad feeling. "Get to the restroom, now!"
The team moved with urgent but controlled haste toward the restroom.
Just as they reached the hallway, a bloodcurdling scream rang out.
"AH! Help me!"
Zheng Qichuan rushed forward and kicked open the door. Inside, a woman lay on the floor, her body pierced with shards from a broken glass bottle.
"Quick, get her to a hospital."
Zheng Qichuan spoke into his earpiece, "Location on Ji Yan."
"Looking for me?" Ji Yan emerged from the men’s restroom and leaned against the wall, watching them.
Zheng Qichuan looked at where Ji Yan had come from. ’This is...’
Lu Xingye rushed into the men’s restroom and quickly checked the area.
"Ji Yan!" Jiang Li gritted her teeth in fury. ’He just brazenly murdered someone at such an important banquet for Huang Nianci.’
’If this blows up, it will reflect badly on Huang Nianci.’
Ji Yan’s lips curved into a smirk as he moved closer to her.
The sound of Miao Anji’s Bone Flute suddenly filled the air. Ji Yan’s expression instantly contorted, and he clutched his stomach in pain.
"What... did you do?" Ji Yan snarled at Jiang Li, his teeth clenched.
Seeing Ji Yan incapacitated, the team moved in to apprehend him, but he spun around and leaped straight out the window.
Zheng Qichuan shouted into his radio, "Do you have him?"
"Captain, he has support!"
"Fuck!" Just then, Zheng Qichuan heard the sound of a helicopter outside.
"That Ji Yan did this on purpose! He came here specifically to mess with us! Dammit!"
Zheng Qichuan contacted the emergency response team, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
Jiang Li ran to the window and watched as Ji Yan, clinging to a rope, was carried away by the helicopter.
Jiang Li wished she could sprout wings and fly up there to kill him herself.
"Put out an all-city manhunt for Ji Yan!" Peng Hai shouted, watching the helicopter above and slamming his fist against the window in frustration.
"Son of a bitch, that kid Jiang Li was right! Go, after them! Don’t let him get away!"
Letting him escape from right under their noses would be a complete and utter humiliation.
From above, Ji Yan looked down at the chaotic scene and, catching sight of Jiang Li in the window, gave her the middle finger.
Jiang Li: "..."
"Captain Zheng, can’t we just have people like him shot?"
Zheng Qichuan’s head was buzzing so much that it took him a moment to even process Jiang Li’s question.
"We can."
Chi Yu had just reached the restroom, planning to use it before leaving, when he witnessed this entire scene. He strode forward.
"Move aside. I’ll stop the bleeding."