Retired for A Hundred Years: Re-Employment for the Apocalypse Bigshot!-Chapter 286 - 281: They’re Really Just Using Him as a Tool!
Bai Xiaotang contacted Ji Ning through Lin Yuanyang.
Ji Ning was a bit surprised because Bai Xiaotang wouldn’t call her unless there was something going on, especially given that she was currently on a mission.
As expected, Bai Xiaotang’s first sentence was, "Sister Ning, Sister You needs to find you. It’s quite urgent."
You Le is looking for her?
Ji Ning pondered for a moment, then replied, "I’ll contact her shortly."
"Sister Ning, when did you get back?"
"Is there something up?"
"The anniversary is almost here. Will you be able to make it back for the celebration?"
Ji Ning glanced at the date and, recalling Fu Yuanxuan’s invitation, replied, "I’ll be back."
"Great. If you don’t come back, it’ll just be me alone." Bai Xiaotang’s voice carried a hint of excitement.
Ji Ning looked out the window and a slight smile appeared on her lips, "What about Ye Tong?"
"She’s joined a crew. There’s a scene for her that day, not sure how late they’ll film, she definitely won’t make it."
Thinking of Ye Tong’s aggrieved expression, Ji Ning chuckled, "I’ll have a word with Director Lin."
"Really? Sister Xiaotong will be thrilled. Sister Ning, you’re the best. I’ll tell her now."
Bai Xiaotang’s call ended abruptly, leaving Ji Ning amused as she turned around.
She met Chang Ru’s envious gaze, which she failed to retract in time.
The smile on Ji Ning’s face gradually faded, while Chang Ru composed her expression with some embarrassment, "You’re really good to Tangtang."
Ji Ning looked at her for a moment, then chuckled lightly, "It’s just heart to heart."
Chang Ru’s expression stiffened for a moment, and she awkwardly shifted her gaze.
Ji Ning paid her no further attention and stepped out of the room to call You Le.
The call was quickly connected; the sound of the wind mixed with You Le’s voice, she had skipped class and gone to the rooftop again.
"Sister Ning, I have something important to tell you. Are you available now?"
Ji Ning gave a soft "hmm."
"Sister Ning, a couple of days ago I received an anonymous letter at my doorstep. It said: If you want to know the cause of your parents’ death, come to 34 Happiness Street. Don’t bring anyone, don’t call the police, don’t tell anyone, or the secret will vanish forever..."
"Did you go by yourself?" Ji Ning asked.
You Le’s voice wasn’t very natural, "Yeah, I went at night. That place is near where Instructor Ying took us to buy guns, so I didn’t end up going. Someone stopped me and warned me not to go there."
"Who was it?"
"Not very tall, but wore a cap, couldn’t see their face clearly."
Ji Ning squinted slightly.
"Sister Ning, I didn’t dare to go closer. Later, disguised, I strolled around nearby and found that whenever someone approaches that place, people show up to stop them. I suspect there are two groups, each with their own agenda..."
Ji Ning was somewhat relieved that You Le hadn’t impulsively gone through with it, "You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll have someone check it out."
"But..."
"As long as there’s a secret, it’ll never disappear."
After hanging up, Ji Ning flipped open her contacts and sent a message to Fu Yuanxuan.
[The clue you want is at 34 Happiness Street.]
Fu Yuanxuan was a bit surprised to see the message; he was just about to call back when a system message came from the other side.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is powered off, please try again later..."
Fu Yuanxuan: "..."
She really is using me as a tool!
***
Two days later, after watching Chang Ru being carried onto a plane back to the capital, Ji Ning turned to Gu Shuangcheng, who had rushed over.
His face no longer carried the usual calmness; it was as dark as the bottom of a pot as he locked eyes with Ji Ning, "Ji Ning, it wasn’t the Gu Family who had someone crash into Chang Ru."
Ji Ning smiled faintly, "I know."
"Then why did you..."
"You learned about it quite quickly."
Gu Shuangcheng was momentarily stumped, feeling a bit of guilty consciousness at being seen through, but he quickly regained his usual composure and adjusted his glasses, "Just a precautionary measure, the Gu Family has some friends within the Security Bureau..."
"I only informed Li Wenxin, Fu Lihai, and Sun Yazhu about Chang Ru’s situation."
Gu Shuangcheng’s body paused, he did not know about this.
Annoyed inside, he couldn’t help but swallow this dumb loss.
If he had only reported to that person, the Gu Family had ways to silence Chang Ru and make Ji Ning’s report disappear, but she had also informed those two families, meaning that the Gu Family couldn’t make any moves regarding Chang Ru and would even have to guard against others making moves.
She’s dragging the Gu Family into the water...
Gu Shuangcheng looked at Ji Ning with a headache, forced a bitter smile, "Miss Ji, did we ever offend you before?"
"No."
"Then why did you..."
"The Sea City food festival case, the Gu Family really didn’t do anything?"
Gu Shuangcheng’s dark pupils instantly constricted, staring straight into Ji Ning’s eyes, his expression gradually becoming vigilant.
Ji Ning chuckled lightly, "Do I need to say it in more detail? Why did Huang Laosan have to die? What did he find out? Or what did he do?"
Her gaze seemed to see through people’s hearts, making Gu Shuangcheng’s heart tighten.
What does Ji Ning know?
Why does she know these things?
"Are you wondering why I know these things? Even though your Gu Family did it very discreetly... I shouldn’t have suspected you at all... After all, you only found out in advance who the spy in the Huang Family was..."
While speaking, Ji Ning smiled, and Gu Shuangcheng’s expression finally changed.
His voice was extremely cold, "How much do you know? Knowing too much could get you killed."
Yet, the smile on Ji Ning’s face grew, "But I’ll definitely die after the Gu Family."
In terms of infuriating the most composed man in the Gu Family, Ji Ning ranks second, with no one daring to claim first.
Gu Shuangcheng stared at Ji Ning for a long time, finally softening his attitude, lowering his voice, "Ji Ning, let’s talk."
Ji Ning shrugged, with a casual demeanor.
Gu Shuangcheng didn’t want to confront Ji Ning head-on, instinctively knowing she is difficult to deal with. If they didn’t want to become the second Sun Family, the Gu Family now had to play nice.
The two of them went to the Gu Family’s establishment in the city, an office building in the bustling district.
There was a branch office of the Gu Family, occupying just two floors, but the entire building belonged to the Gu Family’s estate.
Gu Shuangcheng personally ground imported coffee beans for Ji Ning, speaking in a peaceful tone about the ins and outs of the food festival case.
"The Gu Family had always been cooperating with the Huang Family, but in recent years, we found that Huang Laosan’s business practices weren’t exactly kosher. He was using the Huang Family’s shipments to smuggle goods. Later, my elder brother personally mentioned this to Huang Laosan, but he instead wanted to involve our family in the smuggling and used it as leverage..."
At this, Gu Shuangcheng paused, handing the ground coffee to Ji Ning, his face full of helplessness.
But Ji Ning didn’t believe his words, maintaining a calm demeanor throughout, without any visible emotion.
Holding his own cup of coffee, Gu Shuangcheng sat on the sofa opposite Ji Ning, gently stirring, continuing, "The Gu Family wanted to sever ties with the Huang Family, so we investigated Huang Laosan’s smuggling evidence. During the investigation, we discovered that the Huang Family had spies from the Outer Continent. But the Gu Family wasn’t sure if these spies were planted by Huang Laosan’s partners, so we tested it. Unexpectedly, Huang Laosan was killed by the spy."
There was a hint of regret on Gu Shuangcheng’s face, but Ji Ning simply chuckled.
"Was it really just a test?"
