CHAPTER 166: CHAPTER 166 FU BING TAKES OVER THE WU SHIPYARD

Lai Shenyan couldn’t understand. "Why?"

The Lai Family had seen a female family head before; with Shenlan’s intelligence, she would surely be capable.

"Brother, I am very selfish, and I hold grudges. The members of the Clan Association only want benefits. As long as you give them enough, they will grovel before us and bark like dogs."

Determination and hatred flashed in Lai Shenlan’s eyes. "When our parents died and we asked them to stand up for us, what was their response? They said family matters were not their concern. All these years, they haven’t concerned themselves with us either. If they choose me, I still won’t escape the fate of being under house arrest."

Lai Shenlan extended her thin, sallow hand. "They wouldn’t want an underdeveloped female family head; they’d rather use me to restrain you."

Lai Shenyan gently held her small hand. "I know what you’re thinking. You want to destroy the Lai Family. Coincidentally, your brother thinks the same. Why should we exert ourselves for this group of incompetent and cowardly people? We can’t even avenge our parents, yet we’re expected to serve a bunch of clan members we don’t even know? Are we crazy?"

A surge of emotion filled Lai Shenlan’s small, frail chest.

Intelligent as she was, she was still only a 16-year-old adolescent. Her past experiences had forced her to abandon childish habits as much as possible and to face the cruel world with an adult’s mindset. But she was, ultimately, still a child. With her brother’s affection, she still felt overwhelmed, unsure how to express her emotions.

Lai Shenyan held Lai Shenlan’s small body in his arms. "Your brother might not be as smart as you, but I’m not a fool. Let’s avenge our parents together."

Lai Shenlan nodded firmly.

While the Lai Family was in a precarious situation, Fu Bing feigned illness. In reality, she went in disguise with Mu He to the Wu Shipyard in Jiangcheng. The most important asset Qin Jinhai had left her was the Wu Shipyard. One of the items in Qin Jinhai’s bank safe deposit box was an identity token for the Wu Shipyard.

As soon as Fu Bing stepped into the Wu Shipyard, Qin Jinhai knew she had arrived. Wearing a mask, he blended into the crowd, watching Fu Bing’s plain, unremarkable disguised face. But her eyes were still dark and bright, always effortlessly capturing the attention of others.

Fu Bing sat in the private room where Qin Jinhai had taken her last time. The fighting ring was still the same, yet everything else had changed.

The three managers of the Wu Shipyard came in one after another. Mu He had informed them of her arrival, so they weren’t surprised to see Fu Bing.

After they verified the token Fu Bing gave them, Jian Lingyuan spoke first, "Miss, what are your orders?"

"Is the verification over already?"

Jian Lingyuan smiled. "It was a direct order from Director Qin. He said that after he left, a woman would come with the token, and we were to follow your arrangements obediently." Jian Lingyuan’s gaze fixed on Fu Bing’s eyes. "Besides, it’s Miss Fu herself who has come."

Fu Bing was not surprised that these people recognized her, nor did she continue her act.

"It seems my disguise was a failure."

"It’s not that your disguise failed; Director Qin only has you in his heart. He even specifically told us the person would be a woman, which made it easy for us to guess it was you. Your height also matches Fu Bing’s, so identifying you wasn’t difficult."

"May I ask you to do the first thing for me?"

"Please, go ahead."

"Help me find Qin Jinhai’s whereabouts."

Fu Bing’s voice clearly reached Qin Jinhai’s ears.

Jian Lingyuan smiled faintly. "To be honest, we are also actively searching for Director Qin. Once we have any news, we’ll notify you immediately."

Fu Bing looked at Jian Lingyuan calmly. His answer came too quickly. It was as if he had anticipated her request.

"You seem to have been sure I would ask this of you."

"Director Qin is our leader. His fate is unknown—whether he’s alive or dead—so we’ve been searching for him. Besides, we believe that someone Director Qin values would also care about him."

Though Fu Bing smiled outwardly, she knew Jian Lingyuan was not someone to be trifled with and that he didn’t consider her his new boss. His loyalty was only to Qin Jinhai.

Fu Bing dined with them, watching as the Wu Shipyard officially lifted the curtain on the dark of night. The filth and danger hidden in the darkness crawled out from every shadowy corner as night descended. Here, human life was worth nothing. It could even be bought and sold.

Fu Bing couldn’t help but ask, "Did Qin Jinhai establish this himself, or did Qin Sheng force him to build it?"

Mu He silently shook his head.

Hearing this, Jian Lingyuan couldn’t help but glance at Fu Bing again. In his view, Fu Bing had no business managing this place, nor should she be involved with it. If she became too deeply entangled, it would inevitably backfire on her.

Fu Bing remained there from nightfall until the sky began to show the first light of dawn. All the guests departed silently before daybreak. Only then did Fu Bing return to the car with Mu He.

She removed the disguise from her face, but there wasn’t a hint of relief in her eyes. Mu He drove quietly, not disturbing her thoughts.

I need the Wu Shipyard’s help to take revenge on Qin Sheng, Fu Bing knew. But in my hands, it’s a double-edged sword. It can kill my enemies, but it can also harm me. And I haven’t yet figured out how to wield it. I’ve seen all sorts of darkness in prison. I thought I’d grown accustomed to it, accustomed to the evil hidden within human nature. Yet this small world within the Wu Shipyard... it still sends a chill down my spine.

Fu Bing didn’t say a word until she returned to her room. After escorting her to her room, Mu He returned to his own.

Jinhai will protect her, Mu He thought. I just need to be a responsible driver.

As usual, Fu Bing took a medicinal bath.

She mulled over her next steps. Lai Shenyan and Lai Shenlan could handle their affairs with the Lai Family and Lai Rumu themselves; she wouldn’t need to interfere. All she needed to do was provide them with a safety net. The one she truly had to face was Qin Sheng. He’s caused most of my setbacks so far, and yet, I’ve never confronted him directly. To me, he’s like a giant beast lurking in the darkness; I never know when he might bare his fangs. Just overcoming my psychological fear of him already consumes so much energy.

Until now, Qin Sheng has always hidden behind Qin Jinhai. After Jinhai disappeared, there’s been no news or any sign of movement from Qin Sheng. On the other hand, news about Li Yuan and Qin Jinmo is becoming more frequent. Is Qin Sheng pushing those two to the forefront to attract attention? What are the chances I could form an alliance with Li Yuan and Qin Jinmo?

Just as Fu Bing was contemplating this, there was a knock on her door. She walked towards the door, already hearing Mu He’s voice from the other side.

"Who are you?"

"I’m Li Xiang. My lady sent me to invite Miss Fu over for a discussion."

"Who is your lady?"

"Li Yuan."

Fu Bing opened the door. "Where is Li Yuan?"

Li Xiang smiled at Fu Bing. "My lady has been waiting for you for a long time. She’s upstairs. Miss Fu, please follow me."

Fu Bing exchanged a glance with Mu He, and the two of them followed Li Xiang upstairs.

Li Yuan had already prepared food. She said, "Let’s eat something before we talk."

Fu Bing didn’t touch the food, her attention caught by the change in Li Yuan. It had only been three months since she last saw Li Yuan, Fu Bing realized, yet she seemed like a completely different person.