"Li Deping?"
Lin Xiao Tian immediately recognized Li De Ping's voice. His intelligence now far surpassed that of ordinary people, making it not difficult to distinguish a person's tone, especially since Li De Ping's voice was somewhat hoarse and relatively easy to identify.
"Xiao Tian, I've finally managed to reach you. You haven't contacted me for so long, I thought something had happened to you," Li De Ping complained over the phone.
Lin Xiao Tian felt a bit embarrassed. After returning from the Kunlun Valley, he had completely forgotten about Li De Ping.
"Is Er Guai next to you?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"Oh! It's thanks to Er Guai coming to town that I even dared to go out and see people."
Since agreeing to cooperate with Lin Xiao Tian, Li De Ping had maintained his "dead man" persona, being extremely cautious with every meal, terrified of being seen.
He had endured such a reclusive, homebody lifestyle for several months.
Because Lin Xiao Tian had told him to maintain single-line communication, meaning Li De Ping was to wait for Lin Xiao Tian to contact him proactively, Li De Ping had not dared to seek him out.
However, Li De Ping's decision to contact Lin Xiao Tian this time was due to a significant lead. Otherwise, even seeing Er Guai wouldn't have made him venture out rashly.
"Xiao Tian, I'm telling you, I've made a major discovery," Li De Ping said excitedly.
Lin Xiao Tian recalled asking Li De Ping to identify people earlier. Could it be that Li De Ping had already discovered the true identity of the person who had bribed him?
"What have you discovered?" Lin Xiao Tian immediately asked.
"I saw that person on television a while ago. Although he'd changed his hairstyle, I can guarantee it was the person who contacted me," Li De Ping asserted confidently.
"Who was that person?"
"He appeared in a news report. I'll send you the link to the news, and I've also specifically screenshotted his image."
As soon as Li De Ping finished speaking, Lin Xiao Tian heard his phone vibrate a few times, and a WeChat pop-up appeared with the contact name "Li Er Guai."
Li De Ping had used Li Er Guai's WeChat to send Lin Xiao Tian two messages.
The first message was a photo. In it, Li De Ping had specifically drawn a red circle around the person he mentioned as his contact.
Lin Xiao Tian looked at the photo but didn't have much impression of the face. It was an ordinary face, one that could blend perfectly into a crowd.
The second message was a news link. Lin Xiao Tian clicked on it.
"Significant changes in Fang Group's equity..."
Lin Xiao Tian frowned as he read the news.
"Li De Ping, stay where you are for now. I'll come find you in a few days," Lin Xiao Tian said before hanging up.
On the other end of the line, Li De Ping was bewildered.
Stay here?
He had already had enough of being a shut-in!
"Li De Ping, what exactly are you and Xiao Tian plotting?" Li Er Guai asked with confusion.
Li De Ping sneered, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you, you country bumpkin."
Li Er Guai's face darkened, "So what if I'm a country bumpkin? You're still using a country bumpkin's phone to make calls."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Xiao Tian had opened his computer.
The Lin family had their own intelligence network, but Lin Xiao Tian did not intend to use it. The Old Madam had told him to conceal the fact that he was a member of the Lin family, and using the Lin family's resources carelessly could easily draw attention.
Lin Xiao Tian uploaded the photo Li De Ping had sent to Tian Wang, and soon, there was a response from Tian Wang.
"Zhang Chong, Vice President of Fang Group..."
Lin Xiao Tian frowned as he read the information.
If Li De Ping was correct, then the person who had been secretly monitoring him all along was likely Fang Group.
Fang Group was Fang Wen Hua's domain.
This meant that Fang Wen Hua was likely involved.
Fang Wen Hua had been monitoring him?
It was indeed possible for someone like Fang Wen Hua, who liked to control everything, to do such things. But Lin Xiao Tian clearly remembered that Cao Yun Tian was also involved with the person who contacted Li De Ping.
Cao Yun Tian and Zhang Chong were clearly allies, as their questions had not overlapped. According to Li De Ping, they likely shared intelligence.
Cao Yun Tian harbored animosity towards Lin Xiao Tian, constantly wanting to harm him and Qin Yu Xiang.
If Fang Group and Cao Yun Tian were allied, wouldn't that mean Fang Wen Hua also harbored animosity towards Lin Xiao Tian?
But why?
For Fang Wen Hua, he should have been a very important partner. Yet, according to the timeline, Fang Wen Hua must have wanted to harm Lin Xiao Tian shortly after their cooperation began.
Lin Xiao Tian was becoming increasingly unsure of what Fang Wen Hua was trying to achieve.
But these were not the only things he couldn't have imagined.
Just as he could never have imagined that at this very moment, in a private room at the Tian Shang Ren Jian KTV, Fang Wen Hua was surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
He swallowed a pill.
Fang Wen Hua, completely naked, proudly looked at the women around him.
Each of them was a stunning beauty, including not a few first-tier actresses and models.
But now, in Fang Wen Hua's eyes, they were merely tools for his propagation.
A man who had attained his level of wealth could not be satisfied with just one woman. Although Lin Li Wen was good, she was getting older, and could not compare to these young women.
If not for his illness, Fang Wen Hua would have already been sowing his wild oats everywhere.
And Lin Xiao Tian's Gu Yuan Dan had given him the strength to do these things. Fang Wen Hua now had no reservations.
With Lin Li Wen pregnant, and given the Lin family matriarch's personality, Fang Wen Hua's position as a core member of the Lin family would be solidified. If he was lucky, his child might inherit the Lin family, further elevating his status.
Of course, his secrecy was also impeccable. No one knew what he was doing here now.
"Li Wen, you can't blame me. You've been pregnant for so long. How can a normal man endure? I had no choice, please forgive me?"
Fang Wen Hua said with feigned remorse, as he unhesitatingly pressed forward.
The female model in front of him grunted, but there was no hint of enjoyment on her face.
She had come here entirely against her will.
A while ago, Fang Wen Hua's secretary had approached her, demanding she accompany Fang Wen Hua, and had even explicitly stated that contraception was not allowed.
As a top-tier model, she wasn't particularly short of money. She naturally wouldn't want to do such a thing. However, if the money was substantial enough and could pave the way for her future, it wouldn't be impossible.
But the secretary directly threw her a folder, which contained evidence of her tax evasion.
For a public figure like her, if such a matter were exposed, her career would be ruined.
Not only that, but the other party had also basely threatened her with various embarrassing photos, including nudes.
Under duress, the model reluctantly agreed. She received no money and had to sleep with Fang Wen Hua.
What was even more unbearable for her was Fang Wen Hua's perverted desires. Perhaps it was due to being suppressed for too long, but Fang Wen Hua particularly enjoyed playing all sorts of games in this regard. Each time, she would be left utterly exhausted, and after being played with, she would still have to work the next day, even filming commercials.
Sometimes, if she was injured, her commercials would have to be postponed, and she would be accused of being difficult. Fang Wen Hua offered no compensation for any of these issues.
Feeling the man's frenzied actions behind her, the female model felt a wave of nausea...