Chapter 16: Provocation

The black-gold doors behind her slowly closed, pulled shut by someone from outside.

Shen Chaoxi tilted her head, withdrew her gaze, and looked ahead.

Inside the opulent and oppressive study, a golden jade toad inlaid with black gold sat prominently before the desk, its intricate craftsmanship impossible to overlook.

What caught Shen Chaoxi's eyes next was an aged wrist adorned with black Buddhist beads. In Eastern Continent, the helmsman of the W Group was known as the "Old Buddha."

Legend had it that in his youth, he had built his empire in Eastern Continent through skill and ruthless determination, his methods merciless, his hands stained with countless lives. His slaughter brought about the tragic deaths of both his children at the hands of enemies.

The Buddha teaches: heavy sins require one to lay down the knife and cleanse in repentance. Thus, he wore black Buddhist beads on his right hand year-round, veins and wrinkles winding across his wrist.

"Hmm," the Old Buddha’s voice was deep, tinged with age.

What didn’t match his severe demeanor were his dark, profound eyes, reminiscent of ancient, decaying wood found under heaps of fallen leaves.

"I heard you took people to Sand City. Did you gain anything?"

That was the authority of one who sat atop power; even at nearly seventy, seated within the company, he need not visit Sand City himself. All the information he desired reached him through the many hands under his command.

"You already know," Shen Chaoxi replied, not planning to hide anything, knowing he was already aware.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been informed, the moment she returned and stepped through W Group’s doors, that the Old Buddha had been waiting for her.

"Ah Xi, is there nothing you want to say to me about this matter?"

His deep, aged gaze fell upon her face, as if old wood, rich with the passage of years, locked eyes with her.

For a moment, Shen Chaoxi’s expression darkened. She pressed her lips together, lowered her head slightly, and spoke to him.

"Are you blaming your granddaughter for executing Gong Xiali in Sand City without informing you first?"

The heiress of W Group was ruthless—a legacy directly inherited from the Old Buddha.

From childhood, she had followed him. At five, she learned to handle a gun. In the jungles of Romia, she had hunted wild dogs and wolves alone; for her, killing was as trivial as crushing ants.

Thus, Gong Shenxi—this heiress with a temperament forged by the Old Buddha—could never have spared Gong Xiali after her attempt to murder her.

Once she decided to kill, she cared not for the identity of the target.

Even if Gong Xiali’s mother was, in name, the Old Buddha’s adopted daughter, Shen Chaoxi would show no mercy!

Yet she knew that after killing Gong Xiali, even if she silenced everyone who knew the truth about that night in Sand City, deceived Gong Xiali’s mother and countless others in W Group, she could never fool the Old Buddha.

She couldn’t hide it, nor could she hope to.

Standing in the study, lips pressed tightly, eyes lowered beneath the oppressive presence and gaze of the Old Buddha, she suddenly heard his aged, rough voice from the front: "Wrong!"

He rolled the Buddhist beads in his hand, his pitch-black eyes fixed on her. "Ah Xi, all these years I’ve trained you, not so you’d learn to bow your head."

"You did well to kill."

Even while she was in Sand City, the Old Buddha, as W Group’s helmsman, had already received news from there.

He knew Gong Xiali was in Sand City, had set up an underground experiment to lure his granddaughter there, and intended to kill her.

He knew, and yet seemed to know nothing. No one could fathom the Old Buddha’s true thoughts.

Knowing his granddaughter might fall into a trap or be killed in Sand City, he simply sat calmly in the dragon chair at W Group, quietly arranging for others to keep watch.

He didn’t believe the person he had personally trained would fail to handle such a minor crisis.

"As W Group’s heiress, you should possess such ambition!" He assumed her killing of Gong Xiali was an effort to remove a stumbling block within the company, just as Gong Xiali sought to eliminate her and become W Group’s sole second miss.

Wrinkles creased deeper at the corners of the Old Buddha’s eyes, and in the darkness of his gaze, a hint of appreciation glimmered.

He said, "Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel at ease entrusting W Group to you in the future."

He toyed with the Buddhist beads, and for once, his stern face softened into rare warmth.

"I heard from Ah Mo that you were injured in Sand City. Was it serious?"

He had already sent someone to inquire of Yu Mo, and had learned all about her situation, waiting here to ask her personally.

"Thank you for your concern, I’m fine," Shen Chaoxi replied, still cautious.

Though she was his granddaughter, she often addressed him as "Old Master," a habit from childhood when he strictly kept her identity secret to protect her from harm.

That form of address had become ingrained.

Thinking of her injuries, the Old Buddha didn’t press further about Sand City, knowing he had learned all he needed. His gaze softened as he spoke to her.

"Enough. Now that you’re back, go get some rest."

He paused, fingers stilling on the beads.

"Take good care of your wounds."

"Yes," Shen Chaoxi replied. Since he had given no further instructions, she lowered her eyes, retreated two steps, and turned to leave.

At that moment the door opened, and in strode a woman clad in a dark purple leather suit, sporting earrings, sharp features, and a cropped men’s haircut.

She was the Old Buddha’s trusted lieutenant, Amin, and in Yingdu, there was no one who didn’t fear her.

As she entered, she caught sight of Shen Chaoxi exiting, her gaze flickering as she lowered her head in a gesture of respect.

Shen Chaoxi passed her by.

The headquarters of W Group towered above Yingdu’s luxurious high-rise district, rising with grandeur and breadth amid a city riddled with pleasure palaces.

The glass skyscraper, dazzling with lights day and night, shone bright as daylight. The elevator descended from the upper floors, and in the lobby, Yu Mo waited. When the doors opened and Shen Chaoxi stepped out, his tightly pressed lips and tense jaw visibly relaxed.

Shen Chaoxi said nothing, nor did he press her, simply following her toward the ground floor.

When their elevator stopped at the lobby, Shen Chaoxi was halted by someone.

"Gong Shenxi!"

She saw who it was but ignored him, making to leave. The man, arms spread wide, cursed loudly.

"You damn woman, I’m calling you, did you hear me?"

Yu Mo was at her side. Seeing the man step forward provocatively, his gaze chilled instantly and he was about to act, but Shen Chaoxi stopped him.

This was the company headquarters; it would be unwise to create a scene in public.

The man seemed to think she was intimidated, his tone mocking: "Gong Shenxi, where’s my girlfriend, Ali?"

He and his entourage blocked her path. He removed his sunglasses, holding them lazily, grinning with a roguish arrogance, barring the young woman’s way.

Within W Group, he was known as "Second Lord." He had been Gong Xiali’s boyfriend for years, rumored to have started in underground markets, well-known in Eastern Continent and quite successful.

He and Gong Xiali had always coveted the heiress’ position. With her in place as W Group’s rightful successor, the company’s assets would never fall into their hands.

Gong Xiali had long sought to remove her.

But this so-called "Second Lord" was peculiar; within the company, he acted as if he were handsome and important, loving Gong Xiali yet repeatedly harassing Gong Shenxi behind her back. Perhaps he found Shenxi beautiful, or years alongside Gong Xiali had grown tedious, or perhaps it was an unshakable flaw—he enjoyed playing the sycophant.

Eating from one bowl, eyeing another.

Yet his devotion was far from normal; he delighted in opposing Gong Shenxi, or teaming up with his girlfriend to make trouble for her, using her as a source of amusement.

It was unclear where he found his courage.

"Your girlfriend—what business do you have with me?" Faced with his insolence, Shen Chaoxi tugged her red lips into a smile, shifting her gaze to his face with growing impatience.

Ever since her car accident three years ago—when she nearly died at Gong Xiali’s hands—she had avoided overt conflict with Gong Xiali upon her return. Though there were still struggles and schemes, never again would she fight so openly, especially not today, before so many eyes.

So Gong Xiali’s "boyfriend" likely hadn’t realized Shenxi’s temperament, thinking she was remarkably tolerant.

"Oh? Pretend all you want, keep pretending!" He raised an eyebrow, showing no real concern for Gong Xiali, seeming instead to use the excuse to provoke Shen Chaoxi.

"Was it you who set the fire at the abandoned factory in Sand City?"

He seemed to have guessed something, deliberately waiting to confront her.

"I don’t understand what you’re talking about," Shen Chaoxi replied coldly, not even sparing him a glance as she moved to leave.

At her words, a trace of malice flashed across the man’s eyes.

"Fine, you don’t know, huh? Plenty of people in this world know!" His rogue smile broadened; he snapped his fingers, and at once, someone brought over a man in a black suit.

It was one of Shen Chaoxi’s own.

He had been her driver that night in Sand City, meant to bring her back. But Yu Mo, seeing her injured and in poor spirits, had sent him in another car and driven her himself.

Now, the driver was beaten bloody, his face swollen, his body covered in blood, forced before Shen Chaoxi.

Someone behind him kicked his knee sharply; with a heavy thud, he knelt.

"Mmm... mmm..." Black tape sealed his mouth, muffling his groans.

This scene unfolded before Shen Chaoxi’s eyes.

And it was a direct challenge to her.