Chapter 32: Targeting Lord Hai

He Tian drove Wang Xinyou and Ouyang Bingbing to the restaurant, where they found Lin Ying. It was clear, however, that Lin Ying was currently entertaining guests. The three of them sat down quietly to wait. Soon after, Lin Ying saw her guests off.

“Well, what brings my two big bosses and our stock market genius to this humble place?” Lin Ying asked, grinning.

“You seem especially cheerful today. Did you make some new gains? Who were those two people just now?” Wang Xinyou inquired.

Lin Ying sat down and replied with a smile, “Those were the owners of the two neighboring shops.”

“You’re thinking of expanding?” Ouyang Bingbing looked at Lin Ying in surprise. The restaurant hadn’t officially opened yet, and she was already planning to expand. Lin Ying was certainly bold—more than most.

“This place is too small. Even with both floors, it’s not even 200 square meters. Even at full capacity, how many people is that? If I combine the two neighboring shops, that’s almost 600 square meters. That’s much more in line with my vision,” Lin Ying explained.

“But if you merge the three shops, you’d need to break down the walls. We're just renting these spaces—do you think the landlord will let you do that?” Wang Xinyou asked, puzzled.

“Haven’t you noticed? Our shop and the two on either side are actually part of the same building, owned by a single landlord. I tracked him down this morning and got his approval. He’ll make more money this way, since I agreed to a higher rent,” Lin Ying said, unconcerned about paying a bit more. The important thing was to achieve her desired scale.

“Do as you see fit. The money’s already been transferred to your account—five million. That should be more than enough for now. If you need more, just ask. For the next year, as long as you’re making a profit, there’s no limit to the investment,” Wang Xinyou reiterated.

“You two just sit back and wait for your returns!” Lin Ying replied confidently.

“It’s lunchtime anyway. I’ve already renewed the chefs’ contracts. I’ll have them make their signature dishes for you all to try and give your feedback,” Lin Ying said, hurrying off to arrange things.

With the owner’s orders, the chefs gave it their all. Soon, the table was covered with dishes. The restaurant’s menu was, in fact, quite good—the previous owner, Mr. Yang, had just run it poorly. Yet, even under poor management, the business made good money. Clearly, the market demand was strong.

“Once we expand, I’ll need to hire more chefs. For waitstaff, I plan to recruit students for part-time work and coordinate with the university. I believe the school will support us,” Lin Ying shared her plans eagerly.

“We’re leaving that up to you,” Wang Xinyou said between bites. “By the way, we’ve rented an apartment in the Xuehai Community nearby as a studio for Bingbing. We need you to stay with her.”

“Xuehai Community? That’s close—I was planning to live here at the restaurant to make getting to campus easier. This solves a big problem,” Lin Ying agreed readily.

Ouyang Bingbing was delighted—not having to stay alone in such a big apartment made her feel much more at ease.

“Let’s check with Yingying too. If you two both move out while I have to go home every day, leaving Yingying alone in the dorm, she’ll probably kill us,” Ouyang Bingbing said with a mischievous smile.

“Why would I kill you? What did you do to betray me?” At the mention of Li Yingying, she appeared.

“Did you time your arrival just for lunch?” Lin Ying teased, but then noticed someone behind Li Yingying.

“Li Kai! Come in, come in. Looks like Yingying has finally been won over?” Lin Ying greeted them, fetching two more sets of tableware.

“Please, I haven’t agreed to anything yet. Isn’t that right, Li Kai?” Li Yingying scoffed.

“No, not at all!” Li Kai waved his hands, laughing. “Whenever Yingying says yes, I’ll be ready.”

“How sweet! Yingying, look how devoted Li Kai is. Why are you playing so hard to get?” Wang Xinyou nudged Li Yingying, giggling.

“Don’t be fooled by his honest face—he’s not as innocent as he looks. I saw him talking to another girl today!” Li Yingying shot Li Kai a sidelong glance.

“You’re mistaken, Yingying! She was just asking for directions,” Li Kai hurried to explain, his face full of anxiety.

“All right, enough. You’re hopeless, aren’t you?” Li Yingying glared, hands on hips. Li Kai immediately lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

“Lift your head! Be a man! Here, let me introduce you. You know all my girlfriends already. And this handsome guy is He Tian,” Li Yingying said, a glint of pride in her eyes.

She knew perfectly well whether Li Kai truly cared for her or not. She didn’t want him to lose face in front of her friends—just a little display of her authority would do. Best to keep things low-key.

“Nice to meet you, Li Kai!” He Tian stood up with a broad smile and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, He Tian!” Li Kai replied with a smile.

He Tian observed that Li Kai was actually quite confident and composed. Judging by his demeanor, He Tian suspected he came from a good family—probably the son of an official.

It seemed Li Kai was only so subdued because Li Yingying kept him in check.

“Congratulations, Li Kai! With Yingying treating you like this, you’re almost there,” He Tian said, then addressed Li Yingying, “But you don’t need to be so tough on him all the time. A little is fine—don’t go overboard.”

“We’ll see how he does this time,” Li Yingying replied, giving He Tian some face and offering Li Kai a chance.

“Don’t worry, Yingying—I’ll support you wholeheartedly!” Li Kai declared.

“See? Li Kai’s on board. That means our chances of securing that plot of land are high. The university will definitely support us,” Li Yingying said with a smile.

“Then here’s to your success!” Wang Xinyou raised her glass, grinning.

“Cheers!”

That afternoon, He Tian and Wang Xinyou returned to classes. Ouyang Bingbing went to open an account at the securities company; Lin Ying continued working on the restaurant, and Li Yingying began her efforts to acquire the land.

“They’re all taking action—why haven’t you made any moves yet?” He Tian asked Wang Xinyou during a break.

“What’s the rush? The director of the Student Entrepreneurship Office is away on a business trip. Once he’s back, I’ll act,” Wang Xinyou replied. She’d already been making inquiries.

“How many university students do you think are as talented as Bingbing and the others?” He Tian was a little skeptical about Wang Xinyou’s plan to start an investment empire from the university.

“There are more than you think. Just wait and see. Even if we lose money, what does it matter? The talent is what I’ll gather. In today’s world, what’s most important? Money? No—the most important thing is talent,” Wang Xinyou said with confidence.

“I’m starting to think I chose the wrong major,” He Tian said, shaking his head slightly. Just from his brief exposure, he realized economics wasn’t for him.

“Weren’t you the one who said you just wanted to experience campus life? What does your major matter? Or do you actually want to learn something?” Wang Xinyou teased.

“Of course I do!” He Tian retorted. “But I haven’t noticed anything special so far—just classes and more classes, maybe a bit more free time.”

“You’ve only been here two days! Give it time, and you’ll see how exciting it can be—unless you insist on looking down from above, then nothing will seem interesting,” Wang Xinyou said meaningfully.

“I’m surprised to hear such insightful words from you,” He Tian laughed.

“Oh, please! Don’t underestimate me,” Wang Xinyou huffed.

The afternoon passed quickly. He Tian made a point to adjust his attitude, reminding himself not to see university life from a detached, superior perspective. He had to admit, Wang Xinyou’s words had been a timely reminder. In truth, his mindset hadn’t fully shifted yet, but adapting wasn’t difficult for him. He was used to changing roles and had plenty of experience.

Night fell again. He Tian changed his appearance. This time, he slipped out quietly. Old Hu’s waiting yesterday had made him realize he needed to be cautious.

When it came to this investigation, He Tian knew he had to keep his eyes above the clouds. Whether it was the Dragon Unit, the National Security Special Taskforce, or the Military Intelligence Wolf Fang Unit—he had to regard them all with scrutiny.

If the problem really lay within, the implications would be immense. The entire national system of elite operatives could collapse. And maintaining its stability was also the responsibility of Dragon Soul, so He Tian had to take this seriously.

Before leaving the villa, He Tian had checked his computer. The reports he received made him frown. Everything found at Liu Jianming’s home and office had been sealed away, the National Security Bureau had learned. But He Tian had told them not to act rashly, not wanting to alert anyone.

He planned to investigate from another angle.

Young Master Hai was the prime suspect—of that there was no doubt. According to the information He Tian had gathered, Young Master Hai had the ability to direct the police. Of course, it could still be the work of the assassin organization, but the police sealing the evidence suggested otherwise.

Based on He Tian’s analysis, Young Master Hai was the most likely person to silence Liu Jianming. This made He Tian all the more cautious. If that was the case, then his cooperation with the assassin group was anything but simple. Even the attempted shooting of Wang Xinyou might be linked to him.

All of this convinced He Tian to initiate a series of actions targeting Young Master Hai. As for the assassin organization, there was no hurry. Even if their Hong Kong contact couldn’t be found, He Tian knew the location of their training base, so he wasn’t worried about them getting away.