Dawn arrived as promised.
Su Shanshui had already been apprehended by Chen Jinzhao's men, awaiting the judgment of justice.
This was the most agonizing part for Su Shanshui.
Chen Jinzhao stood by the window, gazing at the breaking dawn, lost in thought. The ringing of his phone shattered his reverie. He picked it up to answer. Xu Yaoyao's voice came through, "Brother Jinzhao, is my grandfather alright?"
"I just tried to contact the capital, but I couldn't get through to anyone there."
Xu Yaoyao feared her grandfather might have met with misfortune.
Chen Jinzhao replied, "Rest assured, the situation is under control, and Elder Xu is no longer in danger. Are you and your group safe? Has anyone caused you trouble?"
Xu Yaoyao finally breathed a sigh of relief, saying gratefully, "That's good then."
"I did encounter some trouble. Several people tried to kill me, but they were all killed by Sister Shangguan Yu'an. Those people were clearly prepared and seemed like trained assassins."
Chen Jinzhao thought to himself, it was a close call.
Fortunately, Shangguan Yu'an had stepped in, otherwise the consequences would have been unpredictable.
"Brother Jinzhao, what happened last night? It felt like dark clouds were gathering." Xu Yaoyao was curious. Chen Jinzhao tried to downplay it, but it still made Xu Yaoyao feel like last night had been a bloody, shocking ordeal. Afterward, Chen Jinzhao asked, "Is your sister Shangguan injured?"
Xu Yaoyao snapped back from her shock, "Sister Shangguan is injured. We are at the hospital now, but the doctor said her life is not in danger."
Chen Jinzhao's heart sank. It seemed his actions had been too rash, causing such a huge upheaval.
He had almost implicated everyone around him.
"Where are you? I'm coming over now!" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Xu Yaoyao replied, "We're at Ninghai First People's Hospital, but Brother Jinzhao, please be careful on the road."
"Alright, I'll be there soon."
The situation was now under control, and no one dared to stir up trouble at this juncture. After arranging for guards, Chen Jinzhao drove back to Ninghai City.
Before he had even left the Jiangnan Military Region, his phone rang again.
It was his uncle, Li Qiutao.
Chen Jinzhao thought his uncle would indeed be the first to know the details. Without hesitation, he answered. Li Qiutao's voice was urgent, repeatedly asking if Chen Jinzhao was injured. Chen Jinzhao calmly replied, "Uncle, I did sustain a minor injury, but it's nothing serious for me. You can rest assured."
Li Qiutao sighed in relief, "That's good, that's good..."
"I've heard about what happened last night. I can't believe you were so bold as to go to the Han family alone to fight them. Fortunately, you're alright. If anything had happened, how would you explain it to your mother? You need to do less of this in the future, understand?"
Chen Jinzhao didn't argue and could only agree.
But only he knew that his time was limited, and he wanted to accomplish great things in this short period.
Such as single-handedly annihilating the Han and Su families.
Li Qiutao sighed, "I know you're not really listening and are just humoring me. You're an adult now, not a child who needs constant attention. If you want to do something, just go for it."
"Thank you for your understanding, Uncle," Chen Jinzhao said sincerely.
"But please, Uncle, keep this from my mother. I don't want her to know I did something so dangerous."
Li Qiutao chuckled, "Of course, of course."
They chatted for a few more moments before hanging up.
Before Chen Jinzhao could put his phone down, Yu Mengzhi's call came in, with her usual worried tone. Then came Tao Qiyue, and Xu Nianqing...
On the other side.
As soon as Li Qiutao hung up with Chen Jinzhao, he called Li Qiurong. Li Qiutao's tone was much softer, but Li Qiurong still sensed something was amiss and asked defensively, "You're calling me at six in the morning. Has something happened to my son? Don't try to hide it from me."
Li Qiutao replied, "Nothing can be hidden from you."
"This child wants me to keep it from you, but I think you should know, as Jinzhao's mother, you have the right to know what's going on."
Li Qiurong's sleepiness vanished. Her heart pounded with anxiety for a moment, thinking her son had met with disaster.
But after calming herself, she deduced from Li Qiutao's words that her son was alive, and her mood settled. She asked, "Was my son fierce on the battlefield?"
Li Qiutao was taken aback, then laughed, "Fierce, incredibly fierce! He took down over thirty people single-handedly, bringing down the Han family of Donghai and the Su family of Jiangnan. It's a shame I didn't get to witness it myself."
"That's good, that's good..." Li Qiurong nodded.
"Is my son seriously injured?"
Li Qiutao shook his head, "Not seriously. He's on his way back to Ninghai. You'd better not call him now, or he'll know I leaked the secret."
Li Qiurong was silent.
Li Qiutao said a few more comforting words before preparing to hang up.
"Wait!" Li Qiurong suddenly spoke.
"Sister, what is it?" Li Qiutao asked, puzzled.
Li Qiurong hesitated, "About what happened back then, should we tell Jinzhao? I've thought it over. Jinzhao has a right to know, and can you keep this secret forever? In other words, don't you have any other thoughts?"
Li Qiutao was surprised, "Sister, aren't you angry anymore?"
"There's nothing for me to be angry about, but Jinzhao has a right to know. This is between you and him."
Li Qiutao burst into laughter.
What happened back then had been a knot in his heart. He had never received Li Qiurong's forgiveness until now, when she finally relented.
However, he said, "We can't tell Jinzhao about what happened back then for now. I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it. I wronged him, and I haven't figured out how to deal with all of this yet."
Li Qiurong said faintly, "As you wish."
They hung up the phone.
Li Qiutao happily hummed a tune, never feeling that life could be so wonderful.
But as he said, he couldn't reveal what happened back then to Chen Jinzhao for the time being, fearing Chen Jinzhao might not accept it.
He thought for a moment, then called Yu Wendong, saying with a smile, "Old Yu, have you heard about last night's events? The Su and Han families are down. Now is the time for us to swoop in and reap the rewards. If you hesitate any longer, you might not even get scraps."
Yu Wendong was already excited and quickly agreed to go to Donghai with Li Qiutao.
This was the perfect opportunity for the Yu family to expand its territory; opportunities like this were rare and fleeting.
It could be foreseen that—
A vibrant aristocratic family was on the rise!