FLBOTCP Chapter 92
Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path Chapter 92
The Zhao Family’s Old Mansion.
Zhao Qizhen sat in the living room with the television volume turned up high, and still the old mansion still felt quite empty. Many documents were spread out in front of him, and his recently contacted lawyer had just left. At this moment, the butler1 walked over and served him a cup of hot tea, saying, “San Shao, take a break for now.”
“Well, I’ll take another look.” Zhao Qizhen had never seen these documents before, or rather, his understanding of the law was very basic. But Zhao Yao was right. No matter who he asked for help, it was useless. No one was willing to assist him at this critical moment, so he had to find a lawyer and figure things out on his own.
Seeing Zhao Qizhen in this state, the butler didn’t disturb him anymore. He tidied up a bit and, unexpectedly, noticed a household servant carrying something and leaving. He hesitated for a moment, then continued to climb the stairs to the second floor.
In the past few days, with Madam Bai Chengxue taken away for investigation, things have quieted down at the old mansion. The eldest son rarely returns home because of work, and the fourth son is constantly out and about. Even the servants inside the mansion are showing signs of laziness. Drawing from the butler’s years of experience in the Zhao family, such calmness is often the most terrifying, as anything could happen quietly and unexpectedly.
For instance, just two hours ago, the eldest son suddenly dispatched security personnel near the old mansion. The entire estate has been put on alert without others noticing, and the only reason for this can be the presence of Zhao Qizhen, the sole person left in the old mansion.
The servant had already walked into the courtyard, talking with the person responsible for daily purchases inside the old mansion. This person had been with the Zhao family for many years and was usually a quiet and obedient person. But now, while talking with the servant, he had a cigarette clenched between his teeth, and his face even carried a hint of seriousness.
The butler observed from the balcony for a moment and was about to call Zhao Changshuo when he unexpectedly saw a maid coming down from the second floor. Instead of stepping back after seeing him, she walked straight towards him, saying, “Butler, I need to talk to you…”
Zhao Qizhen searched through the documents in vain. When he picked up the tea, he noticed that it had already gone cold. He was about to call someone to get a fresh cup when he looked around and observed an unusual silence in the old mansion. Normally, there would be servants waiting nearby in the living room, but today, there was no one around. Even the usual sounds of garden maintenance from outside the windows were absent.
It’s a little too quiet.
Zhao Qizhen was keenly aware of what was wrong and was about to ask someone about the situation when he saw a maid coming hurriedly. When she saw him, she immediately said, “Si Shao, I hope you can come with us now. The butler is already waiting for you in the garage.”
“What’s going on?” Zhao Qizhen was a bit on edge and wanted to lose his temper. “Where are the others?Why didn’t I see anyone else?”
The servant even had luggage prepared for Zhao Qizhen. Sensing his suspicion, she quickly explained, “The news of Chairman Lao’s passing will reach the country soon. It’s not safe for you to stay at the old mansion now. We need to move to a different place.”
After speaking, she took out a photocopy and added, “Rest assured, we’re not people from Zhao Zhikai’s side. We’re taking you away this time to ensure your safety.”
“What do you mean? Is my father dead?” Zhao Qizhen had his doubts until he saw the photocopy the maid pulled out, and his expression suddenly changed.
-*
In the Zhao group, several individuals gathered in Zhao Zhikai’s office.
Zhao Zhikai looked at his confidant, who had just delivered the report, and asked, “Don’t tell me Zhao Changshuo going abroad is just being reported to me now. What about the others? Are his subordinates still in the country?”
They’re all here, and it seems like the Eldest Young Master has other arrangements. Several ongoing project teams are holding emergency meetings. It looks like the Eldest Young Master is preparing to take action,” the confidant reported. Then he added, “There’s also news from Huang Wenjun. If the Eldest Young Master is truly colluding with San Shao against you, should we still proceed with the original plan?”
“Where is Zhao Qizhen? Letting Zhao Changshuo go abroad ahead of time was a missed opportunity. We need to bring Zhao Qizhen under control first.” Zhao Zhikai frowned. He had just received the news of his elder brother’s death, and before he could organize things, Zhao Changshuo had already left the country.
And to his surprise, he wondered how Zhao Changshuo knew about his overseas contacts. The news was leaked prematurely this time because Zhao Changshuo’s people intercepted his contacts, causing a delay of a few hours. He thought Zhao Changshuo’s influence was only within the country, but he didn’t expect that Zhao Changshuo had long been scheming and planning. The delayed information was enough to indicate that he had missed the opportunity.
The other senior executives exchanged glances, and one of them asked, “Mr. Zhao, should we still proceed with the original plan now?”
Zhao Zhikai furrowed his brow. “No.”
Not long ago, he had received a message from Huang Wenjun that Zhao Yao still had a back-up plan to help Zhao Changshuo. To deal with Zhao Changshuo, he had to cut off his external support first. Zhao Yao was a formidable adversary. Zhao Zhikai had never thought that Zhao Yao would become one of his biggest threats. After all, this kid had been under his control since childhood, and he knew exactly what Zhao Yao was thinking.
But at what point did everything in his plan go awry?
“Boss—”
There was a knock on the door, followed by a person rushing in, their face filled with urgency, as if something big happened.
Zhao Zhikai paused when he saw him, “Where’s Zhao Qizhen?”
The person who entered looked pale. “I had an agreement with the people in the old mansion today. Originally, the plan was to drug Si Shao and take him away. But when it was time for the routine purchases, we discovered that the Si Shao had been taken away earlier.”
“Who could have taken him right under your nose? Was it someone arranged by Zhao Changshuo?” Zhao Zhikai suddenly stood up.
The person explained, “We had our eyes on the Eldest Young Master’s people. Our arrangement this time went unnoticed. The only vehicle that left during that period was the butler’s car. We suspect Si Shao got out using the butler’s car.”
“Not someone arranged by Zhao Changshuo…” Zhao Zhikai thought about these words, then his expression suddenly changed. “Is it Zhao Yao? When did he arrange people in the old mansion?” And the butler of the Zhao family’s old mansion, a person who was unresponsive to any influence. Over the years, Zhao Zhikai had tried numerous times to win him over, but the butler remained unchanged, never heeding any persuasion. How could someone like him help Zhao Yao take away Zhao Qizhen?
“Boss, what should we do now?” Others were starting to feel anxious after hearing this situation. The camp positions were originally balanced against each other, and with the Chairman still present, peaceful coexistence was possible. Now that the Chairman was gone, coexistence seemed impossible. If Zhao Changshuo took over, he wouldn’t easily spare those tied to Zhao Zhikai.
“Zhao Yao…” Zhao Zhikai gritted his teeth. It was Zhao Yao again.
After a momentary pause, he said, “Keep an eye on Zhao Yao and seize the opportunity when he’s alone.”
His confidant’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant after hearing this. “Boss, it’s not that we don’t want to keep tabs on San Shao, but his recent schedule is unpredictable. After losing track of the people who followed him to the supermarket yesterday, we quickly returned to San Shao’s residence to wait. But he didn’t come back until midnight.”
“What do you mean? Zhao Yao is missing?” Zhao Zhikai’s expression changed suddenly.
His confidant nodded reluctantly, “We went to Huihua but couldn’t spot anyone. We even checked the residence of San Shao’s friend, Pei Mingzhan. No sign of him there either. We’ve lost track of San Shao’s schedule.”
Zhao Zhikai’s face darkened. Zhao Changshuo couldn’t have arranged such a comprehensive plan for Zhao Yao in such a short time. It meant that Zhao Yao had anticipated the events in advance and prepared a backup plan. How was this possible? Zhao Yao had been away from the group for a while, and Huang Wenjun had been keeping a close eye on his team. If there were any whispers from Zhao Yao’s side, he couldn’t have remained unaware.
Is Huang Wenjun just a decoy?
That’s not very likely either. Huang Wenjun’s background had been carefully screened by him. At the beginning, Zhao Yao also removed quite a few of his own people. The team was operating normally, and if Huang Wenjun had been discovered, the situation wouldn’t have developed to the current state. There was another possibility. Could it be that Zhao Yao had established this team as a decoy from the beginning, aiming to draw all of Zhao Zhikai’s attention to the team and so neglecting other aspects?
-*
Nighttime.
In the hotel’s business room, Zhao Yao temporarily borrowed Pei Mingzhan’s notebook and was currently in contact with EV. He entrusted EV to conduct a second-hand investigation, rechecking various businesses related to Zhao Zhikai. In addition to what he knew before, they found a lot of evidence that he accepted bribes.
EV: Who is the big shot providing you with this information? Without his hints, I wouldn’t have thought of looking into this area.
EV: You managed to uncover your second uncle’s secrets so thoroughly. When do you plan to expose all of this? It could bring him down for good, right?
Zhao Yao downloaded the information provided by EV. Some of the data was in hardcopy, but the fact that EV could examine it so thoroughly showed his remarkable memory. Zhao Yao had gathered this information in his past life when preparing to deal with Zhao Zhikai. Some of the data took several years to track down, and when he left the group in this life, he had his confidant secretly prepare, holding some evidence securely in hand.
But the credit mostly goes to EV. He usually scours entertainment news and has developed quite an eye for detail. It’s thanks to him that they found some of this information.
Zhao Yao: You’re also good. These things aren’t easy to dig up.
EV: It’s also thanks to the channels provided by your big shots over there. This time, the breakthrough came from your second uncle’s illegitimate child raised outside. The entertainment industry is connected to many circles, and scandals are easy to investigate if you have the right connections. Your second uncle probably didn’t expect to fall because of a woman.
Halfway through their conversation, Zhao Yao received a call from his confidant. After listening to what the person had to say, he said, “Arrange for Zhao Qizhen to go to the place I had originally prepared. Also, ask the old butler to lay low and avoid the limelight for a while.”
This period of time to deal with Zhao Zhikai involved a wide range of problems. Before Zhao Changshuo comes back, Zhao Yao needs to stabilize the domestic situation to prevent any harm to those around him.
His confidant replied, “We’ve taken care of things on our end. Zhao Zhikai seems to be investigating the team. He might suspect Huang Wenjun.”
Zhao Yao understood Zhao Zhikai’s personality well. Once Zhao Changshuo went abroad, Zhao Zhikai would quickly discover his tactics. However, laying the groundwork in advance made it convenient to cast the net early. Whether Huang Wenjun is exposed or not is not the key. As long as Zhao Zhikai harbors doubts about the information leaked by Huang Wenjun, it makes it easier for them to manipulate.
“Alright, I got it. We’ll close the net when he takes the bait.” Zhao Yao tilted his head slightly, looking out at the city’s colorful lights. “Stay safe, and tell Uncle Wang not to go out these days.”
After hanging up the phone and finishing his conversation with EV, Zhao Yao sat on a nearby rattan chair. Only after sending messages to other people did he finally find a moment of leisure.
He gently closed his eyes, mentally reviewing the possible moves of Zhao Changshuo and Zhao Zhikai. From the incident abroad to the subsequent internal conflicts, he reflected on how, in his previous life, it took him nearly half a year of struggle against Zhao Changshuo to see results. Later, because of Zhao Zhikai’s deliberate schemes, he had also faced numerous setbacks. However, in this life, Zhao Changshuo holds even more cards, and with Zhao Changshuo confronting Zhao Zhikai, coupled with him pushing from behind, resolving this matter shouldn’t take too much time.
Zhao Yao noticed that he had been contemplating matters more frequently lately. Although he didn’t regard Zhao Zhikai highly, he recognized him as a potential threat. He wasn’t alone this time. Yao Bai, Uncle Wang, and now Pei Mingzhan were by his side.
Several messages popped up on his phone, forming a list of messages sent by others.
After a quick glance to confirm that there were no urgent matters, Zhao Yao turned his attention to other messages. Before Zhao Changshuo went abroad, he left him only a few words, implying that he should take care of himself and that they would discuss other matters after his return. It was only a matter of time before this message spread. With the recent death of the chairman of the Zhao Group, it was a significant piece of news. The more precise the timing, the better they could keep Zhao Zhikai under control.
The room was very quiet, to the point where only the sound of text messages could be heard.
Zhao Yao came back to his senses frowning and then exhaled slowly.
Can’t think too much. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to sleep tonight. He exited the messaging app, randomly opened a few apps to read the news to shift his focus. Out of habit, he clicked on the forum app. As soon as he entered, he received a private message from a netizen.
He hadn’t added many people on the XShui Forum. The ones he chatted with best were the ones he initially met with the username ‘Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife.’
The person who sent him a message was this person, and the message was sent the day before yesterday, but he only noticed it today.
The content was a simple greeting, coupled with questions related to the posts he had made in the discussion section. Users on the XShui Forum were always quite enthusiastic, ready to answer any questions. And since it was a small community, it was easy for familiar users to respond to each other’s posts.
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: Brother, I saw the posts you made a few days ago. Are you moving in with your boyfriend?
Zhao Yao recalled the post he made a few days ago. Because of issues with the house renovation, he posted a question about #cohabitation supplies# and received a lot of comments from fellow forum users. The friend who messaged him now was offering advice on cohabitation and procurement issues.
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: [Compilation] Someone posted this before. Just check it for reference. Also, remember to watch some videos or read some novels beforehand to set the mood.
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: Oh, what am I saying? You already know everything. Brother, I’ll congratulate you on your happiness in advance.
Zhao Yao paused for a moment after reading this and typed, “Do you have the link?”
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: “You don’t?”
Zhao Yao replied honestly, “I don’t.”
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: “?????? No way, brother! You’ve been on the forum for so long, and you don’t even have that video?”
Zhao Yao fell silent for a moment. He really didn’t have it. When it came to matters of the heart, he preferred to take things step by step, a steady approach. From falling in love, dating to marriage was a relatively lengthy process, involving the cultivation of feelings, the brewing of emotions, and the strengthening of the relationship between the two… All these elements required time to mature.
He had read many books and guides on the subject. During the dating phase, they should consider the compatibility of personalities and viewpoints of the two people. If everything aligned well, the relationship could progress into a romantic one. In addition, it was essential to consider the cultivation of emotions. Precise and appropriate timing in allowing feelings to settle could prevent the emergence of relationship crises.
So, the relationship guides he read on the forum were systematic, covering each stage progressively. He understood that the process from dating to marriage involved the development of more intimate relationships. Although he had glanced through some external links shared by forum users regarding this, he hadn’t delved deeply into the discussions.
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: [A string of URLs] I can’t believe it. Take a look at these.
Zhao Yao was about to bookmark them when another message popped up on the screen.
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: Damn, sent the wrong thing. This stuff isn’t suitable for you guys.
Five minutes later, he sent another message.
Even If Bald, I Have a Doting Wife: [Link A] This is for reading adult content, [Link B] and this one is for watching videos. No need to be polite!
Zhao Yao politely thanked him and then bookmarked the two links. He decided to open the first link. After opening it, he was greeted by a neatly arranged list of articles, accompanied by various categories. In his previous life, he had read novels during his college days, but the various categories on this website were something he hadn’t encountered before.
As it was getting late, Zhao Yao casually clicked on a category and chose one from the top of the list.
Around ten o’clock, the hotel room door opened. Pei Mingzhan walked in carrying some late-night snacks. Seeing Zhao Yao sitting by the window playing with his phone, he said, “Today, several people from my company were also keeping watch. You guessed it right. They are all looking for you.”
The tracking incident had just happened yesterday. Originally, Pei Mingzhan had planned to escort Zhao Yao home, but in the afternoon, Zhao Yao asked him to find a hotel nearby, preferably in a more secretive location. Pei Mingzhan immediately understood the intention behind Zhao Yao’s request. He privately arranged a hotel affiliated with the Pei family and temporarily moved Zhao Yao there.
When Pei Mingzhan went home to gather his belongings, he discovered someone staking out the place where Zhao Yao had been staying. Although Zhao Yao hadn’t explicitly mentioned the situation, it was evident that these individuals could not locate Zhao Yao and resorted to finding leads in Pei Mingzhan’s direction.
Pei Mingzhan walked in and noticed Zhao Yao seriously looking at his phone. He asked, “What are you so focused on?”
“I’m reading a novel,” Zhao Yao replied, coming back to reality. Seeing the late-night snacks in Pei Mingzhan’s hand, he briefly recalled the content Pei Mingzhan had just shared and added, “They’ll probably keep searching for a while. You didn’t have to come over. it’s quite troublesome for you to go back and forth.”
Tracking of Pei Mingzhan wasn’t urgent. At most, they might linger around Pei Mingzhan’s company. The surveillance around his apartment had already been withdrawn. Today, Zhao Yao received information indicating that their focus had shifted to Huihua and Yao Bai. He also advised Yao Bai to have his parents limit their outings in the next few days.
Dealing with Zhao Zhikai’s unpredictable outbursts can indeed be challenging, but it is really quite troublesome for Pei Mingzhan to keep on finding ways to shake off pursuers every time he comes over.
“Oh? I thought you were so focused that you didn’t hear what I said,” Pei Mingzhan placed the late-night snacks on the table. “This is a hotel owned by the Pei family. I occasionally stay here when I work late. Even if I’m discovered, it may not necessarily reveal much. Besides, our relationship hasn’t been exposed to them yet. Zhao Zhikai has no reason to risk offending the Pei family to investigate me.”
He unwrapped the late-night snacks, “Want some? I heard you haven’t had much dinner lately.”
After checking into the hotel, Zhao Yao didn’t go out much today. His meals were delivered by someone he had arranged, but according to the server who brought the meal trays, Zhao Yao didn’t eat much tonight.
Having eaten a bit too much for lunch, he still hadn’t fully digested by evening. Not in the mood for late-night snacks, he replied, “I had a heavy lunch.”
“Well, don’t just sit there. Get up, walk around, and let me know if there’s anything you need in advance,” Pei Mingzhan suggested. Seeing that Zhao Yao’s complexion didn’t seem overly anxious and he even had time to read novels, it seemed like he was just overthinking the situation.
With these thoughts in mind, he became a bit confused. He knew that Zhao Yao loved watching TV dramas, so why the sudden shift in interest to novels?
Has his interest changed? What kind of novels does he particularly enjoy?
As Pei Mingzhan thought about these questions, he noticed there was no hot water in the kettle on the side. “Where is your medicine pack?” he asked.
“In the outer luggage compartment,” Zhao Yao replied, tidying up the other items on the table to make space for Pei Mingzhan’s work.
Zhao Yao saw that Pei Mingzhan not only brought late-night snacks but also his work laptop, it seemed like he still had pending tasks from the company.
Shortly after, Pei Mingzhan prepared a sleep aid medicine for him and placed it on the table. “I’ll leave the medicine here for you. I’m going to take a shower first.”
Zhao Yao nodded as he watched his boyfriend orderly arrange everything. He couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation in his heart. The more he interacted with Pei Mingzhan, the more he realized how well he was being taken care of. It dealt a blow to Zhao Yao’s pride. He was obviously older than Pei Mingzhan, but he found himself being looked after by his younger boyfriend.
The room suddenly fell quiet again. Zhao Yao stared at the steaming cup of tea in front of him, his mind wandering to other thoughts. It wasn’t until his phone vibrated that he came back to reality. He lit up his phone screen and found himself on the novel page.
Just now, he opened and read the beginning. It seems to talk about the plot background, which is set in a wealthy family. The main character is a male who is forced to marry into a wealthy family due to some strange contract.
Although the story background lacks some realistic basis, it’s normal for novels to have a bit of fantasy touch.
Zhao Yao realized that his taste had become somewhat selective lately. Maybe it was because of watching too many TV dramas. Even in novels, he started to pay attention to the plot.
But his online friend shared this website with him, claiming it had related content. So why didn’t he come across any descriptions related to that content… Although the opening indeed introduced the plot background, featuring some fantastical settings and questionable values, the uniqueness of it all is what makes it stand out.
【In a dimly lit room with a slightly ambiguous light, layers of orange light shone down, and the sound of water in the bathroom was very clear…】
Zhao Yao frowned slightly when he came across this descriptive passage. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hotel room, the sound of the showerhead in the bathroom fell down.
When Pei Mingzhan came out after showering, he happened to see Zhao Yao sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with his phone.
The obedient posture of bowed head looked quite charming, and the loose pajamas appeared somewhat thin, as he sat there slightly turned to the side. Unconsciously, Pei Mingzhan felt a dryness in his throat.
The lighting of the room suddenly seemed too glaring, making Pei Mingzhan reach out for the coat hanging nearby.
Meanwhile, when Zhao Yao heard the movement, he tilted his head slightly. Before he could say anything, he was draped with a coat. The touch of the warm hand emitted heat, and the refreshing scent of mint, lingering from the bath, enveloped him. As he turned, he saw Pei Mingzhan in a bathrobe with wet hair. The water droplets from his hair fell down, landing on Zhao Yao’s face.
The author has something to say: Mr. Zhao’s Practical 01.
FUFUFUFU ~~~
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- For context, Butler, housekeeper and Steward are all the same and used interchangeably. I mainly used ‘steward’ for Uncle Wang. [↩]