Feng Yueyang loaded the handgun, only to realize he might have overestimated his own abilities.
Whether he wanted to or not, he had to admit—he couldn't do it...
Feng Yueyang's handsome face was flushed bright red, yet all he managed to do was barely nudge the slide.
A slender, jade-like hand snatched the handgun away, and Feng Yueyang watched as those graceful fingers effortlessly pulled back the slide. The crisp sound of a bullet chambering echoed sharply in the silence of the car cabin.
In that instant, Feng Yueyang's soul felt as though it had been shaken.
Shit!
Single-handed chambering!
That was ridiculously impressive.
"You can't use brute force. You need to grip the slide lightly with the base of your palm and other fingers. For someone as weak-handed as you, this method will be easier. Try again."
The cold voice carried an undeniable authority.
Feng Yueyang tried again, grinning ear to ear.
"Awesome! I finally know how to use a gun."
He held the gun and started aiming enthusiastically at random, obliviously letting the muzzle point toward Shen You'an.
Before Feng Yueyang could even react, the handgun was already yanked out of his hand, his wrist shooting with a numb pain.
In the next second, the icy barrel was pressed against his brow.
Feng Yueyang's blood ran cold, his body frozen stiff.
"Never point a gun at me. Got it?"
The indifferent voice carried an unmistakable warning.
Feng Yueyang stammered, "I... I won't do it again."
The handgun was tossed back into his arms, and Feng Yueyang didn't dare act out again, obediently quiet.
Chong Ming glanced at the scene through the rearview mirror, lips curving into a smile.
This kid was in for some tough times ahead.
The car pulled into the upscale Far Mountain Villa community, home to Spring City's high-ranking officials and wealthy entrepreneurs. Security was tight, yet the vehicle passed through without a single check, automatically cleared.
Stopping in front of one central villa, Feng Yueyang stared in disbelief. "This... this is my home."
It was inside this villa that Feng Chi had died. The Feng family's estate was sealed off afterward, and Feng Group's stock plummeted, plunging into a debt crisis. All of Feng Chi's assets were frozen, and naturally, this villa wasn't spared either.
The villa's entrance was cordoned off with police tape and sealed shut, the lawn and greenery within starkly desolate, a bleak and somber scene.
Not long ago, court officials had unceremoniously evicted Feng Yueyang from the villa. Remembering the humiliation he endured then, Feng Yueyang clenched his fists in fury.
Shen You'an walked over, tore off the seal on the door, and pushed it open to step inside.
Feng Yueyang hesitated in shock. "Can... can we do that?"
Chong Ming chuckled and glanced his way. "If the boss says we can, then we can."
Only now did Feng Yueyang realize that the driver was actually a young man, with mischievously curved eyes that exuded charm whenever he smiled.
He thought the man looked somewhat familiar but couldn't place him.
Inside the villa, anything of value had long been ransacked, leaving only the bare bones of furniture behind.
Shen You'an ascended to the study on the second floor, the door still sealed off with police tape.
Chong Ming joined her and casually tore off the tape, opening the study door.
"Feng Chi died in this room. His study was strictly off-limits to outsiders. At the time, I was in the garden downstairs. At 9:15 PM, I heard the butler scream and rushed up to find Feng Chi slumped over his desk, already dead."
The police concluded from the post-mortem that he had died of a heart attack. Yet Feng Chi underwent regular medical check-ups, was in excellent health, and had no history of heart conditions.
This discrepancy was what made Chong Ming suspect foul play.
Shen You'an's gaze meticulously swept across every inch of the study.
Chong Ming shook his head. "The police already combed the place once. No evidence points to Feng Chi dying of foul play."
Standing at the doorway to the study, Feng Yueyang's face was one of utter grief.
"Feng Chi was murdered." The serene voice was calm yet resolute.
Feng Yueyang's head snapped up in shock.
The mysterious figure in black crouched by the desk, gloved fingers rubbing at the edge of the curtains. In the folds of the fabric, a faint stain on the pale-blue material betrayed traces of moisture.
Bringing it close to her nose, Shen You'an took a soft sniff.
"It's digitoxin extract. If administered beyond the threshold dose, it causes instant cardiac paralysis, undetectable by standard equipment."
Feng Yueyang lunged forward in disbelief. "My father really was murdered?"
He looked like a drowning man clutching at Shen You'an as his final lifeline.
Shen You'an tore down the fabric tainted with the poison, carefully storing it away, and replied without looking up, "You should focus more on who among those handling your father's daily life seemed the most suspicious."
Feng Yueyang opened his mouth yet found himself at a loss. He realized, with startling clarity, how little he truly knew.
His relationship with his father had been strained. Whenever they met, it would end in arguments. He spent most of his time out knocking about, rarely coming home.
Feng Yueyang smacked himself hard across the face. "I'm such a damn fool."
Shen You'an didn't bother reacting; belated remorse was worthless.
Chong Ming's expression turned grave. "I think I have a guess."
Shen You'an raised a brow. Aside from the butler, who else could it possibly be?
"Boss, I'll go confront him now." Chong Ming made to leave.
"Not yet."
Shen You'an produced a laptop she carried with her, booted it up, and logged into the stock trading platform.
Behind the dizzying interplay of red and green lines, the stock market's turbulence loomed large.
Chong Ming watched as Shen You'an entered a string of numbers, immediately pulling up the corresponding stock's trend.
It was Feng Group's stock, which had been in freefall.
By now, Feng Group was on the brink of bankruptcy. Worthless stocks akin to scraps of paper, countless investors faced devastating losses, their hard-earned money diverted to pay off mounting debts.
Behind these manipulative traders, the Xie Group's shadow was unmistakable.
All those funds had ended up in Xie Beichun's pockets.
In a move calculated to sheer precision, Feng Chi had been crushed entirely—man and corporation alike.
Brutal and decisive.
From that point forward, Xie Beichun was set to monopolize Spring City.
Chong Ming watched as Shen You'an's fingers flew over the keyboard, the operations on the screen dazzling him.
In just half an hour, Feng Group's stock experienced a brief rebound, an unexpected maneuver that astonished anyone monitoring this declining share.
With a player entering the market, moving such massive leverage required immense capital support.
For desperate shareholders, it was like a ray of hope breaking through the gloom. Some were quick to cut their losses, salvaging what they could, while others hesitated, wary of following fake trends only to be squeezed dry by major entities.
Taking advantage of the moment, Shen You'an absorbed a significant number of scattered shares.
Chong Ming watched in awe, giving her a thumbs-up. "Boss, you're incredible."
Maneuvering freely in the stock market, striking fast and decisively—this kind of mastery only came from years of experience.
"I need a bit more time," Shen You'an said, her eyes steady and sharp.
"Massive capital flow may temporarily inflate the stock price, but it's not sustainable. We need to move discreetly, step by step."
Shen You'an lifted her gaze to look directly at Feng Yueyang. "As Feng Chi's sole heir, you are the key to turning this situation around."