Chapter 0330

This was someone he had hired at great expense—outwardly a servant, but in reality, his personal bodyguard from the Lu Estate.

After all, in a prominent family like his, there were bound to be many with ill intentions. It was necessary to have some form of protection.

"Speak slowly and calmly. Don’t lose the composure befitting the Lu family."

At this point, the servant had no choice but to report at a sluggish pace.

"O—u—r— p—o—r—t— h—a—s— b—e—e—n— s—h—u—t— d—o—w—n."

Lu Youqi was stunned.

"What? Why didn’t you say so earlier? When did this happen? What’s the situation now?"

The messenger was utterly confused.

Didn’t you just tell me to be composed?

Why are you unhappy now that I followed your instructions?

"Y—o—u— s—a—i—d— t—o— m—a—i—n—t—a—i—n— t—h—e— L—u— f—a—m—i—l—y—'—s— c—o—m—p—o—s—u—r—e— a—n—d— s—p—e—a—k— s—l—o—w—l—y— a—b—o—u—t— e—v—e—r—y—t—h—i—n—g."

Every word was enunciated with excruciating clarity, dragged out painfully long.

"You motherf— Fine, whatever. Just tell me what’s happening now, and hurry up!"

Following Lu Youqi’s order, his speech sped up.

"Half an hour ago, officials suddenly arrived for an inspection. We thought it’d be over quickly, but after thirty minutes, they announced our port could no longer operate. They found smuggled goods, and everything has to be inspected now."

Lu Youqi’s face darkened. He was well aware that the Lu family’s port dealt in smuggled goods—after all, some products barely turned a profit if taxes were paid.

This was common practice in the entire trade industry. Why were they suddenly being targeted?

This wasn’t just about the port. The repercussions would be far-reaching.

Ships outside couldn’t dock, forced to idle at sea. Using other ports would incur massive daily fees.

Goods inside couldn’t be shipped out.

A few hours of closure was manageable, but what if it dragged on for days? Late deliveries meant hefty penalties and endless complications.

Just as Lu Youqi was strategizing, Wang Xiaolin also received a call.

"Chairman, it’s bad! Our mall has been found selling counterfeit products. Our tech team confirmed it—they’re definitely fakes. What do we do?"

"What?"

Wang Xiaolin was dumbfounded. Their Wanda Plaza had always prided itself on being high-end. Every merchant signed contracts, and products were regularly inspected.

How could there possibly be counterfeits? And with undeniable evidence, even their own quality control admitted it.

Then, the voice on the phone hesitated. "There’s… there’s… uh… more."

"Spit it out already!"

He wasn’t about to imitate Lu Youqi’s pretentious composure.

"Luo Corporation’s official account has accused our cinemas of tax evasion and box office fraud."

Boom.

Wang Xiaolin’s head exploded.

Aside from Wanda Plaza and Wanda Real Estate, Wanda Entertainment was the core of their empire—the most stable sector for years.

Box office fraud had always been standard practice. Why was it suddenly under scrutiny?

And now tax evasion too?

Could it be… all of this was…?

Li Chifen watched the two family heads’ grim expressions and couldn’t help but find it amusing—though he also felt a twinge of unease.

He waited and waited, but no bad news came for his company.

He smirked.

This was clearly Luo Yao’s doing. Why hadn’t she targeted him? She must have her reasons.

If he sabotaged the alliance between the three families, wouldn’t that align him with Luo Yao?

Then, by collaborating with Luo Corporation on a few projects and offering generous terms, their interests would intertwine.

Once their fates were tied, Luo Yao would be on his side—and the madwoman would have no reason to expose him.

"Gentlemen, this is obviously Luo Yao’s handiwork. You should focus on damage control. I’ll take my leave now."

With that, Li Chifen departed the Lu Estate. Wang Xiaolin and Lu Youqi exchanged glances.

"Why wasn’t he targeted?"

"Exactly. We’re all part of this four-way alliance. Three of us got hit—why is he unscathed?"

Their eyes locked, and in each other’s gaze, they saw something unsettling.

They scrambled to contain the fallout, but would it really be that easy?

This was just the appetizer.

In a luxurious villa in Shanghai, Luo Yao listened to Liu Meng’s report without comment or instruction.

Her stance was clear: Handle it yourself.

Liu Meng was just following protocol.

Lin Ran knew the Lu family would suffer terribly in the end. The Li family might be safe for now, but a massive scandal was brewing. As for the Wang family…

Let’s just say their heir was the real troublemaker.

Soon, he’d be playing teacher.

"Ran, what’s on your mind?"

Lin Ran: "I was wondering what kind of extraordinary woman could single-handedly take on the entire capital market. Then I realized—it’s my fairy-like wife."

"Such smooth talk."

"But I like it."

Lin Ran’s flattery was exactly the kind of emotional fuel Luo Yao craved.

Lin Ran feigned offense. "This is my genuine admiration, and you call it smooth talk? I’m hurt."

Of course, he was only teasing.

"Alright, my Ran is the most sincere. I misjudged you."

Liu Meng, standing nearby, was on the verge of suffocation.

Boss Luo, you’re spoiling him rotten.

Just then, Jiang Feihua approached.

After follow-up tests confirmed she was fine, she had returned to the estate.

"Young Master Lin, Miss Luo, a woman named Qian Yinshang and a man named Park Gukchang are here to see you. They’re the ex-wife and son of Samsung’s leader, Park Bo-gi."

Lin Ran and Luo Yao exchanged glances.

"What do they want? An apology?"

Luo Yao’s eyes narrowed.

"Maybe they’re here to… engage in friendly exchanges with humanity’s friends."

Lin Ran facepalmed. Luo Yao could be downright wicked sometimes.

Who in their right mind would enjoy that?

Still, he had to admire the mother-son duo’s audacity.

"Tell them to kneel outside the villa. If they last an hour, I’ll see them."

Luo Yao issued the command.

"Understood."

Jiang Feihua’s shock vibrated at the frequency of a V12 engine.

The ex-wife and son of Samsung’s boss, forced to kneel just for an audience with Luo Yao.

After Jiang Feihua left, Lin Ran frowned.

"They might be dangerous. We should be prepared."

Luo Yao replied coldly, "No need. They’re no threat to us."

She had absolute confidence—in strategy, resources, and sheer power.

If it came to a fight? Sorry, but she was the undisputed apex of this story.

Soon, Qian Yinshang and her son were kneeling outside the villa.