Playing Crazy or Playing Dumb

He could hear Liu Tiancheng's labored, terrified breathing from behind the door—broken, rasping, almost painful to listen to.

Yet in the gaps between those breaths, another sound reached his ears. Faint, but steady and strong.

Thump. Thump.

It was a heartbeat.

Inside the secret room, besides Liu Tiancheng, there was a second person's heartbeat.

Chen Guan moved his ear away from the cold alloy door.

His movements were silent, but An Changqing, Long Ao, and Hong Yuan's eyes were on him the moment he turned.

Long Ao was the first to lose patience, keeping his voice low as he asked.

"So? Is the old man inside dead or not?"

Hong Yuan jabbed him in the ribs with the handle of her axe.

"Shut it. He's still alive."

An Changqing said nothing, only asking with his eyes.

Chen Guan walked over to him and spoke in a voice barely audible.

"There are two heartbeats inside."

The gentle smile on An Changqing's face vanished. "Two?"

Chen Guan nodded.

"One is very weak and erratic. That should be Liu Tiancheng."

"But the other—it's steady and strong. Must be a healthy adult male."

An Changqing's mind was racing.

"So you're saying Mr. Liu didn't lock himself in there, but rather went in to find someone on his own?"

This conclusion overturned every assumption they'd made so far.

If Liu Tiancheng had willingly gone into hiding with someone else, then how much of his earlier mental breakdown was an act?

Clearly, a veteran of the business world was not to be underestimated.

"Interesting."

Baal's voice echoed in Chen Guan's mind, dripping with undisguised delight.

"This old man is scared, but he's also putting on a show. He's both prey and would-be hunter."

"He's using himself as bait, trying to lure out the snake that most wants to eat him."

Chen Guan didn't respond to Baal.

He looked at the spark in An Changqing's eyes and knew this black-hearted schemer had already thought several steps further.

The night passed without a word.

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight fell upon the oppressive estate.

An Changqing found the old housekeeper, who hadn't slept a wink all night.

"Steward," An Changqing said, his face full of concern.

"It's been a whole night, and Chairman Liu still hasn't made a sound from inside. I'm worried something might have happened to him."

His voice was deliberately pitched—loud enough to carry to Liu Chengjun, who was just stepping out of the dining room.

Liu Chengjun paused mid-step, then strode over quickly.

His voice was thick with barely contained anger. "An, you're telling me this is real?"

"It's only a guess on my part." An Changqing sighed.

"The study is completely soundproofed. We have no way of knowing what's happening in there, but Chairman Liu's condition last night... I can't help but be anxious."

That sentence was like a stone dropped into still water.

Liu Chengjun's face darkened. He turned and marched off toward the study.

"Men! Get ready to break down the door!"

The guards behind him snapped into action, and the atmosphere grew taut as a drawn bowstring.

"Brother, what do you think you're doing!"

A sharp shout rang out.

The second brother, Liu Xiao—who had stayed silent until now—stepped forward for the first time, blocking Liu Chengjun's path.

Liu Chengjun frowned, his tone impatient.

"What does it look like? I'm saving Father! He could be in trouble in there—can't you see that?"

"All I see is a man trying to destroy Father's final sanctuary!"

Liu Xiao's reaction was abnormally intense. He stared straight at Liu Chengjun, naked hostility blazing in his eyes.

"Father has locked himself inside, and he doesn't trust any of us! If you break down the door now, are you trying to drive him to his death?"

Long Ao watched from the side, getting more and more irritated, and cut in directly.

"What are you two squabbling about? Just smash the door open and we'll know everything!"

"Absolutely not!"

Liu Xiao rejected the idea without a second thought, his tone so resolute it seemed almost unnatural.

Liu Chengjun let out a cold laugh.

"If you ask me, you're not worried about Father—you've got a guilty conscience."

"Or maybe... the reason Father ended up like this has something to do with you?"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Liu Xiao's face flushed red with rage.

Just as the Liu brothers looked ready to come to blows on the spot, the butler stepped forward and tried to mediate.

"Young masters, please calm down. Arguing now won't solve anything. Our first priority is to confirm Chairman Liu's safety."

While the atmosphere in the hall was at a breaking point, Liu Feiyu quietly edged closer to Chen Guan.

He pretended to watch the drama unfold, but leaned his body slightly toward Chen Guan, speaking in a whisper.

"Chen Guan, my friend, let me give you a tip."

Chen Guan didn't move his gaze, still fixed on the two brothers arguing.

Liu Feiyu's voice drifted over, tinged with barely concealed glee.

"My big brother, he's the type to always keep an ace up his sleeve."

"From what I've heard, he's been getting pretty close to a master mechanic who goes by the alias Ghost Hand."

"Now, if this door was reinforced with Ghost Hand's personal involvement... don't you think he might already know how to open it?"

Chen Guan remained motionless, leaning against the wall, coldly watching the Liu brothers' farce.

Liu Feiyu's gleeful whisper landed squarely in his ears, but he pretended not to hear it, giving no reaction whatsoever.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Guan glanced toward An Changqing, who had likely overheard the same words.

An Changqing looked back at the same moment, and the two caught each other's gaze briefly in the air.

No words were needed—An Changqing had already read everything from the faint shift in Chen Guan's expression.

He stepped forward, positioning himself right between Liu Chengjun and Liu Xiao, his mild-mannered voice easily cutting through the brothers' quarrel.

"Young masters, please don't get worked up."

An Changqing wore a look of perfectly appropriate concern.

"Young Master Liu is worried about Father's safety, and Young Master Liu Er is worried that forcing the door open might agitate him. Everyone's intentions come from a good place."

Liu Chengjun gave a cold snort, not buying it.

"So, according to you, An, we should just stand here and wait?"

An Changqing smiled, his tone still warm, but his next words made Liu Chengjun's expression shift.

"I was just thinking of a solution that could satisfy both sides."

"Since breaking the door down by force isn't ideal, why not find a specialist who understands the construction of this door, and open it peacefully?"

An Changqing's gaze settled on Liu Chengjun, his tone as casual as if he were making a simple suggestion.

"I've heard that in Shanghai, there's a master mechanic with the alias Ghost Hand, and his skills are said to be extraordinary."

"Young Master Liu has wide connections—why not invite him over to give it a try?"

The air went dead silent.

Liu Xiao looked at An Changqing in surprise, then back at his older brother with confusion.

Long Ao and Hong Yuan were also stunned, unsure what An Changqing was really getting at.

The look of filial sorrow on Liu Chengjun's face froze for the first time.

Though it only lasted a split second, he quickly recovered his composure, even putting on a puzzled expression.

"An, you must be joking."

"How would I know any Ghost Hand master?"

"For Father's sake, I'll contact the best locksmith company in all of China right now."

Though he said so out loud, his instinctive reaction in that moment had already given the truth away.

Baal let out a triumphant whistle inside Chen Guan's mind.