Chapter 155: Chapter 155: A Meticulously Planned Death
One day, Song Baihan called Chi Wan, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "You need to be extra careful lately. It seems some people are asking about you, and I worry it’s related to the He Family’s previous arrangements in Hong Kong.
"You probably still remember I told you about the He Family’s business in Myanmar North, and how they had a partner from the Wen Family. While I don’t know the full details of their background, I’ve managed to dig up some clues over the years.
"They face far fewer constraints in Hong Kong than they do on the mainland, so of course they’re more brazen in their actions."
Chi Wan didn’t know how Song Baihan had such an excellent intelligence network while abroad, but she wasn’t overly concerned. After all, she had anticipated something like this.
In fact, she was the one urging him, "Don’t you worry about my safety. I’ll be perfectly fine. You, on the other hand... I’m at least in the shadows, while you’re the one attracting all the attention. Why don’t you come back? I have ways to protect you."
After all, they had been "comrades-in-arms" for a time and shared a certain bond.
But Song Baihan rejected Chi Wan’s offer.
His tone was light as he said, "I’m already living on borrowed time as it is. If they really dare to come for me, I won’t be the one losing out. In fact, I’d welcome it."
Hearing that faint resignation to death in Song Baihan’s voice, Chi Wan didn’t know what to say.
She had always sensed that after getting his revenge, Song Baihan seemed to have lost his will to live.
Captain Tan had told her that after He Yunzhen was imprisoned, Song Baihan, being privy to the whole affair, had gone to visit her.
The two of them hadn’t argued. It was just that after Song Baihan left, he completely gave up his medical treatment and started traveling the world.
Chi Wan didn’t know how He Yunzhen truly felt about Song Baihan, but they had been bound together for decades. In all those years, perhaps it wasn’t only Song Baihan who had been trapped.
But Chi Wan was in no position to meddle in the older generation’s complex history of love and hate, just as she couldn’t talk Song Baihan out of his death wish.
Hearing Chi Wan’s helpless sigh, Song Baihan laughed. "Wanwan, don’t sound so grim. I’ve had a wonderful time recently, and I feel more relaxed than ever before."
However, not long after that call, something happened to Song Baihan.
The official story was that he was "unlucky"—caught in the crossfire of a gang war and killed by a stray bullet.
Naturally, Chi Wan didn’t buy this so-called "official report." This was especially true after Song Baihan’s lawyer contacted her with some inside information. Recalling that Zhou Huai’an had recently made a trip to Hong Kong, she decided to probe him for details indirectly.
And Zhou Huai’an did not disappoint. He knew even more of the inside story than Song Baihan’s lawyer, which sometimes made Chi Wan suspect he might be a member, or even the leader, of some secret intelligence organization. Otherwise, how could he always obtain such top-secret information so easily?
It was just like the incident with the He Family and the getaway driver. Before Zhou Huai’an had even left for Hong Kong, he had nearly tracked down the driver. The only reason he hadn’t told Chi Wan was that he wanted more definitive information first.
In any case, after hearing Chi Wan’s suspicions, Zhou Huai’an simply chuckled. "Wanwan, you give me too much credit. I’m just a small-time boss. I run a pawnshop, so my network is just a bit broader than most, that’s all."
Chi Wan remained noncommittal.
But that wasn’t really important.
She learned from Zhou Huai’an that, just as Song Baihan had implied, he had managed to land a vicious blow on his enemies, even in death.
Somehow, Song Baihan had established contact with the largest local crime syndicate and started doing business with them. The day of the attack was, coincidentally, the very day he was scheduled to make a deal with the syndicate.
He used his own life to frame the Wen Family for it all. At the time, the Wen Family was expanding its enterprise into the local market. Perhaps the He Family’s downfall had made them fear for their own future, as they were preparing to move their assets overseas.
What should have been a seamless transition was thrown into chaos by Song Baihan’s scheme, causing the Wen Family to directly offend the most powerful local faction.
For a while, the Wen Family found themselves in an impossible position. They had to pay an enormous price to barely smooth things over.
At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.
Privately, however, Zhou Huai’an told Chi Wan that it wasn’t just Song Baihan who had died during the deal—a mistress of the crime syndicate’s boss had been killed as well.
After Chi Wan learned all this, she was silent for a moment, then said, "Brother Huai’an, Grandpa Song planned all of this long ago, didn’t he?"
While she thought Song Baihan was simply traveling to clear his mind, he had been quietly orchestrating all of this.
Chi Wan couldn’t imagine what must have been going through Song Baihan’s mind as he shared photos of foreign sunsets and oceans with her, all while meticulously planning his own death.
But because of what Song Baihan had done, Chi Wan was well and truly protected.
The Wen Family, run ragged from being targeted by the crime syndicate, had no spare energy to deal with her.
Chi Wan could almost picture the faint smile on Song Baihan’s refined, gaunt face—the smile of someone with everything under control. It was just like when they first met; one look and you knew he was an old fox.
And yet, he had died so quietly in a foreign land. If he hadn’t arranged for a lawyer to handle his estate, Chi Wan might not have even realized something was wrong until she’d gone a long time without a message from him, and only then started to wonder where he had gone.
While Zhou Huai’an didn’t know exactly when Chi Wan had formed such a close friendship with Song Baihan, one that transcended their age difference, he had pieced some things together from the timing of the He Family’s collapse and Song Baihan’s sudden appearance.
So when he heard Chi Wan’s words, he simply sighed. "Perhaps. For Mr. Song Sr. to have been able to navigate the schemes of the He Family and He Yunzhen for so many years, he was certainly a man with a plan. Now... perhaps he has no regrets left."
Chi Wan knew, of course, that even if this incident hadn’t occurred, Song Baihan likely wouldn’t have lived much longer because of his illness.
But with the Healing Capsules, at least he wouldn’t have been in so much pain.
Seeing that Chi Wan’s spirits were low, Zhou Huai’an changed the subject. "Just a few days ago, Grandfather was saying he hasn’t seen you in a long time."
After arriving in Beijing City, Chi Wan’s movements weren’t restricted, but it was a top-secret project, after all. She didn’t want to cause any trouble by running around, so unless she was needed for negotiations with the apocalyptic world, she stayed put at the research institute and studied. She had actually learned quite a bit.
Hearing Zhou Huai’an mention Mr. Zhou Sr., she realized with a start just how much time had passed.
"I’ve been studying, you see. My brain is crammed with new information every day. I can head back once this phase is over."
Because the initial experiments were so successful, the nation was throwing its full support behind developing the new energy sources and equipment from the apocalyptic world. This led to a period of intense communication with that side. Chi Wan and Li Xingye were busy all day, every day, only able to snuggle up together for a little while at night.
