Lin Wu arrived at the Imperial Jia Garden in the city center.
Although the Lin family disliked her, her grandfather had always treated her well, and Lin Wu couldn't ignore him.
So, even if the issue with Lin Qian hadn't arisen, Lin Wu would have returned to Beicheng to visit her hospitalized grandfather.
She could never go back to the Lin family's home, so she had bought a villa in Imperial Jia Garden in advance to live in.
Since taxis couldn't enter Imperial Jia Garden, Lin Wu got out at the entrance, showed her residency documents to the security guard, and went inside.
By this time, the moon was high in the sky, with only a few stars twinkling.
Lin Wu looked up at the desolate night sky, then shifted her gaze and continued walking.
Suddenly, Lin Wu paused, hearing another set of footsteps behind her, slow and steady.
Clearly, it was someone trained.
She quickened her pace, but the footsteps behind her kept up.
Finally, as she was nearing Villa No. 31 at Imperial Jia Garden, Lin Wu ran out of patience and turned around, "How much longer will you follow me—" she began.
But her words cut off abruptly.
Lin Wu gazed intently at the tall and handsome man standing two meters away, narrowing her eyes slightly.
It was the man she had seen on the train!
If their encounter on the train during the day could still be treated as a coincidence, seeing him now was something she couldn't believe.
This man had actually followed her here.
Who sent him?
Lin Wu quickly sifted through her mind for potential adversaries she may have crossed recently when she noticed the man move the hand that was in the pocket of his long black trench coat.
Lin Wu was on alert.
However, he simply raised his hand slightly, pointing to Villa No. 32 not far ahead.
His handsome eyebrows raised slightly, and there seemed to be a hint of surprise and a touch of amusement in his eyes as he said in a low husky voice, "Look carefully, it's not that I am following you, it's that I live right there."
Lin Wu was taken aback.
The man continued leisurely, "As for you, I've been living in Imperial Jia Garden for a year, and I've never seen you before. So, who is following whom really?"
Lin Wu: "..."
She had checked when she purchased the villa here, and indeed, Villa No. 32 next door had been occupied long ago.
Was it actually this man?
She didn't speak, still eyeing him with suspicion.
Seeing this, the man didn't say anything more and walked forwards at an easy pace, only casting a meaningful glance at Lin Wu as he passed her.
Lin Wu turned to watch him, and saw the man stop in front of the door to No. 32, entering a few digits into the smart lock, which clicked clearly in the quiet of the night.
Turning his head to look back at her, his slender phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as if he had guessed something, he chuckled, "I didn't expect to have a neighbor. If you need anything, feel free to come to me, consider it... as returning a favor."
With that, he entered through the door.
Lin Wu stood still for a while, then muttered a low curse under her breath.
This luck of hers was truly something else.
Having no choice, Lin Wu went into No. 31.
Just as she closed the door, her phone began to ring, from an unfamiliar number.
Lin Wu answered, "Hello?"
"Big brother! Where are you at? How's your night going? Satisfied?"
A familiar male voice came through, brimming with an infuriating confidence.
Lin Wu walked straight to the kitchen, opened the fridge to get a can of cold beer, and sat down at the dining table. She placed the phone on the table and turned on the speaker.
She said, "Satisfied. So satisfied that I'm not planning to give you my next batch of business."
""???""
""!!!""
"The man was shocked, "Why? Could it be that my people didn't take good care of you?""
"Lin Wu said indifferently, "Your Manager Song is very good at entertaining the Lin Family.""
""Then what are you angry about?" the man asked, puzzled."
"Lin Wu's tone held a hint of impatience, "If you called just for this, hang up. Don't bother me!""
""No, no, no, I have important business, really important business!" the man on the other end pleaded, "Big brother, I am coming back to Beicheng next week, and we haven't seen each other for a while. Let's meet then.""
"Of all Lin Wu's friends, he was the only one who had ever seen Lin Wu's true face."
"Lin Wu encountered him four years ago when he first started doing business in Beijing."
"He was a local from Beijing, surnamed Lu—Lu Guichi of the Lu Family, one of Beijing's five great households, with an elder brother Lu Guiyan who was a rising star in the business world, astonishingly brilliant."
"Because Lu Guiyan was so outstanding, a perfect heir that the Lu Family was very pleased with, they didn't hold Lu Guichi to such high standards, allowing him to do as he pleased."
"In the end, Lu Guichi was raised to be a demon king who feared nothing, even getting involved in Beijing's Black Market behind the Lu Family's back, creating quite the stir."
"One of the items he handled on the Black Market was a special type of fragrance ingredient that had great benefits to the body. He had monopolized all the channels for this ingredient, forcing Fragrance Makers to negotiate with him in person."
"Lin Wu was a Fragrance Maker."
"At that time, her strength was not yet comparable to the Lu Family in Beijing. Still, she refused to be taken advantage of and managed to outwit Lu Guichi, leading to direct clashes between their people."
"Yet they hadn't expected another party to take advantage of their conflict and almost cost both Lin Wu and Lu Guichi their lives."
"Lin Wu was skilled in combat, effortlessly saving Lu Guichi and dealing sharply with their would-be exploiter."
"Since then, Lin Wu and Lu Guichi had formed a bond through combat, and he became the only person who had seen her true face, always trying to recruit her into his gang."
"After finishing her cold beer, Lin Wu said, "If you don't get to the point, I'll block you.""
"She knew that recently Lu Guichi had been overseas monitoring a project, and she didn't believe his sudden return was solely for the purpose of meeting her."
"True to form, Lu Guichi chuckled nervously, "Here's the thing, I swear, I'm telling the truth. I met someone here interested in your fragrances and he wants to meet you.""
""I'm not interested.""
""Come on, do it as a favor for me!""
"Lu Guichi acted coquettishly, which made Lin Wu feel a creepy chill, "If you don't talk properly, I'll sew your mouth shut.""
"Lu Guichi turned serious in a second, "He's very important to my project, I swear, he will be useful to you as well. Meeting him won't do you any harm.""
"Lin Wu ended the call, but Lu Guichi proved relentless, calling her back repeatedly."
"Just as Lin Wu was about to actually block him, Lu Guichi sent her a message."
"[He might have some connection with the matter you've been investigating.]"
"Lin Wu's expression changed slightly."
"After a long silence, she replied, [Alright.]"
"As soon as she sent the message, a new notification popped up on the screen."
""Boss, the doctor in charge of the old man at the hospital said his condition has deteriorated again, and they may be running out of options." It was Zheng Qi."
"Lin Wu's expression became stern, "Tell the doctor to find a way, no matter how expensive the medicine." She added, "I will visit Grandpa at the hospital myself tomorrow.""
"Zheng Qi replied instantly, "Yes, Boss, I will make the necessary arrangements beforehand.""
"After ending the call, Lin Wu stood up to go upstairs. She planned to pull an all-nighter to complete the new fragrance she had been researching, which might help with her grandfather's illness."
"However, as she reached the living room, Lin Wu paused mysteriously and looked towards the balcony."
"Next door was number 32."
"After a moment's thought, Lin Wu immediately called Zheng Qi, "Have someone check on the residents living next to me.""
"After two encounters, her intuition told Lin Wu that something was off."