Light Fortress
Chapter 187 - 174: Happening to Pass By

Chapter 187: Chapter 174: Happening to Pass By

Who is the most influential woman in the Dadu District?

And who is the one with the most disastrous marriage in the Dadu District?

The answers to these two questions are the same, and there is no suspense whatsoever... The Dadu Evening News once compiled related data, showing that the lady won the title by crushing her runner-up with over 90% of the votes, and that tally made Zhao Qi, Young Master Zhao, once again become a man of the hour.

Although there’s no shortage of celebrities with bad reputations in the Dadu District, Young Master Zhao truly stands out in his unrivaled ability to be awful. When it comes to being bad, he reigns supreme with a vast advantage over all contenders.

In some sense, the fact that the lady has achieved such formidable influence... owes something to his contribution. Against his background of utter incompetence, Lu Nanzhi’s excellences become even more pronounced—resolute, decisive, independent.

Everyone dislikes Zhao Qi.

Correspondingly... everyone likes Lu Nanzhi.

Jiang Wan cautiously hid in the stairwell on the second floor. She held her breath, realizing that what she might capture next could be vital information... In the eyes of the public, the union of these two was for political reasons, an exchange of needs. The couple rarely made public appearances together, and many of the messages released by Huazhi further confirmed that there was no emotional foundation in their marriage.

Recently there seemed to be a change in the wind at the Dadu Evening News... The new editor, under the guidance of the boss, wrote an article.

The gist of it was that Zhao Qi, the prodigal son, had returned to the fold. There is no greater kindness than that.

That article circulated within the office, and Jiang Wan had a cursory look at it, feeling quite shocked... In the report, Zhao Qi was portrayed as a "repent and reform" pragmatist youth. This bore no resemblance to the public’s perception over the years.

Of course... it also bore no resemblance to the facts.

But... public perception can be changed.

Given the advanced age of the congressman in control of Huazhi, it’s not hard to guess the real purpose of the article... Rumors were that a will had long been prepared within Huazhi Building, but the only problem was the heir’s reputation was too sullied.

If the congressman was considering his affairs post-mortem, and was determined to bequeath a substantial fortune to his only son... Considering the public’s outrage and the pressure from public opinion, they indeed needed to handle this matter "more gracefully."

So, they’d better start with a whitewash.

Having grown up in the environment of the Huazhi Board of Directors, Jiang Wan knew all too well the true nature of Mr. Zhao.

The leopard does not change its spots.

She did not believe that someone could change so drastically in such a short period of time... If she could capture Zhao Qi’s behavior during the freedom ball, perhaps she could write a separate report to reveal the true face of Zhao Qi to the public.

Jiang Wan prepared to move a bit closer; maybe she could record something relevant.

But unexpectedly—

A figure suddenly emerged from the meeting room on the second floor.

It was Chen San, the congressman from South Bay!

"Damn..."

Jiang Wan hastily retreated to the stairwell entrance. She instinctively tried to dodge, when suddenly her high heels clacked against the stairs, producing a crisp sound.

She twisted her ankle, but that wasn’t important... what mattered was that she’d face Chen San in no more than three seconds.

...

...

"Hmm?"

Chen San heard the clatter of the high heels; he frowned and briskly walked towards the stairs.

But there was nothing there.

He shook his head, feeling that he had been too tense today.

After Chen San left.

Behind the door of the nearby emergency exit.

A hand slowly relaxed, no longer covering Jiang Wan’s lips.

"Dr. Xiao Gu..."

Jiang Wan felt her heart almost leaping out of her throat.

In that critical moment, thank heavens Dr. Xiao Gu had pulled her aside... but why was he here?

This question seemed familiar.

Jiang Wan looked at Gu Shen’s face in the darkness, feeling both relief and a tinge of sentiment. Could it be that she and Dr. Xiao Gu were really fated to meet again? Even at a ballroom event like this, they had run into each other.

"Miss Jiang Wan... perhaps today it would be more appropriate to call you Journalist Jiang."

Gu Shen looked at Jiang Wan calmly. He glanced at the necklace pearl on her chest, which stood out and twinkled with a faint red light in the cramped, dark safety corridor.

It was a working miniature camera.

Gu Shen felt a bit of a headache coming on.

He actually admired this woman’s actions; born into a prosperous family with no worries about food or clothing, she still chose to sneak out and find a job with a meager salary at the Dadu newspaper...

Without a sincere and clear heart, she wouldn’t have been able to do such a thing.

"Shh."

This time, it was Jiang Wan’s turn to be careful as she raised her finger to her lips, signaling Gu Shen to keep his voice down.

"It doesn’t matter if I’m discovered, I have an invitation..." Jiang Wan said in a hushed tone, "Why are you here? Hiding in a safety corridor, how would you explain if someone saw you? The person just now was Chen San, a councilman from South Bay!"

Jiang Wan felt somewhat touched by Gu Shen stepping in to rescue her.

She squatted down and massaged her sprained ankle, persuading him, "I believe Dr. Xiao Gu is a good person. If you’re hiding here to do something not very nice... I can pretend I didn’t see anything. You should leave quickly."

Gu Shen couldn’t help but smile wryly.

"Don’t worry... I really am here for a ’part-time job.’ As for hiding here in the safety corridor..." Gu Shen thought about it and explained, "You could consider it... part of the security work."

"Uh-huh..."

Jiang Wan clearly wasn’t fully convinced as she peered cautiously through the gap in the door, ready to make another break for it at any moment.

"Are you trying to secretly record Zhao Qi and his wife’s conversation?"

Jiang Wan coughed softly when Gu Shen hit the nail on the head, showing no signs of panic as she earnestly and solemnly replied, "Is it called spying for a journalist? I just happened to be passing by!"

"I wouldn’t recommend you do that... because..."

Gu Shen stretched out a hand and pointed upwards.

"Everything that happens here is being watched by Deep Sea."

Jiang Wan was taken aback.

That Superbrain linked to the five continents... processing trillions of pieces of information every day, those pieces of information were like icebergs floating on the sea, with most only showing a tip while their massive bulk spread out hidden under the water’s surface. The actions of countless people were observed by it, but Deep Sea chose to remain silent and humans acted as if nothing had happened.

"Mainly... your miniature camera is too conspicuous."

Gu Shen spoke earnestly.

His gaze lingered slightly, settling on the pendant necklace in front of Jiang Wan, and he very seriously offered this advice.

Even in the dark safety corridor where the reflection of the black dress’s satin material could be felt, Journalist Jiang had an attractive figure, and that small embedded camera, lying on her well-defined chest, was indeed very eye-catching.

Having spoken these words, Gu Shen immediately realized his impropriety... he quickly shifted his gaze away and admonished himself.

Look not with impropriety, see not with impropriety.

Gu Shen tried to clear his mind and said, "I suggest you take off the necklace, maybe wrap it into a bracelet, it might look more natural..."

Jiang Wan, oblivious, pondered for a moment and thought Gu Shen’s suggestion made sense.

She decided to follow Gu Shen’s advice, removed the necklace, coiled it around her wrist twice, and after examining it, smiled and said, "Hmm... this does look better."

With silence outside and no one around, Jiang Wan directly pushed open the side door of the safety corridor.

"Hey..."

Gu Shen hadn’t expected this woman to be so bold... he couldn’t help wanting to remind her again.

As Jiang Wan twisted the bracelet, adjusting the camera’s angle, she looked up at the camera in the corner on the second floor and said with indifference, "If Deep Sea wants to film, let them film... I can’t be bothered with all that now... I’m just a guest who happened to pass by in search of a bathroom. What if I get filmed?"