Light Fortress
Chapter 188 - 175: Necklace

Chapter 188: Chapter 175: Necklace

"Mr. Zhao Qi, what brings you here?"

Lu Nanzhi calmly watched the man before her. She neither invited him in nor did she tell him to leave.

And so, the two of them maintained a somewhat stiff and awkward distance... Zhao Qi stood at the doorway, while Lu Nanzhi sat on the sofa inside the room.

"It was my father who sent me."

After a while, Zhao Qi confessed candidly and cautiously asked, "May I come in and sit down?"

Lu Nanzhi lowered her gaze, cupping her teacup, the tea inside had gone cold, reflecting her own downcast cheeks... The earlier conversation had just touched upon the Zhao Family, and her feelings for the Zhao Family were complex, as were her feelings for Zhao Qi.

If one were to say he was an ignorant and terribly dissolute wastrel... yet paradoxically, since the marriage, he hadn’t laid a finger on her, and he was clearer than she was about the meaning of their marriage.

Outside, many people slandered Zhao Qi as a piece of garbage capable of any evil.

In fact, "useless mud" was the most fitting description.

He couldn’t be relied on, and he knew it... thus, he only squandered within the limits of what his family’s shelter allowed—drinking, reveling, making friends with scoundrels. With the "spending" habits he had, the vast wealth of the Zhao Family could easily support him for a lifetime.

He was a good-for-nothing, but a qualified good-for-nothing.

But if, over these years, in the guise of an "heir," he had sought to take over part of the projects, replacing the decisions of Huazhi’s top brass with his own opinion... that would be a real disaster.

A few wrong decisions and the Zhao Family could collapse within a few years. After all, the fall of a great building often came overnight, in an instant, with a single person.

"They’re dancing outside..."

Seeing that his wife did not seem to refuse him, Zhao Qi slowly entered, his movements light. He closed the door behind him, approached the sofa, and sat down, his demeanor and expression somewhat restrained, slowly saying, "I saw your sister... It’s been ten years since she left Da Du."

Lu Nanzhi didn’t know what to say, so she simply hummed softly in response.

Ten years.

Deep down, she felt a trace of relief that Zhao Qi could mention ten years, which meant he still remembered what had happened back then, unlike those others outside... who could only mention "many years" or "a long time," such vague sentimental phrases.

Such pleasantries lasted only a sentence.

Because even a fool like Zhao Qi knew... there was really nothing worth saying in these pleasantries; he and Lu Nanzhi were a couple in name only, their connection as insubstantial as water, without any of that bullshit "a day of marriage equals a hundred days of grace." That he could enter this guest room was already incredibly fortunate.

He admitted frankly, "Actually... it was my father who sent me."

"...I know."

Lu Nanzhi sipped her lukewarm tea, steadied her mind, and looked at the man before her, slowly saying, "But I truly did not expect that the congressman would have you make contact with me first..."

What kind of move was this?

Today’s Freedom Ball was actually a silent battlefield without the smoke of gunfire.

Chen San of the South Bay Faction had talked with her in private at the first opportunity, hoping to confirm the final stance on the Awakening Bill... as well as further establish a cooperative alliance between them.

But so far, Cui Zhongcheng and Zhao Xilai had shown no movement.

They had come to Freedom Hall, but had not engaged in the sitting room’s conversations, nor had they come to find her... It seemed they were waiting for the symphony concert in the main hall to begin.

It seems these two were planning to make a grand entrance at the very end.

But Zhao Xilai had unexpectedly sent a rather surprising "vanguard."

"Father asked me to come and see how you were..."

Zhao Qi smiled softly as he spoke, "Actually, I didn’t really want to come, or to put it better, I didn’t dare to come, because to me... you are too distant, too holy, too ethereal of an existence."

A round of flattery, seeing that Lu Nanzhi had no reaction.

Zhao Qi did not continue with idle talk, instead directly addressing the main issue.

"My father hopes that you can change your stance on the Awakening Bill... Huazhi will fully support all your political views, except the bill." Zhao Qi took out a contract from his bosom, "This is the will of my father that has not been made public."

He placed the contract on the table, pushed it slowly forward, all the while fixing his gaze on his wife’s eyes, and said slowly, "The Zhao Family will give away 51% of the shares of Huazhi Building, you will have absolute control over Huazhi... which is far more than the fortune Mr. Lu Cheng had those years ago, increased by dozens of times in a decade. You will become the most prominent and greatest woman on the East Continent, and even throughout the Five Continents, second only to that person in the Northern Fortress."

The shares of Huazhi, that was wealth.

The seat of a congressman, that was power.

Lu Nanzhi silently observed the contract, she hadn’t opened the document, but simply hearing his words, she was staggered by the boldness of Zhao Xilai... such concessions were more outrageous than cutting one’s flesh, incomparable to the conditions offered by the South Bay Faction.

"My father doesn’t have much time left, and if all this goes smoothly, after he’s gone, he will leave me a simple trust fund. The Zhao Family will still exist, but no longer as the master of Huazhi... just like ten years ago." Zhao Qi’s voice was very soft as he said, "If you wish, you may choose to end your relationship with the Zhao Family at any time... At that moment, I will take the initiative to end our marriage, returning you a clean and unburdened reputation."

In addition to wealth and power... there was also the reputation she had cultivated over many years.

All of it laid before her.

This man, seemingly a puddle of mud, had uttered words that could sway the entire landscape of the Five Continents.

"I... don’t understand."

Lu Nanzhi rubbed her forehead and whispered softly, "I don’t understand why things have turned out this way... This kind of decision, it doesn’t seem like the style of a councilman."

The Zhao Family, losing everything.

All the bridal robes were made for themselves.

"You’re really talking to the wrong person," said Zhao Qi, helplessly shrugging his shoulders, "I’m very aware of my own role, I’m just a fool, incapable of contemplating such deep issues... Therefore, I can’t give you any answer."

"All the above are the words my father wanted me to convey. If you have any confusion, it seems you need to have a good talk next."

As he said this, Zhao Qi’s posture suddenly changed—he began to sit seriously and spoke earnestly, "Actually, I have something of my own to say... even though I am someone of no use."

"Not long ago, regarding the alternate councilman’s speech... I also watched it."

"It seemed that father was shocked. The incident was beyond everyone’s expectations. I heard that Huazhi Building was holding a celebration banquet at the time," Zhao Qi laughed softly, "Those guys had popped their champagne, ready to celebrate the comprehensive victory of the bill war, and then the camera switched, you voiced your opposition, and everyone was stunned... It was really quite an amusing scene, it’s just a pity I wasn’t there to witness it personally."

"For some reason, I had a premonition that you would oppose."

Zhao Qi said lightly, "I have no evidence, nor have I thought it through... It’s just intuition. From the day you married into the Zhao Family, I felt that sooner or later you would stand up, stand on the opposite side of the Zhao Family."

"Looking now, my premonition was quite accurate."

Mr. Zhao laughed self-deprecatingly, "So a long time ago I asked myself... if one day Lu Nanzhi stands on the opposite side of the Zhao Family, how should I conduct myself? The media in Da Du aren’t wrong, I’m just a useless person, getting by only because I have a good father, and if one day dad is no longer here, I’ll be nothing."

"For a woman like you to marry into the Zhao Family is a fortune for the Zhao Family but a disaster for me... because once you become my opponent, even ten of me tied together would be no match for you."

Lu Nanzhi watched Zhao Qi in silence.

She was beginning to doubt... Was this really the man belittled and despised by millions?

A person who has such clear self-awareness... could he really just be a pile of mud?

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I am saying is very simple... If I can’t stop the worst-case scenario from happening, then why should I struggle? I might as well continue to mess up," said Zhao Qi in a soft voice, "Actually, I just want a sum of money... an amount enough for me to eat, drink, and be merry. To you, to the Zhao Family, that money is just a drop in the bucket, right?"

Reality gave me a heavy blow.

How can I avoid being knocked down?

Some people choose to withstand the pressure, straighten their spines, and struggle to stand up—

But Young Master Zhao’s approach is novel... If I just lie down... no one can knock me down.

"If you insist on holding the opposing view, then this struggle will gradually evolve into a seesaw battle, and father will definitely amend the will, with me as the ultimate heir," Zhao Qi said softly, "I am here today just to speak about an inauspicious, but possible scenario—"

"If the old man leaves in the midst of the struggle, have you thought about what it will become?"

Lu Nanzhi fell silent.

If the will is amended and Zhao Qi becomes the largest controller of Huazhi, then this foundation that countless people have poured their hearts into, this building that father saw as a dream, will collapse before long.

"In a struggle, there doesn’t need to be a winner."

"It could be... a loss for both."

"That— is the meaning of my visit, to avoid a lose-lose situation."

"I don’t care about ten billion, a hundred billion, because it’s too much... I can’t spend it all in a lifetime. What’s the use of Huazhi to me? Since everyone wants me to remain a mess, then I’ll just continue being one," said Zhao Qi with a shameless, shameless smile, "I came to you just to keep the capital of being a wasteman... Previously, I was a parasite; now it’s just a matter of changing the person and becoming a gigolo. I don’t care."

"If I back down and cooperate... Your progress will go smoothly, won’t it?"

"..."

Lu Nanzhi looked at Zhao Qi; today’s conversation had given her a new understanding of the man before her. He was not as useless as the public perceived him to be—he was self-aware and sufficiently despicable and shameless... able to use his father’s efforts as a bargaining chip for tangible benefits.

For herself.

This was a good thing.

Zhao Qi’s concession and cooperation would make the struggle much easier, and what she would have to give in return was just "a little money."

However, Lu Nanzhi did not provide a clear response; she simply replied calmly, "If that’s all you wanted to say... then you may leave."

Hearing the dismissal.

Zhao Qi took a deep breath and said, "I came here today for another reason..."

He reached into his chest, earnestly saying, "I’ve prepared a gift for you, a necklace. If you don’t mind, wear it at the upcoming concert. My father will know that we have already talked and that it went well."

Just as Zhao Qi was about to take out the necklace box—

The lights in the reception room suddenly went out.

It wasn’t just the reception room.

The entire Freedom Hall, reception hall, main hall, along with several side halls, joined by the corridor, in an instant, the lights went out, plunging everything into darkness.