Chapter 73: The Target Is Jiang Li

Xu An’an took the initiative to suggest going for a walk outside, but Jiang Qi declined. “That won’t be necessary,” he said. “But forgive me, I have something to attend to. Feel free to look around.”

“All right, please go ahead.”

Once Jiang Qi left, Xu An’an continued to stare at the painting on the easel. The person sitting beneath the tree seemed to be in danger—the building beside them looked as though it might collapse at any moment.

She couldn’t understand why Jiang Qi would paint something like this.

Well, the mind of an artist is not something ordinary people can grasp.

Xu An’an let her gaze wander and noticed that aside from this unfinished painting, the studio contained only various painting tools and pigments.

After circling the studio, Xu An’an saw that Jiang Qi still hadn’t returned and decided to look for the restroom.

But there was no one outside.

She had to find the restroom herself.

“Hehe, if he dares to come tonight, it’ll be the day he dies.”

“Listen up, all of you. Only by killing Jiang Li can we claim the hundred million bounty.”

These chilling words froze Xu An’an where she stood. Had she misheard? Incredibly, someone was plotting a murder here in the Pear Blossom Mansion.

And their target was Jiang Li!

How could this be? Did Jiang Qi know?

She hid herself as best she could, planning to secretly photograph these people once they left and later report everything to Jiang Li.

She wasn’t surprised someone wanted to kill Jiang Li.

After all, Jiang Li was notoriously unruly, showing no regard for anyone, always getting his way, and had long since made a host of enemies.

If not for the powerful family backing him, he would have been eliminated long ago.

Soon, the people she heard speaking left the room one after another.

Xu An’an hid behind a curtain, her phone in hand, snapping surreptitious photos.

Each of these men looked menacing and dangerous, and she barely dared to breathe until they were gone. Only then did she step out from behind the curtain.

“Miss Xu, what are you doing here?”

“Ah!” Xu An’an jumped and spun around, only to find Jiang Qi standing behind her. She patted her chest to steady her nerves, meaning to tell him that killers had infiltrated the Pear Blossom Mansion.

But Jiang Qi spoke first. “You look terribly pale. Are you feeling unwell? I’ll have the doctor come take a look at you.”

“No…”

“It’s all right. There’s a doctor here at the Pear Blossom Mansion.”

Left with no choice, Xu An’an had to follow Jiang Qi. She was worried that if she tried to tell him about those people, someone might double back, and she would end up putting Jiang Qi in danger as well.

Jiang Qi led her to a guest room and summoned the doctor.

He even arranged an assistant to attend to her.

“Miss Xu, there’s no rush with the interview. Please rest for a while.”

“By the way, there will be a banquet here at the Pear Blossom Mansion tonight. If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to stay.”

“I have some affairs to handle and must excuse myself.”

Xu An’an only wanted to get the interview done; otherwise, her editor-in-chief would find an excuse to give her trouble.

But she could only watch as Jiang Qi left.

The doctor performed a quick checkup and, finding nothing wrong with Xu An’an, left her in the company of the assistant.

The assistant was the same person who had come to the studio looking for Jiang Qi earlier.

She smiled kindly. “Miss Xu, would you like to take a nap?”

Xu An’an shook her head. “I’m really alright. Could you please ask Mr. Jiang if he can spare five minutes for the interview today? If not, I can reschedule.”

“All right, please wait a moment.”

As soon as the assistant left, Xu An’an hurriedly took out her phone to send the photos she had just taken to Jiang Li. But she found she had no signal.

How could that be?

Just a moment ago, she had full bars.

Knock, knock.

Xu An’an thought the assistant had returned. She looked up and was nearly scared out of her wits—it was one of the men plotting to kill Jiang Li!

But he was dressed as a servant and carried a glass of orange juice.

He offered it to her. “The young master asked me to bring this for you.”

Xu An’an forced herself to remain calm and gestured for him to leave the juice on the table. “I’d like to rest for a while. You can go.”

“Very well.”

Listening to his footsteps fade away, Xu An’an knew she couldn’t stay in the Pear Blossom Mansion any longer; she needed to find somewhere outside with cell reception.

As she was leaving, she noticed the flowers in the vase on the table—they looked very much like the ones she had seen in the trap.

Something occurred to her, and she leaned in for a closer look.

With just a faint sniff, she felt dizzy—the scent was even stronger than that in the trap. Within seconds, she lost consciousness.

…

Several assassins gathered in Jiang Qi’s study, all deeply frustrated. None of them had expected their plan for the night to be overheard by Xu An’an.

“Young master, maybe we should just get rid of the woman as well.”

Jiang Qi no longer looked the refined gentleman he usually portrayed; his eyes were cold and ruthless. “She’s a reporter sent by the magazine to interview me. If she were to disappear here, do you think the police wouldn’t investigate?”

That was precisely why he couldn’t act rashly against Xu An’an.

The one who made the suggestion lowered his head.

Another spoke up. “Luckily, you reminded us to install a signal jammer in the mansion. If she had managed to send that video, we’d be finished.”

“So for now, let’s just keep her locked in the villa. Once this is over, we’ll let her go.”

“When she returns to the city or to her home, we can deal with her then.”

Jiang Qi agreed with this plan. “Enough. Someone is already watching Xu An’an’s every move. You three focus on tonight’s mission.”

With that, the three men left to prepare.

Night fell, and the mansion was ablaze with lights.

Luxury cars arrived one after another at the Pear Blossom Mansion, but one vehicle stood out—a Rolls-Royce Phantom belonging to Jiang Li. His arrival marked him as the star of the evening.

Seeing Jiang Li’s ostentatious entrance, Madame Jiang’s expression darkened.

Nevertheless, she maintained the poise and grace of a household matriarch. She approached him with a measured elegance. “Ali, have you been very busy lately? It’s been so long since I shared a meal with you.”

Her words carried a subtle reproach, blaming Jiang Li for his lack of filial piety.

But Jiang Li would never play along with her act of maternal affection and filial obedience. His face was blank, his lips curled with mockery. “My mother has long been dead. Who are you? So eager to be someone’s mother—how peculiar. Why not ask the guests here if any of them would like to call you ‘Mother’?”

So harshly ridiculed, Madame Jiang’s expression didn’t change. Instead, she laughed. “You always joke like that.”

“All right, you should go in. Your brother is waiting for you upstairs.”

With that, Madame Jiang moved on to greet the other guests.

The others smiled awkwardly, pretending not to have heard a thing.

Jiang Li strode into the house with long, purposeful steps.

He utterly despised the Pear Blossom Mansion—especially knowing that the old man had built it especially for Jiang Qi, he wished he could raze it to the ground.

Of course, that was already in the works.

But for now, he would meet his dear elder brother and see what kind of “surprise” he had prepared. He hoped it would not disappoint.