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"Speak wisely and be rewarded!" Zhan Jun snapped his fingers, and the butler opened the leather case on the table, handing a stack of bills to Julia.

Julia happily kissed the cash before saying, "Thank you, Brother Jun."

Zhan Jun patted her face, took a puff of his cigar, and crossed his legs. "As long as you obey and make Brother Jun happy, money will never be an issue."

"Don't worry, Brother Jun. I'll definitely listen to you," Julia said, putting the money in her handbag. She then sat on Zhan Jun's lap and gave him another kiss.

The two card-playing companions glanced at each other mischievously after eyeing the money in the case. They had been childhood friends with Zhan Jun, growing up practically as siblings. However, while Zhan Jun found success in construction and real estate, they remained in poverty.

Salivating at the sight of the cash, they swallowed hard.

Whenever they needed money, they would team up to get a share from Zhan Jun. They knew that most of his wealth wasn't earned honestly, anyway. Rumors had it that many properties developed by Shengshi Real Estate were acquired through cunning means. There were even incidents where elderly residents refused to sell, only for Zhan Jun to hire thugs to intimidate them into signing contracts.

"Brother Jun, it's your turn," said the shorter one, Ah Shan, holding his cards with a sycophantic smile.

Another, Ah Feng, chimed in, "Yeah, Brother Jun, don't dote on Julia too much or you'll make the single elders envious."

In the previous rounds, they had deliberately let Zhan Jun win multiple times to please him.

It's high time to start earning some cash.

"Cui Mei Cui! Are you trying to be a vengeful spirit?" Zhan Jun bypassed Julia and played a pair. "Three of Hearts!"

"I'm not hurrying you, I just worry that Brother Jun's luck might slip away!" Ah Shan chimed in with an ingratiating tone as he played his cards.

After the other three played five or six rounds, Zhan Jun kept losing, gradually growing impatient and gnawing on his cigar incessantly.

Watching the stacks of money disappear from the box,

he abruptly threw his cards onto the table, sending them flying and scattering across the deep brown carpet.

"Keep playing, keep playing! No matter how we play, I still lose! Such bad luck!" Zhan Jun wasn't concerned about the amount of money he was losing; it was his fortune that mattered. Superstitious, he knew that once his luck turned sour, it would remain that way.

"Brother Zhan, don't be upset," Ashan and Afeng picked up their cards, grinning with joy as they felt the bulging pockets. "How about this, if you're not good at playing cards, we can accompany you to play mahjong?"

Just then, the clock in the living room chimed precisely.

Zhan Jun glanced at the time; it was nine o'clock. He then stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open. The night view in the west was still calm in the distance. Recalling what Guang Deye had said earlier, his expression gradually became more restless.

He puffed on his cigar and asked, "Did anyone hear the sound of an ambulance?"

The few people in the hall strained their ears and held their breath to listen.

Julisa, still puzzled, responded, "No, I haven't heard any ambulance sirens. But why would we be listening for one? Is someone here in need of emergency assistance?"

Ashan and Afeng burst into laughter.

"Hush now, everyone is fine. Why would we need an ambulance? You might as well say that we'll be burned to death and need an ambulance!"

Zhan Jun's face darkened. Gazing at the distant, dark sky, he couldn't shake off a sense of unease that there were no signs of firelight.

Could it be... did Master Guang doubt his earlier indecisiveness and decide against setting up the array?

That won't do.

He was still counting on the profits from the Garden Estate project.

The butler sensed his thoughts and asked, "Should I call Master Guang?"

"Go ahead," Zhan Jun instructed.

The butler then entered a room with a telephone.

Zhan Jun waited anxiously, puffing on his cigar. A few minutes later, the butler returned, holding the car phone with a hesitant expression.

"The call was answered by his disciple, A Shu. He said... that Master Guang is currently occupied."

"Occupied?" Zhan Jun hastily pushed aside Julia, who had approached him, and took the car phone. "Did I pay him to disappear?"

Indeed, he was worried about offending Guang Deye.

But the Garden Estate was his top priority at the moment.

Guang Deye is actually playing hide-and-seek at this crucial moment?

Julisa, nearly tripping, looked up pitifully. "Brother Jun."

Seeing Zhan Jun's anger, Ah Shan hurried to soothe him. "Brother Jun, don't be angry yet. Maybe Master Guang has something important to attend to."

Zhan Jun ignored the three of them and directly dialed a number.

The call connected.

Zhan Jun's face lit up with a smile as if it had changed. "Master Guang, how's the matter going?"

"I'm not your master."

A Shu's voice came from the other end of the line.

Zhan Jun's face turned grim. "What are you guys up to? Where's Master Guang?"

"Mr. Zhan," A Shu said nonchalantly. "Master is occupied and doesn't have time to reply immediately. You'll have to wait."

"Wait, what? I've got everything ready, and all that's left is to sort out a few households in the Garden Estate. You're telling me to wait?" Zhan Jun's anger flared, leaving no room for a smile. "That wasn't your attitude when it was time to collect payment. If I don't manage to bring in the Garden Estate, I warn you, watch out or your feng shui company will be in shambles!"

A soft scoff echoed through the phone from A Shu.

"Mr. Zhan, if you can survive until tomorrow to seek me out, I promise you an exquisite tea."

Survive until tomorrow?

"What do you mean?" Zhan Jun's face paled as he instantly recalled the blood that had spilled into a bowl outside the Garden Estate that night.

Before he could decipher the meaning,

Beep beep beep...

The call was already disconnected, leaving only the busy tone.

Zhan Jun's anger turned to fear, his eyes bulging as he fiercely threw his phone to the ground. "Damn it!"

"Hurry! Find me a master!" After the initial fury, Zhan Jun was gripped by deep dread. He frantically instructed his butler, "Find the best feng shui master! Now! Immediately!"

But it was too late.