Chapter 49: The Methods of the Wealthy

Chapter 49 The Stratagems of the Elite

Shen Nanxi chuckled, unwilling to reveal that her grandmother’s neighbor was a mystic-like figure, exceptionally skilled at mahjong and adept at playing the game strategically.

"It's nothing, really."

Wen Yi glanced at her, opting not to press further.

Mahjong, too, demanded social acumen—forming cliques and alliances, where the wealthy and influential were often "fed" winning tiles.

With Liang Furong’s formidable influence at the mahjong table, surely even the police commissioner’s people would have to show some deference?

Upon returning home, Shen Nanxi picked up a newspaper from the street, noting that Youzai remained incarcerated. Liang Furong had not intervened, and the sensational headlines persisted: "Cai Qibang Challenges the Liang Family, Vowing to Avenge His Sister's Humiliation by Imprisoning the Young Master!" and "Liang's Youngest Son Struggles in Prison—Is Cai Qibang Orchestrating Events Behind the Scenes?"

It seemed the neighboring Liang family was still embroiled in controversy.

With the exception of Zhou Qingru, who was staying home due to her pregnancy, every member of the Liang family—even the household staff—was relentlessly pursued by paparazzi, all eager for updates on the case.

The moniker "Lazy Couple" was indeed apt. Besides the two young nieces and nephews, Liang Zeqian and Shen Nanxi were the most unburdened, completely unaffected by the turmoil as they were not in Hong Kong.

She turned to a small photo in the newspaper: Liang Zefeng and Huang Rouer on a date, captured by reporters. The accompanying article sarcastically quipped, "Younger Brother Arrested, Older Brother Still Indulging—Sibling Bonds Shattered."

Given Liang Furong’s consistent emphasis on "fraternal harmony," the second son was undoubtedly in for a severe reprimand.

Shen Nanxi exhaled in relief. Fortunately, Liang Zeqian was abroad for work; otherwise, the two of them would have been even more unrestrained. Only their father’s wrath could curb their excesses—nothing else seemed to matter to them.

They indulged as they pleased, their eating and drinking habits entirely uninhibited.

She folded the newspaper and strolled leisurely down the street.

Spotting a distant phone booth, a peculiar idea suddenly struck her.

She walked to the public phone booth and placed a call.

What was she so curious about?

She wondered if this world she had transmigrated into was truly real.

Why did she feel increasingly integrated, as if this world was inherently suited for her, without the slightest hint of incongruity?

The university library’s landline phone—she recalled the administrator mentioning it had been there for decades, one of the first installed in the 1980s. Shen Nanxi remembered the number with striking clarity because she had used it as her bank card PIN.

For some reason, as she dialed, she felt a surge of nervousness.

It was an international long-distance call. After a few rings, the static of an old receiver crackled through the line.

Shen Nanxi swallowed, then asked in Mandarin, "Hello... is anyone in the library reading room right now?"

A pause, then the administrator’s voice: "Who is this? It’s three in the afternoon—the reading room is full of students studying."

Shen Nanxi quickly hung up.

She spent the rest of the day in a daze.

The following day, Wen Yi knocked on her bedroom door, pulled back the covers, and declared, "Still sleeping? The Liang family is in utter chaos. Your Third Aunt called and wants you to return."

Shen Nanxi, still groggy, calculated the days—it had only been a week, and Liang Zeqian wasn’t due back for another three or four days.

Would going back now be seen as disobeying him?

"Hurry up and pack. The driver is already waiting downstairs."

Shen Nanxi rubbed her eyes and sat up, the blankets slipping to her waist as she gazed blankly at the daylight outside the window.

Wen Yi tossed a pile of clothes onto the foot of the bed, her Cantonese tinged with irritation: "Still sleeping! The Liang family ancestral hall is practically being torn down. Third Aunt called, saying your father-in-law was slamming tables and chairs in the middle of the night, cursing the whole family. He wants you back at the main house immediately to keep an eye on things."

Shen Nanxi: "......"

Before Liang Zeqian left, he had confidently assured her that his father’s extensive network would certainly secure Youzai’s release.

How could he still be so enraged?

Could it be that his father felt the eldest son was too preoccupied with his pregnant wife, the second son was rekindling an old romance, and the two of them had simply shirked their responsibilities and flown off?

Wen Yi picked up a comb and lightly tapped Shen Nanxi’s head: "Your younger brother has been in jail for days, and none of his siblings have lifted a finger to help him. They’re all too busy enjoying themselves—of course your father-in-law is furious."

So that was it.

Shen Nanxi pulled on her jeans and turned around, her brow tightly furrowed: "Mom, I’m actually a little scared of my father-in-law. What should I do?"

"Do? What is there to do?" Wen Yi packed her things with practiced ease. "Your father-in-law just wants someone to play the obedient child and listen to his rant. Remember this: when he’s yelled until his throat is dry, hand him a cup of ginseng tea; when he’s slammed the table until his fingers hurt, very sincerely say, ‘Dad, please calm down. I’ll have Mr. Liang come back tomorrow to help.’ Got it?"

Shen Nanxi nodded groggily.

Wen Yi observed her daughter, then sighed: "I understand now—your personality is perfectly suited for marrying Liang Zeqian. He’s inflexible, and so are you. Neither of you will find fault with the other."

Shen Nanxi: "Mom, I’m still young. I don’t understand any of this."

"Just play pitiful and act clueless. When Liang Zeqian returns, he’ll know how to handle these things."

"He definitely won’t."

Usually, he expected her to handle everything and smooth things over with people.

Wen Yi smirked: "He won’t? He always acts so aloof, making everything seem natural. That’s the cleverest approach. But you can’t learn it. If both people in a family were like that, it would be disastrous."

"If Liang Zeqian is truly so cunning, why did he choose me? I don’t understand these power struggles. His first impression of me was terrible. Chen Wenbi wanted me to drag him down—someone who only knew how to compare and have fun all day."

"Silly, everyone wants power in this world—they just hide it differently," Wen Yi said, patting her hand and mixing English into her speech. "Look at the eldest, the second, and your sister-in-law—aren’t they always being used as pawns? Your father-in-law sees things most clearly, which is why he called for you to return first."

Her mother, of course, had her own theories, consistently believing that Liang Zeqian was "a wolf in sheep’s clothing" and an expert at role-playing. While there was some truth to it, depicting him as a ruthless schemer was something Shen Nanxi couldn’t quite accept.

Nevertheless, there was no need to endlessly debate this topic with her mother.

Shen Nanxi dragged her luggage back to the Mid-Levels villa. The moment she entered, she heard Liang Furong speaking loudly in the living room: "I started working at the docks at sixteen, got into illicit trades at twenty, opened my first gold shop at twenty-five—which of my children truly understands the hardships I endured?"

Liang Furong puffed on his pipe: "Who does Cai Qibang think he is? Does he really believe he can breach the Liang family’s defenses by targeting Youzai? A Feng, you handle this. If anything arises, simply inform Uncle Guan to manage the aftermath. Don’t hesitate—use both persuasion and pressure."

Liang Zefeng sat silently nearby. They looked up as Shen Nanxi approached.

Shen Nanxi immediately greeted everyone.

Liang Furong said coolly, "It’s good that you’re back, Nanxi. You can go keep your sister-in-law company."

Shen Nanxi nodded.

No one paid her any further attention.

Liang Zefeng continued, "Dad, the Department of Justice issued an extended detention notice this morning. Cai Qibang has allied with a British barrister for support. The Department of Justice is under pressure and won’t back down."

Shen Nanxi and Lola were hauling their luggage upstairs.

Just then, they heard Liang Furong angrily slamming the coffee table: "Damn it! These foreign lawyers are just doing their job for money! A Feng, tell Uncle Guan to arrange for someone to have tea with that foreign secretary from the Department of Justice. I recall her son works in our bank’s loan division."

Liang Furong was done pretending.

For days, he had insisted that the Liang family were "law-abiding citizens." It seemed the world wasn’t entirely governed by the rule of law after all.

Shen Nanxi was upstairs organizing her clothes when Lola came in breathlessly: "Madam, the old master has fainted from anger."

It turned out that Third Wife had received an inside tip: Youzai had gotten into a fight in prison and was sent to the detention ward covered in blood. Cai Qibang’s grandmother had rushed to Mary Hospital with a group of reporters, demanding an injury examination and evidence collection.

Liang Furong had already been unwell for some time, and this news was the final straw.

Shen Nanxi immediately thought of calling Liang Zeqian but remembered it was the middle of the night in Belgium, so she held off.

She hurried downstairs, ready to follow the family to the hospital.

The entire household was in disarray.

When the eldest brother saw Shen Nanxi, he repeatedly urged her to stay by her sister-in-law’s side and not wander off.

It made sense—Zhou Qingru hadn’t been pregnant for long, and her condition wasn’t entirely stable. Unlike years ago when she was younger and healthier, she now often felt tired and anxious. Liang Zeting’s concern was understandable.

Shen Nanxi accompanied her sister-in-law back to her room and couldn’t help but say: "Sister-in-law, don’t worry too much. Dad has always been strong and healthy—he’ll surely be fine this time."

Zhou Qingru leaned against the headboard, surrounded by numerous servants. She didn’t truly need Shen Nanxi’s care.

She appeared calm, showing no signs of distress, likely because, like Shen Nanxi, she didn’t have a deep emotional connection with her father-in-law.

After sitting with her for a while, Shen Nanxi left.

How the situation was ultimately resolved, Shen Nanxi never found out.

When Liang Zeqian called that evening, he was as composed as ever, showing no emotion. He simply told her to stay home peacefully and not ask too many questions.

Liang Zeqian was stubborn and firmly refused to return home early.

But it seemed things had taken a turn for the better.

The next day, the headlines of the major papers featured photos of Liang Furong in the hospital.

Shen Nanxi stared at the front page with the headline: "Liang Furong Hospitalized from Exhaustion, Suspicions of Internal Strife in the Liang Family Resurface." In the photo, her father-in-law lay half-reclined on the hospital bed, an oxygen tube wrapped around his neck, his once-sharp eyes now clouded and dull.

In the lower right corner, a small caption read: "Department of Justice Withdraws Extended Detention Order Late at Night; Liang Zeyou Transferred to Medical Prison."

The Liang family was one of Hong Kong’s major corporations and a renowned business family in Asia.

Liang Furong was strict with his sons’ education and had never tolerated any missteps.

At the very least, his first three sons had relatively positive reputations.

But with his youngest son, born in his later years, he poured all the hardships he endured in his youth into doting on the child, as if making up for lost time with a doting, compensatory affection.

In recent days, he had maintained a stance of handling matters by the book, actively compensating, understanding the law, and showing no leniency. The public took notice, and with several newspapers having investments from the Liang family, the Cai siblings’ public support had waned for a time.

Two days later, news of a celebrity’s traffic accident completely overshadowed the incident, and no one paid attention to the Cai siblings’ situation anymore.

News had its high points and expiration dates. Once this matter passed, Cai Qibang’s legal career in Hong Kong might not proceed smoothly.

Shen Nanxi had to admire this kind of "subtle and silent" tactic—it was truly a way to achieve a devastating outcome without overt violence.

What did her little "acting" amount to? The public personas each family member meticulously maintained were the truly impressive feats.

Once the news cycle moved on and everything returned to normal, Shen Nanxi resumed her studies.

Liang Zeqian had called yesterday saying he would return in the afternoon. Since she had no classes, she immediately took Uncle Chen’s car home.

She had assumed he would visit his father first thing after getting off the plane, but when she arrived home, she found he wasn’t at the Mid-Levels villa.

By the time she returned to Central, it was already 2 p.m. Shen Nanxi couldn’t contain her joy; she felt like every cell in her body was dancing as she went upstairs.

She gently pushed the door open—the living room was empty. She hurried to the bedroom and bathroom, but there was still no sign of him.

Could he be in the study right after returning from his business trip?

She turned around and saw him holding a can of beer, wearing a bathrobe, with his back to her, leaning over documents on the table by the balcony.

Shen Nanxi crept up behind him and realized he hadn’t noticed her at all. In his hand was her half-finished study abroad application.

A minute passed, and Liang Zeqian was still reading—sometimes looking down at the content, sometimes gazing out the window lost in thought. He hadn’t noticed the person behind him at all!

Was he that focused? The application wasn’t even that long anyway—what was there to read so intently?

Whatever!

Shen Nanxi pressed her forehead against his back, wrapped her arms around his waist, and started fake-crying.

"You lied to me! You said you’d be back in the afternoon, but you were already home by noon. You didn’t even call to tell me you were here." She buried her face in his back, her voice thick with feigned grievance.