Chapter 222: Taking Action

As night fell, the urban area of Zhonghai was engulfed in a sea of lights and revelry.

In the Dragon View Villa in the suburbs, it appeared tranquil and comfortable. Shedding the strict professional suit, Lin Ruoxi, clad in loose checkered cotton men's pajamas, let her long hair down. The relaxed pajamas made her seem light and soft, her flawless face devoid of any makeup, glowing under the soft yellow light.

She resembled a reclusive lady of leisure, her gentle demeanor belying the fierce female CEO she was known to be outside.

Seated at the dining table, there were already more than ten exquisite dishes laid out, all meticulously prepared by Aunt Wang, except for a plate of lettuce salad, which seemed to have been slightly overheated during blanching, appearing somewhat yellowish.

Aunt Wang emerged from the kitchen carrying a small electric rice cooker, following Lin Ruoxi's gaze to the large clock on the wall. It was almost eight o'clock in the evening.

"Miss, hasn't Young Master returned yet?" Aunt Wang said sympathetically, "Perhaps he won't be coming home for dinner tonight. It's a shame with all these dishes prepared, I was looking forward to welcoming him back properly, especially since he's come back from so far away. Well, let's not wait any longer, Miss, you've been waiting for almost an hour, let's eat first."

Lin Ruoxi took a deep breath and smiled faintly. "I wasn't waiting for him. I just wasn't hungry earlier. Aunt Wang, let's eat."

"Ah," Aunt Wang responded, not pressing further, serving Lin Ruoxi a bowl of rice before serving herself.

The two of them sat down and ate in silence. Aunt Wang glanced at the untouched lettuce salad on the side and said, "Miss, did you try the salad you made yourself?"

"No, it doesn't look appetizing. Yours are all fresh and green, but mine turned yellow. It seems I'm not good at cooking," Lin Ruoxi said with a hint of despondency.

"Miss, you're much smarter than me. You'll definitely get the hang of cooking. It's a pity Young Master isn't back today. If he saw you learning to cook just for him, he would be very happy," Aunt Wang comforted.

Setting down her chopsticks, Lin Ruoxi said, "Aunt Wang, don't mention him. I didn't learn for him. I just suddenly wanted to learn how to cook."

Aunt Wang smiled helplessly. "Alright, not for Young Master, my mistake. But Miss, why don't you give him a call? Maybe he'll come back for dinner if you ask him why he hasn't returned."

"No," Lin Ruoxi shifted her gaze away, a hint of resentment on her face. "If he's hungry, he'll eat. If he doesn't want to come back, then so be it. It's better if he doesn't come back in the future. He has so many other women outside, he can eat wherever he likes. I don't want to see him, it's annoying!"

Watching Lin Ruoxi, who seemed like a bullied child, Aunt Wang sighed, unable to laugh or cry. "Miss, you shouldn't say such things. Young Master must have had urgent matters to attend to if he didn't come home for dinner. Speaking ill of him like this will only make any man angry. You mustn't say such things lightly."

Just then, the phone rang. Lin Ruoxi sighed and walked to the sofa to answer it, checking the number—it was Cai Yan.

"Yan Yan, what's up?" Lin Ruoxi asked curiously.

Cai Yan's voice sounded serious on the other end of the line. "Ruoxi, are you staying home tonight?"

"Yes, are you coming over?" Lin Ruoxi inquired.

"No, I just wanted to make sure. I'm worried that something might happen to you outside. Anyway, stay at home tonight, don't go anywhere else, at least until dawn," Cai Yan advised.

"What do you mean, Yan Yan?" Lin Ruoxi frowned.

Cai Yan sighed. "Just listen to me, okay? I'm calling because I'm concerned about you. Tonight might not be very safe in Zhonghai. I can't say much more, I'm really busy. Bye!"

As Lin Ruoxi's expression changed slightly, Cai Yan hung up.

"Miss, what did Miss Cai Yan say?" Aunt Wang asked anxiously when she saw Lin Ruoxi's less-than-pleasant expression.

Lin Ruoxi didn't hide anything and said, "She said for me to stay indoors. There might be something happening in Zhonghai tonight, it's not very safe."

"Unsafe outside?!" Aunt Wang immediately asked in concern, "Then what about Young Master? He hasn't returned yet. Could something have happened to him?"

"I don't care what happens to him. He's tough. This morning, I almost died of fright because of him. I thought he was dead and rushed to the hospital. He even angered me half to death. I don't want to bother with him. It's better if something happens to him!" Lin Ruoxi said angrily, sitting back at the dining table, though a hint of worry lingered in her eyes.

Aunt Wang didn't have time to think too much. Ignoring Lin Ruoxi's mood, she went to the phone and dialed Yang Chen's number.

Lin Ruoxi picked up her chopsticks but didn't start eating. Instead, she glanced towards Aunt Wang.

After a while, Aunt Wang suddenly hung up the phone with a sigh. "How could this happen? It says the call couldn't be connected. Could it be that the phone is out of battery?"

Lin Ruoxi's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, almost dropping them. She then looked out the window, but there was no one in the dark night.

In fact, Yang Chen's phone was indeed out of battery. After returning from Sichuan Province a couple of days ago, he had gone straight to find Lin Ruoxi at the Emperor's Building at midnight, then attended Yuan Ye's birthday party today, and encountered a bunch of issues. He simply forgot to charge his phone.

Yang Chen felt a bit annoyed. The communication devices he used in the past could go for months without needing to be charged. Dealing with regular smartphones, like those used by ordinary people, was too much trouble!

But at this moment, Yang Chen had no mood to worry about his phone's battery. It was already 11 p.m., and he was sitting in a black Hummer H2 with Rose in the spacious back seat. The car had just left a secret base of the Hongjing Society and was heading towards the eastern area of Zhonghai.

On the small table in front of Rose was a mini MacBook laptop. Rose wore her glasses with frames but no lenses, looking at the map of Zhonghai on the screen, directing the actions of the various branches of the Hongjing Society.

"Darling Rose, didn't you already plan everything? Why are you still tinkering here?" Yang Chen asked.

Rose playfully stuck out her tongue at Yang Chen. "There are many adjustments needed for on-site operations. Of course, we have to strive for perfection."

Yang Chen, feeling bored looking at the map, didn't want to disturb Rose's good mood. After all, for Rose, this kind of operation was as exhilarating as ancient emperors expanding their territories, making her blood boil with excitement.

So Yang Chen climbed onto the front seat and glanced at Xiao Zhao, who was driving, and Chen Rong, who was in the passenger seat, smiling. "Xiao Zhao, aren't you the head of Cheng Tang now? Why are you still driving? Shouldn't you be commanding on the front line?"

"Yang Ge, stop teasing me. I only manage logistics. Big Sis asked me to drive, which means she thinks highly of me. That's my only strength, knowing my place. Rong Rong, don't you agree?" Xiao Zhao asked with a smile, looking at Chen Rong beside him.

Chen Rong nodded. "Yes, Xiao Zhao Ge even tried to snatch the bartender position with me in the bar last time, but I didn't let him."

Yang Chen reached out and patted Xiao Zhao's round head. "No ambition, just hanging out in the bar all day."

"Hey, Yang Ge, that's not fair. When I'm in the bar, I'm the closest person to Big Sis. If we're talking about ancient times, I'm the eunuch in the imperial palace, that position is extraordinary!"

"Xiao Zhao Ge, the eunuch in the imperial palace is a eunuch," Chen Rong said with a strange expression.

Xiao Zhao felt a bit embarrassed, grumbled a couple of times, and stopped talking.

In the relaxed conversation, the car finally arrived at the meeting point agreed upon with Fang Zhongping, located at a riverbank at the intersection of the eastern and western districts.

The Hummer stopped in an open space, where two other cars were already parked. However, these two cars were somewhat special—one was a car with the license plate "0001" belonging to the Imperial Court, and the other was a police car.

Rose, dressed in simple black sportswear, jumped out of the car, while Yang Chen lazily sat in the car, pressing down the window to observe the situation outside.

Fang Zhongping and Cai Yan had arrived here early. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Rose appear on time. After all, for them, both Rose and Zhou Guangyuan were the leaders of the underworld forces in Zhonghai. At this moment, they were unexpectedly teaming up with one underworld force to confront another, which was somewhat ironic.

However, fortunately, the Hongjing Society, led by Rose, had never clashed with the Imperial Court, and had always acted relatively low-key, so they could be somewhat reassured.

Rose shook hands friendly with Fang Zhongping and Cai Yan before starting to converse.

Fang Zhongping was the leader of this joint operation between the Imperial Court and the armed forces. However, the specific operational command was assisted by Cai Yan, who would supervise the actual losses and scope of the operation midway through, ensuring consensus.

From a distance, Yang Chen could clearly hear the discussions among the three of them. He didn't want Fang Zhongping to use the Hongjing Society's power to eliminate Dong Xing and then turn against the Hongjing Society. Therefore, ensuring the smooth implementation of the plan and fair treatment were Yang Chen's top concerns.

However, Cai Yan, who was participating in the discussion, occasionally glanced at Yang Chen in the car, her eyes filled with complex emotions. This puzzled Yang Chen. What's wrong with this violent policewoman? Could it be that she sees being with Rose and him as another crime and is trying to find a way to catch him?

About twenty minutes later, Rose, Fang Zhongping, and Cai Yan returned to their respective cars.

"Honey, after tonight, Zhonghai will be ours," Rose said confidently.

"You're so confident? Even if Dong Xing doesn't know everything, there must be some leaks, and they'll be prepared for defense. If a fight breaks out, it will be a tough battle," Yang Chen remarked.

A hint of cunning flashed in Rose's eyes. "I've made arrangements before the implementation of this plan."

The Hummer started again and headed towards the direction of the neon-lit urban area. It was late at night, and there was very little traffic on the roads. People were still indulging in various desires, unaware that a massive storm of darkness was about to descend in the early hours of the morning.