The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong and his group walked out of the small courtyard. The banquet tables outside, stretching for nearly two miles, had not been cleared. Instead, one course after another was being served.

It seemed the feast had been a continuous affair since breakfast and was expected to last until the evening banquet.

When they reached the outskirts of the stage area, they found it had been cordoned off by He Family personnel. Bodyguards were preventing anyone from entering, forcing them to remain outside. However, Qin Yun explained that Chen Dong was one of the performers, which granted them entry.

Upon entering the cordoned-off plaza, they saw a performance of the opera *Farewell My Concubine* taking place on stage.

The audience below the stage was surprisingly sparse, numbering only in the hundreds. Directly in front, tables and chairs were arranged, laden with platters of fruit, tea, and pastries. Parasols provided shade, and beautiful maids were even on hand, gently waving fans. Those seated there were undoubtedly either members of the He Family's direct lineage or guests of great importance.

At the very front sat an imposing elderly man, his eyes appreciating the performance on stage. He exuded an aura of authority that was intimidating even without a hint of anger.

The elderly man was Patriarch He, He Wanyong.

Seated on either side of him were two beautiful young women. Though they weren't legally married, everyone in the He Family referred to them as the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Mistresses.

Next to them were He Wanyong's two sons, and seated behind them were the other members of the He Family.

Chen Dong frowned as he looked on. The entire He Family was poisoned. It wasn't just He Kaiyu; not a single key member of the family had been spared, including the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Mistresses.

Furthermore, Chen Dong spotted Huang Biehe and a younger man seated in the back.

While Qin Yun was waiting backstage for her performance, Li Jianwen of the Li Family arrived at the He Family Manor. He carried a gift and was being led by an Attendant toward the cordoned-off courtyard around the main stage.

But then he saw a woman, and his face filled with shock.

'What is she doing here?'

The woman leaning against He Kaiyu saw him too. She feigned shock, but the corners of her mouth curved up into a slight smirk.

'He's finally here!'

She whispered something to He Kaiyu, then stood up and walked over to Li Jianwen. "Let's talk."

Li Jianwen nodded numbly and followed the woman to a deserted courtyard.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Wenwen, what are you doing here?"

The woman snorted, her eyes filled with scorn. "You wouldn't marry me, so I just found someone who would. And believe me, the eldest grandson of the He Family's main branch is in a completely different league than you."

This woman was the very person who had destroyed Li Jianwen's marriage—Yuan Wenwen.

She was originally a junior administrator at the Li Group. At an internal company celebration, she found a drunken Li Jianwen, took him away, stripped both of them naked, and got into bed with him to stage a scene, making it look as if they had slept together.

The next day, Li Jianwen, truly believing he had acted like a beast, tried to make it up to Yuan Wenwen in every way he could. She became his mistress, but as time went on, Yuan Wenwen's ambition grew. Unsatisfied with being just a mistress, she went directly to his wife, Xia Yi, for a showdown.

The result was that her bid to replace his wife failed. Li Jianwen divorced, but he gave Yuan Wenwen a large sum of money and cut off all ties with her.

Hearing her reply, Li Jianwen felt a pang of disappointment, but he quickly composed himself.

He asked calmly, "In that case, since we've already broken things off completely, wouldn't it be better for us to just pretend we're strangers?"

Seeing that the time was right, Yuan Wenwen suddenly shouted, "Li Jianwen, let go of me! I've left you for good, stop pestering me!"

Li Jianwen's face was a mask of confusion. 'What is this about?'

But when He Kaiyu walked in with a group of people, Li Jianwen understood. This was Yuan Wenwen's revenge.

He Kaiyu's face was grim as he glared at Li Jianwen. "You dare harass my woman? Get him!" With that, he led the charge, landing the first punch right on Li Jianwen's eye.

Li Jianwen had just opened his mouth to explain when a fist sent him sprawling to the ground. Realizing this was the eldest grandson of the He Family and seeing that he was severely outnumbered, he didn't dare to fight back. He could only endure the brutal beating.

Since it was the He Family's birthday banquet, He Kaiyu didn't want to cause a major incident. After a light beating to teach him a lesson, he had his men stop.

He Kaiyu returned to his table by the stage. Yuan Wenwen glanced back and gave a signal to the two men from the Huang Family, indicating that her part was done.

Huang Cheng received the signal, and a sinister smile spread across his face.

'Let's see the Li Family get out of this one!'

Indeed, Yuan Wenwen was a key part of Huang Cheng's plot. She harbored a grudge against the Li Family, so Huang Cheng had paid her two hundred million to orchestrate this drama and to poison He Kaiyu.

Yuan Wenwen had only been with He Kaiyu for a week, but she had already noticed his interest in her was waning. It was clear that her dream of becoming the He family's Young Madam was just that—a dream. She figured that in a few more days, she'd be ruthlessly discarded like all his previous girlfriends. Besides, He Kaiyu was incredibly stingy; she hadn't managed to get even a million out of him in a whole week. He was even tighter with his money than Li Jianwen.

Faced with the temptation of Huang Cheng's two hundred million, she had agreed without hesitation. Even if it meant poisoning the eldest grandson of the He Family, she wasn't scared at all—the Li Family would be taking the blame, after all. With this money, she could flee the country and live a life of leisure forever.

Huang Cheng's scheme was simple. No matter who the Li Family sent, Yuan Wenwen would be able to successfully incite conflict between them and He Kaiyu. That was enough. When the time came and the poison took effect in He Kaiyu, the Li Family's representative would be found to have the very same poison on them. The evidence against the Li Family would be ironclad.

Poisoning the eldest grandson of the He Family during their own patriarch's birthday banquet—the He Family would be utterly enraged. How could the Li Family possibly withstand their fury?

Even if Chen Dong was a master of martial arts, as long as he insisted on helping the Li Family, he would die without a doubt.

All that was left was to wait a little longer. Once the poison killed He Kaiyu, the Li Family's destruction would be at hand.