I accompanied Teacher Wang Ren for a walk. She grew tired and found a bench by the road to sit. I sat beside her, watching the cars and pedestrians on the street.
"Before, we discussed trust. Your stance was very clear: trust these people. Yet, starting with Ning Cai Shen, your trust has consistently created crises for yourself, and in the end, you played this 'killing the person and punishing the heart' move. Tell me, why did you do it?"
"Shouldn't you be asking me?"
"Why? Because of my profession? My master, Wen De, once said that maintaining world peace doesn't mean you must stand on the side of justice. The common people feel the world is fair because the nation is prosperous, and that's their good fortune. In reality, as a schemer, most people's lives are irrelevant to us. We must deal with those who disrupt fairness and justice. We have people who stand in the sun, some who hide in darkness, and even some who lie dormant beside the enemy. Do you know? No matter how many bad things we've done, whenever I hear Chinese people proudly say, 'Hong Kong is China,' I feel a sense of pride. Its existence might be unrelated to me, but my efforts are definitely part of it."
I knew that Wang Ren was the one standing in the sun, Li Jiu was the one hiding in darkness, and Cao Shi was the one lying dormant beside the enemy. The three of them were Master Wen De's true disciples, representing the fifty-fifth generation of schemers.
As for me, I was also grateful to the three. Li Jiu taught me the techniques of a schemer, Cao Shi taught me the grand strategy of a schemer, and Teacher Wang Ren taught me the humanity of a schemer. She often told me old stories of predecessors. "Miss Bai of the Forbidden City" was heard from Wang Ze Yi with Teacher Wang Ren's permission. "The Lazy Beggar of the Beggar's Clan" told the story of a "demon," but was it not also about kindness and sacrifice in emotions? There were also "The Schemer's Exam" and "The Girl in the Clothing Store." Teacher Wang Ren constantly told me that so-called justice is not what we imagine. No matter how intelligent a schemer is, they are ultimately still human, and humans cannot escape emotional entanglements. Schemers are humans who can find justice within emotions.
After thinking, I decided to reveal this scheme. Teacher Wang Ren called it "killing the person and punishing the heart." Indeed, the person killed was Xiao Zi An, and the heart punished was Ke Ying Ying's devoted maternal love.
...
In the "True and False Monkey King" scheme, it was hard for me to tell who was real and who was fake. But later, I discovered that Ke Ying Ying was feigning weakness and exploiting my psychological vulnerabilities.
At that time, I thought that if Ke Ying Ying hadn't saved me when I was controlled by Lu Yao in Xi'an, it would have been the best outcome. But I thought about the issue of trust. Ke Ying Ying not saving me didn't mean I wouldn't be rescued. Teacher Wang Ren had already warned me that Lu Yao was untrustworthy. And Ke Ying Ying was a black informant controlled by Teacher Wang Ren's special crimes unit. Therefore, on the surface, it was Ke Ying Ying who saved me, but in reality, the control of those threads was entirely in Teacher Wang Ren's hands. Ke Ying Ying was merely a tool.
Thus, Lu Yao was subjected to Lingchi execution, and Ye Qing Cheng went to Sichuan. In Sichuan, Ye Qing Cheng reached an agreement with the "Southern Faction." If I were killed, she would learn the truth behind Li Jiu's illness.
Tang Yi was a scar in my heart. Years ago, my senior sister, to deal with Zhu Guang and Duan Dong Yang, had created a fake Tang Yi. When I treated that child as my own daughter, she was brutally murdered.
For this reason, my senior sister and I became completely estranged.
With the fake Tang Yi and all her skills, Ye Qing Cheng could have built a tomb for me in Sichuan. However, such is fate. Who could have predicted that a major earthquake would suddenly strike and change this outcome?
In the disaster, Ye Qing Cheng understood everything. Before her death, she sent a text message to Xiao Zi An, who had always been a good sister to her: There is no "Southern Faction." Ye Qing Cheng's statement wasn't about the existence of the "Southern Faction" organization, but that the Southern Faction they imagined was not the real "Southern Faction." Upon receiving the message, Xiao Zi An deduced Ke Ying Ying's connection to the "Southern Faction." Combined with past events, she concluded that Ke Ying Ying was the traitor from Li Jiu's training class.
Xiao Zi An prepared to use me against Ke Ying Ying. Ke Ying Ying used her tool, "The Impersonator," against me, but it was accidentally exposed by Yu Xiao Luo. "The Impersonator" escaped the hospital and was killed by Xiao Zi An. As they were both masters of disguise, Xiao Zi An knew how troublesome "The Impersonator" could be. Thus, she accepted my suggestion: killing doesn't always have to follow a plan; an opportunity is enough.
After "The Impersonator" died, Ke Ying Ying seized the opportunity to set up a scheme, drawing me into his "psychological labyrinth," making me unable to distinguish between him and Xiao Zi An as the victim or the schemer.
Perhaps Ke Ying Ying had many subsequent arrangements, but I judged him as a suspect based on his feigned weakness and previous connections. Someone who could be linked to "Zheng Qi," then sever ties after its demise, and who had a connection between "Zheng Qi" and the "Southern Faction," could only be Ke Ying Ying.
Therefore, I decided to deal with Ke Ying Ying and then contacted Xiao Zi An. From him, I learned about the entanglement between him and Ke Ying Ying, and I used this to set up the plan, directly igniting their irreconcilable conflict.
Everything I did was to make Ke Ying Ying go mad, and then have Xiao Zi An tell him the truth. This situation completely shattered Ke Ying Ying's psychological defenses. Afterward, Xiao Zi An would die. After Xiao Zi An's death, Ke Ying Ying would suspect the "Southern Faction" he had once served, and might even betray the "Southern Faction" for the sake of his son.
...
After listening, Teacher Wang Ren looked at me and asked seriously, "How did you persuade Xiao Zi An to sacrifice herself?"
"Most people in this world live for emotions. Xiao Zi An's heart died when her girlfriend died. However, she still had a son, and the son became the hope of her life. The existence of children is wondrous. They grow up slowly in front of their parents, angering them, arguing with them, yet making parents unable to leave them. Xiao Zi An decided to accept my plan for the sake of her child."
"Since it's a scheme? Xiao Zi An isn't dead?"
"No, Xiao Zi An has a double. Her identity has been officially declared deceased for a while. Xiao Zi An gave the double all the financial compensation, making the double willing to die for her."
Teacher Wang Ren smiled. "This double was prepared ten years ago."
"Yes, the nose wasn't quite right, so the double had plastic surgery. But for the double to be perfect, the plastic surgery wasn't done by just one person. Xiao Zi An and her double both had rhinoplasty. For ten years, no one could detect that subtle difference."
"Impressive. The disciples of Old Jiu are indeed extraordinary. Then? How will she return?"
"Still through plastic surgery, returning under another identity. She will marry Chang Da Chun and continue to raise her child."
"Can she marry a man?"
"Not every family needs true love. Chang Da Chun has a daughter, and Xiao Zi An has a son. Neither of them wants their child to grow up in a single-parent family. Therefore, they decided to live together."
"How will you explain this to your elder brother, Chang Da Chun?"
I chuckled. "That's not my job; it's Xiao Zi An's."
...
"How do you plan to deal with Ke Ying Ying?"
"There's no need to deal with him. Although it might seem unfair to Ke Ying Ying, human nature is like this. Betrayal has two characteristics: one is never betraying, and the other is treating betrayal as commonplace. No matter the conditions under which Ke Ying Ying betrayed Li Jiu, he will definitely betray the 'Southern Faction' for his son."
Teacher Wang Ren lightly applauded and smiled, "This feels so familiar!"
"All things under heaven are not owned by me, but all things under heaven are used by me."
"Indeed, you're using Little Shi's methods."
"The 'Southern Faction' will still cause you trouble, won't they? How do you plan to handle it?"
"Wang Ze Yi's death was probably due to hidden guilt and longing for Cui Fang. In his final moments, he used death to expose the 'Southern Faction' to the world. To repay Wang Ze Yi's favor of recognition, I cannot let the 'Southern Faction' exist in this world."
"Do you have a plan?"
"Once my body recovers a bit, I will create an opportunity for the 'Southern Faction' to come after me."
...
Two months later, Da Huang arranged a reconciliation dinner at an old restaurant in Beijing. The reason was that Lin Han and I had a fight. Before the food was served, Da Huang, with his arms crossed, looked at Lin Han and me and wondered, "Why are you two still fighting? You've seen so many storms, what's going on? Fighting over a child?"
"It has nothing to do with Tang Yi."
Lin Han and I said in unison.
"Then what's the matter?"
Lin Han pouted. "I didn't know Tang Nan had a first love girlfriend."
"So what if he did? Who doesn't have a first love? Sister, you're married. Why are you still getting jealous over this?"
Da Huang spoke up for me. Lin Han snorted. "When he was buried in the ground in Sichuan, he was thinking of her, not me." Da Huang froze for a moment and looked at me. "Tang Nan, that's where you're wrong. You can think about her, but why would you say it out loud?"
Lin Han's eyes widened. "Second Brother, who are you taking sides with?"
Da Huang smirked. Just then, Fatty entered, carrying his bag. As soon as he entered, he said, "Did you hear? The Boss is getting married. He's bringing this woman into the house after only knowing her for a few days. Is he after the Boss's money?"
Lin Han immediately leaned in inquisitively. "Really? Is that woman beautiful?"
"I've seen her once. Very beautiful. What's the point? The Boss has two children now, and he's getting married after only knowing her for a few days. Is this a joke?"
I gently nudged Lin Han. Lin Han stuck out her tongue and said, "Oh right, I forgot we were still fighting."
Da Huang waved his hand. "Alright, alright, stop acting. Talking about Big Brother's situation is the real business. Fatty, have you investigated that woman's background?"
I looked at the three siblings with a troubled expression. This was my plan! Can you please cooperate seriously? Can you not be so gossipy? Moreover, the one marrying the Boss is Xiao Zi An. Of course, I can't say that. That's a secret.