Chapter 1075: Buried Truths

While Yue Ling remained unaware of the dangers slowly gathering around her, the atmosphere inside the CEO’s office at Lu Corps was anything but peaceful.

The morning had passed in a series of meetings, reports, and decisions that required Lu Tian’s attention.

By noon, he had finished reviewing the company’s latest projects, approved several contracts, and addressed the matters brought forward by his department directors.

Under normal circumstances, he would have taken a brief break before continuing with the rest of his schedule.

Today, however, work was the last thing on his mind.

Lu Tian sat behind his large executive desk, his dark eyes fixed on the monitor before him.

A deep frown creased his brows.

The screen displayed several documents, photographs, and archived reports that Xu Long had obtained from Grandfather Ji.

Across the office, Xu Long sat on one of the dark leather couches.

The coffee table in front of him was covered with scattered documents and his laptop.

Some were copies of old police reports.

Others contained medical records, witness statements, and photographs taken at the scene of an accident that had occurred many years ago.

An accident that, according to Grandfather Ji, had never been an accident at all.

Xu Long rubbed the back of his head.

He had spent most of the morning examining the same documents, hoping to find something they had overlooked.

Yet every time he thought he had discovered a possible connection, the trail ended.

His expression grew increasingly troubled.

Finally, he picked up a particular sheet of paper.

After studying it once more, he stood and approached Lu Tian’s desk.

"Boss, take a look at this."

Lu Tian shifted his attention away from the monitor.

Xu Long placed the document in front of him.

He picked it up and scanned its contents.

The longer he read, the deeper his frown became.

After a moment, his gaze returned to the monitor.

It was the same discrepancy that had been troubling him since they began reviewing the information.

The deaths of Ji An Ling and Han Min Joon.

To the public, their deaths had been recorded as a tragic car accident.

A devastating event that had claimed the lives of two people and left their young daughter without her parents.

But the truth Grandfather Ji had revealed was far more disturbing.

They had been murdered.

And the person allegedly responsible was none other than Choi Li Sun.

Lu Tian leaned back in his chair.

His gaze lowered toward the document.

There was one detail he could not reconcile.

The date.

At the time of Ji An Ling and Han Min Joon’s deaths, Choi Li Sun would have been no older than fourteen or fifteen.

A teenager.

Yet according to Grandfather Ji, he had been responsible for orchestrating the deaths of two adults.

Lu Tian’s eyes narrowed.

It was not impossible.

He had encountered enough cruelty in his life to know that age did not always determine what a person was capable of doing.

But orchestrating a murder of that magnitude required more than hatred.

It required planning.

Resources.

Connections.

And, most importantly, people willing to carry out the act.

How could a boy that young have arranged something so elaborate?

Unless he had not acted alone.

"Boss."

Xu Long’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lu Tian raised his eyes.

His silence was enough for Xu Long to continue.

"I can’t find anything directly connecting Choi Li Sun to Boss Lady’s parents’ deaths."

He glanced at the paper in Lu Tian’s hand.

"Liu Shan and Lin Hui reached the same dead end."

Lu Tian said nothing.

Xu Long continued.

"Liu Shan went through everything five times. He searched old records, archived reports, financial transactions, and every possible connection he could find."

He paused.

"Nothing."

Lu Tian’s expression remained cold.

"Not even a trace of Choi Li Sun’s involvement."

Xu Long exhaled heavily.

"It’s almost as though the man didn’t exist during that period."

Lu Tian lowered his gaze.

Xu Long continued, his frustration becoming more apparent.

"The only information we have pointing toward him comes from Grandfather Ji."

He hesitated before adding.

"And even Grandfather Ji doesn’t have direct proof."

Lu Tian gave a faint nod.

That was the problem.

Grandfather Ji had learned the truth from his late friend, Grandfather Han.

Before his death, the old man had identified Choi Li Sun as the person responsible for the tragedy.

But whatever evidence Grandfather Han had possessed had never been passed on in full.

Or, if it had, they had yet to find it.

Lu Tian’s jaw tightened.

If Grandfather Han were still alive, perhaps they would have uncovered the truth by now.

He could have explained how he discovered Choi Li Sun’s involvement.

Who had helped the boy?

And why Yue Ling’s parents had been targeted in the first place.

Instead, they were left with fragments of a tragedy that had been buried for years.

Lu Tian placed the document on his desk.

His thoughts drifted toward his previous encounters with Choi Li Sun.

The man was cunning.

Calculating.

And more than willing to resort to underhanded methods when circumstances did not favor him.

He preferred to remain in the shadows, allowing others to expose themselves while he waited for an opportunity to strike.

Someone like that would never leave behind evidence carelessly.

"He’s smart," Lu Tian finally said.

Xu Long looked at him.

Lu Tian leaned slightly to one side, resting his elbow against the armrest of his chair.

His fingers brushed along his chin.

"He knows how to hide his involvement and make sure nothing from his past can be used against him."

Xu Long nodded.

"Exactly."

"But being smart doesn’t mean he covered every track."

Lu Tian’s gaze sharpened.

"Something happened that day. And someone knows more than what’s written in these reports."

Xu Long straightened.

"Then what should we do?"

Lu Tian looked at him.

"Contact Liu Shan and Lin Hui."

"Yes, Boss."

"Have them inform the rest of Alpha Team. I want everyone to review what we have."

Xu Long nodded.

Lu Tian paused briefly before continuing.

"We also need to meet with Grandfather Ji."

At the mention of the old man, something shifted in his expression.

It was subtle.

But Xu Long noticed.

Lu Tian lowered his gaze toward the documents.

Grandfather Ji had entrusted him with a truth that concerned Yue Ling more than anyone else.

Her parents had not died in an accident.

They had been murdered.

And the man allegedly responsible was still alive.

Worse, that same man had been connected to the deaths of other people she loved.

He was even wearing Lee Shin’s face.

Yet Yue Ling knew none of it.

She continued living her life, believing that the tragedy that had taken her parents had been nothing more than a cruel twist of fate.

Lu Tian’s fingers curled against the armrest.

She deserved to know.

Of all people, she deserved the truth.

But how could he tell her when they still had so many unanswered questions?

What if revealing what little they knew forced her to confront memories she had spent years trying to bury?

What if the shock brought back something she was not prepared to face?

Grandfather Ji had warned him about her childhood memories.

There were things Yue Ling had witnessed that day.

Things so terrible that her mind had seemingly shut them away.

Lu Tian closed his eyes briefly.

He hated keeping secrets from his wife.

Especially secrets that concerned the people she had lost.

But he feared the consequences of telling her before they understood what had truly happened.

A quiet heaviness settled in his chest.

He wanted to protect her.

Yet the longer he kept the truth from her, the more he wondered whether he was protecting her or merely delaying another heartbreak.

"Boss?"

Xu Long’s voice brought him back.

Lu Tian opened his eyes.

"Arrange the meeting."

Xu Long nodded.

"I’ll contact them now."

He returned to the couch and retrieved his phone.

Lu Tian turned his attention back to the monitor.

Several photographs were displayed across the screen.

They had been preserved among Grandfather Ji’s private records.

Photographs of the vehicle involved in the supposed accident.

Lu Tian studied them carefully.

The car had been found severely damaged.

But something about the condition of the vehicle had never sat right with him.

There was no obvious evidence of a collision severe enough to explain the destruction inside.

The tires, however, were another matter.

They had been torn apart.

The damage resembled what might occur if a vehicle had driven across a strip of sharp metal spikes.

Spikes that had been removed before anyone could find them.

Lu Tian leaned forward.

He enlarged one of the photographs.

The windows were shattered.

Fragments of glass covered the seats.

Dark stains marked the upholstery.

Blood.

There was blood on the seats and along parts of the interior.

Yet the photographs did not show the people who had been inside.

Three people had been traveling in that vehicle.

Ji An Ling.

Han Min Joon.

And their young daughter.

Han Yue Ling.

Lu Tian’s gaze lingered on the empty rear seat.

His expression changed.

He tried to imagine the little girl who had once sat there.

The child who had smiled so brightly before tragedy stole that innocence from her.

What had she seen?

Had she watched her parents struggle?

Had she heard them calling for help?

Had someone taken her from the vehicle?

The questions came one after another.

And each possibility was worse than the last.

Lu Tian slowly closed his eyes.

A shaky breath escaped him.

He had seen the aftermath of violence before.

He knew what people were capable of doing when hatred and greed outweighed their humanity.

But imagining Yue Ling as a frightened little girl, trapped in the middle of something so horrific, made a cold anger settle in his chest.

She had been so young.

Too young to understand why the people she loved were being taken away.

Too young to defend herself.

And whatever happened that day had left such a deep wound that the memories had become inaccessible to her.

Lu Tian opened his eyes.

He stared at the photograph one final time before closing the file.

The screen returned to the desktop.

For several seconds, he remained motionless.

Then he reached for the folder beside his keyboard.

Ding.

His phone chimed.

Lu Tian paused.

For a brief moment, he assumed the message was from his wife.

His expression softened slightly as he reached for the device.

However, when he saw the sender’s name, his brows drew together.

’Zhao Ya’Er.’

His cousin rarely contacted him during working hours unless she had something important to say.

He opened the message.

The more he read, the colder his expression became.

Zhao Ya’Er had written to inform him about an encounter during her lunch with Yue Ling.

They had run into Ning Xingyu.

And according to her, the man had been paying Yue Ling a kind of attention she found entirely inappropriate.

She had also mentioned that Ning Xingyu had attempted to pay for their meal.

Lu Tian stared at the screen.

’Ning Xingyu.’

His jaw tightened.

He knew enough about the man to dislike him.

Ning Xingyu was wealthy, arrogant, and accustomed to using his family’s influence to get whatever he wanted.

His reputation with women was hardly admirable.

And now he had apparently decided to direct that attention toward his wife.

Lu Tian’s eyes darkened.

He set the phone on his desk.

For a moment, he considered calling his wife.

His hand moved toward the device.

Then stopped.

Why hadn’t his wife mentioned the encounter?

The thought surfaced before he could suppress it.

But almost immediately, he dismissed the suspicion.

He trusted her.

Completely.

If she had chosen not to mention Ning Xingyu, it was likely because she considered the encounter insignificant.

And knowing his wife, that was entirely possible.

She had never been someone who allowed unwanted attention to occupy much of her thoughts.

Still...

Lu Tian’s expression hardened.

He trusted his wife.

It was Ning Xingyu he did not trust.

His hand hovered over the phone.

If something serious had happened, Yue Ling would tell him.

He was certain of that.

And he had no intention of questioning her simply because another man had behaved inappropriately.

Slowly, he withdrew his hand.

A frustrated sigh escaped him.

He pinched the space between his brows.

’Why is everything happening at once?’

Choi Li Sun.

Liu Peng.

Ji Chu Hua.

The masked woman.

The man Gui Tian Lan is looking for.

Lee Shin’s stolen face.

The mystery surrounding Yue Ling’s parents’ death.

Grandfather Ji’s declining health.

And now Ning Xingyu.

It seemed that every time he believed they were making progress, another problem appeared.

Their wedding is only in a few days.

Why is trouble finding its way now?

But one thing was clear to him.

Lu Tian lowered his hand.

"Xu Long."

Across the office, Xu Long looked up from his phone.

"Yes, Boss?"

"Pull back every contract associated with TB Corps."

Xu Long blinked.

For a moment, he wondered whether he had heard correctly.

"TB Corps?"

Lu Tian looked at him.

"Yes."

Xu Long tilted his head.

"But Boss, we only have a few active contracts with them."

He glanced toward his laptop.

"Most are minor partnerships. Nothing particularly important, but withdrawing now would be rather sudden."

Lu Tian remained silent.

Xu Long continued cautiously.

"May I ask why the sudden—"

His words stopped.

Only then did he notice the expression on his boss’s face.

The coldness in Lu Tian’s eyes was unmistakable.

It was not the irritation he displayed when another company failed to meet expectations.

Nor was it the displeasure he showed when someone made a costly mistake.

This was different.

Dangerously different.

Xu Long immediately straightened.

"I’ll have it done right away."

Lu Tian gave a faint nod.

Xu Long returned to his laptop.

He had no idea what Ning Xingyu had done.

But judging by his boss’s expression, the man had crossed a line he should never have approached.

And Xu Long had no intention of asking which one.

His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard as he began reviewing the contracts.

Behind his desk, Lu Tian sat in silence.

His anger had not subsided.

’How dare he?’

Ning Xingyu knew Yue Ling was practically married to him.

The entire business circle knew about their relationship.

And Yue Ling herself had publicly acknowledged their relationship last night.

Yet the man still dared to approach her.

Lu Tian’s jaw clenched.

He knew his wife was beautiful.

He had never been blind to the attention she attracted.

But knowing that and accepting another man’s deliberate pursuit were two entirely different things.

For one unreasonable moment, he wondered whether there was any way to stop other men from looking at her altogether.

The thought was absurd.

He knew it.

Yue Ling was not someone to be hidden away from the world.

Nor would he ever ask her to change herself simply because other men lacked restraint.

But that did little to ease the possessive irritation burning beneath his calm exterior.

He leaned back in his chair.

’Mrs. Lu, you really don’t know how much trouble your beauty causes me.’

Before his thoughts could deepen, his phone began ringing.

Lu Tian glanced at the screen.

The name made his expression soften immediately.

’My Heart.’

He answered before the second ring.

"Hello?"

A familiar laugh sounded from the other end.

"Did I interrupt something?"

The sound of her voice eased some of the tension in his chest.

"No."

"Really?"

"Mm."

Yue Ling chuckled.

"How’s work?"

Lu Tian glanced around his office.

The scattered documents.

The open files.

The photographs he had just closed.

And Xu Long, who was now working with unusual speed on the other side of the room.

He sighed quietly.

"The same as every other day."

It was not entirely a lie.

There were always problems requiring his attention.

But today, those problems involved a danger that had been following his wife for years.

And he still did not know how to stop it.

A familiar guilt stirred within him.

He pushed it aside.

"How was lunch?"

The question came naturally.

But he listened more carefully than usual.

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Only a fraction of a second.

"It was good," Yue Ling answered. "Ya’Er and I had a lot to catch up on."

Lu Tian’s gaze lowered.

"That’s good."

"She also seems to have gotten some interesting ideas from our conversation."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of ideas?"

Yue Ling laughed softly.

"Let’s just say Xu Long might have a surprise waiting for him in the future."

Lu Tian glanced toward his assistant.

Xu Long remained focused on his laptop, completely unaware that his name had entered the conversation.

A faint smile touched Lu Tian’s lips.

"Should I be concerned?"

"Not for yourself."

"Then I suppose I should warn him."

"Don’t."

Her answer came so quickly that he chuckled.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to see what happens."

Lu Tian shook his head.

His wife could be surprisingly mischievous when she wanted to be.

For a moment, the conversation felt wonderfully ordinary.

Then Yue Ling spoke again.

"Tian..."

He noticed the subtle change in her voice.

"Mm?"

"There’s something I need to tell you."

Lu Tian straightened without realizing it.

His fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

"What is it?"

His thoughts immediately returned to Zhao Ya’Er’s message.

’Ning Xingyu?’

Was she finally going to mention the encounter?

He wanted to ask.

But he held back.

If Yue Ling intended to tell him, he would let her do so in her own way.

A quiet sigh sounded through the receiver.

"It’s better if I tell you later at home."

Lu Tian frowned.

"At home?"

"Mm."

"Is something wrong?"

There was another brief pause.

"Nothing I can’t handle."

Her answer did little to reassure him.

Lu Tian rubbed his forehead.

He knew that tone.

It was the same calm confidence Yue Ling displayed whenever she had already decided how to deal with something.

And while he admired that strength, it sometimes made him wish she would allow him to shoulder more of her burdens.

"Mrs. Lu."

"Yes?"

"If something is troubling you, you can tell me."

Her voice softened.

"I know."

He remained quiet.

Then she added, "I promise I’ll explain everything tonight."

Lu Tian closed his eyes briefly.

"All right."

He would wait.

He trusted her.

Whatever she wanted to tell him, he would hear it from her first.

The two continued talking for a few more minutes.

Yue Ling reminded him not to skip eating.

Lu Tian returned the reminder, earning another soft laugh from her.

Eventually, she mentioned that she needed to return to work.

"Don’t work too hard," she told him.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"That should be my line."

"Then consider us even."

"Mm."

"I’ll see you tonight."

"I’ll be waiting."

The call ended.

Lu Tian kept the phone against his ear for another second before lowering it.

His gaze lingered on the darkened screen.

For the first time that afternoon, he found himself wishing the hours would pass more quickly.

He wanted to go home.

Wanted to see his wife.

Wanted to hear whatever she had been holding back.

Perhaps he should have kept insisting on driving her to work that morning.

At least then, they would have spent more time together.

And perhaps she would not have encountered Ning Xingyu.

He exhaled slowly.

Of course, he knew he could not prevent every unpleasant encounter in her life.

Yue Ling was more than capable of handling herself.

But knowing that did not make it easier to remain at a distance when something concerned her.

Lu Tian set his phone down.

He leaned back in his chair, staring toward the ceiling.

His thoughts drifted from Ning Xingyu back to Choi Li Sun.

Two different men.

Two different problems.

Both somehow circling the woman he loved.

His expression grew cold again.

"Boss."

Xu Long’s voice interrupted the silence.

Lu Tian lowered his gaze.

His assistant was no longer typing.

Instead, Xu Long held his phone in one hand. It seemed he had just finished taking a call Lu Tian did not realize had happened.

The expression on his face was unusual.

A mixture of disbelief, confusion, and something close to alarm.

Lu Tian straightened.

"What is it?"

Xu Long slowly lowered the phone.

For a moment, he seemed uncertain how to begin.

Then he looked directly at his boss.

"They found Liu Peng."

The office fell silent.

Lu Tian’s expression changed.

The man involved in Ji Jingxu’s kidnapping.

The man who had escaped after Red Militant’s downfall.

The man who had repeatedly slipped through their grasp.

The man whose survival had raised more questions than answers.

Liu Peng.

Lu Tian’s eyes narrowed.

"Where?"

Xu Long swallowed.

His grip tightened around the phone.

Then he spoke.

"Boss... there’s something else."

Lu Tian’s gaze sharpened.

"What?"

Xu Long hesitated.

Whatever he had just heard was clearly not what he had expected.

And for the first time that afternoon, even his usual composure seemed to falter.

He drew a breath.

"Wolf Team found him..."

His voice trailed off.

Lu Tian’s expression turned dangerously cold.

"Xu Long."

The warning in his voice was enough.

Xu Long straightened.

Then he delivered the words that had left him stunned.

"But they’re saying Liu Peng wasn’t hiding."

A heavy silence settled over the office.

Xu Long looked at his boss.

"He was found dead."