Deadly Trap

Chapter 97. The Three Kingdoms
Minzhou. March 1st. Sunny soon.

The sun shone brightly and intensely. On the stone-paved driveway, a deep green Bentley Mulsanne moved slowly, circling halfway counter-clockwise around the central mirror pool, finally coming to a stop before the layers of stone steps. The spacious atrium was surrounded by walls on three sides. The car doors opened wide, and Sheng Chunqiu ascended the steps.

Unexpectedly, unexpectedly. The final meeting of the three parties vying for supremacy was actually held at the guesthouse attached to the Minzhou Municipal Government. This is truly audacious.

Indeed, despite being a major metropolis, Minzhou is a difficult place to find a neutral location untouched by the three powers.

With a confident and steady gait, Sheng Chunqiu ascended the stairs, but his mind was churning with anxiety, gradually sinking deeper into turmoil. Upon reaching the entrance of the guesthouse, he had no choice but to dismiss his assistants and bodyguards.

Going to the meeting alone was, after all, Sheng Chunqiu's insistence.

Relying on the power of the four major conglomerates, in Minzhou, anyone who dared to lay a hand on Sheng Chunqiu would be tantamount to shaking the entire city. But when it comes to dirty work like stabbing someone in the back, he is ultimately just a legitimate conglomerate. He doesn't have as many scapegoats as Tang Quan and Gu Mufeng can send out.

The guesthouse, a historical gem, is located in the city center, separated from the city hall gardens, and was only used to receive foreign guests. Now, it sits vacant and quietly hidden away on ordinary days.

Even so, as soon as Sheng Chunqiu stepped through the gate, the city's strict regulations required him to be searched first.

His attitude couldn't be more resistant. Sheng Chunqiu was extremely arrogant, allowing himself to be touched inside and out, yet he could only awkwardly comply.
He didn't have any vulgar hobbies involving guns and sticks. But if these low-level gatekeepers could search a desperate fugitive like Tang Quan more thoroughly and closely, then they would feel more at ease.

Trying to reassure himself that it was just a negotiation, Sheng Chunqiu was completely alone. When he arrived at the door of the meeting room he had arranged on the second floor, he still couldn't help but hesitate.

"...Mr. Tang."

At the far end of the conference room, Tang Quan, dressed in a jet-black suit, had a scarlet handkerchief peeking out from his pocket, one foot braced against the round table in the large conference room.

Three chairs were arranged around the round table, evenly spaced; Tang Quan was already seated firmly in the center opposite the door.

As usual, he was completely at ease and in control.

Upon hearing Sheng Chunqiu's greeting, Tang Quan merely tilted his head slightly, his chin naturally raised. Sunlight illuminated his chiseled, cold profile. A naturally aloof and unrestrained smile played on his lips. Without moving an inch, Tang Quan remained firmly seated.

"Mr. Sheng."

Finally, Tang Quan spoke. He smiled warmly, his voice like the deep sea, his aura chilling everyone to the bone.

"Morning."

"It's good morning, Mr. Tang." Sheng Chunqiu said in response, but did not sit down.

Since his meeting with Gu Mufeng at Shengshi Liyong headquarters, he had been avoiding Tang Quan for a long time. Now face to face again, Sheng Chunqiu seemingly unintentionally bypassed Tang Quan at the conference table. He strolled to the window. The mansion-style windows were tall and wide, illuminating the entire courtyard from the entrance.

Today, all three parties are unarmed and unarmed, so the situation should be evenly matched. Sheng Chunqiu felt he had no reason to fear Tang Quan anymore.
“Mr. Tang, like father, like son. Your son is young, but he has a big mouth and keeps us two elders waiting here.”

On the other side, Tang Quan remained unperturbed, his feet propped on the table, seemingly unconcerned:

"Even if they're young, they're still one of the four major conglomerates."

There is something in this.

Sheng Chunqiu remained expressionless: "Mr. Tang, I don't understand what you're saying."

"Oh?" Tang Quan deliberately spoke slowly, idly toying with his fingers, "Didn't you already decide to support that child as the successor of the Gu family?"

Unable to contain himself, Sheng Chunqiu blurted out a cold snort: "Who said—"

"Play dumb." Tang Quan said calmly, turning the conversation back on track. He coughed lightly.

"He's the Gu family's grandson. Even if they're willing to hand over the family fortune to you, what are you? An agent? A servant? A watchdog?"

The sneer was undisguised.

"...To usurp someone's position, one needs to be in the open and the other in the shadows." As he spoke, Tang Quan covered his face with his hands. "If he's not in the shadows, you can't be in the open. This brat is young, but he's playing you."

More like a joke, Tang Quan tossed the word "joke" aside. At the window, Sheng Chunqiu felt a sudden jolt, but he didn't answer.

Just then, beneath the high window, following Sheng Chunqiu's heavy gaze, the black Maybach drove smoothly, circled the central mirror pool, and came to a steady stop in front of the steps.

"This isn't it," Sheng Chunqiu exclaimed in surprise, but he was absolutely certain he wasn't mistaken. "The Gu family's car? Could it be that Gu Zhipei is here too?"

But the person who stepped out of the car against the wind was not Gu Zhipei.

When Gu Mufeng finally strode into the conference room, Tang Quan and Sheng Chunqiu had already taken their respective corners and sat down steadily.

Neither of them made a move to get up when he appeared at the door. Tang Quan remained seated, only lazily lifting his thin eyelids; while Sheng Chunqiu's cheerful greeting remained unchanged, still bearing his usual forced smile.
"Mr. Gu, it's been a long time. You've kept us waiting. It's a shame the Gu family's old house is so remote, crammed into a mountain valley. It's only been a year, and you look completely different. You had to go all the way from the Gu family home to come all this way?" It truly had been a long time. His face, framed by strands of gray hair, remained unchanged; compared to Sheng Chunqiu and Tang Quan present, he was undeniably much younger and more impetuous.

Gu Mufeng gave a half-smile.

The deep sapphire blue three-piece suit fit his beautiful figure perfectly, exuding charisma. The white shirt was aloof and thin, with the collar casually slightly open, revealing his long neck and further accentuating his cool, almond-shaped eyes, which seemed untouched by worldly affairs.

After taking a few steps forward, Gu Mufeng simply pulled out the last remaining seat on the outside and sat down frankly.

Gu Mufeng's smile was unfathomable.
"President Sheng has a good eye."

Just as he sat comfortably with a beaming smile, Gu Mufeng spoke with complete ease and comfort: "Since we're going to share the Gu family's profits, someone has to represent the Gu family, right?"

Upon hearing Gu Mufeng state that he represented the Gu family, Sheng Chunqiu's face turned noticeably pale.

Before Sheng Chunqiu could speak again, Tang Quan, at the other end of the conference table, leaned back and spoke first in a low voice:
"Now that the three families are present, let's skip the roundabout ways and be frank. How about we start by having Mr. Gu notarize that he is relinquishing his inheritance rights to the Gu family?"

"If Mr. Gu is sensible, I will make the decision for Xinglong Club."

Almost silently, Tang Quan coughed lightly: "The gray area... from now on, we'll consider it a closed case."

"Mr. Tang is anxious."

Across from him, Gu Mufeng still smiled inscrutably, but his fingers were clasped together, and he remained unmoved: "How can we not listen to President Sheng's opinion on such an important matter?"

With a few deft moves, Sheng Chunqiu saw Gu Mufeng throw the question at him. Even though he never wanted to make a public statement, he now had no way out.

"Mr. Tang, Mr. Gu."

Neither humble nor arrogant, Sheng Chunqiu spoke, first maintaining a level playing field:

"I, as an outsider, will not interfere in your father-son feud. But in the business and financial circles of Minzhou, is it not presumptuous of me, the Chamber of Commerce President, to act as a fully authorized representative?"

With just a few words, Sheng Chunqiu firmly secured his leading position once again.

"The affairs of the Gu family are the affairs of the Minzhou business district. The four major families are closely related. If the financial groups are unstable, there is no point in talking about the Minzhou economy."

"The Sheng and Gu families have been related by marriage for half a century, and I am an elder. Both in terms of sentiment and reason, the Sheng family is entitled to at least half."

"As for the group's decision-making power... I, Sheng, have been in the business world for a long time, so I can only do more work and bear the hardship without hesitation."

With tiger claws, Sheng Chunqiu firmly pressed his two large hands onto the table. He glanced to the left and right:
"Gentlemen, what are your plans?"

Hearing Sheng Chunqiu's high-sounding words, even bringing up seniority and business experience, Gu Mufeng couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. This old fox, Sheng Chunqiu, was clearly trying to provoke him into opening his mouth so they could discuss further terms.

Whether it's splitting the profits in half or taking control of the Gu family business, Sheng Chunqiu had already made a deal with Tang Quan. The question of "what are your plans?" was clearly only directed at him.

But Sheng Chunqiu wasn't excessive enough.

Unperturbed, Gu Mufeng raised his right hand, each finger like a sword:
Gu only has three things to do:
"First, Gu Jiaquan's entire property will be given away; "
"Second, the decision-making power of the Gu family's Qiansui Hualong Group shall be divided equally among the actual shares, with each person holding half."
"three--"

With a calm and decisive tone, he raised his third slender finger. On his ring finger, the pigeon-blood red ring shone brightly and dazzlingly.

As if roused by the sudden light, Tang Quan made his first noticeable movement: his starry eyes gripped the ring, involuntarily locking onto it and narrowing. His usually youthful, cold face suddenly showed a deep frown, his eyebrows raised.

At the same time, Gu Mufeng's gaze was also fixed on Tang Quan:

Third, Mr. Tang withdrew from the Xinglong Society and left Minzhou.

>>>>>
Next Chapter: Traitors and Scoundrels
[The author says]

Thank you all for sticking with me this far. These past few days, my editor has been urging me to try and climb the charts, and now that we're reaching the finale, I'm really going to miss it. So, for these last few chapters, I'll be switching back to one update per day, hoping to be able to share this with you all a little longer.

In return, the author will release approximately six bonus chapters to make up for it, and will also answer all questions in the comments section. Feel free to leave comments about what kind of bonus chapters you'd like to see; the author will try their best to accommodate all your ideas. Those with high monthly pass votes and those who actively donate will be given priority!

Thank you to every reader for your support and love!

>>>>>【Chapter Ninety-Seven】Divider>>>>>
Three parties, each seemingly with their own agenda, are dividing the world into three.

Can these three people really reach an agreement?