Rebirth of the Scumbag and the Retribution of the White Lotus

Zhao Shufang felt a chill run down her spine under the man's gaze. Although she had prepared herself mentally, facing an unknown threat still left her feeling a tinge of nervousness. The man had a powerful aura, evidently a veteran of many battles. He felt like an iceberg, calm on the surface, yet harboring a terrifying power within.

The atmosphere in the conference room was unusually depressing. Zhao Shufang adjusted her sitting posture, trying to make herself look calmer, her eyes never leaving the man's smiling yet threatening face.

"What do you mean by these words? What exactly do you want from me?" Her tone was still calm, but with a hint of urgency.

The man didn't answer immediately, but slowly pushed a document from the desk toward her. His movements were slow and measured, as if he wasn't in any rush for an answer. The cover of the document contained only a simple red seal, a stark contrast to the rest of the text. Zhao Shufang's heart skipped a beat, realizing that the document's contents might pertain to the purpose of her visit.

She didn't pick up the document immediately. Instead, she looked up at the man and asked coldly, "Do you think I will believe what you give me? Are those words you just said the reason why you want me to see this document?"

The man smiled with a hint of disdain on his face, "You have to know that some things are not a question of whether you believe it or not, but whether you are qualified to refuse." Although his tone was relaxed, a tough aura revealed between the lines.

Zhao Shufang's heart trembled slightly. She realized this wasn't just a simple conversation, but a psychological test of her limits. She knew she had to remain calm and not reveal any flaws in this situation. Finally, she reached for the document and opened it without hesitation.

The contents of the document shocked her. Though sparsely written, each line revealed a shocking message. She encountered previously inaccessible information, particularly details about Lu Lingyuan that delved into aspects she hadn't even considered. Even more shocking was the document's explicit statement that the "truth" she sought had been meticulously orchestrated for years, and that she was merely a pawn caught in the middle.

A complicated look flashed across Zhao Shufang's eyes, but she quickly suppressed the fluctuations in her heart, calmly folded the document again, and put it back on the table.

"Is this the document you want me to see?" she asked calmly.

The man nodded slightly, his eyes full of meaning. "Yes. You can choose to continue to hide your true feelings and live in your own world, or you can choose to face reality and re-evaluate everything. You always thought that everything you did was for the truth, but have you ever considered that the so-called truth might just be a puzzle someone has woven for you?"

Zhao Shufang's heartbeat quickened slightly, but she remained calm on the surface. "You mean the puzzle? Your chess game? I don't believe anyone can truly control the entire situation."

The man sneered, "You're wrong. It's not me who's in control, it's 'us.'" His words were filled with a hint of meaning. "You think you've gone far, but in fact, you're simply under our control. You just haven't realized it yet."

Zhao Shufang's heart trembled, and she suddenly realized that she seemed to have fallen into a carefully laid trap. She began to seriously consider whether the current situation was no longer a simple personal grudge, but involved a more complex level, even related to the power behind the world she lived in.

"What do you want to tell me?" She finally couldn't help but ask, staring at the man with a cold tone.

The man smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with a hint of coldness. "Tell you what? Tell you that you're already a pawn on our chessboard? Or tell you that every move you make has been planned by us?" He paused, as if observing Zhao Shufang's reaction. "I don't intend to threaten you. I just hope you understand that the current situation is far more complicated than you imagine."

Zhao Shufang took a deep breath and suddenly sneered. "If that's the case, then I'd rather unveil this game sooner rather than later. Do you think I'll be easily threatened by you? You're just trying to stop me, but I'm telling you, now that I've come this far, no threats will make me retreat."

The man's eyes grew slightly colder. "Do you think you can get out of this situation so easily? You're wrong, Zhao Shufang. You're just an outsider, and you've lost the opportunity to choose."

Zhao Shufang's heart trembled, her eyes flickering slightly as countless thoughts raced through her mind. She knew the situation before her was no longer simple. This wasn't just a secret about Lu Lingyuan; there were potentially more forces and interests at stake, and she was just a passing figure, perhaps even a pawn being used.

She was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "I understand everything you've said. But I still believe everyone has the right to make their own choices." Her tone was firm, "No matter how complicated your chess game becomes, I won't back down."

The man stared at her, seemingly hanging on her every word. "In that case, let's see how far you can go," he sneered. "But be careful. If you go too far, you might fall even deeper."

Zhao Shufang remained unmoved, stood up, and walked straight to the door. "Since you think I'm going to fall even deeper, let's wait and see."

Just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at the man. "By the way, I'd like to know, what makes you so confident that I will compromise with you?"

The man raised an eyebrow slightly, as if a little surprised by her reaction, but still responded calmly: "Do you think the order of this city is impeccable? Do you think everything you control can really escape our eyes? You are just a part of the game, and we have seen through it all."

Zhao Shufang said nothing more and turned to leave. She had mixed feelings, but she knew that the man before her represented something far more terrifying than she had initially anticipated.

As Zhao Shufang walked out of the conference room, she took a deep breath, her mind replaying the man's words. Although she understood that she might be just a pawn on the chessboard, she also knew that as long as she was alive, she had a chance to turn the tables.

She won't give up easily. This game has just begun.