After the empress transmigrated, she became the judge of the entertainment industry.

“Don’t say ‘but’,” Ye Sanqing said. “If you have any conditions, just say them.”

“That’s right, I think it’s come to this point, and there’s no point in keeping us in suspense any longer,” Sheng Hanyu added.

“It’s not that I want to keep you in suspense, nor that I don’t want to be direct,” Lu Wangshen glanced at Lu Mingye for some reason, “I have no evidence for this.”

Sheng Hanyu asked in surprise, "Is there anything in this world that you don't have evidence for?!"

"Big brother, am I omniscient and omnipotent?" Lu Wangshen said with some dissatisfaction. "If I were that powerful, I wouldn't need your help. I could take down Lu Wangqian on my own."

“If you have a guess, just say it. Why are you looking at me?” Lu Mingye asked.

Even though he knew Lu Wangshen very well, he still couldn't understand the meaning behind Lu Wangshen's glance just now.

"Then let me make an irresponsible guess, what do you think..." Lu Wangshen paused and then emphasized, "...whether Zou Tianming was also part of the combo?"

“Why… Oh.” Sheng Hanyu nodded first, but then immediately added, “This kind of arrangement isn’t impossible, but the risk is too great.”

“It’s normal for the risk to be high, if their real target is the Lu family.” Lu Wangshen smiled slightly.

"Actually... never mind. You're right." After pondering for a while, Ye Sanqing decided not to say it.

This setup isn't too complicated; it's almost a classic "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" structure. She's used more complex setups before, with even longer timelines.

"To put it another way, perhaps the original target was only the Zou family, and only after succeeding did they discover that there were spoils to exploit. It was just a side benefit," Lu Wangshen added.

"Taking it one step at a time, that's quite realistic," Sheng Hanyu said.

"Don't talk like that," Lu Mingye frowned. "Besides, I don't like his type. If you're going to target me, why not find someone more suitable?"

"Do you think there are many Fu Sizhous in the world?" Lu Wangshen mocked.

“You…I…” Lu Mingye’s hand trembled.

"If you can't hold your phone, you can put it on a stand," Ye Sanqing suggested kindly.

"Just don't be angry with me, Lu Wangshen," Lu Mingye said, stabilizing his breathing. "It's not impossible that he's targeting me; this kind of thing has happened before. But shouldn't we at least do the most basic thing of catering to his preferences?"

“And there’s another problem,” Sheng Hanyu said. “If we’re just looking for someone to get close to and curry favor with Lu Mingye, why does it have to be Zou Tianming? There must be something special about him.”

“I think so too,” Ye Sanqing said. “Why not just find someone? I believe that as long as there is a benefit, we will find someone.”

“Then I can only offer my conjecture,” Lu Wangshen said. “Do you know, there’s an urban legend? About a certain secret family… that one.”

"..." Sheng Hanyu and Ye Sanqing exchanged a glance.

Before they realized how complicated the matter was, they hadn't made this connection, because at first glance it seemed like just a trick targeting the Zou family.

But if it gets connected to the Lu family...

This is no longer just a matter of plot power.

If it's that family, then the suspicious things they found on Ye Wanyin before do fit that style; the wiring wasn't just a few years ago, but more than a decade ago.

Moreover, it's still within their knowledge, meaning it could take longer and involve more covert methods.

"Then I must ask, was he deliberately not dodging?" Ye Sanqing immediately asked sharply.

If Zou Tianming's mission is to inevitably become entangled with Lu Mingye, then it's true that money can't guarantee someone will come, because there's a risk of disfigurement, which now seems to have indeed happened.

People who are willing to do this kind of thing are usually those who care about their appearance.

"I don't know," Lu Mingye shook his head.

He wasn't there either.

But as expected... things around him were not so simple.

“That’s what I suspected, but I heard he was seriously injured.” Lu Wangshen continued, seemingly unconcerned, “Of course, if this is also a scheme…”

For him, it was perfectly normal to inflict 800 damage on the enemy while losing 1000 of his own; otherwise, he wouldn't have made contact with Ye Wanyin.

"Lu Wangshen, I really have something to tell you," Sheng Hanyu said after giving Ye Sanqing a questioning look.

"Your tone suggests something is not good."

“Because this conspiracy is so vast, you’ve connected it to this reclusive family… I’m suggesting that you might also be implicated,” Sheng Hanyu said.

He wasn't quite sure whether to tell Lu Wangshen about this, because Lu Wangshen's position was...delicate.

Moreover, Lu Wangshen's tone just now suggested that he somewhat admired this method, so it's hard to guarantee that he won't run to join the other side after hearing it.

However, since Ye Sanqing has made this decision, he will go along with the explanation.

"Why? How could you do that? I'm not Lu Mingye." Lu Wangshen was taken aback.

"Do you even have to say something to me at a time like this?" Lu Mingye asked.

"Do you know that Ye Wanyin has someone backing her?" Ye Sanqing asked directly.

“Although it’s inappropriate for someone of your status to say this, because you are you, I won’t think in that direction,” Lu Wangshen said directly.

Because of the antagonistic relationship between Ye Sanqing and Ye Wanyin, they would have to think twice if someone else were involved. But who is Ye Sanqing?

She wouldn't stoop to spreading rumors about Ye Wanyin, so what she said must be true.

"How so?" Lu Mingye asked curiously. "Isn't she being supported by our so-called 'big brother'?"

“I have no evidence either,” Ye Sanqing said bluntly, “but there are indeed signs that she has been manipulated.”

"What you're describing sounds a bit scary," Lu Wangshen said.

"Don't ask me the specifics. If you want to know, just see if Ye Wanyin falls after Lu Wangqian falls," Ye Sanqing said.

She could share some information, but she couldn't tell the other party everything that had happened before; just stating the conclusions and verification methods would suffice.

“…That’s true, it’s the most convenient and quickest method.” Lu Wangshen said after a brief moment of thought, “Oh no, I’ve been tricked. I need to clear the data.”

“Sometimes you really should consider yourself before you do things,” Lu Mingye said. “What I might encounter, you might also encounter.”

Lu Wangshen sneered, "You mean me?"

“Yes, I was talking about you, so what? At least I won’t… cause any consequences.” Lu Mingye’s eyes shifted downwards.

"Ah."

"Alright," Ye Sanqing mediated again. "Lu Wangshen, you clean up the mess. That's enough for today."

"I understand." Lu Wangshen said in an unfriendly tone, then hung up the call.

"What do you think?" Sheng Hanyu asked.