Sea City, West District.
Qin Shiyao's SUV was driving on the asphalt road.
Su Ci sat in the passenger seat, while Qin Shiyao was in the driver's seat.
With the mission assigned by Wen Lingshan at hand, Qin Shiyao knew the weight and urgency of the matter; practicing the breathing technique could wait. Meanwhile, she wanted to see if she could find any clues regarding Cheng Mingliang's case.
Jiang Su and Lan Wanting were intensifying their practice of the breathing technique back at the villa.
Outside the car window, the buildings on both sides of the road still retained the style of the last century. Exposed bricks were covered in green moss, and the cracks in the walls were shocking. One conspicuous 'Demolish' character after another proclaimed their fate of being torn down.
The air was filled with the scent of decay and age.
Sea City is a coastal city with ports scattered along the coastline. It is also the terminus of the Changbai River, the largest river in Eastern Brightness, boasting developed water transportation.
Compared to the North, East, and South districts, the West District's geographical location was somewhat awkward. It was at a disadvantage in terms of transportation, making it the last of the four directions to undergo renewal.
The wealthy families established in Sea City had set their roots in the North, South, and East over a decade ago. They had no interest in the West District, which allowed Cheng Mingliang to pick up a huge bargain.
Now, this bargain was firmly held in Su Ci's hands.
Looking at the zero-compensation predatory terms drafted by Lan Wanting, along with the signature and thumbprint of Party B, 'Cheng Mingliang,' Su Ci felt very pleased.
After all, Cheng Mingliang had already invested over four billion into it; this was practically picking it up for free.
However, this also presented Su Ci with a problem.
The project plan for this land in the West District was essentially for commercial use, covering about 2.5 square kilometers.
The land was so vast that it was more than enough for the three projects Su Ci was about to undertake.
Attracting investment became very necessary; only then could a profit be made.
Su Ci couldn't help but look at Qin Shiyao, who was focusing on driving. The Qin Family was a huge piece of meat; if they could get involved, there would be no more worries.
Noticing Su Ci's gaze, Qin Shiyao asked without taking her eyes off the road, "Is something the matter?"
"I wonder if your Qin Family would be interested in moving into the West District?"
Qin Shiyao was visibly stunned for a moment upon hearing this. After thinking it over, she said, "I am an Inspector now; I don't manage the family's affairs."
After a pause, as if remembering something, she continued, "If Miss Su just wants to attract investment, with your vision and influence, you shouldn't have to worry.
However, my younger brother mentioned to me a few days ago that the Qin Family is planning to start a new project, but it hasn't been finalized yet. If Miss Su needs it, I still have some say in the matter."
"I do, I definitely do."
Su Ci quickly followed up: "My influence is limited to the medical industry. Moving into other industries would only attract small-time players, who can't compare to your Qin Family."
"Miss Su is joking. If you were to reveal your identity, I'm sure many prominent families would come flocking to you."
Su Ci extended a finger and wagged it: "That would be no fun."
She naturally understood what Qin Shiyao meant.
But the original owner of this body had never considered revealing her identity when she came to Sea City to develop.
Neither did she.
Making her identity public would be no different from exposing her trump cards in the middle of her confrontation with Ye Chen.
Su Ci didn't dare gamble on whether Ye Chen, upon learning her identity, would launch an offensive against her according to the original plot or flee abroad to hide and develop slowly.
After all, the butterfly's wings had already flapped, and the future was now uncertain.
Just then, Su Ci caught an inadvertent glimpse out the window and saw the afterimage of five words carved on a building's gate: 'Qingshan Welfare Institute.'
"Qingshan Welfare Institute."
Su Ci muttered the name, feeling like this place had been mentioned in the novel.
She immediately asked Qin Shiyao to stop the car.
Getting out of the car, Su Ci and Qin Shiyao stood before the gates of the Qingshan Welfare Institute.
On the rusted iron gates, the five words 'Qingshan Welfare Institute' were crooked and teetering. The walls on both sides of the gate were covered in ivy.
Looking inside, it felt as though this place was disconnected from the development of the surrounding area. The exterior walls of the Orphanage were mottled and peeling, with layer after layer of plaster falling off.
The ground inside the courtyard was pitted and uneven. Weeds grew tenaciously from narrow cracks in the walls. The crooked old trees seemed neglected, their branches growing wildly and stretching fresh green shoots out beyond the courtyard.
"Is there no one managing this Orphanage?"
Su Ci asked seemingly casually, though it wasn't clear who she was asking.
"Qingshan Welfare Institute is a privately-run Orphanage. It's managed entirely by an individual, and the authorities aren't responsible for funding. Official institutions once planned to merge it, but they were refused,"
Qin Shiyao explained, a hint of confusion appearing on her face as well:
"Strange, I clearly remember that in recent years, Qingshan Welfare Institute has received individual and collective donations every year, and the amounts were relatively significant. How did it end up like this? There isn't even a gatekeeper."
Su Ci looked at an open space in the Orphanage, where she could vaguely see about twenty figures and a medical vehicle. "We'll know if we go in and ask."
Approaching the open space, they saw two people who looked like Orphanage staff—a man and a woman who appeared to be in their forties or fifties. They were leading a group of children in a line in front of two medical workers, as if they were undergoing a physical exam.
As the footsteps drew closer, everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward the source of the sound.
They saw Su Ci and Qin Shiyao, both formally dressed. Their aura was completely out of place with the surroundings; one could tell at a glance that their identities were not simple.
Seeing someone approach, the male worker stepped forward with a squinting smile. "We have guests. I am Li Changwei, the director of Qingshan Welfare Institute. May I ask what business you two young ladies have?"
His gaze swept back and forth over Su Ci and Qin Shiyao, carrying a faint, prying intent.
This caused Su Ci some physiological discomfort, but for the sake of the Orphanage, she endured it.
Qin Shiyao noticed this as well. She stepped in front of Su Ci and flashed her credentials.
Upon seeing the Inspector's badge, Li Changwei withdrew his gaze, not daring to look further. "I just thought you two ladies looked unfamiliar. My apologies for my rudeness just now."
Su Ci twitched the corner of her mouth without saying a word. Anyone would feel physiological discomfort and become wary when faced with such a searching gaze.
"Are you conducting physical exams?"
Qin Shiyao asked, pointing at the group of children whose eyes were filled with curiosity.
"That's right. For the sake of the children's health, we conduct a comprehensive physical exam for them once a month."
Su Ci nodded. She didn't care about the so-called physical exams, the adults, or the children.
If she hadn't felt that the name Qingshan Welfare Institute sounded familiar, she would never have come to this place.
Now she remembered: Qingshan Welfare Institute could be called the hometown of the Dragon King, Ye Chen.
In the plot, the Orphanage and Ye Chen's childhood were only mentioned briefly.
Ye Chen had been abandoned at Qingshan Welfare Institute before he was even a year old. The only clue to his background was a jade pendant he carried, engraved with the name 'Ye Chen.'
According to the usual tropes of such novels, Ye Chen's background likely involved a family that was once extremely influential in Eastern Brightness.
And in the original owner's memory, there happened to be a family surnamed 'Ye' in the Capital, which had originally stood on equal footing with the four major families of the Capital.
Their patriarch was also a founding-level figure, but was later charged with treason.
The Ye Family was wiped out overnight, and the person who carried out that mission happened to be her 'convenient' grandfather, Su Zhenguo.
If Su Ci wasn't mistaken, given the nature of these trope-filled stories, the plot after the original owner's death would likely involve Ye Chen gradually uncovering the mystery of his birth, learning the truth behind the Ye Family's extermination, then vindicating the Ye Family, destroying the Su Family, and finally living a happy life with women in both arms.
As for whether the Ye Family actually committed treason, she would just have to find a time to ask that grandfather of hers.
However, the answer wasn't important to her.
Given Ye Chen's vindictive personality...
She, Su Ci, would only ever stand on the opposite side of Ye Chen.
Returning to the present, Su Ci looked around and changed the subject, asking, "Are these all the children currently in the Orphanage?"