Chapter 1694: Mastermind Behind the Scenes
“Targeting you?” Lu Yuan frowned. “Are you sure your ident.i.ty hasn’t been exposed? Do they really dare to target you?!”
Huo Shaoheng calmly replied, “The Qin family has been planning this for a long time.” On the day of the explosion at the revolving restaurant, He Zhichu found a Soviet sniper on the roof of the building opposite the restaurant, as well as a Soviet-made weapon. “It was obvious that this was to draw the blame for the explosion at the revolving restaurant onto the Soviets.”
“And I also announced publicly that I was pursuing Nianzhi. Nianzhi’s relations.h.i.+p with the Qin family is very poor, so this barely gives me a motive to deal with the Qin family.”
“There’s such a thing?!” Lu Yuan was very shocked. “He Zhichu probably didn’t believe that it had anything to do with you, right?”
“He Zhichu isn’t that stupid. But the most important thing is that they didn’t expect me to be there when the explosion happened. If I had really done it, would I have planted a bomb next to me?”
“To say the least, if I had really done it, and I had been there as well, no one from the Qin family would have been able to leave the revolving restaurant alive.”
Huo Shaoheng’s eyes were stern and his expression was cold when he said that. His tone was unquestionable.
Lu Yuan also believed that Huo Shaoheng had the ability, but that was not the point. He said sternly, “You have to restrain yourself. This is not our motherland. What do they want to get by going against a Soviet diplomat?”
Huo Shaoheng’s eyes flashed as if he had been enlightened. He suddenly understood how the other party had attacked.
“It looks as if their real goal should be to pave the way for the infrasonic weapon.”
“From the explosion, to Qin Baye being injured, to Qin Yaoguang being released from prison to guide the surgery, to He Zhichu being injured by the infrasound weapons, step by step, they lured everyone’s attention away from Nianzhi.”
“No wonder Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi have been so confident ever since He Zhichu was unconscious. In fact, they were already confident.”
“Of course, they can heal the injuries they caused.”
“When He Zhichu wakes up, they will take the opportunity to reveal the secret room and the infrasound weapons. This way, they can naturally pin the blame on the Soviet KGB. He Chengjian and He Zhichu know very well who I am.”
This was a trap that led them from shallow to deep and gradually to the clues of the KGB, in which Peter Huo Shaoheng was the trump card of the Far East.
Lu Yuan sucked in a breath of cold air. “You mean, their goals are not just Nianzhi and you?!”
“There must be the brains behind the scheme.” Huo Shaoheng told him everything he had been thinking and speculating about for the past few days.
“At that time, He Zhichu, who was injured by infrasound, was saved by Qin Yaoguang. He must be under their control.”
“Then, they just need to pin the blame for He Zhichu’s injury on the Far East Ace, Peter. With how much He Chengjian loves his son, what do you think he will do?” Huo Shaoheng used the slender knife in his hand to cut a shallow line on the log-colored beech chopping board.
Lu Yuan took off his plastic gloves and rested his hands on the table. He lowered his head and thought for a while, he said, “With He Chengjian’s character, it’s not impossible for him to kill Peter at the very least, and at the very most, shed all decorum with the Soviet Union, expel the diplomats, and eventually develop into an armed conflict…”
“Yes.” Huo Shaoheng’s eyes darkened even more. “If I were the mastermind behind the scheme, I would predict the outcome of the operation like this.”
“For them, the best outcome would be for Huaxia and the Soviet Union to fall out, and return to the period of armies of Huaxia and the Soviet Union facing each other in the last century. It would even be possible for a military confrontation to lead to a border war.”
Lu Yuan nodded and followed up with an a.n.a.lysis, “If this goal is not achieved, then the lesser outcome would be He Chengjian killing Peter. You said that Peter’s ident.i.ty is the trump card of the Soviet KGB in the Far East.”
“Once Peter dies, the Huaxia agents in the Soviet Union, will be caught by the KGB in one fell swoop and killed in the cruelest way. Even though this will not result in an open armed conflict, the amount of blood shed on the hidden front will not be any less than an open armed conflict.”
Huo Shaoheng took a deep breath and nodded. He used his long knife to draw a triangle on the chopping board. “To them, the even lesser result is that Peter won’t be killed, but expelled by He Chengjian, never able to step foot into Huaxia for the rest of his life.”
“This way, Peter and He Zhichu will be kept away from Nianzhi. On the surface, Nianzhi will be isolated and helpless. No one will truly protect her.”
Lu Yuan looked at the triangle drawn by Huo Shaoheng. He pursed his lips and a glint flashed in his eyes. He said coldly, “This is quite a scheme. It’s a pity that they didn’t predict that Gu Xiangwen was not dead. Besides, Gu Xiangwen has me, Huo Guanyuan, by his side.”
Gu Xiangwen was Lu Jin, and Huo Guanyuan was Lu Yuan.
Lu Jin had an outstanding IQ. Just the n.o.bel prizes he had won were enough to span the fields of biomedical science and high-energy physics. He was also skilled in computer technology and machinery manufacturing.
Lu Yuan had been the most outstanding intelligence officer in the military for decades. Although he had been hiding in this world for more than a decade, he had never abandoned his professionalism.
“Yes, even if Nianzhi doesn’t have the support of He Zhichu and me, she still has you and Lu Jin.” Huo Shaoheng smiled. “The other side hasn’t been able to know all of us, so it’s impossible for them to win every battle.”
Lu Yuan smiled and glared at him. “Don’t flatter me.”
He picked up his knife and started to cut the braised dish. He said, “Also, since the other side was able to design a game to the level of a country-to-country relations.h.i.+p, their vision is no longer limited to clan feuds and romantic relations.h.i.+ps. This person has big plans.”
Huo Shaoheng nodded. “But I’m more inclined towards these consequences. It’s just a side effect of their pursuit of their ultimate goal.”
In other words, their main goal was not to provoke a fight between Huaxia and the Soviet Union, but to achieve their own goals while also doing it at the same time.
If they could provoke the fight, it would be great, but if they couldn’t, it would also be OK.
Lu Yuan suddenly raised his head to look at Huo Shaoheng. “Their ultimate goal? Is it really Nianzhi?!”
Huo Shaoheng nodded solemnly. “That’s the only explanation.”
“… Who is the mastermind behind all this?” Lu Yuan muttered, “I’ve been here for more than ten years. I know quite a few people in the upper echelons of the political and military circles, as well as in the business world. The most outstanding person in the academic world is Lu Jin.The most outstanding person in the military is He Chengjian, and the most outstanding person in the political world is Xie Beichen. They all have the ability to plan, but they don’t have the motivation to do so.”
Huo Shaoheng curled his lips slightly and teased, “… You didn’t say who the most outstanding business figure is. Maybe it’s this person.”
“Get lost!” Lu Yuan couldn’t help kicking him and pointing at himself. “The most outstanding business figure is preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner in this kitchen. He doesn’t have the motivation to do so!”
Huo Shaoheng couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
His voice was deep and magnetic. When he smiled, he was especially charming.
…
Gu Nianzhi took a shower and changed into a spring festival suit that Lu Jin had prepared for her. It was a custom-made winter dress from Chanel.
Lu Jin sent Gu Nianzhi’s measurements to Chanel’s custom-made department. It was a tailor-made dress for her.
The dress was made of high-quality wool, with a short doll’s skirt with red and black stripes in herringbone. There were six silver-white copper b.u.t.tons on the chest, and the waist line was slightly higher. Paired with Chanel’s custom-made red calf leather boots, it made her legs look even longer.
She really looked like an extremely cute and delicate Barbie doll.
Gu Nianzhi liked the dress very much. After putting it on, she looked at herself in the mirror and let her hair down. The hair dryer quickly made a few large curls and draped them over her back. Finally, she applied some light pink lip gloss, instantly brightening up her entire face.
She walked out of the bedroom happily and walked around the living room. She found that there was no one there. Even Lu Jin did not there. She didn’t know where he had gone.
Only a deep and magnetic laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen.
Gu Nianzhi’s heart skipped a beat.
This was Huo Shaoheng’s original voice that was music to others’ ears .
Gu Nianzhi didn’t know what to say.
Did he really think that she couldn’t recognize his original voice and he could release his feelings completely?
Or did he think that no one else could recognize him except for Gu Nianzhi who wasn’t beside him, so he didn’t need to disguise his voice?
Gu Nianzhi’s mischievous mind began to work and she tiptoed toward the kitchen.
Walking out of the living room carpet, she looked down at the hardwood floor beneath her feet and at her long boots. There was no way to hide the sound of her footsteps.
She took off her boots and walked barefoot towards the kitchen.
Huo Shaoheng’s laughter had stopped when she reached the kitchen door. He tilted his head and faced the kitchen door. His whole body was relaxed as he spoke to Lu Yuan with a smile.
Lu Yuan’s back was facing the kitchen door. He didn’t slow down cutting the vegetables with the knife in his hand.
Gu Nianzhi was a little puzzled.
When did Huo Shaoheng become so familiar with Lu Yuan?
Moreover, he did not seem to be on guard at all. Looking at him, she found it unbelievable.
It did not look like they had only known for less than a month.
There was an unspeakable rapport and familiarity between them.
Gu Nianzhi thought of Lu Yuan’s Fried Rice with Three Ingredients.
What a familiar taste.
Gu Nianzhi couldn’t help swallowing her saliva.
Huo Shaoheng suddenly noticed a tall and slender figure at the kitchen door.
He looked up naturally and smiled. “Miss Gu, are you done showering? What a beautiful dress.”
He put down the long knife in his hand, wiped his hands with a tissue, and walked over to her.
Gu Nianzhi smiled very naturally as well. “I just finished showering and I’m famished. I came to the kitchen to find something to eat.”
She complained again, “I don’t know where my dad went. I told him to find me something to eat after I showered, but in the end, he was nowhere to be seen.”
Huo Shaoheng looked at her attentively and saw that there was no flaw in her expression. Even he couldn’t tell what she was thinking, so he felt a little disappointed.
Lu Yuan turned around and was also surprised by Gu Nianzhi’s outfit today. He smiled and said, “Your dad has good taste. This outfit does look good on you.”
Gu Nianzhi stood on her tiptoes and turned around. She held the hem of her dress with both hands and made a gesture of bowing in the ballet. She smiled and said, “Director Lu, can you give me something to eat? I’m starving…”
Huo Shaoheng finally saw Gu Nianzhi’s bare feet and long legs.
His gaze deepened and he carried Gu Nianzhi in his arms. He smiled and said, “The floor is too cold. Miss Gu, why aren’t you wearing your shoes?”