She and Xu Yan went downstairs and got into the car. Even after getting in the car, Xu Yan still felt uneasy, but when she looked at Zhou Luming's profile, she seemed to see nothing unusual. Zhou Luming was completely different from her. She wasn't good at hiding her emotions; everything was written all over her face. Zhou Luming, on the other hand, was the opposite extreme. Her greatest strength was in disguising her true feelings, including her emotions and her emotions.
The night view was dazzling, but the two of them had no heart to appreciate it. Xu Yan felt guilty the whole way. Zhou Luming drove her to the hospital's underground parking garage without saying a word. Although his expression was no different from usual, Xu Yan vaguely sensed that he was angry.
That's understandable; who could remain cheerful and without any negative emotions after being disturbed?
After Zhou Luming calmed down, she realized she shouldn't have thrown a tantrum at Xu Yan. Half an hour of night air calmed her down and her anger subsided.
She turned around, about to say she would go downstairs with Xu Yan, but Xu Yan cupped her face in his hands. In her suddenly widened eyes, she saw Xu Yan's face getting closer and closer.
Xu Yan turned his head and kissed her lips. Actually, she had wanted to do this for a long time, but she just couldn't find the opportunity.
After a moment of surprise, Zhou Luming quickly regained her composure. It was rare for Xu Yan to take the initiative, so she decided to enjoy this treatment. She wrapped her arms around Xu Yan's neck, tilting her head slightly to accept the "attack." She was quite experienced in this area, while Xu Yan was like a blank sheet of paper, instinctively "biting" at her.
Left with no other choice, Zhou Luming had to use his skills to guide and teach her. The "good student" opposite him grasped the essentials in an instant, and even unconsciously placed her hand on Zhou Luming's lower back.
The phone kept buzzing and ringing incessantly.
After separating from Xu Yan, Zhou Luming's voice was still not completely free from the reverie of their previous infatuation. "Alright, I accept your apology. Now you need to go to work. Lao Liu and the others are still waiting for you."
Xu Yan felt as if she were being tickled all over with a feather duster, which was very uncomfortable. But reason prevailed over emotion. "Um, do you want to go home first?"
"Since I'm already here, of course I'll go up with you. I'll also drive you home later." Zhou Luming straightened Xu Yan's disheveled collar and smoothed out the wrinkles on her body.
"Let's go, this might be the last time I'm your assistant, Boss Xu."
Chapter 82
===================
A certain hospital.
Old Liu came on behalf of his brothers and sisters. As the eldest brother, he was like a father to them. Old Liu's father had neglected them and they had relied on Old Liu to support them all these years. Although he had once sworn in his heart that he would never care about his father again, he couldn't help but run to the hospital to see him one last time when the time came.
Now that he's gone, everything from the past has become just an experience. Old Liu sat in the hospital corridor, his eyes lifeless.
Aunt Lin and her son were also there, but they were hiding in a corner discussing how to acquire the old house.
Mrs. Lin: "The will only put my name on it, saying that the house would be divided among me. Now that the person is dead, I don't know how long the procedures will take."
Son: "Why don't we go to the will center and retrieve the will before everyone else arrives, and then go and complete the property transfer as soon as possible?"
Aunt Lin: "Isn't this a bit too hasty?"
“Mom, what time is it now? People forget you when you're gone. The old man’s children all said they didn’t want the house, but they could change their minds at any time. Our most important thing now is to change the name on the house. I heard that the demolition notice will be issued soon. If we don’t get the paperwork done, we’ll be in trouble.”
Aunt Lin gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go get the will right now."
Once the two of them made up their minds and turned around, they found Old Liu right in front of them.
Old Liu's pale face looked extremely haggard. "Stop! He just had a stroke and should have been resting. Why was he brought to the hospital? And why did he suddenly die without any explanation? You two need to give me an explanation."
Lin's eyes darted around, and with her son's support, she said, "What do I have to be ashamed of? It was clearly you who didn't care about him. I took care of the old man out of pity, but he accidentally fell off the bed and was taken to the hospital. Now he couldn't be saved and has passed away. And you heartless people are taking your anger out on me."
Old Liu said, "You dare say that taking care of the old man isn't for the sake of the house? Didn't you force the old man to make a will? I can give you the house, but how can you mistreat the old man?!"
Mrs. Lin stammered, "Where did I mistreat the old man? This is a society governed by law. You need to provide evidence to support your claim, otherwise it's a false accusation!"
Lin's son added, "It's slander! It's slander! I can call the police!"
Old Liu clenched his fist and said that he wasn't making up stories about them abusing the old man; he heard it from the neighbors near the old house, including the aunt who sold vegetables and the card room where Old Liu often played cards. He had even gone back to the old house and saw that Old Liu's bed had been moved to the open-air living room, and the room inside had been given to Aunt Lin and her son.
He wasn't well-read, but he came up with a phrase—"cuckoo in the nest."
"Go ahead and call the police. I'm going to sue you," Old Liu said. "Let's see who the house ultimately belongs to."
Mrs. Lin and her son were dumbfounded, never expecting that this seemingly kind Old Liu would suddenly jump out and try to take the house from them.
“We have a will, and it was witnessed at the will center in front of many people. How can you go back on your word?!”
"I've changed my mind. Let's go to court." Old Liu turned around and stopped arguing with them.
"I'll teach you a lesson today!" Lin's son suddenly rushed over and punched Old Liu.
Old Liu made no move, but at the last moment he turned around and grabbed Lin's son's fist, then pulled him back, causing him to miss his target. He then kicked him in the lower back, leaving him lying on the ground unable to move and crying out in pain.
At this moment, the hospital security guards arrived upon hearing the commotion, controlled the scene, and prevented people from gathering.
Old Liu's eyes were icy cold as he looked at the person lying on the ground as if they were a dead object. "Trash," he scoffed.
He didn't see Xu Yan and Zhou Luming, who were huddled together with the crowd in the distance. Zhou Luming lowered his voice and said, "I didn't realize Old Liu was so skilled. His intuition and sharpness are excellent, like he's been specially trained."
Xu Yan asked, "A professional?"
“Hmm, he should be a professional, at least trained.” Zhou Luming frowned and said, “I originally thought he was a small pancake shop owner, but now that I think about it carefully, something’s not right about him.”
"Something's not right."
"After he joined Shanhai Catering, he gathered information for me. Every time he brought back crucial information, he always managed to remain undetected, which shows his considerable abilities; he doesn't seem like a novice. Coupled with what he just showed, Xu Yan, I think he's someone lurking nearby, monitoring me," Zhou Luming said.
"You haven't lived here long, but he's been here for many years. Is it really possible for such a coincidence?" Xu Yan asked skeptically.
"Didn't you say that the person hiding behind the scenes is incredibly powerful and wealthy? If it were me, I would never put all my eggs in one basket. I would place spies in every district of Haishi and wait for the fish to fall into the net."
Xu Yan admitted that Zhou Luming's words made some sense, but how much manpower, material resources, and financial resources would it take to lay such a tight fishing net in Haishi, a city with a permanent population of 10 million? That would probably be a resource mobilization that ordinary people could hardly imagine.
She quickly thought of another approach: "Instead of casting a wide net, it would be better to bribe them specifically."
"You mean, Lao Liu wasn't an informant planted around me beforehand, but someone who was later bribed to monitor me?" Zhou Luming understood immediately.
"Yes, that's more likely."
“I’ll talk to Lao Liu,” Zhou Luming said. She wanted to use Lao Liu as a shortcut to find clues about the person behind the scenes.
Xu Yan grabbed her hand. "If it's inconvenient for you to come forward, let me do it. I'm their estate administrator, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to step in."
"Then be careful," Zhou Luming said. "If anything happens, run quickly and come to my side. I will protect you."
Xu Yan's gaze shifted as he looked at her. She had always been a loner, and no one had ever offered to protect her. But in reality, this woman had been injured at least twice because of her, the second time in a bombing incident. If she hadn't been there, he might be dead.
"Um."
Lin's son was not seriously injured and got up in a short while, but he is now trying to extort money for medical expenses and lost wages.
Old Liu wouldn't leave either; he wanted to argue with this shameless mother and son to the very end.
"You want to see the will, right? Then let's go, we'll take the will and go to court," Old Liu said angrily.
Aunt Lin, with her neck stiff and her voice high, shouted, "Come on, who's afraid of who? That house is meant for me, you won't get a single brick!"
The two were about to fight again in front of each other, but luckily the security guards separated them.
"The will is on its way and will arrive in about twenty minutes. Please arrange a quiet meeting room at the hospital so I can read the will and distribute the estate." Xu Yan stepped out from the crowd.
The security guard asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"
Xu Yan said, "My name is Xu Yan, and I am their estate administrator."
Half an hour later, in a small conference room arranged by the hospital.
Old Liu, Aunt Lin, and Aunt Lin's son were all in the meeting room. Besides them, there were also hospital security guards and idle passersby who had come after hearing the news.
In the meeting room, Mrs. Lin tearfully recounted her hardships to passersby, while an older woman touched her hand in comfort and understanding.
Old Liu sat alone, observing coldly, like a stone statue.
"Alright, alright, everyone except Aunt Lin and Old Liu, please leave." Zhou Luming announced loudly from the doorway.
Someone inside asked, "Why do we need to go out? Can't we just stay here and listen?"
Zhou Luming smiled faintly and said, "No, here, you have to pay to listen to gossip." She spread her hands, "And it's charged by the hour."
The man immediately fell silent.
Xu Yan walked in and said, "Everyone who is not involved, please leave. We are going to read the will, and we will only read it to the heirs."
The sensible passersby all left under the guidance of the security guards, leaving only Mrs. Lin, her son, and Old Liu.
Xu Yan glanced at Lin's son and said, "You go out too."
Lin's son immediately shouted, "I want to stay with my mother! Why should I go out? If I go out, you'll all bully my mother!"
Xu Yan: "I just made it very clear that the distribution of the estate will only be read to the heirs. You are not an heir, so you need to leave."
Lin's son was about to make a scene when he suddenly fixed his gaze on Zhou Luming, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines. "What about her? She's not an heir either. How can she stay here?"
“She’s my assistant, and I need her to stay here and take notes.”
"Fine, go ahead and target me. A whole bunch of you ganged up on my son and me, so I'll stay here. Go ahead and carry me out if you dare!" Lin's son put his legs up on the table, acting all high and mighty.
"Besides, I saw Lao Liu secretly slipping you money. Who knows if you're reliable or not? Will you switch the will or deliberately cause trouble so we won't get the house?"
Xu Yan remained calm and composed. "The will was registered at the will center, and there were witnesses and staff present. I can't fake it." Old Liu had indeed approached him privately just now and even tried to give him a red envelope.
Xu Yan glanced at Lao Liu, and it was obvious that Lao Liu was very nervous.
“You’re an advisor at the will center, and you have a good relationship with them. You could easily collude to change the will,” Lin’s son continued to accuse.
Xu Yan took out the will envelope, which was still sealed. Ignoring the unreasonable Lin Sao's son, he asked the two heirs, "Now that this will is in my hands, do you two agree that I should read the will and distribute the property according to it?"
Without hesitation, Lao Liu said, "I agree."
Aunt Lin opened her mouth, but seeing how straightforward Old Liu was, and hearing her son say that Old Liu had given Xu Yan a red envelope, her original idea of quickly dividing the property through a will wavered.
If, in the worst-case scenario, this Miss Xu really colluded with Old Liu to change the will, she won't get anything.
Xu Yan put down her recorder and began recording. "The estate administrator, Xu Yan, has received the power of attorney from the other heirs, fully authorizing Lao Liu to handle the estate on their behalf. Therefore, all the legal heirs of the deceased are present, without any omissions." She turned to Lin Sao, "Do you confirm the validity of the will and agree to begin reading the will and executing its contents?"
Lin's wife stammered, "I...I don't..."
At this moment, Lin's son tugged at her sleeve and said, "Mom, you should agree to let them read it first, because if it's not read, we'll have nothing left. We all saw this will before, and I don't think they have the guts to replace it."
Aunt Lin gritted her teeth and said, "I agree."
Xu Yan said, "Then—after everyone else leaves, I will read the will."
Lin's son was about to argue when suddenly someone lifted his leg and flipped him and chair to the ground. It was Zhou Luming who had thrown him over. At that moment, she looked down at Lin's son with a grin and said, "Aren't you going to leave? Are you really waiting for me to call someone to carry you away?"
"You bitch—" He struggled to get up and swung his fist at Zhou Luming.
Zhou Luming's expression remained unchanged as he stepped on the back of his hand. "Oops, I'm sorry, it was an accident."
Lin's son screamed in agony.
Zhou Luming called to a security guard outside and said, "This gentleman is injured. Please take him to see a doctor. He may need to go to the orthopedics department. If there are any expenses, please contact me. I will cover his medical expenses."