The next day, Zhong Yun went to school as usual. As noon approached and school let out, just as he was contemplating who to eat lunch with, someone sought him out.

"Manager Ou, what brings a busy man like yourself here?"

To run into Ou Feng, the man perpetually swamped with work, at Moon Lake Academy truly surprised Zhong Yun. Considering the sheer volume of traffic at Pearl Tower, how could he even step away?

"Don't tell me your daughter or son attends school here? Introduce us."

"I came specifically to find you," Ou Feng replied.

"Me?" Zhong Yun voiced his surprise, then something clicked, and he understood why Ou Feng was looking for him.

"There is someone you might need to meet."

Ou Feng's tone was peculiar, suggestive of both an inquiry and a request impossible to refuse.

"Meet whom?" Zhong Yun asked, slightly thrown off course from his expectations.

"The owner of that Jialan Zither," Ou Feng stated. "She wishes to thank you in person."

"Oh?" Zhong Yun was certainly intrigued by the great being capable of acquiring the Jialan Zither. After obtaining the instrument, he had specifically researched it and discovered there was only one such zither in all of Dawa.

The information in the Jialan civilization's archives noted that the body of this type of zither was crafted from the trunk of the World Tree and could only be made by a craftsman whose Yuan cultivation reached the third level. This implied that this specific type of zither could no longer be produced.

Today, five millennia after the fall of the Jialan civilization, retaining one complete Jialan Zither was an extraordinary feat. Moreover, even within Jialan, such an instrument commanded immense value, far beyond the reach of ordinary people, let alone in a mid-level civilization nation.

Therefore, he was exceedingly curious to see what manner of distinguished individual possessed such profound ability to procure something like the Jialan Zither.

"Now?" Zhong Yun slipped his hands into his pockets and inquired.

"You haven't had lunch yet, have you? She'd like to invite you to dine with her."

He found himself back on the ninth-hundredth floor of Pearl Tower—his second visit. However, Ou Feng didn't linger; after a few turns, they entered another elevator.

Stepping out of the lift, Zhong Yun realized there was yet another floor above this one. To his surprise, the decor up here was remarkably minimalist. The stark white paint on the walls made the expansive space feel even more vast and empty.

The walls held few ornaments, only a few paintings hung sparsely. While Zhong Yun possessed no discerning eye for art, he could tell these weren't masterpieces by celebrated artists. Yet, there was a faint familiarity in these amateurish pieces.

Ou Feng guided Zhong Yun across the broad, empty hall to an opaque crystal door. "Young Miss, I have brought the person."

The door slid open slowly. Through the gap behind Ou Feng, Zhong Yun glimpsed hair like a black waterfall, and a powerful sense of familiarity surged through him.

"Manager Hong of Zhongbiao Bank has rejected our loan application."

In the President's office of Zhongshi Machinery, a sharp, capable man in his mid-thirties was reporting to Zhong Pingjiang.

Zhong Pingjiang sat rigid in his chair, his brow deeply furrowed. Without a word, he gestured for the man to leave. After his assistant departed, Zhong Pingjiang slammed his fist violently onto the desk.

Zhongshi Machinery was mired in an unprecedented crisis, and all of it seemed orchestrated by some hidden hand.

Recently, following the perceived loss of his beloved son, his wife had fallen into profound grief. With the company seemingly on a stable track, he had devoted more time to her, leaving the daily management to the few trusted managers.

Who could have known that during this period, a massive deception had been meticulously laid out while he remained blissfully unaware?

A major corporation approached Zhongshi Machinery seeking cooperation to purchase a large quantity of "Zhongshi Stabilizers." This matter should have been handled by the joint venture between Zhongshi and Ju’e Group, as their finances were kept separate.

However, the joint venture had just been established, and its output couldn't meet current market demand; its order backlog was already stretched a year out.

The large corporation was desperate for a batch of "Zhongshi Stabilizers" and was willing to pay ten percent above market rate. Conveniently, Zhongshi Machinery had an existing order for "Zhongshi Stabilizers," with a deposit paid, due for delivery in one month.

Upon receiving the report from his subordinate, Zhong Pingjiang weighed the favorable price and immediately approved the deal. Securing this transaction promised over a billion in revenue—it was simply a matter of redirecting an order. A very profitable trade.

After the contract was drafted, he personally went to sign it. But who could have foreseen that the contract he had personally inspected would be subtly swapped right there at the signing, even under the watchful eye of the notary public?

On the very day Zhong Yun returned, his legal counsel finally spotted the discrepancy in the contract. The agreed price was supposed to be one-tenth above market price; now it read one-tenth of the market price.

A mere alteration of a few words cost Zhongshi Machinery nearly ten billion. The legal counsel immediately contacted Zhong Pingjiang.

While ten billion was a significant sum for the Zhongshi Group at that time, it wasn't insurmountable, especially since the joint company producing the "Zhongshi Stabilizers" was majority-controlled by Zhongshi. A temporary debt could be managed.

Though the loss of ten billion made Zhong Pingjiang grind his teeth, with no evidence to present, he could only swallow the bitter pill and treat it as an expensive lesson. The company hadn't suffered a fatal blow.

However, he soon discovered the situation was far from simple. During a routine audit, he noticed that billions had appeared mysteriously in the company's accounts. He had a chilling suspicion that something was gravely amiss.

Scrutinizing all recent company transactions, Zhong Pingjiang found the bizarre truth: these billions had been deposited through thousands of separate transfers.

Because Zhong Pingjiang had set the maximum authorized amount for the General Manager at five million, transactions below that figure could be approved independently. None of these thousands of transactions had exceeded five million.

A sense of dread washed over Zhong Pingjiang. He then examined the transaction details and discovered they corresponded exactly to the sale of the "Zhongshi Stabilizer" order due next month to that major corporation.

At that moment, Zhong Pingjiang felt icy coldness spread through his limbs, a chill racing from his feet straight to his scalp. A conspiracy. This was a massive, elaborate plot.

And his General Manager had resigned on the very day the contract was signed. Since this manager had handled all these transactions, the scent of conspiracy grew stronger.

Selling the same order twice—this was outright commercial fraud. If he had remained ignorant until the delivery date, both buyers appearing simultaneously would have led to unimaginable disaster.

Thankfully, he had discovered it beforehand, Zhong Pingjiang thought with relief. Otherwise, if they had been sued, not only would the company face ruin, but he might end up in prison.

Now, the only path was breach of contract, a course of action requiring consultation with his legal advisor. However, it was certain that Zhongshi would have to pay substantial penalties.

According to the industry standard, which was generally reflected in the contract terms, the defaulting party had to compensate the other party ten times the value stated in the contract.

Yet, he couldn't fathom why, possessing such a deadly weapon (the ten-times penalty clause), the initial contract fraud had even been necessary. If the contract had remained as initially intended, Zhongshi would have faced a penalty of over a hundred billion. Now, they only faced penalties of over ten billion.

If a mastermind was behind all this, with their demonstrated skill, such a clumsy move seemed out of character.

Puzzled, Zhong Pingjiang summoned all the company's lawyers to discuss countermeasures. The solution was straightforward: either party had the right to void the contract before its expiration, albeit by bearing the cost of compensation.

By preemptively defaulting, even if the underlying dual-sale fraud was discovered later, he couldn't be successfully prosecuted for that specific offense.

The next day, Zhong Pingjiang notified the large corporation that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the contract was canceled. For this breach, Zhongshi would incur compensation nearing ten billion, payable within a set timeframe.

The current Zhongshi could not scrape together that much liquid cash. Zhong Pingjiang opted to seek a bank loan. Given Zhongshi’s potential and Zhong Pingjiang’s past connections, securing a loan should not have been difficult.

Yet, whether applying to any bank or investment firm, he was turned away at the door. He couldn't borrow a single cent—an utterly unbelievable situation.

Zhong Pingjiang had spent over a decade navigating the financial world and understood its mechanisms intimately. Zhongshi Machinery possessed boundless potential; no bank had any logical reason to refuse such a company.

Unless... all the banks had colluded to target him. This seemed ludicrous, yet it was the only plausible explanation. In the financial sector, there truly was a single entity capable of coordinating such a move.

Zhong Pingjiang now knew who the hidden mastermind was.

If Zhongshi defaulted on the debt, the only options were bankruptcy or selling off equity. Both outcomes were abhorrent to Zhong Pingjiang.

Zhongshi Machinery was the culmination of his life’s work; he would never willingly hand it over.

Money, money, money. Zhong Pingjiang’s hair felt like it was turning white from worry. Did he truly have to sell the equity?

He slumped back into his chair, staring at the disorganized surface of his desk, his mind a chaotic mess. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon a bank card, half-obscured by scattered documents.

After a moment of thought, he recalled that his son had given him this card the previous night, and he had casually placed it on the desk upon arriving at the office that morning.

Thinking of his son warmed Zhong Pingjiang’s heart. He picked up the bank card—a gesture of his son’s sincerity. As he held the crystalline card, he noticed a butterfly-shaped imprint embossed on the reverse side.

This was...

Zhong Pingjiang stiffened in astonishment. He recognized this insignia immediately: it was the star-rated card issued by the National Great Bank, reserved for users whose funds exceeded one billion.

One billion?

Recalling his son’s solemn words from the night before—"Don't ask me where this money came from"—and looking at the butterfly mark, Zhong Pingjiang felt his mouth go dry.

How much money was actually inside? Doubt began to form in his mind.

Accessing the National Great Bank’s online portal, he entered the card number and password with a trembling hand. As the figure popped up on the screen, Zhong Pingjiang shot to his feet, his face alight with ecstatic joy. "Zhongshi... we are saved."

On the nine-hundred-and-first floor of Pearl Tower, Zhong Yun tried to place where he had seen this woman before. She had turned around. As if struck by lightning, Zhong Yun stood frozen, his eyes widened to their absolute limit. His expression mirrored the look of utter shock that Huang Lao had worn upon suddenly seeing him—a look of seeing a ghost.

He really did know the Young Miss? But the Young Miss had been away from Dawa for nearly ten years. Where could they have met? Seeing Zhong Yun’s reaction, Ou Feng left, burdened by immense confusion.