"Dongfang Aoshi." The video call came in, and as soon as he heard Lan Lingyan’s voice, Dongfang Aoshi’s interest piqued. He eagerly snatched the phone, holding it to his ear. Seeing Lan Lingyan’s face appear on the screen, he couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. "Lan Jiu, a pleasure, a pleasure! I didn't expect you to call me proactively!"

"Where is she?" Lan Lingyan wasted no pleasantries and cut straight to the chase. Dongfang Aoshi’s cheek twitched, but he quickly regained his composure, deliberately drawling, "She’s at my place. I just tasted her—not bad. Lan Jiu, you certainly know how to pick women! Too bad she isn't a virgin anymore!"

He expected Lan Lingyan to fly into a rage, but to his surprise, Lan Lingyan merely chuckled. "Are you absolutely certain you haven't mistaken the woman again?"

Lan Lingyan’s words instantly reminded Dongfang Aoshi of the last time he mistook Gu Yingxi for one of Lan Lingyan’s women—the assault, the subsequent realization of his error, and the dressing-down he received from Dongfang Long. Knowing Lan Lingyan was deliberately using this memory to mock him, his expression shifted, though he quickly settled back into calm:

"Lan Lingyan, don't always assume you have everything under control. Don't believe you can manage every situation. Do you realize the trouble you've stirred up this time? The four great families—Dongfang, Ximen, Nangong, and Beitang—are inextricably linked. By moving against the Ximen family, you’ve struck the reverse scale of all four. Even if my father and Uncle Lan remain close, do you honestly believe my father would value the Lan family over the Ximen family? You're so naive! Why do you think I got hold of your woman so easily this time? Because you shouldn't have, you shouldn't have set your sights on the Ximen family. You’ve angered my father. Now, even if I touch your woman, what can you do? You can’t touch me, and my father won't blame me!"

"A guilty conscience always produces too much chatter!" Even with his woman seemingly in Dongfang Aoshi’s grasp, Lan Lingyan’s continued arrogance grated on Dongfang Aoshi, making him clench his jaw. He deeply resented Lan Lingyan’s air of detached composure. Just as Dongfang Aoshi was about to retort, Lan Lingyan interrupted impatiently: "In five hours, I need to see my wife’s silhouette in Italy."

"Lan Lingyan, what right do you have to be so arrogant now? I’ve already slept with your woman…" Dongfang Aoshi trembled with fury, shouting into the phone. Yet, it was precisely this agitation that highlighted Lan Lingyan’s almost eerie calm on the other end. In this regard, Dongfang Aoshi had seized the initiative, but ultimately, he was still losing ground.

Lan Lingyan, displayed on the screen, offered an elegantly cold smile, leaning back at his leisure. The cold light in his eyes flickered as he removed his customary gold-rimmed glasses, his entire demeanor becoming languid yet dangerous.

"Is that so? If you truly touched her, then it’s your father who will be unlucky." As he spoke, the screen flickered. Before Dongfang Aoshi could register what was happening, Dongfang Long’s figure materialized on the screen. He looked weary, and though his expression remained unchanged, Dongfang Aoshi could sense that he lacked his usual unflappable calm.

"Aoshi. You lost," Dongfang Long said with a wry smile. At these words, Dongfang Aoshi’s face contorted.

"You invited Little Jiu's wife to be a guest; Little Jiu has invited me to be a guest," Dongfang Long murmured, narrowing his eyes slightly, revealing a shadow of gloom. It was clear that Dongfang Long was not as serene as he appeared on the surface.

Dongfang Aoshi’s gaze darkened. The muscles in his cheeks spasmed as he seemed caught in a struggle of indecision. Dongfang Long’s eyes sharpened: "Aoshi, did you hear me! Bring Miss Ning over immediately!" At his father’s sharp command, Dongfang Aoshi’s face shifted between shadows and light. After a long pause, he took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. "Fine."

The screen flickered again, and Lan Lingyan’s face reappeared, flashing a cold smile at Dongfang Aoshi before abruptly hanging up.

"Damn it!" Dongfang Aoshi’s sinister gaze fell upon Ning Yunhuan. Liu Yan, who had been waiting outside for over an hour, grew anxious upon witnessing the scene. "Aoshi, after all this planning, are you really going to give up?" Her voice lost its previous composure, taking on a sharp edge. "Are you content with this?"

"Content? Should I just watch my father die?" Dongfang Aoshi’s expression was dreadful, his fists tightly clenched. "My father is in his hands. I have no choice!"

"But Mr. Dongfang never treated you well. Think about it, he always spoke so highly of Lan Lingyan…" Liu Yan was about to say more when the dark-clothed man standing next to her raised his phone and brought it down hard on her head. "Woman, shut up!"

Liu Yan suddenly recalled what she had just said. Speaking ill of Dongfang Long in front of the Dragon Alliance men—to them, Dongfang Long was virtually a god. Liu Yan knew she had erred, but she could no longer afford to care. Lan Lingyan was faster and more capable than she had imagined, seizing control of Dongfang Long so quickly and successfully trapping Dongfang Aoshi’s weakness, causing her own meticulously laid plan to collapse.

But Liu Yan was unwilling to yield. Such an exceptional man, the more powerful he was, the more she desired him. Now that Dongfang Aoshi was trapped by Lan Lingyan, if Lan Jiu discovered her maneuvers behind the scenes, he would certainly not forgive her. All her arrangements would be for naught, and she wouldn't gain Lan Lingyan. Moreover, if Lan Jiu learned what she did, he might not spare her life.

She possessed neither status nor power, relying only on forbearance and scheming; Liu Yan’s foundation was too thin. Dongfang Aoshi alone could completely control her; how could she expect any consideration from Lan Lingyan, who held no reservations about her? Rather than ending up in Lan Jiu’s hands—gaining nothing and possibly facing death—she might as well take a gamble now. If she could persuade Dongfang Aoshi, if she could move him, he certainly wouldn't harm her, and perhaps the plan could still proceed as originally intended!

"He always praised Lan Lingyan to the skies; he always looked down on you, his own son, even wishing you were a woman…" Before Liu Yan could finish, Dongfang Aoshi fixed her with a look she couldn't quite decipher. Liu Yan instinctively sensed danger. After staring at her for a long moment, Dongfang Aoshi suddenly shook his head and laughed. "Then, based on what you say, how should I proceed?"

"Young Master…" The faces of the dark-clothed men changed, and they were about to interject, but Dongfang Aoshi waved a hand, and their expressions immediately darkened. Liu Yan’s eyes lit up:

"Destroy his woman!"

"Bitch!" Dongfang Aoshi raised his hand and slapped Liu Yan across the face. The unprepared Liu Yan spun twice before crashing into one of the men and tumbling to the ground. Clutching her face, she stared at Dongfang Aoshi in disbelief.

"Do you take me for an idiot? My father may value Lan Lingyan, but he is still my father. You think you're capable enough to try and sow discord between us?" Dongfang Aoshi sneered, flicking his hand. A cynical glint appeared in his slender phoenix eyes. "Besides, do you really think I’m so foolish as to be played by you? Even if I hate Lan Lingyan, I would only harm him. Do you think I don't know your little scheme? You want to use me to get rid of Miss Ning, then defect to Lan Lingyan, and then turn against me while winning his favor? You think I’m as simple as Mu Jinzhi, that I would let myself be manipulated by you like him?"

As he spoke, Dongfang Aoshi pointed to the already utterly lifeless Mu Jinzhi on the floor and started laughing. Liu Yan covered her face, her pupils constricting instantly. "You, you…" Then, as if understanding dawned, she gasped in realization:

"So you deliberately brought Li Panpan into the room instead of Ning Yunhuan?"

Seeing how quickly she grasped the situation, Dongfang Aoshi was slightly surprised. "Indeed, you have a sliver of cunning."

He had, in fact, intentionally feigned falling for Li Panpan’s trap, merely indulging in a woman as a byproduct. Otherwise, Li Panpan’s petty goading could never have truly provoked him. Although Dongfang Aoshi had used Liu Yan and Mu Jinzhi, he remained deeply wary of Lan Lingyan. The previous incident had taught him the necessity of caution—never to walk a single path without leaving an escape route, lest he face utter ruin.

Dongfang Aoshi had practically grown up alongside Lan Lingyan and harbored deep apprehension toward him. During their last encounter on the Dragon Alliance island, he had deliberately forced himself upon Gu Yingxi solely to provoke a true reaction from Lan Jiu’s woman. He could see that Lan Lingyan did not favor someone like Gu Yingxi; she was too subservient, utterly unworthy of Lan Lingyan. What he couldn't ascertain was who among Li Panpan and Ning Yunhuan was the real woman.

The eldest Miss of the Li family possessed distinguished status, and the Li family was a staunch, core subordinate of the Lin family, making an acquaintance with Lan Lingyan highly probable. In Dongfang Aoshi’s view, it wasn't impossible for Lan Lingyan to be involved with Li Panpan. This woman was elegant, noble, gentle, and impeccably educated from childhood. Ning Yunhuan, however, came from ordinary means; while her family possessed some wealth, the Ning family was merely a common business household. In Dongfang Aoshi’s estimation, such a person should have no possible connection to the formidable Lan Clan of the underworld families. Therefore, when he was uncertain, he chose Gu Yingxi, the woman least likely to be Lan Lingyan’s love interest.

Fundamentally, while Liu Yan knew of his childhood hatred for Lan Lingyan, she never considered that he might also fear the extent of Lan Jiu’s madness when truly enraged. Hence, he always maintained a precise boundary: enough to displease Lan Jiu, but never enough to drive him into a frenzy. Taking Li Panpan this time was merely a way to save face, frighten Ning Yunhuan slightly, and make Lan Jiu tense.