When tallied up, Wang Zhuo arrived in the capital with neither connections nor friends, and instead immediately gained an enemy upon setting foot there. His character truly wasn't the best.

The Ma family was a once-prominent clan. Though now in decline, there’s an old saying: a starved camel is still larger than a horse. Their residual influence should not be underestimated. As for the Yang family, they were the current flavor of the month; otherwise, Yang Feng wouldn't have been spoiled to such an extent. The Tao family's background was also significant; describing them merely as wealthy would be an understatement—the young master of the Tao family collected aircraft, sports cars, and racehorses!

If this were Wang Zhuo three years ago, forget these three families; even Wang Daming, a mere lackey of Tao Haitong, could have toyed with him in the palm of his hand until life was worse than death. But fortunes turn. Now, Wang Zhuo was entirely alone in Beijing, with three major adversaries watching him, yet he remained perfectly composed, as if nothing were wrong, even having the leisure to court women!

He was enjoying himself in the cozy sanctuary of his suburban villa, while far away in Jiangzhou, Qin Xue was having headaches because of him.

Only the parties directly involved knew that the incident where Wang Zhuo severely beat the Tao brothers was merely spontaneous. Wang Zhuo had told Qin Jingzhong, who then relayed it to his son Qin Xue. Similarly, the Tao brothers had truthfully recounted the events to their father, Tao Zheng, who then reported it to the Tao family's backing powers.

But other factions were unaware of these details. They only saw the vanguard of the rising "Qin faction"—the habitually arrogant Wang Zhuo—striking the son of an interest representative from an established power bloc. Was this the prelude to a new power struggle? Was it premeditated? What undercurrents of vested interests were at play? Could it impact the political climate?

Consequently, inquiries and rumors proliferated endlessly. Even Qin Jingzhong, recuperating in Beijing, was affected and couldn't find peace, let alone Qin Xue, who had received thirty percent more phone calls these past two days than usual!

Even mealtimes offered no respite. Uncharacteristically, Secretary Qin uttered a slight complaint at the dinner table. Qin Siqing found the situation both irritating and amusing, and finally couldn't help herself; she called Wang Zhuo.

It was early evening. Qin Xue usually finished dinner around 6:40 PM, allowing him just enough time to watch the evening news broadcast. So, when Wang Zhuo answered the call from Qin Siqing, he happened to be sitting right in front of the television.

However, his way of watching the news tonight was rather indulgent, as he was currently soaking in the bathtub of the villa with Ning Yao, occasionally rubbing the film star’s soft thigh with his heel.

This was already his fourth night in Beijing. Ruan Mingqing’s company had encountered some trouble requiring her return, during which Ning Yao had attended two functions. Wang Zhuo’s own minor affairs in the city were concluded, and he was scheduled to return to Jiangzhou in another couple of days.

"Xiao Yue, what made you think of calling me?"

Wang Zhuo's voice, upon answering, carried a hint of secrecy. Ning Yao detected nothing amiss, but Qin Siqing instantly flushed crimson.

Ever since that time at Wang Zhuo’s place where she lost her composure after being teased, she had been avoiding him. Although their relationship had grown closer, she was somewhat afraid of this rascally fellow and dared not be alone with him.

Wang Zhuo’s laugh sounded exactly like the one he had made that day, immediately conjuring up the memory of her mortification—being coaxed into masturbation was one thing, but ending up with an explosive climax was too humiliating, too preposterous! The dignified daughter of Secretary Qin, the favored daughter of heaven, had been indecently touched by this vulgar rogue. Every time Qin Siqing recalled that incident, her face burned and her heart pounded in frantic agitation.

"I need to ask you something." Qin Siqing tried to maintain a calm tone, if only to keep Wang Zhuo from gloating.

Wang Zhuo asked mischievously, "What is it? Don't tell me you miss me and are asking when I'm coming back?"

Qin Siqing was momentarily speechless. She did intend to ask when Wang Zhuo was returning, but certainly not for the reason he suggested!

"Stop being smug. I'm asking you, do you know how much trouble your little fight has caused my father?"

"Trouble?" Wang Zhuo paused slightly, then chuckled, "A little trouble is normal, isn't it? Is there anyone who only brings benefits and never causes any trouble?"

Qin Siqing was left speechless with exasperation but had to admit Wang Zhuo’s words held merit. She retorted somewhat sharply, "You only dare say that to me, don't you? Why not try saying it to his face?"

Ning Yao, listening nearby, was utterly confused. At first, she thought Wang Zhuo’s "Xiao Yue" was a close female friend, but the conversation turned out to be far from romantic, leaving her increasingly bewildered!

"I dare say that to anyone's face," Wang Zhuo replied dismissively. "Is being powerful such a big deal? I am the people, and he is a public servant. Why should I fear him?"

The tone shifted abruptly, and he laughed slyly, "However, your father has done a lot for me, and I am very grateful. How about this: when I get back, I’ll swing by your place for a visit, and we two can exchange some feelings. What do you think?"

"You handle it!" Qin Siqing snapped the phone shut, angrily kicking her long legs a few times.

"Public servant?" Ning Yao finally caught the drift of things and asked in surprise, "The person on the phone just now, isn't that Qin Xue's daughter?"

"That's her, who else could it be?" Wang Zhuo smiled faintly, placing his phone back outside the tub. "I just beat up two blind fools, yet even Qin Xue is stirred up. Don't you think these people spreading gossip are overfed?"

"Even when beating a dog, one must consider the owner," Ning Yao murmured with a smile, revealing her snow-white teeth resembling clam shells.

Wang Zhuo was instantly intrigued. He stood up and sat on the shallow edge of the tub, beckoning her, "Come, help me rub off the grime."

Ning Yao shifted closer. Seeing him sitting upright, she asked doubtfully, "Aren't you scrubbing your back? If you don't turn around, how can I scrub?"

"Did I say scrub your back?" Wang Zhuo opened his legs and pointed suggestively toward the center. "I meant for you to use that marvelous little tongue of yours to help me scrub here."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone, switched it to the hidden recording function, and aimed it at Ning Yao's pretty face, which showed a mixture of shyness and feigned anger.

...

In Wang Zhuo's phone lay an ever-growing collection of secrets.

His two phones were high-end custom models that had undergone thorough modifications. Their security rating surpassed the phones used by Obama, making them truly top-tier.

It appeared that with the proliferation of camera phones and the upgrade cycles of smartphone operating systems, a mobile phone was gradually evolving into a personal entertainment and information terminal, trending toward surpassing the personal computer. Consequently, phone security had become a paramount concern.

Numerous scandalous incidents were leaked because the subjects lost their phones, and others were the result of hackers infiltrating the subjects' phone systems, directly stealing photos, videos, or confidential data via ubiquitous radio waves—making them almost impossible to guard against.

But Wang Zhuo's phone negated both these vulnerabilities. Firstly, his important data was not stored on the flash memory card but housed on a concealed, proprietary chip embedded within the phone. This chip was isolated from the phone's main operating system—a hardware isolation technique that completely prevented hacker intrusion.

To use an analogy, it was like a traditional computer: when it has no power, even the most brilliant hacker cannot extract anything from it.

If Wang Zhuo’s phone were lost and picked up by an irrelevant person, they would only see it as a standard Apple phone, finding only screen saver pictures and popular music on the flash card. If someone intent on probing obtained his phone, they would fail to locate his hidden critical data. If handed over to professional hackers or cracking experts, they would discover that the hardware-isolated system was uncrackable. Should they attempt physical dismantling, the data hidden on the chip would self-destruct, turning into a pile of meaningless code.

It’s often said that if the demon rises one foot, the Taoist rises ten feet high. There is no system in the world that cannot be cracked, no defense that cannot be breached. But when that defense resembles a vast labyrinth with no path for retreat, it becomes impregnable.

Of course, perhaps there truly is a method to breach it, but such cutting-edge techniques are usually reserved for major power struggles or wartime scenarios. At this juncture, who would mobilize extensive resources just for the potential secrets hidden within Wang Zhuo’s phone?

Therefore, Wang Zhuo's phone was absolutely secure—so secure that even Ning Yao, knowing it contained things that could ruin her reputation, felt no anxiety.

...

"Brother Fu, Ning Yao’s car hasn't come out yet. She might be staying over there again tonight."

In the suburbs of Beijing, five kilometers from the Miaofengshan Villa, a van was parked on a secluded street. Inside, a short, stout young man was reporting to his superior via his mobile phone.

The Iveco van is popularly recognized as the most suitable vehicle for conversion into a recreational vehicle (RV), hence its high demand among commoners in the used car market. This Iveco looked like a freely modified RV, painted with cute cartoon graphics, equipped with a ladder on the rear door, and had an awning and sleeping bags strapped to the roof rack.

However, inside this vehicle, there were no cozy home furnishings, but rather two rows of longitudinal seats flanking a square table upon which sat several computers and various electronic devices of indiscernible purpose.

"Continue surveillance," a steady voice came through the phone before hanging up.

Once the fat man lowered his phone, a pockmarked youth sitting opposite him asked, "What did he say? Is it to keep watching?"

The fat man shrugged his neckless shoulders as a reply.

"Then we keep watching," the pockmarked man sneered, cursing softly. "Damn it, that Wang fellow is certainly enjoying himself with the film star in the villa, probably up to all sorts of tricks right now. Meanwhile, we’re out here in this godforsaken place freezing, and we have to drive ten kilometers just to buy a box lunch."

The driver's seat in the van was empty. There were four people in the cargo area, which wasn't overly crowded for a large Iveco, but all four were men. On this quiet night, thinking about someone else enjoying the tenderness of a movie star while they couldn't even get a decent night's sleep was truly maddening.