A snap.

Xu Mao finally couldn't hold back anymore and swept a water glass from his side out.

The glass of water crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Upon seeing this,

Dong Fuzhong, also known for his fiery temper, abruptly stood up and pointed at Xu Mao, bellowing, "You old fool, what are you ranting about in our house? Get out of here now!"

Xu Mao was equally enraged.

Sitting in his wheelchair, he took on a rascally air and shouted back, "I'm not leaving. What are you going to do about it?"

Dong Fuzhong, fuming, also lifted a water glass, ready to smash it down.

Just at that moment,

a voice came from behind, "Dad, stop!"

Both men jerked their heads toward the direction of the voice.

A man and a woman walked in from the doorway.

The woman was none other than Dong Youying, and the man was Chen Fang. However, the clothes on both of them were extremely inappropriate, especially Dong Youying, who was dressed almost like a country peasant woman.

When the two left the jungle cabin,

Chen Fang only had a pair of shorts, and Dong Youying was wearing only a coat that Chen Fang had taken off to make a bed.

In such a barely-covered state,

they walked out of the woods.

They happened to come across a village woman working at the foot of the mountain and shamelessly begged for these two sets of clothing.

Though it was ugly,

at least they were presentable now.

"Youying, why are you dressed like this?"

Dong Fuzhong asked with a puzzled expression.

Dong Youying took Dong Fuzhong's arm and said, "Dad, we'll talk about this later. Chen Fang has something to say to you."

"Chen Fang?"

It was then that Dong Fuzhong noticed the unfamiliar man.

Even though he was dressed in simple attire and the clothes seemed rather short, he exuded a confident air. Noticing that Xu Mao's gaze was fixed on him, Dong Fuzhong also began to understand a bit.

Chen Fang took a few steps forward,

stood in front of the two elders, and said, "Leaders, could you listen to me calmly for a moment?"

Dong Fuzhong and Xu Mao didn't say a word, but exchanged glances, disdain apparent in their eyes.

Chen Fang said, "Leaders, both of you are remarkable figures and are famous as the heads of Yuanjing's three great families. However, in recent years, you must have noticed that the gap between the so-called great families has been growing, especially with the Hou Family, who have almost reached a state of overwhelming dominance over you. I think, at most in five to ten years, there will be no such thing as Yuanjing's three great families. You will be swallowed up bit by bit by the Hou Family, and by then, there will only be the Hou Family left in Yuanjing."

"Aren't you being somewhat alarmist?"

Dong Ankui said from the side.

Chen Fang glanced at Xu Mao,

and said, "I suppose you are still unaware of what the Xu Family has gone through..."

Without waiting for Xu Mao's permission, Chen Fang recounted the events that had happened to Tang Zhuqing and his own deductions in front of the Dong Family.

Dong Fuzhong and Dong Ankui's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Is this true, Old Xu?"

After listening, it took a while for Dong Fuzhong to turn to Xu Mao and ask.

At this point, there was no need for Xu Mao to keep hiding the truth, and he nodded irritably in affirmation.

Having received confirmation from Xu Mao, Dong Fuzhong drew in a breath of cold air and exclaimed, "I see. The old man from the Hou Family wants to use what Tang Zhuqing did to eradicate Xu Family's next generation and simultaneously divide our relationship with the Xu Family. After all, if it weren't for the incident in Xuchuan, our two families would have been united by marriage."

Chen Fang nodded slightly.

He said, "The Hou Family's strategy is simple, divide and conquer. After Tang Zhuqing's incident, the Xu Family has been severely weakened. Progeny has always been the lifeline of a great family, and it will be hard for the Xu Family to achieve much in their third generation for quite some time."

"So Old Xu, is that why you want to take this young man under your wing?"

Dong Fuzhong was catching on.

He asked Xu Mao.

Xu Mao was sulking and did not respond, but Dong Fuzhong already had his answer.

Chen Fang turned to Dong Fuzhong and said, "Leader Dong, the affairs of the Xu Family are more or less settled for now. Next, the Hou Family's primary focus will likely switch to targeting your family."

Upon hearing this,

worry began to spread across Dong Fuzhong's face.

It was clear that he believed what Chen Fang had said.

But the Hou Family's strength is too great, and even if the Hou Family's moves are now transparent, it's still a difficult task for the Dong Family to defend against them.

"So what should we do next?"

Dong Fuzhong asked.

Chen Fang let out a long sigh.

Looking at Xu Mao, who had a stern face, he said, "The Dong and Xu Families should join forces and take the initiative to strike."

As soon as these words were spoken,

Dong Fuzhong and Xu Mao exchanged glances.

"You two families had no previous grievances, and it seems now that all past grudges were concocted by the Hou Family. If you two leaders still have an ounce of fight left in you, falling into the Hou Family's trap is exactly what they want. Better to set aside past differences and join hands again; with such a move, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."

Chen Fang spoke sincerely.

Xu Mao finally spoke.

He asked Chen Fang, "We understand what you mean by joining forces, but what do you mean by taking the initiative to strike?"

Chen Fang smiled faintly and said, "The Hou Family's next focus will surely be on making money. Annexing the Boiling Point Group, taking over the Economic Development Zone are their next steps. If we can cut off this path and ensnare their network in Wulan City once and for all, then their years of arrangements in Wulan City will come to naught."

"Are you suggesting that we should support you in making a comeback in Wulan City?"

Xu Mao said with a cold snort.

Chen Fang detected the sarcasm.

He said, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Dong, there is an old saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I, Chen Fang, may not be particularly capable, but our goals are aligned. My words are merely a suggestion. The final decision still rests in the hands of the two esteemed leaders…"

After this statement,

everyone at the scene fell silent.

It seemed as if the drop of a pin could be heard.

Who knows how much time passed.

Dong Fuzhong then said, "I'm willing to give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mao quickly said, "What do you mean you're willing to try? Chen Fang was taken in by our Xu Family. If anyone should try, it should be our Xu Family leading the charge."

The two old men had indeed been at odds for a lifetime.

Neither was willing to show weakness.

Seeing that Dong Fuzhong had agreed,

Xu Mao didn't hesitate any longer and immediately retorted.

Watching this unfold, Chen Fang smiled.

It seemed that his trip to Yuanjing had indeed been fruitful.

Two days later,

at the entrance of Yuanjing Airport,

Xu Nuo stuffed the plane ticket into Chen Fang's hand, her eyes betraying a hint of reluctance.

"Xiaoxue didn't come; she asked me to tell you, when you get to East River Province, to take good care of yourself."

Xu Nuo said.

Chen Fang felt a jolt and asked, "I refused the marriage arrangement with her, is she... is she..."

Knowing what Chen Fang wanted to ask,

Xu Nuo smiled and said, "Quite heartbroken, but I'll comfort her."

"Thank you."

Chen Fang said sincerely.

Xu Nuo took a deep breath and said, "Well, it's about time. You should go in. I might visit East River Province when I get the chance."

After these words,

Xu Nuo turned around and got into the car.

Without any hesitation, she drove off.

Around eleven in the morning,

the flight carrying Chen Fang landed at Wulan City Airport.

Returning to this familiar land, Chen Fang knew that greater challenges awaited him.

At the same time, this return signified a king's comeback.

It had been ten days since he had been taken into custody. In these ten days, the political landscape of Guyang City had undergone earth-shattering changes.

One could only say that the Hou Family acted quickly.

Due to the Tang Zhuqing incident, affected standing committee members in Guyang City were either transferred or replaced; many vacancies were filled as per the arrangements made during Chen Fang's visit to Yuanjing.

The objective of this maneuver was also to block Chen Fang's "comeback" path.

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