The CEO's 100 Billion Bride: The Secret War of the Rich

Su Wanwan and Huo Yanshen stood in front of the iron gate of the abandoned factory in the old city. It was quiet all around, with only the barking of dogs in the distance breaking the tranquility. The clock pointed to 11:55, and there were still 5 minutes left until the time agreed in the mysterious text message.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Huo Yanshen asked in a low voice, with worry in his eyes.

Su Wanwan took a deep breath and nodded firmly: "This may be our only chance to learn the truth. No matter what happens, we have to face it."

Pushing open the rusty iron door, the two carefully walked into the abandoned factory. The air was filled with a musty smell, and the broken glass under their feet made a slight sound under their footsteps.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from the darkness: "You are here."

Su Wanwan and Huo Yanshen turned around warily and saw a hooded figure walking out of the shadows.

"Did you send us a text message?" Su Wanwan asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

The man nodded and slowly took off his hood. In the dim light, Su Wanwan was surprised to recognize this familiar face - it turned out to be Zhang Dezhong, a veteran of the Huo Group.

"Uncle Zhang?" Huo Yanshen said in disbelief, "How could it be you?"

Zhang Dezhong smiled bitterly: "Children, things are much more complicated than you think. The tentacles of the 'Black Claw' have penetrated into places you can't imagine."

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from the other end of the factory. Zhang Dezhong's face suddenly changed: "Oh no, they are here! Follow me!"

The three quickly hid in an abandoned office. Through the dusty window, they saw several heavily armed men searching the factory.

"Who are those people?" Su Wanwan asked in a low voice.

Zhang Dezhong shook his head. “Black Claw’s killers. They must have discovered my whereabouts.”

"Uncle Zhang, what happened?" Huo Yanshen asked anxiously, "Why was my father arrested? Is the Huo Group really involved in a crime?"

Zhang Dezhong took a deep breath and said, "The story began twenty years ago. At that time, Black Claw was just a small underground organization. Your father and I, along with a few friends in the business community, accidentally discovered their existence."

“We wanted to expose their conspiracy, but we didn’t expect that the power of the Black Claw was much greater than we thought. Some of our companions were assassinated, and the rest had to choose to compromise.”

Su Wanwan took a breath and said, "So, Mr. Huo was actually coerced?"

Zhang Dezhong nodded. “Not only that. In order to protect his family and the company, your father had to follow the instructions of the Black Claw. Over the years, some of the Huo Group’s businesses did involve money laundering and market manipulation, but they were forced.”

Huo Yanshen clenched his fists, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes: "So, father has been under this kind of pressure all these years?"

“Yes,” Zhang Dezhong said, “but your father has been looking for an opportunity to fight back. When he saw the two of you grow up, especially after Wanwan joined the company, he saw hope.”

Suddenly, the footsteps outside were getting closer. Zhang Dezhong looked out the window nervously: "We have to leave here. But before that, you must know one thing."

He pulled a USB drive from his pocket. “This contains all the secrets of the Black Claw, including their membership list and evidence of their crimes. Your father risked his life to collect this information.”

Just as Zhang Dezhong was about to hand the USB drive to Su Wanwan, the office door was suddenly kicked open and several masked men rushed in.

"Run!" Zhang Dezhong shouted and handed the USB drive to Su Wanwan.

Huo Yanshen quickly pulled Su Wanwan up, and the two jumped out of the window. There were gunshots and sounds of fighting behind them, but they didn't dare to look back and just ran desperately.

After running out of the factory, the two got into a car that was parked nearby. Huo Yanshen immediately started the car and drove away from the scene quickly.

“Oh my god,” Su Wanwan gasped, “Uncle Zhang…”

Huo Yanshen gripped the steering wheel tightly, his face solemn: "We can't turn back now. The most important thing is to protect this USB drive."

At this moment, Su Wanwan's phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" She picked up the phone cautiously.

"Mr. Su," a cold voice came from the other end of the phone, "it seems that you already know things that you shouldn't know. But it doesn't matter, the game has just begun. If you want to save Mr. Huo, just hand over the USB drive. Otherwise..."

The phone was suddenly hung up, leaving Su Wanwan with a look of horror.

"What's wrong?" Huo Yanshen asked.

Su Wanwan told her husband what had happened on the phone, and they fell into silence.

"What should we do?" Su Wanwan finally asked.

Huo Yan took a deep breath: "We can't just give in. But we can't just sit back and do nothing. We need a plan."

At this moment, Huo Yanshen's cell phone rang. It was an emergency call from the company.

"Mr. Huo," the anxious voice of Li Qiang, the financial director, came from the other end of the phone, "something big has happened! Our main account has been frozen, and someone has anonymously reported that we are suspected of tax evasion. Now, people from the tax bureau are already in the company!"

Huo Yanshen's expression became more serious: "I understand. You stabilize the situation first, and we will return to the company immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Huo Yanshen told Su Wanwan the situation.

"It looks like the Black Claw has already started a full-scale counterattack," Su Wanwan said, "We must act quickly."

Huo Yanshen nodded: "But before that, we need a safe place to store the USB drive. This information is too important to take any risks."

Su Wanwan thought for a while, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "I have an idea. Remember my best friend Zhang Jiaying from college? She is now an investigative reporter. Maybe we can give the USB drive to her for safekeeping."

Huo Yanshen nodded in agreement: "Good idea. Let's contact her first, and then go back to the company to deal with the crisis."

Half an hour later, Su Wanwan and Huo Yanshen met Zhang Jiaying in an inconspicuous cafe.

“Oh my god, Wanwan,” Zhang Jiaying said in surprise, “You look terrible. What happened?”

Su Wanwan briefly explained the situation and then handed the USB drive to Zhang Jiaying.

"The information in this is of great importance," Su Wanwan said seriously. "No matter what happens, don't give it to anyone, including us. If we don't contact you within three days, we will publish the contents."

Zhang Jiaying nodded solemnly: "I understand. You must be careful."

After leaving the cafe, Su Wanwan and Huo Yanshen immediately rushed back to the company. The office building was in chaos, with tax inspectors everywhere.

"Mr. Huo, Mr. Su," Zhang Ming, the marketing director, ran over in a hurry, "the situation is not good. It's not just a tax issue, but now even the media has begun to report that we are suspected of financial crimes."

Su Wanwan took a deep breath and said, "Convene the core team. We need to formulate a response strategy immediately."

In the next few hours, Su Wanwan and Huo Yanshen led the team to fight on the front line. They cooperated with the investigation while working hard to stabilize the company's situation.

It was not until late at night that the crisis was temporarily under control. In the office, only the exhausted Su Wanwan and Huo Yanshen were left.

"Are you okay?" Huo Yanshen asked with concern.

Su Wanwan forced a smile: "It's okay. It just feels like a nightmare."

Just then, Su Wanwan's phone rang again. This time it was a text message:

"Time is running out. If you want to save Mr. Huo, go to the fountain in Central Park at 12 noon tomorrow with your USB. Remember, don't play tricks."

Su Wanwan showed the text message to Huo Yanshen, and they both fell into silence.

"We can't just give in like this," Huo Yanshen said at last, "but we can't just ignore our father either."

Su Wanwan nodded: "I have an idea. Maybe we can..."

At this moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open and a group of fully armed police rushed in.

"Huo Yanshen, Su Wanwan," the leading police officer said loudly, "You are suspected of major economic crimes. You are now being arrested according to the law."

In the chaos, Su Wanwan only had time to wink at Huo Yanshen. She knew that every step forward would determine their fate.

As the police car roared away from the Huo Group building, a gorgeous firework suddenly bloomed in the night sky.