Chen Ming continued his wild thoughts when suddenly he remembered Zhu Chuqing, and his mind stirred. Hadn't he planned to find a wife after settling down? Zhu Chuqing was both his sister-in-law and his betrothed. It seemed The Great One hadn't killed Zhu Chuqing after all—there was already an arrangement in place. It was almost like asking, "Chen Ming, do you want a wife?"

  Chen Ming recalled his impressions: Zhu Chuqing was pretty enough, but she was too young. He preferred mature women, ideally over twenty-five.

  Then he laughed at himself. Why think so far ahead? Who knew what would happen in the future? Maybe it would really turn out like those male-oriented web novels—start with a bowl and end up marrying an empress.

  Chen Ming smiled wryly, shook his head, and moved the chair back inside. Just as he turned, the corner of his eye casually swept across the glass window on the balcony door, and he suddenly noticed an inconspicuous fingerprint mark.

  The apartment had no windows on three sides, only the balcony had windows. To increase lighting, the architect had not only designed the walls cleverly but also installed a window in the balcony door.

  The window was naturally fitted with glass. Thanks to the gift of predecessor transmigrators, this stuff wasn't rare nowadays. Chen Ming was a clean person; he usually wiped the glass carefully until it was almost mirror-like.

  Now, on one corner of the balcony door's window glass, there was an extra fingerprint mark, generally invisible under normal conditions. Only at a specific angle,could it be faintly seen by the slanting light,.

  Judging from the size of the fingerprint mark, it should belong to an adult male's thumb. There were also two whorls on it, extremely distinctive—definitely not left by Chen Ming himself.

  But Chen Ming's apartment was on the second floor; no one could easily access the balcony, let alone "accidentally" leave a fingerprint. Moreover, judging by the fingerprint's position, someone had entered through the balcony door and carelessly pressed their thumb against the glass, leaving this trace.

  Chen Ming's expression gradually cooled. If it were a thief's fingerprint, the place would have been cleaned out long ago. But not only was nothing stolen, everything was exactly in its place, untouched. This showed that someone had sneaked in while he was away to monitor his activities.

  So who was it?

  His only enemy in Renhe was the mastermind behind Manager Jin.

  Chen Ming quickly closed the door, drew the curtains, and thoroughly inspected the apartment. Nothing was missing, and nothing extra had been added.

  What was their plot?

  Chen Ming prided himself on keeping a low profile, always disguising himself when going out to avoid detection. Yet the mastermind had still found an opportunity to invade his room, indicating someone was watching him day and night.

  Thinking of this, a chill ran down his spine. If they could invade his room silently today, they could kill him silently tomorrow.

  He gritted his teeth and resolved to passive into active, striking first.

  His plan was to expose his wealth by buying a house. Back during the Chen & Zhu Firm incident, the mastermind had coveted his wealth and struck. Now that Chen Ming had gotten rich again, he was sure the mastermind would be tempted. As soon as the other party revealed themselves, he could pursue the lead and eliminate them once and for all.

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  Of course, while drawing the snake out was one purpose of buying a house, after dealing with the enemy, the house would still be there to live in. So Chen Ming planned to choose carefully.

  He was engaged in illegal activities, so the more secluded the better. His requirement for a house was few people and little noise.

  Chen Ming found an agent, stated his requirements, and the foe recommended several properties at the foot of Linping Mountain.

  Renhe had developed along the Shangtang River, with the canal area being the most bustling. Linping Mountain, a remnant of the Tianmu Mountains, stood solitary within the city. Although scenic, it was sparsely populated. Only a few wealthy families seeking tranquility built houses there.

  After repeated selection, Chen Ming finally settled on a two-courtyard house with two entrances and two exits. It had a main building, side rooms, a living room, a study, a kitchen, a sunroom, and more. It also came with a small courtyard where he could plant flowers and trees and raise birds, animals, fish, and insects.

  This suited his needs perfectly. He paid the amount immediately and bought the courtyard house. He then gave up his rental, moved his few belongings over, and moved in that very night.

  But the courtyard house was too large; Chen Ming living alone made it feel empty. The agent asked if he wanted to hire some servants. Chen Ming waved his hand in refusal. No way—he was engaged in shady business that couldn't be exposed. He absolutely couldn't let outsiders get close.

  Buying the house meant he was officially settled. Chen Ming remembered Zhu Chuqing. Since The Great One had sent him a wife, he might as well send her word. Fortunately, the "local Chen Ming's" handwriting was identical to his own. Chen Ming wrote a letter and sent it to Wulin Women's School, saying he had bought a house and settled down. At the end, he deliberately noted the detailed address of his new residence. As for unnecessary words, he dared not say much, fearing that more words would lead to mistakes and expose him.

  After purchasing the courtyard house, he needed to go to the County Government Office to complete the paperwork and pay taxes. Accompanied by the agent, Chen Ming went to the County Government Office and happened to run into Chief Constable Zong. Lately, Chen Ming had been busy getting rich off the dead, active at night and resting during the day, so he had interacted less with Chief Constable Zong.

  Seeing Chen Ming's beaming face, Chief Constable Zong asked, "Brother Chen, what good news has you so delighted?"

  Chen Ming smiled and said, "I bought a courtyard house. I'm here today to handle the手续."

  Chief Constable Zong immediately congratulated him. "Congratulations, congratulations!"

  Then he asked, "When is the housewarming banquet? You must let me share in the auspicious occasion."

  Chen Ming didn't have many acquaintances in Renhe and hadn't planned to hold a banquet at all. But hearing this, his mind stirred. Chief Constable Zong was one of the big shots in Renhe city. If he helped spread the news of Chen Ming buying a house, wouldn't that make it seem even more plausible?

  So Chen Ming said, "Why choose another day? Today, I'll invite Brother Zong for a drink."

  Chief Constable Zong smiled and said, "After my shift ends, I'll come to your place."

  He meant that since there was a new home, they shouldn't eat out. Chen Ming thought this reasonable. Actually, he couldn't cook at all and always ate out, but that didn't matter—he could order takeout.

  Chief Constable Zong helped Chen Ming with the paperwork. Seeing Chief Constable Zong by his side, the petty officials at the County Government Office naturally showed favor. Soon, Chen Ming had completed the property documents. He took his leave from Chief Constable Zong and went home to prepare the banquet.

  For this occasion of entertaining an honored guest, he specially ordered food and wine from the best local restaurant, Piaoxiang Lou, and arranged for delivery at the appointed time.

  Meanwhile, the mastermind was listening to a confidential report from his subordinate.

  "Sir, this subordinate has been watching Chen Ming day and night. I've noticed that he's often nowhere to be seen during the day and doesn't return home at night either—his movements are extremely suspicious."

  "Hmm? Then where does he go? Could he be investigating us secretly?"

  "This subordinate secretly broke into his dwelling and examined his shoes. I found soil embedded in the crevices of the soles, and after comparison, it's identical to the soil in the forest. Therefore, I推测 this scoundrel has been going into the forest. But what he's after, I can't say for sure."

  "How strange. If he were an imperial court spy, why would he be slip into the forest every day? Has he married a monster or something?"

  "You jest, Sir. Additionally, this subordinate discovered that this Chen Ming seems to have come into a huge sum of money—he's actually bought a house."

  "Excellent! Money means there's a source. He's finally shown a weakness. Continue your surveillance. If there's any unusual movement, handle it yourself. Don't delay and cause a major disaster."

  "Understood, Sir."