Chapter 127: Bewitching Hearts

What!

Upon hearing Mike Chen explain Theresa's identity, Qiu Hongwen and Zeng Xiaoxian were deeply shocked, unable to fathom why someone with such a sensitive background would come here. It seemed that the situation was truly becoming increasingly complicated.

Mike Chen continued to hunch his shoulders and lowered his voice, "Of course, the identity she is using to move around here is certainly not her real one. At the same time, this means Julia is not far away."

Just at that moment, Qiu Hongwen's phone rang. It was a call from the American side, pressing for the next steps.

Qiu Hongwen looked at Mike Chen again and said, "The joint forces are all in place and ready to act. We are just waiting for Mr. Chen's nod."

Strangely enough, Mike Chen, who had previously been brimming with confidence, was now hesitating about something.

"Mr. Chen, the joint forces are finally in position, just waiting for your word?" Qiu Hongwen pressed further.

However, the cunning and experienced Mike Chen had a gut feeling that whenever a troublemaker showed up in a place like this, mischief was bound to follow. He didn't know what kind of trouble she might cause, but being cautious was never a mistake, and there was no immediate rush to deal with people.

Having made up his mind, Mike Chen shook his head slightly and said, "Let's wait and see. No action for now."

...

Seeing Theresa arrive, Anthony spat out a mouthful of wine. "What is that troublemaker doing here?"

Jiang Yaowen lowered his voice and asked, "Who is she again?"

"The British Home Secretary's golden lapdog. Damn it... It's obvious this place has turned into a cesspool now, and she's bound to stir things up. The only question is whose bad luck it's going to be this time," Anthony muttered. "Though I know for a fact that someone's going to have bad luck."

Jiang Yaowen thought for a brief moment and asked, "Are you close with her?"

"Very close," Anthony said with a peculiar expression. "But I have zero desire to speak with her, because you never know whether she's talking sense or utter nonsense. Theoretically, she isn't our enemy, but during the last Poseidon incident, many people believed Julia was involved, which made both Julia and her rather sensitive figures. If I were to contact her privately under unclear circumstances and my boss Elsa found out, it certainly wouldn't end well."

Jiang Yaowen frowned and said nothing.

Shinoda Hiroshi came over to cozy up, but Theresa had no interest in him right now and chased him away.

Theresa walked around alone, using her sharp perception to observe the various figures filling the grand hall.

Perhaps all of them were heavyweights who could cause an earthquake in their respective fields, but most of them failed to catch Theresa's eye. Naturally, there were three exceptions: Mike Chen, Qiu Hongwen, and Anthony. Each of these three schemers harbored different thoughts, represented three major factions, and had their own shady agendas.

That Mike Chen looked the most suspicious, because he was deliberately avoiding Theresa. Of course, Theresa had spotted him right away; how could he possibly hope to elude her notice?

In truth, Theresa was also feeling utterly bewildered at the moment. Just a few minutes prior, she had received a call from the Security Bureau stating that her email account had been accidentally breached. The purpose was currently unknown, and they had not been able to lock onto the perpetrator.

Her public inbox held no deep secrets, but for this to happen at such a critical juncture—against the backdrop of the intense US-Russia showdown during the Poseidon incident—made things one hell of a lot more complicated.

Previous events easily pointed suspicion toward Julia, but precisely because it was so obvious, it felt like a misunderstanding or someone else's scheme, which meant it could be treated as non-existent. Yet, the subsequent occurrences increasingly resembled a well-laid conspiracy, and Julia's situation was looking more and more precarious.

She had no idea how to handle it for the time being. Therefore, Theresa's first thought was: stir the cesspool first, the more chaotic the better. Only after they tumbled into chaos and fought tooth and nail, beating each other to a pulp, could one slowly discern whose interests it ultimately served, and thereby figure out who was really stirring up trouble.

Driven by this troublemaker's mentality, Theresa didn't expose Mike Chen upon spotting him. Instead, swaying with her most graceful gait, she walked toward Anthony, Jiang Yaowen, and their group.

"Damn, she's walking toward us. What does she want?" Anthony muttered awkwardly, though he had no choice but to put on a smile to greet her. "Theresa, how have you been lately?"

"I've been quite well. I suppose some people are jumping up and down with anxiety and can't sleep, though?" Theresa replied with a smile.

"It sounds like you're deliberately pointing fingers at someone," Anthony probed cautiously.

Theresa was very direct, casting a glance toward Mike Chen and Qiu Hongwen. "Do I even need to point fingers? Anthony, you guys are about to be finished. Mike Chen and the others are plotting against you; you aren't going to pretend you don't know, are you? Are you really so thick-skinned that Elsa doesn't even know about this?"

Anthony frowned. "You know about this too?"

Theresa smiled. "Do you think there's anything I don't know?"

"Fine, you know. And then what? You knew all along and are only telling me now? Are you sure you aren't just stirring up trouble, hoping to watch us tear each other to pieces like rabid dogs?" Anthony demanded.

Theresa replied, "Fighting will beat your brains out, and dogs know that, yet they still eagerly throw themselves into dogfights—it's destiny. Qiu Hongwen and his people are already at your doorstep looking to settle you, and if you don't respond, do you think your boss will be happy?"

Anthony gave a bitter laugh. "Sure, keeping her happy is important, but I can't let you be too happy either, can I? Who knows what you're plotting?"

Theresa continued, "My plan is very simple: bring the truth to light. Everyone knows that during the Boeing acquisition case back then, Julia and Mike Chen had deep-seated, bitter enmity. Now, even more sensitive issues have emerged, seemingly putting Julia right in the crosshairs. Who benefits from this?"

Anthony was momentarily stunned.

Theresa went on, "Yes, as you've witnessed, after the Poseidon incident occurred, your boss didn't take any action against Julia. That means this matter is far from simple and has nothing to do with Julia. Otherwise, when have you ever known her—always shouting about 'honor and prestige'—to be so accommodating?"

Anthony froze again. Come to think of it, that was indeed the case. Elsa's temper had been uncharacteristically mild that time.

Only then did Theresa show her true colors. "So this time, it's an opportunity for both our sides to clear up misunderstandings and form an alliance."

Anthony let out another bitter laugh. "Would troublemakers like you ever ally with anyone? What a joke."

Maintaining her oratorical poise, Theresa lit a women's cigarette and smiled. "Troublemakers have allies too. Let me drop another piece of intel you aren't aware of."

"I'm all ears," Jiang Yaowen interjected this time.

Theresa spoke at a rapid pace, "I know the reason you guys dare not strike back yet lies in the person behind Qiu Hongwen. But I guarantee you're overthinking it. Whatever Qiu Hongwen is doing has nothing to do with Zhang Ye; it's entirely his own personal initiative. Qiu Hongwen is just brainlessly trying to act big while being exploited by others. The worst of the lot is Mike Chen, who is exploiting the identity of the person behind Qiu Hongwen. Can't you even see that?"

"Yet, how on earth do you know about this?" Anthony hesitated.

"Like I said, is there anything I don't know? It's just that I generally don't share such things with people who aren't my friends," Theresa smiled.

"As you said, given the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger case back in the day, you and Mike Chen fought like cats and dogs. It's not hard to guess your motive for telling me this now," Anthony said.

Theresa answered, "The conflict between Julia and Mike Chen needs no masking, but I can responsibly tell you that it has nothing to do with this cooperation. To show my sincerity, I will provide you with a strategy to strike back."

At this, Anthony's interest was slightly piqued. He nodded faintly. "What kind of strike back? I hope to resolve this once and for all—that's the outcome my boss would love to see, otherwise the subsequent trouble will be massive. If you're setting me up, I'll certainly be finished, but don't think she'll let you off the hook either."

"Good. Now let's discuss the concrete plan."

Extinguishing her cigarette, Theresa smiled with a captivating air. "When facing trouble, you don't necessarily have to charge head-on like smashing into a bed of nails. In The Art of War, there's a tactic called 'Besiege Zhao to rescue Wei.' Unfortunately for Mike Chen, he has quite a few sensitive operations based in London. The moment we solidify our cooperation, I can make a single phone call, and security forces will surround them."

Anthony hesitated for a moment before asking, "Mike Chen is so cunning—can you really pinpoint the location of his sensitive operations?"

Theresa smiled, "He certainly has heavy outer defenses, but like I said, is there anything I don't know?"