HBWMA -Chapter 268 Close Life-and-Death Comrades

After returning to Chrysanthemum Garden, Jiang Huashan fell straight into bed and slept.

In her dream, everything was strange and chaotic—faces shifting from black-and-white to color, from realistic figures to blocky shapes. The final scene was a bullet speeding through the air, striking Shen Mianzhi right between the eyebrows.

“Boom—”

She woke up from the nightmare with a jolt.

【Ding——】

【Warning: Current main storyline deviation at 23%】

【Warning: Main plot deviation at 90%. The world of the drama will be destroyed.】

Her mind went blank for a few seconds. Jiang Huashan held her head and got out of bed.

From the courtyard, she could faintly hear Zhang Ru and Shen Mianzhi talking.

“Miss Mianzhi, would you like some more tea snacks? Our young lady probably won’t be up yet. She might still be sleeping.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just enjoy the breeze in the yard. Did you arrange these flowers?”

“No, I only know how to cook a little. Those were all taken care of by our young lady. Although she doesn’t like to move much, she’s quite attentive when it comes to these little things.”

Jiang Huashan shuffled to the window in her turtle slippers, lying lazily on the sill.

“Aunt Zhang, what bad things are you saying about me again?”

Zhang Ru looked up and saw her, slapping her forehead hard.

“Oh! I forgot—I still have soup boiling!” She rushed into the kitchen in a hurry.

Shen Mianzhi smiled and waved at her.

“Shanshan, come down.”

Rubbing her eyes, Jiang Huashan washed up briefly, yawned, and slowly went downstairs.

“What is it? Did Xiao Lanlan get beaten to death?”

For harming her own kin, since the old master had returned, he would not let her off.

Shen Mianzhi opened her phone and handed it to her, showing the trending headlines.

Jiang Huashan took it and glanced over.

[#Shocking! National goddess Xiao Lanlan responds for the first time to the rumor scandal]

[#Explosive! National goddess Xiao Lanlan announces retirement from the entertainment industry]

Is that it? She’s still able to make noise? Pretty mediocre trending topics.

“Look more carefully,” Shen Mianzhi said.

Jiang Huashan clicked on the video.

On screen, Xiao Lanlan had bandages on her face and hands, emotionally recounting the pain caused by online rumors. In front of reporters, she exposed the “hidden rats” behind more than three thousand cases of rumor-based cyberbullying, and declared she would pursue the matter to the end, making the perpetrators pay a heavy price.

The most dramatic twist came after the clarification.

Xiao Lanlan analyzed the danger of rumors from the perspective of a victim. She said that even with resources and status, she still could not resist the harm inflicted—so one could only imagine how helpless ordinary women must feel when facing such attacks. Learning from this experience, she hoped to do something for other victims.

She then announced that the Shen family and the Xiao family would jointly establish a nationwide women’s legal aid foundation, gathering the most senior top-tier legal team in the country, offering free services to any woman in need.

Finally, she encouraged all girls currently suffering from rumor-based harm:

“There is no such thing as a private photo existing on its own. Unless you admit it yourself, if someone can prove it’s your private photo, then they are violating your privacy—and they are guilty.”

This press conference was a textbook-level reversal. Not only did Xiao Lanlan stage a comeback from despair, but the Xiao family was also elevated to a new level of prestige.

Jiang Huashan clicked her tongue.

“Whose idea was this? Honestly… I have to admit, I suddenly get why Xiao Lanlan is considered a dark horse actress.”

Anyone could tell it was sarcasm. Shen Mianzhi laughed along, “It’s Brother A-Ling.”

Jiang Huashan raised an eyebrow. A clean, bloodless strike—very much like that social butterfly’s style. “So what’s Xiao Lanlan’s ending?”

“She’s already been expelled. I heard Grandpa arranged a girls’ school for her. They call it a school, but it’s basically no different from a prison. When she gets out depends entirely on her own fate.”

Jiang Huashan glanced at Shen Mianzhi. “You don’t hate her?”

“I do. But Grandpa has his concerns. He can’t really send Xiao Lanlan to prison—our Shen family can’t afford that kind of disgrace. I understand that. You already gave her a lesson. She’s lost her freedom too, so she’s paid the price.”

Jiang Huashan nodded. Not being consumed by hatred—she was a smart one.

Shen Mianzhi took a magazine clip from her pocket. “The ambush team was ten meters away in the Twin Towers across the street. This was left behind at the scene. They probably didn’t expect the Shen family’s Black Hall helicopter to land directly at the International Trade Center, so they retreated in a hurry and left evidence behind.”

Jiang Huashan took the fragment. “Did you trace its origin?”

Shen Mianzhi nodded, leaning in slightly. “The Black Hall investigated it. It’s not from any weapons factory—it looks more like military supply.”

“Military supply?”

If it really was military supply, then things were serious.

In today’s world situation, tensions were high. Wars broke out among small countries. Arms dealers built factories worldwide to profit from local regimes and mercenary forces.

But if it was military supply, it meant someone had tapped into national-level resources. That could involve—

Jiang Huashan asked, “Does Grandpa have any leads?”

Shen Mianzhi shook her head. “I’m not sure. He hasn’t publicly handled this matter. I only know because I looked through my father’s intelligence records. Even there, there’s only this much. I suspect… Grandpa probably knows more.”

She paused, then added, “Didn’t Zheng Song say Grandpa broke Fu Lingnan’s nose? Grandpa doesn’t usually act personally. If he did, there must be a reason. I think that’s a signal point. Also, the original rumor-monger behind Xiao Lanlan’s incident has been found—it was Fu Xiaoxiao.”

“But I don’t think Fu Xiaoxiao had the ability to escalate things this far. Both the Xiao family and Second Uncle tried to suppress the public opinion, but nothing worked. That means the force behind it must be at least equal to the Xiao and Shen families. But in A Country, no family matches the Shen family. So I suspect an alliance—multiple enemies working together, trying to erode the Shen family like white ants consuming a towering tree.”

Jiang Huashan’s eyes lit up, surprised both that Shen Mianzhi could access Black Hall intelligence and at how quickly she was thinking.

Shen Mianzhi continued, “The Fu family and Shen family have now completely fallen out. Grandpa opposes the Fu family controlling the judiciary, while the Fu family is blocking my uncle from returning to the National Congress. The Speaker election is nearly over—five states’ votes are still uncounted. Whether Uncle can return to the Speaker position depends on who wins this final struggle.”

Jiang Huashan frowned. The National Congress was A Country’s legislative body. If the Shen family regained control, they could balance the courts and the executive branch. From a bigger perspective, Grandpa would likely support Shen Qian’s rise.

In her previous life, it had been the same—Shen Qian returned to power, and the second branch reached its peak.

“I heard from my dad that this summit meeting got pretty intense. So far, only the Zhou and Su families haven’t taken a side.”

Jiang Huashan waved her hand. “Old foxes like that don’t move until the food is already on the table.”

Rough words, but accurate. Shen Mianzhi thought about it and nodded with a smile. “You really see things clearly.”

Jiang Huashan’s eyes shifted slightly. “You were waiting here just to tell me all this?”

Was this… intel-sharing?

Shen Mianzhi’s smile faded, becoming serious. “No. I came to thank you. Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I would already be dead.”

She would never know that Jiang Huashan’s fearless back then had become her unforgettable salvation. She had never imagined someone would value her life above their own—or be willing to die for her.

“Shanshan, I came today to tell you this: from now on, I will strive to become a warrior who wields the sword. When the day comes that you need me, I will fight to earn you glory.”

Jiang Huashan looked disgusted. “What the hell! That’s so cringe.”

Shen Mianzhi laughed. “In plain words, it means—we’re life-and-death friends now.”