OFR – Chapter 304 He was used to being alone

“Xie Tianhua?” Mu Bai repeated in question.

“Yes, that’s him. This man has always been in Nanjing, mysterious and low-profile, never showing himself in public. No one knows what he’s plotting. Even our Rong family couldn’t dig anything out about him. I don’t even know why he struck at me. He’s an unreasonable freak! Doesn’t he understand that killing me would serve no purpose except escalating conflict?

Here in Nanjing, if I lose, that only proves I’m incompetent. But if I die here, then sixty percent of the Rong family’s current power—who are all hawkish—will be driven to fury. Brother Leng, you can easily imagine just how far the situation would escalate. Right now, China’s economy is undergoing a transformation, and foreign countries are eyeing us like tigers, even probing us with small-scale trade wars. They’re all hoping we fail this transition. Add to that the likes of Soros, Yamamon-kun, and the Rothschilds—those international financial predators—waiting to gorge themselves on the turmoil. So it’s not that I, Rong Qingwen, fear death. It’s that for the nation, the family, the people, and for the promises I’ve made to my loved ones—I cannot die here. I beg Brother Leng to put the bigger picture first!”

Rong Qingwen spoke in a rush, his words naturally spilling out the precarious state of the nation!
Yes, he truly did not want to die!
Not out of fear of dying obscurely, but out of fear of dying too dramatically.

If he died here, then the sixty percent of hawks within the Rong family would surely seize on the crushing news of their heir dying in Nanjing to storm the city with overwhelming force.

By then, it wouldn’t just be a battle among billionaires—it would become a brutal commercial war, one that would spread across the entire North and South, terrifying every business.

And if that happened, the domestic business climate would spiral out of control. Once an economic crisis erupted, the entire nation would lose.

That was why he absolutely could not die here.

Of course, maybe he was just overthinking it.

The real power holders of the Rong family were shrewd old foxes—whatever he could see, they could see too.

But no matter what, he still didn’t want his death to bring disaster to his family or his country.

At this moment, while Rong Qingwen’s thoughts whirled chaotically—

Mu Bai, who sat quietly on the sofa, solitary as always and never concerned with national affairs, remained silent.

Yes, he had never thought of himself as a good person since childhood—but neither was he a bad person.

No matter what, China was his homeland.

And if lending a hand could bring peace, he would still do it.

So after a moment’s thought, he finally spoke again:

“But I think, once you return, won’t the Rong family still come back again? Then what difference does it make whether I help you or not?”

“True, the Rong family will return. But there will be a long buffer period. We will redefine the balance of power in Nanjing. Also, we’ll devote much of our manpower, resources, and wealth to resisting those trying to push into the northern markets. Besides, when I return, I will personally request the family to assign a team of top-tier experts to guard your safety. After all, Xie Tianhua’s skills, power, and background are unfathomable—it’s best to be cautious. And finally, if Brother Leng has any other requests, just say the word. As long as I can manage it, I won’t refuse.”

Rong Qingwen did not deny the boy’s words. Yes, the Rong family would not give up on their national commercial alliance strategy.

Why?

Because “strategy” alone was reason enough!
It was a business strategy—not some bargaining chip that could be traded away.

The Rong family would come again, but for now, he laid all his sincerity on the table.

It was up to this young man to decide.

After about half a minute of silence, the boy across from him casually fished into his pocket, pulled out a bunch of keys, and tossed them over.

“With just my car, you can get out of Nanjing? What if you get stopped?”

“Stopped? After yesterday’s battle, is there any aristocratic spy in Nanjing still dumb enough to dare stop Brother Leng’s car?”

“Heh. Well then—safe travels.” Mu Bai chuckled lightly.

“Thank you, Brother Leng.” Rong Qingwen picked up the keys and nodded gratefully.

“By the way—you just mentioned sending people to protect me?”

“Yes. Rest assured, Brother Leng. I’ll request a team of elite guards from the family to protect you.”

“I appreciate the thought. But still, better focus on protecting yourself. That’s enough. If there’s nothing else, I won’t see you out.”

When these plain words rang in his ears, Rong Qingwen looked at the delicate-featured youth before him and found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

It wasn’t the implied dismissal that embarrassed him.

It was the sheer, overwhelming dignity—rejecting the Rong family’s goodwill and even returning it—that made Rong Qingwen feel he could no longer see through this boy.

Because this time, it wasn’t just him—this young man too would soon face Xie Tianhua.

Yet here was someone who had effortlessly created Nanjing’s richest man, who dared to offend the Rong family, who had even led his men to hunt Rong Qingwen himself—

And still, Leng Shao remained unchanged from yesterday, never once accepting or seeking help from anyone or any organization.

This boy seemed accustomed to walking alone—

Even if storms raged before and behind him.

Rong Qingwen suddenly felt this boy was truly lonely, as if no one could step into his world.

And yet, he had to admit—this kind of loneliness carried a proud, though-defeated, dignity!