Chapter 30 Retribution Has Finally Arrived
When they met again, Li Chengzhang's tone was just as vicious as in their last phone call. His face was filled with hostility, and his expression as he stared at Shang Wu was extremely fierce.
Shang Wu spoke first, sat down, and stared at him coldly.
"You helped Zhou Yanci set a trap to harm my brother, and now you're getting your comeuppance. How does it taste?"
Li Chengzhang's expression froze, taken aback by her preemptive words.
He immediately recoiled as if he had seen a ghost.
"You...you actually knew about this?"
"Of course, otherwise why would I have tried to sow discord between you and Zhou Yanci and get him to sue you?" Shang Wu coldly enjoyed his fearful and apprehensive reaction, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
She once naively believed that Li Chengzhang was truly the victim.
My brother went to jail, initially sentenced to twelve years.
She was terrified and ran to Li Chengzhang to beg for forgiveness, even kneeling down and kowtowing.
Not only were Li Chengzhang and his wife unmoved, they also kicked her out of the ward.
Shang Wu still remembers Madam Li pointing her finger at her nose, her eyes red and her teeth clenched, saying, "It's all your fault that the Li family line has ended! You and your brother should spend your lives in jail!"
She was terrified at the time, and even though Li Chengzhang initially had ulterior motives towards her, she endured it for the sake of her brother's reduced sentence.
Only now does Shang Wu realize that this was all a scam.
Everything is fake.
Zhou Yanci's help, Li Chengzhang's distressed state while lying in his hospital bed and his insistence on filing a lawsuit, and Madam Li's heartbreak were all acts put on for her.
Driven by hatred, Shang Wu stood up and stared at Li Chengzhang expressionlessly.
“I know what you and Zhou Yanci have been up to. Now it’s your turn, and soon it will be Zhou Yanci’s turn to pay the price. Li Chengzhang, just sit in jail and be content. My brother has been in jail for as many years as you will be.”
Li Chengzhang's face was ashen, and he stared at her intently through gritted teeth.
He clenched his fist: "You only dare to take revenge on me! Because now you have to rely on Zhou Yanci, even if you hate him, you can only pretend to be stupid in front of him! You're spineless!"
Shang Wu pursed her lips.
Her voice was light and airy, like falling snow, "Get this straight, it's Zhou Yanci who needs me to support Chengzhou Group's revenue."
"Hmph, say whatever you want! You get Zhou Yanci to drop the charges and let me go right now, or I'll tell him what you know the truth, and things will completely fall apart between you two!"
Li Chengzhang's eyes were like those of a snake, chilling and menacing, carrying a terrifying glint.
Shang Wu didn't take a step back, looking down at him with a smirk.
"Sure, do whatever you want. As long as you're not afraid of Madam Li and your two adopted sons suffering outside, I can put you in jail and make them wish they were dead."
After he finished speaking, Li Chengzhang was completely stunned. His lips trembled, and he wanted to say something but couldn't.
That gentle, non-aggressive, artistic girl with straight hair who always wore a white dress three years ago seems to have been buried long ago on the day she learned the truth.
She had lost her former gentleness and became like a ruthless female warrior, raising her spear and mercilessly judging her enemies.
As for him, he was the first cannon fodder to be put on trial.
Facing this woman whom he had once manipulated so easily, Li Chengzhang had no bargaining power whatsoever.
Only then did he realize what it felt like to be falsely accused and unable to defend oneself, with no choice but to go to jail, even though one has done nothing wrong.
Three years later, the retribution for the harm has finally come.
Li Chengzhang closed his eyes tightly, his voice trembling: "What do you want?"
"How about it……"
Shang Wu chuckled softly, thinking about her brother's situation in prison over the years.
In the few times we met, my brother was covered in superficial injuries on his body and face.
She said lightly, "My brother's wonderful life was ruined on the night you two set him up. You should repay him for the beatings you arranged for him to suffer in jail."
Shang Wu's eyes were filled with intense hatred, and her fingertips pressed tightly against the table.
"You should be glad that my brother is strong enough and didn't break down in a place like this, otherwise I would have taken you down with me and wouldn't have let you live a good life."
Li Chengzhang suddenly looked up, his pupils reflecting Shang Wu's cold and stunning face.
His lips trembled, as if he wanted to speak.
Shang Wu turned and left resolutely, then paused, looked back at Li Chengzhang's ashen face, and smiled softly.
“If Zhou Yanci knew what I’ve done, you and your family would be dead.”
She walked out of the room.
Behind him came Li Chengzhang's impotent rage and despairing wails.
Shang Wu did not look back, but walked away with firm steps, not even pausing when passing Lu Rang.
A strong wind was blowing outside, and it was icy cold.
She wrapped her coat tightly around herself and squatted at the entrance of the detention center, her shoulders trembling violently.
The tears that flowed down cooled, turning into lines of cold watermarks on my face.
Shang Wu bit her lip and wept silently.
She did it.
Even a small success can bring some comfort to my brother.
A light snow began to fall from the sky, seemingly weeping along with Shangwu.
Suddenly, an umbrella appeared above my head.
Shang Wu looked up with teary eyes and met Lu Rang's calm gaze.
She wiped away her tears and tried to stand up.
Lu Rang suddenly reached out and pressed down on her shoulder.
His large hand pressed against her shoulder, slid down her back, and pressed against her shoulder blade through her coat.
It's like comforting a fragile little animal.
Lu Rang looked down at Shang Wu: "Cry, no one will see."
The huge black umbrella in his hand blocked out the world, isolating Shang Wu in a corner under the umbrella.
Shang Wu squatted on the steps, feeling completely enveloped.
She took a deep breath, and tears streamed down her face again: "Attorney Lu, I need a word of affirmation now."
Lu Rang paused slightly, then reached out his hand to her cheek to wipe away her tears.
"You did a great job and didn't let your brother down."
Shang Wu's tears flowed even more freely, and she clutched his clothes, sobbing loudly.
No one understands how much pain she's in.
Heartbroken that her brother's future was uncertain and that he blindly trusted his enemy, working like a slave for three years, she felt like slapping herself in the face.
Her pain only subsided slightly just now.
Shang Wu didn't know how long she had been crying until her sobs gradually turned into choked sobs, then she looked up at Lu Rang.
She looked really disheveled.
Her eyes were swollen, her cheeks were red from the cold, and a few strands of hair clung to her face. She looked completely different from when she arrived.
Lu Rang curled his fingers and handed her a handkerchief.
Shang Wu took it, wiped it a couple of times, and then stood up, leaning on his arm.
After a brief venting session, it's time to move on to the next step without stopping.
She exhaled and said calmly, "Let Li Chengzhang suffer a bit."
Lu Rang agreed and handed her the umbrella.
"I have other things to take care of, so I'm going back."
The snow has fallen heavily.
He walked into the snowstorm to cross the road and get his car.
Shang Wu gazed at his profile. The wind ruffled her hair, and her heart pounded wildly as if tangled in the strands.
Only after everyone had driven away did she come to her senses and drive back herself.
I checked my phone on the way and saw that Zhou Yanci had sent me a few pictures.
It's a photo of a very elegantly decorated guesthouse.
"Honey, how about we go here to celebrate your birthday? I'll invite Ji Yu and Gu Ziqian to celebrate with you, have a party, drink some drinks and have some fun."
At a glance, the information was filled with names of people Shang Wu disliked.
Shang Wu frowned in rejection.
In the past, Zhou Yanci had always done her best to surprise her on her birthday.
This time, however, her feelings were different from the anticipation and emotion she had felt before; they were filled with disgust.
Shang Wu had no expectations for this birthday. She could only think about how her mother had carried her for ten months and gone through so much hardship to give birth to her, yet she was going to spend the whole night singing and laughing with her enemy.
Even a second's delay in rejecting Zhou Yanci would be disrespectful to both yourself and your mother.
Shang Wu picked up her phone to call Zhou Yanci, but after a pause, she dialed someone else instead.
The call was answered quickly.
A shocked voice came from inside: "Shang Wu?"
"It's me."
Shang Wu snorted coldly: "Tomorrow is my birthday, and Yan Ci has prepared a surprise party to celebrate with me. You'd better behave yourself and not bother me, and don't ruin my special day!"
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
...
The next morning, Zhou Yanci went to Shang Wu's apartment.
Upon opening the door and seeing him, Shang Wu's eyes flashed with disgust. She turned to the side, gesturing for Zhou Yanci to come in.
Zhou Yanci smiled and said, "Are you ready? Let's pack up and get ready to leave. No matter what happens today, I'm going to celebrate your birthday with you, no matter what."
Upon hearing this, Shang Wu gave him a deep look.
"But I promised you I'd make up for the lost collaborations within two days. I think I'll go back and work overtime."
Zhou Yanci immediately grasped her hand.
"No, I promised to be with you. You don't need to be so tense. It's okay to look for a new partner a couple of days later."
Zhou Yanci looked disapproving, as if nothing in the world was more important than celebrating his fiancée's birthday.
Shang Wu lowered her eyes to hide the mockery in them, got into the car, and kept glancing at Zhou Yanci's phone.
Why is there still no movement?
Throughout the journey, Zhou Yanci's phone remained silent, with no calls or text messages.
Shang Wu couldn't hold back any longer. With the guesthouse just ahead, she asked, "Did you put your phone on Do Not Disturb? Usually, your work calls and texts are constantly ringing, but today it's been very quiet."
Zhou Yanci smiled slightly, a slight curve to her lips.
"I made sure to put the phone on silent, and I handed over all the work to Xiao Dong so that no one could disturb our time together."
Shang Wu coughed lightly, feigning nonchalance: "What if it's a private call? Why don't you check your phone? Or should I check for you?"
As she spoke, she reached for Zhou Yanci's hand.
Zhou Yanci's expression tightened, but she calmly picked up her phone first, then reluctantly changed the subject: "Okay, okay, I think that's alright?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the screen before showing it to Shang Wu.
“Well, I don’t usually get contacted by people outside of work. You know, my social circle isn’t very big.”
Shang Wu saw on the screen that apart from a few work groups, no one had sent him messages or made phone calls.
She frowned slightly, unsure of what to say.
Soon, the car stopped in front of the guesthouse.
Shang Wu snapped out of her daze and was about to unbuckle her seatbelt to get out of the car when she saw the guesthouse owner in front of her helping another woman with her luggage.
The woman turned around as she flipped her hair.
Zhou Yanci suddenly stopped and blurted out: "Slumber?"
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