Chapter 55 It's Zhou Yanci's turn to pledge his loyalty.
Zhou Yanci was breathing rapidly and her smile was forced.
"What... what's going on?"
"I wanted to ask you that too." Shang Wu pushed him away, her eyes turning cold and disappointed.
She smiled bitterly: "I always thought that even if Ji Yu escaped from prison and found Lu Rang to be her lawyer, and wanted to collect evidence to report you for detaining her, I would rush over to protect you and try to shut her up."
"But she told me, 'You're the one who caused my brother to go to jail!'"
Shang Wu suddenly raised her voice, looking at Zhou Yanci's changed expression.
"Tell me, what's going on? Is what Ji Yu said true? Is Li Chengzhang's wife from your grandmother's side of the family?"
She asked several questions.
Zhou Yanci clenched his fists, his face growing increasingly grim, wishing he could kill Ji Yu.
She actually dared to reveal this to Shang Wu; she must have a death wish!
He feigned composure: "Honey, you actually believe what that madwoman Ji Yu says? You know, ever since your business got into trouble, I've been doing everything I can to help you."
Shang Wu lowered her eyes and looked at the floor.
What a dedicated and hardworking person!
"Your parents couldn't bear the blow and became seriously ill, so I took them to the countryside to live with them. Your brother was sentenced to a long prison term, and I had my lawyer work hard to get his sentence reduced. Can't you see my efforts? Why do you believe Ji Yu's one-sided story?"
Zhou Yanci revealed a pained expression.
Shang Wu: "It's not just one side of the story; she provided me with some evidence."
She took the documents out of her bag and placed them one by one in front of Zhou Yanci.
These were all pieces of crucial evidence that she had Lu Rang find a while ago, evidence that could help her brother overturn his case.
Especially the medical examination report of Li Chengzhang, which is linked to his wife's medical records, cannot be erased.
“Li Chengzhang has been infertile for many years, but he blamed my brother for it, which shows that my brother was indeed framed by Li Chengzhang.”
Shang Wu stared intently at Zhou Yanci.
Zhou Yanci's pupils contracted slightly; she never expected that she would find this crucial piece of evidence.
His throat bobbed, and without thinking, he said, "Is that so? I knew nothing about it. As you know, I sent someone to check Li Chengzhang's medical records, and there was no such test result."
Upon hearing this, Shang Wu clenched her fists secretly.
"If Ji Yu only wants to sow discord between us, she can't possibly produce any useful evidence or words. I want to believe you, but I don't know how to convince myself."
Two lines of clear tears fell from Shang Wu's eyes.
"Ji Yu was able to find evidence favorable to my brother, but you and Jinshui Law Firm couldn't find any in these three years?"
Zhou Yanci opened his mouth, about to speak, when Shang Wu turned her back to him.
She gave a cold look, her eyes mocking.
"I don't know how to trust you, really."
Zhou Yanci watched her retreating figure, clenching her teeth, her eyes filled with displeasure.
"Then tell me, what exactly do I need to do for you to believe me?"
Shang Wu's breathing faltered slightly; he had finally heard those words.
She slowly turned around, looking at Zhou Yanci through teary eyes.
"The branch is at a critical stage of development, and we're getting married soon. We absolutely cannot afford any problems at this time. Anything could break me, you know?"
Shang Wu's words were both a warning and a reminder.
If Zhou Yanci's actions displease her, be prepared for trouble to occur at the branch.
Zhou Yanci was stunned for a moment, then said dejectedly, "Awu, just tell me what I need to do for you to believe me? I'll do whatever you say."
Shang Wu pursed her lips slightly, her expression serious.
"If you want to prove that Ji Yu is just trying to sow discord and that you are not targeting my brother, then use this evidence to hire a lawyer to help my brother with the lawsuit."
"What?" Zhou Yanci stared at her in astonishment.
Shang Wu stepped forward and grasped his hand tightly.
“These words, this evidence, could get my brother released from prison in six months. I could have done these things myself and overturned my brother’s case, but I didn’t. Do you know why?”
Zhou Yanci gritted her teeth.
“I’m giving you a chance to prove your innocence. If you can hire a lawyer for my brother and get him out within six months, I’ll believe you’ve never colluded with Li Chengzhang.”
Shang Wu looked at Zhou Yanci with the most expectant eyes.
Zhou Yanci remained silent after listening.
"What, you can't agree?"
Shang Wu's eyes reddened. "Or is what Ji Yu said true, and you did this with that guy surnamed Li back then?"
Zhou Yanci's expression grew increasingly flustered.
"Because you are related to his wife, can't you testify that Li Chengzhang deliberately framed my brother and get him released from prison sooner?"
Shangwu is bound to demand an answer.
Zhou Yanci opened her mouth, feeling as if she were being roasted over a fire, utterly helpless.
Just as Shang Wu said, the branch is at a critical moment, and Ji Yu keeps causing trouble, creating a crisis of trust for them.
Before he could make money from the branch, he couldn't afford any mistakes or changes in what he did back then.
Otherwise, given how much Shang Wu cares about Shang Yun Shen and her family, she would definitely turn against them.
By then, it will be too late for him to appease Shang Wu.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanci had no choice but to close her eyes.
"good."
He spoke with difficulty.
“I’ll help you. You want me to prove it? I’ll prove it to you. Ah Wu, I’ve never had any ill intentions towards you, and I’ve never hurt your family. Just wait for my news.”
After saying that, he went to his desk and took out the business card of the Jinshui Law Firm.
Shang Wu looked at his determined expression as he made the phone call, her eyes sparkling. Then, when he looked up, she gave him a perfectly timed, touched smile.
"Yanci, I knew you would never betray me. It was Ji Yu who deliberately sowed discord between us. I wonder if she will say something even more unjust to you when she goes crazy in the future."
Shang Wu sighed softly, looking worried.
Zhou Yanci's gaze sharpened, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
This seasonal rain is a real scourge!
Shang Wu collected the documents from the table, organized them, and placed them neatly for him.
"Don't forget to give this to the lawyer. I need news about my brother in three days. If he can be released from prison in six months, then I will apologize to you for this matter, and I will never doubt your innocence again."
Zhou Yanci clenched her fists, and the more frustrated she felt inside, the more gentle and affectionate her smile had to be.
He smiled gently: "Don't worry, I will do my best to rescue your brother. You don't need to worry."
Shang Wu smiled brightly: "Okay, then I'll go back and wait."
After saying that, she turned and left.
After everyone left, Zhou Yanci's face turned extremely cold. She raised her hand and swept all the documents on the table to the ground.
Shang Wu walked outside and heard the noise behind her. She paused, a cold glint in her eyes, and then left without looking back.
From the beginning, she had already planned how to deal with Ji Yu—to provoke Ji Yu and make her say something detrimental to Zhou Yanci to anger her.
As a result, Ji Yu's fate will only be worse than before.
But she never expected that Ji Yu would reveal what Zhou Yanci had done to her brother in order to provoke and hurt her.
Shang Wu didn't want to alert Zhou Yanci and arouse her suspicions, making her think that Zhou Yanci had doubts about all of Shang's cases.
Therefore, even if they had the evidence, they dared not act rashly and release their brother.
Now that we've taken advantage of Ji Yu's support, we can finally act in a logical and proper manner.
The thought of her brother being released from prison soon made Shang Wu feel as happy as if she were walking on clouds.
Meanwhile, in the office.
Zhou Yanci closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, his face gloomy.
Soon, a figure rushed over.
Lu Wuwei knocked on the door and, seeing Zhou Yanci's serious expression as if she were in trouble, knew that something serious and difficult to resolve must have happened.
He walked over and asked, "What happened? Why did you call me over so urgently, Mr. Zhou? I have an important case to handle right now."
"No matter how important your case is, it's not as important as what's on my end."
Zhou Yanci stood up, gripped the corner of the table, and stared at him coldly.
"Ji Yu betrayed me by exposing the fact that Shang Wu's brother was framed by Li Chengzhang back then. I went to great lengths to prevent Shang Wu from suspecting me, but you have to help her brother overturn the case and shorten his sentence to six months."
"Shorten it to six months? I went through so much trouble back then to get him severely punished, and now you want to reduce his sentence? Isn't this just making things difficult for me?"
Lu Wuwei was somewhat dissatisfied.
Zhou Yanci glared at him irritably.
"Do I have any other choice now? If I don't do this, Shang Wu will only become more and more suspicious that I'm colluding with Li Chengzhang. Have you thought about what the consequences will be?"
Lu Wuwei didn't know what to do, so he could only sigh.
"Alright."
“Also,” Zhou Yanci looked at him, “the lawyer who’s been following Shang Wu lately is Lu Rang, the top lawyer at Dingfeng Law Firm. Despite the hostile relationship with your Jinshui, he’s helping Shang Wu with things at Chengzhou. There must be something fishy going on. Go and investigate what his purpose is.”
He paused, then added, "Give them a proper warning."
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuwei's expression changed slightly.
“He is indeed Dingfeng’s youngest and most outstanding talent. It is said that he has never lost a case. You must not arouse Shang Wu’s suspicion. Lu Rang is by his side. With his meticulous mind, he will definitely see something strange.”
"That's an exaggeration?" Zhou Yanci raised an eyebrow slightly.
He originally only intended to make Lu Rang realize the difficulty and back down, and to know how to restrain himself.
But now it seems we have no choice but to deal with this man.
However, we cannot use any other method, otherwise Shang Wu will do everything in his power to protect Lu Rang if he finds out.
He had to find a way to get Shang Wu to personally ask for Lu Rang's dismissal.
Zhou Yanci pondered for a moment, then looked at Lu Wuwei.
"Go and think of a way to make Shang Wu lose trust in Lu Rang, fire him personally, and replace him with someone from your Jinshui Law Firm as legal counsel."
Lu Wuwei laughed: "I'd be more than happy to take action against the people at Dingfeng Law Firm. Don't worry, wait for my news."
He smiled, turned and left.
That evening, Shang Wu received a message from Zhou Yanci.
They said that based on the clues provided, the court could hold a public trial and re-sentence the brother.
Shang Wu felt a mix of emotions, both complex and excited.
It seems my brother will be out soon. When they work together, they will surely be able to restore the business's glory.
With no one to share her joy with, she opened a bottle of red wine to celebrate.
Soft music was playing in the living room. Shang Wu had drunk a few more glasses than usual, and her face was flushed.
Just then, a beam of light swept across the window and stopped outside.
The doorbell rang, and Shang Wu, her eyes hazy, got up and opened the door.
"Awu, why are you drinking?"
When Zhou Yanci came in and saw her, his heart stirred slightly, and he unconsciously stared at her intently.
He suddenly realized that over the years, Shang Wu had never allowed him to touch her, but she had always refused him when she was sober.
Perhaps, tonight I can finally possess Shangwu completely.
There's no reason for him not to seize this opportune moment to make things irreversible.
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