"President Lu..." someone shouted from upstairs.
Luo Xiu immediately released Lu Zhiwei's neck.
He wasn't afraid of the gossip from the association members, but harboring murderous intent towards the president right under everyone's noses would be detrimental to his chances of regaining the presidency.
Lu Zhiwei collapsed to the ground.
He clutched his neck, staring at Luo Xiu's sarcastic smile.
“You keep saying you like me and love me, but from your expression just now, you don’t care about my life or death. You care more about what those people upstairs think of you.”
Lu Zhiwei's words were insightful and revealed Luo Xiu's true feelings.
Luo Xiu shook his head in exasperation: "You're talking nonsense, Zhizhi. I just lost control of my emotions for a moment. I don't care what those people think of me. I only care about you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Luo Xiu, whose mind was in complete disarray, finally came to his senses, squatted down, and offered his palm to Lu Zhiwei, trying to pull her up from the ground.
Lu Zhiwei got up from the ground before him and walked straight into the association building.
The association's large conference room.
It can accommodate hundreds of people.
All local association members were present.
Lu Zhiwei walked into the conference room.
The strangulation marks on her neck were clearly visible.
Many members felt sorry for him when they saw him walking with difficulty and his hair turned white.
"President Lu, are you alright? Why don't you go to the hospital to get checked out?"
"No need, let's start the meeting."
Lu Zhiwei placed a stack of documents on the table and asked all the members to sit down one by one.
Luo Xiu was the last to enter the conference room.
He sat down next to Lu Zhiwei.
He had lost all interest in the meeting, his gaze frequently drifting to the conspicuous pinch mark on Lu Zhiwei's neck.
The blood stasis lingered at the pinched spot, leaving an indelible mark.
That was the mark of the hurt he caused her.
Shen Jinmo, who came to the meeting despite his injuries, swept his cold gaze toward Luo Xiu.
The fingers gripping the pen were clenched tightly.
He, like all the other members, clearly saw the scene where Luo Xiu pinched Lu Zhiwei downstairs.
He will add the cost of hurting Lu Zhiwei to the kidnapping case from the past two days, and settle accounts with Luo Xiu for it.
"The plagiarism incident involving numerous artists' works has escalated in recent days. Today's meeting is mainly to discuss solutions and to identify the perpetrators behind this incident."
Lu Zhiwei sent her assistant to let the victimized artists into the meeting room.
They had chairs brought out so that the guests could sit in on the meeting.
"President Lu, this matter has been delayed for several days. Do you have a solution?" The impatient painter stood up and questioned Lu Zhiwei.
Lu Zhiwei picked up the remote control on the table and turned on the projector screen in the conference room.
Then, a report from the tablet was displayed to everyone.
"The table I'm about to show you shows the specific dates when these paintings were presented to the Shen family. The Shen family's butler would categorize and record each gift he received."
These paintings were all bribes sent to the Shen family within the past year to smooth things over.
"President Lu, what do you mean? We're discussing plagiarism right now, why are you bringing up the fact that we gave gifts to the Shen family?"
The artists in the audience became increasingly emotional.
Lu Zhiwei slammed the documents in her hand heavily on the table: "The truth is, none of the paintings that were not sent to the Shen family were plagiarized."
These works were taken from the Shen family's property, packaged, and handed over to professional copyists for reproduction before being sold to various market channels, which led to this plagiarism incident.
"President Lu, stop making baseless accusations. Is there any truth to these materials you've submitted?"
The artists all sided with the Luo family and Luo Xiu, and refused to admit that they had been tricked.
Lu Zhiwei was too lazy to explain to them a third time.
“I have evidence.”
Shen Jinmo, who was usually quiet, suddenly stood up and handed a document to Lu Zhiwei on her desk, asking her to show it to everyone.
Lu Zhiwei took the document; there was a USB drive inside.
Lu Zhiwei asked her assistant to plug the USB drive into the computer and project the screen.
Soon, several video recordings of conversations taken in the private rooms of the club were played on the computer.
Sitting on the sofa next to me were the CEOs of well-known companies that resell antiques and calligraphy through various channels.
The person in charge inside the private room was Luo Xiu's special assistant, Eisen.
He personally handed a stack of paintings to these people: "Make fake copies of these paintings and distribute them as soon as possible, creating a massive buying frenzy worldwide..."
"No problem, we'll take care of it."
The video was released.
This became irrefutable evidence that led to the deaths of Luo Xiu and the Luo family.
Luo Xiu, leaning back in his swivel chair, gently tapped his long fingers on the desk.
So what if they're exposed on the spot?
These artists dared not offend him; they would only back down and swallow their anger.
"See this? This is how the Luo family, whom you've always supported, treats you." Lu Zhiwei looked at the artists.
Those who were yelling just moments before all lowered their heads, and no one dared to utter another sound.
The situation on the scene was actually within Lu Zhiwei's expectations.
The Luo family's dominance over the art world in the art capital for over a century is not so easily shaken.
Lu Zhiwei turned off the projection screen, slowly stood up from the main seat, and bowed to everyone: "I will have people recall all the plagiarized paintings worldwide and strengthen the management of cracking down on illegal activities such as piracy and counterfeiting."
I also thank everyone for your support and encouragement during my tenure.
Of course, I also want to apologize to everyone for my negligence and neglect in my work.
Everyone looked at each other, wondering why Chairman Lu had suddenly said such a thing, causing unease among those present.
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