Xiaomei watched Fu Bing’s live stream excitedly, her eyes shining brightly.
At the same time, she truly understood what Aunt Ning had told her.
Her sister was loved by many.
Whether in adversity or prosperity, her sister was always loved by many.
Even astronomical viewership numbers, like five or six hundred million, came easily to her sister.
If all those outstanding people gathered closely around her sister, she would truly have no role to play.
After Fu Bing ended her live stream, Xiaomei brought her medicine to drink.
Seeing her low spirits, Fu Bing smiled. "Who made my little sister unhappy?"
Xiaomei hugged Fu Bing from behind and lamented, "Sister, I can help you less and less. I know I should learn and improve, and I also want to find a teacher to study hard with. But I’m afraid of choosing the wrong person. What if they use my words to hurt you?"
Fu Bing gently swayed with her embrace, laughing. "My little sister is growing up and thinking more deeply. If you’re not afraid of being scolded, go study with Teacher Rong Shizhi. Teacher Rong’s granddaughter is your age, so you can learn together and have some company."
"If I go to study, what will you do here?"
"You’re not in Jiangcheng at the moment, so you can start with video lessons. When you return to Jiangcheng, you can then present a generous gift and formally ask for her guidance."
"I’ll study! I’ll definitely work hard!"
Xiaomei didn’t want the past to repeat itself.
"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself."
Xiaomei murmured, "I don’t want to be the one who hurts you one day."
"I’m looking forward to your progress." Fu Bing pinched her cheek. "As far as I’m concerned, you’re already wonderful. I understand you’re not satisfied with your current state and are afraid of causing me trouble. I respect your feelings and hope you don’t look down on your current self. Studying is just for your own betterment."
Xiaomei hummed softly, clinging to Fu Bing like a child.
Fu Ning saw Gu Sining watching Fu Bing’s live stream, seething with rage, and went over to smash Gu Sining’s phone.
"How shameless can you be? She just gave you the cold shoulder, and here you are, eagerly watching her live stream."
"What’s wrong with watching her live stream? At least I can learn something from it. You should be worried if I were spending all day watching those trashy short videos."
Gu Sining was heartbroken by Fu Ning and no longer wanted to listen to her.
In her eyes, Fu Ning was a manipulator—one who manipulated the entire family. In their household, everything had to go according to Fu Ning’s whims. If they didn’t obey, they were branded as foolish, unreasonable, and a waste of upbringing.
Seeing this, Gu Yazheng spoke up, "Sining is grown up now; she has her own thoughts. Don’t try to control everything she does."
"You just want her to watch your old flame’s daughter! You’re still thinking of profiting from her!"
"Have you caused enough trouble? So what if she’s Fu Ya’s daughter? Fu Ya was your sister! Your sister is dead, and this girl has no family left in the world. You’re her aunt! Instead of offering any help, you slander her in front of your own children!" Gu Yazheng was rarely this furious.
Gu Sining was stunned by this revelation, looking helplessly toward Gu Si’an.
Gu Si’an asked, "Fu Bing is Aunt’s daughter?"
"What? Do you want to bring her home, just like your muddle-headed father? I’m telling you, not a chance!"
Fu Ning angrily messaged Mrs. Zhou, "That little wretch is very cunning; you all need to be careful."
Mrs. Zhou relayed Fu Ning’s words to Bank President Zhou.
Bank President Zhou sneered. "Just an actor’s petty tricks, hardly worth a glance. I have ways to make sure she can’t stay in Jiangnan!"
Anyone who couldn’t be used by him was useless.
Even the brightest lights could not dispel the pervasive darkness.
A shadowy figure merged with the darkness, tossed a package into the courtyard of Fu Bing’s villa, and then vanished back into the night.
Mu He picked up the package and took it to Qin Jinhai’s room.
When Qin Jinhai saw the contents of the package, his handsome face turned so dark it seemed like ink could drip from it.
"Zhou Zhizhuo seems to have been in that position for too long; he’s itching for trouble. Expose his dirty dealings and destroy his reputation."
Zhou Zhizhuo strode into his office, a smug look on his face.
Once Fu Bing saw that package, she would definitely come begging him to spare her. By then, wouldn’t he hold all the cards? He planned to sleep with her first, then offer her to the powerful men who coveted her beauty and body, and finally, force her to treat his mother’s illness. The more Zhou Zhizhuo thought about it, the more excited he became. Just the thought of having a woman Qin Jinhai had possessed was worth it.
When Zhou Zhizhuo reached his office, he saw several people in uniform standing rigidly at the door.
A sense of dread washed over Zhou Zhizhuo.
"Are you Zhou Zhizhuo?"
"We’ve received reports that you’ve used your position for personal gain. Please come with us to the station to assist with the investigation," the officer said, maintaining a polite tone.
In fact, their department had received anonymous emails containing clear video and audio recordings of him accepting money and property, with many specific amounts clearly detailed.
Zhou Zhizhuo’s face turned ashen. "I’m innocent! I’ve worked diligently all these years, with no ulterior motives!"
"You can say whatever you need to at the station."
By this time, more and more colleagues were arriving for work.
Zhou Zhizhuo was led away under everyone’s gaze.
「Half an hour later.」
Madame Zhou received a call from her father.
Mr. Wa said, "Zhou Zhizhuo has been arrested, and the evidence against him is conclusive. You must divorce him quickly to avoid implicating the Wa Family."
Madame Zhou felt dazed by the news. "Aren’t we going to bail him out?"
"Someone is targeting him; he can’t be saved. Rather than waste energy and money trying to bail him out, it’s better to cut our losses quickly. Don’t worry, Dad will definitely find you a better husband."
Madame Zhou hesitated but then nodded, instructing her lawyer to draft the agreement.
As soon as it was drafted, she took the divorce agreement to the interrogation room to find Zhou Zhizhuo.
Since being taken away, Zhou Zhizhuo had been subjected to relentless interrogation.
The high-wattage lights left him utterly exhausted.
The moment he saw the divorce agreement, his tightly wound nerves snapped.
"You’re actually divorcing me?"
Madame Zhou’s expression was cold. "You know perfectly well what you’ve done. If you’re going down, you’ll go down alone. My son and I still have our lives to live."
As the saying goes, "husband and wife are like birds in the same woods; when calamity strikes, they fly their separate ways."
Zhou Zhizhuo glared at Madame Zhou, his eyes bloodshot, and enunciated each word, "We’ve been married for over twenty years. I don’t believe I’ve ever wronged you. You... have truly broken my heart."
"So what? You’re useless to me and our son now. Not only useless, but you could also ruin his future!" Madame Zhou urged impatiently, "For our son’s sake, just sign it!"
Zhou Zhizhuo’s hands trembled as he signed.
A triumphant smile spread across Madame Zhou’s lips.
Zhou Zhizhuo watched the woman who had shared his bed depart with such glee, and a flash of bitter hatred crossed his eyes.
She wants to kick me to the curb and find someone new? Not a chance!
Zhou Zhizhuo looked at the interrogator who entered and began to speak, his voice hoarse.
"I’ll confess. Everything I accepted... it’s all under the names of my wife’s family members, especially Mr. Wa. He loves antiques. He always had me specify authentic pieces from certain individuals. Those items are in a bank safe deposit box. The password is..."
Even if he was just a dog discarded by the Wa Family, he would still tear a piece of flesh from them.