Lu Yi looked up at Chen Wenzhou and in his eyes, he saw a cunning smile that sent a chill down his spine.
He had already come this far; there was no turning back for Lu Yi now. He could only wait, his scalp tingling with anticipation, for Chen Wenzhou to finish speaking.
"I can provide you with some evidence that proves last time’s incident was staged by Pei Yansi," said Chen Wenzhou. "Think about it, if Shen Heyu knew about this, how would she view Pei Yansi?"
Lu Yi’s hand, clenched into a fist on the table, suddenly relaxed. His gaze froze for a second.
"You’re right," Lu Yi said. "If Shen Heyu knew that Pei Yansi staged last time’s affair, she would absolutely hate him. No matter what Pei Yansi did or said in the future, she would never trust him again since Pei Yansi is someone who could take her life for a joke."
Chen Wenzhou’s words were a revelation to Lu Yi, who looked at Chen Wenzhou with great joy, as his difficult situation seemed to dissolve before him.
He stayed beside Shen Heyu and knew what was on her mind. She felt she owed Pei Yansi a favor, a debt of her life, so she couldn’t allow herself to treat Pei Yansi with the cold lack of feeling she had before.
But if the debt she thought she owed from the start was a joke, then that would surely push their relationship into a complete dead end.
Lu Yi’s furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
He looked at Chen Wenzhou with surprise, but soon a hint of doubt crossed his mind.
"Do you really have the evidence to prove that this was all orchestrated by Pei Yansi?"
Chen Wenzhou confidently replied, "Of course. This is the first time I’m working with Mr. Lu, and I won’t mess this up. Just trust me and do as I say."
"And what is the real truth of the matter? Was it really all orchestrated by Pei Yansi?"
Lu Yi didn’t have a high opinion of Pei Yansi, but deep down, he had a feeling that this didn’t seem like something Pei Yansi would do.
Though Pei Yansi had indeed been unhealthily obsessive about Shen Heyu, even to the point of using any means necessary to bind her to him, Lu Yi felt that Pei Yansi wouldn’t make a joke of Shen Heyu’s life.
"Mr. Lu, the actual truth doesn’t matter," Chen Wenzhou said with a faint smile. "What matters is which version of the story Shen Heyu chooses to believe."
Chen Wenzhou smiled lightly without answering Lu Yi’s question directly, but that in itself was an answer.
In reality, Lu Yi already knew that Pei Yansi hadn’t staged the incident, but he was adamant in convincing himself that he hadn’t wronged Pei Yansi.
"Just as long as you can produce solid evidence."
"I can certainly provide solid evidence," Chen Wenzhou continued. "Among the three people who kidnapped Shen Heyu last time, there was a man with dyed green hair who has confessed that Zhao Jin, from Pei Yansi’s side, ordered him to do it."
"With his testimony, Shen Heyu will have to try to believe it, even if she doesn’t want to." Chen Wenzhou then sent a file to Lu Yi’s phone.
He sent Lu Yi a video, and upon opening it, Lu Yi saw it was of the man with green hair, recounting the details of the incident to the camera.
Chen Wenzhou also sent another file containing some recordings and photos. The photos appeared to frame Zhao Jin, from Pei Yansi’s side, as the one who had kidnapped Shen Heyu.
"Where did these photos come from?"
Lu Yi clicked to enlarge the photos and frowned in confusion.
They were pictures of transactions between Zhao Jin and the man with green hair, lacking front views and mostly showing side profiles.
Nevertheless, it was easy to tell that the man in a suit in the photos resembled Zhao Jin, Pei Yansi’s assistant.
"You don’t need to know where they came from. Just show them to Shen Heyu. She will believe what you tell her."
Lu Yi put down his phone and looked up at Chen Wenzhou with a new perspective. Chen Wenzhou indeed had some trump cards in hand, but why wasn’t he playing them himself?
"You guys have been sitting on a pile of fabricated evidence; why haven’t you taken the opportunity to tell Shen Heyu yourselves?"
Lu Yi had also acted on a whim only yesterday, realizing he could no longer go on , and had decided to seek help from the Chen Family to take on Pei Yansi.
But judging by today’s evidence, they had had it for quite some time and had never disclosed it.
They also couldn’t be sure that Lu Yi would definitely collaborate with them, so what was the reason behind keeping this evidence hidden?
Chen Wenzhou chuckled. "Shen Heyu doesn’t trust us; she has always seen us as the enemy. She wouldn’t believe anything we say, so why waste all the evidence we’ve carefully fabricated?"
He was really treating Lu Yi as one of his own, admitting the evidence was fabricated and not genuine.
Lu Yi pulled a wry smile, wanting to laugh but not able to. "You think by having me tell Shen Heyu these things, she’ll believe it?"
"I can’t be certain Shen Heyu will believe all of this one hundred percent. It depends on Mr. Lu’s effort. Just try a little harder, and you can definitely convince Shen Heyu that Pei Yansi is just that kind of person."
Chen Wenzhou watched Lu Yi leisurely, and suddenly, Lu Yi’s heart tightened.
"So your request for my sincerity is for this matter. If I can make Shen Heyu believe that Pei Yansi is such a ruthless person, then I’ll have passed your test, and you’ll collaborate with me, right?"
"I understand. I will definitely try my best to do it."
Chen Wenzhou slowly set down his coffee cup. "Not ’try,’ Mr. Lu. You have to succeed in this task. If you fail, then I will tell Shen Heyu about our deal today."
"Mr. Lu, think about it. If Shen Heyu knows that you did such a thing behind her back, that you hurt Pei Yan, whom she deeply loves, guess how she’ll see you in the end?"
With a bang, Lu Yi angrily slapped the table and stood up, glaring at the smirking, confident Chen Wenzhou in front of him.
"You’re despicable and shameless, blackmailing me . I came to you today for a partnership in earnest."
Lu Yi was still too naïve, underestimating the depth of Chen Wenzhou’s subterfuge. Dealing with the devil always came at a cost.
Faced with Lu Yi’s anger and questioning, Chen Wenzhou merely laughed disingenuously. "Mr. Lu, please don’t be angry. I’m just considering the long-term benefits of our partnership. Without a little pressure, you wouldn’t give it your all."
"I trust Mr. Lu will not let me down, right?"
Lu Yi gritted his teeth, sneering coldly, "Of course not."