Qi Assistant lowered his head, not daring to look at Xie Jinghu.
Meng Lawyer’s gaze also drifted away.
Men understand men best. At this moment, both deeply understood Xie Jinghu’s feelings.
Meng Lawyer advised, “This actually has little to do with the lawsuit. Investigating or not is fine…”
Xie Jinghu and Sara Zhuo were not legally married. They were simply in an extramarital affair. The law does not guarantee “fidelity” in such relationships.
Put more simply, whether Sara Zhuo found one man or ten behind Xie Jinghu’s back made no difference. Child support for Zhuo Yue had already been recovered. Sara Zhuo’s fidelity in the affair was unimportant and would not increase Xie Jinghu’s chances of winning the lawsuit.
Xie Jinghu gritted his teeth. “Investigating or not has nothing to do with the lawsuit. It has to do with me!”
Was this about money?
No, this was about a man’s dignity!
Meng Lawyer and Qi Assistant fell silent.
At Xie Jinghu’s demand, Qi Assistant expended great effort investigating the matter, checking the hotel Sara Zhuo stayed in during Japan, tracing her movements.
Previously, Xie Qian could not investigate thoroughly because he feared alerting others. He had to do it secretly, with constraints everywhere.
Xie Jinghu feared alerting no one. Filled with rage, he was determined to drag out the second man who had cuckolded him besides Zhang Zhijun.
“Who is it?”
“It is Mr Zhao.”
Qi Assistant explained carefully. “Mr Zhao’s itinerary overlapped with hers in Japan. They stayed at the same hotel, though Mr Zhao was on a different floor… Perhaps they were discussing ‘Silan’ matters?”
Qi Assistant reminded Xie Jinghu that Zhao Dong and Sara Zhuo had business cooperation, since 20% of ‘Silan’ shares belonged to Zhuo Chen.
Because of the share entanglement, Sara Zhuo meeting Zhao Dong was not strange.
Under normal circumstances, Xie Jinghu could indeed comfort himself this way.
But preceded by the Sara Zhuo and Zhang Zhijun affair, discovered only through credit card statements that Sara Zhuo had secretly gone to Japan, combined with that lingerie shop spending, Xie Jinghu could not deceive himself!
What situation prompts a woman on overseas holiday to suddenly buy new lingerie? Xie Jinghu knew better than most men. That woman had often worn new lingerie for his appreciation in the past.
As Xie Qian had anticipated.
With just a little clue to guide him, Xie Jinghu would conclude Zhao Dong was Sara Zhuo’s adulterous partner!
Sara Zhuo had prior offences.
Zhao Dong likewise came from a family tradition.
A surge of hot blood rushed to Xie Jinghu’s head. His face and neck turned purple-red.
Sara Zhuo betraying Xie Jinghu for Zhang Zhijun was already hard to accept. Xie Jinghu had dominated Zhang Zhijun in various ways since youth. Sara Zhuo’s betrayal was humiliation, making Xie Jinghu feel he had lost to someone inferior.
Yet no matter how poor Zhang Zhijun was, he and Xie Jinghu grew up in the same circles and now ran a sizeable business.
What was Zhao Dong?
Zhao Dong was not even qualified to compare with Xie Jinghu!
The Zhao family rose through unsavoury means. Zhao father lived off women. Zhao Dong wanted the same abroad, but in China aimed to inherit without heirs.
Taking funds from Xie Jinghu for business.
Using Xie Jinghu’s connections to expand circles.
And sleeping with Xie Jinghu’s woman!
Besides “inheriting without heirs”, Xie Jinghu could think of no better description. Even the safeguard Xie Jinghu left for illegitimate son Zhuo Chen—the 20% ‘Silan’ shares—were managed by Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong humiliated Xie Jinghu and sought to profit from him.
The vile nature was no less than good brother Zhang Zhijun’s betrayal!
Crash!
Xie Jinghu swept everything off his desk onto the floor. “That Zhao bastard, that Zhuo bitch!”
Qi Assistant lowered his head and quickly retreated.
Boss Xie had not smashed things in a long time. Zhao Dong had truly enraged him.
Qi Assistant thoughtfully left the office for Xie Jinghu to vent alone, even closing the door on exit.
Yes, with the door closed, the noise indeed quietened.
The one who exited earlier than Qi Assistant was Meng Lawyer.
Meng Lawyer stared at a potted plant in the corridor, lost in thought. Seeing Qi Assistant emerge, Meng Lawyer suddenly whispered, “Among a pile of statements, that transaction is actually hard to notice. Qi Assistant is truly meticulous.”
Qi Assistant stood beside Meng Lawyer, admiring the ordinary plant together.
“Meng Lawyer, you consider your client in lawsuits. We assistants must think for the boss too. No matter how small the mosquito leg, it is still meat, is it not?”
Meng Lawyer turned. Qi Assistant showed no guilt.
The two grown men shared a knowing smile, then turned back uniformly to the plant.
Meng Lawyer suspected the “boss” in Qi Assistant’s mouth was not Xie Jinghu.
But what did that have to do with Meng Lawyer?
Xie Jinghu had only hired Meng Lawyer to recover gifts to Sara Zhuo, with no intent to employ him as ‘Jinhu Group’ legal counsel.
‘Jinhu’ already had long-term cooperating counsel and its own legal department. Xie Jinghu was not stingy in this regard. Same cheating scumbag, Xie Jinghu’s legal awareness far exceeded Boss Pang’s!
‘Jinhu’ counsel handled company matters. Meng Lawyer sued for Xie Jinghu personally.
Such an embarrassing lawsuit—Xie Jinghu tolerated Meng Lawyer now out of need. Post-lawsuit, Xie Jinghu would never want to see Meng Lawyer again. Meng Lawyer knew this deeply, so when Qi Assistant had careful thoughts in organising statements, Meng Lawyer did not expose them.
Qi Assistant’s actions would not increase difficulty winning the case for Meng Lawyer, and would strengthen client Xie Jinghu’s resolve to continue.
With the second green hat stimulus, Xie Jinghu hated Sara Zhuo to the bone, unwilling to let her gain even a penny’s advantage!
Meng Lawyer and Qi Assistant admired the plant for a long while, nearly memorising leaf vein patterns. Office commotion gradually subsided.
After a while longer, Xie Jinghu emerged calm-faced.
Qi Assistant immediately abandoned plant viewing, looking worriedly at Xie Jinghu.
Xie Jinghu’s gaze burned. “Do not spread what was found in Japan.”
“…Hm?”
Qi Assistant was surprised. Was Boss Xie going to swallow this second green hat?
Xie Jinghu’s face frosted. “If news leaks, that Zhao bastard will prepare. He treats me as a fool? I will show him who the real fool is.”
Oh ho.
Qi Assistant gloated inwardly: the soft-rice king of family tradition was finally capsizing!
Qi Assistant and Meng Lawyer could not fully empathise with Xie Jinghu’s feelings. Neither had been cuckolded.
Folk saying: spotting one cockroach in the house means second, third, even countless more hidden in corners.
For Xie Jinghu, Zhang Zhijun was the first cockroach. Zhao Dong the second… How many more lurked unseen?
Best not dwell.
Dwelling risked Xie Jinghu bursting a vessel on the spot!
…
In the capital, Xie Jinghu prepared to close doors and squash cockroaches.
In Rongcheng, Wen Ying united family to open doors and admit two wandering souls.
All despised Shu Lu and Wen Hongyan. No one wished to engage. Though Grandma Wen had passed the crisis, the family could not forgive Shu Lu.
“No need for forgiveness, nor forgive.”
Wen Ying urged a mindset shift. “I will not support their luxury. I am merely resolving trouble.”
The day after Grandma Wen awoke, Shu Lu came calling.
“I want to live properly. I want good days.”
This was indeed Shu Lu’s most essential and primal life desire.
Shu Lu did not believe Wen Ying would help achieve it. She guessed Wen Ying would refuse outright—no matter. Shu Lu awaited refusal.
Wen Ying refused the hardest, then Shu Lu could smoothly propose a lower-difficulty new request. Wen Ying might agree!
Admittedly, Shu Lu had some small cunning. She could skilfully use such techniques without formal learning.
But how could Shu Lu’s life experience compare to Wen Ying’s?
Contrary to expectation, Wen Ying agreed outright. “You are honest this time. I can let you have good days—or give you a chance. Grasping it depends on you.”
Shu Lu stunned. “…Why?”
Wen Ying sneered. “For my own face. Though you are not surnamed Wen, your mum is. No matter how I detest you, to outsiders you are my cousin. I do not want to watch you continue mixing in bars and night scenes—either entangled with petty thugs, deceived in love and body, pregnant young; or simply go with the flow and fully degenerate into a woman living off flesh trade! Shu Lu, do you want such a life?”
