“Isn’t it obvious enough?” Meng Zhiru smiled with calm composure. “Who told you to be greedy?”
“Not bad. I really underestimated you.” Lou Mingxin narrowed her eyes. “But are you sure debt transfers achieved through fraud will hold up? Do you think the law is just for show?”
Meng Zhiru stiffened.
Sensing her regained upper hand, Lou Mingxin lifted her chin slightly. “You didn’t even bother to finish the act. All the liabilities are under my name, and there’s not a single asset? Isn’t that the textbook definition of suspicious? What do you think the court will decide? This clearly isn’t a legitimate transfer. Most likely, the judge will nullify it. Then not only will all those debts be back on your shoulders, but I’ll also use that as evidence of a broken marriage to file for divorce.”
“At that point, you, Meng Zhiru, won’t get a single cent.”
Veins bulged on the man’s temples. His eyes fixed on her like a predator.
Lou Mingxin was unfazed. “I have the Lou Group behind me. The entire Lou family stands with me. But you?”
Meng Zhiru’s face was emotionless.
“You have nothing—no family, no background, no foundation. No matter how hard you’ve tried to build capital over the years, your innate disadvantage is something you’ll never overcome. From the moment you were born, you were destined to be beneath others.”
Meng Zhiru’s pupils were bloodshot.
Lou Mingxin smiled faintly. “I know you hate hearing this. Hurts your pride, right? But it’s the truth. Know your place. Without the Lou family, without me, who would Meng Zhiru be today?”
Every word from her finely painted lips was like a dagger, stabbing deeper and deeper into his heart.
Meng Zhiru’s rage shifted to numbness, and finally to cold indifference.
Then suddenly, he lashed out and grabbed her by the throat. “Lou Mingxin, you forced me to this! You think the Lou family will shield you? The moment scandal hits and the stock price drops, you’ll be the first to get tossed aside! You think those old geezers treat you like Lou Mingyue? You seriously don’t know your place, do you?”
Lou Mingxin hadn’t expected him to lay hands on her. As a woman, she was naturally at a physical disadvantage. Her face flushed and eyes rolled back as she struggled in pain.
“Hhhghh… you… let go…”
But Meng Zhiru only tightened his grip. “And what Lou family? Who’s even left? Your dear mother took her money and ran off to live it up overseas. Your baby brother avoids you like the plague. The so-called ‘Lou family’—it lost its soul the day that woman died. Now, it’s just a hollow shell with a glossy exterior.”
She clawed at his hand, nails digging deep into his flesh. Finally gasping for breath, she screamed—
“Bodyguards!”
In moments, five men in black stormed in and swiftly subdued Meng Zhiru.
Clutching her throat, Lou Mingxin’s expression turned vicious: “Beat him! Beat him to death if you have to!”
The bodyguards hesitated, exchanging glances.
“What? You don’t take my orders anymore?!”
And so, fresh out of the hospital, Meng Zhiru was beaten within an inch of his life. Two of his ribs cracked—worse than before he was admitted.
Had the police not suddenly arrived and the guards not stopped in time, he might’ve been dead by now.
“Why are the police here?” Lou Mingxin frowned, glancing coldly at Meng Zhiru, who lay like a dead dog on the floor. “You called the cops?”
“Wait—you can’t just go in there! This is private property—” The maid tried to stop them but was easily pushed aside as two officers strode into the living room.
By now, Meng Zhiru had been tossed onto the sofa, half-conscious.
The bodyguards had already slipped out the back. The scene was clean.
“What’s the meaning of this? Just barge in without a word? You think the Lou family is so easy to mess with?!” Lou Mingxin snapped.
The officers said nothing, simply presenting an arrest warrant.
“Official duty. Please cooperate.”
Lou Mingxin glanced down, heart lurching.
The name on the warrant: Meng Zhiru?!
She hadn’t even reported him yet—how was there already a warrant?
And if this was about the kidnapping, that made even less sense.
He was the victim—why would he be arrested?
She was thrown.
But the law waits for no one. The two officers approached Meng Zhiru—
“Mr. Meng, we’ve received a report that you are involved in several serious criminal offenses. Please come with us.”
He didn’t move.
Lou Mingxin’s eyes flickered with a flash of guilt.
The two officers exchanged looks.
A: “Meng Zhiru?”
B: “D*mn—he’s unconscious.”
A: “Take him to the hospital, now!”
…
When Meng Zhiru woke again, searing pain shot from his broken ribs. He gritted his teeth, hate boiling within him.
When I recover… just wait…
Unfortunately, there would be no “when.”
As the police dredged up his past and interrogated him case by case, Meng Zhiru realized—it was over.
Smuggling, r*pe-murder, human trafficking…
Any one of those was enough to sentence him to death!
When the police informed Lou Mingxin of everything, she was stunned, terrified, and deeply shaken.
She had known Meng Zhiru’s overseas ventures were shady, but smuggling? Trafficking women?
Sure, she knew he liked to “play,” but she never imagined there were actual bodies—multiple bodies.
Just the thought that such a venomous snake had been by her side for twenty years gave her chills.
If, at any point, he had turned on her…
“Ms. Lou? Ms. Lou?!”
“…What?”
The female officer pushed a disposable cup of water toward her. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” But her pale face said otherwise.
Officer: “Due to the severity of the case, Meng Zhiru is currently under custody and receiving treatment in prison care. We brought you in today for a few follow-up questions. Please cooperate…”
When Lou Mingxin left the station, the sun was setting—just a half-disc lingering at the horizon.
She got into her car and immediately pulled out her phone.
“Old Xu, this news must be kept under wraps. If it leaks, the company stock will plummet. We just pivoted Lou Group into tech, and a lot of capital hasn’t returned yet. We cannot afford a scandal now!”
“I understand, but the board…”
“I don’t care,” she snapped. “Those old fossils already don’t like me. If something else happens, I may not even keep my position as CEO!”
The voice on the other end sighed. “I’ll do my best.”
“No—make it happen!”
…
Hilton Hotel
Standing behind Liu Jinzhong, Liu Sisi listened as someone gave a report on Meng Zhiru’s status.
“…Our people confirmed he was transferred to Yangshan Detention Center yesterday.”
“Oh?” Liu Jinzhong raised an eyebrow.
That’s where they housed high-risk felons. The guards there were all tough as nails.
If Meng Zhiru survived this, he’d be lucky to keep his skin intact.
“Lou Mingxin hasn’t hired him a legal team. Only an assistant named Chen is still running around, trying to pull strings for him.”
Liu nodded. “Keep watching. Report any updates immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man left and closed the door behind him.
Now only Liu Jinzhong and Liu Sisi remained.
She hesitated, clearly wanting to ask something but unsure how.
He sighed. Hopeless girl.
“What do you want to ask? Just say it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Uncle Liu, you said before—we didn’t need to arrest Meng Zhiru ourselves. We could let the police handle it. Is that still true?”
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
“So he’s not going to mention the kidnapping?”
“Even if he did, it’s useless. First, we wiped everything clean—he has no evidence. Second, he’s neck-deep in serious crimes. He’s too busy trying to save himself to bother with some kidnapping story. And third, we did let him go in the end. No extortion, no ransom, no murder. At most, it’s illegal detention.”
Liu Sisi suddenly understood. “Got it.”
Liu Jinzhong smirked. “Funny thing is—this was all his choice.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. Wasn’t he the one who begged us to let him go back then?”
“Yeah.”
“So we did. But in doing so, all the kidnapping evidence disappeared. Then less than two days later—bam—he’s arrested and beaten half to death by Lou Mingxin’s goons. If that’s not reaping what you sow, I don’t know what is.”
She’s so surprised he smuggles people, says the murderer…🤦♀️