The sun was still blazing outside, but the chill was barely concealed inside.
Some people bent over their pens, scribbling furiously, while others wrote and crossed out, finding it difficult to start writing.
Their expressions were different, but their moods were the same; they were all masking their inner uneasiness and fear.
As for the condition of Mr. Hao's body, it was even less important; with everyone feeling threatened, who would care about the dead?
The "wives" and "concubines" of the old house were lost in their own thoughts, and it seemed that even writing was a draining task. The young nannies didn't quite understand.
In a hurry, some had already finished their work, writing densely, and then they couldn't wait to hand it to me, as if they were eager to make a contribution.
The nannies, who had originally written a string of articles, seemed to be encouraged and wrote faster and faster, fearing that they would be left behind.
I smiled, took the paper, and tore it in front of everyone. I tore it in half, tore it again, tore it into strips, and then tore it into pieces, dropping them to the ground.
"Why?" The little nanny was confused, and so were the other nannies.
"I'm not satisfied."
"But you haven't even read it yet."
"Whether you read it or not is my right, and whether you write it or not is your choice." I squinted my eyes and said lightly, "Go back to your seat and think about it again."
The little nanny's face turned pale, and she sat back. For a moment, she couldn't write anymore.
This is not about answering questions faster. Writing too fast means thinking too little; what is written in this way, even if it is true, has no value.
This is a reason, but not the main reason; maybe this little nanny writes quickly and well, and the content is very exciting, but that's not necessarily the case. So what?
Changing to another nanny will probably be able to write too; one more or one less will not make much difference.
Being the first to be chosen, she was too impatient and ended up being a "sample". As a result, the rest of them naturally became cautious, thinking about how to write so as not to be "rejected" or even "torn up".
Submitting quickly does not mean it will be selected; writing a lot does not mean it is of high quality; if you want to catch my eye, you must provide real "hard goods".
"You..." I glanced at this group of scraps, "Once you're done, you can show it to Wu Tong for review. If she approves, it will be considered a pass for you."
In the painful process, the heat is very important, the gentle and strong heat must be just right; and now is not the time, they have not given up their fantasies.
Some who are unwilling to give up, bite the bullet and submit it to Wu Tong to try their luck; everyone has a sense of luck, and Wu Tong took it, scanned it a few times, and tore it up.
Now, no one would give it a try easily. The maids who had already written a lot of things crumpled up the paper and wondered how to write it.
Wu Tong's "tearing" showed that she was not only choosing sides, but also completely on my side.
With this "insider" around, perfunctory and false stories would not work at all.
The nannies looked at each other, but dared not say anything. They could not collude in front of others, and no matter how they wrote, they could not cover it up.
It's not about betting on which side will win, there is no suspense. What they are troubled about is how much "information" to reveal, and whether they need to bet it all?
The Hao family's ship is about to sink, and they must want to jump ship, but it is not easy to make up their minds to turn against them and stab their "old master"... After all, they are not clean either.
Especially since the wives and concubines were all related to the eldest son. If he relented and changed his mind, he would be the one to suffer...
These scumbags of the Hao family hadn't realized that putting them on the table meant just heating up the pan, throwing them in, and briefly frying them.
The cook brought over the food cart, but not everyone needed to be seated. There were also two new nannies and two children to look after; they were of no help to the court proceedings.
The dining cart offered coffee, water, and sandwiches with yellowed skin and intestines inside. If you weren't satisfied with the food, there were also bloody steaks and rich curry rice...
Everyone covered their mouths. This kind of food brought back memories of Hao Jianghua's bloody and brutal scenes...
Glancing over, I vomited. This was exactly the effect they wanted: squeeze, squeeze dry, and preferably squeeze all the bile out!
I chose a cup of coffee, and Jiahui asked for a glass of water. Seeing that no one else was ordering, the dining cart was pushed away. Compared to their current stomach discomfort, these women will vomit more thoroughly in their hungry intestines.
During the day, people's mental strength and resistance are stronger, but it's different at night. The few hours in between will further consume them.
"Since you have no appetite, let's chat for a while." I threw out a topic, "Let's talk about this dining table."
"Huanghuali...it's luxurious enough...using the Zuo family's money to spend on the Hao family, it really doesn't hurt at all..."
Li Xuanshi bit her lip and said nothing.
"It is said that it was specially made...in order to set rules for the Hao family...table etiquette, how can we have no good dining table..." Her eyes flashed, "Who can tell me what kind of rules and etiquette are!"
Everyone was silent, glancing at the lady. Rules and etiquette, only she knew best.
I didn't look at her, and said lightly: "Xiaowei, you come and tell me." I deliberately named someone.
"I..." Cen Xiaowei trembled, unable to continue.
"It's hard to explain? Well, let me tell you." I smiled, "That time, you came back with Hao Jianghua; when you saw me, you smiled happily..."
"I want to know, are you happy about our long-awaited reunion, or are you just teasing..."
"Brother Jing, how could I..."
"Do you still remember how you were scolded?"
This sentence made Cen Xiaowei stunned. Then she thought of something and lowered her head in silence.
"You returned to China to take care of Aunt Cen's affairs, so why did you stay? Investigating Aunt Cen's death was one reason, but it could also be an excuse... By then, Hao Jianghua should have succeeded, right?" "
That also explains why some people are unhappy about you and me being close..." I sighed. "After all, I was the only outsider that day. They were afraid you would be cunning and say nonsense..."
"That worry is completely unnecessary. If you were really cunning, you wouldn't have kept it a secret from me for so long..."
Cen Xiaowei couldn't help but tremble, "No, I..." Her voice choked with sobs.
She didn't confess because she was already trapped and didn't want to tarnish her image in front of her childhood sweetheart, Brother Jing.
But the damage was done, and such an explanation was pale.
"Actually, it's none of my business what happens between you and someone. To put it nicely, we're childhood sweethearts. To put it bluntly, we're just acquaintances who haven't seen each other in a while..."
I laughed. "It's this table manners that kept me up all night."
"That day at the Hao family gathering, not only were Bai Ying and I a couple, but it was just her and I, sitting across from each other. No one else was there..."
"At the time, I didn't understand the significance of that arrangement. I even asked Bai Ying about it, but she got angry..."
Bai Ying felt even more embarrassed upon hearing this. She had already confessed so much, but she hadn't expected such a small detail from years ago to be brought up.
"Now that I think about it, it was like Hao Jianghua asserting his sovereignty right in front of me... and I, foolishly, was unaware..."
Xu Lin and the others were dumbfounded. Li Xuanshi bit her lip so hard it threatened to bleed, tears welling in her eyes. Tears of regret? Alligator tears?
As I recounted the story, Jiahui's face darkened, her cold eyes brimming with anger, but she suppressed it.
"The original seating arrangement at the table that day was for Wang Shiyun to sit next to Yingying... Tsk, tsk, tsk, sisters, like twins... Doesn't that count as double the damage?"
I smiled, and Jiahui's eyes became even colder. Wang Shiyun and Bai Ying, at first glance, are almost twins. The intention behind this...
"Of course, it makes sense for Bai Ying and Wang Shiyun to sit at the front. It can be said to be a coincidence... but Xu Lin's seat... is interesting."
"That day, Xu Lin hadn't arrived yet, and there was no seat arranged for her, so Wang Shiyun sat next to Bai Ying. When Hao Jianghua came back, even I was dragged to greet him. Xiaowei and I were chatting enthusiastically, and when I turned around, you were already seated... However, the seats have changed..."
"Wang Shiyun moved to the fourth seat, leaving this seat empty for Xiaowei..." While speaking, I had already walked behind Cen Xiaowei and whispered, "Can you tell me why you don't want to sit?"
"Because, because..." I choked with fear, glanced at Bai Ying, and didn't say anything else.
"Jealousy or hatred, whether from my perspective or in the ranking of the Hao family, Bai Ying is ahead of you; so, you have feelings for her... You would rather sit at the end than sit next to her, I can understand..."
"What I don't understand is..." He paced behind Li Xuanshi and leaned over and said, "Why do you insist on Xiaowei sitting in the third seat?"
"You want to squeeze Cen Xiaowei between Bai Ying and Wang Shiyun. Do you think that double the damage is not enough, and you want it to be super doubled?"
The mature woman's body was plump, but it revealed a kind of shakiness and imminent collapse; I smelled the fragrance of her hair, and also her fear.
"Wang Shiyun, He Xiaoyue, Wu Tong... they came earlier and are more considerate of you; arranging Xiaowei to sit in the third seat is not because she is Aunt Cen's daughter; to be honest, Aunt Cen should be the thorn in your and Hao Laogou's side. Over the years, has anyone mentioned Aunt Cen?"
"Since it's not because of Aunt Cen, then there is only one reason... because of me..." I said in a deep voice, "Because she is my childhood sweetheart, because she and I chat closely, because Hao Jianghua is jealous, because you want to punish Cen Xiaowei, so you arranged for her to sit in the third seat!"
"Bai Ying, Xu Lin, Cen Xiaowei, and then Wang Shiyun... the factor that really affects this ranking is me!"
"Sitting at a dining table bought with the Zuo family's money, surrounded by women related to the Zuo family, trampling on me, a member of the Zuo family!"
"Only by humiliating me can you, the two of you, feel happy, and enjoy your meal!"
"The meaning of this table is not only Hao Jianghua's declaration of sovereignty, but also your tribute table, a tribute to your loyalty to the Hao family!"
"No, it's not like that..." Li Xuanshi shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Jingjing, believe me, I really don't think so..."
Before I could turn away, she hugged me and whispered, "It's true, I'm not as bad as you think..."
Her expression was so sincere that I wanted to laugh. Perhaps only by laughing could I mask the brokenness of my feelings.
"You say," I pointed at Bai Ying. Bai Ying hung her head in silence. I pointed at Cen Xiaowei and Wang Shiyun, but they were also silent.
I looked around; no one dared to respond. Bad, who's not? It's just the pot calling the kettle black.
"You saw it, even they don't believe you, how can I expect them to?" Unclinging to Li Xuanshi's clinging arms, the beauty seemed smeared with thick grease, sticky and disgusting. "Actually, the one who has the most say in whether you're bad or not shouldn't be me."
He ignored her and sat back down in the second seat in the west row. Unlike that time, this time, the host and the guest had reversed.
"There's a court hearing here in a few minutes."
"I've prepared a clock for you."
Wu Tong stood up and set up an old-fashioned clock, already setting the time.
"At six o'clock, the bell will ring, signaling the start of court. Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, it will ring again, signaling its end... Please cherish these twelve hours."
With that, silence fell, save for the tick-tick of the pendulum.
A group of fish, their faces pale as dirt. What will happen in twelve hours? No one knows.
But the words spoken not long ago still ring in my ears: Your court! Your prison! Your execution ground!
A sob choked her throat, her nose aching. She could only hear the ticking of the alarm clock, second by second, "tick-tick," "tick-tick,"
drawing ever closer, closer to the dark prison, closer to the endless prospect of death...
"Knell... Knell... Knell..." At exactly six o'clock, the sudden change in the sound startled everyone's nerves.
It was like the clanging of a bell in an ancient mountain temple, more like a funeral bell announcing the approach of death.
"Poy," she pressed the communication button. "Can he still leave the country?"
"I think he's ready," she said, her voice brimming with foreign charm.
With a wave of Mina's hand, Hao Jianghua was hoisted back up. A cable passed through a pulley, hoisting him six or seven meters above the ground, directly in front of her platform.
The chains between its arms and legs clashed with a clanging sound. The vicious dog, its hands bound and hanging in a state of despair, looked like a hanged prisoner.
"Cut my voice out."
As the audio cut in, the bereaved dog immediately started: "Ah! Ah!"
Anger? Resentment? Resentment? His cry was piercing, and only after half a minute of venting his emotions did he lower his head again.
"Zuo Jing, I've finally fallen into your hands... Tell me, what do you want? My life?"
Without waiting for an answer, Hao Jianghua continued, "You've gone through so much trouble, setting a trap for me... You wouldn't just want to catch me and kill me..."
He listened quietly, watched calmly, and after a moment, he finally spoke: "What do you still have?"
Hearing this, he raised his head: "What do you mean?"
"Money, power, women, houses... and even my life, which one still belongs to you?"
"I have leverage over them!"
"No, you don't!"
"I've dug up the things you buried at your dead wife's grave... Even if you buried them somewhere else, you won't have the chance to use them again..."
Hao Jianghua was stunned. Then he faced reality: he truly had nothing. Losers, nothing.
There was no room for negotiation, and there was no chance of being let off. This much was clear.
"Sakuya, give me a quick death! Kill me, kill me!" Three days of torture had already left him in excruciating pain. He was doomed to die anyway, and the sooner he died, the sooner he could escape.
"Don't worry, let's talk more. Oh, by the way, you just asked me something. I've thought about it carefully, and there's actually something..."
Killing this old dog was too easy for him. Compared to killing a dog, torturing it was more fun.
"What do you want?"
"The truth."
"The truth?" Hao Jianghua smiled bitterly, "Bai Ying and I, and the others, all this... don't you already know?"
"There are always some things that I don't know, or that they don't know."
Hao Jianghua's face changed, and after a long while, he said, "Then what can I get?"
"At least, you can sleep well tomorrow."
"That's fine." Hao Jianghua sighed, "Who do you want to listen to first?"
"It's all right."
"The nannies in the house are all Madam, that is, hired by your mother, and I have slept with all of them... I want to find out if they have breasts or butts, just for the novelty... In fact, there are not many who are unhappy... In the Hao family, they earn more than elsewhere... If there is really trouble, I just give them some money and it's over... Once the novelty wears off, I'm too lazy to care..."
"Alan was older, more promiscuous, and more capable. I even got her pregnant... In the end, we couldn't keep the child... Your mother forced her to have an abortion... That woman was too cruel... She was afraid they would all get pregnant, so you kept going back and forth, and the family affairs couldn't be hidden. Every time you were done, you forced them to take birth control pills..."
"Xiaotian was coaxed by your mother into taking the blame for Alan's pregnancy, so he accepted it and started eating it. When he got a taste of the meat and got involved with Alan, your mother didn't say anything. Later, this kid became more and more daring, and your mother tolerated him because of this incident..."
"There were also several nannies who were secretly impregnated by me, and in the end, they were all forced to have abortions... Li Xuanshi, that rotten bitch, deliberately prevented me from having children with other people. She also caused Xiaotian to become addicted to playing with women. Not only was he useless, but he also contracted a disease and eventually lost his life... These nannies surrounded her every day and served her like a bodhisattva. Why? Isn't it just to make money..."
"They sold their bodies, Li Xuanshi paid, and I just got it for free." Hao Jianghua said, seemingly unwillingly, "I was whoring their bodies, but that rotten bitch was playing with their hearts... This bunch of stupid women were played around..."
"Your mother gives them checkups every year. She calls it an employee benefit, but to put it bluntly, it's just to check for any diseases... But, what do you think the real reason is?"
Hao Jianghua couldn't help but laugh. "The nannies are young and often take birth control pills. She wants to see how many of them have lost their fertility... It would be best if no one could have children, so she'd feel at ease... She wouldn't do that to Bai Ying and the others, but she's really mean to these nannies... She's still hiding the fact that some of these little girls will never become mothers in their lifetimes, haha..."
His grin was so sinister it was chilling. The nannies were startled, their faces turning pale. Looking at Li Xuanshi, their eyes were filled with hatred.
"Is what he said true?" someone couldn't help but challenge him.
"Yeah, who is the one who can't have children? What about me, can I still have children?!"
The young nannies asked in tears, panicking and frightened. If the Hao family collapsed, finding an honest man to marry would be a way out, but now, this way is dead! No honest person would be so foolish as to marry a hen that can't lay eggs, and they can't even go to the hospital for a check-up, because once they do, the truth will be revealed!
Li Xuanshi's face turned pale, her lips were tightly closed, and she couldn't make a sound.
Xu Lin's face also turned pale, and the hand that was originally holding her bestie loosened. She was still holding it, but it seemed as if she couldn't hold it tightly.
Bai Ying couldn't help but feel disgusted. She had experienced the Hao family's lust and decadence, but she had never known about this matter. After all, she is a doctor. It is unbearable that a woman's reproductive rights, her rights as a mother, have been ruthlessly stripped away, and she has been kept in the dark.
Human nature is like this: when you indulge in carnal desires, you don't see corruption, but when you wake up, you smell the stench.
"Being unable to have children isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just like He Xiaoyue... She did everything for her child, she could endure anything, but in the end, she ended up with nothing."
Hao Jianghua panted, continuing, "I drugged her... raped her... When she woke up, she wanted to call the police to arrest me... As soon as I told her to find someone to kill her child... she just obeyed..."
"Child, hehe, it's a mother's natural weakness... I understood this a long time ago..."
After a pause, he continued, "Aren't you afraid of pushing her too far?"
"I don't need to force her, she'll come over on her own... Her husband is a useless piece of shit, he only beats her... When he knew I had sex with her, he beat her even harder... Threatening her to tell the child... He Xiaoyue cares about the child and wants to maintain her image as a good mother... so she can only endure it..."
"Every month's salary is hush money for my husband... Once, she gave him too little, and he went to the Hao family to cause trouble. I stepped in to resolve the situation and paid her... That night, I went to her bed... She stopped resisting..."
"She's convinced that the Hao family is her support. Compared to her husband who beat her, I'm more like her man, because I protected her..."
"In her husband's family, she'd be beaten, but in the Hao family, she'd have someone to protect her. She needs money, and the Hao family can give it to her..." Hao Jianghua was immersed in it. "Your mother calls this a sense of identity, a sense of belonging... Only by making them believe that the Hao family is their support will they accept everything I say..."
"So... you, you... lied to her," I said in a deep voice.
"You can't say it's a lie. You can only blame her for being stupid!" Hao Jianghua smiled maliciously.
He Xiaoyue stared at the screen after hearing this. A hoax?!
"Zuo Jing, you've seen the agreement signed between her husband and me, as well as those receipts and certificates..."
The villain did not deny his evil deeds. He remained silent, but threw the document bag containing the agreement and receipts directly in front of He Xiaoyue.
The contents were poured out, and the agreement was very eye-catching. It was the "Body Rights Sale Agreement" signed by Hao Jianghua and her husband. There was a pile of receipts and certificates, including remittance stubs and the shameful "sale of body" receipts.
In particular, the terms of this agreement were clear and full of filth and calculations.
"Hao Jianghua!!" Seeing this, his mind was broken and he fell into a rage. He almost fell over, but his body collapsed, tears welling in his eyes.
The women around him tried to help him, but they couldn't lift him up. He Xiaoyue had collapsed, unable to hold on any longer.
Hao Jianghua couldn't hear or see; no matter how much she hated him, she couldn't settle the score. Meanwhile, the villain was gloating as he recounted his debauchery.
"I took He Xiaoyue's nude photos and found her husband... I paid him a fee every year for sex, and that bastard transferred his wife to me. Who made him useless... He beat He Xiaoyue at my instruction... The harder he beat her, the more she hated him, and the more she leaned towards me... That's how she willingly stayed in the Hao family. Her husband got the money, and I got the woman..."
"She even crawled in front of me and begged me to fuck her... She wanted revenge on her husband and would let me do whatever I wanted to her... But she didn't understand... Her husband didn't care at all... He had already sold her to me... Her revenge was a joke..."
"I even had her sleep with several officials... She initially refused, so I had her husband ask her for money, threatening her with the children. Since she had no money, she agreed to sleep with me... Afterward, I'd give her a lump sum... She didn't know I got even more than she did. I used her earnings from selling meat as a reward, and she even remembered my kindness..."
He Xiaoyue's face was already welling with tears. She covered her eyes, her ears buzzing with a final, long, ringing sound: "Bang!"...
At that moment, her death was announced...
As I said, the one with the most say wasn't me, but the old dog.
It wasn't my turn to peel back their facades, drawing blood; it was theirs to expose the ugliness of human nature, like a pack of dogs biting each other.
I don't need to judge them. The only ones who can truly judge them are themselves.
I'm merely a victim and a spectator. I await my share of the truth.
"He Xiaoyue doesn't deserve pity... She drugged someone... If she can harm others, I can certainly harm her, too. My master taught me it's called cause and effect."
Hao Jianghua said unashamedly, "My toying with women is the effect, but you are the cause."
"Me?" I sneered.
"Of course, if it weren't for you, your mother wouldn't have married me, and if she hadn't married me, none of this would have happened. Ultimately, you're the root of the problem. That's the truth you want."
The logic of a villain never allows them to believe they're evil; just like a fallen woman, they never believe they're wrong.
"Am I playing with the woman, or is the woman playing with me? Zuo Jing, can you tell the difference? Don't forget, it's your mother who's been paying!"
"It was your mother's idea to let He Xiaoyue sleep with you. She even arranged a school for the child and even took care of the transportation. She did it to make her sell her life and body to me wholeheartedly... using her body to trade for business..."
"When it comes to harming people, your mother's methods are far more powerful than mine!" Perhaps it was the effects of the drugs, but Hao Jianghua's voice grew increasingly passionate. "You hate me because I fucked Bai Ying... but have you ever thought about Wang Shiyun? Why does she look so much like Bai Ying? Why did your mother dig her up in this shabby place called Haojiagou? Could I possibly do that?"
Wang Shiyun was a fulcrum; she pried open a topic that was murky. While she appeared superficially, her inner world was about Bai Ying, and deeper still, she held a truth I hadn't yet grasped.
Bai Ying, Wang Shiyun, and Li Xuanshi all paled; some looked weak, some cold, and the latter, pale and heavy. Pressured, suffocating.
The resemblance between the two women is certainly a coincidence, but Wang Shiyun once mentioned to me part of the reason she came to Haojiagou. However, that was Wang Shiyun's reason for coming. From another perspective, whether Li Xuanshi, or perhaps the Hao family, wanted her to come is a whole other level of questioning.
The value of similarity, the substitution of substitutes—that's a conclusion drawn later. So, was that woman's decision made from the outset? Was Wang Shiyun inevitably the sacrificial lamb? And this leads to a deeper mystery, concerning Bai Ying... Wang Shiyun is like a sign at a road intersection, pointing to Bai Ying... Him, her? Them? What does Bai Ying want? What will the fork in the road hold?
"Your mother went to great lengths to recruit Wang Shiyun to the company. She brought this dainty beauty home all day long... Do you think I could stand it? Of course I tried to drug her and make her sleep with me... This slut was so wild and insisted on calling the police, but your mother took action and settled the matter... It wasn't just her, it also included Wu Tong, Cen Xiaowei, and so on. Your mother helped me settle the matter..."
"There are so many women in the Hao family. It seems that I'm the one playing around, but in fact, they're all kept by your mother... Sometimes I wonder what she's up to..." Hao Jianghua paused for a moment, "I thought about it for a long time before I realized that she's just raising a dog!"
"She treated me like a dog and then raised a few bitches... I do like fucking... but she thinks that's not enough. She wants to whet my appetite!"
"With money and women, if I keep her like this, I can't leave her. I'm literally a dog to Li Xuanshi! And she's the dog's master."
"Whatever she tells me to do, I do it. I don't even need to be told; just a few hints and the dog should understand."
"Every woman in the Hao family is there for me to fuck, especially Wang Shiyun... Li Xuanshi keeps using her to goad me!"
"Once I can't help myself and fuck her, there will be another step... Your mother's real goal is to make me fuck Bai Ying!"
These words startled everyone. Bai Ying was stunned at first, then looked at Li Xuanshi, her eyes filled with disbelief, smoldering anger, and resentment.
"Is it true?!" He grabbed her collar and demanded, tears still etched in the corners of her eyes, but she was filled with grief and rage.
For so many years, she had never doubted this. At least, after being bullied at first, Li Xuanshi still acted like a good mother-in-law, determined to protect her and even wanted to call the police. It was only when Hao Jianghua asked someone to bring back the document that she gave up. As for all the trouble that followed, the ups and downs in the sea of desire were all her own fault. It was only then that she was shocked to learn that it was all a scam!
No one dared to pull Bai Ying away. If it was true, how could this resentment be dispelled? Tong Jiahui, suppressing hatred, at this point, there will be a result.
Li Xuanshi's eyes were filled with tears, she shook her head and said nothing. There was no point in arguing. What was the point of arguing? Would she believe it?
Hao Jianghua's words were sharp, conveying a solemn conviction to the eyes of others.
"Go on!" his tone carried an undeniable sternness.
Bai Ying finally let go, suppressing her grief and resentment. She understood the meaning.
Speaking was only half the story; the other half was listening. She, they, had to listen! And accept!
"Are you feeling bad?" This wasn't a question. Hao Jianghua thought he had touched a sore spot. "Of course I have a reason to say this."
"Shiyun is a talent. Many big companies would be vying for her...but she chose to stay in Haojiagou...why?"
"You can say it's my fault. But she stayed in the first place because of one person."
"Shiyun was your mother's student." Hao Jianghua sneered, "She didn't say anything, so she thought no one knew...Women, sometimes they're just so stupid..."
"Why doesn't she think about it? If she recognized your mother, then of course your mother would recognize her too. With a million-dollar annual salary, how could they not investigate? Your mother is just pretending not to recognize her."
Hao Jianghua laughed uncontrollably. "Let me tell you another secret. Shiyun likes women... and she likes your mother!"
This statement shocked the Hao family somewhat. This inside story was indeed unknown.
The women of the Hao family's same-sex frolics were no secret; they simply thought it was a passing sexual interest.
Wang Shiyun was stunned, staring blankly at Li Xuanshi. She didn't feel ashamed. This secret was exposed, not a taboo in the Hao family, but for her...
She was considered brilliant, though she was seen as a substitute for Bai Ying, and she was convinced she was far ahead in terms of intelligence. And now... this was a little ugly...
The secret she had been hiding all along, turned out not to be a secret from the beginning. Li Xuanshi, her beloved teacher... had been playing a joke!
"She cares about your mother, so she must care about the Hao family. Even though I drugged and raped her, she hated me to death, but when your mother came out to persuade her, she actually endured it."
"She said that the chairman was very kind to her, and she didn't want us to fall out... She was clearly harmed by me, but she still cared about your mother. Isn't this explanation funny?"
"To prove it, I even persuaded your mother to let her and Shiyun accompany me..." Hao Jianghua was quite proud, "You don't know how positive Shiyun is. Every time your mother is here, she is very excited and in high spirits... Especially when your mother touches her and kisses her, hehe, Shiyun's soft spot is your mother..."
A hand, under the table, was holding me, cool and warm. Cold and aloof, Jiahui is as cold as an iceberg, keeping strangers at bay. But she harbors a concern for me, a hand she wants to hold tight, afraid I'll lose control.
Hao Jianghua is laughing; not just mocking, but also insinuating; the so-called shadow is a mirror image.
Wang Shiyun's secret is revealed, and she falls into the trap of sexual manipulation. Hao and Li are each satisfied; but more importantly, these three people, especially the two women...
In this era, teacher-student relations are no longer taboo, but the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law remains an ethical barrier. Behind this double-flying, there are more than one latitude.
"He Xiaoyue, Wang Shiyun, they were all sold out by your mother. Don't you think they're stupid? And it's not just them, all the women in the Hao family were sold out by your mother!"
Old Dog's accusations ignited a fire in everyone's hearts. Once the fire was ignited, it was only a matter of time before it exploded.
"Hao Jianghua, you really are a beast."
"A dog protects its master, and you're still trying to bite..." As expected, he responded coldly: "You're worse than a dog..."
The thought of how Li Xuanshi had nurtured the Zuo family's wealth into such a waste was a profound irony.
"I'm telling the truth!" Old Dog argued.
"Lies often require a certain amount of truth. Even if they are all true, the biggest lie can be hidden behind the truth."
"The purpose of those words you said was to direct anger towards Li Xuanshi. Whether she did those things or not is one thing, but you did have malicious intentions..."
"My falling out with her, no matter what the outcome, is what you wanted to see. People like you, who don't let others go even if they don't have a good time themselves, will not let others go. So, if you want to bite her, it's best to tear off a piece of her flesh. That's revenge."
"..."
"The best way to take revenge on someone is to start with their relatives. The closer they are, the greater the damage. You have been emphasizing Li Xuanshi's evil and magnifying my hatred for her to achieve your goal of revenge. More importantly... you are protecting someone, right?"
"Bai Ying!" Two words spitted out from his teeth.
"Nonsense." Hao Laogou felt a pain in his flesh. "She was going to kill me, how could I..."
"Then can you tell me where you got the photo of Bai Ying that you forced Cen Xiaowei to show her in the first place?"
Hao Laogou was moved, but said nothing.
"According to what they said, you had an affair with Bai Ying later than them; there was no need for them to cheat on the order; this is very contradictory, those photos can't be synthesized..."
"Yes, I asked someone to do it... It's fake... But I slept with her, it's true." The old dog's eyes flashed with viciousness, "She told you what happened in those three days, right? How much did she tell you... I can tell you everything... How I played with her... Zuo Jing, do you want to hear it? How did she scream when I was having sex with her? She called me 'Daddy', Daddy Hao, now you know..."
Having fallen to this point, Hao Jianghua instead gave up.
"It was in the Hao family, in the basement of the Hao family, that I played with her for three days. I'll tell you whatever you want to know... And in Beijing, in Changsha... If I don't tell you, you'll never know. "Haha..."
The complacency in despair is also the only remaining means of revenge.
The Hao family is silent. The women's faces turned pale, and they instinctively thought that Hao Jianghua had touched my pain, and that was the end of humiliating me...
Unexpectedly, I did not lose my temper. The verbal attack hardly had an impact. Three days of recuperation is the best emotional anesthetic. Well, general anesthesia.
"Have you laughed enough? If you have, then it's my turn to speak." I said lightly, "After all, you can't always be the only one telling the story."
Looking around at this group of timid losers, they have not completely accepted their fate, especially when they saw Hao Laogou's sarcasm, there was still some remnant of resistance in their hearts.
The trapped beast still fights. I must defeat Hao Jianghua here, in front of them. It is not just imprisonment, but a complete defeat to crush their last glimmer of hope.
"Hao Jianghua, do you remember the name Xunxun?"
His pride had vanished, and the old dog's eyes flickered. It sounded familiar, something from a distant past, yet so familiar. Suddenly, his expression shifted: "She's Hao Jie's girlfriend."
"Or rather, Hao Jie thought she was."
Suspicion flashed in Hao Jianghua's eyes. "Did you arrange for her to be there?"
"It was just a cameo, not a full-time role." I paused. "Thanks to her, Hao Jie is starting to hate you."
"It's not just her, there are those two girls Hao Xiaotian played with."
A muscle in Hao Jianghua's face twitched. "It's you, you..."
The women's already pale faces grew even more grim. Hao Xiaotian had committed suicide by jumping from the Hao family's house.
Death was so close.
"Hao Xiaotian committed suicide. Why? Because he was in despair. His penis was cut off by Hao Jie. From then on, he could only hold a urine bag. He couldn't see through it, so he had no choice but to die." A calm tone narrated a true story, "Before he jumped off the building, I talked to him and asked him if he wanted to know what his last words were."
"What...what was it?"
"He said he didn't want to be killed by me, so he had to commit suicide. But he also said one true thing, which is that he hated you."
"No, you lied to me, how could Xiaotian hate me... He didn't commit suicide, right? It was you, you pushed him down!"
"Well, that's not wrong. Hao Xiaotian, Hao Jie, Hao Long, Hao Hu, I just gave them a light push on their road to death..."
"You killed Hao Yan, so Hao Jie will execute your son. Zheng Qunyun helped you kill Hao Jie, so Hao Fenghua will kill your two sons. How wonderful this is! No one will suffer."
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Veins bulged, the dying cry of a trapped beast, its struggles lingering, always particularly piercing.
Impotent rage, expression twisted into a single stone: "Oh, devil, you devil!"
His eyes were filled with rage, but so what. The empty Hao residence seemed to resonate with the curse of hell.
Tired of shouting, Old Dog Hao lowered his head. "Zuo Jing, even as a ghost I won't let you go!"
"I forgot to tell you, your father, that old fool, is dead too. He killed his own family, pissed them off to death... I was there when he died, watching him draw his last breath... The villagers trampled his body and threw it away. Maybe a dog took it somewhere and ate it... What a pity! If it were still there, I could give it to you as a tonic after cremation. Wouldn't you like it?"
Hao Jianghua suddenly remembered the so-called tonic that Menna had given him and immediately vomited blood, saliva, and bile mixed with disgust and fear...
"Blood is blood, and blood is thicker than water. Eating a little of my family's ashes is nothing." I narrowed my eyes. "Compared to what you'll say in the future, this is just an appetizer..."
Hell, an endless hell. Prison is just the beginning; hell is the prisoner's final destination.
Impotent and furious, spitting and exhausted, the old dog struggled to raise his head: "You, you think you... won? I, didn't lose..."
"No, you definitely lost. Not only are these two bastards from the Hao family left, but I will also deal with Xiangxiang and Jingjing, these two bastards, thoroughly. I will never let you down!"
"You!!" He lingered, finally exhaling a desperate breath.
The room was suddenly quiet, so quiet that only my voice could be heard. They were horrified... but dared not make a sound!
"Xiangxiang and Jingjing are not my children. After I was released from prison, I had already sent my baby teeth for examination... Originally, I planned to keep this secret secret." After saying this, he paused and glanced at Jiahui. This truth was undoubtedly cruel. She had doubts before, but I had rejected them. "Why should I reveal this dirty secret again?"
"Because... compared to the secret itself, letting the secret continue is the greatest evil!"
His eyes were aggressive and he was about to lose his temper: "I have thought a lot in the past three days, especially since Baiying confessed to me that I also got the things you buried. But it's not enough."
"I don't think that relying on the so-called false evidence you fabricated, even if it's a video, can pose a threat to the Bai family. It's not something that can't be shaken! Unless... you have an absolute handle that cannot be denied! That is... Xiangxiang and Jingjing are your children with Bai Ying!"
"I don't know how you did it, but you did it. This trick is so convincing... Even if it is discovered one day, as long as you have the video in hand, plus the child's secret, no matter how innocent the Bai family is, they can't clear themselves of the charges! This is your reliance!"
The old dog was speechless and was left with only a broken and stunned expression.
"If Bai Ying follows you, the child will be yours too. If you go one step further... you might even drag the Bai family into opposition. But that's clearly not enough! Your true purpose is to use these two children to reverse the fate of your Hao family!"
"Utilize the Bai family's resources, nurture them with all your heart, and when they one day blossom and bear fruit, reveal this secret. That will be the beginning of the Hao family's class leap! You'll rely on these two bastards to parasitize the Bai family's political resources! Even if you fail, you can use the secret of the child's biological father to buy your life in front of Tong Jiahui!"
Blood ties are the most powerful weapon against women, especially mothers.
"Alas, even this extravagant hope has been shattered by me!"
The demise of the Bai family has weakened the effectiveness of their weapon, and the exposure of their secret has made class leaping even more futile. The Hao family's history of prosperity has been shattered.
The old dog's spirit was completely drained.
"Drag it away," I gestured to Poy. Dogs have their own place, and everything must come to an end.
"Why? Why?" Bai Ying murmured, confused, and no one answered her questions. I didn't know either, but the result was incredibly ironic.
"Why!" Bai Ying growled, staring at Li Xuanshi like a desperate lioness.
Everyone also looked at Li Xuanshi.
Li Xuanshi smiled, a miserable smile. Not saying anything, is there nothing to say?
The night fire burned painfully, and the night cold was also freezing.
With despair and coldness, he splashed the water in the cup on Li Xuanshi's face.
Silence, endurance, after accumulating physical strength, Bai Ying has chosen to take action. Xu Lin wanted to protect, Cen Xiaowei started to pull her hair...
Wang Shiyun, He Xiaoyue, or whoever, also came forward one after another, pushing, pulling, and wrestling. Their nails were like a hoop, locking everyone's fate...
The bitch was howling sadly, with belated disgust. Hao Jianghua is out of reach, but Li Xuanshi is right before their eyes. Dog bites dog; it's never just a joke.
When will the pen tip scratch across the paper, the friction sound of writing penetrates deep into the bone marrow, chilling and terrifying.
The humble slave dog dares not intervene in the brutal bite, and can only lower its head to write down its guilt and confession. But is it too late?
This night is their dying, like their souls that have long been rotten, decayed and broken.
At dawn, everything will have an answer. Does it matter? The answer is already in my heart, and the answer on the paper? It's just a burning memorial.
The sound of the alarm clock shatters everyone's old dreams. The bitch's ferocity, the sharpness of her fingertips, scratched Li Xuanshi's cheeks, the crimson of her neck, the bloodshot tip of her nose, the tangled strands of hair, couldn't hide their weariness.
For a long night, I watched them perform, Jiahui silently accompanying them through the final commotion and the final judgment.
The sun rose as usual, and as the story neared its end, a new twist arrived.
One patrol car after another suddenly disturbed the already weary Hao Jiagou.
Local police cleared a path, and Yan Su and Chen Mo reported the anomaly. A Volkswagen official car parked outside the courtyard.
Unexpectedly, its appearance was very abrupt, and the timing of its appearance was so coincidental...
The phone rang, and Jiahui saw it, her face changed slightly, and after answering, she didn't say anything.
Her face was a little solemn, and she was silent for a few seconds: "Okay."
Implicitly, an irresistible force arose.
"Get in the car." Jiahui glanced at me, "Someone wants to see you."
Looking back, Wu Tong nodded slightly, already understanding what I meant. The Hao family, she will not let the situation go.
I got in the official car, and the driver started. Soon, I looked out the window.
The mountain road was heading up the hillside, and the winding mountain road was winding around. I am not unfamiliar with this direction. It is the tea oil company's planting area, and the halfway up the hill is a good place to watch the sunrise.
The car stopped, and on the gentle slope was parked a Coaster bus and a Hongqi official car that was obviously modified. Five or six young men stood like pine trees.
My eyes were on the old man. He had his back turned, as if gazing out: "The scenery here is pretty good."
Seeing this man, I was surprised and even a little scared.
The soft light of sunrise reflected the thin face. He was almost dusky, but he had a power that was rising like the sun, and he was awe-inspiring and difficult to offend.
"Master." Jiahui uttered two words. But he was stopped by a raised hand: "I'm retired, so you shouldn't call me that."
"Yes, Master Wang." The dignified Feng Yi was restrained in front of this old man with simple clothes and pale forehead.
The vicissitudes of life, the years, and immortality. There are too many legends about the old man, but he is so close.
In a trance, he had already grasped my hand: "I know you, Zuo Jing, the son-in-law of the Bai family."
Holding this hand, I suddenly felt a strange feeling in my heart.
The Monkey King who made a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace, and Tathagata Buddha's... Five Finger Mountain.
"I've been busy for most of my life, and I can't sit still, so I want to go out and about."
He smiled, then continued, "Well, there was a lot of commotion last night..."
My face turned pale. Last night? It was about the Hao family? That couldn't be possible. It was probably all about Hao Liuxiang's project.
"Mr. Wang, I didn't expect even you to be alarmed," Jiahui said solemnly. "It's not that serious."
"I just stopped by to see Xiao Zuo. I have someone else to see."
He smiled calmly. "Calculating the time, they'll be here soon. Let's wait a little longer."
We could only listen. It was really hard to continue what the old man said.
A few minutes later, several cars drove up from the foot of the mountain, and a group of people got out, led by a capable female cadre.
"Xu, what hatred do I have with you?" She cursed, full of dissatisfaction, and was handcuffed.
A group of people controlled several people, and they saw Zheng Qunyun and his backstage Han Chuyan and others.
The few people who were originally arrogant and cursing lost their spirit when they saw the old man, and all lowered their heads.
"What's the matter? You are still in handcuffs?" The old man frowned slightly.
"Violent resistance, collaborating with plainclothes to be roasted." The female cadre bowed slightly.
"So, the big commotion you mentioned last night... was to close the net." Tong Jiahui took a look, "Mr. Wang, you are doing something big again."
"It's not me, it's my apprentice Xiaoyu. She was in charge last night. Now is the time for young people." Mr. Wang smiled faintly, "It's okay, no big chaos. Okay, hurry up and leave, don't delay on the way..."
"Yes!" The woman called out, and quickly took the people away. Come and go in a hurry.
What is this? Do this on purpose to kill the chicken to scare the monkey?
But the old man waved his hand, signaling the young people to stand further away, leaving only Jiahui and me.
"Mr. Wang, what are you doing?" Jiahui's face looked a little ugly.
"Before Xingjian got into trouble, he came to me... Xiao Zuo, did anyone tell you he burned all that dirty material?"
I was startled, then realized, "He didn't?"
"He probably did, but he just left it for me beforehand." The old man's gaze fell on me. "Exposing Zheng Qunyun and his backers is partly for justice, and partly for you... The people don't fight the officials, and if you touch them, you'll get into trouble. Doing this is a well-intentioned move..."
Though his death was sudden, it didn't hinder him. This premeditated move by Walter White—paralyzing the enemy and then wiping them out—was certainly a masterstroke.
However, at the time, my understanding of politicians seemed rather superficial.
"If they can be caught, they'll be caught. For those still at large, a manhunt will be launched... A judicial trial is the best outcome."
Best isn't the only way. Some things don't need to be said explicitly.
A gentle breeze caressed his face, and the old man glanced at Jiahui. "The mountain wind in Haojiagou is a bit strong,"
he sighed, "When
we get old, we tend to nag. Don't be offended." "You talk, and we're listening," Jiahui replied.
"People often say the law doesn't punish the masses. While that's not true, given the customs and human nature, we shouldn't be harsh on them either."
Old Wang added, with a hint of meaning, "Don't let the fruits of our poverty alleviation efforts be wasted so easily. What do you think, little one?"
He was addressing Jiahui, but I could still discern his deeper meaning.
"Even an honest official can't settle family disputes, and outsiders shouldn't interfere in the Hao family's turmoil. However, the villagers are innocent... It's all hard-earned money... It must be reclaimed."
Hao Liuxiang's fraudulent project has indeed ensnared the villagers of Haojiagou. Those whose economies were once driven by the Zuo family's assets are now profiting from the family's blood, while spreading rumors about the Hao family...
To me, it's a disgrace to the Zuo family. The only condition for evil to triumph is for good people to stand by and watch. They should have noticed and known, but instead, they let it happen. Why can't they be called the Chaoyang people and expose the Hao family's ugliness in the light of day?! Because they are also beneficiaries! Enjoying the development benefits generated and driven by the Zuo family's assets!
"What if I don't agree?" Looking up, even if it's Sun Wukong, being suppressed by the Five Finger Mountain doesn't mean he doesn't have the courage to look directly at it.
Jiahui was startled and wanted to pull me away, pointing out my recklessness.
Old Wang seemed unconcerned. "Young people are full of energy. Well, that's normal. I was young once, too. Sometimes, the more pressure I get, the
more I refuse to accept it. But..." "In life, besides being fearless, we should also be respectful and caring... It's good to be fearless, but while we're alive, we should always be more considerate of our loved ones..."
"Just like Xingjian, he'll consider you... What about you? Have you ever considered others?"
The old man's gaze fell on Jiahui.
She was speechless. That sharp, floating, insightful gaze was like a man and woman caught in a riot.
If Lao Bai represented the shield and she was the money bag, then the old man symbolized the sword! The Emperor's sword, wherever it strikes, heads fall!
This statement was certainly an exaggeration, but given the old man's past murderous nature, he truly meant what he said.
My inflated fearlessness was punctured by a single word, deflated.
At this moment, I was surprised why Lao Bai would let Jiahui and I be together. With her around, I have the warmth of humanity, and I can't bear to be greedy, reluctant, or let go.
Perhaps, I can be hard-hearted towards the women of the Hao family and cut off all ties with Li Xuanshi, but not Tong Jiahui, because she is my soft spot.
The old man has found my weak spot, and that is my weak spot! A lone soldier is brave, but a partner is hard to give up.
After a moment of silence, I chose to speak: "They will get the money within a month."
This compromise solution, troubled by money and worried about, can be considered as my revenge.
The old man said calmly, "That's great."
But he asked Jiahui to help her: "Xiaotong, you will come with me later."
Jiahui was stunned, and then heard, "You applied for internal retirement, but you haven't retired yet. Xiaoyu arrested someone, and it involves the implementation of the funds allocated by the finance department. You also have to help deal with it."
No objection, or irresistible. There are always some things that cannot be resisted.
Are the old man's words just reasons or excuses? It doesn't matter. The important thing is that he wants to take Jiahui away.
Obviously, in a month, it's not just the matter of Hao Jiagou, maybe more. When all the dust settles, people will come back.
- But, I probably can't wait any longer. The ending of the prisoner may have been predetermined.
The red flag is flying, and it goes against the trend.
Tong Jiahui has a complicated mood.
She shouldn't have left at this time. The fate of the Hao family might be what she cared about more...
"Let him handle it himself." The old man slowly closed his eyes and rested, "Trust him, and also trust Xingjian."
Tong Jiahui was stunned. She only heard Old Wang say indifferently: "Xingjian entrusted you to him, which explains everything."
Sure enough, Old Wang was more than just suspicious about the relationship between Zuo Jing and her.
"I can understand Xingjian's decision..." The advantage of the elderly over the young is that they are old.
They have experienced too much and are too old. They are used to absurdities and bizarre things. They are no longer surprised or surprised by anything.
At his age, life and death have become indifferent. If he is indifferent to life and death, what else can he not let go of?
Tong Jiahui did not say anything. There is just one point that she may not agree with. In the end, was her husband entrusting her to Zuo Jing, or was he entrusting Zuo Jing to her?
A strange suspicion, a kind of unknown past, vaguely emerged.
Back at the Hao residence, the war paused, or was nearing its end. After the resentment, with clarity and clarity, one's own original sin would emerge.
The women were in a tangle, their hair disheveled, their sleeves torn, their faces bruised and bloodied, their strength sapped by the violence inflicted by their minions.
Waiting for the final decision seemed the only thing the desperate or panicked could do.
"You can go back to your room and have a rest. A car will take you away in the next two days..."
"Maybe it's a brand new place, maybe it's your hometown..."
"Hao Jianghua is corrupt and accepts bribes. You may have to spit back everything you got in these years."
How much salary can the young nannies get in a month, and those who don't deserve it will inevitably be pursued. The question is, will their families, their parents and brothers from their mother's side, be willing to spit out the meat in their mouths?
Maybe it's another scene of ethical drama, but it's no longer what I care about.
They are not qualified to be sacrifices, they are just decorative lace, adding a little color to the ending.
A pile of debauchery and ugliness, every page, no matter how much is written on the paper, points to one person, and it all records the filthiness of this woman!
Subjective hatred doesn't affect the reality of what happened. It's no longer the landlord's wife and the maidservant, but the oppressor and the oppressed.
Their accusations may be biased, but they can't erase the reality of their sin!
Alone against the enemy, exhausted after a bloody battle, I'm met with a hail of arrows.
It's this feeling, my emotional resistance powerless, I can only let them pierce me...
In my eyes, there's only one person: the heroine of a revenge drama, like a wicked queen in a fairy tale.