Chapter 84: Changed His Mind

"You—Wu Ya? How is it that you’re here?"

Seeing the newcomer, Mo Xiao, who had been utterly deflated, suddenly revived, her wide eyes brimming with disbelief. She even forgot to wrap the fallen towel around herself again.

Wu Ya.

Hadn’t she already forced him out?

How could he, together with Lan Yaoming, show up here, one after the other?

"Heh, how am I here? Why don’t you take a guess?"

Looking at her dazed expression, Wu Ya gave a cold laugh and took a seat as well. As for Mo Xiao’s nakedness, he didn’t give her so much as a glance.

Were it not to vent his indignation, he would never have deigned to show his face here. The air itself seemed tainted with filth.

"Guess?"

Mo Xiao, upon hearing this, actually lapsed into a genuine stupor, betraying just how thoroughly her mind had unraveled.

"You fool! Can’t you see it? All of this—every bit—was orchestrated by this little brat! He’s the true culprit behind our ruin!"

On the side, Zhu Changxing had remained calm. After all, he was a man, and a factory manager who had weathered many storms. Once his initial panic at the sudden upheaval subsided, his wits returned.

He had never met Wu Ya, but in the past two days, he’d heard about him at least a hundred times. Now, seeing him here, arriving just after Lan Yaoming, he understood at once.

This entire charade—this farce of catching them in the act—had been directed by Wu Ya himself!

Otherwise, with Lan Yaoming’s judgment clouded as it was, there was no way he could have known about Zhu Changxing and Mo Xiao’s secret, let alone that they would rendezvous here tonight.

Indeed—

"Hahaha, as expected of the director of a state-owned factory. That insight—tsk tsk, truly uncommon! Yes, the predicament you now face is entirely my handiwork!"

Wu Ya let out a hearty laugh, making no attempt to conceal the truth.

With people like this, the best blow is to speak plainly. Let him know exactly how and why he has been undone. Only then would they be tormented by regret.

Yet his demeanor, so self-assured and composed, was at odds with his youthful face. In that moment, Zhu Changxing, trapped and desperate, Mo Xiao, dumbstruck, and even Lan Yaoming at the side, all stared in disbelief.

Was this youth really only eighteen?

The poise of his words, the assurance of his gestures—he seemed every bit the seasoned, triumphant magnate.

"Wu Ya, thank you! I’m sorry! My judgment was clouded—I actually mistook you for a swindler! And yet, not only did you not hold it against me, you repaid enmity with kindness. I owe you a debt as great as life itself!"

Facing Wu Ya, Lan Yaoming’s respect was absolute. To be slandered and yet respond with such composure, to let go of past grievances and save his factory—he had rescued Lan Yaoming’s very life.

Such magnanimity was beyond anything he could hope to match.

But little did he know, Wu Ya’s willingness to let bygones be bygones did not spring from charity. He was simply advancing his own interests in eliminating Mo Xiao. Otherwise, what did Lan Yaoming’s fate have to do with him? Especially since, after all Wu Ya’s assistance, he was still branded a fraud—an insult to his character.

"Heh, it’s nothing. When injustice appears and I see it for what it is, I cannot just stand idly by. Isn’t that what youth is for—passion and righteousness?"

Of course, whatever his true reasons, Lan Yaoming had benefited, and Wu Ya had no reason to reject the gratitude owed him.

But for Mo Xiao, already at her wits’ end, these words nearly made her faint.

"Wu Ya, I have no feud with you. Why did you have to interfere and ruin me? Was it all just to vent your anger?"

Her cry was desperate and hoarse.

Truly, she could not understand. Was it really worth going to such lengths over a single accusation—calling him a fraud? Was that worth this elaborate and exhausting campaign—to stay in Xiangzhou City, investigate her in secret, and finally bring her down? Wasn’t it all too much?

Zhu Changxing, though silent, also stared at Wu Ya with unconcealed resentment, clearly wanting answers.

"Heh, Mo Xiao, your mistake was offending me! I’m one to pay back every slight tenfold, so I simply invited Boss Lan to come and enjoy the show!"

Vengeful, just for the sake of it? So there was nothing else behind it?

Zhu Changxing’s taut heart relaxed at once. All the anxiety of the recent events seemed to evaporate.

So this was it? This was his plan to bring him down? How laughable.

"Hahaha, so all of this was just the childish drama of a snot-nosed kid? Lan Yaoming, so what if you caught me and Mo Xiao together? She’s a divorced woman, I’m a normal man—we’re together by mutual consent. What business is it of yours? Apologize at once and get out! Or I’ll call the police and have you arrested for trespassing!"

He had recanted. In those days, recording equipment was prohibitively expensive. Ordinary people didn’t have such things. Earlier, caught off guard, Zhu Changxing had let slip his grand plan to take over Hongtu Yuanda. But now—he could not admit to that, or he’d face the consequences.

If all they had was an illicit affair, at worst, the plan would be abandoned and Mo Xiao would simply leave the company. As for criminal charges? Proof would be required. So he regained his arrogance, adopting the posture of the aggrieved party.

Mo Xiao, seeing this, quickly grasped his intent. She shot Zhu Changxing a deep look, then sprang up from the floor, her bare flesh quivering as she jabbed a finger at Wu Ya and Lan Yaoming, cursing them furiously.

"You shameless scoundrels! What did you want, barging into our room? You’ve seen everything! Zhu, call the police and have them arrested!"

She began to act out, deliberately flaunting her nakedness, hoping to drive them away through intimidation.

"You… you two are shameless!"

The situation had reversed. Now, it was Lan Yaoming who was flustered and powerless, his anger boiling over but unable to act. Just as his adversaries predicted, he had no evidence to prove their crimes—no proof that they meant to swallow his factory or that Mo Xiao had embezzled his funds.

Now, if the police were called, it would be they who would be treated as the offenders.

But—

Just as Mo Xiao and Zhu Changxing believed the tide had turned and the initiative was back in their hands—

"Hahaha! Mo Xiao, Accountant Mo, and you… ah, Director Zhu. Did none of you stop to wonder how I knew you’d be here tonight?"

Wu Ya suddenly laughed aloud, utterly unafraid. The composure in his voice sent an inexplicable chill down Zhu Changxing and Mo Xiao’s spines.

Indeed. How had he known they’d be here? How did he even know the room number?

After all, Zhu Changxing was a VIP here. No one would dare leak his room. Could it be—

A heavy sense of dread flooded their hearts.