Chapter 25: Leniency for Confession, Severity for Resistance

Jiang Zao released her hand, but did not get up from his body. “Confess and you’ll be treated leniently, resist and you’ll be treated harshly.”

Zhou Licuan let out a sigh of relief. “Do you know what’s most ruthless about the Ye Hua Foods incident?”

“What is it?”

“The fact that Zhou Kuan himself never intended to come out unscathed.”

Jiang Zao was taken aback; it did seem so. His every action was so obvious—not just to them, but anyone with a bit of brains could figure out Zhou Kuan was the one pulling strings behind the scenes.

“Zhou Kuan has a son named Zhou Lihui. Last spring, he died in a car crash while speeding on the mountain road. It was only after that incident that Zhou Kuan began to compete for power with me. From these two events, it’s clear Zhou Kuan is acting with the intent to destroy the Zhou family, not because he truly wants the position of Group Chairman.”

Zhou Licuan turned over, facing Jiang Zao as he spoke. “Meng Qiaoyuan is someone he ‘placed’ by my side. Through Meng Qiaoyuan, I can pass on whatever information I want him to know.”

Jiang Zao brushed away his mischievous hand and asked, “Is that all? You two talked for so long, just about this?”

Zhou Licuan pulled her into his arms, indulging in her soft scent, and said, “I need to sell him some loopholes through Meng Qiaoyuan, pretend to be defeated but keep the evidence, then hurry up and have the surgery. Zaozao, everyone tells me how beautiful you are, but in my memory, you were just a little baby who blew bubbles in her sleep. I don’t even know what you look like now. I want to see you.”

The first half left Jiang Zao fuming, but she was soothed in less than two seconds. She too wished for Zhou Licuan’s recovery, wished they could walk hand in hand in the sunlight.

Half-reluctant, half-accepting, she finally agreed. “Alright, then let’s do as Uncle Zhou says—pretend to lose to him, and once your eyes are healed, strike back.”

Zhou Licuan’s lips found hers. “You may have to endure a bit more these days. Try not to run around too much. I’ll have people accompany you throughout the art exhibition, absolutely no acting alone, okay?”

His kiss left Jiang Zao breathless and flustered, and she replied in a haze, “Okay.”

…

Zhou Licuan was always one to stir things up.

Ever since Jiang Zao had pounced on him late at night, he seized every opportunity to prove himself.

Jiang Zao finally witnessed how crazed a man could become after being starved for so long and finally let loose.

Her back ached, her hands trembled while painting, and if this continued, she might as well create a new school of art called the “Shaky-Hand School.”

Immersed in her studio for two days, she finally finished the last stroke. Once it dried, she could send it to the exhibition hall.

The progress was smooth these two days; three paintings were selected for the exhibition. Apart from the newest piece, the other two were transported from the university by her teachers.

Meng Qiaoyuan walked in carrying fruit and Jiang Zao’s persistently ringing phone.

Jiang Zao thanked her and answered the call—it was a local courier delivering her paintings, requesting her to come downstairs for the handover.

Zhou Licuan sat in the living room, headphones on, attending a transatlantic company meeting. Jiang Zao stepped out of the studio, signaling for Du Bin to accompany her, careful not to disturb him.

The two reached the community gate, negotiated with the delivery driver, and learned the paintings needed to be forwarded to the exhibition venue. The driver produced a transfer form for Jiang Zao to fill out.

Du Bin stood by, fascinated by the neatly packed paintings in the van—he’d never seen oil paintings stored this way.

Suddenly, a red Porsche sports car pulled up at the entrance.

The window rolled down; the driver argued with the security guard, seemingly refused entry. The car engine cut off, and an eye-catching girl stepped out.

She had perfectly styled, red-brown curls, oversized sunglasses covering most of her face, and bold earrings. Every inch of her was adorned with the latest luxury fashion—clothes, pants, shoes, all this season’s high-end brands.

With wealthy residents everywhere, such scenes were hardly novel.

The courier asked Jiang Zao if she wanted to inspect the goods.

Recalling the gigabytes of packing videos sent by her teacher, Jiang Zao glanced at the exterior for damage—the anti-theft tags were intact, so she had the paintings sent directly to the exhibition.

At that moment, the sports car girl’s arrogant voice rang out. Jiang Zao turned to look; the girl stretched her hand out. “I’m going to their house!”

Jiang Zao froze, not recognizing the girl. She glanced at Du Bin behind her, who also shook his head.

The girl brushed past the guard, walked straight over, and grabbed Jiang Zao’s wrist. “You’re the woman beside my brother—I’ve seen your photo. At the Ye Hua press conference, you stood behind him!”

Jiang Zao was caught off guard and couldn’t escape. The girl’s grip was surprisingly strong, the ring on her finger digging painfully into Jiang Zao’s bone.

Du Bin hurried to separate them. “Miss, whom are you looking for? Our lady doesn’t know you.”

Protected behind Du Bin, Jiang Zao suddenly realized and whispered, tugging on his sleeve, “She might be Zhou Kuan’s daughter, Zhou Licuan’s cousin.”

Hearing Jiang Zao, the woman lifted her chin and eyed Du Bin disdainfully. “Zhou Licuan is my brother. Take me to him.”

Jiang Zao and Du Bin exchanged glances, saw off the courier van, and brought the girl home.

The proud and wilful Miss Zhou complained all the way—about the small garden, the unremarkable elevator, the sheer number of families in the residential complex.

Jiang Zao arched her brow but said nothing. A riverside flat with one unit per floor, over four hundred square meters of luxury, yet only a pampered heiress like her would find fault.

She walked in, not waiting for an invitation, pushed Jiang Zao aside, and strode in on high heels, calling loudly for Zhou Licuan.

“Brother! Are you home? I heard you’re ill, so I flew back especially to see you!”

Inside, Zhou Licuan hadn’t taken off his headphones, and Meng Qiaoyuan, reading in a distant corner, also looked up.

Miss Zhou was surprised to see Meng Qiaoyuan. “You’re… the one from the Meng family…”