Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 243 You Can't Bear the Consequences
Zhou Xia's words made Li Weiguo both angry and amused. Even at this point, he was still trying to dodge the question.

He meant that he was indeed in trouble, and he would be extremely grateful if Li Weiguo offered to help him.

Such verbal thanks are worth little more than a prostitute's affection; only a shameless person like Zhou Xia could say such things all the time.

Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, Li Weiguo got straight to the point:
"Even at this point, you're still trying to fob me off, Zhou Xia, you're really something."

"It seems you're the kind of person who won't admit defeat until you're faced with a desperate situation, forcing me to spell things out so clearly."

"Liu Yanran, right? You must be the one she's been having affairs with."

“Now that this matter has come to my attention, I have an obligation to set things right and ensure that those who deserve punishment receive the punishment they deserve.”

"If you want to die, you can continue to play dumb with me, but I won't be in the mood to waste any more time with you then."

This week, Xia really seems out of touch with reality, completely unaware of who holds the initiative.

Or perhaps he always knew that he held the initiative, but he still intended to use his cunning to try and force her to do things for him by manipulating his daughter.

However, he underestimated Li Weiguo's abilities. No one who could be a leader in the Revolutionary Committee was easy to deal with.

Upon hearing Li Weiguo's words, Zhou Xia's heart skipped a beat.

He never expected that his clever trick would put him in such a dangerous position. Even without Liu Yanran's report, he was now under the watchful eye of the Revolutionary Committee.

Just from Zhou Xia's unwavering escape when he arrived, one can tell just how terrifying it is to be targeted by the Revolutionary Committee.

This time, he dared not pretend to be stupid anymore and could only honestly say:
"My father-in-law is truly insightful; he even knows these things."

"So you're planning to have me shot at target practice so your daughter will resent you for the rest of her life?"

Li Dan is arguably Zhou Xia's only trump card right now, so he naturally wants to make good use of her.

Now that his life was at stake, he didn't care whether his actions would seem particularly despicable or shameless.

With a smile, Li Weiguo said, "Zhou Xia, you really are a despicable and shameless person. Even at a time like this, you still want to use my daughter's affection to threaten me."

"It's a waste of your talent to be a minor leader in a textile factory. You can only unleash your shamelessness to the fullest extent by venturing into officialdom."

"I don't care what kind of mess you had in the past. After all, it's normal for a powerful man to have multiple wives and concubines."

"But since you've involved my Dan'er, then this matter is no longer up to you."

"Agree to marry my daughter, and promise to treat her well for the rest of your life, and I will give you the opportunity to develop your talents."

"As for your past messes, I will naturally help you resolve them. After all, if you were to marry my daughter and it turns out you were involved, it would be my daughter who would be heartbroken."

"I am now asking you seriously, do you agree to this deal?"

"Just a friendly reminder: before you refuse me, you'd better consider whether you have the right to refuse me, or you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Li Weiguo's views were clearly different from ordinary people, and could even be described as somewhat feudal. He actually expressed understanding for Zhou Xia's promiscuous relationships and even affirmed his despicable and shameless behavior.

However, all of this is based on the premise that Zhou Xia will marry his daughter and treat her well for the rest of his life.

He gave Zhou Xia a choice, yet it seemed as if he never gave Zhou Xia the opportunity to choose.

Just as Li Weiguo said, Zhou Xia never had the right to refuse him.

He accepted that he could not only resolve the mess between himself and Liu Yanran, but also gain the support of a powerful father-in-law.

If you refuse, you will face certain death.

It has to be said that Li Weiguo really saw through Zhou Xia; he was indeed a despicable and shameless person.

Faced with such a simple choice, he only considered the benefits and quickly chose the latter, kneeling directly before Li Weiguo and saying:

"Father-in-law, Zhou Xia begs you to marry your precious daughter to me."

Seeing that Zhou Xia was so sensible, Li Weiguo stood up, helped Zhou Xia up, and said with a smile:
"My dear son-in-law, you really have a clear understanding of the situation and know exactly what you should be doing."

“I know about your family situation. I will arrange the wedding. You just need to send one person and give a token gift.”

"It's rare to find someone my daughter likes, so I don't mind being generous."

"However, there is one thing I must remember: my daughter must not be harmed before the marriage."

"I will help you sort out the mess between you and Liu Yanran, but only this time. If I find out that you have any intention of betraying my daughter, I will make sure you die a horrible death."

Who wants to harm your daughter?

If it weren't for saving my life, I would never have agreed to this marriage.

A hint of humiliation flashed in Zhou Xia's eyes, but his face remained cheerful as he expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you for your concern, Father-in-law. I know my limits and it's impossible for me to do anything to your daughter before the wedding."

"As for Liu Yanran? That was just a mistake I made when I was young and impetuous. I have now turned over a new leaf and realized that Comrade Li Dan is my only true love. I naturally know what I should do."

Nodding slightly, Li Weiguo waved his hand, indicating that Zhou Xia could leave, and said:

"Before you get married, spend quality time with my daughter and make her happy every day."

"As for Liu Yanran's matter, you will receive the results by tomorrow at the latest. My abilities are far greater than you imagine."

Amidst laughter and merriment, a treacherous scheme was accomplished with surprising ease.

But Zhou Xia's ambitions didn't stop there. Instead of leaving immediately, he made another request to Li Weiguo, saying:
“Father-in-law, although you have connections everywhere, you can’t stop some people who have solid evidence.”

“We are a family now, so naturally I have to think about my family.”

“Wang Chengpeng is no pushover. Once he finds out that Liu Yanran’s matter has been dropped, he will naturally not let it go.”

"It doesn't matter if I get implicated, but if it affects my father-in-law's career, that would be a heinous crime."

Making a malicious gesture, Zhou Xia suggested with a smile:
"I suggest that you, Father-in-law, take direct action and eliminate Wang Chengpeng. This will eliminate any future troubles."

It has to be said that Zhou Xia was truly a petty person who had achieved his goal. The moment he felt that Li Weiguo was supporting him, he began to consider how to bring down Wang Chengpeng, and even considered using extreme measures.

Frowning slightly, Li Weiguo said, "I'm a respectable person; I would never do something so illegal or disorderly."

After a moment's thought, Li Weiguo felt that Zhou Xia's words also made some sense.

Wang Chengpeng did possess crucial evidence, and although this insignificant person couldn't possibly shake him, he was still a threat.

Once Zhou Xia becomes one of his own, this evidence could become a poison that leads to his death.

In particular, he must not allow his old rival, the Song family, to obtain this evidence, otherwise it might affect his career.

Thinking this, Li Weiguo rummaged through the room for a while and quickly found a burlap sack, which he threw in front of Zhou Xia.

Judging from the thud the bag made when it hit the ground, the contents inside were definitely not light.

Just as Zhou Xia was wondering, Li Weiguo spoke up directly, saying:

“Of course I can’t do such a thing, but I can’t control what you do or how you do it.” “Take this bag and go. I believe you’re a smart person and should know what you should do.”

At this point, Li Weiguo glanced at Zhou Xia with some disdain and said:

"Forget it, you're not at your level to know such people. I'll show you the way."

"Go to this address and find a man named Bi Jun. You shouldn't be so stupid as to need me to teach you what to do next."

"Remember, this is entirely your own idea, and has nothing to do with me."

After a pause, Li Weiguo added, "This can also be considered a test for you to become a son-in-law of the Li family."

“If you are truly hopeless, then you are not qualified to join our Li family.”

Although Li Weiguo's words were vague, they seemed perfectly clear, allowing Zhou Xia to instantly understand their meaning.

The thought of committing illegal and disorderly acts immediately caused a flicker of struggle in Zhou Xia's eyes.

However, he was ultimately tempted by the incredible opportunity of becoming the son-in-law of the Li family and made this decision in an instant.

Wang Chengpeng, you forced me to do this.

If you hadn't relentlessly pressured me, how could I have possibly gone this far?

Hurry up and go to hell to repent; this is the punishment you deserve!

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhou Xia's eyes as he took the burlap sack that Li Weiguo handed him.

By opening just a tiny crack, Zhou Xia saw a tempting golden hue.

The bag was filled with small yellow croakers, roughly estimated to be worth at least 10 or 20 yuan, far exceeding the value of 2,000 yuan.

In certain illicit transactions, these glittering little things are more appealing than paper money and bills.

Zhou Xia quickly closed the bag again and said with a determined look in his eyes:
"Father-in-law, don't worry, you don't need to do this kind of thing. I can handle it perfectly myself."

"This Wang Chengpeng is courting death! How dare he stand in the way of my father-in-law's bright future! He's already courting death!"

……

Wangjiacun.

With fewer unexpected troubles, Wang Chengpeng's life became regular again.

Practicing boxing, reading books, and occasionally cooking—life is incredibly pleasant.

However, fate seemed unwilling to let him off so easily. The day after Zhou Xia successfully latched onto Li Weiguo, Wang Chengpeng was greeted by another uninvited guest.

The moment Xie Shaohua saw Wang Chengpeng, he slapped himself and quickly apologized, saying:
"Comrade Wang, I have truly failed your trust."

“Just a few days ago I solemnly assured you that I would make sure the evildoers received the punishment they deserved, but now I have gone back on my word.”

"With the intervention of a mysterious force, Liu Yanran's situation was instantly reversed."

“In particular, the crucial audio evidence was not only classified as perjury, but was also burned in an ‘accident’.”

At this point, Xie Shaohua's expression also became somewhat dazed, as what was happening before his eyes was clearly somewhat shocking to his values.

The fact that black can be turned white again is a huge irony for the justice he has always upheld.

Wang Chengpeng frowned slightly, never expecting that such an ironclad case, with all the witnesses and physical evidence, could be overturned.

Zhou Xia!

He immediately thought of the key figure who played a crucial role in this matter, but he was somewhat surprised that a purchasing director of a textile factory would have such ability.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought of capturing Zhou Xia as well, but even though he had audio evidence, it would be difficult to convict Zhou Xia directly if Liu Yanran refused to admit it.

Therefore, Wang Chengpeng planned to report Zhou Xia to the Revolutionary Committee after Liu Yanran's child was born. With the child and some paternity test results as assistance, Zhou Xia would have no place to be buried.

However, it was during this period of waiting for the child to be born that Zhou Xia actually turned the tide, which was quite unexpected for Wang Chengpeng.

Seeing Wang Chengpeng's somewhat displeased expression, Xie Shaohua gently comforted him:
"Although this matter is somewhat outrageous, it has already happened and there is no way to change it."

"But the eyes of the masses are discerning; everyone knows right from wrong."

"Don't worry, Liu Yanran's reputation in Wangjia Village will never be cleared. Even if she manages to survive, she will definitely become someone that everyone hates."

Taking a deep breath, Wang Chengpeng tried his best to calm himself down.

This is a crucial moment, and it is essential to avoid letting emotions and impulses cloud your judgment.

Oh no, the Liu family is trying to escape!
Considering their previous actions of selling off their assets, the answer to what the Liu family will do now is obvious.

Although he filmed Zhu Hong's past surveillance of the Liu family, given Zhu Hong's personality, he might not be able to make the right judgment at this crucial moment and decide what he should do.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng immediately comforted Xie Shaohua, saying:
"Director Xie, the fact that you remembered to inform me of such an important matter shows that you have the people at heart."

"Although the development of this matter was somewhat unexpected, the fault does not lie with you, and you don't need to be too hard on yourself."

"I just remembered that I have something very urgent to do right now, so I won't keep Director Xie at home. Please forgive me."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng got on his bicycle and disappeared from Director Xie's sight in a flash.

The more magnanimous Wang Chengpeng appeared and the less he pursued the matter, the more distressed Xie Shaohua felt. He felt he had let down a young man who trusted him.

Especially when Wang Chengpeng approached him a few days ago, he was still so confident, but in the end he was completely contradicted, which was a huge irony for him.

Shaking his head slightly, Xie Shaohua's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said:
"No, I can't just let myself fall into this state."

“Even if someone at higher levels is involved, they cannot distort the truth like this. This is a betrayal of the people’s trust in me.”

"Although the most crucial evidence has been destroyed, I still have some confessions and other materials here, which may be able to overturn the case and allow Liu Yanran to receive the punishment she deserves."

"Although effort may be futile, inaction certainly means there is no hope."

"It's worse than killing me to watch a criminal as heinous as Liu Yanran go unpunished."

Thinking this way, a sense of mission welled up within Xie Shaohua, who felt that this must be a gift from heaven.

If I can overcome this test, I will no longer be confused, and my future will definitely be brighter.

Watching Wang Chengpeng's hurried departure, Xie Shaohua silently vowed in his heart:
"You wait, I will never let criminals get away with this."

……

On the other side, with the help of a bicycle, Wang Chengpeng quickly arrived near the Liu family's home. The whereabouts of the Liu family members were what he was most concerned about at the moment.

Compared to the Liu family that Wang Chengpeng had visited before, the Liu family now looked completely different, so much so that Wang Chengpeng almost didn't recognize it.

(End of this chapter)