The Guide to Rising to Power: The Ultimate Schemes of a Green Tea Beauty

Lu Xiuting's investigation results are finally out.

The moment the announcement was released, the internet was practically overwhelmed. Everyone was forwarding, discussing, and speculating.

During this period, no matter what kind of celebrity gossip or top-tier scandals there are, none can compare to the magnitude of this high-profile case involving powerful figures.

The figures are truly staggering: Liang Zhenghe absconded with US$4.85 million, which was equivalent to nearly four billion yuan at the time.

Four billion yuan, if piled up, could fill an entire office building.

What's even more chilling is the entire operational chain.

Through overseas contracts signed between Liang Xiheng and Lucas, they fabricated false orders, established multiple shell companies, and used offshore accounts to transfer assets layer by layer to purchase overseas real estate, antiques, jewelry, and crypto assets, laundering and transferring money in batches.

This huge windfall had already been cleverly diverted and misappropriated from the corporate account long before Hengxin's collapse.

Meanwhile, Hengxin also has over a billion yuan in assets remaining in China that have been seized and frozen. A billion plus four billion, and that's not all…

How much money is it exactly?

Shen Yao stared at the string of numbers, remaining silent for a long time.

She belatedly realized with relief that one of the best decisions she ever made was never publicly acknowledging any connection with Hengxin.

Now she is even more determined—never, ever to publicly take sides with anyone in front of the public.

Once your reputation is tainted, it takes a long time to cleanse itself.

Similarly, Shen Yao suddenly realized what a behemoth Xue Huaiqing had faced when he fought alone.

Lu Xiuting pushed open the door and walked in, his face as dark as the sky before a storm. He had been working overtime for a long time, but his tone remained steady and firm:

"Shen Yao, I must tell you, the bad thing is, the entire process of transferring funds was handled by Liang Xiheng. Liang Zhenghe himself has no direct illegal traces."

The man carried a faint smell of tobacco, perhaps from smoking late into the night to stay awake. He looked at Shen Yao.

"You should prepare for the worst. There is no written evidence directly pointing to Leung Cheng-ho. Based solely on testimonies, it is almost impossible to convict him of this crime."

"In the charges Xue Huaiqing brought against Liang Zhenghe and his son, he mentioned Liang's deceased parents..."

Thinking about the relationship between the girl in front of him and Xue Huaiqing, Lu Xiuting subconsciously stopped talking and wanted to change the subject.

Shen Yao felt a pang of sadness; this was one of the reasons she had to make Liang Zhenghe pay the price.

"Go on."

"The evidence provided by Liang Xiheng at least proves that Liang Zhenghe himself was involved in the death of Xue Huaiqing's father. Liang Xiheng was a minor at the time and was completely induced to commit the crime by his father, pushing the person off the building according to his instructions."

"As for Xue Huaiqing's mother, she was threatened and harmed on her way to seek justice for her husband, and was ultimately burned alive."

"As a son, he did not receive the justice he deserved when he appealed to the court. This evidence, which Xue Huaiqing himself submitted, is sufficient to convict Liang Zhenghe."

"besides……"

He handed over the documents in his hand: "According to Liang Zhengze's statement, he was also taken away by his brother, and only later learned the whole story. Because of disagreements, he left on his own, which is how he ended up in our hands."

Just then, Lu Xiuting's phone rang. He took it out, glanced at it, and continued:

"Based on preliminary assessments, it's highly likely that Leung Cheng-ho opted for plastic surgery to evade investigation. This would make finding him several times more difficult."

Shen Yao didn't reply immediately. She sat quietly, listening to every word, and then responded very softly:

"understood."

For the first time, she felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.

When Liang Xiheng's abilities are used in the right place, they are an invincible weapon; but when they are in the wrong hands and used in the wrong direction, they can produce such enormous destructive power, bringing so much trouble and setbacks to her and everyone else.

Shen Yao became even more vigilant.

Although it was a humiliating defeat at the hands of his own brother, it was ultimately just a win-loss between family members.

But what if there's a second chance, and she loses to a man who suddenly goes crazy at some crucial moment?

The mere thought of that possibility sent chills down her spine.

Shen Yao left under Lu Xiuting's hesitant gaze.

Back in her office, she acted as if nothing had happened and sat down to work on the documents on her desk.

The president's daily work is trivial and specific, including signing reports, approving procedures, answering phone calls, and arranging next week's meetings. She completes each task one by one.

With her work finished, Shen Yao leaned back in her chair, turned on her computer, and began flipping through the documents one by one.

The browser is filled with windows, all showing cases of pursuing economic fugitives.

How many years will it take for those entrepreneurs, officials, and powerful figures with connections to be repatriated after they flee abroad following the exposure of the crime?

She read through them one by one, her heart sinking deeper with each reading.

Ten years, fifteen years, twenty years...

Shen Yao closed her laptop and stopped thinking about it.

With her there, it wouldn't take that long to wait.

First, bring Aqing out of that place.

_

In March, the chill of early spring lingered in Yanjing (Beijing).

The courthouse is solemn and imposing, constructed entirely of cold white stone with neat, hard lines that isolate it from all the noise of the outside world.

The moment the heavy, soundproof doors closed, the noise of the world was completely cut off, leaving only utter silence in the entire hall.

The high-ceilinged courtyard was spacious and solemn, with a bright red sign hanging high above. The lights shone evenly, and the gilded patterns gleamed with an awe-inspiring, untouchable quality in the dim light.

The gallery was packed.

Financial media, legal journalists, industry giants, and all those closely following the Hengxin case were present.

This is a retrial of the Hengxin Group's economic miscarriage of justice, which shocked Beijing, involved billions of yuan in capital outflows, and was deeply entangled in drug trafficking and powerful circles.

The woman's authoritative voice broke the silence:

"Everyone rise, court is in session."

The gavel fell with a resounding thud that echoed throughout the entire hall.

The presiding judge sat upright in her high seat, her gaze steady and sharp, looking directly at the courtroom:

The prosecution took the lead in presenting their case, using the entire chain of evidence from the old case, presenting it clearly and logically, with every word as firm as iron.

All the evidence pointing to Xue Huaiqing in previous years—transaction records, project loopholes, third-party testimonies—were listed one by one, each item firmly pinning him to the position of "scapegoat."

A low murmur of breaths rose from the gallery.

The outside world has long held a fixed view: Xue Huaiqing is one of the instigators of Hengxin's collapse.

Even if he was just an adopted son, his personal reporting and destruction of Hengxin made him nothing more than a "nest of snakes and rats," and he was ultimately a sinner.

It wasn't until Shen Yao and Zheng Wenrui's defense lawyer stood up that this conclusion was broken.

"Your Honor, we are submitting new physical evidence and new testimonies, and request that they be verified in court."