To save his mother's life, Cui Jiandong... or rather, Fang Ruiyang, sought out his biological father, Zhao Quanjing.
Zhao Quanjing presented himself to the public as a kind, successful, and gentle entrepreneur. However, few knew that he had originally risen from the underworld, a man as insidious as he was ruthless.
After a paternity test confirmed Fang Ruiyang as his son, Zhao Quanjing generously arranged a hospital for Fang Ruiyang's mother and paid 500,000 yuan for her treatment upfront. But at the same time, he held his mother's life in his hands.
For his mother's sake, Fang Ruiyang became a lackey under Zhao Quanjing. At first, he used underhanded means to deal with fishermen who refused to relocate for land development. Later, he smuggled goods through Zhao's tourist attractions.
When Zhao Quanjing learned that the coveted bay had been acquired by the Pei Group in collaboration with the Yan Group, he sent Fang Ruiyang, under the alias Cui Jiandong, to the Pei Group to cause disruptions. His goal was to ensure that this high - investment project would end in failure, allowing him to acquire the bay at a lower price.
However, Fang Ruiyang had just joined the Pei Group and was still on probation. He hadn't fully gained Pei Mingyuan's trust, so he failed to pass on the news that the Pei Group had discovered the "Golden Amber" to Zhao Quanjing in time.
In a fit of rage, Zhao Quanjing mercilessly beat him.
"He ordered me to win the first prize in the competition, saying that this way, he could gain control of the project. But I had no idea about design, so I decided to steal someone else's work to participate. Wen Li's work was one of the stolen ones. Since she had won a design gold award, I kept her work. If I had known how talented you were back then, I would have stolen your work instead." Fang Ruiyang said expressionlessly.
Hearing this, Zhou Yaru finally realized.
"So the time I was robbed at the company gate was also your doing?"
Zhou Yaru was so angry that she rushed forward to hit him, but was stopped by Xu Zixi.
"Did you post that bounty notice?" Xu Zixi asked.
Fang Ruiyang was surprised. "How do you know about that notice?"
Meeting Xu Zixi's sharp gaze, he nodded. "Yes, I did."
"Did you also destroy all the works after the competition?"
Fang Ruiyang shook his head. "I only have a superficial knowledge in this area and couldn't have done that. I think it was the person who got me into the interview."
Something wasn't right.
Xu Zixi clearly remembered that it was she who, in order to join the Pei Group unnoticed, hacked into the Pei Group's human resources system, added "Cui Jiandong" to the interview list, and thus got him into the company.
Why did Fang Ruiyang think it was Zhao Quanjing's doing?
Was there someone from the Zhao family among the interviewers back then?
Xu Zixi turned off the recorder and saved the recording. "I will verify everything you've said. If I find any discrepancies in what you've said tonight, I'll hand this recording over to the police immediately. Don't even think about snatching my phone. As soon as I saved the recording, it was synced to my email."
After confessing everything, Fang Ruiyang felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
"Finally, it's all out in the open. Every day in the Pei Group, I lived in fear, afraid that my identity would be exposed. But I was even more afraid of failing to complete that man's orders and endangering my mother's life. I didn't want to be at his mercy, but I had no choice. To be honest, these days lying in the hospital injured were the most relaxed and happiest moments of my life."
"Then why did you say those things just now?" Huang Zhenzhen's emotions finally broke down. "Why did you lie to me?!"
"Silly Zhenzhen, someone like me has no right to be in a relationship. I can't even protect my own mother. I'm not only poor and powerless but also reduced to being a lackey under Zhao Quanjing, doing all those shady things for him. If things were to go wrong one day, I'd be the scapegoat. And you suffered so much in your last relationship. Do you really want to suffer with me? I have no identity and no future. I can't give you happiness..."
"But I don't mind!" Huang Zhenzhen said. "I want to be with you. I want to share your hardships with you, just like you selflessly protected me!"
Fang Ruiyang was deeply shaken. He looked up at Huang Zhenzhen. The warm yellow light cast a soft golden glow around her figure. For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood, when he was seriously ill and on the verge of death, and his mother held him and sang lullabies to him. Back then, when he looked up, there was also such a halo around his mother, illuminating his short life and giving him the hope to keep living.
Not only Fang Ruiyang but also Xu Zixi and Zhou Yaru were stunned by Huang Zhenzhen's determination.
Undoubtedly, Fang Ruiyang was not a man worthy of a lifelong commitment. Apart from his mother's exorbitant medical expenses, because of his father, he had been forced to do many things that could land him in prison for life. As he said, if anything went wrong, he would be sacrificed by his so - called father. Being with him meant a life of hardship and perhaps no future at all. Xu Zixi thought that after learning everything, Huang Zhenzhen would turn away. After all, the fact that he was a thief was truly disappointing.
But... Huang Zhenzhen chose to forgive him and was even willing to share his hardships. Why didn't Huang Zhenzhen care? Was it because Fang Ruiyang had saved her? Or was it because she loved him so much that she couldn't let go?
Could one really be so unhesitating when in love?
And what should she do? Should she hand Fang Ruiyang over to the police to face legal sanctions, or should she let him go and fulfill this couple's love?
But Fang Ruiyang's target was the "City of Hope," a project that she had poured a lot of effort into and was also related to her household registration. She would not and could not allow anything to go wrong with the "City of Hope."
By chance, she met Fang Ruiyang's unwilling and unyielding gaze. Xu Zixi was taken aback for a moment and finally made a decision.
"Fang Ruiyang, instead of making a deal with the devil, how about choosing a different path?"
Fang Ruiyang was stunned for a moment and let out a bitter laugh. "What other path do I have? If I can't pay my mother's medical bills within 24 hours, the hospital will stop treating her. Apart from going to Zhao Quanjing, what else can I do? And now that you've discovered my identity, the Pei Group won't let me go either. I have no way out."
"You're wrong. You do have a way out." Xu Zixi said.
Huang Zhenzhen's face lit up with surprise. She turned around and grabbed Xu Zixi's hand. "Yuan Xi, you have a way to help him, don't you?"
Even Fang Ruiyang looked at her with a glimmer of hope.
Xu Zixi held Huang Zhenzhen's hand reassuringly. "I can help you come up with the 200,000 yuan for your mother's treatment within 24 hours, but the most important thing is your attitude. Do you want to live an upright and honest life? Do you want your mother to be cured one day? Do you want to have a life of your own?"
Live an upright and honest life? He wanted to, more than anything. But could he?
The glimmer of "hope" gradually lit up in his otherwise lifeless eyes. Could he? Could he really?
"I do." He said, enunciating each word clearly and forcefully.
Xu Zixi: "Then cooperate with me."