After I Gave Up/Let Things Slide, I Became Famous Across The Entire Internet - Chapter 25.1

“Wait, I’ve had someone deliver them.”

The man was sitting with his legs crossed, smoking a cheap cigarette sold for over ten yuan at the small shop. His fierce, triangular eyes occasionally looked at the woman standing in the doorway, who seemed disgusted by his house. He couldn’t help but let out a mocking smile.

Yu Huimei really didn’t want to step into this house. If she had a choice, she would never come to such a dirty place again. But she waited and waited and no one came. For the thirteenth time, she took out her phone. “Still not here?”

The man said, “Soon.”

When the police sirens sounded below, Yu Huimei leaned out to look, seeing a team in uniform heading their way. She quickly pulled her head back. “What’s going on? It’s too chaotic here. Why are the police even out? Is something wrong?”

The man took the last puff of his cigarette, expertly extinguished the butt on the table, stood up, put on a jacket, and changed his shoes. Everything was done in an orderly manner.

Yu Huimei was already guilty, and seeing the man’s strange behavior, she immediately felt a little panicked. The bad feeling in her heart surged until she saw the police truly heading in her direction. She stammered and asked, “That business license you showed me before, was it real?”

The man replied, “Did you forget what I do?”

Yu Huimei was slow to react. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Apprehend them.”

“Ah, don’t touch me! What are you doing?”

The person in charge showed his ID. “We received a public tip-off that you are privately printing counterfeit currency here.”

Yu Huimei, “!!!”

She felt dizzy and almost passed out.

The people behind her swarmed forward and quickly found a printing plate and several stacks of banknotes in the dilapidated small house. Yu Huimei was completely stunned. “No, it’s not me! You’ve got the wrong person! I didn’t print fake money! It’s him! I… I was just passing by, really, I was just passing by.”

The man followed along without a word, acting very compliant, as if he really was a counterfeiter.

Seeing his expression, Yu Huimei finally understood. She had met a complete liar. She didn’t care about the money she had lost; at this moment, she was utterly remorseful. “Please, let me go! You really have the wrong person! If you don’t believe me, ask him! I was just passing by.”

The man remained silent at this crucial moment.

“Alright, we won’t mistakenly arrest a good person, nor will we let a bad person go. Regardless, come with us to the police station first.”

“…”

Yu Huimei thought, It’s over. She absolutely could not let Tang Mingcheng know about this.

But as they went downstairs, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered. One person was even recording them with a video camera, specifically taking several photos of Yu Huimei’s face.

“Don’t film me! Don’t film!”

“Wow, is this something a mistress and her lover cooked up?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I, I..”

Yu Huimei couldn’t reveal the true purpose of her visit. She could only cover her face with her bag, trying to minimize her presence.

Tang Mingcheng was so obsessed with appearances. If he found out his wife was in the news for this, she would face the same fate as Tang Shuxia once did. This matter absolutely, utterly could not reach Tang Mingcheng’s ears.

After the police car left, Zhang Zeyang stepped out from the corner and patted the shoulder of the young man who had been recording. “The rest is up to you. The boss says there’s a bonus for a job well done.”

The young man was incredibly excited. “Got it! Thanks, boss!”

At the police station, Yu Huimei was still explaining. She had explained the whole way, practically wearing out her voice, but no one believed her. “I really was just passing by, honestly, you’ve got the wrong person.”

A female officer, noticing her expensive clothes and accessories, said, “Then tell me why you went to that place. It couldn’t have been to meet someone special, could it?”

Yu Huimei experienced the bitterness of a “dumb person eating huang lian” (meaning having suffered a wrong but unable to speak out) for the first time. She opened her mouth, “I was fooled by him. He told me he could make replicas, and I just wanted to make a few pieces of jewelry to put in the house. Is that a crime? If you don’t believe me, you can ask him. I was there today to pick up the finished products.”

The female officer smiled at her. “You said you were passing by a moment ago, now you’ve changed your story. How about I tell it for you? The ‘finished products’ you mentioned are counterfeit money, right? You planned to go there to trade with the printed fake money. Why don’t you just confess who the other party in the transaction is?”

Yu Huimei quickly shook her head. She dared not take the charge of counterfeiting currency. Gritting her teeth, she wavered between telling the truth and keeping silent. If she told the truth, and it reached Tang Mingcheng’s ears, she was probably finished. If she didn’t, she might only be detained for a few days… Forget it, I absolutely cannot tell them.

Having made up her mind, Yu Huimei was about to continue arguing when a disheveled woman suddenly rushed out from the side. The woman grabbed her arm, “It’s her, it’s her! I recognize her!”

Yu Huimei hadn’t expected to encounter a crazy woman at the police station. Already angry, she tried to shake the person off, but the woman had the strength of an ox, clinging tightly to her arm. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t break free, and the spot where she was grabbed hurt. “Who are you? Let go, or I’ll call the police!”

Call the police?

When Fang Xiaochun was first detained, she thought it was a minor matter. But her lawyer informed her that the plaintiff was determined to prosecute, so she had been suffering greatly recently. Now, she finally caught the culprit. “Go ahead and call! Shout louder, so everyone knows the good deeds you’ve done!”

“Police! It was her! She was the one who ordered me to do it, and she said she’d give me ten thousand yuan if I hit Miss Tang!”

Yu Huimei, who was struggling moments ago, instantly froze when she heard those familiar words. She looked at the woman in disbelief, but for some reason, she couldn’t connect her to the person from before. The woman’s face was sallow, yet bore a fierce, malevolent expression. Her face was twisted into an even more gruesome, ghost like appearance from straining so hard. “I… I didn’t. You’ve got the wrong person.”

Fang Xiaochun’s eyes widened. She insisted, “I couldn’t possibly be wrong! You have a small mole here on your chin, and you were wearing a green ring on your finger! Where’s the ring? Officer, search her bag, it must be inside!”

With that, she lunged to snatch the bag Yu Huimei was wearing. Yu Huimei, recalling that the set of jewelry was still in the bag, desperately protected it. The two women began wrestling, completely ignoring the female officer’s repeated calls to stop.

“She’s stealing! Are you police going to do anything about this? She’s trying to steal my belongings!”

“Give it to me! Your things are definitely hidden in the bag! Don’t try to deny it! It was you, you wicked woman!”

The female officer tried to intervene, but Fang Xiaochun, having done manual labor, was immensely strong. Especially after being intimidated by Tang Shuxia, she was now using all her might, just wanting to go home as soon as possible.

“Clap, clap, clap.”

Tang Shuxia couldn’t help but clap and cheer from the side. This perfect act only lacked one more person to be truly complete.

Sheng Gaoyang, initially an outsider, was bewildered by the sudden fight between the two women. But when he pieced together the fragments of what Fang Xiaochun was yelling, he instantly boiled with rage. “What she’s saying is true! This woman paid someone to injure you! Good, I finally caught the mastermind!”

With that, Sheng Gaoyang rushed forward.

Tang Shuxia tried to reach out but couldn’t stop him. Xu Yujing also looked displeased. Although she knew that all the ‘coincidences’ before her had been arranged in advance by the person next to her the lawyer bringing Fang Xiaochun to the police station for the current confrontation she still couldn’t help but be angry. “Uncle has been suppressing his anger the whole way. I think it’s fitting that he handles this.”

After Xu Yujing spoke, she felt Tang Shuxia looking at her strangely. “What’s wrong?”

Tang Shuxia had worked up the courage to say the word ‘Uncle,’ a designation that felt both intimate and strange. Originally, this bond had nothing to do with her, but seeing Xu Yujing so naturally call Sheng Gaoyang ‘Uncle’ made it seem less difficult.

Tang Shuxia replied, “Nothing.”

With the tall and physically imposing Sheng Gaoyang involved, Yu Huimei was quickly subdued, and her handbag was snatched away by the quick-witted Fang Xiaochun. Fang Xiaochun was incredibly fast; the nearby female officer’s cries and warnings couldn’t stop her.

Fang Xiaochun rummaged through the bag and finally found the green ring (an archer’s thumb ring) after opening a box. “Haha! Found it!”

“It’s this green ring! It’s her! I didn’t get the wrong person! Arrest her, officers! She’s the evil woman!”

Yu Huimei stiffened. Especially when she saw that rough woman pull out the Imperial Green jade thumb ring, she completely lost it. “Let go! Give my things back!”

The restraint from behind did loosen. Sheng Gaoyang, upon seeing the familiar jewelry, quickly snatched it from Fang Xiaochun’s hand. “Why do I have my sister’s things in your hands?”

Yu Huimei, “!!!”

She no longer cared about settling accounts with the crazy woman, Fang Xiaochun. Her lips trembled as she looked at the tall, distinguished looking man before her. Truthfully, her biggest memory of the Sheng family was when Tang Mingcheng invited them to her wedding, yet not a single person attended. The Sheng family only sent a single message, which she remembered as an instruction and a threat to Tang Mingcheng to take good care of Tang Shuxia.

From then on, the two families rarely interacted. The only connection was Tang Shuxia.

Later, she constantly whispered to Tang Shuxia that her mother and younger brother had died because of her, and that her maternal grandparents must hate seeing her…

Tang Shuxia probably believed it and rarely went to the Sheng family anymore. The two families’ relationship completely severed from that point.

Sheng Gaoyang was now staring at her with a grim expression, his gaze practically freezing her.

She had a terrible premonition. “You… you”

Sheng Gaoyang vaguely felt that the woman in front of him looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere, but no matter how hard he scrutinized her, he couldn’t recall.

“Well, well, isn’t this my stepmother?”

“Yu Huimei!”

“Sheng… Sheng Gaoyang.”

Why was Sheng Gaoyang here?!

Yu Huimei had been feeling a small sense of relief, but the sight of Tang Shuxia next to him extinguished all hope. Her legs gave way, and thump, she fell directly to her knees in front of Sheng Gaoyang.

It’s over. I can’t keep this a secret anymore.

Tang Mingcheng had been overwhelmed with company matters lately, and his phone was on silent. When he finally remembered to call home, he saw dozens of missed calls.

He scrolled through them: calls from home, his younger daughter, Sheng Gaoyang, and even 110 (the police emergency number).

He hesitated, then called Sheng Gaoyang back first. Before he could utter any pleasantries, he was barraged with ferocious accusations from the other end.

“The wonderful wife you married actually paid someone to hurt Xiaxia! Tang Mingcheng, let me tell you, our Sheng family will absolutely not let this go! Just get ready to hire an unbeatable lawyer for her!”

“???”

Tang Mingcheng was utterly confused and wanted to ask if there was a misunderstanding, but the phone went dead on the other end.

He then called 110. After verifying his identity, they said, “Regarding your wife’s alleged involvement in counterfeiting currency and illicit trade… we’ll need to trouble you to come to the police station in person.”

“!!!”

She wouldn’t dare!

Tang Mingcheng knew the seriousness of the situation. He immediately grabbed his clothes, had the driver prepare the car, and headed to the station.

At the station, he found Tang Shuxia and Xu Yujing together again. Seeing them in public like this, his temper immediately flared. “Tang Shuxia!”

Tang Shuxia lifted an eyelid, then continued talking to Xu Yujing, “Zhang Zeyang is already on his way.”

Xu Yujing didn’t want to leave so early but didn’t refuse Tang Shuxia’s concern either.

Tang Mingcheng grew even more exasperated that she dared to ignore him. His raised hand was immediately intercepted by a strong hand beside him. Sheng Gaoyang’s face was now as black as ink. “So this is how you take care of Xiaxia? Tang Mingcheng, are you treating our Sheng family’s words like utter nonsense?”

And this is in a place I can see! Who knows how Tang Mingcheng has mistreated Tang Shuxia in all the past places we couldn’t see.

Tang Mingcheng looked aghast. “Why are you here?”

Sheng Gaoyang sneered, “You should ask your good wife. Ask her what ‘good deeds’ she’s been doing behind your back. Or perhaps you were involved, too.”

Tang Mingcheng didn’t care about the embarrassing pair of Tang Shuxia and Xu Yujing anymore. He quickly found an officer to lead the way and asked about Yu Huimei.

Yu Huimei was being interrogated for two alleged crimes. Even when the questioning was over, she likely wouldn’t be able to leave anytime soon.

With both witness and physical evidence available, her single phrase, ‘It’s really not me, you’ve got the wrong person,’ couldn’t clear her suspicion.

Tang Mingcheng was completely stunned after hearing everything. “You said she paid someone to harm my daughter?”

The officer was also taken aback. “Tang Shuxia is your daughter?”

For some reason, despite being a completely normal question, Tang Mingcheng saw a hint of disbelief in the officer’s eyes, as if he were a very incompetent father. His old face immediately felt hot. “Yes, she is my daughter.”

Now, the officer occasionally looked up at Tang Mingcheng, making him wish he could crawl into a hole.

Tang Shuxia was, after all, a celebrity who attracted attention. When she was branded as a ‘mistress,’ some radical people online felt she deserved to be attacked.

But that label had completely disappeared after the scandalous couple left the entertainment industry, and the public even felt a bit of sympathy for her, believing she had suffered too many undeserved misfortunes.

While Tang Mingcheng sat in the station waiting for Yu Huimei’s statement to be completed, a slightly blurry video of the fight circulated online. The angle was novel, shot with a telephoto lens from outside the station.

The image quality was therefore very poor.

#The Wicked Woman Behind Tang Shuxia Finally Exposed, and the Person is Actually…