The Female Lead Insists on Being My Wife [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Stealing the Wife in a Stand-in Novel (Part 10)

Regarding Xu Hao’s affairs, the evidence had been almost entirely collected. As long as they were submitted, Shen Chuli was confident she could personally send him behind bars. However, before submitting the evidence, Li Meng and the others had to be rescued; this step was currently progressing slowly. Shen Chuli was unwilling to tell Chen Suihe about these filthy matters to avoid tainting her ears.

On the day of Chen Suihe’s Gaokao, Shen Chuli was away on a business trip and couldn’t see her off. However, everything was fully handled by Father and Mother Shen. Although their send-off wasn’t a grand spectacle, anyone with a mind to inquire could find out.

Chen Suihe sat beside Shen Chuli, showing her pictures of Mother Shen wearing a qipao. Every time she was with Shen Chuli, her mouth would chatter non-stop, as if she had endless things to say. From what she ate for breakfast to what she did today, she explained everything in meticulous detail. Shen Chuli looked at her rosy lips and the faint glimpse of her tongue; the square box in her pocket pressed against her palm, stinging with a dull ache.

Now is not the best time. Shen Chuli suppressed her restlessness and listened to her intently.

Having not seen Shen Chuli for so long, Chen Suihe was exceptionally clingy today, following her step by step. Even Mother Shen couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. Mother Shen poked the girl’s forehead, jokingly scolding her for being a heartless thing, while Shen Chuli chimed in with a laugh, “Have you only just realized you’ve been fooled by her for so long?” Hearing Shen Chuli speak ill of her, Chen Suihe hugged the woman’s arm and bared her teeth at her, making Mother Shen burst into laughter.

In contrast to the cheerful atmosphere of the Shen family, the Xu family was shrouded in gloom. Since Father Xu was hospitalized, his chronic illnesses flared up simultaneously. In just a few days, he moved from general care to special care, and was later sent directly to the ICU. Only yesterday, as his condition improved slightly, was he exceptionally moved back to a special care ward for observation.

His bodily functions and condition continued to decline; he was unconscious for most of the day and awake for very little. Every time he woke up, Xu Hao was nowhere to be seen. Even when he wanted to speak words of entrustment to Xu Hao, he couldn’t find him.

The old butler, who had been constantly by his side, gave stuttering excuses whenever Father Xu asked about Xu Hao’s whereabouts. If it were the Father Xu of old, he would have realized something was wrong long ago.

After barely managing to fool Father Xu, the old butler stepped out of the ward. The moment he closed the door, his aged face was filled with worry. Currently, it wasn’t just Father Xu who didn’t know where Xu Hao was—even the company executives were looking for him everywhere, even asking the old butler.

Looking at the phone that still wouldn’t connect, the butler sighed helplessly. Through the glass on the ward door, he watched the again-unconscious Father Xu, thought for a moment, and dialed Xu Hao’s number once more.

The phone had been tossed carelessly into the corner of a sofa, emitting a noisy vibrating ring. Xu Hao was jolted awake like a disturbed lion. With bloodshot eyes, he walked over and slammed the noisy phone hard against the wall; the glass on the wall shattered instantly.

03 entered carrying warm hangover soup and took a half-step back in fear, but she quickly adjusted her expression and approached him with a gentle, submissive air. Her obedient and tender appearance improved Xu Hao’s mood significantly; he promised, as if granting a favor, to take her out in a few days. 03 timely showed a look of surprise and gratitude, which made Xu Hao feel much more at ease.

What if those stupid, ignorant netizens stood up to criticize him? As long as he still held the titles of CEO and future heir of the Xu Group, wouldn’t these people still have to kneel and beg for his pity? As long as he showed a tiny bit of benefit, they would still be grateful to him.

03 leaned obediently in his arms, echoing him gently. Perhaps because 03 fit Xu Hao’s desires so perfectly, he negotiated directly with their “Father” to buy her temporary ownership. Furthermore, due to the influence of drugs, Xu Hao told her everything when they were alone. She wore a smile as if listening intently, but in reality, she was repeatedly reviewing the evidence in her mind to see if it could topple “Father.”

“03!” Seeing her mind wander, Xu Hao let out a dissatisfied low growl. 03 snapped back to reality, her face piling on a small, fawning smile: “I was just thinking about what the outside world looks like.” She intentionally guided him: “I heard Young Master X say you kept a canary at home; why haven’t I seen you visit her lately? Won’t she be angry if you stay here with me every night?”

“What does she have to be angry about?” Xu Hao’s eyes darkened. He detailed his filthy and foul thoughts to 03; she smiled, while the decorative necklace on her chest worked silently, recording Xu Hao’s hideous behavior without missing a detail.

Regarding Chen Suihe, 03 felt a bit apologetic in her heart. But she had to do this. Taking advantage of the gap while Xu Hao rested, she transmitted the video. In fact, she already had a faint guess about the person on the other end, though she wasn’t certain. Looking at the cold, enraged text sent from the other side, Li Meng breathed a heavy sigh of relief: I bet correctly!

After watching the video, Shen Chuli’s brain was filled with fury; she wished she could bring Xu Hao to justice right this second. But she couldn’t. Shen Chuli closed her eyes to calm her surging emotions. When she opened them again, she sent a message to her subordinates.

A moment later, black materials about the CEO of the Xu Group flooded the internet. Many confused passersby clicked in out of curiosity and came out full of rage. Along with Xu Hao, there was also a trending search named #Garden#, though it was constantly being detected and deleted to lower its popularity even Shen Chuli’s spending to buy heat was to no avail. Knowing the people behind it were monitoring the public opinion trends, Shen Chuli temporarily pulled her people back.

The Xu Group fell into even greater turmoil. Executives and employees sensitive to the direction of the wind took the opportunity to jump ship or resign. Many shareholders, seeing the bad omen, also scrambled to sell off their shares. By the time Xu Hao woke up again from his gentle, debauched dreamland, the Xu Group was nearly an empty shell.

“The building is about to collapse” was the best description of the Xu Group now. Xu Hao didn’t understand how, after just a few days of indulgence, the Xu Group had gone from an industry leader to the brink of bankruptcy.

Misfortunes never come singly. Although the Xu Group was now in the technology industry, it had originally started in real estate. Past issues like “tofu-dreg” construction projects and wage arrears were exposed one after another. For a time, the Xu Group became a “rat crossing the street,” something everyone wanted to hit.

In reality, in the year Xu Hao was born, Father Xu had just led the Xu Group’s transformation; those real estate issues shouldn’t have been blamed on Xu Hao. However, Father Xu hadn’t appeared for a long time, and Xu Hao had indeed enjoyed the “steamed buns made of human blood” his father earned, so everyone’s anger was focused entirely on Xu Hao. Xu Hao became completely famous but unlike the “refined young master of a wealthy family” he used to market himself as, now everyone from seventy-year-olds to toddlers could scold him.

Seeing Xu Hao return, the remaining shareholders hurried to grab him and convene a shareholders’ meeting. Everyone’s face at the meeting was incredibly ugly. Xu Hao’s dark face was for his reputation, while the shareholders’ dark faces were for their hard-earned money.

A meeting regarding where the group should go lasted all morning. Xu Hao’s face was flushed with excitement, but the minor shareholders had dark expressions. They had bought in when the Xu Group’s price was high and had seen the black materials about Xu Hao online; although not 100% confirmed, some were definitely true. They had families to feed and no time to send all their money to Xu Hao to help his plan of whitewashing his reputation and corporate image.

Xu Hao thought his plan was perfect, unaware that as soon as the meeting ended, a minor shareholder couldn’t resist exposing him online. Although the shareholder didn’t name names, the “melon-eating” netizens were no pushovers; in just a few hours, they decoded it was Xu Hao.

In a corner where no one was paying attention, videos of Xu Hao’s debauchery were uploaded. No one knew who first discovered and spread them. At first, everyone clicked in with a “melon-eating” mentality, but more and more felt something was off.

“I am a Porcupine: Is it just me… does no one else think this club is very strange? Everyone has code names? The private rooms are full of mirrors?”

“Gossip Chirp: +1, me too. Did anyone notice the white powder on their table? It couldn’t be what I think it is…”

The netizens’ words stirred up a thousand waves. Many netizens transformed into Sherlock Holmes, magnifying the video frame by frame. They discovered it wasn’t just white powder—the items on the floor also proved the filthiness of the club Xu Hao was in. While everyone was shocked, further news about the club and Xu Hao was released online.

“No way, is it really the year 4202? Can such a place still exist?”

Chen Suihe, who had already begun enjoying her holiday, paused her internet surfing. She clicked on the pictures of the club, and her breathing became thin. That massive sense of dread cloaked her once more. But the further she scrolled, the more Chen Suihe calmed down. After looking at all the photos and thinking for a long time, she took her phone and went to find Shen Chuli.

Hearing her idea, Shen Chuli’s first reaction was to refuse. She didn’t want Chen Suihe involved in this; just looking at Xu Hao revealed how terrifying the power of public opinion could be. She feared Chen Suihe would be hurt.

But Chen Suihe was exceptionally persistent. “That is a duplicated, enlarged version of that villa. I don’t believe they aren’t connected,” she said. “Since we know about that club’s existence, there must be people inside who were forced to stay. I want to help them.” As she spoke, her eyes were full of determination, like a resolute female warrior.

“But your story will become a topic of conversation for the public. Years or even decades later, those things you don’t want to look back on will still leave a mark on the internet, being judged by others.”

“I’m not afraid,” Chen Suihe smiled purely. “I’m not the one who did bad things. Evil people get what they deserve; my speaking up will only make the evidence against him more solid.”

Shen Chuli looked at her for a long time, knowing Chen Suihe’s mind was made up.

“I’ll help you.” She reached out her hand to her, just as she had on the day she kicked open that artificially confined door.

Chen Suihe had been afraid that her photographic evidence was incomplete and couldn’t prove the truth of her words. However, she watched as Shen Chuli, after listening, directly opened a password-locked folder filled entirely with medical reports from when Chen Suihe had just been rescued.

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