I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 546 - 540: If Life Could Start Over (1)

Zhang Zening greeted everyone to sit down. He didn’t beat around the bush and said crisply, "Let’s skip the small talk, pleasantries, and reminiscing. For us, it’s all utter hypocrisy and quite awkward. I’ve brought everyone together today because I have a few questions I’d like to ask."

The room fell into silence.

Ye Hongyuan stared at Liu Ying with a cold gaze. Time seemed to favor this woman exceedingly, as she appeared largely unchanged. Perhaps the only difference was the added allure of a mature woman.

Ye Hongyuan pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing.

However, the complexity in his eyes was daunting, truly putting Liu Ying on edge.

Seeing Liu Ying like this, Xiao Wei’s brows furrowed, betraying a flash of bewilderment.

They say flies don’t target an intact egg. She never believed that the incident from back then could be blamed solely on Liu Ying. If Zhou Hai hadn’t been led astray by lust and lost his self-control, Liu Ying wouldn’t have been able to wreck their home and lives.

Xiao Wei had always been rational, be it during her marriage or divorce, and it was the same with how she viewed those past events and the people involved.

So she felt that Liu Ying’s reaction was somewhat off, yet her years of work experience endowed her gaze with tranquility.

But no one knew what she was actually thinking.

Indeed, the past ten years were different from the preceding decade; they were worlds apart.

Moments later, Xiao Wei’s gentle voice filled the screening room, "Xiao Ning, ask whatever you want to ask. Rest assured, I guarantee that I will tell the truth as long as I know it."

Zhang Zening gave Xiao Wei a friendly smile.

He then glanced at Ye Hongyuan.

Ye Hongyuan even managed a smile, more enigmatic than ever, but he nodded anyway.

Zhang Zening then looked at Zhou Hai and Liu Ying.

The couple sat side by side on two chairs, with Liu Ying’s hand clutching Zhou Hai’s arm the entire time.

Zhang Zening’s smile was laced with mockery but disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He asked, "Zhou Hai, Liu Ying, what do you have to say?"

Zhou Hai couldn’t define his feelings. Xiao Ning, who used to call him ’Brother Hai’, now addressed him by name, but what could he possibly do about it?

With some difficulty, he nodded.

He still opened his mouth to speak, "...The responsibility for what happened years ago is largely mine. If you must blame someone, blame me. Liu Ying is innocent."

Liu Ying’s eyes reddened instantly. She hadn’t expected Zhou Hai to protect her in this way.

Although she was fraught with anxiety, she knew Zhou Hai and the Zhou Family valued their reputation. No matter what happened, Zhou Hai would never abandon her.

She leaned closer to him.

The smile on Ye Hongyuan’s face was chilling, while Liu Ying, with her head lowered, didn’t dare to meet Ye Hongyuan’s gaze. Zhang Zening, on the other hand, simply chuckled indifferently, "The first question I am asking is for Zhou Hai and Liu Ying. I’ve been thinking for ten years, and I still can’t understand why you two got married in the first place?"

Zhou Hai’s lips moved slightly, about to speak, but Zhang Zening waved his hand, "Zhou Hai, please hold your comments. My second question is for Sister Weiwei."

He then looked at Xiao Wei, "Sister Weiwei, why did you agree to the divorce and consent to give custody of the children to Zhou Hai, and even refrained from contacting them before I was released?"

Xiao Wei’s expression changed. She looked at Zhang Zening with complicated eyes, glanced at Zhou Hai and Liu Ying, who now had their hands clasped together, and spoke with a voice hoarse and strained, "It’s been ten years. Now that you are out, I can finally speak."

Xiao Wei’s gaze became sharp, "...A week after you were locked up, Liu Ying came to me and said she was pregnant and that the child was Zhou Hai’s. She threatened that if I didn’t agree to the divorce, she would accuse Zhou Hai of r***..."

After Xiao Wei spoke, the room first fell into dead silence. Then Zhou Hai suddenly turned his head to look at Liu Ying. How could he not have known about this?

Zhou Hai’s brows furrowed tightly, and through gritted teeth, he asked, "Liu Ying, is this true?"

Liu Ying turned pale instantly. Her lips moved, attempting to explain, but before she could even speak, Xiao Wei continued methodically, "She also said that if I didn’t agree to the divorce, she would accuse you, Xiao Ning, of r*** her as well..."

As soon as these words fell, Zhang Zening looked at Liu Ying in disbelief.

His demeanor instantly shifted, rising to his feet. The man who just moments ago seemed to be in control and composed was now incensed.

His furious gaze bore into Liu Ying, then turned back to Xiao Wei. Meeting Sister Weiwei’s clear and serene eyes, Zhang Zening believed her words. Xiao Wei’s integrity was trusted by everyone in their entire complex, and it was still the same to this day.

Sitting across from him, Ye Hongyuan simply arched his eyebrows and returned to a calm expression, seemingly unsurprised by the revelation.

Zhou Hai had already stood up, and Liu Ying did the same, trying to clutch his arm. For some reason, Zhou Hai felt that things were not as he had thought. He looked at Liu Ying with eyes filled with doubt and apprehension. In his memory, Liu Ying had always been meek and delicate; how could she have had the audacity to say such things to Xiao Wei?

Such words, for the shy and demure seventeen-year-old girl Liu Ying was back then, would have been unspeakably difficult to say. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Zhou Hai’s eyes, full of shock and uncertainty, simultaneously turned towards Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei’s mouth curved slightly, a wry smile on her face.

"...After all these years, at that time we spoke alone, without a third party. If Liu Ying insists she never said those words, I am powerless."

However, Xiao Wei’s gaze fixed on Liu Ying, "Liu Ying, what you do is watched by the heavens; I’ve always believed that. You may deny it, but what has been said has been said. Because of your words, I promptly divorced Zhou Hai and even agreed to your unreasonable demands."

Xiao Wei sighed and continued, "The situation back then was extremely tense. Each of you knows this well, as a single word or action, choosing the wrong side, could have caused our lives to spiral out of control. Especially considering the crimes Liu Ying accused of, if she insisted on accusing Zhou Hai and Xiao Ning of r***, Zhou Hai’s reputation would be ruined, and Xiao Ning in detention might have incurred additional years to his sentence, perhaps even life imprisonment. I had researched similar cases and was well aware of how many had transpired. Plus, it was a time of upheaval; the new regime was taking over, the old had not yet left, the elder had returned, and the younger was in trouble... I assume everyone understands what I’m saying, right?"

Understanding, everyone understood. They all had lived through that era; what was there not to comprehend?

In the not-so-large screening room, silence reigned. Some stood, some sat, as Xiao Wei looked around, her gaze finally resting on the stunned face of Zhou Hai.