Lu Qianyong cautiously looked around as he walked, ensuring no one was nearby, before approaching the woman.
As soon as they met, anger flashed across Lu Qianyong's face. After he said something, the woman became agitated and started crying. They pushed and shoved each other, seemingly arguing.
Unfortunately, they were too far away for Wen Zhaoning to hear their argument. However, today she had finally managed to record footage of this woman and Lu Qianyong together. With this recording, she would have leverage over Lu Qianyong. Regardless of whether Lu Hengyu would go back on his word, she could get Qing Ning back!
Wen Zhaoning held her mobile phone with intense focus, her heart pounding with excitement and nervousness. Suddenly, someone patted her shoulder from behind.
This pat startled Wen Zhaoning so much that her phone almost slipped from her grasp. Fortunately, the person caught it for her.
Wen Zhaoning turned her head and, in the deep shadows cast by the trees, met a pair of piercing, cold eyes.
It was He Huaiqin.
The moonlight was sparse, and his black suit blended perfectly with the night color, like a phantom. He had been lurking behind her silently for who knows how long.
Wen Zhaoning's mind was racing, but fearing exposure, she suppressed the urge to curse him out.
"Let's go," he whispered into her ear. "A large group of reporters will be here soon. If you don't want to get involved in this, hurry and come with me."
A large group of reporters would be coming?
Was it true or not?
Considering He Huaiqin's network, the information should be accurate.
As Wen Zhaoning hesitated, He Huaiqin took her hand.
His palm was warm and dry, holding hers with an undeniable, firm grip.
Wen Zhaoning didn't have time to think; her feet automatically followed him.
When she had followed the woman earlier, it was fueled by pure excitement. Now, having calmed down, she realized how dark and terrifying the surroundings truly were. Fortunately, He Huaiqin was there. His tall figure in the darkness was like a silent, reliable barrier, and the hand he held tightly now was her only source of security.
At the entrance to the back garden, footsteps converged from various directions, as if a large crowd was indeed swarming towards this area.
Wen Zhaoning instantly tensed. She wanted to walk faster, but the high heels she was wearing, which didn't fit well, became a complete burden.
He Huaiqin noticed her uneven gait and slowed his pace.
Just before they collided with the reporters, He Huaiqin led Wen Zhaoning down another path. They passed through the hotel's staff corridor, went in circles, and entered a lounge on the first floor of the hotel.
The moment they entered, He Huaiqin released her hand.
Wen Zhaoning's heart inexplicably felt empty, and that brief sense of security seemed to dissipate with it.
"How did you know I was there?" Wen Zhaoning asked.
He Huaiqin didn't answer. Instead, he picked up a shoe box and threw it in front of Wen Zhaoning.
"Change your shoes first," he said.
Wen Zhaoning froze. She hesitantly opened the shoe box and saw a pair of brand-new flat shoes lying inside. They were made of soft, light-colored lambskin, with a simple and elegant design, devoid of any extra decorations. They were exactly her usual style and size.
"When... when did you prepare these?"
Wen Zhaoning looked at He Huaiqin in astonishment.
He Huaiqin stood to the side, his expression unreadable, only the well-defined line of his jaw showing a hint of coldness under the light.
He neither explained how he knew she would be there nor mentioned the shoes.
Just then, a commotion and a woman's crying could be heard from outside the window.
Wen Zhaoning ignored He Huaiqin and quickly changed her shoes. She walked to the window and peeked through a gap in the curtains. It turned out this room directly faced the location where Lu Qianyong and the woman were having their secret meeting.
At this moment, Lu Qianyong and the woman were surrounded by reporters.
The woman was crying loudly, "Friends from the press, thank you for coming tonight. My name is Luo Qianqian. I am officially reporting Mayor Lu Qianyong for cheating within his marriage, for his moral corruption, and his chaotic private life! I followed him when I was seventeen, and it has been eight years. For these eight years, to have an affair with me, he first bought me a house in the residential area where they live. Later, when I became pregnant, he sent me abroad to give birth. After the child was born, he brought me and the child back and placed us in a temple. A sacred place became his place to keep his lover! I dedicated my best youth to him, giving birth to his child. But a while ago, the child was diagnosed with severe autism, and he decided to send us, mother and son, out of the country, abandoning us..."
Wen Zhaoning stood behind the curtain, hearing the woman's words, and felt a sense of near-failure.
She had thought that by capturing Lu Qianyong with this woman, she would have strong leverage against the Lu family. She never expected this woman to call the reporters herself and confess everything publicly. The video she recorded instantly became useless.
"Why the long face?" He Huaiqin sat on the sofa, swirling his wine glass and looking at Wen Zhaoning's frown. "Are you worried that if your father-in-law gets into trouble and the Lu family falls, your life of luxury and wealth will also be lost?"
Wen Zhaoning remained silent.
Speaking of which, she was indeed worried. If Lu Qianyong were investigated due to this scandal, and it led to further revelations, exposing all the corrupt dealings of their family, and the Lu family was completely ruined, would her dowry be confiscated as well?
If she couldn't get her dowry back, how would she handle the Wen family's debts?
"Don't worry. Lu Qianyong wouldn't have reached his current position if he were an ordinary person. A woman's baseless accusations alone won't destroy him."
As soon as He Huaiqin finished speaking, the commotion outside intensified.
Wen Zhaoning continued to look outside. Zhao Manli and Lu Hengyu had arrived from the banquet hall upon hearing the news.
Zhao Manli appeared remarkably calm as she saw her husband entangled with his lover.
"Oh, it's you, the one with mental illness!" Zhao Manli pointed at the woman and said to the reporters, "Everyone, please don't be fooled by this woman. She has some psychological issues. My husband previously sponsored her, and seeing her plight, he asked people to look after her more. Unexpectedly, she became obsessed with my husband. First, she rented a place in our residential area and stalked him daily. Then, she got pregnant by someone, insisting it was my husband's child. My husband, seeing her unreasonable demands, stopped sponsoring her. She cried and made a scene, then took the child and ran to a temple, claiming she wanted to become a nun. Today is even worse; she actually contacted you reporters and came to Mrs. Shangguan's birthday banquet to cause trouble!"
Zhao Manli's explanation was clear and logical, directly countering the woman's accusations against Lu Qianyong. It was evident that Lu Qianyong had instructed her in advance.
"Mrs. Lu, so you have always known about this woman's existence?"
"Of course, I knew. Because she was always acting crazy, my husband even took her for a mental evaluation. The doctor said she has a mental illness!"
"I don't! I don't have a mental illness! I really have a child with Lu Qianyong, and I've been with him for eight years! Please believe me! Believe me! Everything I'm saying is the truth!" the woman shrieked hysterically.
"She's having an episode again! Reporters, please be careful; this woman can be violent when she's having an episode!" Lu Hengyu said.
Hearing this, the reporters instinctively took a step back in fear.
Seizing the opportunity, Lu Hengyu signaled to the hotel security. "Arrest her and send her to a mental hospital!"
"No! No!"
The story suddenly took a different turn.
Wen Zhaoning witnessed firsthand how the Lu family, in order to protect their own interests, colluded to twist the facts and ruin a woman. Although the woman was also not entirely blameless for being a mistress while knowing Lu Qianyong was married, the incident still had a significant impact on Wen Zhaoning.
He Huaiqin was right. Lu Qianyong's ability to reach and maintain his current position indicated deep cunning. It was likely that Lu Qianyong had planned his escape route from the beginning, and the mental evaluation report was his fallback.
"The Lu family's crisis is resolved," He Huaiqin walked over to Wen Zhaoning. "Congratulations, your wealth and status are safe."
Wen Zhaoning's emotions were complex, and she had no energy to deal with He Huaiqin's sarcastic remarks. However, she knew that if He Huaiqin hadn't taken her away from the hotel's back garden earlier tonight, her situation would have become very precarious.
"Thank you for your help tonight, Lawyer He."
"What for?"
Wen Zhaoning glanced out the window, then at the shoes on her feet.
"Everything."
He Huaiqin remained indifferent to her gratitude.
They stood in silence. Suddenly, Wen Zhaoning's mobile phone rang.
She looked at the screen; it was Lu Hengyu calling.
Given the major incident involving Lu Qianyong tonight, which nearly ruined Mrs. Shangguan's birthday banquet, Lu Hengyu would surely expect her to go and explain things to Mrs. Shangguan.
"I have to go."
As Wen Zhaoning finished speaking and turned to leave, He Huaiqin suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, and pressed her forcefully against the windowsill.
Behind her was a light gauze curtain. If she struggled, the gap in the curtain would widen, and people in the back garden might see their intertwined figures.
"What are you doing?" Wen Zhaoning pushed him away.
"Leave him!" He Huaiqin squeezed out these three words from his thin lips, his voice low and broken. "Wen Zhaoning, divorce him!"
"I said I won't divorce!"
"If you're not divorcing, why were you sneakily following Lu Qianyong? What did you plan to do with the video of him cheating? Admire it yourself?" He Huaiqin's eyes locked onto hers. "I know your personality, Miss Wen. If Lu Hengyu abused you, you would never tolerate it. If you want to make his life difficult, I have a hundred ways to help you. Even if you want to destroy the Lu family, I can make it happen."
"You're willing to help me?" Wen Zhaoning didn't quite believe him. "Are you that kind?"
"Of course, I won't help for free. You have to make a transaction with me."
"Excuse me, Lawyer He, I have nothing now. I'm afraid I have nothing to trade with you."
"You do. You can trade yourself with me."
"What do you mean?"
"Literally."
"Are you crazy?"
"Not crazy. You said you were tired of sleeping with me back then, but I'm not yet!" He Huaiqin pressed his body against hers dominantly. "As long as you agree to be mine, to let me sleep with you until I'm tired of it, I will handle your divorce lawsuit, ensure you get everything you want from the Lu family, and the Lu family will be yours to command."
Wen Zhaoning's breathing suddenly quickened. She never dreamed He Huaiqin would propose such a condition.
Didn't he hate her? Why would he still want to touch her?
Besides, didn't he have a girlfriend?
"Isn't Miss Shen Yajing your girlfriend?"
"Who is she to me has nothing to do with you," He Huaiqin's eyes spread with coldness. "I want you to be my lover, hidden away, never to see the light of day. No one will know of your existence, including her."
"Lover?" All the color drained from Wen Zhaoning's face.
Her impression of He Huaiqin was of someone clean and pure, loyal to love. Yet, the He Huaiqin before her now wanted to keep a lover?
Is it true that money corrupts men, an unchanging law of the universe?
"If not a lover, then what?" He Huaiqin scoffed. "You, a divorced woman, can't possibly expect to be my equal, can you?"
Wen Zhaoning understood. He Huaiqin wanted revenge. The humiliation she had inflicted on him back then, he now wanted to repay tenfold!
"I will not be your lover!" Wen Zhaoning pushed He Huaiqin away, her red lips curling into a smirk. "Being Mrs. Lu is quite good. Although Lu Hengyu is abusive, he's very powerful in bed. Unlike you, Lawyer He, you're small, fast, and weak! You should find someone else for your lover needs. Bye!"
He Huaiqin: "..."
Small, fast, and weak?
Him?
"Wen Zhaoning, you'd better have some backbone and not come back begging me!"
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