Li Yun stared at the chat screenshots on her phone, her face twisting with fury.
At first, Fang Chu's messages to Liu Ping seemed polite — he pleaded, mentioning their past cooperation and friendship, saying they'd made good money together. He even claimed he was close to Li Yun's family, "just like one of them."
Then the tone changed.
Liu Ping: "Brother Fang, if not for you, I wouldn't let that little girl off. But I have one condition."
Fang Chu: "What condition?"
Liu Ping: "I want that girl's mother to spend one night with me. She killed my father — sleeping with her mother evens the score."
Fang Chu: "Brother, don't joke like that. Be serious."
Liu Ping: "I'm serious. One night, plus a million yuan in compensation. Then I'll let it go. Otherwise, her daughter goes to prison."
Fang Chu: "I refuse. Li Yun is family to me — that's not negotiable."
Liu Ping: "Then how about this: you sleep with her instead, and record it for me to watch."
Fang Chu: "..."
Li Yun's eyes filled with tears as she read.
"Auntie, his attitude's too firm," Fang Chu said with feigned regret, barely suppressing his laughter. "We're in the wrong here — maybe we should just let it go. Yingying's still young; a few years in prison won't ruin her. When she gets out, she can work for me."
Li Yun clenched her fists, trembling. After a few deep breaths, she said sharply, "I won't let Yingying go to prison!"
"But his condition—"
"I agree!" she cut in.
Fang Chu blinked. "Huh?"
"I'll spend the night with him," Li Yun said hoarsely.
Fang Chu froze for a moment. Damn it — that wasn't the plan. He'd gone to all this trouble to trap her for himself, not to hand her off to someone else.
But he quickly adapted.
"Auntie, are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Li Yun whispered through her tears. For my daughter, I'll do anything.
"Alright," he said, pretending to sigh. "I'll talk to him again."
When he hung up, Li Yun sat anxiously on the sofa, waiting.
Moments later, another screenshot arrived.
Fang Chu: "Brother, I talked to her. Li Yun agreed to spend the night with you. I'll pay the one million."
Liu Ping: "No. I just thought it through — if she sleeps with me, she could later accuse me of coercion. Then I'd go to prison."
Liu Ping: "Brother Fang, I'll leave this job to you. I need to see a video, just to be sure it's real."
Fang Chu: "What if you use the video to blackmail later?"
Liu Ping: "I just want to make sure you're not lying. I don't need to keep it — just show me once."
Fang Chu: "...Sigh."
Then Fang Chu called.
"Auntie, you've seen the messages. I really tried my best."
"Xiao Fang," Li Yun said, her voice shaking, "thank you for everything."
"Auntie, please don't. This is too much for you."
"No — for Yingying, I'll do anything. You're sure he's not lying?"
"I promise," Fang Chu said solemnly. "If he dares lie to me, I'll make him pay."
"Alright… Xiao Fang, where are you? I'll come to you."
"I'm at the Royal City Hotel," he said smoothly. "Auntie, think carefully."
"I've already decided."
She ended the call, her hand trembling.
Li Yun's Breaking Point
Li Yun sat on the sofa, staring blankly. Tears streaked her face as she wiped them away with her sleeve.
In her spinning thoughts, a man's face surfaced — not that of her husband who'd died more than ten years ago, but a younger one.
Xu Mu.
He had done so much for her family — not just empty words like Fang Chu, but real, tangible help.
If she were still young, she might have gone to Xu Mu instead — to give herself willingly to him.
But she wasn't that young girl anymore. She was thirty-six, a tired woman. What right did she have to burden him with this shame?
No — she'd face this herself.
She left the house in a daze, bought two bottles of baijiu from the corner store, and went back home.
Pouring herself a cup, she drank deeply.
She needed to be drunk — drunk enough not to feel, not to remember.
The Predator Waits
Meanwhile, at the hotel, Fang Chu had already showered.
He knew that tonight, taking Li Yun would be effortless.
And afterward, he'd use the video to control her — though publicly, Liu Ping would take the blame.
The dirty work, others could carry. The pleasure, he'd enjoy himself.
But then, a thought struck him — his excitement was rising too soon. He couldn't afford to lose control too early.
This was his only chance; there wouldn't be a second.
So, he decided to "take care of things" himself first — to make sure he'd last longer when she arrived.
Then he called her.
"Auntie, where are you?"
"I'm almost there… almost there…" Li Yun's slurred voice came through, then the line cut.
Xu Mu Finds the Truth
Elsewhere, Xu Mu had finally tracked down the delivery man — though not through his own network, but thanks to Lu Xueyao's people.
Counting this, it was the second time she'd helped him. He'd owe her a favor.
He handed the courier a thousand yuan immediately. "You record while you deliver?"
"Yeah," the man said nervously. "I also edit clips for side income."
"Let me see the footage from this morning."
When the video played, Xu Mu saw the old man across the street — on the phone.
After a few seconds, the old man nodded, pocketed the phone, and looked up — straight toward Zhao Yingying.
As she approached, he stepped forward on purpose.
"Got you," Xu Mu muttered.
With this and the dashcam footage, even if Zhao Yingying couldn't be fully cleared, they could drag the case into court — stall it long enough to expose the setup.
A Twist of Fate
By then, Li Yun had arrived at the Royal City Hotel.
As she stepped through the lobby doors, her phone buzzed again.
It was Xu Mu.
For a second, she almost rejected the call — but something made her hesitate.
Finally, she answered.
"Auntie," Xu Mu's steady voice came through, "Yingying's fine. I found the evidence."
Her whole body trembled. Tears welled up again — tears of relief, disbelief, and shame.
Once again, it was this man who saved her.
"Xiao Mu," she whispered through her tears, "Auntie's drunk… come pick me up. I'll send you the room number."
She made her choice.
At the front desk, she didn't ask for Fang Chu.
Instead, she checked into a room — alone.