Chapter 43
Shang Tingzhi once mentioned casually to the director of the Cultural Relics Bureau that it was very likely that General Li’s tomb was located beneath Zhou Runhua’s new cemetery. Shang Tingzhi had no grudges or conflicts with Zhou Runhua and didn’t want to meddle too much, so he didn’t pay much attention to the aftermath of this matter.
However, according to what Zhao Ying said, after that conversation, Zhou Runhua did indeed dismiss the construction team, and the construction at the cemetery came to a complete halt. But starting last week, Zhou Runhua somehow managed to find a new group of workers. These people looked fierce and suspicious, clearly not ordinary folks.
Although Zhao Ying had already distanced herself from the project, Zhou Runhua seemed to value her and called her back to the site. This time, Zhao Ying received a seven-figure fee for her labor. However, it wasn’t until Zhou Runhua asked her to calculate an auspicious day for the burial that she realized the hefty sum was not just regular payment but hush money.
Zhou Runhua had connections in Ruicheng, and Zhao Ying, having accepted the money, found herself in a bind and couldn’t return it, claiming she wouldn’t do the job. Now Zhou Runhua was urging her to provide an auspicious date for the burial, and while she managed to stall him with some mystical reasoning, it wouldn’t last long.
“Don’t the people from the Cultural Relics Bureau care about this?” Xia Leyang joined the conversation between the two, and Zhao Ying knew he was the youngest son of the Xia family and didn’t treat him as an outsider.
“I’ve worked with Boss Zhou for so long, and I still can’t figure out how much influence he really has,” Zhao Ying said helplessly. “I’m not sure if the Cultural Relics Bureau has any evidence against him, but seeing how unscrupulous he is, I suspect he might have bribed some officials there too.”
“He’s that bold?” Xia Leyang had only seen criminal activities on television, so it was hard for him to imagine that Zhou Runhua would dare to involve officials to embezzle relics from the tomb.
“He’s quite audacious,” Shang Tingzhi had heard about Zhou Runhua from his elders. A poor country boy like Zhou Runhua couldn’t have climbed to his current position based on skill alone; courage was essential. From the way he settled the female ghost in the haunted house, one could see that he had quite the “adventurous spirit.”
“If he’s really colluding with officials from the Cultural Relics Bureau, can’t we just report him directly?” Xia Leyang asked.
“I thought about that too,” Zhao Ying continued, “but very few people know about this matter. If he digs a bit deeper, he’ll find out it’s me, so…”
Zhao Ying wasn’t like Shang Tingzhi and Xia Leyang, who came from wealthy families that no one dared to provoke. She came from an ordinary family, and it was very difficult for her to confront Zhou Runhua alone.
Zhou Runhua must have seen this, so when choosing a Feng Shui master, he didn’t choose Shang Tingzhi or Zhang Wenlun with their backgrounds but targeted Zhao Ying, who had no connections. This also made it easier for him to control her.
Shang Tingzhi didn’t like to meddle in other people’s affairs, but since Zhou Runhua and the female ghost were connected, this was no longer just someone else’s business. After a moment of silence, he said to Zhao Ying, “I’ll think of a solution. Just try to delay him as much as you can.”
“I’m thinking of finding a really inauspicious day for him,” Zhao Ying hesitated, “but if something happens during the burial, I’ll be in big trouble…”
No matter how unscrupulous Zhou Runhua’s men were, causing harm to others was unacceptable. Shang Tingzhi said, “Hold off for now, wait for my news.”
Reporting to the police was necessary, but they couldn’t let Zhou Runhua suspect that it was Zhao Ying causing trouble behind his back.
After Zhao Ying left, Shang Tingzhi made a phone call to Zhang Wenlun. When the incident occurred at Ruiyi Middle School’s new campus, it was Shang Tingzhi who helped Zhang Wenlun uncover the reasons behind it, so Zhang Wenlun owed him a favor.
After coordinating with Zhang Wenlun, Shang Tingzhi then contacted Xu Zhiruo and briefed him on General Li’s tomb, so he could prepare in advance.
Although Zhou Runhua had connections in Ruicheng, he couldn’t compare to the combined strength of the Shang and Xia families. Bringing down Zhou Runhua wasn’t difficult, but the key was how to make him admit to killing the female ghost, Lin Wenchu.
It had been almost thirty years since the incident, and there was no evidence linking Zhou Runhua to the crime. The only way…
“Is to make the dead speak,” Xia Leyang pondered, trying to think of a way to clear the female ghost’s name and seek justice for her. He couldn’t help but admire Shang Tingzhi’s figure as he thought, realizing that people were indeed different from one another. Unlike his slim frame, Shang Tingzhi had the perfect curves, a desirable physique that made Xia Leyang envy him.
Shang Tingzhi got into bed, and Xia Leyang couldn’t resist stealing a glance as he changed his clothes. With a mischievous smile, Xia Leyang said, “You’re so handsome.”
Shang Tingzhi sighed, “Stop flattering me and help me with my back.”
Xia Leyang couldn’t resist Shang Tingzhi’s charm. He joined him in bed and hugged him tightly, looking at him with adoring eyes, “How can you be so handsome?”
Shang Tingzhi couldn’t resist Xia Leyang’s affection, so he wrapped his arms around him and said, “Let me help you relax.”
Although Shang Tingzhi had concerns about hurting Xia Leyang, he couldn’t resist his charms. As he prepared to continue, Xia Leyang suddenly yawned, saying he was too tired and wanted to sleep.
Shang Tingzhi was taken aback, “Really?”
Xia Leyang replied with a yawn, “I’m going to bed. You can take care of yourself.”
Shang Tingzhi was left speechless.
Xia Leyang smiled mischievously, “I’ll let you continue next time.”
Shang Tingzhi sighed, realizing that Xia Leyang was playing with him. He couldn’t resist Xia Leyang’s adorable antics and smiled back, “Sure, next time.”
And with that, they both settled into bed, ready to rest for the night.
