Zhou Ziwei then realized that Dr. Hong had kept this in mind, and immediately became vigilant. He then personally took action to closely monitor these people. After all, these people were too cold-blooded and terrifying, and there were clearly quite a few of them. If they were allowed to act recklessly, they would definitely become another hidden danger to his trusted confidants.
However, after observing for a period of time, Zhou Ziwei realized that this was actually a department left behind by Dr. Hong specifically to supervise the charity foundation. It was similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in the government or the Enforcement Bureau in the underworld. The people in this department were all highly skilled individuals with congenital disabilities. They were all selfless and happy to see children who were as pitiful as they were from childhood achieve a different life. Therefore, they valued this charity foundation very much. If anyone dared to embezzle the charity foundation's funds, they would feel an uncontrollable rage. That's why they were so cruel when they were cleaning up these corrupt officials.
Seeing that Dr. Hong had not only established this charitable foundation, but also had such a comprehensive oversight mechanism, Zhou Ziwei finally felt relieved. He believed that Dr. Hong had at least no ulterior motives when he founded the foundation, or that it was merely a manifestation of his self-pity. Since Dr. Hong had already arranged everything so well, Zhou Ziwei naturally had no reason to bother with anything else.
Time flies... In the blink of an eye, it was time for Huang Lianshu to repay the loan to the finance company in Macau.
To prevent Yunzhong International from being maliciously acquired, Huang Lianshu borrowed a total of 14 billion from a financial company in Macau on two separate occasions.
Loan sharks aren't as generous as banks. They can lend money for five or ten years without having to pay it back. The original repayment period was three months, but the interest alone on this 14 billion yuan amounted to more than 3 billion yuan after three months!
Huang Lianshu was truly desperate at the time, and unwilling to lose the company he had worked so hard for half his life, so he gritted his teeth and took on such a huge debt. In fact, to get this loan, he mortgaged his entire fortune, including the house he lives in and the car he drives. If Huang Lianshu is unable to repay this huge sum of money when the repayment date arrives... then he will truly lose everything and never be able to recover.
However, Huang Lianshu wasn't worried about this at all, because he had connections. If he couldn't repay the high-interest loans in a critical moment, he could easily borrow a large sum of money from state-owned banks to pay them off first. You see, Huang Lianshu had never had much trouble getting loans. The only problem with bank loans was that it always took at least ten days for the approved funds to arrive. Last time, he was desperately waiting for the market to be rescued, and he didn't have the time to waste dealing with the banks. If he had waited for the bank loan to arrive that time, his Yunzhong International would probably have been suspended from trading on the stock market long ago.
In addition, Huang Lianshu was confident that he could easily obtain a large government-funded project through his powerful acquaintance. So... even if he couldn't recoup the money from this high-interest loan with just one or two projects, he could at least earn back the interest.
However, to Huang Lianshu's utter surprise, the massive project that the big boss had promised him long ago—the desert transformation project personally overseen by that big boss—was never actually given to him. Instead, it was awarded to the Zhou Group, effectively abandoning him.
After that, the bigwig became increasingly cold towards him. When he approached the bigwig, hoping to secure even small projects, the bigwig politely declined a few times and then kicked him out. Following that… Yunzhong International seemed to be trapped in an endless nightmare. No matter what business they did, it was inevitably very unsuccessful, even resulting in huge losses. One by one, their long-standing clients, with whom they had built relationships for over a decade, severed ties with them. Even if it meant taking a loss and doing business with smaller companies, they would no longer associate with Yunzhong International.
The most fatal thing is that no bank will lend Huang Lianshu any more money. Moreover, two long-standing loans that Huang Lianshu had been in arrears for many years, which he considered to be dead debts, have been dug up by the banks again. They have given Huang Lianshu a few days to repay them, or they will take legal action to confiscate Huang Lianshu's private property to offset the debts.
You should know that those were loans Huang Lianshu took out when he first started his business. His company had long since gone bankrupt and rebranded, and those two loans were naturally forgotten under Huang Lianshu's management. But who would have thought that at this critical moment, the bank would suddenly bring them up again and start demanding repayment from him.
If Huang Lianshu still doesn't realize that someone is plotting against him now that things have come to this point, then he might as well just piss himself and drown.
As the repayment date for the high-interest loan approached, coupled with numerous setbacks at the company and a barrage of bank repayment notices, poor Huang Lianshu's hair turned almost white overnight.
He knew that since the person who had schemed against him could change the attitudes of the bank, which had always had a good relationship with him, the bigwig in the capital, and all his business partners, then that person's power and connections were far beyond his reach.
Therefore, Huang Lianshu had no intention of fighting with the other party. He just wanted to know when he had offended such a powerful person, and then he would simply risk his reputation and go to that person to beg for forgiveness, or even kowtow and beg for mercy, just to ask the other party to spare his life.
However... no matter how hard Huang Lianshu racked his brains, he still couldn't figure out which powerful figure he had offended. You see, Huang Lianshu was always a cautious person, and if he wanted to bully someone, he would naturally choose an honest person to bully.
He wouldn't dare offend anyone he perceived as someone important, and he'd give way to anyone with even a little bit of influence. Therefore, although he'd done his fair share of bad things in his life, he'd never really run into a brick wall...
Just when Huang Lianshu was feeling incredibly depressed, the day to repay the high-interest loan finally arrived... Poor Huang Lianshu, in these three months, not only did his company not make any profit, but it also suffered continuous losses. Even the company's employees' salaries were two months in arrears. Many of the employees realized something was wrong and started to quit, while a few, unaware of the truth, foolishly waited for the boss to pay the owed salaries before considering resigning.
Only two people from the Macau finance company came to collect the debt, and they were two very young girls. Huang Lianshu had no money to repay the debt, but he was unwilling to lose everything he had worked hard for in his life. So he took advantage of the two girls' youth and vulnerability and acted like a rogue, refusing to repay the money or hand over the collateral.
The two girls representing the finance company didn't waste any words with Huang Lianshu. They simply took out their phones, made a call, and reported to their superiors... Less than two minutes later, Huang Lianshu's phone suddenly started ringing incessantly, as if it were acting up. A little while later, he received a call from home saying that several buckets of gasoline and pig's blood had been thrown into his yard.
A moment later, the company called, saying that a large number of strangers had suddenly arrived at the company, all covered in blood... Immediately afterwards, the dozen or so bodyguards that Huang Lianshu had been lying in ambush suddenly and inexplicably fell unconscious one by one, and a dozen or so bright spots appeared on Huang Lianshu's forehead, which were clearly marks left by infrared sights...
Huang Lianshu felt his life was seriously threatened and immediately cowered. Without saying a word, he knelt down before the two beautiful women and obediently gave all his belongings to the finance company to pay off his debts.
In less than three days... Huang Lianshu, who originally had assets of over 10 billion, suddenly became a penniless pauper. Even his house and furniture were all gone, and he and his wife were kicked out wearing only the clothes they were wearing.
And all of Huang Lianshu's wife's jewelry and other valuables were also stripped away... There was nothing they could do. The finance company did the math, and even if Huang Lianshu mortgaged all his possessions, he still couldn't pay off the debt... Because of the continuous decline in Yunzhong International's stock over the past three months, the value of the shares that Huang Lianshu had used as collateral had shrunk again, and they were no longer worth as much as they used to be. So even if Huang Lianshu gave up his underwear, he would still owe the finance company a huge sum of nearly two billion yuan.
Even if Huang Lianshu had to sell his ass every day until he died, he would never be able to pay off this debt. After the miserable Huang Lianshu and his wife were kicked out of their home, Huang Lianshu's wife immediately pointed at Huang Lianshu's nose and cursed him, then declared that she would divorce Huang Lianshu immediately and sever all ties with him, so as not to be dragged down by this poor wretch for the rest of her life.
She didn't want to suffer to death with Huang Lianshu over that 2 billion debt. After all, Huang Lianshu was the one who incurred the debt. As long as she severed her marital ties with Huang Lianshu, she would naturally no longer be implicated. Huang Lianshu's wife's family was quite influential. Once she returned to her family home, even if she was a bit older and less attractive, it wouldn't be difficult for her to find a young man and start a happy life again.
Huang Lianshu's wife hated him so much that she confronted him directly, revealing that she had three or four lovers outside the marriage and that even their beloved daughter, who was studying abroad, was not Huang Lianshu's child at all.
Already disheartened and despondent, Huang Lianshu flew into a rage upon hearing this, grabbing his wife by the collar and slapping her twice. Huang Lianshu's wife, however, was not one to back down; she immediately retaliated, crying and screaming, and the two began to fight, each grabbing the other's collar.
As it happened... in the midst of the fight, Huang Lianshu tripped over something and immediately tackled his wife to the ground. His wife's head struck a sharp pebble by sheer coincidence. Thus... Huang Lianshu, who had just lost all his wealth and become penniless, even owing a staggering 2 billion yuan in debt, was now arrested by the police on suspicion of intentional homicide and became a prisoner...
Normally, suspects convicted of serious crimes like murder are placed in solitary confinement while awaiting trial to prevent any incidents or collusion with others before their trial. However, Huang Lianshu was different. After being arrested by the police, he was not interrogated but directly detained in a detention center, specifically in a cell housing more than a dozen inmates.
As Huang Lianshu carried the simple daily necessities given to him by the detention center into the cell, he was immediately terrified by the fierce gazes around him. He quickly put on a subservient act, bowing and scraping as he greeted everyone, almost kneeling down to kowtow.
Despite this, he still couldn't escape his terrible fate. As soon as the police left, the dozen or so prisoners in the cell swarmed around him, their eyes gleaming with greed as they stared at Huang Lianshu's round, plump buttocks, drooling...
That night... poor Huang Lianshu, whose anus had been repeatedly violated by more than a dozen lustful prisoners for half the night, could only bend over by the toilet, singing "Chrysanthemum Terrace" while wiping away tears.
Just then, the police arrived and took Huang Lianshu away, saying they needed to interrogate him that very night… Huang Lianshu, who was already physically and mentally exhausted, immediately began to complain to the officer about his fellow inmates. However, the officer merely snorted indifferently and said that the matter could be investigated later, and that he needed to cooperate with the police and explain his situation immediately…
Huang Lianshu knew that the police officer was mostly just giving him empty words, but he couldn't think straight. He could only be half-dragged and half-supported by the police officer, walking with his legs apart and showing his teeth as he made his way to the interrogation room... Then he saw a person who looked vaguely familiar sitting high on the interrogation table.
Nordfx Library:
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 661: Walking a Lifetime Together (Grand Finale)
Although Zhou Ziwei is now the de facto richest man in China, he rarely appears in public. Therefore, although Huang Lianshu had long heard of the chairman of the Zhou Group, he had never seen Zhou Ziwei on any television program, newspaper, or magazine.
The reason why Huang Lianshu felt that Zhou Ziwei looked familiar was mainly because he had been badly swindled by Zhou Ziwei when he was gambling on jade in Yunnan.
That lesson was truly unforgettable... He spent tens of millions to buy a jadeite rough stone that looked like a large eggshell, but it was completely useless and was essentially thrown away. As a result, Huang Lianshu's original plan to enter the jewelry industry was ultimately aborted.
Huang Lianshu would never have forgotten Zhou Ziwei, but back then Zhou Ziwei had just been reborn in this body, and the previous owner of this body was so weak it was almost unbelievable; he was so thin that a gust of wind could blow him over. Now, Zhou Ziwei's body was extremely strong, a complete transformation from his former self. So, although Huang Lianshu found Zhou Ziwei's face vaguely familiar, he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
Huang Lianshu was only slightly taken aback, but he didn't think much of it and obediently went to where he was supposed to go.
There was a chair for him to sit on, but... poor Huang Lianshu's chrysanthemum had been violated all night, and it was already bruised and battered. He dared not sit down, so he just frowned and stood there staring at Zhou Ziwei without saying a word.
"sit down."
When the police officers escorting Huang Lianshu saw him standing there with his legs spread apart, they immediately began to reprimand him sternly.
"I...I have an injury on my leg...I...I dare not sit," Huang Lianshu explained, on the verge of tears.
The policeman didn't care about any of that. He immediately pressed hard on Huang Lianshu's shoulder, forcing him back into the chair. Then he snorted and said, "If you're standing here... then who's interrogating you, you or us?"
Huang Lianshu screamed in pain, his whole body trembled, and he tried to stand up, but the policeman's big hand held him down tightly. His struggle only made the pain worse, and sweat streamed down his neck.
Zhou Ziwei sat there, coldly watching Huang Lianshu's miserable appearance, but he was not moved at all. However, surprisingly, he found that he did not feel much pleasure.
He had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and he had prepared for it for a very long time. After being reborn in this body, he already had the ability to easily kill Huang Lianshu. For example, when he encountered Huang Lianshu in Yunnan last time, he was able to kill Huang Lianshu without anyone noticing.
However, Zhou Ziwei felt that killing Huang Lianshu so casually was not enough to satisfy his hatred. That's why he allowed Huang Lianshu to roam freely for so long. He wanted to do more than just kill Huang Lianshu; he wanted to use his power to strip Huang Lianshu of everything... so that Huang Lianshu would lose everything and then slowly die in helpless pain and regret...
Zhou Ziwei thought that when he finally got his revenge, he would be so excited that his blood would boil. But now... he only felt a sense of bewilderment, wondering if it was really worth it to go to such great lengths to avenge this.
Huang Lianshu finally stopped struggling, his whole body slumped into the chair, unable to move. His buttocks still ached terribly, but he didn't even have the strength to stand up, so he could only sit there obediently. The police officers in the interrogation room also silently withdrew, leaving only Zhou Ziwei and Huang Lianshu in the room.
Huang Lianshu, panting heavily, looked weakly at Zhou Ziwei, who was high above him, and said with a bitter face, "I killed the man... You can sentence me however you want, I confess... I confess to everything, okay? I just hope you can convict me quickly, execute me quickly, and let me die and be reincarnated as soon as possible! I beg you."
Zhou Ziwei smiled slightly and said, "You confess? Hehe... Actually, I just wanted to tell you that you are not guilty. You didn't kill your wife at all. Oh... strictly speaking... you didn't kill her on your own."
"What? What... what do you mean by that?" Huang Lianshu was stunned upon hearing this, not quite understanding the meaning behind Zhou Ziwei's words.
Zhou Ziwei gave a cold laugh and said, "Don't you think there's something strange about the argument between you and your wife, and that you killed her in a rather confused way? Heh... What an idiot, you were hypnotized, didn't you even realize it?"
"Ah...you...you mean..." Huang Lianshu's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Zhou Ziwei and said, "You mean I was framed by someone, right? That means...I...I won't be executed, right?"
“Oh, no, no, no…you must die.” Zhou Ziwei waved his hands repeatedly and said, “Your fate is sealed, and that cannot be changed.”
"Why... why, since you all know I was framed, why am I still being executed?" Huang Lianshu had just received a pleasant surprise, but now he was thrown back into the dust, and suddenly became somewhat hysterical.
After losing everything and going from a billionaire to a penniless man, Huang Lianshu had considered suicide. Living like this was truly worse than death. However, the will to survive is a human instinct, especially for someone like Huang Lianshu. Even if he could live like a dog, he didn't want to die. So when he learned that he might be spared the charge of murder, he was overjoyed.
But he couldn't understand why Zhou Ziwei, who clearly knew he was framed and wronged, still said he was doomed.
Zhou Ziwei sighed helplessly and said, "There's nothing I can do, because... the person who framed you is actually me, so... although I know you're innocent, I can't prove it for you, so... you have to die!"
"What? You...you framed me...this...why...why did you frame me? I...I don't remember having any grudge against you!" Huang Lianshu pointed at Zhou Ziwei in extreme anger. He wanted to stand up and scold Zhou Ziwei, but he was too weak to stand up.
Zhou Ziwei curled his lip and said, "Actually, it's not just that I framed you for murder; I also ruined your company... and I orchestrated your massive debt of 14 billion... Also... you were originally supposed to get the general agency rights for that huge desert transformation project, but I ruined it. And... I also put in a good word with those banks, preventing them from lending you any more money, and I even dug up all the debts you owed from years ago. How about that... I did so much for you, and all I got was your family's ruin. Aren't I very merciful to you?"
"You, you, you..." Huang Lianshu was so angry that he couldn't even speak. He just pointed at Zhou Ziwei and said a series of "you"s before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Poor Huang Lianshu had suffered too many blows recently, and was already exhausted both physically and mentally. When he was stimulated again and discovered that he had indeed been plotted against all along, and that the culprit was sitting right in front of him, Huang Lianshu was so agitated that he felt a violent throbbing in his brain, and then he felt a "boom" and his head went blank and he fainted.
Zhou Ziwei didn't pay much attention at first, thinking that Huang Lianshu had just fainted from excitement and would wake up soon. But when he noticed that Huang Lianshu's complexion seemed a bit off, he hurriedly released a wisp of his soul power to enter Huang Lianshu's body to investigate. Only then did he discover that this guy had actually been angered to the point of having a brain hemorrhage.
Moreover, the current situation is extremely dangerous. If treatment is delayed even a moment longer, the patient may die.
Damn... this guy is too fragile! I haven't even revealed my identity or told him that I'm the reincarnation of the evil spirit he killed back then, and this son of a bitch has already had a brain hemorrhage.
Zhou Ziwei felt that letting Huang Lianshu die like this would be unsatisfying, so he had no choice but to reluctantly take matters into his own hands and treat Huang Lianshu's acute illness. He used his soul power to repair the ruptured blood vessel in Huang Lianshu's brain and guided the accumulated blood clots in the brain to slowly seep out of the cranial cavity... Thus, this acute illness, which would be extremely difficult to cure in many large hospitals, was completely cured in an instant under Zhou Ziwei's supernatural healing ability.
When Huang Lianshu woke up again, Zhou Ziwei was idly trimming his fingernails. As soon as Huang Lianshu saw Zhou Ziwei, he immediately cried out in grief and indignation, and then spat out a mouthful of black blood.
Zhou Ziwei glanced at Huang Lianshu briefly before returning his attention to his fingernails. He said calmly, "You don't need to look so pitiful, and you don't need to be afraid... At least you won't die for now... This blood is actually blood accumulated in your skull. Once you cough it up, you'll be safe for now... You know... You almost died from a brain hemorrhage just now, and I saved you... Oh, but don't thank me. The reason I saved you is because I didn't want you to die so soon. That would be... meaningless."
"Why...why did you do this to me?" Huang Lianshu didn't believe Zhou Ziwei's story about having just suffered a brain hemorrhage, and even if it were true, he had no time to care. He just stared at Zhou Ziwei with grief and indignation, gritting his teeth as he questioned, "Although I, Huang Lianshu, am not a good person and have done many bad things in my life, I don't think I've ever offended you! Why did you have to ruin my family and cause my death?"
"Haven't you offended me?" Zhou Ziwei sneered and said, "If you really haven't offended me, do you think I'd be so bored as to ask you to play this not-so-funny game?"
"Impossible... Who... who are you?" Huang Lianshu hurriedly asked, "I... I really don't seem to know you... how could I have offended you? You... you must have made a mistake!"
"Well..." Zhou Ziwei said, "My name is Zhou Ziwei now..."
"Zhou Ziwei, you... so you are Zhou Ziwei!" Huang Lianshu exclaimed in surprise, "You are the chairman of the Zhou Group, the richest man in China... and even the one predicted to become the richest man in the world in the future!"
The fact that the Zhou Group possesses flying car technology is no longer a secret after this period of time. The fact that agents from over a dozen countries were still utterly defeated by the Zhou family has also spread far and wide. Therefore, some insightful people have already made a prediction… that once the Zhou Group's flying car technology is officially operational, the Zhou Group's rise will be unstoppable. The Zhou Group will become the world's largest multinational corporation, and its owner, Zhou Ziwei, will become the world's richest person within two to three years… without exception.
Huang Lianshu had naturally heard about such a significant matter long ago, which is why Zhou Ziwei's revelation of his name caused him such a great shock.
Zhou Ziwei didn't dwell on Huang Lianshu's identity, but immediately continued, "Zhou Ziwei is just my current identity. Actually, before I became Zhou Ziwei, I had another name—Yang Hongtao. Hehe... I wonder if Mr. Huang still remembers this name?"
"Yang Hongtao... Yang... Yang Hongtao." Huang Lianshu, who had been completely limp, finally couldn't help but jump up from his chair, staring at Zhou Ziwei with horrified eyes, and said incredulously, "You... you said you used to be called... Yang Hongtao, then... what does that mean? Was it a name you used before?" Of course, Huang Lianshu knew who Yang Hongtao was, but... he really couldn't believe that this influential figure in front of him... this man who might become the world's richest man, could have any connection with that dead man who had been executed long ago. That's why he asked this question, hoping that the name Yang Hongtao that Zhou Ziwei mentioned was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with that Yang Hongtao!
Zhou Ziwei pursed his lips and said, "I'm just saying this, and you'll probably find it hard to understand. Well... I'll just show you directly! Hehe... Actually, strictly speaking, I should be a ghost, but I was lucky enough not to have my soul scattered like ordinary people after death. Instead, I retained my soul and, through a clever opportunity, possessed the body of a recently deceased person. So... I went from Yang Hongtao to the Zhou Ziwei I am now. However... deep down, I've always been Yang Hongtao... that wronged ghost who was framed by you and executed!"
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, a thought flashed through his mind, and the amoeba on his face immediately transformed his appearance into that of Yang Hongtao from his previous life.
At this point... Huang Lianshu finally had no more doubts and knew that the inhuman creature in front of him was indeed... Yang Hongtao, who had died tragically at his hands back then.
"No... impossible... how could there be ghosts in this world... impossible... impossible... there really are ghosts in this world..."
Seeing Zhou Ziwei's state and hearing his words, Huang Lianshu finally broke down again, screaming hysterically and tearing at his hair like a madman...
A month later, Huang Lianshu finally took a bullet at the same spot where Yang Hongtao had been executed years before, paying with his life the blood debt he had incurred back then.
Zhou Ziwei personally supervised the execution. Seeing his greatest enemy die in front of him, he still felt no sense of relief.
However, he still carefully refined Huang Lianshu's soul into a soul bead after his death. In this way, although Huang Lianshu's soul could be preserved permanently, his consciousness from his previous life would no longer exist. Even if some deity could give Huang Lianshu another chance, he would not be able to be resurrected.
The body of the death row inmate was originally intended to be given to the medical university as a specimen, but Zhou Ziwei intervened and took Huang Lianshu's body back, cremating it into a jar of ashes. Then, at Yu Xiaoru's repeated request, Zhou Ziwei took Huang Lianshu's ashes to pay respects to his past self, that is, to sweep the grave of his past life's Yang Hongtao.
The bizarre idea of sweeping one's own grave is probably something only Yu Xiaoru could come up with. According to Yu Xiaoru, although his soul has been reincarnated, his physical body from his previous life has ultimately died. Therefore, the person who is alive now can only be considered Zhou Ziwei, while Yang Hongtao died many years ago.
Now that Zhou Ziwei has personally orchestrated Huang Lianshu's death and avenged Yang Hongtao's blood feud, it is only right that Huang Lianshu's ashes be placed in front of Yang Hongtao's grave to pay respects.
Although Zhou Ziwei felt this approach was rather strange and somewhat unnecessary, since Yu Xiaoru insisted, he didn't refuse. However, when Zhou Ziwei arrived at the public cemetery in Zhongdu City, guided by Yu Xiaoru, and saw the expensive joint grave of the couple, he was immediately stunned!
On a cemetery of about ten square meters, a large stone tablet clearly bore the names of two people: Yang Hongtao and Yu Xiaoya, a married couple buried together.
“Xiaoya… how could this be?” After a moment of stunned silence, Zhou Ziwei finally couldn’t help but throw Huang Lianshu’s ashes in front of the tombstone. He turned around and grabbed Yu Xiaoru’s shoulder, his eyes red as he asked, “Tell me, what… what exactly happened? Xiaoya… how could she die? And how… how could we have become husband and wife?”
Since Zhou Ziwei returned to Zhongdu and saw his parents and Yu Xiaoru again, and finally recognized them, he has never mentioned the name Yu Xiaoya in front of them, as if he had completely forgotten about her.