Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 57

57

At the Jiang City Business Gala, Cheng Youqing and her alpha stole the spotlight.

Zhang Sheng, the deputy general manager under Cui Erniu, and Chun Yuyan, the great-granddaughter of the Sun family, tried to frame others but were exposed on the spot for owing 5,000 yuan and coveting Luo Hetu’s glands. The two were revealed to be greedy and scheming opportunists. It just so happened that the event was a major gathering of Jiang City’s business elite, and before the banquet even ended, the scandal involving Zhang Sheng and Chun Yuyan had spread to everyone present.

When Cheng Youqing left, she brought Luo Hetu to bid farewell to Mr. Zhou. Mr. Zhou nodded, looking at Luo Hetu with a kind expression:
“Keep writing good books.”

Luo Hetu broke out in a sweat.

As they turned to leave, Cheng Youqing explained, “Mr. Zhou’s spouse is the president of the Writers’ Association. They’ve even called me about getting you to join.”

Mr. Zhou said nothing more. Luo Hetu and Cheng Youqing left the still-buzzing hall, while Zhang Sheng slunk away like a defeated dog.

As soon as they left the venue, Cheng Youqing started making phone calls, her face cold as she arranged matters concerning Zhang Sheng.

She was, after all, provoked to anger.

Though Luo Hetu was also upset, she actually wanted to discuss something else with Cheng Youqing first—the matter of the waiter. Reflecting for two seconds on her misplaced priorities, she decided to keep quiet and focus on dealing with the opportunist who had set his sights on her.

Opportunists, or changgui as they were called, operated on the logic that everything should revolve around them and serve their interests. If someone refused to sacrifice for them, they would irrationally hold a grudge.

This novel was a male-oriented power fantasy, chronicling Zhang Sheng’s rise to dominance. In the story, those who served as stepping stones for Zhang Sheng’s growth were portrayed as either flawed or antagonistic, deserving their fate. The original protagonist had been obsessed with Zhang Sheng’s girlfriend, “willingly” sacrificing themselves as a stepping stone for the couple.

But stepping into the world of the novel was like opening a blind box. The author only showed what they wanted readers to see. Beyond the hundreds of thousands of words lay a vast, intricate world too complex to summarize. Was the protagonist penned by the author truly a good person? Were the stepping stones really deserving of their fate? Every minor character had their own storylines, intertwining and diverging, weaving the complex world before them.

Luo Hetu stretched her neck. When it was time to act, she would act. If she didn’t deal with the story’s original protagonist soon, who knew how much more trouble he’d cause her.

After Cheng Youqing finished a phone call, Luo Hetu asked, “How much evidence do you have on Zhang Sheng using homeless people’s glands?”

“Some, but not enough. To secure a conviction, we’ll need to pull some strings.”

Their eyes met, and in that moment, they seemed to understand each other’s thoughts perfectly.

Cheng Youqing said, “I should contact my aunt.”

“Wait,” Luo Hetu replied. “I have more evidence.”

Back home, Luo Hetu went straight to the study.

She worked late into the night.

Cheng Youqing wasn’t idle either. After washing up, she made several phone calls. By the time she had everything arranged, Luo Hetu still hadn’t returned.

Not wanting to disturb her, Cheng Youqing went to bed, flipping through a finance magazine and the evening paper. A long while later, Luo Hetu returned with a stack of documents.

“These are all the things I could find. They should be useful. Take a look.”

The documents, written in pen on several sheets of paper, included one page detailing Zhang Sheng’s hospitalization and treatment records, another with detailed information on his sister, Zhang Lan, and another on the hospital itself, listing an overseas account, a contact ID, and a ferry number.

Luo Hetu explained each item to Cheng Youqing.

She had hacked into the hospital’s system, digging up every piece of information she could find. From the dark web, she uncovered traces of the hospital selling discarded alpha glands and, through some maneuvering, obtained the middleman’s details.

“This is all I could find. It’s not enough to use as direct evidence yet—you’ll need to arrange for someone to investigate further and solidify it. Also, if we’re successful, this evidence could bring down the hospital. To prevent Zhang Sheng from pinning all the blame on them, we need something specifically targeting him.”

She pointed to the last page:
“These names and incidents are people Zhang Sheng has screwed over. Many of them lost everything because of him. If you investigate each one, they’ll likely have some evidence. Even if it’s not enough to directly prove his crimes, at the very least, it can fuel harsher rumors to ruin his reputation in Jiang City. Once his name is mud, combined with the hospital’s gland scandal, he won’t be able to escape.”

Cheng Youqing carefully reviewed the pages, then neatly stored them in her briefcase.

“I’ve been looking into these things, but I haven’t gotten results as quickly or thoroughly as you have. Especially that last part—my assistant has been investigating for a while and was supposed to deliver a list tomorrow, but you’ve already written it out.”

Cheng Youqing tugged at Luo Hetu’s collar, pulling her closer. Caught off guard, Luo Hetu nearly fell onto her.

“What other secrets are you hiding from me?”

Luo Hetu swallowed, meeting Cheng Youqing’s gaze calmly. “Because I’m good with computers and networks. This stuff is all out there online, but it takes some obscure methods to find.”

“You mean that thing you mentioned last time—the one that’s not illegal anymore?”

“Exactly.”

“So my alpha is this talented in so many ways.”

Cheng Youqing’s fingers brushed Luo Hetu’s chin, her gaze deep. “You know, most of your ideas for revenge align with mine, but there’s one difference.”

“What’s that?”

“When you hit a dog, you make sure it feels good.”

Cheng Youqing narrowed her eyes. “My people found two hot-tempered, muscular rogue alphas who are a menace to society. I told them Zhang Sheng’s obsessed with eating rogue alpha glands.”

Luo Hetu clicked her tongue. “That’s ruthless.”

“Who are you calling ruthless?”

Luo Hetu was about to say, My wife, but then she remembered Xiao Luo.

A wave of suppressed bitterness surged up. She rolled over and lay down. “It’s late. Let’s sleep for now.”

First, they’d deal with the dog. But beyond that, there were still issues between her and Cheng Youqing that needed resolving.

The next day, Zhou Chenghuan, just off a night shift, heard the explosive gossip that had rocked Jiang City’s business circle. Frantic, she paced her bedroom before calling Cheng Youqing.

“Why wasn’t I there?! Why am I a doctor? Why didn’t I go into business? No, I could’ve gone with my mom! Argh, why did I miss it?! I wanted to see it live!”

Cheng Youqing yawned. “Get someone else to tell you about it.”

“I’ve already heard! Your factual yet glowing speech at the gala has spread like wildfire. Several people have told me you found such an amazing alpha. They’re all smitten.”

Cheng Youqing paused. “Who said that?”

Zhou Chenghuan chuckled inwardly but played innocent. “Lots of people! They said they hadn’t thought about it before, but now they realize a rich partner isn’t worth the hassle—always causing trouble and maybe not even physically capable. A clean, fit, obedient alpha is the real deal. And plenty of people said Luo Hetu’s good-looking, even praising her abs.”

Cheng Youqing hung up.

Hey, Zhou Chenghuan wasn’t done talking! Why hang up?

She might’ve missed the live gossip, but she could at least witness some jealousy in action.

Cheng Youqing brushed off Zhou Chenghuan’s teasing, focusing her spare energy on dealing with Zhang Sheng while managing her work.

Sun Jin had received Cheng Youqing’s message and tasked Xu Nanshan, Xu Ruyan’s father, with handling it. Xu Nanshan, who had dealt with Zhang Sheng before, now had a chance to use the leads he’d kept quiet about—things too minor for officials to pursue without public complaints.

Luo Hetu’s information, though brief, was precise. With multiple parties involved, Zhang Sheng’s dirty deeds quickly came to light.

First, the hospital was thoroughly investigated by law enforcement. All its executives, including Zhang Sheng’s sister, Zhang Lan, and Zhang Sheng himself, were detained.

Using rogue alpha glands was already illegal, and the investigation revealed the hospital’s long-term involvement in organ trafficking with overseas partners, a serious violation. The hospital was shut down, and those involved were detained pending trial.

Though Zhang Sheng insisted he knew nothing, hidden private accounts were uncovered, thanks to Luo Hetu’s information network, which proved invaluable. Cheng Youqing started looking at her with increasingly strange eyes.

The private accounts contained signatures and fingerprints of everyone who had used rogue alpha glands, implicating a long list of prominent, sanctimonious figures beyond Zhang Sheng.

Sun Jin issued a firm order to use this opportunity to clean up Jiang City’s rogue alpha gland market, arresting all involved parties.

Meanwhile, most of Zhang Sheng’s victims were tracked down. Encouraged by the Cheng Group, many gathered evidence and filed complaints with the police. Zhang Sheng was soon buried under a mountain of lawsuits. A dramatic, easily spread tale of a despicable couple’s scams spread through Jiang City’s business, political, and even civilian circles.

Cui Erniu, the business tycoon, was the first to cut ties with Zhang Sheng, seizing all his assets. The calculating magnate, who always valued his reputation, had his reasons for favoring Zhang Sheng but was no stranger to ruthless self-interest. However, when Zhang Sheng’s habit of climbing over his former bosses became public, Cui Erniu refused to be the scapegoat.

Not only did he refuse, but since Zhang Sheng knew some of his secrets, Cui Erniu acted decisively to silence him before he could cause more trouble.

Cheng Youqing and Luo Hetu visited Sun Jin’s home.

Sun Jin, under immense pressure from all sides, still found time to joke with Cheng Youqing, saying she wasn’t sure whether to protect Zhang Sheng.

Under normal procedures, with so many lawsuits, it could take years to process them all. If Zhang Sheng appealed, it could drag on longer. Since he hadn’t directly killed anyone, no matter how vile his actions, the maximum sentence would likely be a few decades, and with probation or reductions, he might be out in a few years.

Cheng Youqing asked, “What’s the worst possible outcome?”

Sun Jin replied, “Simple. Don’t stop Cui Erniu.”

All three understood what that meant.

Cheng Youqing looked at Luo Hetu, who asked, “What happened to the person whose gland was taken?”

“They didn’t die at the time, but later they did. A rogue alpha without a gland needs expensive care to survive, and that person was a homeless man with no money.”

Luo Hetu twisted her prayer beads, glancing at Cheng Youqing.

Cheng Youqing understood and turned to Sun Jin.

“Make it the worst outcome.”