Chapter 14 — Called Off Right on the Spot

I gazed at the delicate porcelain teacup resting on the table before me, then slowly raised my eyes to look at the aging patriarch of the Shen household.

You expect me to kneel?

The old man replied with an icy, unyielding stare, his voice devoid of warmth. As long as you know how to behave sensibly, today's unpleasantness can end right here.

I let out a sudden, dry laugh.

Very well.

Tang Tang gasped in alarm, her fingers clutching tightly at my sleeve. Qing He, do not do anything foolish. You must keep your head.

I patted the back of her hand with a reassuring touch, then walked forward until I stood directly before the grand mahogany table. Lin Man watched my approach, the corners of her lips curling upward in an involuntary smirk of triumph. Shen Zhi Xing remained standing rigidly in his spot. He made no move to block my path, nor did he utter a single word of warning. I reached out and lifted the teacup. The elder leaned back against his chair, his eyes brimming with the absolute arrogance of a victor. But in the very next instant, I tilted my wrist. A stream of scalding hot tea cascaded downward, drenching the fabricated pledge of commitment spread across the table. The dark ink began to bleed instantly, blurring the forged characters into a useless mess of smudges. The old man slammed his palm against the wood with deafening force.

Xu Qing He!

I set the now-empty cup back down with a sharp click.

I have offered the ceremonial tea.

As for the matter of kneeling, you simply do not possess the worth to receive it.

The expressions of every single member of the Shen family shifted in unison, draining of color. Lin Man pointed a trembling finger straight at my face.

Have you lost your mind entirely? Do you have the slightest idea what you are doing?

I am exceedingly clear on my actions.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved the new phone Tang Tang had handed me earlier, pressing the screen to play an audio recording. The voice of the patriarch immediately echoed through the quiet conference room.

The Xu family owes a debt to the Shen family, and the Shen family demands this marriage precisely to force your people to repay it.

Following that came the voice of Shen Zhi Xing.

Provided you are willing to lend a helping hand, the details of our union can be discussed leisurely at a later date.

Then, Lin Man's voice rang out clearly.

If you lower your head to greet me and offer a proper apology, I might consider letting go of the fact that you framed me for drunk driving.

The old man's face instantly turned the color of ash.

You were recording us?

I answered with absolute calm. Not only the audio.

At that moment, Tang Tang pushed open the heavy door of the conference room. Stepping in behind her were Deputy Director Liang, two individuals wearing crisp police uniforms, and a middle-aged man carrying a leather document case and wearing wire-rimmed glasses. Deputy Director Liang strode into the room, his gaze sweeping coldly across the assembled members of the Shen family.

We have heard more than enough.

The patriarch propped himself up with his cane and lurched violently to his feet.

Deputy Director Liang, this is merely a private family matter between two households.

Using forged documents to intimidate others, interfering with an ongoing investigation, and coercing a witness to alter their testimony crosses far beyond the boundary of a private matter, the officer replied sternly.

The man in the wire-rimmed glasses stepped forward and placed the leather case onto the table. This letter of commitment has undergone preliminary forensic examination. The paper and the ink do not belong to the same historical period. Furthermore, the signature exhibits clear signs of digital duplication and tracing.

The old man's countenance turned ghastly white.

That is impossible.

I stared straight into his fading eyes. You never dared to present this directly to my father, because you knew with absolute certainty that a single glance from him would expose the forgery.

The patriarch's grip tightened around his cane until his knuckles turned white. You possess no concrete proof to establish that I fabricated this document.

Deputy Director Liang spoke in a detached tone. Within the private study of the Shen residence, we have recovered the initial draft, the sheets of carbon paper, and older handwriting samples belonging to Mister Xu. Furthermore, members of your household staff have already agreed to cooperate fully with our investigation.

The heavy cane slipped from the old man's trembling fingers, clattering loudly against the floorboards. Shen Zhi Xing whipped his head around to stare at his grandfather in utter disbelief.

Grandfather, is any of this true?

The elder offered no reply. His heavy, suffocating silence served as the most damning confirmation possible. Shen Zhi Xing staggered backward by half a step. For the very first time, the arrogance that usually defined his features vanished completely.

Why on earth would you resort to such measures?

The patriarch flew into a sudden rage, his voice booming with fury. And why do you think I did it if not for the sake of the Shen Corporation? Our new pharmaceutical project has stalled completely, the banks are tightening our credit lines, and all our major business partners are pulling their investments. Only by securing this marriage could we force the Xu family and the research institute from standing by with their hands folded.

Listening to his frantic justification, I could only feel a deep, chilling sense of irony. From the very beginning, you never desired a genuine union between our families.

You were merely searching for a desperate lifeline to save yourselves from ruin.

The old man fixed his gaze on me, his eyes burning with resentment. And so what if I was? You are a woman, and sooner or later, you were bound to marry. What could possibly be wrong with entering the Shen family?

Before I could voice a response, Tang Tang stepped forward, her face flushed with righteous fury. Your household is on the verge of complete collapse, yet you still behave as though you are emperors selecting consorts from the provinces!

The police officer took a firm step forward, his authority unmistakable in the tense air.