Although Mu Dong tried her best to plead, Zhou Tianpeng was a selfish person by nature. How could he let him go easily? Of course, he didn't dare to kill him. He beat him half to death and threw him into the mass grave.
The mass grave was located in a remote area. There were wolves at night. Severely injured, lacking food and clothing, his fate could be imagined.
When he was left alone, Zhou Tianpeng stood in the courtyard for a long time, not knowing how to face Hong Lingxiang. They had been madly in love with each other, as if it were a long, long time ago, but in reality, only a few months had passed.
To be honest, he truly regretted it. When he was with Shi Yun, although he sometimes felt she was always on top of him, he was successful in business, his household was peaceful, and his children were filial. Now, he was alone, and he had reached a point of no return with Hong Lingxiang.
He slowly returned to his courtyard. As soon as he entered the door, he was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground. When he woke up again, he was in a secret room, bound by chains.
"Yo, finally awake. I've been waiting for you for a long time." Hong Lingxiang looked down at him from above, filled with pleasure.
"How dare you? Aren't you afraid the Zhou family will report it to the authorities?" Seeing his predicament, Zhou Tianpeng understood. Clearly, this woman had hired someone to injure him and bring him here. He just didn't know what she intended to do.
"You don't need to worry about that. I will take good care of your mother and your two sisters." Hong Lingxiang emphasized the word "care."
"What do you want? I am the head of the family. Without me, how could the Zhou family listen to you? Don't be delusional." Zhou Tianpeng thought she was dreaming. After all, the Zhou family was built by him, and he held many of the indentures. How could they listen to her?
"What if there's someone who looks exactly like you to replace your identity? And that person is under my control. Then, do you think they will listen to me?" Hong Lingxiang looked at him triumphantly.
"How is that possible? My mother and sisters would definitely notice the change. Besides, how can there be someone in the world who looks exactly like me?" Zhou Tianpeng was startled. He had not expected her to have such a plan, but he maintained a nonchalant expression.
"What if he pretends to be ill and avoids everyone, or if we sell all the Zhou family's businesses and move elsewhere? What do you think of this plan?"
Looking at her crazy demeanor, Zhou Tianpeng believed she could do it, especially with the help of the Hong family. His mother was in poor health, and one more incident could kill her. His two sisters' families were not well-off; a little meddling from Hong Lingxiang could ruin them. Moreover, if a suitable substitute was found, his own fate would be dire.
Hong Lingxiang felt immensely pleased watching his expression change. The moment he kept a mistress outside, he had broken his vows. Therefore, he had no right to live in this world anymore.
"We had a loving relationship. You can't treat me like this. Spare me this time, and we'll live a good life together. I'll cherish you like the apple of my eye." Zhou Tianpeng was truly scared now. He trembled and pleaded.
"You know fear now? It's too late. For you, I gave up so much. And how did you repay me? You kept another woman, and she got pregnant. You even wanted to poison me to avenge her. You were probably still thinking about how to kill me right before your accident. Do you think I'm that foolish?" Hong Lingxiang said, laughing. But as she laughed, tears streamed down her face. After all, they had once truly loved each other.
"I know I was wrong. I will repent." Zhou Tianpeng's emotions were complicated. On one hand, he regretted provoking this crazy woman. On the other hand, he felt it would have been better if he had gotten rid of her earlier. But it was too late now. He could only beg her to spare him. If she did, he vowed that he would no longer be soft-hearted once he was free. After all, self-preservation is the highest law.
Unfortunately, Hong Lingxiang did not give him the chance. She plunged the knife in and out.
She looked at her blood-stained hands, trembling, "You forced me. You forced me..."
The next day, the Zhou family announced that Zhou Tianpeng was ill and would not see anyone. Half of the Zhou family's businesses were handed over to the Hong family, and the other half was managed by Hong Lingxiang herself.
This greatly displeased the sisters Zhou Wanqiu and Zhou Wanyue. They rushed to the Zhou family's residence, paid their respects to their mother, and insisted on seeing their brother. They refused to believe that their brother would hand over half of the Zhou family's vast estate to the Hong family and wanted to ask him directly.
As the three approached the courtyard entrance, they were stopped. Madam Zhou glared fiercely, "This is outrageous! I want to see my son, and you dare to stop me? This is the Zhou family! Get out of the way, or I'll kick you all out."
However, no matter how angry she became, the guards remained unmoved. Outraged, they ordered the servants behind them to push the guards aside.
The gatekeepers had also been instructed not to show mercy if anyone caused trouble. They acted swiftly and ruthlessly. Soon, the servants began to retreat, standing aside and cursing fiercely.
No matter how fiercely they cursed, the guards remained steadfast. "Fine! You just wait! I'll call people to teach you a good lesson!" Madam Zhou said, exasperated, preparing to call for reinforcements.
"Oh, why is Old Madam so angry? It is the master's wish that you are not allowed in. He is ill and does not wish to see anyone." Hong Lingxiang, hearing the commotion, appeared at the opportune moment.
"I know my son. He would not refuse to see me. Tell me, did you do something to my son? I knew you were so wicked and overbearing. I would never have agreed to let you into the family if I had known." A mother's intuition told Madam Zhou that something was wrong. Seeing the strong obstruction from the servants today, she felt even more certain that her son was in trouble.
"Madam, what are you saying? How dare I? He is a living person and the master of the Zhou family. What could I possibly do to him? Besides, I haven't lived enough. I wouldn't do anything illegal." Hong Lingxiang chuckled. No matter what, she was prepared to deny everything.
"Then let us see him. I want to ask him directly. If he tells me himself that he doesn't want to see us, we will leave immediately." Regardless, Madam Zhou wanted to see her son. She had a vague feeling that something had happened to her son and that he was waiting for her to save him.
"It seems you won't give up unless you see him. Come, follow me." Hong Lingxiang shook her head and led the way into the courtyard. This time, the guards did not stop them.