The rain hadn't stopped.It only grew heavier—like the city itself wanted to wash away its sins.
Lu Cheng drove through the night in a black Aston Martin, the wipers beating like a metronome for revenge. His reflection in the glass was calm, but his eyes burned cold.
Inside the car, a voice spoke through the Bluetooth speaker.
"Boss, Ares Capital's position is confirmed. Forty percent of Chen Group shares have been bought quietly through our offshore branch. The stock will collapse by morning."
"Good," Lu Cheng said, his tone steady. "Make sure the press gets the documents before dawn. I want Chen Shaohui's face on every business page by sunrise."
He ended the call, leaning back in the seat.It had taken him years—five long, brutal years in a cell—to build this.And this was only the first strike.
Meanwhile, inside the Crystal Tower, chaos erupted the moment Lu Cheng left.
Chen Shaohui's hand trembled as he stared at the black card on the table. The logo Ares Capital wasn't just any company—it was a financial leviathan, one of the top private equity groups in Asia.
"How... how did he get them involved?" Chen muttered, his confidence cracking.
Su Meixue's red lips parted slightly. "You said he was finished."
Chen slammed his glass onto the table. "He was! I made sure of it! I bribed the investigators, destroyed every record. He was supposed to rot in prison!"
"Then explain this." She pointed at the card.
Chen's jaw clenched. "I don't know how yet, but I'll find out. No one comes back from nothing—not even him."
He snatched his phone, dialing frantically."Find me everything about Ares Capital's Asian operations. Now. And trace every move Lu Cheng has made since his release."
Across town, in a quiet café that never closed, Lu Cheng sat by the window, watching the rain slide down the glass.
A woman approached, trench coat still dripping from the storm.Her eyes were sharp, calculating.
"Long time no see, Mr. Lu," she said."Detective Qiao," Lu Cheng replied with a faint smirk. "Or should I say—former detective?"
She sat down opposite him. "You knew I'd come."
"I was counting on it."
She crossed her arms. "Five years ago, I was the one who signed your arrest report. You should hate me."
"I don't waste energy on the wrong targets."
Qiao Xinyi studied him for a moment. "Then what do you want from me?"
Lu Cheng slid a sealed envelope across the table. "You still want to know who killed your partner, right?"
Her eyes widened. "How do you—"
"Because the same people framed me."
He leaned closer, voice low but lethal. "Chen Group wasn't just business corruption—it was murder, fraud, and political cleansing. You were on the right trail. They buried you just like they buried me."
Qiao Xinyi's breath caught.Five years of guilt, frustration, and sleepless nights—now condensed into one moment of revelation.
"If I help you," she whispered, "what happens next?"
Lu Cheng's smile was faint, dangerous, but not cruel.
"Then, Detective Qiao… we burn this city clean."