As soon as the news broke, there was a stir in Hua City.
Su Jin indeed had someone backing her. With such a grave incident occurring at the competition she organized, those in power couldn't ignore it.
The higher-ups immediately called a meeting and established the Rong City Anti-Corruption Task Force.
As soon as they began gathering information, they discovered irregularities.
As a key national figure, Qi Shengwu's close relatives were supposed to undergo political vetting, and any family members traveling abroad needed to be reported.
However, they hadn't received any such reports, and Qi Yan had only returned from studying abroad a few months ago.
On this point alone, Qi Shengwu had already violated regulations.
The day after the Anti-Corruption Task Force was formed, they headed straight for Rong City.
No one in Rong City received any notice of their arrival. Everything continued to operate as usual.
September arrived.
The previous important figures had been transferred, leaving the position vacant, awaiting appointment from above.
Xue Kai was also worried. Rong City wasn't like other cities; too many people wanted to take up positions here. He feared someone might be parachuted in directly.
Although he didn't care about money, he still wanted power.
Qi Shengwu was even more afraid. He had originally planned to use some tricks, pull some strings, and sling some mud at Xue Kai in hopes of securing the position for himself.
But at this crucial moment, he found himself covered in mud, busy trying to clean himself up, with no time to smear Xue Kai.
In September, the weather was still hot. Everything in Rong City seemed to be proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Students started school, white-collar workers went to their offices, construction workers toiled on building sites. Everything appeared calm on the surface.
But behind the scenes, members of the Anti-Corruption Task Force were running around collecting evidence. Finally, in mid-September, they visited Qi Shengwu's home.
Qi Shengwu was stunned by the arrival of so many people, completely caught off guard.
He thought he had cleaned up thoroughly enough. Because of this, he had given Qi Yan a severe beating, canceled her bank cards, and even confined Qi Yan and Qi's mother to the house for over two weeks.
But what was meant to come, still came.
The Anti-Corruption Task Force members immediately handcuffed him. He wanted to protest, but it was too late. They had solid evidence, laying out all his bribery records before him.
All the properties under his name were also presented to him.
Qi Shengwu wept. He was just one step away from having complete control over Rong City, just one step away.
"Let's go."
Qi Shengwu was taken away.
Qi's mother and Qi Yan, locked in the house, had no idea about the commotion downstairs.
But they had their phones, and before long, the news was reported by all major media outlets.
The news of Qi Shengwu's embezzlement of 300 million yuan continued to dominate Weibo's top trending list.
Netizens cursed Qi Shengwu's ancestors to the eighteenth generation.
Many netizens expressed that they weren't shocked. If Qi Yan knew how to bribe so skillfully, it must be related to her family background.
When Qi Yan's bribery incident first came to light, they had called for an investigation into her father, but there had been no response from above.
It turned out they were collecting evidence without alerting the target, allowing them to catch this big tiger.
It had to be said, the Anti-Corruption Task Force did an excellent job. Three hundred million - what does that concept mean? An ordinary person couldn't earn that much money in ten lifetimes.
All of the Qi family's assets were confiscated, including the house they were currently living in.
Important city leaders all had a special compound, which was why the Qi family lived not far from the Xue family.
Xue Kai stood on the second floor, watching the scene of Qi Shengwu being taken away outside the window, feeling deeply moved.
"Honey, you haven't done any embezzlement, have you?" Ye Rong asked worriedly.
"Do I lack money?" Xue Kai asked in return.
Ye Rong realized it was true. Their family didn't lack money, and even the company was in her name. The couple's assets were clearly separated.
Xue Kai never interfered in Ye Rong's company affairs, and Ye Rong knew to avoid conflicts of interest. She never discussed matters involving benefits with Xue Kai.
For them, work was work, and life was life. They each had their privacy.
At the Qi household, Qi's mother and Qi Yan were the last to know about Qi Shengwu's downfall. They couldn't believe it, suspecting the online news was fake.
Until someone came to seal off their house.
The household staff, not even waiting for their wages, had already fled. Only the mother and daughter remained in the entire villa.
"Mom, what are we going to do now?" Qi Yan cried until her eyes were swollen.
Qi's mother's expression became abnormal. It was all her fault. If she hadn't given Qi Yan that 10 million yuan, Qi Yan wouldn't have bribed anyone, and no one would have come to investigate Qi Shengwu.
The more the woman thought about it, the more distressed she became. This was too big a blow for her. Without Qi Shengwu, how would they survive?
She had never known that Qi Shengwu had taken so much money, nor did she know where this money was kept.
"I still have some private savings and some jewelry. Let's pack up now, move out, and find a place to wait for your father to return."
Qi's mother wiped her tears, comforting Qi Yan.
Qi Yan returned to her room, unable to accept this reality. At 27, she naturally understood the implications of her father embezzling 300 million. He would never get out in this lifetime.
Now she not only hated Shen Yin and Xue Jingrui, but she also hated Qi Shengwu. He had embezzled so much money, why did he only give her a few hundred thousand yuan in living expenses each month?
If he had given her more, would they have been able to trace so much?
And then there was Qi Shengwen. It was all Qi Shengwen's fault for participating in that embroidery competition. Now look, her own brother was gone because of it.
The woman was nearly insane, smashing everything she could in the room. She had to destroy anything she couldn't use. Everyone owed her. Why was the world so unfair to her?
"Ahhhhh!" The woman screamed hysterically, her eyes growing increasingly vicious.
"Hahahaha. Those who owe me, I'll make them pay back even if it costs me my life." Qi Yan muttered to herself like a madwoman.
"Upstairs! Hurry up and pack. This house will be sealed off soon." A uniformed person downstairs shouted loudly.
Qi Yan packed her suitcase, took a few bank cards, and left her room.
Qi's mother was also at the door. Her eyes were full of reluctance; this was the place she had lived for decades.
Now nothing belonged to them anymore.
"Is it heavy? Let mom carry the suitcase for you." Qi's mother said, looking at Qi Yan with her bloodshot eyes.
Qi Yan, pampered since childhood and unwilling to suffer even a bit, handed the suitcase to her mother upon hearing this.
Qi's mother struggled to carry two suitcases down the stairs alone, with Qi Yan following behind.
Fortunately, her mother still had some money, so they could continue to make ends meet in the future.
The moment the sealing tape was applied, Qi's mother couldn't hold back her tears. She stood at the doorway, looking for a long, long time before finally turning to leave.
"Big sister, mom," a boy about 10 years old called out as he came running towards them.