He Wu felt very nervous upon seeing Ye Tiancheng, a nervousness that went beyond the normal. Ye Tiancheng had a premonition at the time that perhaps that dead frog was right. This guy had done something shady, which was why he panicked so much upon seeing him.
"If you have a clear conscience, you won't fear a knock on the door. He Wu, did you burn Hou Qing'er to death?"
Hearing Ye Tiancheng utter that name, He Wu's face changed instantly. However, he still put up a tough front, unwilling to admit his crime.
"Ye Tiancheng, you're not the Ye Tiancheng you used to be. Do you still think you're my boss? It's one thing to suddenly show up at my house, but to spout such nonsensical things. Believe it or not, I'll call the police and have you arrested for trespassing."
"You've really gotten quite capable, He Wu. You've really grown, I never saw this side of you before. You were so timid, and now you're so bold."
He Wu was usually very afraid of Ye Tiancheng. Many employees found their boss terrifying, treating him like a monster, so it wasn't unusual. But times had changed. Ye Tiancheng was no longer in a position to command such fear, and there was no need to show him so much respect.
"Stop with the nonsense and leave quickly. There's a woman in my house. How can you still stay here? I'm truly impressed by your thick skin."
"Yes, I almost forgot. So you're married now. Is this not your wife? Aren't you afraid I'll blow your dirty secrets out of proportion?"
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, He Wu finally felt a sense of worry. It was true that he was meeting his mistress today, and Ye Tiancheng had indeed caught him red-handed.
However, no matter how big the leverage, He Wu could not admit to arson and murder. Otherwise, he might spend the rest of his life in prison.
"Say whatever you want. At worst, I'll get a divorce. It's not an insurmountable obstacle. What is there to be afraid of? I have infinite possibilities in my life. But Ye Tiancheng, you're finished. You'll never recover. You look like a dead man. You might as well die sooner and be reborn."
This He Wu was too arrogant. The thought that he was the one who personally set the fire that took away the love of his life made Ye Tiancheng want to crush him to death.
Ye Tiancheng finally used his true qi, and He Wu's face instantly turned purple.
He writhed in agony on the bed, his face contorted in extreme pain. The scene was terrifying. The woman beside him, too scared to even bother putting on her clothes, screamed and fled the room.
After tormenting him for nearly a minute, Ye Tiancheng withdrew his true qi and stared coldly at He Wu.
"My time is short, and your time to consider is even more limited. I hope you understand that I will definitely uncover the truth. Don't try any tricks with me. Tell me the truth, did you set the fire that killed her?"
"Monster, Ye Tiancheng, you must be a monster! Why do you know sorcery? I was in unbearable pain just now, was that the result of your sorcery?"
"Since you said you couldn't bear it, do you want to try again?"
He Wu was truly terrified. The feeling of pain was unforgettable. If he had to endure it again, He Wu would rather die immediately than suffer such torment.
"No, I was wrong. Please, spare me. I'll tell the truth. I set the fire, but I was instructed by someone. That mastermind is Hou Mingzhu."
He Wu was scared out of his wits and quickly begged for mercy, weeping profusely. Everything in front of him now told Ye Tiancheng that Hou Mingzhu was likely the mastermind. But even with the truth laid bare, Ye Tiancheng was unwilling to accept it.
"No, you're lying. It's impossible, absolutely impossible. How could Hou Mingzhu be the mastermind? You must have colluded to deceive me."
"Ye Tiancheng, I'm already like this, how dare I lie to you? Besides, Hou Mingzhu sent me to be a mole by your side from the beginning. It's normal for me to do things for her. And you were so good to that woman back then, Hou Mingzhu was very jealous, so she had me set the fire to burn that woman to death."
"Go to hell!"
He had so much anger in his chest that he couldn't vent it, so he could only take it out on He Wu. He Wu suddenly flew into the air, feeling immense pressure on his neck.
He Wu couldn't breathe and kicked his legs uncontrollably in mid-air, trying to beg for mercy but unable to make a sound. Soon, he was in extreme agony.
"He Wu, if you don't want to suffer again, go surrender immediately. I'll give you one day to arrange everything. If I find out you haven't surrendered, I'll find you no matter where you are and finish you myself."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng released He Wu. He Wu fell onto the bed with a thud and coughed violently.
After a long moment, he finally replied to Ye Tiancheng, "Ye Tiancheng, I'll do whatever you say. Just please don't lay a hand on me again. It's too unbearable. I can't take it anymore."
"It's good that you know my power. Perhaps being in prison will make you feel better. You'd best not play any tricks, or you'll suffer even more if I catch you."
He Wu continued to kowtow frantically until Ye Tiancheng left, his mind completely shattered by fear.
Ye Tiancheng didn't even know how he got home. Learning that Hou Mingzhu was the murderer of Hou Qing'er, he felt like he was about to collapse, unsure how to face Hou Mingzhu.
Perhaps before, Hou Mingzhu was a little darling to Ye Tiancheng. But now, showing mercy to a murderer was also unfair to Hou Qing'er.
Returning home, he saw Hou Mingzhu waiting for him anxiously, and Ye Tiancheng could no longer smile.
"Hou Mingzhu, I've already called your family. You should leave quickly."
"Brother Ye, I'm very worried about you. Did something happen to you? Why are you suddenly saying such strange things?"
Ye Tiancheng initially didn't want to be so blunt and wanted to leave some pure land in Hou Mingzhu's heart. But Hou Mingzhu kept pestering him, so Ye Tiancheng had to grab her hand and tell her the truth.
"Hou Mingzhu, I don't know if your amnesia is faked or what, but you've killed someone. You instructed someone to set a fire and burn the woman I loved most to death. Her name was Hou Qing'er."
Hou Mingzhu was shocked and stumbled back several steps. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes.
"Brother Ye, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I've forgotten everything about the past, but I believe what you say. If you say I killed someone, then it must be true."
Seeing that Hou Mingzhu didn't shirk responsibility but quickly admitted it, Ye Tiancheng's thoughts were very complex at that moment. She was still the innocent Hou Mingzhu.
But no matter what, she was clearly the same person. Even if Ye Tiancheng tried to convince himself, he still couldn't face the current Hou Mingzhu.
"You also know that you killed someone, Hou Mingzhu. Because you lost a lot of your memory, I didn't implicate you. But I can't face you either. Go home."
It took great courage to ruthlessly push away someone who was willing to stay by his side, but Ye Tiancheng had to do something to put his mind at ease.
"Brother Ye, if I stay here, does it make you uncomfortable?"
"Yes, leave. Seeing you now reminds me of Hou Qing'er. It's unfair to the deceased. You, a murderer, are still at large. This in itself is already wrong."
After a few minutes of consideration, Hou Mingzhu finally made a difficult decision.
"Brother Ye, I understand. Staying here will only upset you. I don't want to make you unhappy, so I'll go home. When you're feeling a little better in a few days, I'll come to see you again, okay?"
"You don't need to come find me. Seeing you reminds me of sad things. Let's not meet for now."
Hou Mingzhu held Ye Tiancheng's hand and cried profusely. "Brother Ye, I'm also very upset. I can't accept that I did such terrible things in the past. I'm sorry for making you sad. It's all my fault. Blame me, but don't keep it to yourself and suffer."
Ye Tiancheng shook off Hou Mingzhu's hand and turned away, saying nothing more.
Soon, Hou Mingzhu's car arrived. Before getting into the car, Hou Mingzhu looked back at Ye Tiancheng with reluctance. However, Ye Tiancheng did not look back at her again until she left.
In fact, Ye Tiancheng had other considerations. Besides being unable to face Hou Mingzhu, he also didn't want her to continue suffering by his side. Returning home was the best choice for her.
Shortly after Hou Mingzhu's car left, a beautiful woman with an alluring aura arrived. This beautiful woman was Ye Tiancheng's protégé, Wang Xiaomiao's cousin, Wang Xiaoniu.
"Miss Wang, why are you here? Everyone is avoiding me like the plague right now, yet you've come to me. Is there some salary owed to you by the company?"
"Brother Ye, it seems you've been through a lot these past few days. Why are you so guarded? You are my benefactor, why would I come to ask for money? Besides, the company has already settled my salary. Manager Xiao Pang made good arrangements before he left."
So she wasn't here to ask for wages, which allowed Ye Tiancheng to relax a bit.
"Then what are you here for?"
"I was afraid you'd be having a difficult time, so I wanted to come and help you."
People say that true friendship is tested in adversity, and this saying is indeed true. Wang Xiaoniu offered a helping hand in his time of need, directly giving Ye Tiancheng one hundred thousand yuan.
This hundred thousand yuan might have been nothing to Ye Tiancheng in the past, and it was still a drop in the bucket for his current predicament. However, it was Wang Xiaoniu's gesture of goodwill.
Wang Xiaoniu always paid great attention to her appearance, believing that only by improving herself could she conduct better business. She hadn't saved much money, so being able to come up with one hundred thousand yuan was quite remarkable.
"Xiaoniu, I appreciate your gesture, but I can't accept the money. This money was hard-earned for you. As a grown man, how can I possibly let a young girl like you support me? Unless I have no shame."
"Brother Ye, I know this one hundred thousand yuan won't help you much. I just hope you won't let it affect your normal life. You can't compromise on clothing and food just because you're short on money."
Wang Xiaoniu had a point. Ye Tiancheng soon realized that she also wanted to take this opportunity to repay his kindness, so he temporarily accepted the one hundred thousand yuan.
"Brother Ye, I just saw Miss Hou leaving your place. Did she leave you too? Don't worry, no matter how many people leave you, I will always be behind you to support you, because I will never forget the kindness you showed me back then."
Encountering someone who knew how to repay kindness was rare. Ye Tiancheng silently noted it in his heart, vowing that if he ever made a comeback, he would not mistreat Wang Xiaoniu.