Li Wei picked up his phone, scrolled through the "trophies" he had photographed the previous night, and a lewd smirk spread across his face.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Before he could look much longer, a knock at the door interrupted his mood.
"Come in!" Li Wei barked impatiently.
A tall, attractive female secretary wearing professional attire walked in, holding a folder.
"President Li, these are the documents that need your signature today," the female secretary said respectfully, trying her best not to look at Li Wei's blatant, undisguised gaze.
Li Wei took the folder, flipped through it casually. Most of them were routine reports and contracts of little importance.
He absent-mindedly scribbled his signature, then tossed the folder back at the female secretary.
"Anything else?" Li Wei asked impatiently, his eyes scanning her up and down.
The female secretary hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"President Li, regarding Zhang Qiang's case, it's causing quite a stir online right now. Do you think..."
"Let them make a fuss, none of my damn business!" Hearing this, Li Wei casually tossed his cigar aside and said with utter indifference.
"A bunch of peasants, what are they going to do, overturn the heavens? My old man has connections up top, what the hell is there to fear!"
The female secretary wanted to say more, but Li Wei cut her off.
"That's enough, stop bothering me, get out!"
The secretary turned and left helplessly. Just as she reached the door, Li Wei suddenly called out to her.
"Wait!"
The female secretary froze, her heart skipping a beat as a sense of ominous foreboding washed over her.
"You, come here!" Li Wei pointed at her and hooked his finger.
Trembling, the female secretary walked over to Li Wei, keeping her head down, not daring to look at him.
Li Wei grabbed her by the wrist, pulled her into his lap, and started roaming his other hand over her body.
"Tonight, keep me company!"
He had conquered this woman long ago, but lately, he had grown tired of playing with that little model. Seeing this type again today, he actually felt a spark of interest.
At that moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a loud, booming voice rang out.
"You unfilial wretch! What have you done this time?!"
Li Quan strode into the office, already in a foul mood. Seeing that his son was still pulling such foolish stunts, the anger in his heart burned even fiercer.
Li Wei was startled by the sudden roar. He raised his head, ready to curse back, but upon seeing that the intruder was his old man, he instantly slapped on a cheeky grin.
"Yo, Dad, why are you here? You didn't even give a heads-up so I could prepare."
With that, he flirtatiously patted the female secretary on the bottom, signaling her to leave first.
As if granted a pardon, the female secretary bolted from the office in a hurry.
"Prepare? Prepare for what? Prepare to show me how outrageous you can be?" Seeing that the fellow was still completely unbothered, Li Quan's face turned pale with rage. "Playing with women right here in the company, have you lost all sense of propriety?"
His reaction didn't faze Li Wei in the least; he simply shrugged with utter indifference.
"Playing with women? What's so new about that? I learned it from you."
With that, he lit another cigar, crossed his legs, and assumed the posture of an arrogant playboy. "Didn't you used to change women every day back then? Why are you suddenly lecturing me?"
"You..."
Li Quan was choked speechless by his son's retort, the finger he pointed at Li Wei trembling. "Do you think I'm mad at you for playing with women? I'm furious about the damn mess you've made! Look at how crazy things are online right now! Do you really think I can cover the sky with one hand?"
"Online? What's wrong with online?"
Hearing this, Li Wei looked blank. Having played hard from last night until now, he genuinely hadn't noticed what was going on. He picked up his phone and casually scrolled through it.
Only then did he discover that the news regarding the case of Zhang Qiang's wife falling to her death was everywhere, and the comment sections were filled with curses and condemnation.
"Hmph, a bunch of peasants, what are they gonna do, overturn the heavens? The case is already closed, and you've got people up top, what the hell is there to fear!"
Stepping forward, Li Quan snatched the lit cigar from Li Wei's hand, threw it on the floor, and crushed it out. He glared at Li Wei with a look of extreme disappointment.
"You bastard! This time the matter has blown up! The people higher up are starting to pay attention too! Can you restrain yourself and stop causing trouble for me!"
Completely ignoring his father's expression, Li Wei opened the drawer and pulled out another cigar.
"What's to be afraid of? Isn't she just a stinking bitch? She's dead, so what can they possibly do to me?" He smiled contemptuously. "At worst, I'll just pay off some money, and this will all blow over."
Li Quan's face turned livid with anger. Knowing his son's nature, he realized saying anything more was useless, so he could only let out a helpless sigh.
"You'd better pray this blows over smoothly, otherwise..."
He left the rest unsaid, flicked his sleeve, and stormed out of the office.
Li Wei watched his father's retreating figure, curled his lip in disdain, and went back to browsing the "trophies" on his phone, calculating which nightclub to hit tonight for some fun.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xin was holed up in his law office.
Instant noodle cups piled up around him like a mountain, and the glare of the computer screen cast its light on his exhausted face. Ever since he and Su Mu had parted ways, he had locked himself straight inside the firm to hunt for flaws in the case.
After all, this case was vastly different from ordinary ones. Without definitive, smoking-gun evidence, if it was officially ruled a suicide, there really wouldn't be any legal problems. Yet it was precisely from this dead end that he had to carve out a sliver of hope!
He was studying the case files of Zhang Qiang's case word by word, trying to find a breakthrough. Legal statutes danced before his eyes like strings of complex code, and he had to crack that code to find a weapon to punish Li Wei.
On the other side, Su Mu had transformed into an untiring soldier of news. She contacted several friends who had spent years in the media circle, sent them her compiled press releases, and appealed to both their emotions and reason to report on the matter.
She knew deeply that in this age of information explosion, only sufficient exposure could draw public attention and apply pressure on Li Wei!
Driven by her efforts, the online public opinion was like a lit bomb, growing increasingly explosive with every passing moment.
For three whole days, negative news about Li Wei spread like a virus. The comment sections completely degenerated into a battlefield denouncing him.
"Scumbag," "beast," "demon"...
All sorts of unprintable insults flooded the screens, as if trying to drown Li Wei in a torrent of rage.
Yet Li Wei, the protagonist of it all, remained completely oblivious, still wallowing in a life of decadence and luxury, frequenting high-end clubs and nightclubs with gorgeous women swarming around him.