Chapter 135: Zhao Ming Imprisoned

This story is purely fictional.

After resigning, Wu Zhengzhe busied himself running errands to handle Chi Zhaoming's embezzlement case.

Wu Zhengzhe visited every law firm in Dahe, but for unknown reasons, the heads of the firms all deliberately avoided Chi Zhaoming's case. A lawyer from a firm familiar with Wu Zhengzhe quietly tipped him off, saying that the prosecuting side was the Invincible Law Firm, which enjoyed a prestigious reputation throughout Dahe and even the entire country. Having no other choice, Wu Zhengzhe had to hire an obscure, little-known law firm to serve as Chi Zhaoming's defense counsel.

Knowing that Chi Zhaoming's case was beyond redemption, Zhengzhe had no choice but to let nature take its course.

Because of his father's case, Xiyu began to lose focus on his studies and lacked energy for anything. All of this was taken in by Wu Zhengzhe.

Aware of Xiyu's worries, Wu Zhengzhe requested a leave of absence from Xiyu's head teacher in advance. On the day before the trial, Wu Zhengzhe asked for Xiyu's opinion on whether he wanted to attend the court proceedings in person. Upon learning of Uncle Zhengzhe's ordeal, the rampant nature of the underworld forces in Dahe, and that his father had fallen victim to a setup by that criminal gang, leading to the current predicament, Xiyu said, "I want to go to the courtroom. I want to imprint every single one of their ugly faces in my mind, and I will definitely have these villains locked away in prison to face the judgment of the law."

Dujuan did not follow Wu Zhengzhe's advice to attend the trial of Chi Zhaoming's case, because she truly felt a deep sorrow for Chi Zhaoming, yet she could not forgive her husband for his second major transgression. "I don't want to witness Chi Zhaoming being sentenced and sent to prison; his fate has nothing to do with me anymore. If he weren't Xiyu's father, I wouldn't even want to hear his name," Dujuan told Wu Zhengzhe.

Understanding Dujuan's state of mind, Wu Zhengzhe said to her, "Then get some good rest at home."

The trial for Chi Zhaoming's embezzlement case commenced as scheduled, with Ma Shengwei and several of his henchmen seated alongside him.

Following several rounds of debate between the prosecution and the defense, the judge ruled Chi Zhaoming guilty and sentenced him to ten years of imprisonment.

Stepping out of the courthouse, they ran into Ma Shengwei and his entourage right at the exit.

Ma Shengwei halted his steps, looking at Wu Zhengzhe alongside Chi Zhaoming's son. "Didn't you say you were going to personally ring the death knell for me using the impartial power of the law? Well? Is this outcome a huge disappointment to you? Let me tell you, young man, don't overestimate yourself. To put it bluntly, once you leave the police force, you are nothing at all, and perhaps one day you won't even know how you died!" With that, Ma Shengwei strode away arrogantly.

Xiyu's fists were clenched tightly. The hand he held with Wu Zhengzhe squeezed in frustration, and even after Ma Shengwei had walked far away, Xiyu was still gritting his teeth.

"Did you remember all of these people?"

Xiyu nodded. "Just wait and see. Let's see how much longer you can act so tyrannically. There will eventually come a day when all of you face the judgment of the law."

"You have your college entrance examinations in two years. You must work hard and strive to realize your ideals and aspirations, using the law to uphold and defend justice and righteousness."

"I'll take you to school right now. You must keep your spirits up!" Wu Zhengzhe said.

After dropping Xiyu off at school, Wu Zhengzhe drove his car to a remote auto repair shop and thoroughly inspected it inside and out. He wanted to check whether there were still any tracking devices or similar items hidden in the vehicle, so as to avoid any further interference from Ma Shengwei.

Once the inspection was complete, Wu Zhengzhe changed to a new mobile phone number.

He bought some daily necessities and fresh vegetables at the supermarket and delivered them to Dujuan's home.

Upon learning the verdict of Chi Zhaoming's trial, Dujuan did not feel too surprised. Because prior to this, Wu Zhengzhe had already informed her of all the relevant details, including the length of the sentence, giving her ample psychological preparation.

"Sister-in-law, I bought some groceries, and they are all fresh. You can put them away in the refrigerator," Wu Zhengzhe said in the living room.

"Got it, go ahead and take care of your business," Dujuan replied.

"Xiyu's mood is fine; I've already dropped him off at school, and he promised me he would study hard, so you can rest easy. I'm heading to the boxing gym now, and I'll come back tonight to cook for you. Oh, by the way, I've changed my mobile phone number, and it's on the TV cabinet in the living room." Having said that, Wu Zhengzhe hurried away from Dujuan's home.

Upon learning the news that elder brother had been sentenced to ten years in prison, Mingyue and Situ went straight to Dujuan's home.

At the entrance of the residential compound, they ran into Zhengzhe just as he was coming out of Dujuan's place, and quickly greeted him, "Brother Zhengzhe, where are you headed?"

"I'm working at a boxing gym now, and I just brought some groceries upstairs. Perfect. Dujuan isn't in a very good mood, so you two should comfort her and keep her company for lunch. I'll come back in the evening to cook something for sister-in-law. In a few days, I'll take you both to the prison to visit Zhaoming." Wu Zhengzhe hurriedly got into his car and started the engine.

Hearing Mingyue knocking on the door outside, a drowsy Dujuan got out of bed to answer it. "You guys are here?"

"Yeah, we were worried you'd be in low spirits, so we came to keep you company," Mingyue said.

"What's there to keep company? I sleep all day and have no idea how comfortable it is. Now that you're here, I still have to entertain you," Dujuan said.

"Go right back to sleep, keep sleeping. We'll whip up something for you to eat. We ran into Brother Zhengzhe earlier, and he said you have no appetite, asking us to make something you like," Mingyue said.

"With things as they are now, how could I have any appetite? No matter how good the food you make is, I won't feel like eating," Dujuan said, feeling somewhat depressed.

"I am definitely going to pry your mouth open, just wait and see," Mingyue said with patience.

Situ washed the few pounds of arrowhead tubers, beef, dried bean curd, lotus root, and kelp he had brought from his hometown, preparing to make some braised dishes. Arrowhead tubers were Dujuan's favorite rural braised delicacy.

After making thorough preparations, Mingyue began cooking the braised dishes.

Through Mingyue's culinary preparation, the aroma of the braised food filled the entire house. Catching the scent of the dish, Dujuan could not help but recall the scattered, amusing anecdotes she and Chi Zhaoming had shared in the countryside.

Ever since he discovered the connection between Ghost-Fear and Spiral-Leg, Wu Zhengzhe had applied for a membership card at the boxing gym, officially becoming a member.

When Wu Zhengzhe arrived at the gym, the owner was not in, leaving only Ghost-Fear alone on the premises.

Ghost-Fear handled all the large and small matters of the boxing gym single-handedly. The reason Wu Zhengzhe applied for a job at the gym was to keep a close, unblinking eye on Ghost-Fear. Since he had already lost his job anyway, he might as well work at the gym while continuing to unearth concrete evidence of the criminal gang's crimes.

Wu Zhengzhe was well aware of Ghost-Fear's martial arts skills, and he judged that with his own abilities, staying at the boxing gym would pose no problem at all.

The punching bag hanging in the gym swayed gently. Gazing at the punching bag, Wu Zhengzhe sank into a gloomy mood, unsure of how to vent his pent-up fury.

Wu Zhengzhe took off his outer garment and retrieved the pair of athletic shoes given to him by Chi Zhaoming from the shoe cabinet.

Looking at those shoes, Wu Zhengzhe was once again plunged into a wave of sorrow.

What Wu Zhengzhe never expected was that his own strength could prove so vulnerable and powerless in the face of evil. Echoing in his ears were Ma Shengwei's vicious fallacies. He firmly believed in only one truth, and that was that justice will ultimately prevail over evil. Justice may be late, but it will never be absent!

Wu Zhengzhe put on his boxing gloves and poured all his frustrations out against the punching bag.

Sweat soaked Wu Zhengzhe's clothes, yet he showed no intention of stopping, continuously landing heavy blows, hooks, and defensive footwork on the punching bag...

After Ghost-Fear started working at the boxing gym, the owner placed immense trust in him. Ghost-Fear also took charge of all matters, big and small, at the gym. As the gym's business improved day by day, Ghost-Fear's coaching staff became somewhat overwhelmed during peak hours when many members came to train.

Observing Wu Zhengzhe's boxing techniques and routines right before his eyes, he grew tempted to recruit Wu Zhengzhe into the gym to assist him with coaching duties.

"Hey, I'm talking to you—" Ghost-Fear called out to Zhengzhe.

Not hearing Ghost-Fear's call, Wu Zhengzhe continued to bury his head in his punching.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, buddy—" Ghost-Fear raised his voice and shouted toward Wu Zhengzhe.

"Are you calling me?" Wu Zhengzhe looked up at Ghost-Fear and asked.

"If I'm not calling you, who am I calling? Is there anyone else here? I see your punching is not bad, but your ears seem a bit dull," Ghost-Fear said.

"Sorry, I was just focused on boxing and didn't notice you calling me. Is something the matter?" Wu Zhengzhe asked.

"Tell me, what kind of work do you do? I see your boxing style has proper form; have you received professional training?" Ghost-Fear asked out of curiosity.

"No, I only know the basics. I'm all right at Sanda and wrestling, but my boxing isn't much. I'm a freelancer and run a small business of my own," Wu Zhengzhe did not want to let Ghost-Fear know too much about his personal affairs.

"I think your boxing skills are quite decent, you're being too modest! Are you interested in helping me out here at the boxing gym as a coach?" Ghost-Fear asked.

"Do you think my level is sufficient? I like it just as a hobby, but I'm afraid I might not cut it as a coach," Wu Zhengzhe said, playing hard to get.

"Your boxing standard is very high; you're more than qualified to be a coach," Ghost-Fear complimented Zhengzhe.

"You flatter me. Thank you!" Wu Zhengzhe said.

"Are you unwilling? I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the compensation I offer," Ghost-Fear tempted Wu Zhengzhe.

"It's not that I'm unwilling, I'm just afraid I'll ruin your gym's reputation. Besides, you're not the boss. What if you raise the compensation and the boss doesn't agree?" Wu Zhengzhe asked, pretending to be doubtful.

"Although I'm not the boss, the boss won't be back for at least three to five years. He has entrusted me with full authority to handle the gym's operations. Do you still have any doubts?" Ghost-Fear revealed the truth.

Wu Zhengzhe had only known that Ghost-Fear was an employee at the boxing gym, and he never expected that the gym owner had handed over all business operations for Ghost-Fear to manage. "Well then, let me thank you first for your high regard!"

(To be continued)