"This time, things went so smoothly thanks to your help. Murder is a serious crime. Even if Jin Kun isn't sentenced to death, he'll surely get twenty to thirty years. Zhao Liang was his lackey, and now with both of them in jail, no one will trouble you anymore."
'Hei Qiu' said, his eyes shining exceptionally bright with excitement.
Ever since Jin Kun and Zhao Liang were apprehended, he had taken over all their remaining forces. With Gao Mingyuan as his patron, there would be plenty of opportunities to make a fortune in the future.
Zhao Hong listened numbly. After a long while, she looked up and asked in a hoarse voice, "Cheng Ming, is Cheng Ming really dead?"
'Mei Qiu' was taken aback by her question and replied, "Didn't you see it with your own eyes? Given Jin Kun's ruthless nature, do you think he would let him go easily?"
Zhao Hong's dark gray pupils slightly contracted. Although she had anticipated this outcome, hearing it from the man in front of her still sent a sharp pain through her heart.
Seeing that she remained silent, 'Mei Qiu' stood up. "This is all I can do to help you, so I'll be leaving now."
After all, his objective had been achieved, and he wouldn't be returning to Zhao Hong's place again.
Only after hearing the sound of the door closing did two silent tears slide down Zhao Hong's eyes. Gradually, her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably. She could no longer hold back and collapsed by the bedside, sobbing uncontrollably.
At the clothing store, Chen Lishu not only mentioned the matter of renting a place but also talked about ordering a batch of T-shirts from the state-owned textile factory.
"There are five thousand pieces in total this time. Ai Xiang, please take some time to contact Feng Jie and the others. The delivery is in two days, and the price we're offering them is absolutely preferential."
"Alright," Wang Aixiang agreed readily. "They've made quite a lot of money from our previous collaborations. The styles and quality of our store's clothing are impeccable. Most importantly, the price they get from us is also cheaper. If they know there are new products, they'll definitely be very happy."
As they were talking, two women, both around forty years old, entered the store. Their eyes lit up when they saw that Chen Lishu was also present.
"Lishu, it's great that you're here too," the first woman, a slender figure, said.
Wang Aixiang asked, "Feng Jie, what brings you here today? Lishu was just telling me that new products were being launched and that I should inform you in advance."
The plump woman next to Feng Jie's eyes lit up upon hearing Wang Aixiang's words. She smiled and said to Feng Jie, "See, I told you this would be fine. You were just being suspicious. If Lishu isn't selling those T-shirts, then who is? They even said it's the brand of the 'Shu Se' clothing store."
Having caused a big misunderstanding, Feng Jie felt a bit embarrassed. "I was just thinking that Ai Xiang always approaches us for this matter. Besides, it's a thousand-yuan order. We can't just hand over the money rashly."
However, Chen Lishu's expression changed upon hearing their conversation, and she couldn't help but interject, "Feng Jie, what's going on? I just told Ai Xiang about the T-shirts myself and haven't had a chance to notify you yet."
Feng Jie was startled. "What? Aren't you selling those T-shirts?"
Chen Lishu nodded seriously. "I did order a batch of T-shirts recently, but I haven't announced it to the public yet."
Feng Jie instantly realized the gravity of the situation and quickly explained everything.
"It happened this morning. Someone suddenly brought me a short-sleeved shirt with words printed on it, claiming it was the latest style of T-shirt from the store. They said they had as many as we wanted for five yuan each. However, like before, a deposit was required. I found the whole thing a bit suspicious, so I thought I'd come and ask. If it's yours, that's great. If not, since I haven't paid yet, there's no loss."
Chen Lishu had a general idea of what was happening but still asked, unwilling to give up, "What do those T-shirts look like?"
"I brought one. Fortunately, I was cautious and said I wanted to introduce it to other people for sourcing, so they gave me one." Feng Jie said, taking out the short-sleeved shirt and handing it over.
Chen Lishu took it and unfolded it. On the front of the shirt, the words 'Youth Without Regret' were clearly printed, exactly the same as the T-shirt she had designed.
She then checked the brand label and found that the other party had left nothing.
It made sense. If they had used her trademark, then the other party would be liable for infringement. However, even without it, she wouldn't let them get away with it.
Wang Aixiang finally understood and asked Chen Lishu with some concern, "Is someone copying us, or...?"
Chen Lishu shook her head. "Besides the state-owned textile factory, I haven't shown the design to anyone else."
If the problem wasn't on her end, then it must be with the state-owned textile factory.
Moreover, judging by the other party's tone, they had an unlimited supply. It had only been about a week since she placed her order; an individual couldn't possibly have such production capacity. What a state-owned textile factory.
"Feng Jie, I can tell you clearly that the person who approached you was acting under my name. I am planning to sell T-shirts, but I haven't started yet. It's likely they are trying to gain an advantage by manipulating the timeline. I thank you for the reminder, but I'll need you to accompany me to the state-owned textile factory."
Feng Jie hadn't expected things to turn out this way and nodded repeatedly. "No problem, I'll go with you right now."
To prevent any potential conflicts, Chen Lishu called Wang Dazhu, and the three of them left the store together.
After crying for a while, Zhao Hong's emotions gradually stabilized. Regardless of what 'Mei Qiu' had said, she still held a sliver of hope. So, she wiped her face and got up, deciding to go to the Lu family's house to inquire about the situation.
"You unlucky jinx, how dare you show your face here? Look at what you've done to our family! My good son is gone just like that. Since you're divorced, why are you still seducing my son? You shameless little slut!"
As soon as Mother Lu saw her, she rushed forward as if Zhao Hong were her mortal enemy.
The family had initially believed that Lu Chengming and Zhao Hong had eloped. Although they hadn't been in contact for the past two years, and they would occasionally curse their ungratefulness for not writing, they had never imagined that a perfectly healthy person would actually be gone!
"Mom, the police haven't found the body yet. Perhaps Cheng Ming is still alive." Even as Zhao Hong said this, she lacked conviction.
Being thrown into the river in such cold weather, and Lu Chengming not being a good swimmer, the police had searched for days but couldn't find the body. This gave her a sliver of hope.
"Don't call me Mom. It's all your fault, you shameless woman, for making our Cheng Ming die an ignominious death. I'll make sure you pay today!" Mother Lu said, raising her hand to scratch Zhao Hong's face.
Zhao Hong's life in the psychiatric hospital over the past two years had not been easy, and she was extremely gaunt. Coupled with her guilt, she let Mother Lu scold and hit her without retaliating.
Eventually, bystanders couldn't stand it and managed to pull the two apart.