The president's wife wants to run away

Chapter 20 Valley Bottom

"She and a mysterious person jointly planned this with the goal of completely destroying the Zhong Group and... you!"

Uncle Zhong's words were like a bolt from the blue, blasting in my ears. I froze in my tracks, my mind blank, as if the whole world was collapsing at this moment.

Destroy the Zhong Group? Why do you do this? Is it because I am not the real daughter of the Li family?

I looked at Uncle Zhong in disbelief, my lips trembling, but I couldn't make any sound. I wanted to refute, to explain, but all the words were stuck in my throat and turned into silent sobs.

Zhong Yuxuan held me up, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of worry and distress. He turned to Uncle Zhong and said in a heavy tone, "Dad, I believe Luo Xue is innocent. There must be some misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Uncle Zhong slammed the table in anger. "At this point, are you still going to speak for her? Look at the good things she has done! If it weren't for her, how could our Zhong family end up like this!"

"Dad, the matter has not been clarified yet, you can't..."

"That's enough!" Uncle Zhong interrupted Zhong Yuxuan harshly, "I don't want to see you now, get out!"

Zhong Yuxuan wanted to say something else, but I gently pulled his sleeve. I shook my head at him, signaling him to stop talking.

I know that it is useless to say anything now. In Uncle Zhong's eyes, I am the culprit who caused the Zhong family to be destroyed.

I took a deep breath, tried to control my emotions, raised my head, looked directly into Uncle Zhong's eyes, and said word by word: "Uncle, I know you are very angry and disappointed now. But I can swear on my life that I have never thought of hurting the Zhong family, let alone Yuxuan."

Although my voice was not loud, it was full of firmness and sincerity.

Uncle Zhong was stunned for a moment, and the anger on his face seemed to subside a little, but his eyes were still cold.

"No matter what you say, it's useless," he said coldly, "Now the evidence is irrefutable, what else do you have to quibble about?"

"Evidence?" I asked in confusion. "What evidence?"

Uncle Zhong didn't answer my question, but took out a document from the drawer and threw it in front of me.

"See for yourself!"

I picked up the document with trembling hands, opened it, and was suddenly struck by lightning.

The document contained a handwritten letter from Li Luoyao, which recorded in detail how she colluded with the mysterious man, set traps step by step, and eventually led the entire process of the Zhong Group into crisis.

And I was the victim of this conspiracy she carefully planned.

My world completely collapsed at that moment. The documents in my hand were like a thousand-pound boulder, weighing me down so hard that I couldn't breathe. Li Luoyao, my sister, why did she do this?

Uncle Zhong's face turned pale. He stood up suddenly, picked up the phone, and said in a trembling but firm voice: "Hold a press conference immediately, I want to make everything public!" He wanted to protect the Zhong family, even if the price was to push me into the abyss.

I fell weakly on the sofa, my ears were buzzing and my vision was blurry. I wanted to explain, to tell everyone that this was all Li Luoyao's conspiracy and had nothing to do with me. However, seeing Uncle Zhong's distressed expression and listening to his angry roar, all my excuses seemed pale and powerless.

Zhong Yuxuan held my hand tightly, his palm was cold, and I could feel his anger and pain. He looked at me with eyes full of heartache and determination, as if telling me that no matter what happened, he would be by my side.

However, before Uncle Zhong could make the call, a piece of news suddenly popped up on the TV screen, exploding like thunder in the quiet room.

"Breaking news: Miss Li Luoyao, the daughter of the Zhong Group, held a press conference to reveal the shocking truth! Mr. Zhong Yuxuan, the president of the Zhong Group, is not of the Li family bloodline, but..."

On the TV screen, Li Luoyao was dressed in black, with a haggard face, but the flame of revenge flickered in her eyes. She tearfully accused the Zhong family of "crimes" and pushed all the responsibility onto Uncle Zhong and Zhong Yuxuan. She held a thick stack of documents in her hands, each of which was like a sharp blade, stabbing the Zhong family and me.

The phone in Uncle Zhong's hand slipped, and he fell weakly into a chair, his face full of disbelief and despair. He never thought that the daughter he raised would push him into an abyss of no return.

The stock price of Zhong's Group plummeted in just a few minutes, and the people in the company were in panic. The media's pursuit and interception made the situation even worse. The once glorious Zhong's Group seemed to be in turmoil overnight and was on the verge of collapse.

"Dad, what should we do now?" Zhong Yuxuan's voice was low and hoarse. He helped up the distraught Uncle Zhong, with a firm light in his eyes. "I will find evidence to prove that we were wronged."

I looked at the man in front of me, his face was full of fatigue and worry, but he still straightened his back and carried the burden of the entire family on his broad shoulders. My heart hurt like it was cut by a knife. I wanted to do something for him, but found that I was powerless.

"No, Luo Xue can't stay here, she's too dangerous." Zhong Yuxuan suddenly turned to look at me, his eyes full of worry, "I have to settle her first."

His words made my heart tighten. I understood that what he should do most now was to stay and deal with the company's affairs instead of wasting his time on me.

"Yuxuan..." I wanted to say something, but was stopped by his eyes.

"Trust me, I will take care of everything." He stroked my cheek gently, his tone firm but gentle.

Then, he turned around without hesitation and strode out of the room, leaving behind only a tall and lonely figure. I looked at the direction he left, feeling uneasy and fearful. I had a feeling that a bigger storm was coming, and I would have nowhere to escape...

After Zhong Yuxuan left, the room was completely silent, and I felt so depressed that I couldn't breathe. I curled up on the sofa helplessly, and the scene of Li Luoyao at the press conference kept replaying in my mind. Every word pierced my nerves like a sharp knife.

The Zhong family, a place that once brought me warmth and happiness, is now in crisis because of me. I hate my weakness and my powerlessness. If I were not the daughter of the Li family, if I had not exchanged my life with Li Luoyao, none of this would have happened.

I bit my lips tightly, trying to hold back the tears in my eyes. No, I can't just run away like this, I have to do something, I have to make up for the mistakes I made!

I struggled to stand up and stumbled out of the room. I wanted to go back to the Zhong family. I wanted to face this storm with Uncle Zhong and Yuxuan.

However, before I walked out of the gate of the villa, a black van suddenly stopped in front of me. The door opened, and several burly men rushed down and dragged me into the car without saying anything.

"Who are you? What are you doing? Let me go!" I struggled desperately and shouted for help, but my voice was quickly drowned out by the roar of the engine.

The van sped along and finally stopped at the gate of an abandoned factory. I was roughly dragged out of the car and pushed into the factory.

The factory was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a damp and moldy smell. I was tied to a worn-out chair, my wrists and ankles painfully tightened by rough ropes.

"Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?" I looked at the men standing in front of me in horror and asked with a trembling voice.

One of the men sneered, his tone full of disdain: "Miss Li, our boss wants to see you, you will know the answer soon."

My heart sank suddenly, and a sense of foreboding came over me. Who wanted to see me? What did they want to do?

Time passed by minute by minute, and the factory was dead silent, with only my rapid breathing echoing in the empty space. Fear and despair overwhelmed me like a tide, and I felt as if I had fallen into a bottomless abyss and could no longer escape...

I don’t know how long it was, but the factory gate was finally opened. The dazzling light shone in and I subconsciously closed my eyes.

"Luo Xue! Luo Xue!"

It was Yuxuan's voice! I opened my eyes suddenly and saw his anxious face. He rushed towards me desperately like an angry lion and hugged me in his arms.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" His voice trembled slightly, and I could feel his chest rising and falling violently.

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "Yuxuan, I..."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, everything is okay." He stroked my hair gently and comforted me softly.

I grabbed his clothes tightly, as if I was grabbing a life-saving straw. At this moment, all the fear and anxiety disappeared.

Yuxuan untied the ropes on me, picked me up and carried me horizontally, then quickly walked out of the factory.

"Stop! You can't leave!"

The kidnapper's shouting was heard behind me, followed by messy footsteps and gunshots.

"Qin Xue, call the police!" Yuxuan protected me and ran out while shouting at the figure not far away.

Only then did I notice that Qin Xue and a group of police officers had surrounded the factory and were engaging in a fierce gun battle with the kidnappers.

In the chaos, I saw a familiar figure. It was Uncle Zhong! He had a sad face, and his eyes were full of worry and self-blame.

"Dad!" Yuxuan nodded at Uncle Zhong, then held me and quickly got into a black car.

The car started and quickly drove away from this place of trouble.

I snuggled in Yuxuan's arms, listening to his strong heartbeat. Gradually, I felt tired, my eyelids became heavier, and finally I fell asleep.

When I woke up again, I was lying on a hospital bed.

"Luo Xue, you're awake!" Qin Xue was sitting beside the bed. When she saw me wake up, a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"Where is Yuxuan? How is my dad?" I struggled to sit up, but Qin Xue gently held me down.

"Don't worry, Yuxuan and Uncle Zhong are fine. They are waiting for you outside now."

Hearing that they were all fine, I finally felt relieved.

"Who kidnapped me? Why did they do this?" I asked confusedly.

Qin Xue's expression suddenly became serious. "This matter... is a long story. You should wait for Yuxuan and Uncle Zhong to come and let them tell you."

Her tone was a little strange, as if she was hiding something from me.

I was filled with doubts and uneasiness, and I always felt that something was going to happen... The door of the ward was gently pushed open, and I saw Yuxuan and Uncle Zhong walking in side by side. Both of them looked very solemn, and my heart couldn't help but lift up. Before I could ask, Uncle Zhong spoke first, his tone full of fatigue and heartache.

"Luo Xue, child, I'm sorry for making you suffer."

I shook my head to show that I was fine and asked him not to worry. Uncle Zhong sighed, slowly walked to the bed and sat down, looking at me with complicated eyes.

"Luo Xue, there are some things I have been hiding from you, but now, I have to tell you..."

He paused, as if organizing his words. I held Qin Xue's hand tightly, and an ominous premonition arose in my heart.

"Actually, your kidnapping is related to... Luoyao." Uncle Zhong said this with difficulty. My heart sank suddenly, and Li Luoyao's hypocritical smile flashed through my mind.

"How could it be her?" I asked in disbelief. Although I knew that Li Luoyao had never liked me, why did she kidnap me?

"Luo Yao...she is not your father's biological daughter..." Uncle Zhong's voice became lower and lower, as if he was unwilling to face this fact.

I looked at him in shock, totally unable to digest the news.

"Back then, your father's business failed and he had nowhere to go. I helped him pay off his debts, but the condition was that he let his daughter marry Yuxuan." Uncle Zhong closed his eyes in pain. "Your father agreed to this marriage to repay my kindness, but he was afraid that you would be wronged, so..."

"So, he found me, who was born on the same day, month and year as the Li family's daughter, and asked me to marry Yuxuan instead of Li Luoyao?" I took over his words, feeling mixed emotions.

Uncle Zhong nodded, his eyes full of guilt, "I have always felt sorry for you about this matter, but for Yuxuan, I can only..."

"Dad!" Yuxuan interrupted him, "It's meaningless to say this now. The important thing is that we have to find out who is behind Luo Yao doing this!"

His tone was cold, and his eyes were flashing with anger. I knew that he was doing this for me, for the Zhong family, and even more for himself.

"I have sent people to investigate, and I believe there will be results soon." Uncle Zhong said tiredly.

Just then, Yuxuan's cell phone suddenly rang. He answered the call and his face instantly became even gloomier.

"What did you say?!"

His voice was filled with shock and anger, and I nervously grasped his hand, wanting to know what was going on.

"Okay, I got it, I'll be there right away!"

Yuxuan hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked anxiously.

"The company...something happened at the company." Yuxuan's tone was heavy, and my heart sank as well.

"What happened?"

"All the funds in the company's account have disappeared, and now the company has been completely paralyzed..."

My head was buzzing and felt like it was going to explode. How could this happen? How could this happen?

"Who did it?" I murmured to myself, my heart filled with fear and despair.

Just when everyone thought the crisis had been resolved, a bigger conspiracy surfaced, pushing all of us into the abyss...