The ancient war between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in a wealthy family

The butler finally uttered a few words: "The master...had a stroke."

I felt like all the blood in my body had frozen, and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

Master had a stroke?

How could it be so sudden?

Could it be... related to the evidence provided by Ma’s top management?

Zhan Yu grabbed the butler's arm and asked, "What's the situation now?" His voice was low and hoarse, and I could see that he was trying his best to control his emotions.

The housekeeper shook his head, his expression gloomy: "The doctor is trying to save the patient, but the situation... is not optimistic."

My heart sank to the bottom.

The master has always been in good health, how could he suddenly have a stroke?

The sinister smile of Ma, the top executive, flashed through my mind. Could it be that all this was a trap set by him?

Without time to think about it, we hurried to the master's room.

The strong smell of medicine filled the air, making it almost impossible for me to breathe.

Doctors and nurses came in and out, each with a solemn expression on their face.

My mother-in-law sat by the bed, her face pale, holding my father-in-law's hand tightly with both hands, sobbing silently.

When she saw us come in, she suddenly raised her head and her eyes were as sharp as a knife.

"How dare you come back!" she gritted her teeth and said, "You have made the Zhan family a mess, and now the master is also... It's all your fault!"

I opened my mouth, wanting to explain, but was interrupted by her sharp voice: "I warned you a long time ago not to interfere in the affairs of the Zhan family! You are a jinx. Since you entered the Zhan family, nothing good has happened!"

I felt like my heart was being pricked by needles, and it was painful.

I tried hard to control my emotions and took a deep breath. "Mom, we found some evidence. Maybe..."

"Evidence? What evidence?" Mother-in-law stood up suddenly, pointing at my nose and angrily scolded, "For the so-called truth, you have ruined the reputation of the Zhan family! Now reporters all over the city are reporting on the Zhan family scandal, and the master has been so angry that he had a stroke! Are you satisfied?"

Her words hit me like a hammer in the chest.

I never thought that my actions would bring such a big blow to the Zhan family.

I originally thought that revealing the truth could help the Zhan family out of their predicament, but unexpectedly, it made things worse.

"Mom, we didn't..."

"That's enough!" my mother-in-law interrupted me harshly. "I don't want to hear any more of your excuses! Now, as the elder of the family, I order you to stop the investigation immediately! If you don't listen, I will expel you from the Zhan family!"

My body trembled slightly. My mother-in-law's words were like a bolt from the blue, making me feel desperate and helpless.

Zhan Yu held my hand tightly. His hand was warm and strong, giving me a sense of strength.

He stood up, looked directly at his mother-in-law, and said firmly: "Mom, I believe everything she did was for the good of the Zhan family. I am willing to bear all the consequences with her."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a noisy sound of footsteps outside the door, and then a group of people rushed in...

Zhan Yu’s warm big hands gave me strength, and I drew courage from his determined eyes.

His words were so powerful that they echoed in the room filled with the smell of medicine and struck the softest part of my heart.

But the mother-in-law didn't buy it. She sneered, pointed at Zhan Yu's nose and cursed, "Okay, now you two are united as husband and wife, and you want to fight me together, right? I worked so hard to raise Zhan Yu, just to let him marry a disaster like you and ruin the reputation of the Zhan family!"

As soon as she finished speaking, an old man with gray hair and a cane walked out of the crowd.

He is the elder of the Zhan family, Mr. Qin, who has always been highly respected and has great prestige in the family.

"Zhan Yu, you're so confused!" Old Master Qin pounded his cane. "Your mother is right. The Zhan family's reputation is more important than anything else! You've caused a huge uproar, and the master has been so angry that he's had a stroke. Do you still want to insist on having your own way?"

His words were echoed by those around him, and some family members who had originally remained neutral also began to accuse us.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense, as if a war was about to break out in the next second.

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm.

I looked around and saw that those who supported us had worry written all over their faces, while those who opposed us had anger and contempt on their faces.

I know that if I can't turn the situation around as soon as possible, the Zhan family will fall into a greater crisis.

"Mom, Grandpa Qin, I know you're all worried about the Zhan family's reputation." I tried to speak calmly, "But if we don't find the real culprit, the Zhan family will forever bear this stain. At that time, it will not only lose its reputation, but also its future."

The mother-in-law snorted coldly, "Stop exaggerating! The most important thing right now is the master's condition. Put everything else aside!"

"But Mom," I argued, "Master's stroke this time is very likely related to the evidence provided by Ma's superiors. If we don't investigate thoroughly, who knows what will happen next?"

My words made some people start to waver. They started to talk in low voices and looked at us with more inquiry.

At this time, a man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses walked in.

He is Ko's private detective, and I hired him to secretly investigate Ma's senior management.

He walked over to me and whispered, "Miss Bai, I've found some new clues that prove the evidence provided by Senior Ma is forged."

I was delighted, this was exactly the key evidence I needed!

I motioned him to calm down, then turned to Mother-in-law and Old Man Qin and said, "I know it's hard for you to believe me right now, but please give me a chance to explain everything clearly."

I paused, glanced at everyone present, and said firmly, "I have found a way to resolve the scandal while preserving the Zhan family's reputation."

My words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring up ripples. Everyone's eyes were fixed on me, waiting for my explanation.

I took a deep breath and spoke slowly... "Detective Ke, bring out the evidence."

Detective Ke came out and handed me a file bag.

I opened the file bag, took out the photos and documents inside, and showed them to everyone one by one.

"This is evidence that Ma Gaodian fabricated evidence, including transaction records between him and the perjured witness, the process of forging documents, and so on. This evidence is enough to prove that Ma Gaodian is the real mastermind behind this!"

My words were powerful and echoed throughout the room.

Everyone looked at the evidence in my hand with shocked expressions on their faces.

My mother-in-law and Old Man Qin's faces turned pale. They couldn't believe that the senior executive Ma, whom they had always trusted, would do such a thing.

I looked around at everyone and continued, "I know this news is hard for everyone to accept, but it's the truth. To achieve his own goals, Senior Ma didn't hesitate to frame the Zhan family and create a scandal. His actions have seriously damaged the interests of the Zhan family."

I took a deep breath and spoke more firmly. "Now, we must unite and deal with this crisis together. I have devised a plan that will expose the crimes of the Ma family's top brass while preserving the Zhan family's reputation."

I described in detail the evidence and plans we had investigated, from how Ma's top management forged evidence, to how they used the media to spread rumors, to how they put the blame on others. I presented all the details one by one.

My voice was calm and powerful, and every word struck everyone's heart.

Gradually, some of those who had originally opposed began to waver. They began to discuss in low voices, and the looks they gave me showed more appreciation and admiration.

I knew my plan was starting to work.

At this moment, the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open, and Senior Manager Ma walked in with an angry look on his face.

He pointed at me and yelled, "Baizhi, stop slandering me! What evidence do you have to prove that I did it?"

His appearance surprised me a bit, but it also played into my hands. I sneered and said, "Boss Ma, you've arrived just in time. I was looking for you!"

I threw the evidence in my hand in front of him and said, "These are all irrefutable evidence that you fabricated evidence. What else do you have to say?"

Senior Ma’s face turned pale and his eyes flickered.

He tried to quibble and put all the blame on external forces.

However, I was well prepared. I produced more evidence to expose his various evil deeds in the entire scandal, from how he bribed the media, how he threatened witnesses, to how he manipulated public opinion. I exposed his crimes one by one.

Faced with the irrefutable evidence, Ma’s top management could no longer make excuses.

He sat dejectedly on the ground, his eyes empty, as if he had lost all hope.

People around him blamed him, and the flattery they once received turned into contempt and abuse.

I watched all this and didn't feel the slightest bit of pleasure in my heart.

I know this is just the first step and the real challenge is yet to come.

Although the Ma family’s top brass has been exposed, the external forces have not been completely resolved, and there is still a lot of work to be done on how to restore the Zhan family’s reputation as planned.

I turned to look at my mother-in-law. Her expression was complicated, and there was a hint of subtle hesitation in her eyes.

I walked up to her and whispered, "Mom, I know you're still angry, but the most important thing now is to solve the problem and protect the Zhan family..." Before I could finish my words, the door to the conference room was pushed open again, and a man in a suit walked in. He walked straight up to me, handed me a note, and whispered in my ear, "Miss Bai, things have changed..."

The sudden appearance of the man in the suit was like a stone thrown into an already turbulent lake, causing even bigger ripples.

I unfolded the note, and there were only a few short words on it: "Reporter Li, betrayal." My heart sank suddenly. Reporter Li was a key link in the plan. He controlled the channels that could make the crimes of Ma's senior management public.

If he turns against us, all our previous efforts will be wasted.

I took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, and put the note into my pocket without leaving any trace.

I turned to my mother-in-law, suppressed the uneasiness in my heart, and continued what I had not finished saying: "Mom, I know you still have doubts about my plan, but the situation is urgent now and we must make a decision as soon as possible." My mother-in-law's face was still gloomy. She pursed her lips tightly, and her eyes swept back and forth between me and Ma Gaodian who was slumped on the ground with complicated eyes.

I know she is struggling inside. On the one hand, there is the trust she has placed in Ma’s senior management over the years, and on the other hand, there is the Zhan family’s precarious reputation.

Zhan Yu walked over to me, gently held my hand, and gave me an encouraging look.

He turned to his mother-in-law and said in a deep voice, "Mom, Zhi'er is right. Now is not the time to hesitate. The betrayal of the Ma family has already caused huge losses to our Zhan family. We must act quickly to save the situation."

The Qin family elders also echoed: "Yes, old lady, if we hesitate to make a decision, we will suffer the consequences. We can't be deceived anymore."

The pressure from all around surged towards my mother-in-law like a tide. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly opened them, her eyes full of fatigue and helplessness.

"Okay," she finally said, her voice hoarse, "Let's do as you say, Zhi'er."

I was delighted, but at the same time I understood that this was only a temporary compromise. Although my mother-in-law did not fully accept my plan, she no longer strongly opposed it.

I know that in order to completely solve the problem, I have to find key evidence of external forces.

In the next few days, Zhan Yu, Detective Ke and I worked non-stop to collect and organize evidence, contact various parties, and try to minimize the impact of the scandal.

However, reporter Li's betrayal is like a time bomb that may explode at any time, making us walk on thin ice.

Just when we were getting extremely anxious, Detective Ke sent us a message saying that a mysterious person claimed to know important clues and was willing to meet with us.

This makes me both excited and worried. I hope this clue can help us solve the problem completely, but I also worry whether this is a trap set by external forces.

Detective Ke arranged the meeting place in a remote cafe.

Zhan Yu, Detective Ke and I arrived early and waited nervously for the mysterious man to appear.

There were not many people in the cafe, and the atmosphere was eerily quiet.

Outside the window, night gradually falls, and the dim street lights cast shadows on the streets, adding a sense of mystery.

Suddenly, the door of the cafe was pushed open... A man wearing a black hat and a mask, whose face could not be seen clearly, walked in... He walked straight up to us and said in a low voice: "Are you looking for me?"