The Mos were right, the person who had been gathering up all their shares was Mu Tian Heng.
To get these shareholders to agree to his terms, Mu Tian Heng had put out a small portion of his company shares as a trade. Needless to say, none were hesitant to give up their shares of the Mo Group.
In addition to the smaller shares in circulation that Mu Tian Heng had been accumulating, he now had forty percent of the Mo Group shares. Furthermore, now that their stock had plummeted, acquiring the rest was just a matter of time.
Even if the Mo family wanted to buy the remaining shares, it was an impossible task for them. How could they compete with Mu Tian Heng? Not to mention, their assets were currently frozen.
And so, the Mo Group …
Was practically in Mu Tian Heng's pocket.
His life after Mo Di's death was something Mu Tian Heng did not see in his dream about their past life. He only saw his little one tortured till he became a fool and in the end, turned to ashes and placed in a dark urn while the Mo and Qin family lived on with nobility and prosperity…
But this life, he'll definitely let them have a taste of hell.
News of the Mo family's ordeal quickly reached Qin Cheng Yi. He was both furious and anxious for Mo Liu Gui. Thinking that she was probably in a panic right now, he wanted to get out of prison to see her but even with the Qin family's power, he would still have to be detained for another two weeks.
He tossed and turned restlessly in his one-person room until he finally decided to contact his unworthy father and have him give the Mo family a hand.
Qin Guang Jie did not want to meddle in this matter but seeing how Qin Cheng Yi had lowered himself and respectfully requested for his help, Qin Guang Jie agreed. Little did he know that when Qin Cheng Yi was writing this letter, he was filled with resentment and unwillingness.
However, even if Qin Guang Jie had decided to help, he was not fully updated with the inside situation of the Mo Group. Neither he nor Qin Cheng Yi knew that the major shareholders of the Mo Group had already sold off their shares.
And so, after Qin Guang Jie expended his resources to help the Mo Group mend their public image and appease the major clients who were threatening to terminate their contracts, only then did he hear rumors that the Mo family was no longer the major shareholder of the Mo Group.
Qin Guang Jie almost coughed up blood. What the hell is this, did he just help someone else make their wedding clothes?!!
Qin Guang Jie immediately sent someone to investigate but in fact, he didn't have to do so. Because three days later, news broke out within the business circle that the major shareholder of the Mo Group had been changed.
Mo Yi Cheng, Mo Shi Guo, and Mo Shi Guang were charged with bribery and tax evasion, causing a large portion of the Mo family's property to be frozen and confiscated. On top of that, they also had to pay a fine which was a hefty sum. The Mo family which was now could not even be considered a third-class family did not have much money left. They could not afford to pay the fine.
If they failed to pay, then Mo Yi Cheng, Mo Shi Guo, and Mo Shi Guang would receive a more severe sentence. With both her son and husband detained, the eldest aunt discarded her elegant demeanor and threatened the rest of the Mo family. She warned them if they would rather protect the Mo Group shares than try to save her husband and son, she would make them pay dearly!
Mo Shi Hong tried to argue with her but he could not out-talk her. The eldest aunt said that she knew everything that the Mo family had done over the years. If they were heartless towards her family, then don't blame her for exposing them!
Her second son, Mo Si Lang, was still in prison and now her husband and eldest son could face over a decade of jail time. How could she go on?!
And if she can't live, then the rest of the Mo family would have to accompany her to hell!
The eldest aunt did not just make an empty threat, everyone in the Mo family knew she meant every word. They were frustrated but could not do anything about it.
The Mo patriarch had a stroke and couldn't talk while Mo Shi Hong was incapable of handling the family's affairs. Finally, it all came down to Mo Er Qian to take the lead.
Mo Er Qian did not want to sell their remaining shares to pay the fines so he went to the Qin family for help. However, Qin Guang Jie was not willing to meet him because he already knew what Mo Er Qian wanted.
He had helped them once already, they shouldn't push their luck. Furthermore, his company was also starting to have a mountain of problems. He himself was in a mess, there was nothing more he could do for the Mo family!
They were not even in-laws and he really did not like that girl named Mo Liu Gui, she was practically a bringer of bad luck!
Qin Guang Jie not only refused to lend Mo Er Qian the money, but he also contacted the prison and restricted Qin Cheng Yi's communication, preventing him from receiving any more news from the Mo family. He was about to be freed and should lay low for the moment.
Mo Yi Cheng, Mo Shi Guo, and Mo Shi Guang's sentences were soon approaching but Mo Er Qian was still unable to borrow the money or contact Qin Cheng Yi.
The eldest aunt was on the verge of collapsing. On a certain day, she had a spat with Mo Liu Gui and almost pushed her down the stairs.
Mo Shi Hong immediately flared up. He did not care if he hit a woman and gave her a fist. The eldest aunt did not back down. She bit Mo Shi Hong's arm and scratched his face.
These days, the Mo family was always in chaos and disharmony.
And Mo Liu Gui was crying every day.
Mo Er Qian was certain the eldest aunt would divulge their secrets to the public. When that happened, the Mo family was sure to fall. If they sold their shares, they could last a little longer while waiting for Mo Di's demise and Qin Cheng Yi to be released from prison. Once Qin Cheng Yi was out, they could recover bit by bit. With Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng gone, sooner or later, they would rise to the top again.
And when the time was ripe, he would deal with the eldest aunt who dared to threaten the Mo family and almost killed his sister.
Mo Er Qian thought hard and decided to sell eighty percent of the shares in their hand to pay the fine and get someone to help them reduce the charges against the Mo family.
The eldest aunt finally stopped giving them trouble. Instead, she would use tears to wash her face every day.
Because the Mo Group's shares had plummeted, Mo Er Qian did not get much even after selling a huge portion of it. After paying the fine and other expenses, there was not much money left.
With the Mo family villa being sealed off, the Mo family had to move out and huddled into a small villa in the suburbs.
They could not even be considered the lowest of the high-society. It could be said that they had truly fallen from grace.
A villa in the suburbs did not have any gardens and the spaces between each house were not far apart. The neighbor's house was just a few steps away. Therefore, the moment the Mo family moved into their new living environment, the whole neighborhood knew that an infamous family had come to stay.
As soon as anyone from the Mo family stepped out of the house, they would be stared at by condemning eyes.
Mo Liu Gui went out to do her shopping in a branded dress and was immediately splashed with water by a girl doing her laundry.
"Ai ya, why did you suddenly appear in front of me? You almost scared me to death. I didn't make you mad, did I? Or did you do it on purpose to plot against me?!" The young girl glared at Mo Liu Gui maliciously.
Mo Liu Gui did not expect to meet such injustice only steps away from her own home. Her face turned red with anger and she looked as though she was about to cry.
"Now what? Pretending to be innocent?" The young girl snapped at Mo Liu Gui. She rolled her eyes and placed the bucket on the floor.
The girl's name was Du Qiu, an ordinary junior high student. Ever since the incident in which Mo Di was accused of cheating, she had been paying attention to the Mo family's news.
From the beginning, she was already put off by their ability to flip the truth and place all the blame on Mo Di. She simply couldn't understand how their brains functioned. And every time one of them got on the news, it was always worse than the previous. Truly a family of unscrupulous bastards.
And so, when she knew that they had moved to the neighborhood, she had been finding a way to have a go at them. Seeing Mo Liu Gui out on the road today was the perfect chance. And hence, the bucket in her hand was directly aimed at her.
She copied the Mo family's line of logic to bicker with them.
Mo Liu Gui knew that the girl was deliberately taunting her and treating her the same way her father and brothers used to treat Mo Di. Her face was even more heated. She didn't say anything, only her eyes turned red as she ran away.
"Heh!" Du Qiu sneered and walked away with her bucket.
Mo Liu Gui ran home in her wet and sticky clothes. She felt angry and oppressed. Upon entering the hallway and smelling the murky dust, she could no longer hold back her tears.
Never had she suffered such injustice! Never had she been this insulted!
One day, she would make those people regret it! Deeply regret it!!!
Mo Liu Gui grit her teeth and wiped off her tears then gave Mo Er Qian a call.
As soon as the phone connected, Mo Liu Gui started sobbing and said with a choke in her voice, "Second brother…"
"What's wrong?" Mo Er Qian was frantic the moment he heard Mo Liu Gui's crying voice, "What's wrong, Xiao Gui? Who bullied you?"
"Second brother, I can't take it anymore. I really can't. When can we get back to our old lives? I can't take it anymore…" Mo Liu Gui spoke as her tears kept falling. "Second brother, when will our family return to normal? The people in this area are all illogical and unsophisticated. When can we get back to our house…"
"Soon, very soon, I assure you. Xiao Gui, don't cry anymore…" Mo Er Qian felt heartache for her. He closed the office door and went to the window, "Brother will teach those who dare to bully you a lesson. And I promise that our family will soon return to the way it was. As long as Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng, the two who have been plotting against us are gone, no one else can harm our Mo family. We will return to our former glory. Xiao Gui, please hold on a little longer. Trust me, ok?"
"I trust you but now, I just can't see any hope…"
Mo Liu Gui sat on the floor in the front entrance crying bitterly.
"I promise, it's very soon."
All they needed was for Qin Cheng Yi to be released and they could deal with Mo Di and Mu Tian Heng. After that, it was all a matter of reshaping the public's opinion and regaining their wealth… Without the stumbling block that was Mu Tian Heng, the Mo family could definitely get back on top.
Mo Liu Gui seemingly remembered something and dashed straight to her room on the second floor, ignoring the prying eyes of the second aunt. She closed the door and sat on the bed. In whispers, she said, "Second brother, didn't you say before that you and Cheng Yi are working together? Is there anything I can do to help?"
Because Mo Er Qian did not want to involve Mo Liu Gui, he refused to disclose any details. "Xiao Gui, all you have to do is rest assured. I will keep my word."
"But…"
"Xiao Gui, " Mo Er Qian deliberately changed the topic, "Qin Cheng Yi is coming out soon, are you planning to pick him up? If you want to, just tell me and I'll drive you there. Do not visit him by yourself."
Mo Liu Gui was a little puzzled at Mo Er Qian's request. She agreed with some reluctance but in fact, she had no intention of visiting him.
…..
Ever since Mu Tian Heng became the major shareholder of the Mo Group, he had been cooperating with the government to track down every illegal activity that the company had done and paid all its fines. Therefore, even with the Mo family's assets either frozen or confiscated, and Mo Er Qian selling off their shares to pay the fines, Mo Yi Cheng, Mo Shi Guo, and Mo Shi Guang's sentences had only gotten more severe with each crime that Mu Tian Heng dug up.
It was estimated that their jail time would be roughly a decade.
After a series of rectifications, Mu Tian Heng officially renamed the Mo Group as 'Wu Mo' and assimilated it under the command of the Mu Group.
Mu Tian Heng knew that the Mo family still had nine percent of the shares. Of course he would make them cough it all out but there was no hurry to it.
As for Mo Di, after he gave Mu Tian Heng some pointers on how to deal with the Mo family, the mid-term exams had come.
When he was finally done with all the subjects, it dawned on him that Qin Cheng Yi should be out of jail by now.
Mo Di's vigilance had never been higher. He believed that once Qin Cheng Yi was out of prison, he would come straight for them.
Unfortunately, a thousand precautions and preparations could not overcome that one old saying:
"Those who were killed could never guard against those that wanted them dead"
That Saturday morning, Mo Di was about to meet Mu Tian Heng after class but was called away by a student from another class, saying that a counselor wanted to see him in his office.
This was nothing suspicious as the school had been asking students to report their achievements and a counselor would verify it with them.
The counselor's office was located in Building #1, closest to the school gate and also the most secluded. Surrounding the building were low osmanthus trees with dog's tail grass growing under them.
Mo Di had his backpack on and was ready to leave the school compound right after he met with the counselor. In his bag was a micro tracker that Mu Tian Heng had made him carry with him at all times after his confession. In the back pocket of his jeans was a newly developed mini pen with a hidden camera and recorder.
Sometimes, Mo Di felt that he could cosplay as a spy at any time.
On his way to the counselor, Mo Di met with Sun Ru Ru who he had not seen for a long time. When she saw him, she immediately went over to say hello.
"Little junior, it's been a long time."
"Hello Senior," Mo Di smiled at her, "Are you about to leave?"
"Yes. Our dorm is eating out tonight. What are you doing?" Sun Ru Ru called her roommates over and they all smiled and said hello.
"The counselor called for me. I'm going to Building #1." Mo Di smiled and greeted her friends. He then turned to her and said, "Senior, I won't keep you any longer. I'm going to find the counselor now."
"Go ahead. We'll talk whenever you're free." Sun Ru Ru waved goodbye to Mo Di.
After Mo Di had crossed the road, and the group of girls had walked a few steps, one of Sun Ru Ru's roommates suddenly said, "I remember our class monitor said that the counselor was away. He went to hand in some forms but he wasn't there."
"Maybe he just came back." Sun Ru Ru didn't think much, "When did Zhao Qing Gong say that? Let me send him a message and inform him that the counselor is back, he should go see him in case he forgets."
Another of her roommates chuckled, "Ru Ru, you're so considerate to him. Did you know that all the boys in class kept saying that you're Zhao Qing Gong's little wife?"
Sun Ru Ru rolled her eyes, "He's my little wife is more like it."
…..
Meanwhile, Mo Di had entered the cooly-shaded Building #1. This building was mainly used by the teachers so it was rarely crowded. And now that it was lunchtime, the entire place was void of people and sound.
The counselor's office was on the second floor. Mo Di did not want to take the elevator so he went up the stairs instead.
When he reached the top flight of stairs on the scorned floor, a girl in a mask and hospital uniform came walking towards him. He stepped aside to let her through but right when she had passed him, he felt a stinging pain on the back of his neck.
It felt like a needle injection.
Mo Di had an ominous hunch. He turned around immediately but only saw the back of the girl running down the steps.
The next second, Mo Di began to feel dizzy. He grabbed the mini pen in his back pocket and quickly switched it on. With the last of his strength, he pushed the pen deep into the bottom of his pocket.
Mo Di staggered two steps backwards before finally losing consciousness.