150: Chapter 150 Zhao Cheng'an is arrested

9:20 PM. The live stream had been running for eighty minutes.

Chairman Zhao was a wreck. His suit was rumpled, his face streaked with tears and snot.

"I've finished... all of it... all my crimes."

He knelt before the camera. "I don't ask for forgiveness. I only ask... only ask that you spare my son. He's innocent."

Then, he recited a string of numbers.

"My secret account... Swiss Bank... there's twenty-three million dollars in it... all dirty money... please, let the state confiscate it..."

"The villa's backyard... three children are buried there... under the tree in the northeast corner..."

"On the company computer, Drive D, the 'Charity Projects' folder... contains all the bribery records..."

The live stream cut off abruptly.

The final image before the screen went black:

The study door was smashed open. Police officers rushed in.

...

In the seventy-two hours following the end of the live stream, Nanhe County was turned upside down.

At the County Public Security Bureau, Deputy Director Li Zhiqiang's face was as pale as paper when he was taken from his office.

The Director of the County Education Bureau was awakened at home by knocking. Opening the door, he found staff from the Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Wang Jianguo from the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau tried to flee by car but was intercepted at the highway checkpoint.

Hengtong Real Estate's headquarters was sealed off. Furious homeowners surrounded the building.

"We want our money back! Compensate us!"

"Shoddy construction! We demand inspections!"

Someone smashed the company logo. Others unfurled black and white banners: "Murderous Enterprise, Heaven's Law Will Not Tolerate!"

The Zhao family villa was cordoned off by police. As Lin Wanqing left, dragging a suitcase, she was swarmed by reporters.

"Ms. Lin, did you know about your husband's crimes beforehand?"

"Where is your son now?"

Lin Wanqing said nothing. Escorted by her lawyer, she got into a car and drove away.

Later, she posted a brief statement on Weibo.

"I am now aware of all of Zhao Chengan's crimes and have provided evidence to the police."

"To the families of the victims, I express my deepest apologies."

"Regarding Zhao Chengan, I support the law delivering the most severe judgment."

Beneath the statement, the torrent of abuse continued.

"Stop playing innocent! You were married for twenty years and didn't know?"

"Where were you earlier? Only stepping forward now!"

But there were also a few rational voices.

"She's a victim too, living alongside a demon for so long."

In the provincial capital, Cao Kun kept his promise and released Zhao Tianyu.

It wasn't that Cao Kun hadn't considered giving Zhao Tianyu a proper 'tuning-up.'

But after some thought, he decided letting Zhao Tianyu go free, letting him experience being despised by everyone...

Was far more satisfying.

...

Nanhe County.

Acting on the clues Chairman Zhao had exposed, the police launched a full-scale investigation.

In the backyard of an abandoned villa in the northern part of the city, excavators unearthed three small skeletons.

Forensic identification put their ages between five and eight, with time of death two to four years prior.

The bones bore clear signs of injury.

"The youngest one... all the ribs are broken." The veteran forensic examiner took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "Those bastards."

A large quantity of children's clothing, toys, and a soundproofed cell were discovered in the villa's Basement.

On the wall, crooked characters were scratched with fingernails: "Mommy save me," "It hurts," "Uncle Zhao is bad."

Hengtong Real Estate's shoddy construction projects underwent comprehensive inspections. All twelve ongoing projects were halted. Of the seven already delivered Residential Complexes, three were identified as having structural safety hazards.

The cement grade was insufficient; the steel reinforcement was cut by over 30%.

The inspection report was horrifying. Buildings like these would collapse in a magnitude 6.0 earthquake.

All thirteen individuals on the bribery list were apprehended, exposing a larger corruption network.

The Zhao Chengan case escalated into a systematic corruption case for Nanhe County. The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection formed a special task force.

All accounts under Zhao Chengan's name were frozen.

Police also uncovered three additional overseas properties owned by Zhao Chengan, with a total value of eight million dollars.

The most crucial evidence came from Xiao Baihe.

She provided all the details from the day her daughter went missing, which matched Chairman Zhao's confession perfectly.

"That painting Xiao Jing drew... I taught her how to draw the sun..." Identifying the evidence, Xiao Baihe fainted from crying at the police station.

...

Three months later, the trial commenced.

Due to the high level of public attention, the court proceedings were live-streamed online.

Peak viewership exceeded twenty million.

The prosecutor read an indictment eighty-seven pages long.

"The defendant, Zhao Chengan, is charged with intentional homicide, rape, child molestation, bribery, causing a serious accident due to dereliction of duty, illegal business operations... The facts of the crimes are clear, the evidence is conclusive and sufficient, the social impact is extremely vile, and public indignation is immense..."

Zhao Chengan stood in the defendant's dock, wearing prison garb, emaciated and hollow-eyed.

His lawyer mounted a defense for leniency, but even he lacked conviction.

The victims' family members took turns giving their statements.

Lin Xiaoyu's father, a forty-year-old vegetable vendor, cried until he couldn't speak, finally kneeling in the courtroom: "Your Honor... my daughter... how much pain must she have been in before she died..."

The parents of the twin sisters rushed back from out of town; their mother fainted in court.

Survivors of the Xingfu Jiayuan accident held up photos of the eight deceased.

"They all had bright futures ahead of them..."

Finally.

The court delivered its verdict.

"The defendant, Zhao Chengan, is guilty of intentional homicide and is sentenced to death."

"Guilty of rape, sentenced to life imprisonment."

"Guilty of child molestation, sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment."

"Guilty of bribery, sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment."

"Guilty of causing a serious accident due to dereliction of duty, sentenced to ten years' imprisonment... For the combined crimes, it is decided to execute the death sentence, deprive of political rights for life, and confiscate all personal property."

The gavel fell.

Zhao Chengan closed his eyes and was led away by the bailiffs.

Outside the court, the public cheered. The victims' families hugged each other and wept.

...

Zhao Chengan was locked up in the death row section of the Provincial No. 1 Detention Center.

Here, he was no longer Director Zhao, but Inmate "Death Row 987."

On his first day, routine inspection.

"Strip." The prison guard's face was expressionless.

Zhao Chengan trembled as he removed his prison uniform.

"Turn around. Bend over."

After the humiliating inspection, he was thrown into a cell.

But the real torment came from the other inmates.

There was an unwritten rule in the detention center.

Rapists were at the absolute bottom of the prison food chain.

The next day, during yard time, Zhao Chengan was cornered.

The leader was a murderous inmate with a brutish face, respected among the prisoners for killing in a fit of righteous anger.

"Heard you specialize in little girls?" The man grabbed Zhao Chengan by the collar. "My daughter is five too."

A fist smashed into his face.

Blood spurted from his nose.

"Seven little girls, you animal." Another man kicked him in the stomach.

Zhao Chengan curled up on the ground, beaten and kicked.

A prison guard saw, turned around, and pretended not to notice.

That night, the cell boss issued an order.

"Tonight, you sleep next to the toilet."

It was the spot closest to the latrine, reeking of urine and filth.

Zhao Chengan didn't dare resist, curling up on the cold concrete floor.

In the middle of the night, someone threw cold water on him.

"To sober you up. Think about whether those kids were cold."

The physical beatings were the lighter part.

What truly broke him was the psychological torture.

There was a former psychologist in the prison, incarcerated for medical malpractice.

He volunteered to 'treat' Zhao Chengan.

"Come, let's play a game." The doctor said with a smile. "Close your eyes. Imagine you're a five-year-old girl."

Zhao Chengan refused. Prison guards forced him down.

"Now, an Uncle Zhao takes you out to play."

The doctor's voice was gentle and terrifying. "He buys you candy, takes you on a merry-go-round... and then?"

Zhao Chengan began to tremble.

"Then he takes you to a dark room." The doctor leaned close, whispering in his ear. "Are you scared? Xiao Ya? Xiao Mei? Xiao Yu? Or... Xiao Nian?"

"Ahhh—!!"

Zhao Chengan screamed, struggling desperately.

...