The Chronicles of Moses Liu: Part 2

The day after Liu Dong was discharged from the hospital, his parents received numerous calls from neighbors, all expressing concern about his recovery and return home.

In truth, the neighbors had known for some time that Liu Dong was back, but they were unaware that he had been hospitalized due to stress soon after returning.

Once he was discharged and back home, no matter how quietly the matter was kept, the entire neighborhood quickly caught wind of it.

It was early summer, the season when the heat begins to intensify, stirring irritability in people's moods. When restless, people tend to find something to do. Aside from eating and sleeping, the children on summer break and the retired elders became the primary occupants of the community’s public spaces.

Especially the elderly women. As the saying goes, "Three women make a play," and a group of elderly ladies can weave quite the drama. The story of Liu Dong being deceived was soon transformed into a variant of the classic romance "The Story of the Western Wing."

The tale went that Liu Dong, after graduating from university, had entered a major internet company and, through sheer determination and skill, risen to the position of CEO, wielding power almost equal to that of the chairman. At the height of his career, he was bold and confident, riding a wave of success.

Yet this damned Liu Dong took a fancy to a poor rural university student. The girl was no ordinary damsel; despite her humble origins, she was strikingly beautiful—like a rare flower in full bloom, possessing a beauty that could topple kingdoms and captivate hearts. And so, these two, like a turtle admiring a mung bean, found themselves enchanted with each other.

Can you believe it? The chairman’s own daughter couldn’t hold a candle to her, and yet Liu Dong, with all his fortune and blessings earned over lifetimes, squandered it on this girl. Oh, how frustrating it was! That wretched Liu Dong!

This little enchantress had no money, so Liu Dong abused his CEO position to illegally embezzle millions of company funds to support her.

Not long after, his embezzlement was uncovered. But since his contributions to the company were immense, he was quietly dismissed and stripped of all personal assets granted by the company. The blow sent Liu Dong back to his hometown to be hospitalized, and he had only recently been discharged. Tragic, isn’t it?

“Really? How do you know all this?” a young man suddenly asked as he walked into the group of elderly women.

“This story has been all over the place. Who are you? You don’t seem to be from this neighborhood,” one of the elderly ladies asked warily.

“Oh, I’m a friend of Liu Dong’s. I heard he was ill and wanted to come see him.”

“Oh, his place is in Building 7, Unit *, Floor *, Apartment 0.”

“Thanks, ma’am!”

The young man ignored the murmurs behind him and focused intently on finding the building number, a smile playing on his lips. Judging by that smile, one could hardly tell whether he meant well or ill.