Valves Sealed, Ties Severed — Episode 39

The underground water in Qingxi Village had been polluted by a mining boss, leaving the villagers in despair. Desperate for a solution, the village chief, Zhou Chunshui, led the entire village to implore Lu Yang with heartfelt appeals to return home and invest in the area. Moved by their plight, Lu Yang relented and poured millions into building a water purification plant. They agreed on a fifty-fifty profit-sharing agreement, clearly outlined in their contract, and Lu Yang even helped the village establish a lucrative mandarin fish farming business. A year later, the fish farming project became a massive success, and the villagers received generous dividends. However, Lu Yang himself didn't see a single cent of the profits. Instead, after some calculations, he discovered he was out of pocket by 246 yuan. To add insult to injury, Li Ting publicly tore up their contract and humiliated him in front of everyone. Not a single villager spoke up in his defense. Heartbroken and utterly disillusioned, Lu Yang made a decisive move. He shut down the water purification plant and cut off the water supply. Without purified water, the fish farming operation collapsed, and a massive die-off of mandarin fish ensued. Lin Xiangdong's million-yuan order went unfulfilled, triggering a steep penalty clause requiring substantial compensation. The crushing financial burden devastated the entire village. Zhou Chunshui, overcome with stress and despair, succumbed to his emotions and passed away. Li Ting and the other villagers, reduced to extreme poverty, relying on handouts, fell to their knees and begged for Lu Yang's forgiveness. But Lu Yang merely turned his back on them and walked away, vowing never to look back.