"No wonder your son has become increasingly outrageous in recent years. It turns out Mrs. Li believes that spoiling is the mark of a loving mother. It seems you and Ms. Liang have a good relationship; you must have exchanged many parenting tips over the years." Xu Zifan looked enlightened, as if he had finally realized why Mrs. Li was speaking up for Liang Yujie. He shook his head and sighed, then said earnestly, "Ladies, don't take this as nonsense. As the old saying goes, 'Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.' You must not agree with the method of spoiling. Ms. Liang is a smart woman; haven't you seen that her own son has been a 'young talent' all these years?"
Xu Zifan didn't give Mrs. Li a chance to explain. After finishing, he raised his glass apologetically and said, "I may have drunk too much and said some inappropriate things. I'm sorry. I'm very honest when I drink, otherwise I wouldn't have caused the live broadcast scandal when I was drunk before. It was really rude of me. I'll go to the balcony to get some fresh air and sober up. Excuse me."
Xu Zifan left as soon as he finished speaking. Mrs. Li's expression changed, and she choked on her words.
If Liang Yujie was an illegitimate stepmother, then Li was a legitimate stepwife, and they were well-matched in terms of social standing. Mr. Li's first wife died in childbirth, leaving behind a son. For the first few years, Mrs. Li was unable to conceive, and the family lived peacefully. However, after Mrs. Li gave birth to a daughter, she began to dislike her stepson. In recent years, Li's son's reputation has indeed deteriorated. Thinking back on his actions, it's mostly just reckless driving and clubbing; he hasn't caused any accidents or abused his power, but everyone's impression of him is that he's become increasingly outrageous.
Now that Xu Zifan had brought it up, the other ladies' gazes towards Mrs. Li had become somewhat different. Sometimes it's like that; without being explicitly stated, no one would maliciously speculate about other people's affairs. Mrs. Li had previously lamented that her stepson was going through a rebellious phase, and others naturally assumed it was because boys are harder to manage as they grow up, and being a stepmother is difficult—a perfectly normal situation, and they often felt sympathetic towards Mrs. Li. But now that Xu Zifan had brought it up, they suddenly realized that Mrs. Li's son and Xu Zifan's situation were quite similar!
Considering how close Mrs. Li and Liang Yujie are, they might have actually exchanged some terrible parenting tips! News of stepmothers abusing children in ordinary families is endless. Even in good families, few truly love their stepsons like their own sons; most are indifferent, perfunctory, and don't care much about what others think. But families like theirs care most about their reputation. If a stepmother were to treat her stepson coldly, almost no one else in their circle would want to be close to her.
Regardless of one's true nature, one must maintain a facade of kindness. Otherwise, what's the point of holding so many charity events? Even feigned kindness must be genuine; no one can reveal their unkind side.
Xu Zifan has now proven himself with his abilities, and the previous label of "good-for-nothing" was completely unfounded. So why did he maintain this impression for so many years? If you think back carefully, you'll realize that whenever Xu Zifan attended a banquet, he was always accompanied by Liang Yujie, or he would simply take a large plate of food and hide in a corner to eat, rarely interacting with others. Whenever someone mentioned his achievements or career, Liang Yujie would smile lovingly and say, "The child's thoughts are the most important; we as parents can't force him. Besides, our family has everything we need; as long as he's healthy and happy, that's enough."
This statement seems to say nothing at all, but what does "cannot be forced" mean? Almost everyone who hears it interprets it as referring to striving for improvement, implying that Xu Zifan is only interested in enjoyment and unwilling to work hard. Therefore, Liang Yujie, as the second wife, can't say anything and can only try to satisfy her child's demands. But honestly, as Xu Zifan said—"Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them"—how could a biological mother allow her child to indulge in pleasure and achieve nothing?
This shows that Liang Yujie is quite cunning. As a second wife with no official status, she wouldn't even be qualified to attend these banquets. She used the reputation of being a kind mother to gain entry and be accepted by the first wives. Over the years, everyone has even gotten used to calling her "Mrs. Xu," forgetting the real Mrs. Xu who was in a vegetative state. Now, we can see from Xu Zifan's behavior that Liang Yujie is definitely not a kind person. Otherwise, how could Xu Zifan, who has been with her since he was two years old, have suppressed himself for so long to protect himself? It must be that Liang Yujie is kind on the outside but ruthless on the inside, making Xu Zifan dare to break with his family at the age of 25.
Some intelligent people saw through the true nature of the matter from the beginning, but their wisdom lay in never getting involved. They remained silent throughout, clearly recognizing it as a conflict between Xu Zifan and the three members of the Xu family. However, most people were just ordinary folks, easily deceived by Liang Yujie's facade. Now, suddenly realizing that this gentle and loving person was actually a venomous snake, their disgust was understandable.
Unbeknownst to Liang Yujie, the high society circle she had painstakingly built up over twenty-three years was already beginning to ostracize her. Her good friend, Mrs. Li, was also furious with her. If she hadn't asked Mrs. Li to bring it up at the banquet, Xu Zifan would never have mentioned the Li family's son! Mrs. Li hated Xu Zifan for being nosy, but she hated Liang Yujie even more. This superficial friendship based on mutual benefit shattered instantly.
Grudges often deepen little by little. Xu Zifan has repeatedly dug pits for the Xu family and damaged their image, and now the results are beginning to show. Whether in the eyes of ordinary people or those in the same circle, their public persona has collapsed, and they are no longer the admirable Xu family members they once were.
Among the wives, people were discussing Liang Yujie's deep scheming; among the second-generation rich, they were discussing Xu Zifeng's inferiority to Xu Zifan and his repeated attempts to frame others; even the wealthy businessmen occasionally mentioned that Xu Zifan was exceptionally talented and a good candidate for business, and that Xu Maotong had made a mistake in grooming him.
The banquet was lively, with clinking glasses and bustling activity masking everyone's selfish motives. However, the images of Xu Maotong, Liang Yujie, and Xu Zifeng had all suffered a significant decline in everyone's perception. Xu Zifan held his glass of champagne the entire time without drinking it. This banquet, which was...
Xu Maotong's potentially successful conspiracy backfired on the Xu family. So what if there was no evidence? Xu Zifan didn't need evidence, he didn't need anyone to uphold justice for him; he only needed to know who was targeting him and then retaliate.
There are countless ways to get revenge; of course, you should do whatever makes them unhappy!
At the end of the banquet, Xu Zifan greeted the host, hinted at something, and asked to take his wine glass with him. The wealthy businessman wasn't stupid; he quickly guessed that someone had drugged Xu Zifan's drink. If Xu Zifan hadn't been alert, his father's 80th birthday celebration would have been ruined!
The wealthy businessman stated seriously that he would resolve the matter, as the responsibility for the intrusion into the banquet lay primarily with the host. However, Xu Zifan laughed and said, "It's just a family matter of the Xu family, no need to trouble you, Uncle, I'll handle it."
The wealthy businessman immediately thought of Xu Zifeng. Xu Zifeng had just orchestrated the murder of Xu Zifan, so it wouldn't be surprising if he did it again. However, he quickly dismissed the idea. He still held some influence in the circle and took this banquet very seriously; Xu Zifeng didn't have the power to bring someone in to cause trouble. Thinking this way, he then thought of Xu Maotong and looked at Xu Zifan with surprise.
Xu Zifan gave a wry smile and said in a low voice, "Uncle, please forgive me. I'm not good at saying nice things and have never been favored by Father. I didn't expect Father to resort to such a tactic to protect Xu Zifeng. I'm really sorry to have bothered you, Uncle. If I wasn't afraid that the same thing would happen to you again, I wouldn't have told you all this. Thank you for speaking well of me in front of the other uncles today. If you need anything in the future, please just tell me, and I will definitely do my best to help you."
The wealthy businessman patted him on the shoulder and exclaimed, "You're a good lad, you're bound to achieve great things in the future. Don't be discouraged, young people should work hard."
"Yes, I will. Thank you for your encouragement, Uncle."
After Xu Zifan left, the wealthy businessman mentioned the incident to his family, and they all felt that there was an 80% chance that what Xu Zifan said was true. Especially after the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that one of the waiters had indeed suddenly fallen ill, and someone else had been temporarily found to fill in. The surveillance footage didn't seem like something Xu Zifan had orchestrated. Xu Zifan's warning had two purposes: first, to take the opportunity to expose Xu Maotong's treacherous nature—a calculated move, even if they knew Xu Zifan was speaking on purpose, they felt Xu Maotong had gone too far; second, the wealthy businessman genuinely admired Xu Zifan and had introduced him to several important guests, so Xu Zifan was likely returning the favor by reminding him of Xu Maotong's true character, warning him to be wary of falling into his trap in the future.
Regardless of their motives, Xu Zifan succeeded. The wealthy family harbored extreme resentment towards Xu Maotong, and their actions in causing trouble at the old man's birthday banquet were truly despicable! Xu Zifan remained humble throughout, even after revealing some family scandals. So what? Hasn't this kid always been known for his bluntness and straightforwardness? His image hasn't crumbled. Besides, the three members of the Xu family bullied him, so he wasn't allowed to speak up? He's the Xu Zifan who isn't shy even when broadcasting live to everyone; mentioning these things casually in conversation is child's play for him. People actually accepted it without feeling any resentment.
Xu Zifan left the banquet with a wine glass in his hand. After returning home, he had a doctor test the wine glass. The test revealed that it contained a stimulant drug that would cause someone to foam at the mouth and lose consciousness within a minute of ingestion. It was extremely irritating to the stomach and intestines and could leave serious aftereffects.
Xu Maotong not only wanted to make him offend people, but also wanted to ruin his health. What can a person do without health? Xu Maotong was far more ruthless than Xu Zifeng; even when the bodyguards captured the waiter, they couldn't get anything out of him, and the waiter didn't even know who had paid him. If Xu Zifan hadn't been so vigilant, he might have already fallen into their trap, and no matter how much chaos he caused, they wouldn't have been able to find out that Xu Maotong was the mastermind behind it all!
Perhaps one should say, "Old ginger is spicier," but when it comes to cunning, Xu Zifan is second to none! Since Xu Maotong insists on using ruthless tactics, then he'll use ruthless tactics to play along. Back in his slum days, how many tricks hadn't he seen before, rising from a lowly gang leader to a powerful figure? Xu Maotong's methods are nothing new to him; let's just have a head-on clash and see who's stronger!
Xu Zifan had the doctor obtain the same drug as the wine, first forcing a vial down the waiter's throat before dumping him on the roadside. His bodyguards had covered the waiter's face when arresting him, and he had also hacked into the system to erase all surveillance footage. The waiter had no chance of finding anyone responsible and could only suffer the consequences.
Then Xu Zifan took another vial of medicine and four bodyguards back to the Xu family home.