Young people have the richest imaginations. When the students heard Liu's parents repeatedly mention "imprisonment," they immediately thought of disharmony. It's not impossible that Xu Zifeng, a rich second-generation, is indiscriminate in his relationships with women, but for him to first sleep with his own sister-in-law and then imprison her son, forcing her parents to come begging to him, is truly shameless.
The number of students watching grew from a few to a dozen, then to dozens, all whispering and pointing at Xu Zifeng. Xu Zifeng finally realized what was happening, shoved Liu's mother aside, and angrily shouted, "Shut up! I only asked Liu Cheng to do something for me, and I gave him money. Now that he's disappeared, what does it have to do with me?"
"Then what do you want him to do? Second Young Master Xu, tell us where he went, and we'll go find him ourselves. We only have one son, and we can't let him just disappear without a trace."
When this was mentioned, Xu Zifeng was speechless. He couldn't very well say that he had asked Liu Cheng to cause trouble at Xu Zifan's club!
Seeing his attitude, others became even more suspicious. If he was being honest, why was he being so hesitant? Some students secretly took videos with their phones and posted them on social media, while others quietly called the police. People came and went, and soon a large crowd gathered.
The police arrived quickly and, after questioning him, determined that Xu Zifeng was the most suspicious. They demanded that Xu Zifeng explain what he had asked Liu Cheng to do, at least to provide a direction for finding the person. Xu Zifeng went to the police station. By this time, he wasn't panicked, just a little annoyed. Without saying anything, he directly called Xu Maotong's assistant to bring a lawyer to handle the situation. But after seeing the online outcry against him for being a double agent and utterly disgusting, his face turned completely pale!
The short video was filmed at a close distance, and their conversation could even be heard. The two men accused him of imprisoning their son, and his attempts to defend himself were hesitant and evasive, seemingly just making excuses to deny it. Especially considering that Liu's parents' business was on the verge of bankruptcy recently, and they both looked very haggard, it was clear that he was the one bullying them. Given his past shady past, no one felt he was innocent after this incident; he was immediately and utterly condemned, becoming a prime example of trash among rich second-generation heirs—the kind of trash that is utterly disgusting and repulsive!
Xu Zifeng was taken back to the Xu family home as soon as he left the police station. Xu Maotong immediately berated him, "What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to keep a low profile and study hard? The last incident hasn't even died down yet, and you've already caused this whole commotion about imprisoning a boy. You really disappoint me!"
Xu Zifeng panicked and rushed forward to explain, "Dad, I really didn't imprison Liu Cheng. I don't know where he went. His disappearance has nothing to do with me. His parents are framing me like madmen. Dad, you have to believe me!"
"Tell me the truth, what did you pay Liu Cheng to do? Five million is missing from your account, was it for him? What did you need him to do?" Xu Maotong squinted at his youngest son. For some reason, he suddenly realized that this son wasn't as outstanding as he had thought. Perhaps because he had always had a smooth life and many good opportunities, he seemed exceptionally talented. But these past few times when he really encountered trouble, he found that his crisis management skills were really poor, even worse than Xu Zifan's. Had he really misjudged him?
Xu Zifeng lowered his head, hesitated, and didn't tell the truth. "It's just a small matter. I guarantee that his disappearance has nothing to do with me."
His attitude infuriated Xu Maotong. His eldest son was disobedient and unfilial, and now his younger son was being secretive and evasive—did he want the family to be in enough chaos already?! Xu Maotong scolded him again, ordering him to stay home and reflect on his actions until the storm passed. Xu Zifeng was thus placed under house arrest, while Xu Maotong instructed his assistant to investigate Liu Cheng's situation. They had no connection with Xu Zifan's club, and for the time being, they found nothing.
The deputy mayor's men had already investigated the cause and effect, which was nothing more than a power struggle among wealthy families. Xu Zifeng was dissatisfied with Xu Zifan's success and used the Liu family's bankruptcy to coerce and entice Liu Cheng into ruining the club's reputation. Xu Zifan's private club claimed to be top secret, and no one's actions inside would be known to the outside world. Liu Cheng had no chance at all. Coincidentally, the deputy mayor invited officials from the same faction to celebrate his youngest daughter's birthday, so he came up with the idea of causing trouble in the banquet hall. Since there were so many people and no surveillance cameras, he could just sneak out afterwards.
The deputy mayor, upon learning that Liu Cheng had intended to give the glass of water to his daughter, was furious. He thought Liu Cheng was trying to take advantage of him and then expecting to get away unscathed—a death wish. The deputy mayor was also aware of the online rumors. He ordered his men to knock Liu Cheng unconscious, strip him naked, and dump him at the Xu family's doorstep, then notified reporters. When the reporters rushed to the scene, they saw the Xu family's butler and his men holding Liu Cheng, who was naked, trembling, and utterly terrified.
Reporters swarmed around, microphones practically shoved in the butler's face, bombarding him with questions.
Why is Liu Cheng at the Xu family's house? Did Xu Zifeng really imprison Liu Cheng?
[Liu Cheng, why aren't you wearing clothes? Did you just escape and get caught again?]
[Liu Cheng, why are you so terrified? Were you abused by Xu Zifeng?]
The butler's expression changed, and he hurriedly took off his coat and draped it over Liu Cheng, explaining, "We found him unconscious at the Xu family's doorstep. We had just helped him up and woken him up when you arrived. The Xu family has absolutely not imprisoned anyone, nor have they done anything illegal. Please don't make things up. Also, may I ask who notified you to come? This is definitely someone framing the Xu family!"
The reporters persisted, asking, "Liu Cheng, do you know Xu Zifeng? What is your relationship with him? There are rumors online that you have a financial relationship with him. Is that true?"
Liu Cheng finally saw his surroundings clearly. He suddenly knelt down, covered his face, and burst into tears, crying, "Don't ask anymore! Don't ask anymore! It was all Xu Zifeng's doing. He wanted to frame his older brother. I was just an accomplice. I really didn't do anything. If you want to find someone, find him, don't look for me..."
The butler's expression changed again, and she angrily said, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"I'm not lying! Xu Zifeng gave me money to ruin Zifan Club's reputation and bankrupt his older brother. Xu Zifeng threatened me. If I didn't do it, my family would go bankrupt! I had no choice. I had to do whatever he asked. Even if he told me to do something, I had to do it. I couldn't let my family go bankrupt…"
The reporters exchanged glances, wanting to ask more questions, but the butler, seeing things were taking a turn for the worse, quickly ordered someone to take Liu Cheng inside. He then contacted Liu's parents in front of the reporters, stating sternly, "All of Liu Cheng's words and actions are absolutely fabricated. We will investigate the specifics of the matter further and conduct a mental health assessment. Please do not report any false information; otherwise, if it damages the reputation and interests of the Xu Group, we will pursue legal action."
The reporters remained noncommittal. Whether to report on news about the home of such an important person depended on what the leaders said. The leaders had their own scales for judging who could and couldn't be offended; their job was simply to dig up information. Having uncovered so much, they were satisfied, and after a few perfunctory words to the housekeeper, they all left.
The butler hurriedly reported the matter to Xu Maotong. In the middle of the night, Xu Maotong, Feng Yujie, and Xu Zifeng all got up with grim faces and questioned Liu Cheng about what had happened. Now Xu Zifeng could no longer hide it. Xu Maotong was furious that he had someone frame Xu Zifan. He suddenly felt that his youngest son was more trouble than he was worth. Was he really so outstanding?
Xu Maotong was furious at his repeated mistakes and immediately ordered him to go back to his room. "Yujie, you go with him. From now on, don't interfere in anything. Just teach this idiot a lesson!"
The word "idiot" was being used against Xu Zifeng for the first time. Xu Zifeng looked at his father in disbelief before Liang Yujie forcibly pulled him away. Back in the room, Liang Yujie frowned at his defiant expression and said, "Xiaofeng, calm down. You didn't do well in this matter, so it's understandable that your father is angry. The fact that he still asked me to teach you means he still has high hopes for you. If you behave well in the future, you can definitely be as loving and filial as before. Don't be stubborn now and let Xu Zifan benefit from it."
Xu Zifeng retorted angrily, "How could I not have done well? My plan is flawless! Xu Zifan's connections are just beginning to be built. Once a scandal breaks out at the club and his reputation is ruined, he'll never be able to recover. So what if everyone sees that he was framed? If a scandal can happen once, it can happen again. Who would go to an unsafe private club? By then, he'll have lost hundreds of millions and offended people in the industry. Won't he have to slink back and be at our mercy?"
Liang Yujie listened quietly and nodded. "That's right. Although the method is underhanded, if it succeeds, it will definitely work. Not only those in the industry, but also those who support him online will change their minds. Xiaofeng, your idea was good, but you failed. Your biggest mistake was not leaving yourself a way out, and as a result, you suffered a backlash. Look at Liu Cheng just now, he said that he was arrested and interrogated these past few days, but he didn't even know who arrested him or what they looked like. That's what you call a way out. You shouldn't have done this kind of thing yourself. Otherwise, if you fail, you'll be covered in filth like this now, and you can't even clear your name."
Xu Zifeng was still unwilling to give up, and pursed his lips, saying, "I didn't expect to fail. I was careless."
"We all underestimated him. If I'm not mistaken, the mastermind behind this is Xu Zifan. He's not the good-for-nothing we thought he was. He's very smart. He may have been pretending to be stupid to deceive us all these years."
"I don't believe it. If he's that smart, shouldn't he have been trying to please his father from a young age so that his father would like him? Why is he living like a good-for-nothing?"
"I haven't figured it out yet, but I have a feeling he's not a simple person. Xiaofeng, listen to your mother and don't do anything else. You can talk to your mother about anything. All these years, your mother has spoiled Xu Zifan not because she likes him, but because she deliberately spoiled him. My strictness towards you is only because I hope you will become successful. You don't need to care about this at all. You are the person I value most. I will definitely help you get the whole Xu family. Don't be impatient."
Liang Yujie's calm and composed voice completely calmed Xu Zifeng down. He lowered his head and said, "Mom, I'm sorry, I won't do it again."
"Yes, good boy." Liang Yujie smiled and comforted her son, but her heart was in turmoil. She never expected that Xu Zifan would have the upper hand against her son. Thinking of Liu Cheng's words that he had gone to cause trouble at the vice mayor's banquet, she had a bad feeling. Who had arrested Liu Cheng these past few days? If it was Xu Zifan, there was no need to keep it a secret, but if it wasn't Xu Zifan, the consequences would probably be more serious than she imagined.