Xu Zifan went to the police station to give a statement and was very cooperative. He said that he had drunk too much the night before, which many people could testify to. Later, he caught his wife cheating, assaulted someone, and was heartbroken by his father's attitude, so he drove everyone away and left that place of heartbreak, asking his bodyguard to go to his mother's place to catch up on sleep.
As for the camera, he took it out of the community and threw it away casually. Whether someone picked it up or not is unknown, but he didn't upload the photos anyway.
Police reviewed surveillance footage and confirmed that he left the residential area shortly after everyone else left, throwing the camera into the bushes. However, the camera was not found during the police search. This cleared Xu Zifan of suspicion, as the posting occurred after he threw the camera away, indicating it was unrelated to him. The identity of the person who posted the photos remains a mystery, as does the hacker behind it. The posts continue to be pinned to the top of various forums and downloaded by many people to their hard drives.
Xu Zifan was cleared of suspicion and was about to leave after signing the papers. Liang Yujie and the Xu family's housekeeper were waiting for him in the lobby. They were surprised and suspicious when they heard that he hadn't sent any photos, but since the police couldn't find any evidence, they couldn't do anything about it. The two quickly stopped Xu Zifan. Liang Yujie said with concern, "Zifan, where are you going? Your dad is angry. You should go home with Aunt Yu. Don't be silly."
In front of the police officers in the lobby, Liang Yujie acted like a worried, loving mother, her acting skills comparable to an award-winning actress. Xu Zifan looked at her coldly, "Going back for what? Did he kick that beast Xu Zifeng out?"
Liang Yujie's fingers tightened around her purse, but her expression remained unchanged as she said, "I came out to look for you last night and didn't know what was going on at home. But Zifan, no matter what, you need to go home to solve this problem..."
Xu Zifan raised his hand to stop her from continuing, saying only, "What's your stance? Are you going to go back and persuade my dad to kick Xu Zifeng out? Didn't you say you love me the most and treat me like your own son? I'm going to kick Xu Zifeng out right now, can you do that?"
Liang Yujie was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond. She had already established herself, so why should she let her son suffer for this fool? Xu Maotong had already decided to marry her, so why should she bother coaxing this idiot?
Xu Zifan didn't give her any time to consider, only sneered, "No wonder Xu Zifeng dares to be so arrogant. I thought about it all night and finally figured it out. So you came into the Xu family to steal my mother's position as Mrs. Xu. Over the years, my father has become more and more displeased with me, while your son has already joined the company. Is this your intention to kick me and my mother out and pass the Xu family to your son? You are a family of three, and I am just an outsider. Aunt Yu, you are really capable. I can't outmaneuver you. But don't come to me pretending to be a loving mother in the future. It makes me want to vomit."
Xu Zifan glanced at her contemptuously and strode out. Liang Yujie was shocked; she hadn't expected him to understand all this, let alone say it in public. The gazes of the police and the families waiting for her made her face burn with shame; she wished she could disappear into the ground. Since entering the Xu family, Liang Yujie had never suffered such humiliation! Her hands trembled slightly with anger, but she was powerless to do anything but leave hastily with her head down. After she left, the seven or eight people sitting in the lobby waiting for others or assisting with the investigation began whispering among themselves. Being a stepmother was a sensitive position, especially since Liang Yujie was only a stepmother, not a stepmother. They immediately tended to believe Xu Zifan's words, labeling Liang Yujie a scheming mistress.
The Xu family's situation is gaining more and more attention online, with everyone hoping for a follow-up outcome. Most netizens are on Xu Zifan's side, while a small number believe that if Chairman Xu doesn't like his eldest son, the eldest son must have a problem. Otherwise, how could Chairman Xu, who is so devoted to his first wife, not be interested in Xu Zifan? At the same time, they also believe that if a person is not liked by his father, not respected by his younger brother, and not faithful to his fiancée, it is enough to show that the problem lies with that person.
This brain-dead idea actually has a considerable number of supporters because they believe that flies don't land on eggs without cracks, and that Xu Zifan's image is far inferior to Xu Zifeng's. Praising Xu Zifeng as a young talent would belittle Xu Zifan as a hedonistic rich kid. Whether it's due to resentment towards the rich or not, they just feel that Xu Zifan deserves it.
As long as there was controversy, the topic remained hot, and despite Xu Maotong paying to remove the trending topics multiple times, netizens' enthusiasm remained undiminished. At this time, Xu Zifan posted three Weibo posts in a row.
[As expected, that beast is the real son. Chairman Xu suspended my card and has been trying to drag me back to teach me a lesson. His attitude is very clear. It seems that I'm the one who's going to be kicked out.]
[The Xu family business is doomed to fail sooner or later when it falls into the hands of such a beast. I advise everyone holding Xu family stocks to sell them now, or you might end up losing so much money you'd have to jump off a building.]
[I'm out of money for food. I'll start livestreaming and becoming an internet celebrity. Please support me and give me a small tip to keep me from starving. By the way, I'm changing my Weibo name to Xu Zifan. From now on, I'll represent myself. I dare not claim to be the eldest son of the Xu family. The Xu family only recognizes that bastard as their young master; otherwise, there's no reason for them to suspend my card.]
Xu Zifan's Weibo post included a live stream link. The background was an activity area in a park, where Xu Zifan was exercising with equipment, saying he was going to live stream his weight loss journey. Two bodyguards were standing by in the distance.
Soon, many viewers tuned in to his livestream, and some even gave him tips. Little by little, it added up, enough for him to make a living. Xu Zifan smiled and thanked them, panting as he worked out, and said earnestly, "I hit that bastard a few times yesterday, and I'm still sore all over. I'm really going to lose weight and get fit, so I'll beat him every time I see him!"
The live chat was full of support and encouragement. Xu Zifan added, "Anyone want to lose weight? Join me! I'm live-streaming my weight loss journey; it's real and effective. Follow my instructions, and I guarantee you'll lose weight. Oh, and I also have professional bodyguards here. They know everything about fitness training and will help me manage my workouts."
Write down the time and what to eat; this is a rare opportunity.
Many netizens who sympathized with him felt a bit conflicted. They thought the grieving person was perfectly fine, even seeming to be in a good mood, showing no emotion when Xu Zifeng was mentioned. Many started asking about his family situation, whether they were truly ignoring him and favoring his brother, and some even called him a pushover, telling him to go home and seize the family fortune.
Xu Zifan laughed upon seeing this, almost choking on his own breath. He quickly got off the equipment, leaning on it with one hand on his hip, panting. He waved at the camera and said, "How can you guys be so funny? Fighting over family assets, is this a movie? The Xu family is all under Chairman Xu's thumb. I've never been favored by Chairman Xu since I was a child. What do I have to fight him for? Speaking of which, I'm quite comfortable away from home now. At least no one gives me attitude or calls me useless every day. Tell me, so what if I'm useless? Have I committed any heinous crimes or murders? I'm still better off than that beast who slept with my sister-in-law, right? Oh, right, speaking of Xu Lili, I invested 50 million in her film crew. No way, I have to get that money back. It'll solve my immediate problem!"
Xu Zifan took the phone from a bodyguard and said with a smile, "I'll end the live stream now. I'm going to ask for the money back. Once I get it back, you won't need to tip me. I'll send you red envelopes instead."
After Xu Zifan finished speaking, he saw a barrage of "666" comments on the screen. Satisfied, he ended the live stream, took the towel handed to him by his bodyguard to wipe his sweat, and said, "Let's go get the money!"
Xu Zifan's new phone number was unknown to anyone, ensuring a peaceful environment. Xu Maotong was furious after seeing his Weibo posts and live streams, his blood pressure soaring, but he couldn't find him. Xu Maotong had practically smashed up the study! Now, seeing Liang Yujie, he also looked at her with displeasure, angrily saying, "If you hadn't raised him to be so stupid, would he be spouting nonsense outside? What scion of a prominent family is as ignorant as him? If you're going to ruin him, you should at least know your limits. What are we going to do now? What will others think of me? If this isn't resolved, even Xu's stock price will be affected!"
Liang Yujie listened silently to his scolding, then wiped away her tears and whispered, "It's my fault. I didn't expect it. I always thought he had no opinions of his own and was very dependent on his family. Who knew he would be so opinionated now? Every word he says seems to be a slap in the face to us. I... I'm such a failure. I never saw through him all these years. Maotong, I'm sorry..."
Xu Maotong frowned. "You mean he was playing dumb to fool others, and that he was just pretending to be stupid all along?"
Liang Yujie shook her head. "I don't know, but if it's not like this, how do you explain what happened? He caught us completely off guard, and even Chu Wen... Maotong, do you think he might have found out something? Otherwise, why would he suddenly have a falling out with us? Even if Xiaofeng did something wrong, it shouldn't have escalated to this extent. Shouldn't he have gone home first? Why would he hire bodyguards like that?"
Xu Maotong pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Whether he's really stupid or pretending, it's no use saying anything now. We must immediately suppress the negative news online. I can only ask Xiaofeng to make do for now. Everyone is paying attention to this, and I must do something about it."
Liang Yujie felt a chill in her heart and tentatively asked, "Do you want to uphold justice and punish Xiaofeng, like what's said online?"
"It's only temporary. And that unfilial son, his card can't be suspended, at least not now. I can't let the image I've built up over the years be ruined, nor can I give people the impression that the Xu family has a corrupt family style. This time, I must uphold justice." Xu Maotong had been thinking of a solution all night, and this was the most appropriate one at the moment. He comforted Liang Yujie by putting his arm around her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we'll think of a solution after this storm passes. I won't let that unfilial son block Xiaofeng's path. Only Xiaofeng is my son, our son."
What could Liang Yujie say? She could only nod. She had waited over twenty years to cultivate a good image and enter high society; a few more days wouldn't make a difference. If this matter could be resolved properly, she might even be able to turn the tables, portraying herself as the wronged party, and then distance herself from Xu Zifan by pretending to be heartbroken. As long as she handled it well, she didn't believe she couldn't defeat a mere kid—after all, she had raised him!
When Xu Zifan withdrew his investment citing the damage to Xu Lili's image, the Xu Group's public relations team issued a formal statement, saying that Chairman Xu was unaware of the specific situation over the phone and only wanted the two brothers to go home as soon as possible to find out the truth, as decisions cannot be made based on only one side of the story. After understanding the cause and effect in the past two days, Xu Zifeng has been relieved of his position in the Xu Group and has been moved into a university dormitory to study as an ordinary student.
As for Xu Zifan, he is the only son of Chairman Xu and his wife. Chairman Xu has always placed high hopes on him. Suspending his credit card was merely an attempt to force him to return home. Moreover, Xu Zifan has friends, a house, and investment from the film crew; he is unlikely to suffer any hardship. Therefore, Chairman Xu resorted to this drastic measure, not to kick him out. Now that Chairman Xu has severely punished Xu Zifeng, he hopes Xu Zifan can return home as soon as possible and stop causing trouble outside. If Xu Zifan is willing, he can also come to the company for training.
Official statements are usually cold and impersonal, but Xu's statement subtly portrayed a helpless father. As soon as the statement was released, some people said Xu Zifan should go home, arguing that no father doesn't love his child, and that Xu Zifan only dared to cause trouble because of Xu Dong's favoritism; otherwise, he would have to keep a low profile. In short, netizens' doubts about Xu Dong lessened considerably, and they were happy to see Xu Zifeng severely punished. Suddenly, the matter seemed to have lost its appeal for them.
Xu Zifan laughed when he saw the statement. It's good that they're making concessions. The more aggrieved they are, the sooner they'll die. Let that family of three be more and more aggrieved.