In the blink of an eye, the black-clad men had surrounded the group of bodyguards encircling Jiang Fuyue and Zhong Ziang—double their number.
Manager Huang was dumbstruck.
Zhong Ziang froze as well.
The group of suited thugs looked at each other, clearly not understanding what had just happened.
Only Jiang Fuyue remained as calm and composed as ever.
At that moment, a tall, poised man stepped out from the group in black.
Manager Huang barked furiously, “Who are you?! Do you have any idea where this is? You’re—”
Thud!
Yan Zhixing kicked him hard in his round belly. Manager Huang rolled back twice like a ball, landing face-first on the ground in a pathetic heap.
He was still in shock, eyes glazed and face frozen.
But Yan Zhixing had already reached Jiang Fuyue. Catching sight of Zhong Ziang nearby, he swallowed the “Sister Yue” that was about to slip out and simply asked, “You alright?”
“I’m fine. Let’s talk outside.”
Yan Zhixing gave a quick signal to his men. The thugs were quickly subdued by the black-clad group.
Jiang Fuyue’s group began retreating.
Suddenly, Zhong Ziang halted in his steps and turned back toward Manager Huang, who was cowering in a corner, trembling.
“Young Master Zhong, please be generous. I didn’t know who I was dealing with—I was wrong, I was ignorant…”
“You were running a scam, weren’t you?”
Manager Huang stiffened, like a duck with its neck wrung.
“Who’s behind this?”
“…”
“Yu Jiaze?”
Several rapid-fire questions nearly knocked the breath out of Manager Huang.
“What? Cat got your tongue now? Weren’t you quite the talker just a minute ago?”
“Young Master Zhong, let me explain, I really didn’t—”
“That’s enough,” Zhong Ziang looked down at him coldly. “I’ll remember what happened today. We’ll settle this slowly—later.”
With that, he turned and strode away.
Manager Huang’s face turned sheet white as he shouted after him, “Young Master Zhong, listen—I didn’t do this alone—I was forced to—!”
Outside, the sun was shining brightly. After hearing Jiang Fuyue’s account, Zhong Ziang felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy pit, cold to his bones.
“Yu. Jia. Ze!”
The apology, the dinner invitation—they were all fake. Only the scheme was real.
“What do you plan to do next?” Jiang Fuyue asked.
Zhong Ziang’s eyes narrowed sharply.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t press further. She got into Yan Zhixing’s car, ready to leave.
“Sorry. I just wanted to take you out for a relaxing time today—didn’t think I’d drag you into this mess.”
Jiang Fuyue waved her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Mm.” Zhong Ziang watched her drive off before leaving in his own car.
Yan Zhixing arranged for two bodyguards to escort him all the way back to Yutianhua Residence safely.
Xie Dingyuan wasn’t home.
Zhong Ziang greeted Aunt Liu, then went straight upstairs.
In the bedroom, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, he took out his phone and dialed a number.
The call connected quickly. Zhong Yunyi’s voice came through, half amused, half sarcastic: “Well, well—look who finally remembered to call his old man.”
Listening closely, the tone carried more than a bit of mockery.
“Go ahead—what’s wrong? Out of cash? Got into trouble again? Your dear uncle didn’t cover for you this time?”
Zhong Ziang’s face remained expressionless, and his voice was ice-cold: “I don’t have time to listen to your sarcasm. Zhong Yunyi, listen carefully. I’ll say it once. Do you remember Yu Jiaze? The guy in the capital who falsely accused me of molesting his sister? He’s transferred to Linhuai No. 1 High now. He just set up a rigged gambling scheme to trap me. Looks like he’s out for revenge—not just for his sister, but maybe for something bigger. Like you. Or the Zhong family.”
On the other end, Zhong Yunyi’s tone instantly turned serious: “Yu, you said?”
Not long ago, the Yu family had publicly acknowledged an illegitimate son—if he remembered correctly, his name was Yu Jiaze.
“If you don’t want the Zhong family ruined by my hands, you’d better take care of him. Fast. I can’t guarantee I’ll be lucky enough to escape again next time.”
Zhong Yunyi: “I got it.”
“One more thing. If you’re going to make enemies, deal with it yourself. Don’t drag me or my mom into it.”
“Hah…” A cold laugh. “Drag you in? Don’t you carry the Zhong name? Isn’t your mother Mrs. Zhong?”
“What’s so great about being a Zhong? I’d rather be named Zhu, or even Gou.” With that, he hung up.
On the other end, Zhong Yunyi slammed a teacup in rage, “Ungrateful little brat!”
Xie Yunzao heard the noise and pushed open the door. “What are you throwing a tantrum over now?”
The man relaxed his expression and waved her over. “Wife, come here.”
She walked up to him. “What is it?”
The next second, she was pulled into a warm embrace, faintly tinged with cigarette smoke.
Zhong Yunyi: “Your son just called me.”
Xie Yunzao corrected him, “He’s your son too.”
“Of course. Or who else would you want to have a child with?”
“…You’re so annoying.”
“Hey, honey, I wanted to ask you something.”
Xie Yunzao frowned. “That never means anything good.”
He chuckled lowly, the sound resonating deep in his chest, his laugh lines giving him an effortlessly roguish charm. “We’re husband and wife—how could I lie to you?”
Xie Yunzao didn’t respond, her expression unreadable.
“Let’s bring Zhong Ziang back. He’s not suited to stay in Linhuai any longer. It’s been half a year of turmoil—enough is enough.”
“Turmoil?” she said coldly. “You were the one who kicked him out, and now you want him back? What do you take my son for? Some kind of dog to call and dismiss at your whim?”
“Tut—are you calling me a mutt now?”
Xie Yunzao: “…”
