But no matter how much he disbelieved it, the facts were right before his eyes. Liu Chengyin had no choice but to accept them.
"You brought this upon yourself." Old Jiang Ba looked deeply at Liu Chengyin, his voice, though aged, was so heavy it almost suffocated the other man.
Liu Chengyin staggered, and if it weren’t for someone supporting him, he would have collapsed.
He was no fool. What Eighth Master referred to as ’attention’ from the various Wealthy Families was clearly a death sentence for his business. A single, simple sentence from Eighth Master could effortlessly plunge him from the middle class into destitution overnight.
Sometimes, death isn’t the most terrible thing. It’s falling from a mountaintop into an abyss, losing everything you once had with no hope of ever rising again. This vast psychological and financial chasm was enough to destroy a person’s sanity.
Liu Chengyin didn’t even have a chance to beg for mercy before resort security chased him away. Disturbing Eighth Master and his distinguished guests was a grave offense.
With blank expressions, Liu Chengyin and the other fathers returned to the reception room where the children and their mothers were waiting.
"Why do you look so pale?" Liu Chengyin’s wife asked in surprise. "Weren’t you going to see Xu Lai and gloat?"
The fathers didn’t respond, falling into a long silence. The oppressive atmosphere gradually quieted the entire reception room.
Ignoring his wife’s question, Liu Chengyin slumped into a chair and clutched his head in desperation. "It’s over," he groaned. "Everything is over."
"What on earth happened?" his wife asked anxiously.
"Xu Lai... he’s Eighth Master’s distinguished guest," one of the fathers said hoarsely.
A wave of laughter spread through the room.
"Are you joking?" Liu Chengyin’s wife chuckled. "The former Ruan Family Head might have been Eighth Master’s guest. But Ruan Tang has been driven out of the family. She’s nothing now."
"Not Ruan Tang. Xu Lai."
"Xu Lai?" Liu Chengyin’s wife looked at her husband and asked, "What exactly is going on?"
His face pale, Liu Chengyin remained silent.
The father who had spoken earlier narrated the events. When he finished, her face turned even paler than her husband’s before her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Fortunately, one of the parents was a doctor. He quickly pinched the pressure point below her nose, and she came around after a few minutes. The first thing she said upon waking was, "Quick, find Young Master Jiang! Have him plead with his father!"
Like a drowning man clutching at straws, Liu Chengyin fumbled for his phone with trembling hands to call Jiang Bai.
After the call connected, he began hoarsely, "Young Master Jiang..."
"What is it? Weren’t Manager Song’s arrangements to your satisfaction? Or do you want me to find you a girl behind your wife’s back?" a hearty laugh came from the other end of the line. "It’s a shame something came up at my company, or I would have been there to greet you myself."
"Young Master Jiang, save me!"
"Hmm?" Jiang Bai’s voice grew serious. "Tell me what happened."
"I... I’ve offended a friend of Eighth Master. He wants to unite the other Wealthy Families to shut down my company. You have to save me, Young Master Jiang," Liu Chengyin pleaded.
"What!?" Jiang Bai was stunned. He hadn’t expected such a serious incident to occur just a few hours after he’d left the resort.
"Don’t panic. I’ll contact my father right away," Jiang Bai said before hanging up.
As they waited anxiously, the others began to offer comfort.
"President Liu, don’t worry. Everyone knows that Eighth Master dotes on his youngest son, Jiang Bai, the most. He will certainly listen to him."
"That’s right. Eighth Master wouldn’t shut you down completely for Xu Lai’s sake."
This chorus of reassurance slowly stabilized Liu Chengyin and his wife’s state of mind. They gradually began to believe that Eighth Master wouldn’t take things to the extreme. Even if Xu Lai is a VIP, Eighth Master will probably just show him respect on the surface while quietly withdrawing the ban behind the scenes.
So, Liu Chengyin took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Once I get through this tough time, I’ll invite everyone to Mingyue Tea House for a vegetarian meal."
His phone rang. The immediacy with which Liu Chengyin answered told everyone that he wasn’t as composed as he appeared. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel✶fire.net
"Young Master Jiang, how did it go?" Liu Chengyin swallowed as he asked nervously.
Jiang Bai sighed. "I’m sorry."
Those two words made Liu Chengyin’s head spin.
But what Jiang Bai said next left him completely dumbfounded. "Chengyin, who on earth did you offend? Even I’ve been kicked out."
Jiang Bai was extremely frustrated. As soon as the call had connected, his father had berated him harshly, chiding him for choosing his friends poorly. He was then told he couldn’t return to the Jiang Family for three years, otherwise his legs would be broken.
Who is Xu Lai? Liu Chengyin was utterly lost. He’s just an ordinary school doctor at a private university.
"Chengyin, I have some advice for you," Jiang Bai said. "Leave East Sea and try your luck in The North. You’re still young and have the capital to start over."
Despite being implicated, Jiang Bai didn’t bear any grudges and sincerely offered his advice.
"Young Master Jiang, thank you." Liu Chengyin held his wife’s ashen hand and said bitterly, "I’ve lost everything. Are you willing to start over with me? If you are, we’ll go to The North. If not... I’ll liquidate my assets as quickly as possible and leave them all to you."
"You bastard!" his wife cried out. "When we graduated from university, you promised you’d take care of me for the rest of my life! Are you going back on your word?"
Liu Chengyin finally smiled. The smile grew, transitioning from a silent grin into a hearty laugh.
He wasn’t left with nothing after all. The most precious thing had always been right by his side, never far away.
In stark contrast, the same kindergarten parents who had been showering him with praise just moments ago now fell silent under his sweeping gaze, their eyes darting away.
The father who had previously mentioned his wife was from Liu City and had asked Liu Chengyin to look out for her now said, "Liu Chengyin, my company’s having some difficulties recently, otherwise I’d help you tide over this tough time."
Once he spoke, the other parents quickly echoed his sentiment, obviously afraid Liu Chengyin would ask to borrow money.
Liu Chengyin opened his mouth, but ultimately, he couldn’t say a thing.
This was human nature—chilling and terrifyingly real.
Under the cover of night, Liu Chengyin left silently with his wife and daughter after booking tickets to a city in The North for the next day.
Around eight o’clock that evening, Xu Lai arrived at Villa 1 in Area A. It was a secluded and extravagantly decorated home with a huge hot spring pool in the backyard. Xu Yiyi and Ruan Tang, both in swimsuits, were splashing around happily inside.
Xu Lai didn’t get in the water, instead lounging on a rattan chair by the pool. The world is full of hustle and bustle, but nothing beats the simple warmth of home with my wife and child.
"Daddy, help Yiyi splash Mommy!" Xu Yiyi called out sweetly.
Ruan Tang shot her a look. "Xu Yiyi, why don’t you join Mommy in splashing him?"
"There can’t be two tigers on one mountain! Mommy is the tigress, and Yiyi is the cute little tiger! Rawr!"
Ruan Tang’s face darkened. "Xu Lai, get in here. We need to have a talk."
Xu Lai was stunned. I didn’t teach her that! It has absolutely nothing to do with me! How did I get hit by a stray bullet just lying here? Who on earth is teaching Yiyi these things?
Somewhere else, a certain young man with the surname Qian suddenly sneezed and muttered, "Who’s talking behind my back about how handsome I am!"