"What's the matter?" Wong Qifu answered the phone.

"I've sent the reporters from the urban village away. The Wang Family can use this to their advantage," Xu Ke said.

This was one of the reasons he had orchestrated the incident. The Wang Family could seize the opportunity to occupy the moral high ground. After all, the reporters had cooked up the whole thing to target the Wang Family and smear him, so it was only reasonable for the Wang Family to counterattack.

The Wang Family just needs to choose their angle carefully when publicly condemning the media so they don't give the other side any ammunition to use against them. But that wasn't something Xu Ke needed to worry about. He wasn't some media expert, after all.

Upon hearing this, Wong Qifu was taken aback, then asked, "How did you send them away?"

Ever since Xu Ke had gained his powers, she no longer had Wang Wu protecting him around the clock. Naturally, she couldn't possibly know everything that happened around him.

"I found some old classmates of mine..." Xu Ke briefly explained his strategy.

Wong Qifu laughed. "Your plan was quite well-designed, covering all the bases. Qiang Zi pretends to be ill to incite chaos, other classmates pose as reporters to muddy the waters, and then, before anyone has time to think or object, you bring out Zhang Qiming to deliver the final word."

The whole process was over before the masterminds could even react. At this point, whether Qiang Zi was truly sick was no longer important. What mattered was that the story—media reporters nearly driving a man to his death—was now set in stone.

"However, how did you get Zhang Qiming to cooperate with you?" she wondered. "I remember the Zhou Family once tried to recruit Zhang Qiming, but he disdained consorting with the powerful and influential figures of the six big families, preferring to fight alone. How could such an upright man agree to help you fake this?"

"On the day of the car accident, he asked me to give him some guidance on his acupuncture techniques," Xu Ke said. "I told him that after today's incident, I would discuss it with him and share my experience. However, even though I agreed to an exchange, he seems to want me to be his teacher." His tone held a hint of helplessness.

Hearing this, a sound came from Wong Qifu's end as if she was putting something down. She sounded a little exasperated. "Can you not be so smug after getting the upper hand?"

His words were just asking for a slap!

"I'm not," Xu Ke denied with a straight face.

"Whatever you say. I won't argue," Wong Qifu replied.

"Don't you go slandering an innocent man," Xu Ke retorted.

"Alright, let's drop this. Any more and your head will get too big," Wong Qifu said calmly.

Only then did Xu Ke let the topic go.

Wong Qifu continued, "You've worked hard this time. You had to deal with them while your injuries still haven't healed. It's my fault for not being able to solve the problem for you," she added, her tone laced with apology.

"It's fine. I was just watching from upstairs the whole time. You don't need to apologize," Xu Ke explained.

He knew why Wong Qifu couldn't break away to help him. It was all because the Ye and Huang Families were keeping her occupied.

After a moment of silence, Wong Qifu said, "...Well, alright then."

She sounded somewhat emotional. The Xu Ke from before and the Xu Ke of now... there hadn't been any earth-shattering changes, yet subtle differences were already starting to appear.

"Still, there is one regret about all this," Xu Ke said, changing the subject to distract her.

"What regret?" Wong Qifu asked, startled. She had assumed his only goal was to drive the reporters away.

"Actually, I didn't initially think of asking Zhang Qiming for help," Xu Ke explained. "I originally planned to go down and treat the person myself. That would have been the safest approach.

"Moreover, if I, the main target, made an appearance, it might have even lured out the mastermind behind the scenes."

After all, Qiang Zi was just faking his illness. If I'd rashly approached Zhang Qiming to discuss falsifying something, what if he refused and exposed me? That's why my initial plan was to go down and perform the treatment myself. That way, I could make up any symptoms I wanted for Qiang Zi on the spot. I even brought my medical license just so no one could accuse me of practicing without one.

"But why didn't you?" Wong Qifu asked with a smile.

"I was afraid it would backfire, haha," Xu Ke laughed. "My appearance wouldn't have convinced them immediately; it would have likely just aroused more suspicion. Only a doctor with real authority could make them believe instantly and shut down any objections."

That was why he ultimately chose to ask Zhang Qiming for help. Even if he had presented a genuine medical license, they would have certainly denied its validity and questioned Qiang Zi's entire condition. If the lie had been exposed then, the whole thing would have backfired spectacularly. So, Zhang Qiming was the most suitable choice.

Still, I was pretty nervous when I called him. What if his integrity was unshakeable and he refused... Luckily, it all worked out in the end.

"The right choice," Wong Qifu nodded. "But what's this regret you mentioned?"

"The problem is, the people pulling the strings never made an appearance. I know the mastermind sent the reporters to draw fire and wouldn't show up here personally, but it's still a bit disappointing," Xu Ke said regretfully.

If only he could have followed the trail and exposed the one who bribed the reporters. That's the outcome he'd really wanted to see. If it turned out to be someone from the Huang or Ye Family, he would have been even happier. Then, Wong Qifu could have used this incident to launch a direct attack against them.

Hearing this, Wong Qifu shook her head. "Things can't be accomplished in a single step. I know you want to expose the person behind this and help me, but these people are experts at playing dirty tricks. When they do, they make sure to cover their tracks well. The people from the Ye or Huang Families would never have been present tonight. Not only that, they probably even used someone else's identity when they hired those reporters."

"Indeed," Xu Ke nodded.

Just then, Wong Qifu suddenly let out a laugh. "It's quite ironic, isn't it? Back in the Martial Alliance, Ye Fan called us from the six big families 'superior people,' yet it turns out the 'superior people' are the best at playing dirty tricks."

Xu Ke could detect the self-deprecation in her voice. Hearing this, he slowly shook his head. "Don't lump yourself in with them. You're not the 'superior people' they talk about."

"Then what am I?" Wong Qifu asked seriously.

"Hmm," Xu Ke pondered, then suddenly blurted out on impulse, "You're my person."

Wong Qifu went silent. Holding the phone, her graceful hand froze.

An awkward silence fell over both ends of the line.

A moment later...

"Ahem." Unable to bear the awkwardness, Xu Ke coughed deliberately to cover it up.

Hearing this, Wong Qifu teased, "Awkward, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah, pretty awkward," Xu Ke coughed again.

He'd proven once again that his skill at sweet-talking was practically zero.

"Then you should talk less if it makes you awkward," Wong Qifu chuckled, her tone light and airy. "Don't always be so bold with your words but so timid in your actions."

With that said, she hung up.

Xu Ke froze, his brow furrowed.

Was she just looking down on him?!

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