He remembered this person; they had met at the gym, but he had never expected the man to message him just to curse him out.

Xu Ke deleted the conversation without a second glance, sparing himself the irritation.

Besides this person, some of his more extreme WeChat friends had also begun to insult him on the app.

Even though this wasn't the first time Xu Ke had been berated this month, his heart still stirred with turmoil. No one could remain calm under such circumstances.

Eventually, Xu Ke simply ignored them all and opened the message from Xu Zhenmin.

Last night at 8:30 PM, his third uncle had written, "Xu Ke, hurry over to the TV station. They're going to trash you live on air."

After that, Xu Zhenmin had made more than a dozen phone calls, but none had been answered.

Xu Ke shook his head. Xu Zhenmin had certainly done his best. It was a pity Xu Ke had been tied up at the time.

He didn't reply. His third uncle was probably still with Nie Qinghe and the others, and replying would only expose his uncle's connection to him.

Next was a message from Jiang Yi: "Boss, where the hell are you?"

Then one from Yuk Dalong: "Mister Xu, we've refuted one rumor, but what should we do about the rest?"

[Voice Call Attempt]

Xu Ke responded, "It's fine. Leave it to me now. Thanks for your hard work."

A message from Qian Hong read, "Sorry, I'm afraid of getting dragged into this, so I've already issued a statement that you're not staying here anymore. Please don't blame me."

She too was busy distancing herself from Xu Ke, terrified of being implicated.

There were also concerned messages from Lin Chu, Qiang Zi, and others. Xu Ke could only reassure them that there was nothing to worry about.

Just then, one message caught him by surprise.

Feng Wei: "I've helped you out once. Now you have to help me!"

The two had added each other as friends after Feng Wei came to check his computer last time, but Feng Wei had remained silent on his friends list, and they hadn't spoken since. He never expected Feng Wei to suddenly send a message like this.

Xu Ke frowned. Feng Wei's help? What kind of help?

Then it dawned on him. He remembered Duan Chongfeng mentioning that the TV broadcast last night had been jammed halfway through. That must be what Feng Wei was talking about.

Xu Ke looked down and replied, "Okay. Thank you for your help. I'll return the favor, but not if it goes against my interests."

After replying to his messages, Xu Ke opened an app to read the long posts by Shan Lan and Yang Qing.

Reading them sent a fresh surge of fury through him. When he saw the part about Qiu Mingli's miserable plight after being doxxed and harassed, he clenched his teeth.

Yang Qing, you will die for this.

In fact, Xu Ke's original plan had been to submit his evidence against Ye Fan to the Martial Arts Alliance today. Although the alliance had an email address he could use to send it directly, he was afraid someone from the Ye Family within the alliance might warn Ye Fan in advance. That way, his opponent would surely be prepared.

So, for now, he had to delay.

On his way to Triumph Pavilion, Xu Ke stopped at a mobile service shop and bought a new SIM card, informing the important people in his life of his new number afterward.

Yang Qing had been ruthless this time, publishing his phone number for all to see. He had to change his number; who could endure being harassed like that every day?

Duan Jia parked the car in front of a sizable shopping mall. Triumph Pavilion was located in the office building behind it.

"I'll head up first then, Brother Duan," Xu Ke said as he got out of the car.

"Alright, take care. Call me if you need anything," Duan Chongfeng replied, miming a phone call.

"Okay."

Xu Ke nodded as Duan Jia drove away.

He turned and headed for the building.

Triumph Pavilion was a rather private, luxury restaurant. It didn't serve the public and only accepted reservations from regular patrons, so it didn't even have a sign. This was also why Wong Qifu had chosen it for their meeting.

He stepped inside.

But as soon as he entered, Xu Ke sensed something was off.

Several pairs of eyes were already secretly sizing him up, their gazes filled with anger and disdain. Someone even scurried over to the security guards to whisper to them.

Xu Ke's brow furrowed at the sight, and he quickened his pace. He had to get to Triumph Pavilion, and fast.

A security guard at the mall entrance approached and stopped him. "Please wait a moment."

Xu Ke frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry, but for the sake of our other customers, we must ask you to leave," the security guard said politely.

Despite the polite tone, the words were extremely offensive. He was, in effect, trying to drive Xu Ke away.

Behind the security guard stood several indignant young women, glaring at Xu Ke as if he were a public menace they had to eliminate. This scum, this rapist, has no right to be in the same mall as us!

Next to them were a few onlookers who, having clearly not followed the news, were watching the spectacle unfold with gawking curiosity. Upon seeing this, the outraged women immediately began whispering to the others, explaining what had happened the night before.

The bystanders' expressions changed instantly.

So he's a rapist!

Witnessing this, Xu Ke sneered, "Sorry, but I'm a customer, and I have the right to enter a place of business."

With that, he moved to walk past the security guard.

The guard grew anxious. "Please, don't make my job difficult. Just leave, alright? Otherwise, they're going to file a complaint against me."

Xu Ke shot back, "You're afraid of their complaint, but not mine?"

The security guard stammered, saying nothing in response. Clearly, he was more afraid of the larger group.

"Then tell me, why can't I go in?" Xu Ke asked, holding back his temper.

His fury toward Yang Qing already had him primed to explode. Now, being stopped from even entering a mall, Xu Ke was on the very edge of rage.

The security guard was still trying to explain when a woman with black-framed glasses stepped out from the crowd and sneered, "What gives you the right to enter? After committing such a heinous act, do you really think you can walk around like a normal person? Don't make it hard for the security guard. Can't you just get lost?"

Xu Ke looked at her coldly. His gaze was knife-sharp, startling her into taking a step back.

"First of all," Xu Ke stated coldly, "I didn't do anything. Secondly, until the police, the prosecution, or the courts convict me, I am a citizen with full legal rights. What gives you the right to stop me here?"

A young man with thick bangs, unable to stand by any longer, stepped forward. "The evidence is all over the internet. You really think you're innocent? The legal process is slow. Just because you haven't been convicted yet doesn't mean you're off the hook! Now please get out!"

As soon as he finished, the others chimed in. "Exactly!"

"Get out!"

"You're not welcome here!"

The woman with the glasses gave the thick-banged young man an approving look. "Well said, Xiao Li!"

Xiao Li's chest swelled with pride.

But Xu Ke suddenly strode forward and sneered, "Heh, if you're blind, go get your eyes checked. Don't run your mouth without using your brain."

"What did you say?" Xiao Li's face flushed red with humiliation from the public insult.

But Xu Ke simply walked past the crowd and headed inside. They couldn't expel him, nor did they have the right. He couldn't be bothered to waste his time arguing with them.

Seeing Xu Ke just insult them and walk off, the self-proclaimed civilized crowd could only fume in frustration.

"Shameless."

"He should be in prison repenting for his crimes, not out here making a scene."

"Don't bother complaining about the security guard later. A guy like that is impossible to stop."

"What a piece of scum, clearly never taught any manners by his parents. And that filthy mouth... Ugh!"

"Forget it. Let's not let scum like him ruin our day. Let's go."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.