The press conference was eerily quiet. Everyone's face was etched with shock, and all cameras were locked onto Xu Ke's calm expression.

"Mr. Ding, have you heard enough?" Xu Ke asked, looking toward Ding Anzhi. "Do you have any other questions?"

Ding Anzhi's face was ashen, and he was unable to utter a single word. He had never dreamed that Xu Ke could obtain such evidence. With this recording released, all his questions had become a joke. What drove him to despair was the clear realization that his reputation was about to be ruined.

As expected, the audience watching the live broadcast, who had been supporting Ding Anzhi, completely turned against him.

"So, it was Ding Anzhi and Xu Ke's relatives conspiring to frame him."

"Damn, he looks so respectable, but he's actually a corrupt journalist."

"Pah! Truly disgusting."

Seeing that Ding Anzhi had fallen silent, Xu Ke continued to explain to the cameras, "The source of this recording was actually my third uncle."

The moment he finished speaking, the room erupted in an uproar.

A reporter quickly asked, "Mister Xu, is your third uncle the Xu Zhenmin who was on the program last night?"

"That's right," Xu Ke nodded.

The crowd was astonished. Wasn't Xu Zhenmin on the show to slander Xu Ke? So he was an undercover agent all along!

Xu Ke smiled faintly. "My third uncle knew that my aunt planned to harm me, so he deliberately cooperated with them to obtain this evidence and prove my innocence. It also provides our media friends with the most interesting news material."

This kind of undercover story, when written, would certainly be a sensation. Sure enough, many of the reporters began to applaud enthusiastically.

However, those who had dug a little deeper and investigated Xu Ke's relatives didn't believe this was a simple case of Xu Zhenmin's conscience prompting him to help Xu Ke.

On the contrary, they were secretly wary. If this operation wasn't orchestrated by Xu Ke from behind the scenes, how could Xu Zhenmin, an ordinary man from Xu Family Village, manage to act on a TV program while also playing the role of an undercover agent?

「The day before」

Before he had even gone to the Zhou Family, Xu Ke had instructed Xu Zhenmin to be ready to record. Anything would do; he just needed to record it on his phone.

As for the words Xu Ke was speaking now, he was also saying them on Xu Zhenmin's behalf. Xu Zhenmin had agreed to cooperate and be his inside man, partly because he was paid and partly to maintain his standing in Xu Family Village. So, while Xu Ke paid him, he also needed to clear Xu Zhenmin's name during the press conference.

「In a Western restaurant」

"Yang Qing, what… what is going on?! Were we set up by that lowlife Xu Zhenmin?" Sun Luo stared blankly at the live broadcast of Xu Ke's explanation. The smugness he had felt just moments before was now completely frozen on his face. Did this mean their entire scheme had been anticipated by Xu Ke from the very beginning?

He turned to Yang Qing and roared, "Speak up!"

Yang Qing's face was as white as a sheet, and her lips trembled. "I… I…"

After stammering for a long time, Yang Qing couldn't manage to get a single word out. She was in a total panic. She had been wary of Xu Ke, but she never imagined the greedy Xu Zhenmin would do something like this. The only explanation was that Xu Ke had offered him more money.

She swallowed hard, grinding her teeth. "Maybe… maybe that good-for-nothing Xu Ke gave him more…"

SLAP!

But Sun Luo had no desire to listen to her excuses. He exploded with anger and struck her across the face, sending her flying two or three meters.

THUD.

Yang Qing was thrown to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

"Useless fool! Bastard!" Sun Luo roared furiously, then immediately turned and stormed out.

His voice was also on that recording. If he were implicated, it could even drag Wong Ting down with him. How could Sun Luo not be enraged? If they weren't in a restaurant, he would have killed Yang Qing right then and there.

After Sun Luo left, Huang Sheng and Huang Zhenyang stood up.

"Let's go," Huang Sheng said, leaving without so much as a glance at Yang Qing. She was just a dog to him, not even worth his pity.

Huang Zhenyang, however, looked down at Yang Qing on the ground with a grim expression. "You spent so much of our Huang Family's money, yet you couldn't even handle such a trivial matter. Remember this, Yang Qing. You will pay back every cent."

Yang Qing had paid out eight hundred thousand, and then another eight hundred thousand. How could Huang Zhenyang not feel the sting of that loss? But he couldn't demand the money from Xu Ke, so he could only vent his anger on Yang Qing. After saying his piece, Huang Zhenyang followed Huang Sheng out, leaving Yang Qing lying on the floor.

Struck by a furious Innate Martial Artist, half of Yang Qing's face was swollen up like a pig's head. If Sun Luo hadn't held back, she would have been knocked unconscious instantly.

Despair washed over Yang Qing's face as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her heart was a desolate wasteland. In this attempt to take down Xu Ke, she had lost everything. She had lost the trust of the Huang Family and Wong Ting. Not only would she be unable to keep the job she had just gotten back and miss her chance to soar, but she would also have to pay back a large sum of money. Moreover, to frame Xu Ke, she had gone for broke and thrown away her reputation, only to now be exposed as a slanderer. She truly had nothing left.

No… no, I can't just admit defeat like this…

「Inside the rental apartment」

"Xu Zhenmin, you bastard!" Xu Feng'an shrieked.

Nie Qinghe was desperate to find Xu Zhenmin and beat him to a pulp. That bastard actually recorded them in secret! But Xu Zhenmin had already found a chance to slip away the moment the recording was played.

After today's press conference, Xu Feng'an's reputation was utterly destroyed. She loved money, but she also cared deeply about saving face. Otherwise, she could have just extorted Xu Ke directly instead of coming up with all those excuses about "doing it for Xu Ke's own good" before taking the money. She simply wanted both the money and her dignity. But after what happened today, she could already imagine how the people of Jiang City would gossip about her. The thought of a day when people would point fingers at her and curse her to her face was unbearable.

At that thought, Xu Feng'an's vision went dark, and she fainted.

Nie Qinghe panicked instantly. "Mom! Mom!" he cried, fumbling for his phone to call the hospital.

「At the press conference」

After explaining the situation with Xu Zhenmin, Xu Ke moved on to a regular Q&A session. Taking the opportunity, Ding Anzhi slipped away through a side door, though he couldn't escape the watchful eyes of certain people.

Meanwhile, public opinion among those watching the live stream began to shift. Since all of yesterday's accusations against Xu Ke had been proven false, almost no one was insulting him anymore.

Some members of the media, on the other hand, were so excited they could barely stay in their seats. Yesterday and today were both a harvest season for them! The more sensational the public outcry against Xu Ke was yesterday, the more ferocious his counterattack was today. Denouncing Xu Ke yesterday and defending him today—how much money could this back-and-forth generate for them?

At that moment, they were already gleefully watching the online buzz about Xu Ke skyrocket.

Indeed. They reasoned that hiding in the shadows and quietly making a fortune was the true path to success. Only an idiot, like Ding Anzhi or that female reporter, would be stupid enough to openly confront Xu Ke. All they got was a public scolding from Xu Ke and a ruined reputation, gaining nothing in the process. It was far more comfortable to be like them, acting as fence-sitters.

As long as they didn't come out and challenge Xu Ke here today, they figured he wouldn't dare to offend the entire media apparatus. Even big celebrities had to pay them protection money to avoid negative press. Xu Ke would be no exception.

It had to be said, their opinion of Xu Ke had improved considerably. As long as this pretty boy who dared to curse people out at a press conference was around, they would never run out of topics to cash in on.

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