"..."
Perhaps the question was too unexpected from Yu Wenli. The man stared at him with a deep gaze.
For a long time, he remained silent.
Yu Wenli did not rush him.
What he needed to know, he already knew.
Now, he only wanted to know what he didn't know.
For instance, Cheng Xi.
That seemingly ordinary, yet strangely unsettling entertainment reporter.
"I don't know him."
The man lowered his eyes and gave his answer.
Yu Wenli's expression was indifferent. "What Jiang Tu can give you, I can too."
"You?" The man scoffed. "Don't joke, Young Master Yu. Jiang Tu is the young master of the Jiang family in the capital. What are you?"
Jiangcheng and the capital were on entirely different levels.
Let alone the disparity between the Yu family and the Jiang family.
Yu Wenli smiled. "I understand Jiang Tu better than you do. He won't help you because you're useless now."
The man: "..."
"Even if you take all the blame, he won't say a good word about you. At most, when you're mentioned, he'll say, 'He was a good dog.'"
Yu Wenli mercilessly shattered his illusion.
The man remained silent.
"According to your crimes, I guarantee you'll get ten years or more."
Yu Wenli chuckled indifferently.
"But... after ten years, what will you be able to do? Will Jiang Tu still recognize you?
"Or, are you sure the Jiang family will be stronger than the Yu family is now when that time comes?
"Sir, whether to gamble or not is entirely up to you, and I will only give you one chance."
Yu Wenli deliberately emphasized 'one,' and the man indeed looked up.
They stared at each other in silence, just as they had at the beginning.
But this time, it was shorter. The man sighed. "What do you want to ask?"
"Cheng Xi."
Yu Wenli provided the keyword.
The man pursed his lips. "I saw him in Jiang Tu's study. I don't know what he does specifically."
"Jiang Tu?" Yu Wenli narrowed his eyes, clearly surprised.
The man caught his emotion. "Who else would it be?"
"Is the owner of that clothing brand Jiang Tu's person?"
There were two key figures in the kidnapping case.
One was the man from the online auction who arranged for the model to wait for a car by the roadside.
The other was the never-seen owner of a clothing brand who took an immediate liking to Wen Tingxue.
The former had been apprehended, but the latter...
"No," the man said. "We had arranged for an owner.
"But there was an accident, and another clothing brand got there first."
Since it didn't affect the plan's progress, they didn't intervene.
...
After a few more questions, Yu Wenli frowned.
He hadn't lied.
He had investigated many things before coming.
He asked him deliberately to test the sincerity of his allegiance.
"Alright."
Yu Wenli stood up with a faint expression. The man watched him with a slight discomposure.
"Don't worry."
Yu Wenli mouthed, "I'll help you."
With that, he turned away.
The school uniform adorned with Iron Man looked rather cute, making him stand out even more in prison.
It seemed to lack credibility.
But the man believed him implicitly.
Even though he was only eighteen and still a student.
After all, he had never seen anyone who could trouble the young master of the Jiang family for so long.
Yu Wenli was the first.
-
Upon leaving the detention center, Yu Wenli received a call from the capital.
It was an exasperated young voice, brimming with arrogance.
"Yu Wenli! Your little girlfriend was lucky this time, but next time, who knows!"
"Heh."
Yu Wenli let out a dismissive laugh. "Young Master Jiang should focus on his own private life first, so he doesn't get scolded again."
Knowing that Jiang Tu had orchestrated the kidnapping, he had immediately contacted public accounts, internet trolls, and popular Weibo influencers, exposing a slew of Jiang Tu's scandals.
Jiang Tu must have had a rough time lately.
Indeed, Jiang Tu gritted his teeth and said, "I knew it was you!"
His career had been smooth sailing until he met Yu Wenli.
That boy who was superior to him in every way!
"It's just tit for tat."
Yu Wenli looked up at the night sky, his tone indifferent.
Putting aside his identity as the young master of the Jiang family, Jiang Tu was also a scorching hot new top star in the entertainment industry.
Especially at this time, the slightest disturbance could cause him immense losses.
Let alone completely solid evidence like this.
His popularity had plummeted time and again.
The singer heavily promoted by Lin's Group seized the opportunity, making a fortune.
Otherwise, how could Lin Wanqing have been pushing the situation from behind the scenes.
While Yu Wenli didn't have a powerful family background,
in terms of schemes, he was by no means inferior.
...
Jiang Tu panted angrily, unwilling to concede.
"Yu Wenli, I can overlook your offense.
"I can increase my offer.
"Just name your price, and I'll give you double.
"Triple! Write me a song, and I'll give you half of the profits. How about that?"
Even now, he was still trying to win him over.
He genuinely admired Yu Wenli's talent, but he also hated his ambition.
Otherwise, given his personality, a stumbling block like Yu Wenli would have been dealt with decisively.
"Not interested."
Yu Wenli scoffed and refused. "I can sing the songs I write myself. I don't need you to be my failure."
Jiang Tu had a good voice.
But that didn't mean he could sing the emotions in his songs.
A young master who had never experienced hardship, how could he understand the suffering, joys, and sorrows of life?
Singing love songs would suffice.
"Yu Wenli!"
Jiang Tu roared in fury. "You're rejecting a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! You're not content with being behind the scenes, why do you have to show off in front of the camera?!
"Since you're so ungrateful! Don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After issuing a threat, Jiang Tu was about to hang up.
Yu Wenli's light remark stopped him.
"Your senior martial brother must really like you, right? A qualified pawn."
"What do you mean?"
As soon as Jiang Tu asked, Yu Wenli had already hung up.
"Damn it!"
Jiang Tu cursed in rage.
He wanted to call back and ask for clarification but was immediately blocked.
"Damn it! Ahhhhhh! Damn it!"
The young master was on the verge of a breakdown.
...
"What's the word?" Mu Chen leaned against the car and asked. "Did the young master cry?"
"Not yet."
Yu Wenli curved his lips. "He's grown up now and doesn't cry as much."
Mu Chen laughed. "What a shame. He looks better when he cries than when he smiles."
"Is that all there is to this matter?"
Chi Zerui kicked the car tire, still somewhat disgruntled.
Mu Chen shook his head. "He's the sole heir of the Jiang family. Don't even think about it, even your uncle can't do anything to him.
"It's already remarkable that Ah Li managed to make him suffer such a loss."
"He got off easy," Chi Zerui pouted, with a hint of childishness.
Mu Chen raised an eyebrow with a deep gaze but said nothing more.
"Jiang Tu must know about your dealings with the Lin Corporation. I suspect he'll make another move."
Mu Chen reminded him.
Yu Wenli had no weaknesses before, but now, he had Wen Tingxue.
And Shang Ziqian's plan had been successful.
Jiang Tu wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass.
Compared to Shang Ziqian's revenge, Jiang Tu truly didn't want Yu Wenli to enter the entertainment industry.
He wanted him to remain a controllable figure behind the scenes forever.
Yu Wenli shook his head. "Jiang Tu isn't the key. The key is his senior martial brother."
That seemingly gentle and unassuming man, who was actually deeply calculating.
Jiang Chengyuan's most favored successor.
Mu Chen raised an eyebrow. "What's your plan?"
As Yu Wenli was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Xing Jiahe.
"Brother Yu, something's happened..."
The usually calm teenager sounded unusually anxious.
Yu Wenli frowned. "Tell us slowly, we're on our way."
-
Wen family villa.
Wen Tingxue was reading late into the night. When she went downstairs to get water, Xu Kexin returned, opening the door.
"Fang Yi left you some supper."
Wen Tingxue asked, her back to her, "Should I heat it up for you? You go take a shower first?"
There was no response other than the sound of footsteps.
"Huh?"
Wen Tingxue thought she had misheard. She put down the water glass and turned around.
She saw that Xu Kexin's expression was blank, her eyes distant.
Her steps were dragging, and she looked exhausted.
As if she had been struck by something.
"Xinxin?"
Wen Tingxue quickly walked over and blocked her path, asking:
"What's wrong? Did something happen at work?"
"..."
Her footsteps halted. Xu Kexin gathered her gaze and only then noticed Wen Tingxue in front of her.
Her eyes instantly turned red.
"My, my father..."
The tears she had been holding back welled up. Wen Tingxue tenderly helped her to sit on the sofa.
"What exactly happened? Tell me slowly."
Wen Tingxue poured her a glass of water.
She didn't take it.
"Tomorrow..."
Xu Kexin tried to control her expression, to look less pitiable.
"The trial is tomorrow, isn't it? My father found a lawyer, and then..."
At the crucial point, she couldn't hold back any longer and broke down crying, hugging Wen Tingxue.
Wen Tingxue felt a wet patch on her shoulder, but she hadn't said anything yet.
She didn't know how to ask, so she handed her tissues, telling her to wipe her face first.
After she had calmed down, Wen Tingxue asked, "He found a lawyer, and then? Did the lawyer talk to you? Or, did Xu Ziliang threaten you again?"
"No..."
Xu Kexin shook her head, a bitter smile on her face. "It's more cruel than that..."