But before he could walk over and speak to Father Sun, Gu Lou instructed his subordinates to continue confronting him.
"You don't need to argue. You are a spy for the Hong Kong businessmen, a traitor helping them swindle us domestic businessmen. We will not believe your words."
"Since you are a spy for the Hong Kong businessmen, you must have made preparations for exposure. Finding someone called the Village Chief to speak for you in advance would be an easy matter, wouldn't it?"
"You are a traitor, a spy."
"You are their mole."
"..."
The more these people spoke, the more excessive they became, directly pinning the label of spy onto Zhang Liunian, regardless of whether Zhang Liunian accepted it.
Zhang Liunian was amused to the point of laughter by their words. He had just suspected the Gu family of being the spies, only for the blame to be thrown onto him. He wouldn't accept it.
"All of you are in your thirties and forties. You must understand that words should not be spoken carelessly. You repeatedly claim I am a spy for the Hong Kong businessmen. May I ask what evidence you have? Without evidence, it is slander and defamation." Zhang Liunian wasn't going to give these people any face; they were just Gu Lou's lackeys.
"We all saw it. What other proof do we need?"
"That's right, we all saw it. We are the witnesses."
"..."
The Gu family faction members lied with flushed faces and steady hearts. Zhang Liunian sneered and asked again, "May I ask at what time and where you saw me on October 1st?"
Since they insisted on saying they saw him with the Hong Kong businessmen with their own eyes, he would meticulously clarify things with them.
"..." The Gu family faction members were instantly speechless. How could they know these details? They only said they saw it because Boss Gu said so. These questions naturally had to be asked to Boss Gu. With this thought, their gazes turned towards Gu Lou.
Sensing their gazes, Gu Lou cursed them as idiots. Wasn't looking over so openly inviting suspicion? They were truly foolish. He cursed inwardly but showed nothing on his face, saying, "At the entrance of the Pengcheng Hotel."
"How many people were there among the Hong Kong businessmen at that time? How many men and women? What was the weather like?" Zhang Liunian pretended to want to go over the details with Gu Lou, but his real intention was to probe whether Gu Lou was the spy.
How could Gu Lou have anticipated Zhang Liunian's plan? He was currently rendered speechless by the questions. He didn't want to answer, but his mind involuntarily recalled the scene of that day and he blurted out, "Twelve, all men."
"Were we staying at the hotel?"
"Presumably."
"Where were you standing when you saw it?"
"I was just passing by."
"..."
So, he knew quite clearly. It seemed more likely that the Gu family was the spy for the Hong Kong businessmen.
"Boss Gu knows the details very clearly. If that's the case, the Pengcheng Hotel must have records. A quick check will reveal whether I appeared there that day. Boss Gu, would you be willing to accompany me to take a look? See if their front desk recognizes my face. I believe they won't forget me after seeing it, as my face is quite distinctive." Zhang Liunian was quite confident in his appearance.
Anyone who had seen him at the front desk would likely not forget him.
Upon hearing this, Gu Lou's face instantly darkened because he realized he had seemingly fallen into Zhang Liunian's trap. If they went to check the records at the Pengcheng Hotel, wouldn't that expose him? He had been careless. He thought Zhang Liunian only wanted to use such details to argue his case, but it turned out he intended to investigate the records.
"What records to check? So much time has passed, who would remember who you are?" Gu Lou naturally refused without hesitation.
Zhang Liunian noticed the abnormality in his expression and declared as if struck by lightning, "Boss Gu, could you be the guilty one crying 'stop thief'? You are the spy, and that's why you are unwilling to cooperate with me in the investigation!"
"Nonsense!" Gu Lou exclaimed as if struck by thunder. When he stood up and saw the suspicious gazes from everyone, he realized he had been too agitated.
"I, Gu Lou, am the captain of the Anti-Hong Kong Business Association, the leader. How could I possibly be a spy? Please do not slander me casually, because you are insulting the entire Anti-Hong Kong Business Association." Gu Lou calmed his emotions and sat down again, not mentioning checking the records at all.
Father Sun's eyes flickered, but ultimately, he did not utter a word.
"Boss Gu is a person, and am I not? We are both experiencing this for the first time. Why is it that only you are allowed to slander me, and I cannot suspect you of being the spy?" Zhang Liunian didn't want to argue with him, but since the other party was so unreasonable, he couldn't remain silent.
"Pfft!"
Father Sun burst into laughter upon hearing this and finally spoke up to support Zhang Liunian, "Old man, he makes a lot of sense. Boss Zhang is anxious to clear his name after being suspected. You claim to have seen it with your own eyes yet are unwilling to cooperate with an investigation to verify your words. This clearly indicates a problem, doesn't it?"
Could it be that the old man Gu was actually with the Hong Kong businessmen?
Father Sun's expression became serious as he began to ponder the possibility of this situation. However, upon thinking of Gu Lou's position in the Anti-Hong Kong Business Association, he found it unlikely.
"You old man, you'd rather believe him than me? How long have we known each other? Would I be that kind of person?" Gu Lou saw that Father Sun was beginning to doubt and secretly realized things were not good. If he were exposed, he wouldn't be able to make a living in Pengcheng.
"You are not that kind of person, so let's go to the hotel and ask together. It will help clear my name. What are you afraid of?" Zhang Liunian interjected.
"Who's afraid? You don't know what you're talking about." Gu Lou retorted with a cold face.
"Then let's go. To the hotel."
"..." This provocative tactic wasn't working. Gu Lou still didn't respond but instead gestured to his henchmen.
Upon receiving Gu Lou's signal, Old Mu and the others immediately launched their attacks on Zhang Liunian.
"Why should we listen to you? You want us to go, so we go? What do you think you are?"
"Exactly. You have no right to make us waste our time on a wild goose chase."
"What is there to verify? We all saw it with our own eyes. Can there be any falsehood?"
"There's no mistake. No need to ask."
"..."
Zhang Liunian ignored the cries of these people and walked to Father Sun's side. He said something to him that startled Father Sun, causing him to turn and ask, "Is that true?"
Zhang Liunian smiled, "How could I harm Boss Sun? Verifying such matters is easy for you, isn't it?" All it would take was for someone to sneak in and make a hole for everything to be clear.
Father Sun was inwardly experiencing a storm. If what Zhang Liunian said was true, then he would indeed have to reconsider whether to acquire the item at tomorrow's auction. As for the truth of the matter, whether it was true or false, he would know tonight. However, seeing Zhang Liunian's confident demeanor, it was likely true, as telling such a lie would offer him no benefit whatsoever.
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Father Sun asked in a low voice after a moment of thought.
Zhang Liunian glanced at Gu Lou with a smile. Father Sun immediately understood and then instructed his men to attack the Gu family faction.