C23 First to Strike

Meanwhile, Xia Hao was pacing back and forth in his office, phone in hand, his anxiety palpable.

The afternoon had passed, and he figured Gu Dongchen must have finished his business by now, Xia Hao mused.

He had taken a considerable risk with this scheme. If Xia Yunsheng discovered he had aided an outsider against his own family, Xia Hao would face severe punishment, regardless of being the Xia family's sole heir.

Yet, the potential rewards were substantial. If Gu Dongchen and Xia Mengyao were to become involved, Xia Hao would have the leverage to manipulate Xia Mengyao at will.

And with Gu Dongchen as his supporter, he could wield unchecked power within the Xia family!

Excited by the prospect, Xia Hao eagerly dialed Gu Dongchen's number.

At that moment, in the hospital, Gu Dongchen had just come out of surgery. His hand, severed by Hao, had been reattached, but the chances of it ever functioning normally again were slim to none.

Gu Dongchen was filled with regret for heeding Xia Hao's foolish encouragement to stir up trouble.

The person he despised most at this point wasn't Chen Feng, but Xia Hao!

Just then, Xia Hao's call came through.

"Mr. Storms, how did it go? Was it exhilarating?" Xia Hao snickered, unable to deny Xia Mengyao's allure, which surpassed even that of the most revered female stars. If not for their blood relation, he would have indulged himself.

At Xia Hao's words, Gu Dongchen felt a rage that nearly set his gaze aflame.

Exhilarating? Exhilarating my foot!

It would have been one thing if something had actually happened with Xia Mengyao, but he hadn't even laid a finger on her before losing his hand. Where was the justice in that?

Despite his fury and desire to cut Xia Hao down, Gu Dongchen couldn't forget Chen Feng's display of strength—effortlessly shattering a three-inch-thick marble table with a single palm. It was beyond human capability.

If such a force were to strike a person, it would pulverize bones.

Gu Dongchen certainly wasn't eager to test his luck; he wouldn't dare breathe a word of Chen Feng's actions to anyone.

"Satisfied? Hardly. I was just about to make my move on her when the cops showed up," Gu Dongchen said, feigning frustration.

"Why on earth would the police show up?" Xia Hao's eyes bulged in disbelief. Talk about bad luck.

"Who knows? Maybe they decided to conduct a raid today."

"Mr. Storms, what are we going to do? Did you let Xia Mengyao get away?" Xia Hao asked, his voice tinged with panic. Without a video, how could he possibly blackmail Xia Mengyao? And she would surely tell Xia Yunsheng about the incident. Xia Yunsheng would never let him off the hook!

"Don't be ridiculous. If I hadn't let her go, what? Should I have kept her around for dinner?" Gu Dongchen snapped. "As for you, handle it however you need to. It's not my problem."

"Mr. Storms, you've got to help me. If my grandfather finds out I conspired with you to drug that girl, he'll kill me!" Xia Hao's desperation was palpable. Xia Yunsheng might not dare to confront Gu Dongchen, but he would certainly come after him.

"Whether you live or die is none of my concern. And let me make myself clear: stop pestering me. If you bother me again, I won't wait for Xia Yunsheng to take action—I'll deal with you myself!" Gu Dongchen spat out the threat before abruptly ending the call.

He had no intention of revealing the truth to Xia Hao. For one, he genuinely feared Chen Feng might come after him and take another hand. Secondly, he had his own agenda. If Xia Hao knew Chen Feng was more than human, he'd surely back down and stop provoking him. But if Xia Hao remained ignorant and continued to see Chen Feng as worthless, he'd keep stirring up trouble, much to Chen Feng's annoyance.

Both were his adversaries, and Gu Dongchen took pleasure in the thought of them at each other's throats.

After hanging up, Xia Hao was a bundle of nerves, pacing like an ant on a hot pan. How was he going to explain this mess to Xia Yunsheng? Maybe he should just skip town.

In the midst of his turmoil, Xia Zilan walked in.

"Xia Hao, I heard that Xia Mengyao was at Golden Age earlier today. Do you know anything about that?" Xia Zilan inquired.

"How did you find out?!" Xia Hao's face went ashen in an instant. Had the secret been revealed?

"A friend of mine went to sing there today. She mentioned she saw Xia Mengyao slipping into Gu Dongchen's private room as she was leaving. Xia Mengyao, that wretched woman, could she be entangling herself with Gu Dongchen again?" Xia Zilan fumed. Since Xia Mengyao had secured the Jade Hill project, she had become the Xia family's shining star, much to Xia Zilan's chagrin. She was nothing but a woman who'd stoop to anything, so why should she be the one to outshine me?

A scheme?

A lightbulb went off in Xia Hao's head, and he slapped his hands together. Of course, why hadn't he thought of this angle before?

Xia Mengyao could go running to Xia Yunsheng, claiming she was tricked by him.

But he could turn the tables and tell Xia Yunsheng that Xia Mengyao willingly threw herself at Gu Dongchen and then tried to pin the blame on him!

After all, it wasn't the first time for Xia Mengyao. She had only recently spent the night with Lin Zongwei.

Xia Hao was suddenly exhilarated.

"Cousin, I thought I was the only one privy to this affair. Alas, to think you knew as well," Xia Hao sighed, feigning a heavy heart.

"Is it really true?!" Xia Zilan's eyes bulged with astonishment.

Xia Hao nodded gravely, "I had just wrapped up a business meeting with Gu Dongchen this afternoon and was on my way out when I spotted Mengyao. She seemed panicked, clearly not expecting to see me there. After I left Dongchen's room, I caught her sneaking into his room, and she didn't come out all afternoon..."

"Damn, that despicable woman has no shame!" Xia Zilan spat out angrily.

"Indeed. Mengyao has lost all sense of decency in her quest for power. She doesn't seem to realize that a man like Gu Dongchen is out of her league."

"We have to inform Grandfather and get this disgraceful woman out of the Xia family! She's tarnishing our family's reputation. It's bad enough she's been with Lin Zongwei, but now Gu Dongchen? If this continues, she'll be fair game for any man," Xia Zilan ranted, not pausing to question the truth of Xia Hao's words. In her mind, Xia Hao wouldn't dare fabricate such a scandal. The Xia family's reputation as a distinguished lineage was at stake. And with Xia Yunsheng valuing family honor so highly, if Xia Hao were lying, no one could save him.

A smirk played at the corners of Xia Hao's mouth. With Xia Zilan advocating for him, this affair was practically in the bag.