C23 He Took the Initiative

Meanwhile, Xia Hao paced back and forth in his office, cell phone in hand, his anxiety palpable.

The afternoon had slipped away, and surely Gu Dongchen must have wrapped up his business by now, Xia Hao mused.

He had taken a significant risk in orchestrating this scheme. If Xia Yunsheng discovered that he had aided an outsider against his own kin, Xia Hao would face severe retribution, regardless of being the Xia Family's sole heir.

Yet the potential rewards were enormous. Should Gu Dongchen and Xia Mengyao become involved, Xia Hao would wield the video evidence to manipulate Xia Mengyao at will.

With Gu Dongchen as his ally, Xia Hao could stride through the Xia Family with unchallenged authority.

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

In the hospital, Gu Dongchen was coming to terms with his newly reattached hand, severed earlier by Aa Hao. The grim reality was that a full recovery was out of the question.

Gu Dongchen was consumed with regret, cursing himself for heeding the foolish provocations of Xia Hao, which had led to this debacle.

His current animosity was directed not at Chen Feng, but squarely at Xia Hao.

The phone rang—it was Xia Hao.

"Master Chen, how did it go? Was it exhilarating?" Xia Hao asked with a sly laugh, knowing full well the allure of Xia Mengyao's beauty, which surpassed that of many celebrated actresses. If not for their blood ties, he'd have indulged himself.

Gu Dongchen's eyes nearly blazed with fury.

Exhilarating? Exhilarating your mother!

The real issue was that he hadn't even laid a finger on Xia Mengyao before his hand was lopped off. Where was the justice in that?

Despite his seething desire to tear Xia Hao apart, Gu Dongchen couldn't forget Chen Feng's display of power—shattering a three-inch-thick marble table with a mere palm strike. It was beyond human capability.

One could only imagine the devastation that same strike would inflict upon a human body.

Gu Dongchen certainly wasn't about to gamble with his own safety. He'd never breathe a word about Chen Feng, even under threat of death.

"What's there to celebrate? I was just about to make my move on her when the cops showed up," Gu Dongchen lamented with feigned distress.

"Why did the police come?" Xia Hao's eyes bulged in disbelief. Talk about bad luck.

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

"Master Chen, what now? Did you let that little bitch, Xia Mengyao, slip away?" Xia Hao's voice trembled with panic. Without a video, how could he possibly blackmail Xia Mengyao? Besides, she was bound to spill everything to Xia Yunsheng, who would show him no mercy!

"Are you kidding me? If I didn't let her go, what, should I have kept her for dinner?" Gu Dongchen snapped. "As for you, you're on your own. I'm washing my hands of it."

"Master Chen, you've got to help me. If my grandpa learns that I conspired with you to drug her, he'll kill me," Xia Hao blurted out in desperation. Xia Yunsheng wouldn't dare confront Gu Dongchen, but he would certainly come after him.

"Why should I care if you live or die? Listen, stop pestering me. If you bother me again, I won't wait for Xia Yunsheng to deal with you—I'll take care of it myself!" Gu Dongchen spat out venomously before hanging up.

He had no intention of revealing the truth to Xia Hao. For one, he feared a vengeful Chen Feng might come after him again. And secondly, he had his own schemes. If Xia Hao knew Chen Feng was more than human, he'd surely back off. But if Xia Hao remained ignorant and kept treating Chen Feng like a nobody, he'd continue to provoke him.

Both were his adversaries, and Gu Dongchen relished the thought of them tearing each other apart.

Once the call ended, Xia Hao was frantic, pacing like an ant on a hot skillet. How could he possibly explain this mess to Xia Yunsheng? Maybe he should just take off on his own.

As Xia Hao was growing increasingly anxious, Xia Zilan walked in.

"Xia Hao, have you heard? Xia Mengyao was seen at the Golden Age around noon," Xia Zilan inquired.

"How did you find out?!" Xia Hao's complexion blanched. Had the secret been revealed?

"A close friend of mine was there singing today. She told me she saw Xia Mengyao slipping into Gu Dongchen's private room as she was leaving. Can you believe it? That Xia Mengyao might be entangled with Gu Dongchen again," Xia Zilan fumed. Ever since Xia Mengyao secured the Mount Yuquan Project, she's been basking in the spotlight within the Xia Family, much to Xia Zilan's chagrin. She thought, what gives her the right to lord over me, when she's nothing but a tramp anyone can have?

Hooking up?

A lightbulb went off in Xia Hao's head, and he slapped his hand with realization. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of that angle?

Xia Mengyao could go to Xia Yunsheng and claim she was lured there under false pretenses by him.

But he could also spin it to Xia Yunsheng that Xia Mengyao willingly threw herself at Gu Dongchen and then tried to pin the blame on him!

It wasn't as if Xia Mengyao hadn't set a precedent. Just a few days ago, she had spent the night with Lin Zongwei.

Xia Hao was suddenly thrilled.

"Cousin, I thought I was the only one privy to this mess. Alas, I didn't expect you'd be in the know 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 deal with Gu Dongchen today at noon and was about to leave when I caught sight of Mengyao. She looked panicked, clearly not anticipating my presence. After I exited Gu Dongchen's room, I watched her sneak into his room, and she didn't emerge for the entire afternoon..."

"Damn, that woman has no shame!" Xia Zilan exclaimed, her voice sharp with scorn.

"Indeed, Mengyao has lost all sense of propriety and integrity in her climb to the top. She doesn't seem to realize that a man like Gu Dongchen is way out of her league."

"No way, I have to tell Grandfather about this and have him kick that vile woman out of the Xia Family! She's completely tarnished our family's reputation. It's bad enough she's been with Lin Zongwei, but now she's setting her sights on someone like Gu Dongchen? If we let this continue, she'll be fair game for any man." Xia Zilan ranted, not giving a second thought to the truth behind Xia Hao's words. In her eyes, Xia Hao wouldn't dare fabricate such a scandal. The Xia Family's prestigious reputation was at stake, and any disgrace would reflect on the entire lineage. Besides, Xia Yunsheng was a man who placed great importance on family honor. If Xia Hao had the audacity to spread false rumors about such a matter, nobody could save him.

A smug smile played at the corners of Xia Hao's mouth. With Xia Zilan championing his cause, the outcome seemed almost guaranteed..