Tang Zhentian watched Xu Zifan grow up, and no one knew better than him how protective Xu Zifan was of Tang Jiao. Otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on going against his daughter's wishes and entrusting her to Xu Zifan.
Now that Tang Jiao says Xu Zifan is deliberately ignoring her, he naturally won't believe it. But Xu Zifan's phone is off? That's quite unusual. When have people like them ever turned off their phones?
Seeing Tang Jiao's terrified and weak appearance, and her incoherent crying, Tang Zhentian didn't want to listen to her anymore. He waved his hand and ordered the three wives to take her back to her room for a family doctor's examination. He also sent people to find out what had happened.
Xu Zifan was at home drinking spiritual spring water while cultivating the Chaos Technique. He quickly felt refreshed and all his fatigue vanished. He was found by someone knocking on the door; Shao Hua told him that it was Tie Shou, Tang Zhentian's trusted confidant, standing outside.
Xu Zifan glanced at the room's layout, circulated his spiritual energy to press several acupoints on his body, and immediately became pale and extremely haggard before opening the door.
Tie Shou was taken aback when he saw Xu Zifan's expression. "Brother Fan, are you feeling unwell?"
Xu Zifan rubbed his temples, turned around and walked inside, sitting down on the sofa. "It's nothing, just a bit of a headache. Why did you come here? Did your godfather want to see me?"
Tie Shou followed him in and immediately noticed seven or eight empty bottles scattered on the coffee table and carpet, and the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts. He frowned in confusion but didn't ask any further questions. "Brother Fan, something's happened to Miss. Master Tian wants to see you."
Xu Zifan immediately looked at him, "What happened to Jiaojiao?"
"Tian Feng forced the young lady to watch horror movies all night. She was so frightened that she suffered from neurasthenia. The doctor gave her a sedative, and she is currently in a deep sleep."
"Tian Feng? How could that be?" Xu Zifan got up and walked out. After taking a couple of steps, he looked down and saw that his clothes still smelled of alcohol. He frowned and said, "Go get the car first, I'll be right down. Oh, and have someone buy me a new phone. I dropped mine in the bathtub."
"Yes, Brother Fan." Tie Shou left the villa first and reported what he had seen and heard to Tang Zhentian from outside.
Tang Zhentian understood. No wonder Xu Zifan's phone was off; he'd fallen into the bathtub while drunk—just an accident. But why was he suddenly drinking and smoking? Something must have happened that he didn't know about. Tang Zhentian sat in his study, pondering the gang's recent situation.
Xu Zifan took a shower, changed his clothes, and went out, urging Tie Shou to drive quickly. He clearly valued his godfather and fiancée very much. Even Tie Shou was wondering to himself, there was no one in the world who treated Tang Jiao better than Xu Zifan. If Xu Zifan knew that Tang Jiao could blame him for everything, he wondered what he would think.
As soon as Xu Zifan got out of the car at the Tang family's residence, someone respectfully approached him with a mobile phone. He handed over the SIM card, and by the time he reached the door, the person had already installed it. As Xu Zifan walked, he found the special ringtone and set it to Tang Jiao's ringtone. The servants and henchmen present could hear it clearly, leaving no doubt about Tang Jiao's position in his heart.
Xu Zifan casually pocketed his phone, went upstairs, and beckoned a maid, "How is Jiaojiao?"
"Brother Fan, the young lady is sleeping. The doctor is giving her an IV to replenish nutrients and said she's fine."
"Yes, take good care of her. Don't leave the door unattended. Keep her favorite foods warm in the kitchen at all times. Do whatever she needs as soon as she wakes up."
"Yes, Brother Fan."
Xu Zifan walked to the study door, straightened his suit, and knocked. "Godfather, it's me."
"Enter."
Xu Zifan pushed open the door and entered, respectfully walking up to Tang Zhentian, "Godfather."
"Hmm." Tang Zhentian got up and walked to the sofa, raising his chin. "Sit down and have some tea."
Xu Zifan nodded, sat down opposite him and began to wash and brew tea, his voice cold, "Godfather, I'm going to find Tian Feng."
Tang Zhentian waved his hand, leaned back on the sofa, and carefully examined him. "Zifan, you've always been cautious and careful in your actions. Last night... how did you come up with the idea of writing on Da Dong? It's not like you."
Xu Zifan's expression changed slightly, as if he was suppressing something. He smiled and poured him tea, saying, "The West District went too far and deserves to be taught a lesson."
Tang Zhentian narrowed his eyes, tapping his cigar lightly on his knee with his fingers. "What? You've learned to hide things from your godfather too?"
Xu Zifan immediately stood up and bowed his head, "Godfather."
"Tell me about it."
Xu Zifan paused for a moment, then said, "Before I went to the nightclub to deal with Da Dong, I received a message."
He remained silent for a moment, and Tang Zhentian waited patiently.
Xu Zifan said, "Jiaojiao has been enjoying going out with Tianfeng lately, and they always have a great time. To please Jiaojiao, Tianfeng deliberately sent Dadong to cause trouble here, so that Jiaojiao would call me while I was confronting Dadong, leading me to the south of the city, smashing up the nightclub, dealing with my men, and making me a laughing stock in the underworld."
Needless to say, Tang Zhentian understood. What man wouldn't be furious upon receiving such news? Tian Feng was the son of his rival. It would have been better if Xu Zifan had injured Da Dong, written large characters on his body, and thrown him back. If it were him, he would have thrown the man into the river to feed the fish!
Xu Zifan has found a reason to drink. His fiancée, whom he has protected since childhood, has teamed up with his enemies to play him like this. Anyone would be angry and heartbroken. Xu Zifan just went home alone to drink. He didn't say a word to anyone else, nor did he argue with Tang Jiao. Isn't it because he loves her?
Tang Zhentian cursed his daughter inwardly for being brainless, but comforted her, "Jiaojiao is ignorant and was fooled by that boy from the Tian family. I'll teach her a lesson later. Sit down, don't stand. Haven't had breakfast yet? Ask Aunt Liu to make something you like."
"Thank you, Godfather." Xu Zifan sat down again and apologized solemnly, "Godfather, I didn't expect Tian Feng to be so shameless as to lay a hand on Jiao Jiao. I'm sorry I didn't protect her well."
"Hey, don't say that. It's her own fault for being so immature, ditching her bodyguard and hanging out with that guy surnamed Tian. She deserves it. It's not your fault, you don't need to blame yourself." Tang Zhentian looked at him and sighed. "My daughter, I've spoiled her rotten. I always thought that with you and me, I could guarantee her a peaceful and wealthy life, that she wouldn't have to worry about anything, just be happy. Who knew she'd develop such a naive personality, and there's no going back now. Zifan, you've had a hard time. You're a good kid, be more tolerant of her, don't get angry with her."
"Godfather, Jiaojiao and I grew up together and I know her best. How could I be angry with her? This time, Jiaojiao should have seen through Tian Feng's true nature and won't get entangled with him anymore. It's a good thing that she can be more wary of people in the West District in the future."
Tang Zhentian nodded. "Okay, let her stay home and rest for a while. Don't let her go out and wander around. You're in charge of the West District. Handle it well, but don't let the East District lose face."
"Yes, Godfather, don't worry."
Tang Zhentian smiled, stood up, and patted Xu Zifan on the shoulder. "Come on, have a meal with your godfather, and then go see Jiaojiao. She calls you whenever she's in trouble, but never me. It seems you're more important to her than her own father. Don't worry about her little tantrums; she'll be your good wife sooner or later."
Xu Zifan smiled: "Godfather is right."
Tang Zhentian doted on his only child and protected her fiercely. Although he seemed to be saying that Tang Jiao was wrong, he was actually telling Xu Zifan not to hold it against him and to continue to treat his daughter well.
Xu Zifan naturally went along with it; he had always been a good adopted son and a good fiancé, and everyone was watching.
After they finished eating, Xu Zifan went to check on Tang Jiao's room before heading off to cause trouble in the West District. After leaving the villa, he asked Shao Hua, "[Have you scanned everything? Have you found any evidence?]"
[Shaohua: Found it! There's a hidden compartment under Tang Zhentian's desk floor and another in the ceiling above his bookshelf. Inside are safes, each containing a ledger of Tang Zhentian's bribery, several voice recorders, and several USB drives. The contents of the voice recorders and USB drives are unclear, but hidden in the ceiling, they are presumably important evidence left by Tang Zhentian.]
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow, in a good mood. [Hmm, I'll find an opportunity to take the stuff out, but no rush. This kind of thing can be saved for last. If the boss is gone, there's always the second, and if the second is gone, there's always the third. It's best to let this kind of criminal organization crumble on its own.]
After a morning, news of Xu Zifan crippling Da Dong and writing "overestimating oneself" on his body spread throughout both the East and West districts. Similarly, the news that Tian Feng had a group of people lock Tang Jiao up overnight also spread like wildfire. When Tang Jiao returned, she was so weak and her legs were trembling. People said she had been scared by a horror movie all night, but no one believed it. All sorts of lewd and obscene stories were attributed to Tang Jiao.
Xu Zifan even gave it a push, fabricating a story about being cuckolded. How could he not be furious? Even a small-time thug couldn't stand it, let alone the second-in-command.
Xu Zifan brazenly dispatched his four trusted confidants to smash up all the businesses managed by Tian Feng. They acted swiftly and with ample manpower, smashing one place and moving on to another. By the time the people in the West District reacted and called in a large number of their underlings, they had already finished smashing everything and returned to the East District.
Tian Feng had just been scolded by his father, and upon hearing this news, he was naturally reprimanded again. He was furious and immediately gathered his men to take revenge, heading towards the East District. However, he fell into the East District's trap once more. Xu Zifan, for reasons unknown, had completely guessed his plans, even predicting his next move. He had men waiting in the wings, and they easily routed them as soon as they made their move.
Tian Feng was very confident and personally led the team. After being ambushed, he didn't care about revenge and ran away after saying a few harsh words.
A black car suddenly stopped in front of him, and Xu Zifan got out of the car. He was dressed in a suit and tie and didn't look like a gangster. He looked more like a business president, which was in stark contrast to Tian Feng, who was injured.
Xu Zifan took off his sunglasses, looking at him with icy eyes, "I heard you wanted to steal my fiancée?"
Tian Feng spat and cursed, "Rob? I can get this stuff with the flick of my finger, and you're talking to me about robbing it?" He suddenly chuckled and mocked, "So? You haven't slept with her yet, have you? Want me to tell you what it's like, huh? Hahahahahaha."
Xu Zifan curled his lips slightly, instantly appearing in front of him and punching him in the stomach. As he bent over and cried out in pain, Xu Zifan raised his knee and slammed it into his nose. Then, he grabbed his collar, swung him to the side, elbowed him in the back, and pulled him back by the arm to continue hitting him.
No matter what moves Tian Feng made, he couldn't hit him or break free. He could only take the blows again and again, screaming in agony.
Xu Zifan was very satisfied. Now he had a legitimate reason to provoke and teach the young master of the West District a lesson. How could the West District let it go? And the young lady of the East District was described as a prostitute by Tian Feng. Would the East District swallow this insult? The conflict between the East and West Districts escalated further. Let the fighting continue!