Seeing Cheng Gui appear, Cheng Xiaodong suddenly looked up.
His eyes were filled with fear and grievance, and tears welled up in them.
He struggled to stand up, but the intense pain throughout his body made him gasp sharply.
He fell right back into the chair.
"Dad, I was wrong... I won't dare do it again..."
Seeing his son in such a state,
Cheng Gui asked with burning anxiety, "Xiao Dong, where are you hurt? Tell me... where?!"
"Dad... Dad!" Little Cheng's voice trembled as if he were enduring immense agony. "My buttocks... my body... it hurts everywhere..."
As he spoke, he tried to shift his body, but accidentally agitated his wounds. The pain caused cold sweat to break out on his forehead, and his face turned as pale as paper.
"Those men... they aren't human... they did that kind of thing to me..." Cheng Xiaodong whispered into Cheng Gui's ear.
These words exploded in Cheng Gui's ears like a thunderclap, making his heart feel as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide, staring at his son in disbelief.
It couldn't be... so the place where he was injured was...
Cheng Gui's hand trembled as he reached out, wanting to touch Little Cheng's buttocks.
He wanted to see just how badly he was injured.
But he was afraid of hurting him, so his hand could only hover in mid-air, at a loss for what to do.
"Who? Who did it? I won't let them get away with this!"
Cheng Gui's voice was filled with rage and determination.
"I don't know... they were like madmen..." Cheng Xiaodong shook his head, crying and trembling all over. "I don't know... they were like madmen..." Cheng Xiaodong repeated, shaking his head while trembling with sobs.
"They pulled off my pants and violated me... Dad, it hurts so much... When I woke up this morning, so many people were gathered here taking photos. I'm so humiliated, Dad. I feel like I'm going to die. I don't want to stay here anymore..."
Every word Cheng Xiaodong spoke seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, making anyone who heard it feel heart-wrenching pain.
Looking at the glaring patch of dark red on his son's pants,
Cheng Gui's heart tightened violently.
Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his hands trembled involuntarily.
This was his only child.
The continuation of the Cheng Family's bloodline relied entirely on him. If his son had really been corrupted by those people, what would happen in the future?
He didn't dare think further; his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.
He quickly steadied himself by grabbing the coffee table next to him.
"Dad, you have to help me get revenge," Cheng Xiaodong continued to cry out. "Use your connections! Have them arrest those men! I want them to pay with their lives!"
Cheng Gui took a deep breath. Just as he was about to respond, a police officer walked over.
He was holding an evidence bag containing several small medicine bottles and a wine glass with some murky liquid residue remaining inside.
"Mr. Cheng, according to our preliminary investigation, these items were found at the scene. After testing, they were found to contain prohibited substances."
The officer paused and continued in a serious tone, "According to the preliminary investigation of the scene, some of these items were left behind by the people who assaulted your son, but some were brought by the people in this private booth. We have learned from the bar's surveillance and from the statements of several rescued girls that last night, Mr. Cheng Xiaodong and his companions were suspected of forcing two girls to take drugs containing these ingredients."
Hearing this, Cheng Gui snapped his head around to look at Cheng Xiaodong.
His eyes were full of disbelief. "What?! Xiao Dong, is what he's saying true?!"
Cheng Xiaodong flinched under Cheng Gui's stern gaze.
His pleas for Cheng Gui to seek revenge for him came to an abrupt halt.
His eyes darted around, not daring to look him in the face, and his lips moved as he struggled to find an answer.
"Tell me, is it true?"
Under Cheng Gui's repeated questioning, Cheng Xiaodong finally lowered his head and responded with a barely audible "Mm."
"You!..."
"No, I didn't do it. I didn't buy that kind of medicine. I didn't use it either. It was Huangmao and Linna; they were the ones who brought the drugs. I just saw them take them out, but I was drunk at the time. I never participated..."
Hearing this, Cheng Gui felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
The heartache and guilt he had felt for Cheng Xiaodong just a moment ago were instantly replaced by massive disappointment and shame.
He never would have imagined that the son he usually pampered and protected
would actually do something so devoid of conscience.
Forced drugging and prohibited substances? These words were like sharp knives, stabbing ruthlessly into his heart.
Having fought his way through the business world for so many years, he knew the weight of these words better than anyone.
Although the Cheng Family was powerful and influential,
in the face of the law, once the word 'drugs' was involved, even the strongest connections might not be able to cover it up.
Even if Cheng Xiaodong wasn't the primary offender, he was still a participant.
At this moment, remembering his usual indulgence of Cheng Xiaodong, a wave of regret washed over him.
In the past, he always felt that it was fine for a boy to be a bit mischievous, as long as he didn't make any major mistakes.
But looking at it now, it was precisely this indulgence that had led him step by step to this point.
Relying on his family's power to do whatever he pleased, regarding law and morality as nothing.
Cheng Xiaodong could sense Cheng Gui's disappointment.
At this moment, he was terrified that his father would abandon him.
He immediately spoke up, "Dad... I know I was wrong..."
Tears flowed like a bursting dam.
The arrogance of yesterday was long gone.
Now he only feared that Cheng Gui would ignore him; if that happened, he would be finished.
"Dad, I really know I was wrong... Just save me this once... I'll never dare do it again..."
Cheng Gui silently watched his son, who was crying like a child, but the pain in his heart was as turbulent as a churning sea.
He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, his original agitation had gradually calmed.
It was replaced by a heavy sense of exhaustion.
The police officer, fearing that Cheng Gui might be swayed by Cheng Xiaodong,
took the opportunity to interject, "A female deceased was found at the scene. Preliminary judgment suggests it is related to a drug overdose and external impact. We need to take Cheng Xiaodong back to assist with the investigation."
"Deceased? Who died?!" Cheng Gui's voice trembled slightly.
Hearing this, Cheng Xiaodong began to cry even more hysterically.
"Dad, it's Linna. She... she was killed by those men... I saw her die."
Seeing Cheng Gui's face turn deathly pale, Huangmao's father immediately leaned in.
He knew his son Huangmao's temperament.
If this was true, it would be very difficult to settle with just his own family's influence.
But if Cheng Gui stepped in, it would be a different story.
He immediately lowered his voice and said, "Chairman Cheng, let's use our connections to get the kids out, shall we? If word of this gets out, the children's reputations will be completely ruined!"
How could Cheng Gui not know what he meant?
He recalled Jiang Cheng's calm and emotionless gaze from this morning.
He thought of the Cheng Group's recently precarious capital chain.
He thought of the people his son might have provoked last night... all of this left his mind in a tangled mess.
Cheng Gui didn't know if this matter had anything to do with Jiang Cheng.
But he knew one thing: if he used his connections to suppress this again, what awaited the Cheng Family would likely be total ruin.
Ignoring Huangmao's father, Cheng Gui looked at Cheng Xiaodong.
"Xiao Dong," his voice was exceptionally calm, yet it carried an unquestionable authority, "when you do something wrong, you must face the consequences. You are already an adult; it's time to take responsibility for your own actions."
Hearing this, everyone present was stunned.
Especially Cheng Xiaodong.
He hadn't expected his father, who always granted his every request, to say such a thing.
His eyes were full of shock. "Dad... you... you're not going to help me?"
Cheng Gui did not answer. He turned to the police officer.
His tone was heavy yet firm. "Officer, my son has broken the law, so let's handle it according to the law. Interrogate him however you need to; there's no need to consider my status."
Hearing Cheng Gui's words, a look of approval appeared on the officer's face.
He nodded. "Mr. Cheng is truly righteous. Rest assured, we will handle this according to the law."
Cheng Gui didn't look at him; he just waved his hand with his back turned to the police, his voice carrying a trace of a barely perceptible sob. "Take him away."
Two officers stepped forward, picked up the still-dazed Cheng Xiaodong, and headed out of the booth.
It wasn't until he was being led out of the booth that Cheng Xiaodong finally reacted.
He began to struggle and cry out frantically, "Dad! Save me! Dad! I was wrong! Please, save me!"
Cheng Gui's clenched fists had white knuckles as he endured the urge to look at him.
He knew this decision would be very painful for Cheng Xiaodong.
It might even have a significant impact on the entire Cheng Family.
But he knew even more clearly that if he let him escape punishment this time,
then he would only become more lawless in the future, eventually leading to his destruction.
Only by letting him truly taste the consequences of the law,
and feel the pain personally, could he understand what respect and boundaries were.
This was perhaps the most important lesson he, as a father, could give Cheng Xiaodong.
Jiang Cheng had just finished eating and was about to go upstairs to wake Qiao Yinyin
when Qiu Yihe's call came through.
"Hello?"
After he answered and said that, Qiu Yihe spoke very coldly on the other end.
"I just finished cleaning your house. I mopped the floors and took out the trash. I'm leaving now. I'm just letting you know. Thanks."