The punch didn’t land on Chen Xu’s face. Instead, he dodged it effortlessly. “Young Master Zhou, what’s with the early morning madness?”
Zhou Hongkuo was breathing heavily, his face flushed with anger. Without a word, he threw another punch at Chen Xu, but Chen Xu caught his wrist and applied pressure, causing the pampered young master to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
“Let go of me! Chen Xu, you’re disgusting!” Zhou Hongkuo struggled fiercely, his face red with rage.
“Chen Xu, let go of Hongkuo! How dare you commit such a disgraceful act and then have the audacity to attack Hongkuo? You’ve really grown bold!” Si Yi Chen stepped forward from the crowd, pointing an accusing finger at Chen Xu.
Chen Xu’s gaze toward Si Yi Chen was icy, cold enough to freeze. “What disgraceful act are you talking about? What have I done to deserve being condemned by all of you so early in the morning?”
“How dare you still try to deny it! Youyou, don’t be afraid. Point out what he did to you. We’ll stand by you.” A girl was supporting a disheveled, trembling young woman, encouraging her to speak up.
Chen Xu’s gaze fell directly on the disheveled girl.
He remembered her. In his previous life, she had also framed him, accusing him of luring her into his room with ill intentions.
This girl was Xia You, a classmate of Zhou Hongkuo’s. Zhou Hongkuo attended a prestigious private school, while Xia You came from an ordinary family. She had earned a scholarship to attend the school due to her excellent grades. She had been invited to Si Yi Chen’s birthday party because Zhou Hongkuo, knowing her family was struggling financially but that she was hardworking, had kindly offered her a part-time job at the event. With the college entrance exams over, Xia You had time and needed the money, so she had gladly accepted.
Xia You was a model student, and since Zhou Hongkuo had recommended her, Si Yi Chen had no trouble convincing her to frame Chen Xu. In his previous life, Chen Xu had been unaware of the plot and had returned to his room. If it hadn’t been for a sudden bout of acute gastroenteritis that caused him to vomit all over Xia You and be rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night, he would have had no way to clear his name.
Now, Zhou Hongkuo, consumed by anger, had no idea he was being used as a pawn.
Xia You trembled as she looked at Chen Xu, tears streaming down her face. “He… he told me to go to his room to clean up. I didn’t think much of it and went, but then… then… he suddenly grabbed me from behind…”
She seemed to have suffered a great injustice and broke down, burying her face in the arms of the girl supporting her, sobbing uncontrollably.
“There, there, it’s okay. You don’t have to say anymore. We’ll make sure this beast is punished!” The girls present were all classmates of Si Yi Chen and daughters of wealthy families. As fellow women, they deeply sympathized with Xia You’s plight and were now eager to see Chen Xu punished. They couldn’t believe that someone who looked so decent could be so vile.
One of the girls stepped forward and said to Si Yi Chen, “Young Master Yi Chen, I think this matter is beyond what we juniors can handle. It’s necessary to involve the elders. Chen Xu’s actions are completely illegal. He should go to jail.”
“Miss Yu is right. Don’t worry, our Si family will never shield someone like him. A crime is a crime, and he should face the full force of the law.” Si Yi Chen spoke with a polite and assured tone, addressing Miss Yu and the others present.
Chen Xu, the accused, watched as these people condemned him without even asking for his side of the story. They were ready to send him to prison. It was absurd.
His mocking laughter suddenly rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.
Zhou Hongkuo, probably never having encountered someone so shameless, stared at Chen Xu in disbelief. “What are you laughing at? How can you still laugh?!”
Chen Xu frowned slightly, tilting his chin up with an air of defiance. “This is truly amusing. Which of your eyes saw me do anything inappropriate to this… maid?”
When he said the word “maid,” Xia You bit her lower lip, her eyes clouding over.
“Are you saying Xia You would lie about her own innocence?!” Zhou Hongkuo, seeing Chen Xu still trying to deny the accusations even at this point, was even more disgusted by him.
Chen Xu looked at Xia You with a faint smile. “That’s hard to say. Some people have no bottom line when it comes to money.”
Xia You felt Chen Xu’s gaze on her and accidentally met his eyes. The look in his eyes, as if he had seen through her, made her panic.
“I didn’t… I really didn’t…” She cried and protested, her trembling body making her look utterly pitiful.
“Chen Xu, you’re utterly disgusting! Scum! How dare you do such a thing and then try to shift the blame onto Xia You!” Zhou Hongkuo was furious and charged at Chen Xu again. Chen Xu listened to the accusations and insults from the people around him. The way they looked at him was as if he were trash.
Chen Xu blocked Zhou Hongkuo’s attack and then kicked him to the ground, his gaze like ice as it fell on Zhou Hongkuo. “Idiot.”
Zhou Hongkuo was stunned by the kick. Chen Xu looked tall and slender, but no one would have guessed he had such explosive strength.
Chen Xu walked down the stairs, step by step, toward Xia You. “I never went back to my room last night. I’d like to ask, what were you doing in my room?”
“I think I’m the one who should be calling the police.”
Xia You’s eyes flickered. She had indeed waited in Chen Xu’s room all night, but he had never returned. However, Pan Qizhi had told her it didn’t matter and to go ahead with the plan, so she had acted out this scene.
“Chen Xu, even if you want to deny it, you don’t have to lie so blatantly, do you?” Pan Qizhi said with a smirk.
Chen Xu glanced at him and said, “Whether it’s true or not, we can check the surveillance footage.”
The people present exchanged glances. Chen Xu’s calm demeanor made them wonder if there was more to the story.
When Xia You heard Chen Xu mention checking the surveillance, her heart sank into panic. She instinctively looked at Pan Qizhi, who had been the one to instruct her to do this. Pan Qizhi gave her a reassuring look.
“Young Master Yi Chen, there was a temporary power outage last night, and the surveillance data was lost.” The servant was also puzzled. How could a power outage cause the surveillance data to disappear?
Chen Xu’s brows furrowed. It was obvious that Si Yi Chen and his group had tampered with the surveillance.
Now, the only person who could prove his innocence was the person he had been with last night.
In his memories, the last person he had seen was Si Ye. He had also woken up in Si Ye’s bedroom this morning, which meant he had likely been with Si Ye all night. However, asking Si Ye to testify for him was unlikely.
The head of the Si family, who was always busy, was currently unreachable.
“Chen Xu, if what you’re saying is true and you didn’t return to your room last night, then where were you? Can anyone vouch for you?” Sun Wei’ang, who had been watching the scene silently, finally spoke up.
Sun Wei’ang, like Chen Xu, had grown up in the Si family. However, he and Pan Qizhi were somewhat related to the Si family, while Chen Xu and Tong Jiaxi were complete outsiders.
Chen Xu pressed his lips together and didn’t answer. If he said he had been with Si Ye last night, no one would believe him, and Si Ye might not even be willing to testify for him.
Seeing Chen Xu remain silent, Si Yi Chen’s face broke into a triumphant smile. “Chen Xu, didn’t you say Xia You framed you? If you’re really innocent, why can’t you say where you were last night?”
Those who had thought there might be a twist in the story were now completely disappointed in Chen Xu.
“I thought he was just bad at studying, but it turns out he’s also morally bankrupt.”
“If he had a good character, why didn’t Young Master Chen take him to play with the four children of the Si children family?”
“This is so disgusting. Does he think that just because the Si family is powerful, he can get away with bullying an ordinary person?”
“That must be it! Luckily, we caught him. We can’t let Xia You suffer in vain!”
These seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds now saw themselves as Xia You’s saviors, the embodiment of justice, ready to punish Chen Xu, the villain. Sun Wei’ang, however, felt that something was off. He frowned and walked over to Chen Xu. “Where were you last night? You just came down from the third floor, didn’t you?”
Tong Jiaxi, standing nearby, heard Sun Wei’ang’s question and glanced at Chen Xu, his eyes dark and unreadable.
The third floor—everyone knew that was Si Ye’s domain. No one was allowed up there without Si Ye’s permission. Even Si Yi Chen had only been there a few times.
“He was with me last night.” A cold voice suddenly came from the stairs.
A tall, imposing figure descended from the third floor. He was wearing a well-tailored white shirt with a high collar, the top button fastened, revealing a slender neck. His strong forearms were draped with a black suit jacket. He was dignified and composed.
The previously noisy hall fell silent in an instant. As Si Ye appeared, the atmosphere grew tense. The people present didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, let alone look directly at this authoritative man.
Si Ye walked to Chen Xu’s side and took a fountain pen from his suit jacket, placing it in Chen Xu’s pocket. “You forgot your birthday gift.”
Chen Xu looked at the pen in his pocket, confused. When had Si Ye given him a birthday gift?
“Thank you, Uncle Si.”
Si Ye’s lips curled into a faint smile. “You’re welcome.”
His attitude toward Chen Xu was nothing short of shocking to everyone present. The usually stoic Si Ye had actually smiled at Chen Xu and even given him a birthday gift!
And he had said that Chen Xu had been with him all last night?!
“Uncle Zhong, take this young lady to the hospital for a check-up,” Si Ye called for the butler, Zhong Hou.
“Yes, sir.” Uncle Zhong had worked for the Si family for decades and had seen many girls like Xia You who tried to climb the social ladder. He expertly called for someone to take Xia You away.
“Don’t touch me! Stay away!” Xia You panicked. She had spent the entire night alone in Chen Xu’s room, and there were no traces of anything happening. If they took her to the hospital for a check-up, she would be exposed.
Those who had wanted to help her now felt that something was off.
“Pan Qizhi! I don’t want to go to the hospital. Stop them!” Xia You, in her panic, instinctively turned to her ally.
Seeing Xia You rushing toward him, Pan Qizhi felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss. What should he do? Uncle Si would never let him off lightly!
In his fear, Pan Qizhi looked at Si Yi Chen.
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