Chapter 171: Wait for My Comeback
Zhang Yang stared at the colorful black and red words on the screen, each one like a tiny, cold dagger stabbing right into his face.
It didn't just hurt—it pissed him off!
Sending assassins after him was bad enough, but now they were throwing dirt on his name too. What pissed him off even more was that this mud wasn't just being flung at him—Yang Fei and Qiao Xier, who were dragged into it, were the real victims.
"Xiaoying, you don't have class today, right?" Zhang Yang decided—it was time to play their game.
"Nope!"
"Do you believe what's on the internet then?" Honestly, it wasn't like the articles were completely baseless. It just depended on how you wanted to twist the words.
A man dating two women at once—depending on your choice of words, you could call him a sleazy cheater or a charming romantic. The same story could look entirely different, depending on which side you wanted to paint. Clearly, the reporters chose the first.
"Xiaoying doesn't believe it. Brother-in-law, you were chased last night? Are you okay?" Xu Danying looked genuinely worried, no trace of faking it. That concern warmed Zhang Yang's heart—yep, his sister-in-law really was the best.
Zhang Yang shook his head. "I'm fine. Otherwise, would I be standing here chatting with you?"
"That's good! Does Sister know about it?" The girl sighed in relief.
Zhang Yang paused, then shook his head. He hadn't told Lulu yet. If she knew he'd been attacked again, she'd be terrified. He'd wait until she was discharged before telling her.
Seeing that, Xu Danying nodded, then rolled up her sleeves like she was ready to fight. "Brother-in-law, tell me—what can Xiaoying do to help?"
Her tone was full of excitement.
"Today, we're gonna be hackers." Zhang Yang stared at a few major websites on his screen. Not all of them had published those reports.
After all, the Qiao family wasn't one to mess with. His previous rumors with Qiao Xier had already been mostly suppressed.
The few media outlets still daring to hint at the Qiao family clearly had powerful backing—big enough to not fear offending them.
Since they wanted to play dirty, he'd play dirtier.
He summoned the System Assistant: "I need software capable of cracking any firewall in the world."
The little System Sprite went quiet for a few seconds before replying softly: [This request requires 50 system points. Your current points are insufficient…]
Just as expected, Zhang Yang sneered. "Use my monthly emergency request. I want a super cracking program that can bypass any firewall in the world without leaving a trace."
[Confirm use? Your current system points: 19. After use, your points will be -31. You will not be able to use another emergency request this month. ]
"Confirm!"
[Request accepted. Your current system points: -31. Title updated to: Morally Corrupt Bastard. Until system reset, negative points will block point accumulation. ]
[Shadow System successfully loaded…]
The system would reset in two days. No point accumulation while in the negative? Whatever. He'd deal with that later. Right now, he needed payback.
Zhang Yang looked over the Shadow System and gasped. This thing was insane—its capabilities could crush any existing firewall in the world and roam freely through any system. The only catch was that it required a supercomputer to run at full power.
With just his laptop, it'd probably fry itself after a few operations.
Great tool, but useless without the gear. Like staring at a diamond-studded outfit in a store window with only two coins in your pocket.
Still, he could use some submodules. The logic layer alone could tear through any civilian-grade firewall easily. With his genius sister-in-law's skills, they'd give those bastards hell today.
"Xiaoying, I'm sending you some stuff. Check it out, and let's play with them a bit. Once it's done, when you're on winter break, brother-in-law's taking you on a world trip."
As he spoke, Zhang Yang transcribed parts of the Shadow System's subfunctions into code and sent them to Xu Danying…
Nuwa Residence—that was what they called their villa. Gao Qi and the others had originally wanted to name it Nuwa Home, but Zhang Yang protested, saying it sounded like 'Girls' Residence,' meaning only women could live there. The witches reluctantly agreed to change it to Nuwa Residence, though it still sounded like a rip-off of that old show Dwelling Narrowness.
But in the end, the name stuck.
At the moment, Qiao Xier sat alone in the audiovisual room on the fifth floor of Nuwa Residence. The room could be used for karaoke and entertainment, but it also doubled as a video conference suite.
Qiao Xier was skilled at using the setup. Right now, she was on a video call with her parents in Beijing.
Her father was usually too busy to even talk to her, so if he was home for this, it meant things were serious.
"Your grandfather went to Donghua Garden today. It won't end well. Qiaoqiao, prepare yourself. Meining isn't where your future lies. Come back soon—your father and I will feel at ease." Ye Jing clasped her hands on the table, her face tight and stern.
Her father, Qiao Yunfeng, was still in uniform, looking expressionless—as if he'd just been dragged into the call by her mother.
"Donghua Garden…" Qiao Xier bit her lip. She knew that place. It was where major family heads gathered when something serious was about to go down—called a 'reunion,' but really a negotiation.
If even her grandfather had stepped in, this matter was grave.
The morning's wave of news had targeted the Qiao family from all sides. If those media outlets didn't have major backing, they'd never dare.
"The old man's talk with the Cai family fell apart recently. Today's just the prelude. We don't want you caught in the crossfire between the two families. You're too young to understand how dangerous this is." Ye Jing pinched her husband's arm, signaling him to act serious.
Qiao Yunfeng straightened his tie and coughed. "Qiaoqiao, listen to your mom."
"What do you want me to do, Mom?" Qiao Xier frowned.
"Leave Meining. Issue a public statement clarifying the rumors. And as for the Gu family—"
"Stop." Qiao Xier raised her hand. She already knew what her mother was about to say.
The Gu family—that was the powerful clan her mother always wanted her to marry into. Her grandmother's family. The Gu family's status was unmatched among the first-tier aristocratic groups. The top-tier families didn't feud openly—their interests aligned with the nation's, their duty being stability and growth.
The current patriarch, Gu Cheng, was her grandmother's cousin.
Gu Cheng's eldest son had twins—a boy named Gu Qing and a girl named Gu Ning. They were her childhood classmates, around her age. The families had long planned to pair her with Gu Qing.
But Qiao Xier and Gu Qing had no feelings for each other. Gu Qing saw her as a sister, and Qiao Xier couldn't imagine marrying him. She'd rather marry Du Yuheng.
Yet the elders never noticed their true feelings.
They pushed the match until Qiao Xier threatened to jump off the Jingguang Center and Gu Qing declared he was gay. Only then did the parents give up, shocked and teary-eyed.
The elders wondered—how could their kids hate marriage this much?
They got along fine otherwise!
Of course, only Qiao Xier knew the truth. She simply didn't feel anything for him. And Gu Qing? He was a pure artist—into everything from oil painting to music to photographing nude models and even performance art. A complete anti-society freak.
Qiao Xier could understand him—but she couldn't accept him. That was all.
Now her mother was bringing that up again, and Qiao Xier felt lightning crack down her spine. Marry Gu Qing? She'd rather die. Spending even a day with him would drive her mad.
"Fine, forget Gu Qing. But can't you at least leave Meining for now—get away from Zhang Yang and lay low in Beijing?" Ye Jing said, trying to compromise.
"No."
"Huh? Two voices?" Ye Jing blinked, confused, then turned to her husband.
Qiao Yunfeng quickly covered his mouth and straightened up. "Qiaoqiao, listen to your mom."
"Qiao Yunfeng, can't you say something else?" Ye Jing fumed. "You're supposed to be the head of this family!"
"Alright, Qiaoqiao, come back home," he muttered.
Ye Jing turned away, nearly in tears. "Qiaoqiao, look at your father—no backbone at all. You're our only treasure. How will you survive in the Qiao family later? Listen to me. Come back to Beijing, spend time with your grandparents, and wait out this storm."
"Mom, what do you mean wait it out? They're bullying your daughter and her boyfriend. You expect me to just take it? I can handle being slandered, but dragging him into it? I won't forgive them."
"Boyfriend? Oh my god—Qiao Yunfeng, look what kind of daughter you raised! She's calling herself 'old lady' now? And you're giving her a thumbs up? Don't think I didn't see that—wait, Qiao Xier!" Ye Jing suddenly froze. "What did you just say? Your boyfriend? You mean you've officially admitted it? Weren't you supposed to wait two more years?"
"Uh…" Qiao Xier's face turned crimson as she stammered, "Mom… your daughter and he… that…"