Chapter Fifty-Seven: False Accusation

A cacophony of footsteps echoed through the alley, and at both ends, several times more people than before appeared, rushing swiftly toward the spot where Su Zheng and Chen Muxue stood.

Chen Muxue panicked, but when she turned, she saw a faint, relaxed smile on Su Zheng’s face.

“They’re our people,” Su Zheng explained gently.

Chen Muxue was even more astonished. Since when did Su Zheng have so many friends?

As she stood there in bewilderment, the group had already approached.

“Divine Doctor Su, I’m terribly sorry—I arrived a moment too late!” Ah Biao signaled his men to throw the four who had been guarding the alley’s entrance to the ground. They were now bruised and battered, not a single spot on them unscathed.

“You weren’t hurt, were you? This is all my fault—damn it!” Ah Biao’s face was clouded with regret, angered at himself for not arriving sooner.

Then, glancing at the people sprawled on the ground, he grew even more astonished. He couldn’t fathom what method Divine Doctor Su had used to leave them all groaning and twitching in helpless agony.

“Don’t worry—from here on, leave everything to me. I promise I’ll handle it beautifully!” Ah Biao thumped his chest in reassurance.

“Very well, do as you see fit,” Su Zheng nodded slightly, then took the bewildered Chen Muxue by the hand and led her forward.

“Wait! Wasn’t the leader with the yellow hair the same lunatic who once came to our house?” Chen Muxue pressed.

“His mind’s a mess—how does someone like that still have so many followers?” she added, her suspicion mounting.

“How on earth do you know him? He looks like a complete thug—not at all like a decent person!”

“Su Zheng, how many secrets are you keeping from me?” By the time they exited the alley, even the usually aloof and cool Chen Muxue could not help but barrage him with questions.

What had just happened seemed like a dream: Su Zheng had turned into a martial arts master, resolving a crisis with a mere flick of his hand. And all those people respected him so much—it was all too unbelievable!

“Heh… Muxue, you said it yourself—he’s a lunatic. How could normal people ever guess what’s going on in the minds of the insane? Let’s not overthink it. We should just get back to the company,” Su Zheng said, realizing that the more he explained, the more complicated it would get. He might as well go along with her line of thinking and dismiss Ah Biao and the others as lunatics.

“No! What about those men with knives who wanted to attack us? You still haven’t told me how you managed to defeat them!” Chen Muxue demanded, stopping in her tracks and fixing her large eyes on Su Zheng.

“You already guessed it—I know martial arts. When I was a child, I traded all my family’s belongings for a martial arts manual and mastered a supreme technique long ago!” Su Zheng struck an exaggerated pose, adopting the air of a world-weary master.

“Oh, please! Compliment you once and you lose all sense of direction. Then tell me, where’s your manual? Let me see it!” Chen Muxue glared at him, her tone half-jesting as she extended her delicate hand.

“I burned it after memorizing it. It’s all in my head now. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you when we have time. For now, there’s still company business to handle—let’s go!” Su Zheng took her hand naturally and, without giving her a chance to object, led her toward the Haoyuan Trading building.

As Su Zheng’s firm, warm grasp closed around her hand, Chen Muxue’s body tensed. All her doubts and questions vanished into thin air, and she obediently followed his lead.

They entered the building, took the elevator up to the office, and pushed open the door—only to freeze in surprise.

The office was empty. Everyone had vanished.

Chen Muxue frowned, suspecting yet another mishap.

“No hurry—let’s call Jin Wei and ask,” Su Zheng suggested calmly, his expression composed.

He was certain that Shen Qingqiang, Wei Lao’er, and the others wouldn’t have left halfway through their business. If they weren’t here, then they must have gone elsewhere in the company.

“Director Chen, you’re finally back!” Just then, Jin Wei slipped in from the corridor, her expression peculiar as she caught sight of Chen Muxue and Su Zheng.

“Weiwei, where did everyone go?” Chen Muxue asked with a frown.

“All the bosses went to the cafeteria for lunch. They asked me to wait here for you at all times.” Jin Wei did her best to mask her discomfort, reporting earnestly.

“What exactly happened? Tell me everything!” Chen Muxue’s tone grew cold; she could not ignore the strangeness in Jin Wei’s demeanor.

“Director Chen, I… Well, you should see for yourself in the cafeteria. All the bosses are waiting for you,” Jin Wei hesitated, keeping her head down in fear of angering Chen Muxue.

Chen Muxue knew something must have happened. She shot Jin Wei a glare and quickly turned to march toward the company cafeteria.

Su Zheng, equally curious after seeing Jin Wei’s reluctance, decided to follow and see for himself what had transpired.

When the three arrived at the cafeteria, Su Zheng and Chen Muxue were stunned by the scene before them.

Shen Qingqiang, Wei Lao’er, and their men were seated around the dining tables, while Chen Wenli and Chen Xiong bustled about in the kitchen.

Chen Xiong was at the stove, wielding the spatula, coughing violently from the thick smoke.

Chen Wenli, meanwhile, had been reduced to waiting tables, head down as she scurried back and forth, terrified to offend Shen Qingqiang’s group.

“Hey, this dish is overcooked, Old Chen! Watch it with the next one!”

“Damn, this is so salty it could kill a man! Chen, did you murder the salt merchant or what?”

“Waitress, get me a glass of water—about fifty degrees Celsius, mind you! If it’s too hot, you’ll answer to me!”

“Why water? Have her grind some fresh mung bean juice—I only drink the real stuff!”

“Get outta here! Sounds like you want breast milk instead! Hahaha…”

The men Shen Qingqiang and Wei Lao’er brought were mostly roughnecks, and their language was as coarse as their manners. They were doing it on purpose, intent on avenging Chen Muxue by making this father and daughter toil in the kitchen and subjecting them to mockery.

As for Old Madam Chen, though she had not been assigned to the “kitchen crew,” her situation was scarcely any better. She felt nothing but humiliation as she watched the grandson she had favored and the granddaughter she’d thought so clever and capable, now forced to serve and be berated by these men. What dignity was left?

But, remembering the power these men wielded, she dared not object—she could only watch the farce unfold.

Chen Xiong coughed relentlessly, his face hidden behind the haze. Chen Wenli, on the other hand, was flushed with humiliation and rage. Her eyes brimmed with hatred, and several times she nearly flung a plate in someone’s face—yet each time she suppressed the urge.

She had no choice. They had all the evidence against her. Unless she could swiftly shift the blame onto Chen Muxue, she would never know peace again.

Yet, thinking Chen Muxue might already have been taken care of by Chen Peng, she felt the humiliation was almost worth it.

“Hmph! Wretched woman, as long as you’re dead, all this will be pinned on you. Dead men tell no tales—let’s see you crawl from the grave to confront me!”

Chen Wenli seethed inwardly, but as she stepped out of the kitchen with a plate in her hands, she froze.

For Chen Muxue now stood before her—alive and unharmed.