I'm a Villain! Why Are You Trying to Date Me? - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Jiang Yifeng Becomes Famous—for All the Wrong Reasons!

In the original story, Jiang Yifeng did indeed make a name for himself at this banquet.

But not like this…

Lin Tian could already foresee it—even though Jiang Yifeng still had a few tricks up his sleeve, after today, his reputation among Licheng’s top elite circles would be completely ruined.

And that kind of loss couldn’t be measured in money.

On stage, Zhao Zhong, Zhao Dongyun, Zhao Mengmeng, and the others were all dazzling in their own right—but the most radiant of them all was undoubtedly that woman who carried herself with a cool, aloof grace.

Offstage, many people were like specks of dust—insignificant and lowly. But in that moment, the lowest of them all was without question Jiang Yifeng.

From beginning to end, the Zhao family hadn’t even explicitly targeted him. Even Bai Ze had only given him a cold glance.

First of all, families like the Zhao and Bai clans would never openly admit to seeking revenge—but it was obvious that from this moment on, these two top-tier families of Licheng would stop at nothing to crush him.

Secondly, in the eyes of people like Bai Ze and Zhao Dongyun, directly engaging with Jiang Yifeng would only lower their own status.

In this farce, Jiang Yifeng was undoubtedly the main character—but at this point, no one had any interest in involving him anymore.

…

Once the Bai family finished settling scores, others like He Fei and Li Dongyuan quickly followed suit.

They knew very well that this was the final opportunity granted by the Zhao family. If they could seize it, they might still be able to preserve part of their fortune and lives. But if they failed, they’d spend the rest of their days behind bars.

During this process, all decision-making power was handed over to Shang Chan.

Ever since Zhao Xinghui opened his mouth, both he and his father Zhao Dongshan had been completely forgotten by the crowd.

Zhao Xinghui’s idiotic statement ended up betraying his father outright…

No one had even mentioned that Zhao Dongshan and Jiang Yifeng had been secretly meeting, but at such a sensitive time, Zhao Xinghui’s words were no different from shouting, “There’s no silver buried here!”

Three or four publicly listed companies had been involved in this incident—each manipulated from behind the scenes by Ice Eye Group. Some of Fengchen Group’s resources had been tied up in it as well. But with both Bai Bing’er and Bai Ze having admitted fault, resistance was no longer an option.

Ten minutes later, a few people excused themselves from the scene. They had been part of the group targeting Xinghai and the Zhao family. After paying the price, Shang Chan didn’t make things too difficult for them. After all, this was business warfare—if you could afford the consequences, you could play however you liked.

To her surprise, Bai Bing’er and Bai Ze, the father-daughter duo, hadn’t left. It seemed they wanted to stay and see how this farce would end.

Shang Chan didn’t mind. She finally turned her attention to the brothers Zhao Dongshan and Zhao Dongshui.

Zhao Dongshui hadn’t been in the banquet hall at the beginning, but after receiving a report from his confidant, he had rushed over in a panic.

Of course, he was afraid and terrified, but this situation had already gone far beyond what hiding like a coward could resolve.

In his heart, Zhao Dongshui could only be thankful that he had never explicitly agreed to anything—he had merely played both sides, going whichever way the wind blew…

…

“Second Brother, come over here and kneel.”

Dealing with Zhao Dongshan naturally couldn’t be left to Shang Chan. It wouldn’t be appropriate emotionally or logically. This matter had to be handled by Zhao Zhong, which was exactly why Shang Chan had called him out directly.

Zhao Zhong tapped the ground with his sea-huang-dragon-head cane, his voice heavy.

Zhao Dongshan still wanted to struggle. His facial muscles twitched as he shouted loudly:

“Father! Big Brother! I swear I didn’t do it! You mustn’t believe those slanderous words!”

“Third Brother, say something!”

“Do you have any proof?”

“I really didn’t do it… You can’t just slander an innocent man!”

Zhao Dongshan looked nearly crazed as he shouted, while Zhao Zhong let out a quiet sigh. It seemed that in every generation of the Zhao family, only one or two offspring were truly capable. The rest—useless.

Back in his day, Zhao Zhong’s own siblings had made foolish choices as well.

“Second Brother, do you really want to force me to clean house?”

Zhao Zhong’s voice was heavy with exhaustion and deep disappointment.

Zhao Dongshan’s lips trembled for a moment before his entire body seemed to collapse inward. He slowly made his way to the front of the stage, knelt down before Zhao Zhong, his face covered in tears.

He knew… there was no turning this around anymore.

Zhao Zhong let out a long, heavy sigh, then spoke coldly.

“Chan’er, your second uncle has committed a grave mistake. In ancient times, he would have been drowned in a pig cage, flogged three hundred times, or sliced a hundred ways—and it still wouldn’t have been too much. But today, your grandfather asks one thing of you: spare his life.”

To spare his life—meant that everything but his life… would be stripped away.

Shang Chan fell silent for a moment. With her personality, she naturally wished she could slice Zhao Dongshan into pieces.

This man not only tried to seize control of the Zhao family, but also intended to hand her over to that vile scumbag Jiang Yifeng.

Such a deep hatred wasn’t something familial ties could wash away.

However, looking at Zhao Zhong’s aged face and the disappointment and sorrow in her father’s eyes beside him, Shang Chan ultimately gave a small nod.

“I’ll leave it to Grandfather’s judgment.”

Zhao Zhong smiled with relief and raised the dragon-headed cane in his hand.

“First strike—for your failure to recognize virtue, bringing disaster to the Zhao clan!”

Smack—

“Second strike—for disregarding family, and colluding with outside dogs!”

Smack—

“Third strike—for being foolish and incompetent, yet still harboring delusions!”

Smack—

It was clear Zhao Zhong was truly furious. That heavy dragon-headed cane came down on Zhao Dongshan without the slightest mercy!

With the first strike, blood already soaked through Zhao Dongshan’s clothes.

By the third strike, his eyes rolled back—and he passed out cold on the spot.

In the crowd below the stage, Zhao Xinghui’s body trembled like a leaf in the wind, and he instinctively looked toward Jiang Yifeng.

At that moment, Zhao Zhong’s voice suddenly rang in his ears.

“From this day forward, Zhao Dongshan and Zhao Xinghui, father and son, are removed from the Zhao family genealogy. From now on, they will spend their remaining years here in the mountains, living out their days with three meals and quiet reflection.”

Zhao Xinghui immediately felt a burning sensation in his lower abdomen, his face soaked with tears.

Only now did he fully realize the depths of the abyss he had brought upon himself.

From today onward, he, once a proud third-generation member of the Zhao family, would be entering the “glorious” retirement ranks.

Without Shang Chan’s permission, he wouldn’t be allowed to take even half a step out of this mountain for the rest of his life. This punishment was harsher than death.

Zhao Xinghui even forgot to beg or cry. He simply trembled all over and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Beneath him, a stream of warmth spread.

…….

Seeing this scene, everyone in the banquet hall fell silent.

The entire sequence of events was now crystal clear.

Jiang Yifeng had colluded with Bai Bing’er and the Zhao family’s second uncle, attempting to sever the Zhao family’s financial chain and seize power through internal and external coordination to achieve his goals.

Now that everything had been exposed, Shang Chan had cut off all possible threats at the root, and Jiang Yifeng no longer had any leverage over the Zhao family.

Bai Bing’er and Bai Ze had paid the price and drawn a clear line between themselves and Jiang Yifeng. Zhao Dongshan and Zhao Xinghui had also received their deserved punishment.

Now, the only question was—how would the Zhao family deal with the mastermind, Jiang Yifeng?

Everyone’s gaze shifted to him.

As long as the matter didn’t involve them, onlookers were always happy to watch the chaos unfold.

Many secretly wondered just how miserable Jiang Yifeng’s fate would be—after all, it wasn’t their disaster.

After announcing Zhao Xinghui’s punishment and ordering the servants to take him and Zhao Dongshan away under strict watch, the gazes of Zhao Zhong, Zhao Dongyun, Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, and the others finally turned to Jiang Yifeng.

As for the other members of the Zhao clan, like Zhao Dongshui, they would be dealt with one by one later—there was no need to make those decisions right here at the banquet.

At this point, the Zhao family had become a united front, fully prepared to counter Jiang Yifeng’s scheming.

“Do you have anything to say?” Zhao Zhong asked calmly, his eyes filled with disgust, hatred, and cold indifference.

Jiang Yifeng’s eyelids twitched slightly, and he clenched his jaw.

“I want to know—where exactly did my plan go wrong?”

In the corner, Lin Tian immediately burst out laughing.

“I’d like to know where the hell you went wrong too!”