Chapter 55: Take Them Both Away

Chapter 55: Take Them Both Away

On stage, Zhong Ziyi was not only frightened but also remained dazed for several seconds after Cui Fan had thrown him to the ground.

It was only when a sharp pain hit his back that he cried out in agony, "Ow—"

Zhong's parents were even more bewildered.

What was going on?

How could it really be a man?

No way?

Zhong's father began to suspect that perhaps the Cui family was dissatisfied with the money they had given and had deliberately orchestrated this situation. Or was it just a prank?

Cui's mother recognized Cui Fan. Seeing her son, who she had been unable to find, suddenly appear here, she was the first to react. Her expression twisted, her voice shrill, and her words echoed throughout the silent banquet hall, "Cui Fan! What are you doing? How did you get here? Where is your sister?!"

Hearing Cui Fan's name, Zhong's parents also regained their senses.

Indeed, although the boy was made up, a closer look at his features revealed that he looked exactly like Cui Fan.

So what was happening?

Why was Cui Fan here, and where was Cui Shu?

Zhong's mother, seeing Zhong Ziyi writhing on the ground, hurriedly went over to help him up. Seeing her son directly thrown to the ground, she felt a surge of anger and turned to say, "Cui Fan! Why did you hit Ziyi? Do you know that today is the day of his wedding to your sister? What's wrong with you as a younger brother?"

Even if it was just a prank, wasn't it a bit too much?

However, Cui Fan seemed to ignore their questioning, not even glancing at them. Instead, he walked straight towards the confused master of ceremonies and said, "Could I borrow the microphone, please?"

The master of ceremonies was a rational person. Seeing that things were already spiraling out of control, he didn't want to get involved in this mess any further. Seeing Cui Fan reach out, he quickly handed over the microphone.

Cui Fan took the microphone and walked straight to the front of the stage, smiling as he spoke, "Dear friends and esteemed guests, good afternoon. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend today's wedding banquet. However, as you can see, today is not the wedding of my sister Cui Shu and Zhong Ziyi from the Zhong family, but rather a wedding banquet that I am attending on her behalf. Why is that?"

Yes.

Why was that?

Could it really be as they had gossiped earlier, that Cui Shu didn't actually want to marry Zhong Ziyi and was being forced by her family?

Before the guests could begin discussing, they heard Cui Fan continue with a smile from the stage, "Of course, it's because my parents are not human beings, they're human traffickers. The Zhong family spent twenty million, and they decided to 'sell' my sister to the Zhong family!"

As his words fell, the room fell into silence.

Cui's mother angrily shouted, "Cui Fan! Don't spout nonsense!"

Zhong's father and mother couldn't hold back either, "What do you mean by 'sell'? Our two families are joining through marriage…"

But the guests below didn't care about their thoughts. After hearing Cui Fan's words, they burst into intense discussions.

"Sure enough!"

"Just twenty million?"

"Has the Cui family gone crazy?"

"It's because they're poor, isn't it? They're 'selling' their daughter now!"

"I never would have thought that they would claim to be a scholarly family… It's a disgrace to the prestigious families!"

…

Today's banquet was attended not only by close friends and relatives of both families but also many top-tier aristocratic families within the circle. If they all believed these words, how would the two families be able to hold their heads high in the future?!

Zhong's father was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and his finger pointing at Cui Fan trembled slightly, "You little bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Zhong's mother's eyes turned red with anger, turning to look at Cui's mother, "Aren't you going to do something? How long are you going to let him cause trouble?"

Your Cui family may not care about reputation, but our family does!

Cui's father rushed forward, directly snatching the microphone from Cui Fan's hand, gritting his teeth, "You little bastard, do you know what nonsense you're spouting? I won't argue with you right now, quickly tell me, where is your sister? Where did she go?"

After all, until Zhong Ziyi came to pick her up, Cui Shu had been under their watchful eyes.

Along the way to the wedding venue, Cui's father had kept an eye on the bridal car. Cui Shu hadn't had the chance to get out of the car at all?

Let alone switch places with Cui Fan…

Unless—

Cui's father realized, his eyes widening in fury, "You—"

"What about me?" Cui Fan's eyes were filled with coldness, looking at Cui's father as if he were a stranger.

"Did you hide your sister? You little punk, I'm going to beat you to death today—"

With that, Cui's father rolled up his sleeves, ready to attack Cui Fan.

Seeing this, Mother Huo frowned.

She was wondering why Cui Fan didn't even try to dodge, when she noticed two pairs of hands suddenly appear behind Cui's father, firmly restraining him.

Mother Huo was taken aback, then she heard Ye Leyao say,

"They're here, the bodyguards have arrived!"

The other bodyguards rose from their seats below the stage and headed toward it.

Seeing this, Zhong's father and mother were filled with joy in their eyes: "Quickly, quickly pull him down for me!"

They could no longer afford to lose face!

But to their surprise, the bodyguards didn't even glance at them, instead walking straight towards them.

Zhong's father and mother were dumbfounded, then they were both restrained by the bodyguards.

Not only that, but even Zhong Zhiwei and Cui's mother, who were nearby, were all controlled by the bodyguards.

Cui's mother, witnessing this sudden change, was stunned again: "What are you doing?!"

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

"Isn't it obvious?! It's because they aren't your bodyguards!"

"These bodyguards were hired by Cui Fan and Cui Shu, yes, you do have bodyguards, but what if your bodyguards have also been controlled?"

"And these bodyguards are doing this to ensure that the upcoming spectacular scene won't be interrupted!"

A spectacular scene not being interrupted?

Could there be some surprise they didn't know about?

The few members of the Huo family couldn't help but sit up slightly, just to see more clearly later.

Qin Yao, sitting at the side table, watched intently, unwilling to miss any of the spectacular scenes.

More than ten bodyguards went on stage, controlling everyone except Cui Fan within mere seconds. At Cui Fan's command, they were all dragged aside.

Cui's mother was almost exploding with anger: "Cui Fan, what are you doing! Let me go!"

Zhong's father and mother began struggling fiercely.

Zhong's mother couldn't resist yelling at Cui's mother: "What is your family trying to do? If you didn't want this marriage, why didn't you say so earlier?! Your son causing such a scene, could it be that you—"

Cui's mother looked innocent: "I... I don't know either."

Everything had been fine recently; they had told Cui Fan not to let his sister leave, and Cui Fan had agreed. Why, when it came down to it, did Cui Fan refuse and even control them all?

Could it be that Cui Fan's obedience to them before was all an act?

Speaking of which, where was Cui Shu?

Cui's father struggled hard for a while but couldn't break free. At this point, he finally became somewhat panicked and glared at Cui Fan in front of him: "Cui Fan! Do you know what you're doing? I'm your father!"

Cui Fan reached out and took back the microphone in his hand, smiling at Cui's father: "Of course I know you're my father, otherwise do you think you could still be standing here talking to me?"

As he spoke, Cui Fan glanced at Zhong Zhiwei, whose legs were still weak and couldn't stand without the support of the bodyguards.

Holding the microphone, although Cui Fan wasn't speaking into it, his voice was still picked up by the microphone and spread throughout the venue.

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back her laughter.

"If it weren't for the fact that you're Cui Fan's father, do you think Cui Fan wouldn't beat you up? You'd probably be lying on the ground like Zhong Zhiwei already, just be happy!"

The guests present couldn't hold back, and a wave of laughter spread.

Thinking of the guests watching below, Cui's father's face turned pale. Knowing that confronting Cui Fan head-on was useless at this point, he softened his tone: "Cui Fan, I'm still your father after all. If you have any dissatisfaction with today's wedding banquet, we can discuss it further!"

"Haven't I discussed it with you before?" Cui Fan asked coldly.

Ye Leyao shook her head.

"It's not just discussed, Cui Fan even knelt down and begged you."

"But you? Your eyes were only on your own interests, only on the money the Zhong family gave you. You didn't care at all whether your daughter would be happy, and you even beat Cui Shu to make her obey!"

"You're scum!"

The Huo family was shocked to hear this.

They had even laid hands on Cui Shu?

They were simply inhuman!

At this moment, Cui Fan on stage didn't want to say much more to Cui's father.

He and Cui Shu had prepared for so long, wasn't it all for today?

Cui Fan cleared his throat and said with a smile: "I'm truly sorry everyone, I've really wasted everyone's time today. This wedding banquet cannot proceed. But please rest assured, since our two families have invited everyone here, we will take full responsibility. Please enjoy the food and drinks at today's wedding banquet, but as compensation for wasting everyone's time, please watch an interesting video!"

Many guests were somewhat confused.

"What video?"

"I'm not sure, but Cui Fan got it wrong, I don't feel that today's wedding banquet has wasted my time at all."

"Who says it isn't so?"

Gossiping is human nature.

A bride turning into a man right at the wedding ceremony, isn't that much more interesting than a regular wedding?

And intuition told everyone present that the video Cui Fan was about to show them was not simple!

There might even be some big news in it.

Ye Leyao was equally agitated at this moment:

"He's here! Cui Fan is the only son of the Cui family, and although Cui Father and Cui Mother claim they don't favor boys over girls, Cui Shu and Cui Fan have always had worlds apart in terms of status at home."

"In their eyes, the family business is destined to be inherited by Cui Fan, so even when discussing marriage with the Zhong family, they didn't hide anything from Cui Fan."

"But they never could have imagined that Cui Fan wasn't going to let them manipulate him? Every time the Cui family discussed important matters, Cui Fan would secretly wear a pinhole camera on himself."

"The video Cui Fan released today will also serve as powerful evidence in the future."

Upon hearing this, the Huo family was taken aback.

Evidence?

Could it be that Cui Shu and Cui Fan were taking their parents to court together?

Arranged marriage might not be easy to charge, but what about illegal confinement?

The Huo family's eyes simultaneously lit up.

At this moment, the large screen on stage finally lit up, and the video began to play.

The entire video wasn't long, lasting only seven minutes in total.

But these seven minutes contained nothing but the most critical moments.

It not only showed the Zhong and Cui families haggling over the dowry amount but also captured a series of key scenes throughout the entire incident.

Naturally, it included the crucial scene where Cui Shu refused the arranged marriage with Zhong Zhiwei, only to be violently confined by Cui Father and Cui Mother, who confiscated all her communication devices and identification documents, directly imprisoning her at home.

When the seven-minute video ended, the entire venue erupted in shock.

Someone muttered in disbelief, "Did... Did I just see the Cui family beating Cui Shu? I'm not mistaken, am I..."

The person beside them replied, "You're not mistaken; I saw it too."

"Not only did they hit their daughter, I think Cui Fan got beaten too..."

"These two kids are truly pitiful."

"Damn it, forcing their own daughter to marry someone she doesn't like, and when she resists, she gets beaten and imprisoned. These two aren't human!"

The surrounding people were filled with righteous indignation.

Ye Leyao heard this and nodded in agreement.

"It's precisely because their parents aren't human that Cui Fan and his sister Cui Shu's initial goal wasn't to sabotage the marriage."

"What they wanted from the beginning was to send these two to prison!"

The Huo family felt a surge of excitement.

Just as they suspected!

Although illegal confinement wouldn't result in a long sentence, what if it was coupled with illegal harm?

The thought alone was exhilarating!

The guests below engaged in more intense discussions.

Meanwhile, Cui Father and Cui Mother on stage wished they could faint right then and there.

Cui Fan was truly a traitorous son!

A traitor!

When did he record these videos? How dare he show them in front of so many guests.

Was he insane?

"Cui Fan! I'll kill you! You little bastard..."

"You want to hit me?" Cui Fan, as if hearing something amusing, slowly walked to Cui Father with the microphone in hand, his face full of provocation. "Go ahead, I'm standing right here. Hit me, and let everyone here see how you two abuse your power as parents at home."

After Cui Fan's words, Cui Father's face turned red and then white, a spectacular sight: "You... You have the nerve to restrain me!"

"Yes!" Zhong Mother couldn't hold back any longer and spoke out, "Cui Fan, quickly have someone release us! Since your family isn't willing to arrange a marriage with our family, then let's call off this wedding!"

She had seen through everything. Cui Fan's disruption today was simply because he was dissatisfied with the marriage between Cui Shu and their son Zhong Zhiwei!

If he was dissatisfied, then they wouldn't marry.

Anyway, their family didn't want to be fools. If it weren't for Zhong Zhiwei's affection for Cui Shu, they wouldn't have bothered with the Cui family's mess.

Hearing this, Zhong Zhiwei panicked: "Wait, Mom, I..."

"What do you want!" Zhong Father barked sternly, "If it weren't for your insistence on marrying Cui Shu, would we be in this situation today? It's just a woman; look at your lack of ambition!"

Zhong Zhiwei's expression changed slightly: "But..."

Zhong Father disregarded Zhong Zhiwei's thoughts. He had also understood the situation: "Since neither Cui Fan nor your sister are willing to marry into our family, then let's part ways amicably. But I must make one thing clear: we can overlook everything else, but wasn't what you did today, Cui Fan, too excessive? You must apologize to us!"

Ye Leyao couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

"Making Cui Fan apologize to you? Aren't you afraid that he'll drag your son in with him later?"

Father and Mother Huo simultaneously turned to look at Ye Leyao.

Could he send Zhong Ziyi in as well?

What a good deal.

Ye Leyao was very familiar with this part of the plot.

"You should know that Cui Fan has made quite an effort during this time to help Cui Shu completely break away from the Cui and Zhong families."

"Right? Does the Zhong family think that Cui Fan only targeted them with such a grand performance?"

Upon hearing this, Huo Yan's lips curled up in amusement.

Oh, so they wouldn't see Zhong Ziyi for several years after this?

At the thought of this, Huo Yan felt his mood lighten considerably.

And at this moment, Cui Fan's voice came through the microphone. He chuckled softly, as if he had heard something amusing, looking at Zhong's father: "I'm apologizing to you?"

Zhong's father glared at him: "What else?"

Cui Fan merely looked at him regretfully and shook his head: "It's about time. Enjoy your meal slowly, everyone."

Huh?

Is that it?

Everyone was somewhat stunned.

But Ye Leyao suddenly became excited and turned to look directly at the entrance to the banquet hall.

"They're here!"

The Huo family turned their heads.

Leading the way was a girl whom the Huo family recognized at once; she was Cui Shu.

Cui Shu was still wearing her server's uniform, and behind her were several police officers in uniform.

The guests near the door noticed first, and their expressions changed.

Everyone present was smart, and almost instantly understood what was happening.

"Did these police officers come with Cui Shu and Cui Fan?"

"My God, I knew things wouldn't end so simply!"

"So the two siblings are planning to take justice into their own hands?"

"Exciting."

Indeed.

Soon, all the guests noticed the arrival of the police, and even those seated far away stood up from their seats.

The police had arrived.

Things were getting more interesting!

At this moment, the Cui family on stage also saw Cui Shu. Before they could even get angry, they caught sight of the several police officers following behind her.

The expressions on Cui's father and mother's faces turned ugly instantly.

Cui's father shouted sternly: "Cui Shu! What do you think you're doing?!"

Cui's mother, seeing the police, couldn't help but feel guilty and softened her tone: "Little Shu, don't cause trouble! Since you don't want to marry Zhong Ziyi, we can find another..."

"Another lecherous, wealthy old man?" Cui Shu spoke without hesitation, her cold gaze sweeping over everyone on the stage, then pointed at Cui's father and mother, saying to the leading officer, "They're the ones who not only used violence against me illegally but also illegally imprisoned me."

Cui's father and mother were stunned on the spot, their faces full of disbelief.

Cui Shu was actually here to accuse them!

Cui's mother immediately panicked: "Little Shu! I'm your mother..."

"You have no right to restrict someone else's freedom, no matter who you are," the leading police officer took out his credentials, "the complainant has identified you, so we'll have to ask you to come with us."

The bodyguards directly handed the two over to the police.

Even as Cui's father and mother were led away by several police officers, they hadn't come to their senses.

"I just... I just wanted her to get married! What did I do wrong!" After being escorted off the stage, Cui's father seemed to finally come to his senses and suddenly started shouting.

Cui's mother's tears fell: "Little Shu! Do you have to hurt Mommy and Daddy like this? We raised you so big, and it's not because the company needs your help to get through the crisis, making you suffer a little, and you... "

"Why should she?" Ye Leyao could no longer hold back, frowning at Cui's mother, "Your company is poorly managed and facing bankruptcy, why should your daughter bear the consequences of your failure?"

Cui's mother was stunned.

The other guests also chimed in:

"You two are shameless!"

"I've only heard of ancient officials selling their daughters for glory, but I never thought that in the 21st century, there would still be people doing this. It's outrageous!"

"Hurry up and take them away, you two suspects!"

The word "suspects" hit Cui's father and mother like a ton of bricks.

"What nonsense are you spouting—"

"We did nothing wrong, let alone commit a crime!"

"Whether or not it's a crime, we'll find out at the police station." Ye Leyao didn't forget to twist the knife.

Huoyan hurriedly tugged on Ye Leyao.

Enough, enough.

Mr. and Mrs. Cui escalated their antics even further.

But no matter how much they raged, it wouldn't change the fact that they were being taken away by the police.

Looking back at Mr. and Mrs. Zhong on stage, they were completely dumbfounded, standing there in a daze, their faces filled with disbelief.

Wait.

Didn't Mrs. Cui say earlier that if Cui Shu was unwilling, she wouldn't force her to marry into their family? Why weren't these siblings willing to let go, insisting on having their parents arrested as well?

Mrs. Zhong looked at Mr. Zhong.

Mr. Zhong's brows were tightly furrowed.

How could he know what they were thinking?

But this turn of events was for the best. Cui Shu, a heartless wolf who would have her own parents arrested, was thankfully not marrying their son!

Mrs. Zhong shared Mr. Zhong's thoughts, then glanced at the remaining officers, her eyes suddenly brightening. She shouted directly, "Officer! Make them release us! This Cui Fan is simply despicable. Not only did he beat my son, but he also had his bodyguards restrain us. We want to report a crime too!"

Mr. Zhong reacted, "Right, we want to report a crime too!"

Seeing this scene on stage, Ye Leyao burst out laughing.

"What's the rush? Don't worry, there are still several officers here. Your share won't be missing!"

Cui Fan had been whispering to Cui Shu, but upon hearing Mr. and Mrs. Zhong's words, he laughed outright.

Just then, an officer asked, "Who is Cui Fan?"

Cui Fan patted Cui Shu's hand reassuringly and said to the officer, "I am."

The officer nodded. "You're the one who reported Zhong Ziyi for group debauchery?"

"Yes," Cui Fan replied. "I've already gathered substantial evidence and contacted the victims."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ziyi's expression changed instantly.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhong's faces turned a kaleidoscope of colors.

"W-What..."

"Is this Zhong Ziyi?" the officer asked. "Take him along too."

As the words fell, two bodyguards escorted Zhong Ziyi forward and handed him over to the police.

Zhong Ziyi's face went pale in an instant. He frantically turned to look at Mr. and Mrs. Zhong. "Dad! Mom! Save me!"

Ye Leyao was about to laugh herself silly.

"Save you? How can they save you? Don't you see who's taking you away?"

The bodyguards released Mr. and Mrs. Zhong at the right moment.

Mrs. Zhong stumbled and fell to her knees.

Mr. Zhong felt a darkness before his eyes, the world spinning around him. "Officers, there must be some mistake..."

Mrs. Zhong echoed, "Our son, it's impossible... It must be a mistake!"

"Perfect," the officer said. "You're his parents. Come with us to make a statement."

Ye Leyao burst out laughing.

Not just her, most of the guests present couldn't hold back their laughter either.

Laughter rang out in waves, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Zhong so ashamed they wished they could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

Meanwhile, Zhong Ziyi continued shouting, "Mom and Dad! Hurry up and think of something! I didn't... I really didn't..."

"What can you do? The police are here to arrest you. Do you think they don't have evidence?"

Ye Leyao's smile never left her face. Watching the three of them being taken away by the police, she sighed,

"It's quite fitting that both families are being taken away. It's a double celebration of sorts!"

Qin Yao and the Huo family nodded simultaneously.

Wasn't that the truth?