Chapter 46 Hype, Hype It Hard

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Staring at Lin Jiahe, who was lying flat on the floor with his body stiff as a board, Jiang Hanhai frowned and looked at Ye Fan.

He honestly could not remember anyone from the Lin family matching this description, let alone someone arrogant enough to strike Lin Jiahe. Could that old fox Lin Junqiang have an illegitimate son running around?

"Mr. Jiang! You must seek justice for me!"

Huang Dalei suddenly crawled toward Jiang Hanhai, crying out, "This guy is actually Chen Shuting's lover! I came here to have dinner today and happened to catch them in the act, so they beat me to a pulp! They beat me so miserably!"

"???"

A row of question marks appeared over Ye Fan's head. This Huang Dalei truly was incorrigible; even after being beaten into a pig head by him, he still dared to frame him. Was he really so eager to die?

"Heh! So it's just the eldest daughter-in-law's boy toy!"

Jiang Hanhai let out a lewd chuckle and glanced at Chen Shuting. "Your Lin family's social circle is quite complicated!"

"Huang Dalei, stop spouting sheer nonsense!" Chen Shuting was already trembling all over with anger. Lin Jiahe's earlier words had cut her deeply, and now, seeing Huang Dalei frame her like this, she felt an overwhelming sense of grievance, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Suddenly, her hand was enveloped in warmth. She saw Ye Fan looking at her with a smile, saying, "You don't need to be angry. I've got everything handled!"

The words were simple, yet they caused Chen Shuting's heart to skip a beat. She fought back her tears and stood aggrieved behind Ye Fan. Then, she heard Ye Fan utter a sentence that nearly made her lose her footing and sprain her waist.

"Mr. Jiang, actually, you are the son of myself and Mr. Huang! Hurry up and call the reporters; I want a public family reunion right now. I simply can't wait another second!"

"You're fucking asking for a death wish!" Jiang Hanhai leaped up, itching to throw punches. This guy named Ye Fan had a mouth that was far too obnoxious—he actually dared to insult him!

"Call the reporters right now! Make it as fast as possible, and tell them there's a massive piece of juicy gossip!"

With that, Jiang Hanhai glared at Ye Fan as if looking at a dead man. "In a moment, I'll make sure you learn the exact manner of your death!"

"Wonderful! As it happens, I also have a massive piece of gossip. Let's see whose death turns out to be more pathetic!"

Ye Fan replied with a grin, took Chen Shuting by the hand, and walked toward a private dining room nearby.

"Ye Fan, what are we going to do?!"

As soon as they entered the room, Chen Shuting threw herself into Ye Fan's arms, her delicate frame still trembling.

"Rest assured, I've got a backup plan!"

Ye Fan pulled out his phone and checked the battery level: 80%. Yep, plenty of juice!

Before Chen Shuting could say another word, the commotion outside grew increasingly lively.

The reporters, who had been waiting for a long time, swarmed in. They aimed their cameras at Huang Dalei and Lin Jiahe, who were lying on the floor, and began snapping frantically. The flashes practically merged into a continuous sheet of blinding light.

Facing the press, Jiang Hanhai instantly transformed into an emissary of justice, saying with righteous indignation, "My friends from the media, take a good look! Tonight! Right here! This Mr. Huang was merely passing by when he was beaten to this state by members of the Lin family!"

Jiang Hanhai pointed at Huang Dalei's swollen, pig-like face. Feeling that wasn't dramatic enough, he even squatted down and poked the man's cheek with his finger.

"Aiyo! Ouch!"

Huang Dalei howled in agony, and Jiang Hanhai immediately put on an expression of heartbreaking grief. "Look at that, won't he be permanently disabled?"

Hearing Huang Dalei's miserable cries, the reporters grew instantly excited. They swarmed down to squat in front of him, thrusting a dozen microphones directly into his face. "Could you tell us why you were subjected to such vicious brutality?"

"I wath jutht walkhing payt..." Huang Dalei slurred indistinctly. Eager to catch every word, the reporters pressed closer and shoved harder, causing them to stumble forward simultaneously. A dozen microphones slammed straight into Huang Dalei's face!

"My... Ahh~"

Huang Dalei wailed from within the crowd. Seeing this, Jiang Hanhai hurriedly pulled people back. "Everyone, please stop shoving and listen to me!"

He raised both arms, attempting to draw everyone's attention back to himself. Chen Shuting was trembling with fury and stepped forward to speak, but Ye Fan pulled her back.

He leaned in close to Chen Shuting's ear and whispered, "Don't rush. Let's watch his performance first!"

Though she didn't quite understand, Chen Shuting instinctively halted her steps and snuggled up close to Ye Fan's side.

Jiang Hanhai's eyes bulged with rage as he launched into his accusation: "Why? Simply because the Lin family is arrogant and tyrannical! Everyone here tonight represents the elite of the media world, and I am not afraid of offending the Lin family by exposing this right now! They rely on their power to bully others and hold themselves above the law!"

While he was speaking with spittle flying everywhere, he caught sight of the two figures leaning against each other. His eyes lit up instantly. *I was just about to accuse you two of having an illicit relationship, and now I've caught you red-handed?*

He immediately pointed straight at Ye Fan and Chen Shuting. "Today, I am going to break a massive scandal for everyone! The reason Mr. Huang was beaten so miserably is precisely because of this eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family, Chen Shuting!"

"She was here on a date with her toy boy, and when Mr. Huang accidentally stumbled upon them, he suffered this catastrophe!"

"Look at them! Even now, they still dare to act affectionately! With all the media friends of the city present tonight, do you two still dare to commit acts of violence?"

The reporters turned their gazes toward Ye Fan and Chen Shuting. Seeing that the two of them were indeed huddled together, they grew even more ecstatic!

They had all assumed tonight's incident was merely a common brawl, but they never expected it to involve high-society scandal!

Instantly, all the reporters surged toward Chen Shuting.

"Miss Chen, are you and this gentleman truly in a romantic relationship?"

"I heard your husband disappeared several months ago. Could it be that you simply couldn't endure the loneliness?"

"Have you ever considered searching for your husband? How do the two of you plan to face this romance once he returns?"

Chen Shuting's face was a mask of sorrow and indignation. She tried to speak, but Ye Fan gave her hand a gentle tug, leaving her no choice but to keep her head down in silence.

Seeing that Chen Shuting refused to answer, the reporters shifted their target to Ye Fan, firing off aggressive questions: "Miss Chen, are you satisfied with this gentleman's performance in bed?"

"Did you win Miss Chen's heart purely through technique?"

"Do you have any tips on attracting wealthy women that you could share with us?"

Ye Fan scratched his head. Were these reporters out of their minds? Why were they asking about such things?

Keeping Chen Shuting's reputation in mind, he immediately adopted a serious expression and replied, "I'm sorry, but I am merely Miss Chen's secretary! We do not have the kind of relationship you are imagining!"

"A secretary?"

One reporter, purely looking to stir up trouble, seized upon Ye Fan's words. "The secretary does the work during the day, and the secretary does... well, you know, at night! Sir, I completely understand your meaning!"

"No... you're interpreting that in a somewhat..."

Before Ye Fan could defend himself, a figure abruptly thrust their way between him and the reporters.

It was none other than Lin Jiahe!

He had previously been knocked out cold by Ye Fan's punch, only to be trampled awake when the reporters surged forward earlier!

Despite his advanced years, white hair, and trembling limbs, the old man burst into a river of tears and delivered a deep, sweeping bow to the reporters!

"My friends in the media! This is entirely the fault of the Lin family; I beg you to show mercy with your pens!"

Upon seeing him, the reporters instinctively stepped back, terrified that the old man might collapse and pin the blame on them. "Excuse me, sir, who are you, and how are you connected to this incident?"

"Me? I am Xiaoting's elder!"

Lin Jiahe said with a look of profound grief, "It is because our family failed to discipline her properly that such a scandalous and disgraceful event occurred. Once I return, I will definitely deal with them severely!"

"Here, on behalf of the Lin family, I would also like to make our official stance clear to all our friends in the media: The Lin family will suspend Chen Shuting from all her duties and is seriously considering divorcing her from the family!"

"Ooh~" Upon hearing this declaration, they had already thought the high-society scandal was explosive enough, but they hadn't anticipated a power struggle within the clan as well. Tonight's events were thoroughly packed with juicy drama!

It was easily enough to secure three major headlines and spark heated public discussions for more than half a year!

"Alright! Now everyone knows the score!" Jiang Hanhai stepped back into the spotlight, recapturing the entire audience's attention. "This incident took place at our Golden Dragon Plaza. As a third party, I feel deeply grieved and can only do my utmost to uphold fairness and justice!"

"Tonight, I invite all my media friends to stay free of charge in the presidential suites of the Golden Dragon Plaza! I have only one tiny request: please stay up all night writing your articles and publishing your reports. You must expose this pair of adulterers and give them a thorough public lashing!"

The reporters burst into enthusiastic, synchronized applause! The presidential suites at the Golden Dragon Plaza were the absolute pinnacle of luxury in Dragon City; a month's salary wasn't even enough to rent a room there for a few hours!

One reporter even shouted out, "Mr. Jiang, can we bring our girlfriends?"

"Hahaha! Of course! Wives, children, girlfriends—bring whoever you like! If you don't have a girlfriend, I have plenty of reception hostesses here to help you spend a wonderful evening!"

Jiang Hanhai's words ignited the scene once more. The reporters cheered excitedly, vowing to completely ruin Chen Shuting's reputation!

"Ye Fan! Say something already!"

Chen Shuting watched the reporters flood toward the elevators to check into their rooms, looking at Ye Fan through her tears.

After tonight, she would never be able to show her face in public again!

Yet Ye Fan acted as though nothing at all was the matter. With a reassuring smile, he coaxed her, "We've barely even started! Let the bullets fly for a little while longer; otherwise, if the hype doesn't build up properly, how are we supposed to drive the trending topics later on~?"