What's his answer?
Susan Xu's expression darkened. "Did he agree to come or not? If he doesn't show up, march me to his house!"
I want his mother to answer for this! My own son—I've never even laid a hand on him, and now, his first time in Whitewood, he gets beaten up by some random wild kid?
The more Susan Xu spoke, the angrier she got, wishing she could rush over and slap Evan Lin a few times to vent her anger. "My husband came to Whitewood to invest—that's supposed to be a big honor for your county!"
Her voice rang out, trembling with fury.
Chloe Cheng was secretly delighted, but outwardly joined the chorus of outrage: "He already agreed. Just let Director Chen handle everything when the time comes!"
"Don't worry, Director Chen has already spoken up, so there shouldn't be any problems! And when the time comes, just tell Director Chen the boy's mom is running an illegal cram school, protected by the Education Bureau. Best case, they shut her class down and get the school to fire her!"
"Kids like that just need to be taught a lesson!"
After hanging up on Lisa Liu, Evan Lin called Big Tank. Learning that Big Tank was currently inspecting safety at the construction site, Evan told him to bring Secretary Thomas Liu and Magistrate Ma in twenty minutes and head to Whitewood Grand Hotel together.
Big Tank didn't know the reason, but he agreed immediately without hesitation.
Finishing that call, Evan Lin headed out the door and dialed Joy Zheng.
But the phone rang a few times and no one picked up.
Evan wasn't worried about Joy Zheng's safety, since she still had the Wanhe Ancient Jade on her. If anything happened, Evan would sense it immediately.
He stepped out of the house.
It was a pretty long walk from Mooncrest Manor to Whitewood Grand Hotel.
Evan had originally planned to meet up with Feng Jian and Chu Han that night, but now he'd have to put that off for a bit.
Inside the reception hall at Whitewood Grand Hotel.
Director David Chen checked the time, then glanced at Susan Xu, who was sitting nearby looking quite grim. Finally, he spoke: "It's been fifteen minutes already. Why don't we head downstairs?"
"I want to greet him in person and see who dares lay a hand on Mr. Xu's son!"
Director Chen spoke every word forcefully, slapping his thigh to make his point clear.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Director Chen!"
Simon Xu nodded and looked at Susan Xu: "Go call Max out."
Just now, Lisa Liu had arranged for Chloe Cheng to accompany Max Xu back to his room to quickly take care of his injuries, wash his face, shower, and change clothes.
"Don't worry, Simon. Director Chen's word carries more weight than most in our county!" Kevin Cheng stood up, patting Simon Xu's arm with a big grin. "If that kid and his parent don't cooperate and refuse to admit fault, worst case, Director Chen can just call the cops!"
Some people just won't cry until they see the coffin—especially kids these days, they're totally out of control! It's time someone taught them a lesson.
Kevin Cheng spoke earnestly.
Simon Xu's expression finally eased.
"Just admitting fault isn't enough. There has to be compensation!" Susan Xu snorted. "This isn't a world where a few apologies can fix everything!"
"It's not like our family needs the money, but that kid needs to learn: if you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences!"
Susan Xu said viciously.
Before long, Max Xu came out of his room with Chloe Cheng by his side.
He'd showered and changed clothes, looking a lot more refreshed.
But the slap marks on both his cheeks hadn't faded one bit—a testament to just how satisfying and heavy Big Tank's smack had been.
"Let's go, we'll head down together!"
Director Chen nodded.
In his eyes, the Xu family was worth millions in outside investment.
That money could mean a major upgrade for Whitewood County's investment climate—especially for him, the finance chief who hadn't landed a single outside investor in ages. This was a real achievement.
The newly appointed county leader, Thomas Liu, wasn't like the ones before him—he never cared about empty gestures, only real results.
Every time Director Chen reported to him, it was a headache—he'd get chewed out for even the smallest mistakes, sometimes for ages.
"This time, I might finally get some praise!"
Director Chen thought this, and became even more determined to side with Simon Xu and the others.
The group took the elevator downstairs.
Simon Xu walked in front, chest out, looking every bit the big boss. Director Chen and Kevin Cheng flanked him, giving him plenty of face.
Chloe Cheng and Susan Xu walked beside Max Xu. Next to Susan Xu, Lisa Liu wore an eager smile.
In front of Whitewood Grand Hotel was a plaza, with a long road stretching forward, lined with greenery on both sides.
It was noon, and the weather was scorching.
Director Chen kept wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Why isn't he here yet?"
Looking at the empty street ahead, Susan Xu was visibly annoyed, growing impatient.
"Maybe that kid realized he's in trouble and ran off early? I've seen plenty like him!"
Max Xu stood nearby, face full of anger.
"He wouldn't dare!"
Lisa Liu snorted. "Relax, if he ran off, we'll just go straight to his house, corner him there, and ask his mom how she raised him!"
After speaking, Lisa Liu also felt the heat from the sun was getting to her.
She turned to Chloe Cheng: "Call him again, ask where he is."
"Okay."
Chloe Cheng took out her phone, just about to dial.
Just then, Director Chen's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, surprised to see it was Secretary Thomas Liu.
Director Chen quickly answered the call.
From a distance, Max Xu instantly recognized Evan Lin's clothes.
His face twisted in anger: "That's the guy! And he has a friend with him—a fat guy in a suit!"
"Why is he the only one who showed up?"
Max Xu wanted nothing more than to rush up and knock Evan Lin to the ground.
"At least he showed up."
Simon Xu looked at Director Chen: "Director Chen, do you think we should call the police now?"
"Let's wait and see. If he refuses to admit fault, we can call the police then."
Director Chen spoke up.
Seeing how young Evan Lin was, Director Chen felt a bit reluctant to see him taken away by the police.
Max Xu was indeed beaten, but as for who was right or wrong, Director Chen couldn't say for sure.
The best outcome would be for the kid to understand the situation and apologize obediently.
"That would be best. After all, he's just a kid—give him a chance to make things right."