Chapter 372 — Swallowing a Silent Loss

Tang Zhi was startled and delighted all at once, silently blaming Wei Zhao for being too wicked — he had made Zhu Xiaozhang swallow a loss he could not even voice.

"It was you. You were the one behind it, weren't you?" Zhu Xiaozhang refused to believe that it was anyone but Wei Zhao who had hit him, for his face had most certainly swollen up: "Captain Zhong, pull up the surveillance footage and see whether it was him!"

Zhu Xiaozhang was not entirely stupid. Furious as he was, it had still occurred to him to use the security footage as evidence.

"Sorry, but security at the entrance falls under my jurisdiction, and I refuse your request!" Old Sui had already planted himself firmly on Wei Zhao's side, and now he would see it through to the end: "So many people here saw no such thing as this gentleman striking anyone. Your demand is utterly unreasonable and downright farcical! Are you suggesting that all of us are blind?"

"That..." Zhu Xiaozhang certainly had no intention of calling anyone blind — and even if he did, he would never dare say so aloud. In his heart he simply suspected that Wei Zhao had just now used some trick to distract everyone's attention, to pull the wool over their eyes and get what he wanted.

"Old Sui, you're shielding these troublemakers, aren't you?" Zhong Dingwei had no evidence to be found, yet he could not simply let the matter drop, so he had no choice but to attack from another angle.

"I'm merely stating the facts. I truly saw nothing — and neither did you, did you?" Old Sui said mildly.

"Fine, Old Sui. Do you even know that Mr. Zhu and the Second Young Master Kang are honored guests of our resort? Brother Li specially instructed us to guarantee their safety. Now Brother Xiaozhang has run into trouble on your turf — I'd rather like to see how Brother Li handles this!" With that, Zhong Dingwei pulled out his walkie-talkie and punched in a few numbers and the call button.

He and Old Sui were of equal rank, both squad leaders of the security team, with no direct superior-subordinate relationship between them, so the only way Zhong Dingwei could bring pressure to bear on Old Sui was to invoke the higher-ups.

"Suit yourself." The moment Old Sui heard that Zhong Dingwei meant to summon Li Yixun, he was overjoyed. He had been afraid Zhong Dingwei would not call him! Now that Li Yixun was coming — and Li Yixun knew Wei Zhao — the whole matter would be all the easier to settle.

Zhong Dingwei assumed Old Sui was merely being stubborn. He gave a cold laugh and spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Brother Li, there's been some trouble at the entrance to the banquet hall. Someone has assaulted our honored guests, and Squad Leader Sui is shielding the attacker... Right, I'll wait for you to come over!"

With that, Zhong Dingwei turned to Old Sui with a look of smug triumph, thinking to himself, now let's see how you die!

When Li Yixun heard that an honored guest had been assaulted, he dared not be negligent either. He immediately took an electric cart over — but the moment he stepped off it, he saw Wei Zhao! Li Yixun hesitated a moment, then decided he should greet Wei Zhao first.

Wei Zhao was someone President Tian had gone out of her way to mention several times over; Li Yixun naturally understood that if his status were not of the utmost importance, or if he were not exceedingly close to President Tian, she would never have instructed him so solemnly and repeatedly.

"Mr. Lin, you're here as well!" Li Yixun hurried over and politely extended his hand to Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao put out his hand and shook Li Yixun's casually: "I'm here with a brother of mine, for his great-uncle's birthday banquet."

Li Yixun nodded and said politely, "Mr. Lin, then I won't keep you. If there's anything you need, just call me directly!"

Li Yixun assumed Wei Zhao was merely passing through on his way into the banquet hall, and thought nothing more of it. But his words left everyone present dumbstruck — including Squad Leader Zhong Dingwei!

He finally understood why Old Sui had been spouting such barefaced nonsense, standing so resolutely on Wei Zhao's side! So Old Sui had known all along that Wei Zhao was the one Li Yixun truly regarded as an honored guest!

From Li Yixun's tone alone, his attitude toward Wei Zhao was plain to see! Looking at the beaming, blossoming smile all over Old Sui's face, Zhong Dingwei itched to walk up and punch him — he had been set up by Old Sui! He had stuck his neck out as the nail that gets hammered, and it was utterly not worth it!

He had curried favor with Zhu Xiaozhang, true enough — but in doing so he had offended Li Yixun!

"Little Zhong, what's going on here? Who assaulted an honored guest?" Only after exchanging pleasantries with Wei Zhao did Li Yixun turn to question Zhong Dingwei.

"Heh, Brother Li, it's like this. This fellow calling himself Zhu Xiaozhang says I hit him — but I didn't hit him, and everyone saw it clearly. Yet this Squad Leader Zhong of ours insists that I did." Wei Zhao spoke up mildly.

"Oh?" Li Yixun was taken aback. He had not expected the matter to involve Wei Zhao as well.

"I can testify to that. Mr. Lin did not strike Zhu Xiaozhang — everyone here saw it too. Brother Li, you can ask anyone in the crowd!" Old Sui said with complete confidence.

Wei Zhao's first slap had indeed landed, but at that time there had been no one near the banquet hall entrance, and Zhong Dingwei had not yet arrived. As long as Wei Zhao refused to admit it, no one would be able to testify against him!

But the second slap was different. Not only had Zhong Dingwei been present, but a large crowd of onlookers had been gathered nearby, and no matter whom one asked, they would all testify that Wei Zhao had not struck Zhu Xiaozhang!

"Little Zhong, just what is going on here?" Brother Li's face darkened. Though he sensed something was off, Old Sui's words were most likely trustworthy, and seeing that none of the bystanders contradicted them, he grew all the more convinced that this Zhong Dingwei was lying!

"Th-this... this... then perhaps I saw it wrong..." How could Zhong Dingwei fail to read the situation now? To dare keep siding with Zhu Xiaozhang at this moment would be to offend Li Yixun himself!

"Zhong Dingwei, I gave you two thousand yuan, and now you say you saw it wrong?" Zhu Xiaozhang exploded on the spot. He had been struck, yet no one believed he had been struck; his face was swollen like a steamed bun, and still no one believed him! Was there any suffering in this world more bitter than that? Was there? Was there?

"Oh..." A wave of jeering laughter rippled through the crowd. It would have been better had Zhu Xiaozhang not blurted out that inside story; though no one had clearly seen how Wei Zhao struck him, Zhu Xiaozhang's face was indeed swollen, and some had still suspected Wei Zhao of foul play.

But now, with that outburst, everyone without exception concluded that Zhu Xiaozhang had bribed Zhong Dingwei and then beaten himself, the two of them conspiring to frame Wei Zhao!

Li Yixun's gloomy gaze settled on Zhong Dingwei's face. "Get back to the security office. Write me a self-criticism first — if it isn't satisfactory, then get lost!"

How would Zhong Dingwei dare utter a word of protest? He slunk off with his tail between his legs, leaving only Zhu Xiaozhang, seething with fury!

Kang Jingming had never expected Wei Zhao to have backing, to know Li Yixun of the resort — that truly caught him off guard! In Donghai's high society, there was no one who did not know Li Yixun. Though he was Boss Tian's spokesman, his words carried considerable weight.