Chapter Nineteen: A Turning Point? Dream On

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At 6:30 the next morning, Fang Nian, who had spent the night painfully recovering his strength, was roused by a cacophony of noise.

“Shameless Xia family, Xia Moye, pay back what you owe!”

“Xia Moye, you may be beautiful, but to do something so disgusting—pay up, pay up!”

“Xia Hong, bring Xia Moye out here and give me back my hard-earned money!”

...

Standing on the balcony, Fang Nian saw that the entrance to the Xia family estate was already swarming with people. Aside from a few suppliers clutching invoices, there were also numerous journalists brandishing their cameras and microphones.

“The world has already fallen into chaos, and yet there are still people in the mood for gossip. Well then, let the storm rage even fiercer. The audience is ready, all that’s left is for the main actor to make their entrance.”

He dressed and went downstairs. The Xia family’s living room was already crowded. The very people who had calmly shirked responsibility the day before now looked like ants on a hot pan, smoking one cigarette after another and pacing the floor in agitation.

“Dad, we can’t wait any longer. Given the current situation, we have no choice but to cut our losses.”

“That’s right, Dad, maybe we should just give up on the Northern District. All the suppliers we work with are outside our door. If this continues, our hunting grounds in the other districts will be affected as well.”

Xia Junyi looked at Xia Junliang in surprise.

“Big brother, how can you say that? Even if this whole mess was Moye’s fault, you can’t just put it all on her. When the money was rolling in, you were happy to pocket it. Now that trouble’s come, you want to blame us for everything?”

Xia Junhui stepped forward.

“Second brother, you’re being irresponsible. Even if Moye’s always run the family business, we’re still brothers and accounts have to be clear. The ‘Air Cipher’ theme was launched first at the Northern District hunting ground. If we had the foresight to do something different in other districts, that’s our own merit—it’s not the same thing.”

Xia Junhui chimed in as well.

“Exactly. Why should we risk our own assets to cover your losses?”

“Yeah, why should we bail you out?”

“You—!”

...

Fang Nian was speechless. The enemy’s bombardment outside hadn’t even reached the gates, but the defenders were already at each other’s throats. With such a fractured family, no wonder things had come to this.

But as soon as they saw Fang Nian coming down the stairs, their hostility shifted toward him.

“Hey, look who’s up. Didn’t you say yesterday that you’d take responsibility with Moye? Where is she?”

“Yeah, where’s Xia Moye? The suppliers are all at our door. Why are you still standing here? Aren’t you going to take responsibility?”

“If you can’t handle it, then bring out Xia Moye. Useless.”

“Enough! All of you, shut up.”

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After yesterday and this morning, Xia Hong finally lost his temper and shouted, “Moye went to the hunting ground last night to design the latest theme. She’s not at home right now. Stop arguing. If our Xia family has fallen so far, then all of us should shoulder the burden together.”

Seeing Xia Hong’s anger, Xia Junliang and the others didn’t dare object further, swallowing their bitterness in silence.

At that moment, Fang Nian stepped forward. “Grandfather, I said yesterday that Moye and I would take responsibility for this. We’ll keep our word. The situation isn’t as hopeless as you all think. Perhaps there will be a turnaround shortly.”

“A turnaround? Dream on.”

Fang Nian ignored them and walked out the villa’s main doors.

...

By now, the gates outside were packed with people. If not for the tall iron gates and the security guards holding the line, they would have been overwhelmed already.

Just then, Fang Nian’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, smiled, and answered.

“Hello? Are you ready?”

A young but warm and friendly voice replied, “Boss, we’ve already mingled with the crowd. Should we start now?”

“Of course. But let me remind you, if this video doesn’t get over ten million views, I’m not paying a cent.”

“Haha, don’t worry, boss! Whether you’re exposing someone else or someone’s exposing you, I’ll edit it into a blockbuster worthy of international release. They don’t call me ‘Little Zhuge the King of Editing’ for nothing.”

Fang Nian rolled his eyes. “Alright, get started.”

With that, he hung up, straightened his shirt, and stepped outside.

The crowd, who had been at the gate all morning, were practically vibrating with excitement but had no one to vent their anger on. Now that a living target had appeared, they swarmed around him like madmen, shouting for their money and firing questions, their microphones nearly poking Fang Nian in the face.

He stood there helplessly, raising his hand for quiet. After a moment, he nodded to a burly man in the crowd, and only then did the noise subside. Fang Nian knew this man must be the leader—most likely sent by the Xu or Jin families.

“Who are you? We want to see Xia Moye. Bring her out!”

Fang Nian smiled at the man and extended his hand. “And you are?”

The man, seeing Fang Nian’s courtesy, reached out to shake his hand.

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“Liangtian.”

But just as he was about to grasp Fang Nian’s hand, Fang Nian withdrew it, leaving Liangtian grasping at thin air—a moment of acute embarrassment.

“You—!”

Fang Nian paid him no mind. He addressed the crowd calmly, “Hello, everyone. This may be our first meeting, so you don’t know me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fang Nian. I am Xia Moye’s husband. If you have any questions today, you can direct them to me.”

Everyone in District 16 knew that Xia Moye had married a useless live-in son-in-law. Liangtian, naturally, had heard the rumors. Having just been humiliated by Fang Nian, and seeing who his opponent was, he wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip by.

“Alright, since you’re here, don’t blame me for being blunt. Tell me, when is your Xia family going to settle our accounts?”

Fang Nian blinked in surprise. “Our accounts? Is the payment due already?”

Liangtian sneered, raising his voice, “Not yet, but given your family’s financial situation, I’m afraid you’ll be bankrupt before long. We small businesses can’t afford to lose our hard-earned savings. You must pay up now—isn’t that right, everyone?”

“Yes, pay us back! The Xia family’s finished; don’t drag us down with you!”

“That’s right, this is money for my family’s surgery—my parents, my sister, and her husband are all counting on it!”

“If you don’t pay me back… I’ll… I’ll die right here in front of you!”

Spurred on by Liangtian, the crowd’s accusations grew louder. But to everyone’s surprise, Fang Nian didn’t panic. Instead, he had someone bring out a chair from the courtyard, sat down, and began to nonchalantly manicure his nails.

Seeing the mood escalate, Liangtian grew bolder. But when he saw Fang Nian’s behavior, his anger flared.

“Fang, what’s this attitude? Are you trying to make enemies of us suppliers?”

Fang Nian didn’t even glance at him, his words tinged with contempt. “Why don’t you call out your real boss? You can’t make any real decisions. Isn’t that right, little pawn?”

Liangtian was nearly apoplectic with rage. But at that moment, the crowd parted, making way for several people. At their head was a delicate-looking young man, who, speaking Mandarin with a heavy Korean accent, said with amusement, “Brother Fang, were you looking for me? Well, here I am.”