Horror Camgirl - Ch. 106: The Confrontation
Mr. Lu chuckled softly. “Well, this time, I did put some thought into it, but that effort was focused elsewhere.”
“Where exactly? Share it with us,” another businessman chimed in. “Let us learn a thing or two.”
Mr. Lu waved dismissively. “You can't learn this. It all depends on luck.”
Just then, the door to the private room swung open, and a waiter walked in carrying a tray of drinks. “Mr. Lu,” the waiter said, “a gentleman asked me to give this to you.”
As he spoke, he pulled a scroll from under the tray and handed it to Mr. Lu.
The moment Mr. Lu laid eyes on it, his expression changed drastically. Startled, he threw the scroll away, shouting, “Ghost! It’s a ghost!”
The other businessmen looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Mr. Lu, are you alright?”
“Get this thing away from me! Take it away!” he screamed.
The waiter hurriedly picked up the scroll and turned to leave. But just as he reached the door, Tang Mingli appeared, taking the scroll from the waiter’s hands and walking in slowly.
When Mr. Lu saw Tang Mingli, his face went even paler, turning as white as a sheet.
“You... you... how are you still alive?” he stammered, pointing at Tang Mingli in terror.
Tang Mingli let out a cold laugh. “What’s wrong? Were you hoping I’d be dead?”
Mr. Lu trembled. Despite being a seasoned businessman, he had momentarily lost his composure upon seeing the painting. Taking a deep breath, he quickly collected himself, forcing a smile. “Oh, Tang Shao, it’s you! I mistook you for an old friend who passed away years ago. That’s why I said such things. Please, forgive me.”
Tang Mingli sneered. “Oh? So, it seems you’ve caused the death of more than just me?”
Mr. Lu feigned an earnest expression. “What? Me, a killer? Tang Shao, you must be mistaken. I, Lu Dakai, am an honest businessman. I’ve never engaged in any illegal activities.”
Tang Mingli lifted the painting and said, “Then how do you explain this?”
Mr. Lu stuttered, “This... this looks like the painting I gave you. Have you heard some kind of rumors? You can’t believe everything you hear, Tang Shao. This is the 21st century—we should trust in science.”
Tang Mingli laughed softly, his smile faint yet sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“Lu Dakai, your shamelessness and audacity to twist the truth are truly impressive,” Tang Mingli said calmly. “Since you refuse to admit anything until you see the evidence, I’ll make sure you get what you deserve. Uncle Zhong!”
Suddenly, Uncle Zhong, who had been hiding in the shadows, lunged into the room. He kicked Lu Dakai’s knee, and the sickening sound of bones cracking filled the air. Lu Dakai screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor.
“You... you dare lay a hand on me?” Lu Dakai shouted angrily. “My mother is part of the Lu Family in Zhonghai City. You’re just an adopted relative of the Guo Family. So what if Old Master Guo values you? Do you really think the Guo Family can go up against the Lu Family?”
Standing behind Tang Mingli, I couldn’t help but think, sure, the Guo Family might not be much. But what about the Tang Family?
Tang Mingli’s family, the Tang Family, hails from the Capital City. Ever since arriving in Shan City, he had concealed his identity as the eldest son of the Tang Family, presenting himself only as the nephew of Guo Tianfeng, the heir to the Guo Family.
In Shan City, very few knew his true identity.
But I knew that his family was powerful enough to stand on equal footing with Medicine King Valley.
Lu Dakai was as good as dead this time.
The other businessmen stared at us in horror. One of them looked like he wanted to intervene, but two others quickly held him back.
Tang Mingli walked slowly up to Lu Dakai, bending down to face him. “Your mother is merely the daughter of a branch family within the Lu Family. She holds no real status. What makes you think the Lu Family would go to bat for you?”
Lu Dakai flinched. He had long used the Lu Family name to throw his weight around in Shan City. Even the local authorities had to show him some respect when he waved the Lu Family banner.
But now, Tang Mingli had exposed his true background, stripping him of all pretense.
The other businessmen, who had tried so hard to curry favor with him, now looked at him with disdain. After all, wasn’t it his supposed connection to the Lu Family that they had been trying to leverage? Without that, who would bother with him?
“Even if I’m only distantly related to the Lu Family, I’m still family,” Lu Dakai said, trying to sound confident. “You know my identity, yet you dare to attack me. This is disrespectful to the Lu Family. For the sake of their reputation, they will definitely avenge me!”
Tang Mingli sneered. “The Lu Family? To me, they’re nothing more than ants. I’m curious to see if they’d really oppose me for someone like you.”
He turned away. “Uncle Zhong, cripple all his limbs.”
Uncle Zhong approached coldly. Seeing that Tang Mingli was serious, Lu Dakai panicked. “Wait!” he shouted.
Tang Mingli paused. “What more do you have to say?”
“I can tell you who sent me to deliver the painting,” Lu Dakai said desperately.
Tang Mingli’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Had you spoken earlier, you could’ve spared yourself some pain.”
"Yes, yes, it was Guo Tianxiong," he said. "Guo Tianxiong heard that I had bought that painting of the beautiful woman and came to find me. He said that if I gave the painting to you, he would sell me that piece of land in East City at a low price."
The nearby businessmen exchanged glances; so that's how he acquired that land.
Tang Mingli cast a cold glance at him and said, "Uncle Zhong, take him to see Old Master Guo."
Uncle Zhong grabbed the man by the back of his collar, slinging him over his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.
Tang Mingli turned, took my hand, and whispered, "Come with me to the Guo family estate. You're a victim too—they owe you justice."
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Old Master Guo’s children had all come home to celebrate, including Guo Tianxiong and his son. Guo Xuan’s right hand was still in a cast, hanging from a sling around his neck.
Old Master Guo also had two daughters, both of whom had been married for years and had children in their twenties. The whole family was gathered, making the house lively and festive.
Old Master Guo was in high spirits. After dinner, the family gathered on the living room sofas to chat.
Naturally, Guo Tianfeng was there as well. The eldest daughter, Guo Mingyu, glanced at him and smiled, "Tianfeng, I hear you're about to take over as the CEO of the company? Congratulations."
Guo Tianfeng gave a faint smile. "Thank you, Big Sister."
“Hmph,” the second daughter, Guo Mingxia, snorted. “Father, no offense, but even though Tianfeng is part of the Guo family, he’s still not from our direct bloodline. You're making him the CEO and grooming him as an heir—what about our eldest brother?”
Being the youngest in the family, Guo Mingxia had always been doted on by her father. As a child, she would ride on his back like he was a horse, and even as an adult, she still acted freely around him. Now that she was married to the youngest son of the city mayor, she had grown even bolder in her speech.
Old Master Guo's expression darkened. "Xia, stop talking nonsense."
Guo Mingxia persisted, "How am I talking nonsense? Dad, you have no idea how the wives of those socialites have been mocking me lately. They say you've lost your mind over an outsider, ignoring your own son while taking care of someone else's."
Old Master Guo's face turned even grimmer. Guo Mingxia cast a hostile glance at Guo Tianfeng and added, “Some even slander your reputation, claiming that he's your illegitimate child…”
“Enough!” Old Master Guo interrupted her harshly, pounding his dragon-headed cane on the floor. “That's enough! Xia, I've been too indulgent with you, and that's why you've become so unruly. Your father-in-law has told me several times that you show no respect to your husband in public. If it weren’t for A-jun's good temper, your household would be in shambles by now!”
Guo Mingxia shot a sideways glance at her husband. Indeed, he was very tolerant of her, but she had always preferred assertive men. This gentle, soft-spoken type annoyed her more and more.
“Dad, I’m just speaking the truth,” Guo Mingxia continued. “You have to think about the Guo family's reputation.”
Guo Tianfeng kept his eyes lowered, maintaining an indifferent expression, as if the whole conversation had nothing to do with him.
Old Master Guo was trembling with rage, just about to explode, when a servant came in and announced, “Master, Young Master Tang has arrived.”
Old Master Guo's heart skipped a beat. Normally, he was pleased to hear of Tang Mingli’s arrival, but today, an inexplicable chill ran through him, accompanied by a twitch in his eyelids, as if something terrible was about to unfold.
Tang Mingli walked in briskly, holding my hand, his face bearing a cold smile. “Old Master, sorry I’m late.”
Guo Tianxiong and his son both looked visibly frightened. Guo Xuan, however, stared at me intently, a mix of hatred and infatuation in his eyes.
Old Master Guo forced a warm smile. “Not late at all. Please, have a seat.”
Tang Mingli pulled me to sit next to Guo Tianfeng. Guo Mingxia scoffed and said, “Hmph, still taking care of outsiders, I see. He’s a Tang, not a Guo—what right does he have to sit here?”
Old Master Guo, both anxious and angry, shouted, “Today is a holiday. If you keep talking like this, don’t blame me if I throw you out!”
Guo Mingxia fell silent but began inspecting the diamond-studded decorations on her nails, acting as if she couldn’t care less.
Tang Mingli turned his gaze to Guo Tianxiong and his son, sneering, “The three of you seem to be in poor spirits, don’t you?”
Guo Tianxiong remained tight-lipped. But Guo Xuan, quick to react, immediately said, “My father’s health hasn’t been good lately, so his complexion isn’t great.”
“Is that so?” Tang Mingli sneered. “Old Master, there’s something I didn’t want to mention today, given that it’s a festive occasion. But if I don’t bring it up now, who knows what else Guo Tianxiong and his son might do.”
Old Master Guo’s expression changed. “What’s happened now?”
Tang Mingli gestured toward the door. “Bring him in.”
Uncle Zhong walked in, dragging Lu Dakai behind him. Although Lu Dakai was conscious, the pain he was in made his head spin, and his fear of Tang Mingli was now at its peak.
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