Zhu Xiangyao knew the truth was out the moment he heard those words. He stared at Zhu Shunyao in disbelief. He knew Zhu Shunyao was a local celebrity, but his connections were surprisingly wide. If Zhu Shunyao spoke up, Zhu Xiangyao’s plans would fail. He stood up quickly. "Brother, what are you saying? I don’t understand."
Zhu Shunyao chuckled. "Zhu Xiangyao, you’ve grown bold. You’re pretending with me now. Too bad, I know everything. I won’t mention other things. But tell me, since you were a child in this village, who bullied you? Who oppressed you?"
"Of course not," Zhu Xiangyao said with a forced smile. Denying it would offend everyone here.
"Good. You went to join the army. The family had no money. The villagers pooled together for your travel expenses. Is that right?" Zhu Shunyao felt much clearer after that punch.
"Of course. I remember the villagers’ kindness in my heart," Zhu Xiangyao answered quickly. The smile made his face hurt more.
"Good. You say you remember their kindness. Then let me ask you. What did you do in the South? What work did you do? You took the young girls from our village away. What did you make them do?" Zhu Shunyao looked at him coldly. "Afraid to speak? When you first went to the southern city, you carried bricks. It was hard work, but honest. The money was clean."
Hearing this, Zhu Enfu and others who had been notified realized Zhu Xiangyao’s later earnings were not clean. Zhu Shunyao continued, "You are a former soldier. Your skills remain. You saved the boss of a casino in Yundu. Saving people is good. But what did you do after? You became a thug. A casino thug. Everyone knows what a casino is."
"Xiangyao, you really saved a casino boss? I heard on TV that casino bosses are bad people," an elder said. Gambling was something elders knew to avoid.
"Saving people is fine. It was kind. But you became a thug in a casino to earn dirty money," Zhu Shunyao said.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of such things," Zhu Xiangyao said, her eyes darting around. She was shocked. She didn’t expect Zhu Shunyao to know this. She thought Zhu Shunyao had wide connections. She didn’t realize the real source was Zhu Yanyi.
"That casino boss also runs several nightclubs. What southern nightclubs are, we know. The girls there sell themselves. You tried to send our village girls into that fire pit. You said it was job recruitment. You pushed them into hell. Ask yourself, Zhu Xiangyao. Do you deserve the villagers who helped you?" Zhu Shunyao was angry, but he didn’t just talk about his own family. He attacked Zhu Xiangyao’s motives, standing on the moral high ground.
Zhu Yanyi arrived and heard this. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly. Her father was no longer the naive man from the past. She knew how to act in her best interest. She didn’t go out immediately. She stood nearby, watching everything happen.