Zheng Qiang wanted to stand up and distort the truth to play the victim.
However, Xu Daqiang was enraged when Xu Yao exposed his true colors in public.
Forget about playing the victim, he pointed at Xu Yao and angrily berated her, spitting as he spoke.
"Bullshit! I raised you all these years, what's wrong with letting you get married? It's only natural for parents to arrange a marriage!"
Seeing the change in the gazes of those around him, he decided to throw caution to the wind and revealed his greedy nature.
"Fine, even if it's wrong of us to force you to marry! But now you're making a fortune outside with this pretty boy! You've earned so much money, why don't you send a single penny home?! Huh?!"
Xu Daqiang was aggressive and pointed his finger at Xu Yao, cursing her.
"Are you expecting us to starve at home?! I think you're a heartless ingrate! An ungrateful ingrate who can't be tamed!"
Although these words were crude, they struck a nerve with some people.
Regardless of the circumstances, it is only right for children to support their parents now that they are earning money.
In an instant, public opinion, which had just begun to waver, seemed to turn back in favor of the Xu family.
Seeing Xu Yao crying her eyes out, her shoulders shaking with anger, Zhou Yang felt a surge of anger rising within him.
He couldn't bear to see the people he was protecting suffer such injustice.
He gently patted Xu Yao's back to comfort her, then stepped forward, his gaze calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, directly looking at Xu Daqiang, whose eyes were gleaming with greed.
"Alright, stop yelling here, it's unsightly."
Zhou Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Isn't all you want money?"
The moment he said that, the room fell silent, and all eyes were on him.
Zhou Yang spoke calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter: "Come with me, let's find a quiet place to talk. I can give you money to settle this matter once and for all."
Xu Daqiang was stunned for a moment, then his eyes burst with wild joy!
He was originally thinking about how to continue making trouble, but he didn't expect this pretty boy to be so cooperative.
Talking about money directly? That's much faster than crying and wailing or resorting to moral blackmail!
He rubbed his hands together, suppressing his excitement, and glanced at Zhou Yang with feigned composure, tentatively asking, "Oh? How much can you give me?"
Zhou Yang's lips curled into an ambiguous smile as he uttered a few words in a low voice.
"At least several hundred thousand."
He paused, glanced around at the growing crowd of curious onlookers, and added a sentence.
"There are too many people around here, so it's not convenient to talk in detail. Let's find a more private place and have a proper chat."
Hundreds of thousands?!
Xu Daqiang and Liu Cuifen's eyes widened instantly, and even Xu Yaozu stopped faking his crying and started breathing rapidly!
Zheng Qiang stood behind, his eyes narrowed, a hint of malice and dissatisfaction flashing across them.
He felt that if they continued to cause trouble, they would become internet celebrities and earn more than just a few hundred thousand yuan.
Moreover, what is this Zhou kid up to? How could he possibly be so kind?
If they really got hundreds of thousands of yuan and completely severed ties with Xu Yao, wouldn't that bitch Xu Yao be even more devoted to him?!
No! Absolutely not!
His plan was to make a scene at the Xu family's house, escalate the situation, and ideally attract the media attention, thus ruining Zhou Yang and Xu Yao's reputations.
Then he "rescued the damsel in distress," taking the opportunity to take Xu Yao away and extort money from Zhou Yang.
But now, Zhou Yang's casual remark of "several hundred thousand" has completely captivated the Xu family of three!
"Uncle! Aunt!"
Zheng Qiang panicked and grabbed Xu Daqiang, who was about to take a step. He lowered his voice, but his tone was unusually firm.
"We're not here for the money; we're here to get justice for Yao Yao. We can't let him just try to get rid of us with money like this!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Daqiang paused, his cloudy eyes darting around.
He glanced at Zheng Qiang and scoffed inwardly.
This kid has no skills of his own, yet he wants to drag us all down with him?
Hundreds of thousands! I've never seen so much money in my life!
Getting these "good-hearted" onlookers to donate hundreds of thousands of yuan feels like a dream. It's more reliable to ask Xu Yao's "sugar daddy" for the money!
"To hell with your justice!"
Xu Daqiang abruptly shook off Zheng Qiang's arm, the force almost causing Zheng Qiang to stumble.
"I only want money! You better stay out of my way!"
After saying that, he rubbed his hands together and turned to Zhou Yang with a big smile, "Boss Zhou, we'll go with you! We'll talk to you properly!"
Liu Cuifen and Xu Yaozu had the same expression, their eyes shining.
They could almost see countless banknotes beckoning to them, and they no longer cared about Zheng Qiang's "righteous indignation".
Xu Yao was completely disoriented at this moment. She gripped Zhou Yang's clothes tightly, her fingertips icy cold.
The pointing and whispering gazes around her felt like needles pricking her, making her wish she could disappear into the ground immediately.
She didn't know what Zhou Yang wanted to do, but as long as she could leave this suffocating place, she was willing to go anywhere.
Zhou Yang patted her hand reassuringly, nodded to Xu Daqiang, and took out his phone.
"Okay, let's find a place, I'll call two cars."
Soon, two ride-hailing vehicles stopped on the side of the road.
Zhou Yang pulled Xu Yao along, gesturing for her to get into one of the cars first.
Liu Cuifen couldn't wait to squeeze in, as if afraid Zhou Yang would change his mind.
Seeing his plan completely fall apart, Zheng Qiang was furious that the three fools in the Xu family were blinded by money, but he was helpless.
No, he had to go with them. He wanted to see what tricks this Zhou guy was up to!
Moreover, if we can really get several hundred thousand, it would be good to share some with him!
His mind raced, and before Zhou Yang could speak, he darted forward and forced his way into the taxi where Zhou Yang was.
Zhou Yang merely glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, and gave the driver an address: "Driver, go to Jingxin Pavilion Coffee Shop."
Half an hour later, in a private room at a coffee shop.
Xu Daqiang and his family of three sat awkwardly on the expensive European-style sofa.
His eyes kept glancing at Zhou Yang, filled with naked greed and expectation.
Zheng Qiang, with a gloomy face, analyzed Zhou Yang's intentions.
Zhou Yang ignored them and pulled Xu Yao, who had been keeping her head down and trembling slightly, into his arms, letting her bury her face in his warm and thick chest.
“Alright,” Zhou Yang gently stroked Xu Yao’s back with one hand, while casually resting the other hand on the sofa armrest, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Xu family of three and Zheng Qiang.
“If you have any problems, talk to me! Xu Yao is tired. From now on, I will make all the decisions for her, and she will listen to me in everything.”
Xu Yao was in his arms, smelling his fresh and pleasant scent, feeling the strong heartbeat of his chest, and her tense nerves finally relaxed.
A familiar, reassuring feeling enveloped her, dispelling her fear and helplessness.
Her eyes welled up with tears, which instantly streamed down her face, soaking Zhou Yang's shirt.
But this time, the tears were no longer tears of grievance and fear, but rather tears of gratitude and a sense of being cherished.
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