Gu Beichi held his tongue, but his silence did not make certain people let the matter rest. Jiang Kun stepped forward again, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. His gaze was like a blade as he fixed it on Gu Beichi. "Gu Beichi, your Gu Chen has such outrageous gall. I suppose you, his father, put him up to it? And you and your son were driven out of the Gu Family, yet you still deceived us. Such behavior is truly contemptible. Not to mention your son's character-he isn't worthy of Miss Zhou at all."
Gu Beichi's face darkened at those words. He could no longer endure Jiang Kun's relentless aggression. "I know my own son's character. It's not your place to point fingers. Don't go too far!"
Jiang Kun gave a contemptuous smile, as though he had anticipated Gu Beichi's reaction. "Too far? Your son runs rampant at school, beating anyone who defies him. He even crippled my son's leg. The whole affair has already caused an uproar. All these youngsters here can testify to it."
"That's right!"
As soon as Jiang Kun finished speaking, a group of young students stepped forward at a glance from their respective elders and began accusing Gu Chen. "Gu Chen is a school bully. Jiang Yu just exchanged a few heated words with him, and he crippled his leg."
"Exactly!"
Another young student, backed by his family's elders, also shouted, "And Gu Chen threatened a teacher and cheated his way to first place!"
"He thought that would let him surpass Zhou Xue'er, but who doesn't know what his grades are like? How could he possibly do it?"
"He even brought in thugs from outside the school to deal with people. We were all angry but too afraid to speak out!"
More and more people stepped forward. For a time, Gu Chen seemed to be the target of a thousand accusing fingers, and his image became detestable in everyone's eyes.
In the crowd, Su Qingqing stood beside her father, her pretty face flushed and her lips pressed tight. Several times, she wanted to speak up for Gu Chen, only to be stopped by her father's stern gaze each time. Seeing Gu Chen standing alone without support, she was filled with anxiety and helplessness.
Seeing this, Jiang Kun's cold smile grew even more smug. "Gu Beichi, do you see? I'm not making up rumors-there are so many witnesses! Can you still argue about your son's character?"
Gu Beichi trembled with anger. How could he not know his own son's character?
But Jiang Kun acted as if he had not seen Gu Beichi's anger and continued with a cold smile, "Gu Beichi, even if the Zhou Family agrees to this marriage, we won't. The Zhou Family is one of the three great families of Zhou City. Your son could never reach so far above his station!"
"Jiang Kun, you bastard!"
Gu Beichi finally reached the limit of his endurance. He rushed forward and seized Jiang Kun by the collar.
"Mr. Gu, don't do anything rash!"
"Let go of Boss Jiang!"
An uproar immediately broke out among the onlookers. No one had expected Gu Beichi to explode on an occasion like this.
What they did not know was that after Gu Beichi was driven out of the Gu Family, the person he felt he had wronged most was his son, Gu Chen! So after he came to Zhou City, everything he did was for his son's sake, and when the Zhou Family proposed the marriage back then, he had agreed only for Gu Chen's future!
Jiang Kun and his crowd could have insulted him however they pleased, but insulting Gu Chen, his most precious son, was beyond the pale!
"Boss Gu, are you going to hit me?"
Jiang Kun looked mockingly at Gu Beichi, who was gripping his collar. There was not the slightest trace of concern on his face; instead, he waved back the bodyguards and guests nearby who wanted to help.
Gu Beichi's eyes blazed as he said, "Jiang Kun, don't push me too far!"
"Push you too far?" Jiang Kun laughed, then suddenly lowered his head and leaned close to Gu Beichi's ear. With a cold smile, he said, "I'm pushing you around. What are you going to do about it?"
In an instant, Gu Beichi's eyes nearly split with rage, turning blood red!
Jiang Kun brought his left cheek up to Gu Beichi and said, "Hit me if you've got the guts. Don't give me reason to look down on you, you stray dog!"
Just as Gu Beichi was about to lose control, however, the sharp sound of a punch suddenly rang out.
"Bang!"
A fist came from the side and struck Jiang Kun hard in the face.
Jiang Kun was caught completely off guard. The punch sent him flying, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
Shock spread across the faces of the surrounding guests, and they drew sharp breaths. The one who had struck him was not Gu Beichi, but Gu Chen!
Gu Chen stood where he was, expressionless, his eyes filled with coldness and anger. He recalled how, in his previous life, his father had been driven out of the Zhou Family mansion like a dead dog, and he could no longer contain the fire of rage in his heart.
"You!"
Jiang Kun climbed up from the ground and spat out bloody phlegm, feeling as though his teeth had been knocked out. He pointed a trembling finger at Gu Chen, furious and enraged. "Gu Chen, you actually dared to hit me?!"
Gu Chen looked coldly at Jiang Kun, a contemptuous smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
"Wasn't that what you asked for? I merely granted your little request, Boss Jiang. There's no need to thank me."
Everyone froze, seeming to realize only then that Jiang Kun really had offered his face just now.
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Kun staggered to his feet and charged at Gu Chen. He was a businessman who had gotten his start in the underworld, ruthless and vicious. Now that Gu Chen had provoked him, he no longer cared about anything else.
"Enough!"
Just then, however, Zhou Nanfeng's roar suddenly rang out.
Jiang Kun halted, only then remembering that he was at the Zhou Family home.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said sharply, "Patriarch Zhou, Gu Chen is behaving so outrageously that both heaven and man are outraged!"
"I'll handle it myself!"
Zhou Nanfeng looked at Gu Chen with an icy stare. "Gu Chen, today is Xue'er's birthday, a happy occasion! What do you take this place for? You struck someone as you pleased and even drew Boss Jiang's blood! Don't you owe me an explanation?"
Gu Chen smiled disdainfully. "An explanation? Zhou Nanfeng, I've seen plenty of people play the whore while erecting a monument to their chastity, but this is the first time I've seen anyone like your Zhou Family, inviting so many people to watch you perform. You really are shameless!"
Hiss-
An uproar broke out around them once again. Not only had Gu Chen changed how he addressed Zhou Nanfeng, but he still dared to be so brazen!
Zhou Nanfeng's face turned livid, and he glared at Gu Chen. "Gu Chen, don't go too far!"
Gu Chen, however, acted as if he had not heard Zhou Nanfeng and said coldly, "Your Zhou Family has wanted to cancel the marriage for a long time. Everyone knows it. But you want to cancel it and still save face and keep your reputation for honor? Aren't you dreaming a little too sweetly? You want us to cancel the marriage and make my father and me take the blame? I'm telling you, that's impossible! There isn't a thing about your Zhou Xue'er that I've ever liked, from head to toe! You want us to cancel the marriage? Fine! I've already written a divorce letter for Zhou Xue'er. Today, you can have your daughter take it out and read it aloud. From now on, your Zhou Family and my Gu Family have nothing more to do with each other!"