Brother Liu! This was already the second time Ling Zhenfei had heard someone mention Brother Liu. Robber Xiao Lei had brought him up before, and now the kidnapper Zhang Shengtian also mentioned Brother Liu. It could only mean one thing: the robbery by Brother Gou and Xiao Lei was indeed arranged, with the purpose of further delaying Ling Zhenfei's time.

"Who is Brother Liu?"

Ling Zhenfei was very interested in this Brother Liu, as finding him might lead to the mastermind behind the entire incident.

"I don't know Brother Liu's real name, everyone just calls him Brother Liu. He's pretty influential, having connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles."

Zhang Shengtian, already scared out of his wits, was being completely forthright, fearing that the imposing figure before him might get displeased.

Ling Zhenfei was somewhat lost for words dealing with this type of person and wasn't sure how to handle the situation. If he called the police now, it would cause him trouble too, and he didn't know when he would be able to return to Binyang. But to let this guy off without punishment seemed too lenient.

Just as Ling Zhenfei was pondering how to deal with Zhang Shengtian, he suddenly heard the sound of cars outside, and not just one vehicle—at least seven or eight. The cars stopped outside, and a bunch of people ran down from them, quickly rushing up to the third floor.

"Nobody move, you're surrounded. Hand over the hostage!"

The arrivals turned out to be a group of fully armed police officers, who pointed their guns at the three people in the room.

In the room, Ling Zhenfei was standing in the middle with the battered and bloodied Zhang Shengtian lying on the ground, and Yang Zixuan was tied to a chair beside them.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the police rushed forward and pinned Ling Zhenfei to the ground.

"Little brat playing kidnapper, you're really asking for it."

This sudden turn of events left Ling Zhenfei bewildered; the police had clearly made a mistake.

"Brother, you've got it wrong. The kidnapper is on the ground. I'm here to rescue her."

Yang Zixuan also shouted from the side, "Uncle policeman, you've got the wrong person, he's a good guy, not a kidnapper."

"Doesn't matter, everyone is coming back to the police station with me!"

Without further discussion, Ling Zhenfei, Yang Zixuan, and the actual kidnapper Zhang Shengtian were all taken to the police station by the officers.

Ling Zhenfei was incredibly frustrated; he hadn't called the police, so how did they get the information? Could it be that Zheng Tingting had called the police? He had clearly told her not to call the police. Why couldn't the girl just listen?

But then he thought about it and felt something was off, breaking out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, he realized that the person who reported to the police might not be Zheng Tingting after all, but perhaps the person orchestrating the entire event behind the scenes. Their sole aim was to keep Ling Zhenfei in Provincial City for as long as possible.

After arriving at the police station and undergoing separate interrogations, it was finally established that Ling Zhenfei wasn't a kidnapper. Although the matter was clarified, the to and fro had already taken almost two hours.

By the time Ling Zhenfei and Yang Zixuan left the police station, it was already evening. Zheng Tingting's car was parked at the entrance, and upon seeing them come out, she waved for them to get in.

After Yang Zixuan and Zheng Tingting got acquainted, Ling Zhenfei asked about the police call. As expected, it wasn't Zheng Tingting who made the call. Even she found it strange, not understanding how the police cars got there so quickly, not even giving her time to notify Ling Zhenfei.

"My dad just called, saying that once you get out of the police station, go to our house for a bit so we can properly thank you," Zheng Tingting said.

Ling Zhenfei hurriedly waved his hands to refuse; he had no time for anything else, let alone visiting someone.

"No time to explain, I have to get back to Binyang immediately,"

"I know you don't have time, that's why you cancelled earlier."

Zheng Tingting was already chuckling, seemingly pleased that she knew Ling Zhenfei so well.

Driving her car, Zheng Tingting took Ling Zhenfei and Yang Zixuan directly to the train station. When it came time to part, she stopped Zhenfei again.

"Although I can't go with you to Binyang, I can help you get around in Provincial City. I have a few classmates working at newspapers there. I could ask them to publish some articles about your manor."

"I really appreciate that,"

"Also, my family's businesses include hotels and restaurants. If you can't sell your produce, remember to come to me. Our restaurant will buy your vegetables."

"I appreciate your kindness, but Binyang is too far from Provincial City, and distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. I'm afraid it won't be feasible for the time being."

Ling Zhenfei felt that Zheng Tingting was a pretty good person. Despite her sometimes being too blunt and making people uncomfortable, at least her heart was in the right place, without being wishy-washy or affected.

"Ling Zhenfei, I will come to Binyang to look for you!"

Zhenfei was quite far away when he heard Zheng Tingting calling out from behind him. He turned his head and saw her standing on top of the car, waving at him.

"Miss Zheng is welcome anytime!"

Zhenfei smiled slightly. This girl was really quite interesting.

Yang Zixuan had been watching the whole time without saying a word. Her expression wasn't very pleasant. Perhaps after what happened yesterday, Zhenfei felt that Zi Xuan seemed different. He couldn't precisely put his finger on what had changed, but she seemed much more silent than before.

The train sped towards Binyang with Zhenfei and Zi Xuan sitting shoulder to shoulder. Yang Zixuan, who hadn't slept for a day and night, dozed off, resting against the armrest of the train seat, occasionally snoring softly.

Although he hadn't slept for a day either, Zhenfei couldn't sleep at all. There were too many issues waiting for his attention.

He took out his phone and browsed the internet. News about Xishan Manor was still emerging one after another, much of it hearsay. As the saying goes, "a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth." A small matter had drastically changed after passing through the mouths of a few people. The speed of rumor-mongering had surpassed his imagination, with even provincial newspapers beginning to report on the mutant vegetables from Xishan Manor.

The comments online were overwhelmingly one-sided. The majority of netizens loved to watch the excitement and wished to blow the matter up to a national issue. The whole event was very detrimental to Zhenfei and Xishan Manor.

Reading it, Zhenfei was seething with anger and called Fatty to inquire about the situation.

"Hey, Fatty, what's going on? Haven't the relevant departments been called in to investigate? Why are the comments online still so fierce, and why doesn't anyone manage the plethora of fabricated news?"

Fatty felt just as helpless. His day had been extremely tough. Because of the significant impact, many customers wanted explanations from his restaurant, which had not only shut down for the day but was also under the threat of disturbances.

In addition, he had to run around taking care of Xishan Manor, activating his connections to minimize losses. He was so busy that he was at his wit's end.

"Boss, I'm powerless too. Obviously, someone has hired an internet army to maliciously slander us online. The public opinion is one-sided; it's out of control."

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