Chapter 139: Dragging You Down the Rabbit Hole Together

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After Jiang Xiwen locked the door to the room, Gao Jie could no longer contain himself. Disregarding his role as a waiter, he directly rushed to Gao Feng and said, “Dad, something’s wrong. Fang Sixiang has obtained a videotape of me impersonating Li Changtian at the bank…”

The moment Gao Feng saw him, he sensed something was amiss. As soon as Gao Jie spoke, Gao Feng frowned and said, “Why you? Stop fooling around! What videotape? Explain slowly. When will you learn to be more composed?”

Jiang Xiwen had been waiting for this opening. With Gao Feng, he dared not convey the news with the same nervous haste as with Gao Jie. The more hurried the tone, the more Gao Feng would suspect a trap laid specifically for him.

“Uncle Gao, you can’t blame Brother Gao for this,” Jiang Xiwen spoke with a calm and gentle tone. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Jiang Xiwen, a friend of Brother Gao’s. I was also involved throughout the framing of Zhang Yong.”

“You?!” Gao Feng found the name familiar and scrutinized Jiang Xiwen before suddenly recalling it. He had heard this name many times over the past few days. The familiarity was so strong it had made him forget to ask, and he wondered, “Why are you here?”

Jiang Xiwen had calculated that Gao Jie would not dare tell his father, Gao Feng, the true cause of the matter—revenge over a woman leading to the framing of a child, ultimately implicating a vice mayor. Even if Gao Jie had discussed it with his father before framing Zhang Yong, he would never mention the reason.

When Gao Feng asked, Gao Jie kept blinking repeatedly at Jiang Xiwen, which only confirmed Jiang Xiwen’s suspicion.

Jiang Xiwen didn’t have to make things up on the spot. From the start of their plan, he had already devised a set of explanations. Now that Gao Feng was asking, he could reveal it: “Uncle Gao, I met Brother Gao last year, and we’ve been good friends ever since. Later, I got into a bit of a dispute with Zhang Yong’s daughter, Zhang Ya. She was very arrogant and kept getting the teachers to punish me! Her father also used his power to protect her. This happened around March or April last year. At the time, I told Brother Gao about it, and being a man of loyalty, he went to Director Fang for help. But things only escalated.”

“In the end, Director Fang called Brother Gao and me together and said if we were going to do it, we should go all out. He had a way to force Zhang Yong out. That’s how the subsequent events unfolded—the rumors about me and Zhang Ya having an early romance were all arranged in advance by Director Fang and me. We deliberately chose the right moment for them to take photos of our ‘early romance.’ Even the later dispute with Director Fang’s wife, my teacher Zhu Wen, was arranged beforehand. You probably don’t know the details.”

“But these don’t really relate to the main issue we’re discussing today, so I won’t go into detail.”

At this point, Jiang Xiwen stopped with great restraint. His tone was moderate and accorded with the listening habits of officials like Gao Feng, making Gao Feng think this boy was very methodical and unlike ordinary people. This would help make Gao Feng more convinced by what he was about to say next.

Of course, it also made Gao Feng suspect that Jiang Xiwen was scheming. But because Jiang Xiwen was only fifteen, adults found it hard to imagine he had any cunning. Weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Xiwen chose to show his mature side to gain Gao Feng’s trust.

Hearing Jiang Xiwen’s account, Gao Jie sighed inwardly at how skilled this kid was at bluffing. But he liked the way Jiang Xiwen exaggerated because it not only helped conceal the truth but also didn’t affect the overall matter. So he pressed the advantage: “Dad, Xiwen is very capable. Although he’s a bit younger than me, he’s basically a good brother on the ground.”

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Gao Feng was shocked by Jiang Xiwen’s tone and manner. Though the boy was young, his communication skills were far better than his son Gao Jie’s. He was surprised that Gao Jie could associate with such a child. Moreover, the framing of Zhang Yong was clearly conceived by Fang Sixiang, which confirmed Gao Feng’s suspicion: his son hadn’t made much progress; such a plan was beyond his capability.

Gao Feng nodded and said, “Gao Jie, say less. Let Xiwen explain the whole thing slowly. What’s this about the videotape? And how did you disguise yourselves as waiters to get in?”

This guy was indeed cunning. He still hadn’t revealed that he already knew the framing of Zhang Yong was his son’s doing. Even hearing that his son appeared on the videotape, Gao Feng didn’t show any agitation and remained composed. Jiang Xiwen inwardly admired this but said, “Uncle Gao, Director Fang is right next door. I have a good friend who is a police officer and has arranged everything. You and Brother Gao come with me to the inner room. There’s a door there that’s rarely opened but connects to the next room. It’s a coincidence that will let us eavesdrop on their conversation through the wall. Of course, my friend tampered with the door beforehand so we can hear more clearly.”

“Oh?” Gao Feng’s brows furrowed briefly before relaxing, but Jiang Xiwen caught this subtle change. He knew Gao Feng’s emotions were starting to stir.

“Xiwen, your police friend is really amazing. If this works out, you need to thank him properly and treat him to a meal,” Gao Jie said, now much more relaxed. Seeing his father talk calmly with Jiang Xiwen, he naturally assumed the problem could be easily solved. Except for matters concerning women, he usually didn’t bother thinking about anything else. Now that his father and Jiang Xiwen were involved, he instinctively felt a sense of reliance.

Jiang Xiwen had only been in contact with Gao Jie for a few days, yet he had already been treated like a dependable brother. He had merely elevated his bluffing to a higher level, but the effect was surprisingly good.

Gao Feng shot his son a stern look. Gao Jie immediately closed his mouth. Since childhood, he had a strong fear of his father and a deep desire for his approval, more so than most children.

In an instant, the three entered the inner room. Jiang Xiwen motioned them to come in first. Gao Feng went to the door and pressed his ear to it. The voices from the next room came through clearly.

Gao Jie could hear everything too. Fang Sixiang was shouting that he had evidence against Gao Jie and loudly boasting that with this videotape, Gao Jie and his father wouldn’t dare be arrogant anymore but would have to obey.

This was a trap set by Ning Yu and Fang Sixiang after much coaxing. Before that, Ning Yu had shown Fang Sixiang a video of Gao Jie making a remittance at Huashang Bank. The timestamp on the video matched the time Gao Jie impersonated Li Changtian to make the payment.

The video lasted about thirty seconds. After watching, Ning Yu told Fang Sixiang that once Gao Jie framed Zhang Yong, he also planned to expose Fang Sixiang’s hidden dealings with Liu Dashan, which Gao Jie had been quietly investigating.

Naturally, this infuriated Fang Sixiang. Ning Yu seized the moment and added that if Fang Sixiang cooperated, the videotape would belong to him.

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Fang Sixiang had long been astounded by Qi Huanchang’s group’s remarkable abilities, so he had no doubt about Ning Yu’s capability. Besides, he had no other options, which explained the angry conversation Gao Feng overheard.

“Damn it, Fang Sixiang!” Gao Jie impulsively tried to open the door and rushed forward to strike him.

Jiang Xiwen immediately grabbed him firmly and whispered, “Brother Gao, keep your voice down. They can hear us too. Don’t be impatient. Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? My police friend is here. Director Fang has no idea we’re eavesdropping. After he got the videotape, my friend immediately told me. So we threatened Director Fang to cooperate with us—to betray you together. Of course, that’s just a temporary tactic.”

“Today, my friend lured Fang Sixiang here by pretending to extort you, Uncle Gao. That’s why you heard what you did.”

“Why go to such lengths?” Gao Feng suddenly interjected, his voice also very low. “If you truly want to help Gao Jie, just trick him into handing over the videotape and destroy it. Why bring him here and put on such a show?”

Jiang Xiwen smiled slightly inside. He had prepared answers for every possible question. “Uncle Gao, you misunderstand. The videotape Fang Sixiang has was only a copy my friend found.”

“We want to cooperate with him, but he still refuses to hand over the original, so we don’t know how many copies he’s made...” Saying this, Jiang Xiwen gestured toward the outer room and led the way.

“Dad, Xiwen is quite honest. Don’t make things difficult for him,” Gao Jie couldn’t help but speak up for Jiang Xiwen, still grateful for the lie Jiang Xiwen had just told on his behalf. “If Xiwen wanted to harm me, he wouldn’t have told me about the videotape at all.”

Foolish! Gao Feng cursed silently, but of course, he didn’t say it aloud. He merely shot his son another glare and then followed Jiang Xiwen to the outer room. Gao Jie sealed his lips and came along.

Jiang Xiwen pulled out a concealed file folder from the serving cart and took out letters written by Fang Sixiang accusing Gao Feng and Gao Jie. He handed one to each of them.

“Uncle Gao, Brother Gao, take a look. Fang Sixiang actually used me and also used Brother Gao. He’s not just targeting Zhang Yong—his main target is the principal of No. 2 Middle School, Li Changtian. Look at these photos. I don’t know how they were doctored.” As he spoke, Jiang Xiwen handed over photos he had manipulated with Photoshop. The setting was still Zhenxing Teahouse, with Li Changtian and Gao Jie sitting on opposite sides of a table. One photo captured the moment Li Changtian handed an envelope to Gao Jie. The letter accused Li Changtian of using Gao Jie’s relationship to access Gao Feng’s backdoor.