Lang Zhe knew he had to buy time and find the right opportunity to intimidate Sun Man, preventing her from doing anything foolish.
"Lang Zhe, what are you talking about? We absolutely do not negotiate with criminals," Lu Fei suddenly spoke up.
"Mom, this isn't the time to—" Lang Zhe quickly tried to interrupt, but he couldn't stop his mother.
Lu Fei grabbed Sun Man's hand and said, "My dear, I've said that this incident was caused by Lang Zhe, so our family will take responsibility. If you want to pay money to resolve this, I'll provide it. If you want to report it to the police, leave it to me. I may not have many abilities, but I do have some military connections and can make things happen. I guarantee the criminals won't escape, but... I must warn you, I can't ensure your videos and photos won't be leaked before then. The perpetrators might retaliate out of desperation..."
Although Sun Man resented Lang Zhe, she didn't redirect her anger towards Lu Fei. Hearing these words, her eyes reddened slightly. Having an elder willing to stand up and handle everything for her at this time was indeed touching.
Unlike her own family...
"Thank you, Professor Lu. I want to report this to the police," Sun Man said firmly.
Lu Fei nodded and took out her phone to call the police.
Lang Zhe's face contorted almost instantly.
[Haha, an unexpected twist! Lang Zhe, you didn't expect your mother to be the one to defeat you, not your ex-girlfriend. I'm curious though, what expression will Professor Lu have if she ends up catching her own son? I feel a bit sorry for her.]
Lang Zhe didn't give Lu Fei a chance to call the police. He quickly snatched her phone and said, "No, Mom!"
"What are you doing!" Lu Fei shouted angrily.
Even Pei Mingxuan found Lang Zhe's behavior strange at this point. "Lang Zhe, Sun Man already said you're not visible in the video, so it won't affect you. You're not her boyfriend anymore, so it seems you don't have the right to keep interfering like this."
Sun Man looked at Lang Zhe, initially thinking his actions were due to a possessive ex-boyfriend's desire to prevent her private moments from being exposed.
However, Ji Fei suddenly said, "Are you worried that the police will come looking for you after we report this?"
Lang Zhe immediately lost his composure. "What nonsense are you talking about? Why would the police look for me? This has nothing to do with me."
[He's panicking, he's panicking! You're panicking.]
Seeing Lang Zhe's strange behavior, Lu Fei frowned and said, "Why are you getting so worked up?"
Lang Zhe froze.
Ji Fei raised an eyebrow and smiled, "My, why so agitated? The photos and videos were leaked from your phone, so it's normal for the police to want to examine it for evidence, isn't it? I just thought you might be worried about the inconvenience. Your reaction is so strong, one might think I accused you of being the criminal and that the police are coming to arrest you! You gave me quite a fright."
[Oh my, someone's putting on a show of 'the guilty party protests too much', aren't they?]
Ji Fei looked reproachful, while Lang Zhe's face went through a range of colors.
Qin Zhao almost laughed out loud, wanting to give his sister-in-law a thumbs up. She had nearly exposed the truth without arousing suspicion.
At this moment, Qin Zhao had to add fuel to the fire. "Why are you sweating? That's strange. What are you nervous and afraid of? Could it be..."
[Bravo, the third brother is quite perceptive. He's noticed something off about Lang Zhe. If they keep this up, they might just K.O. Lang Zhe.]
Qin Zhao, hearing the praise, was so focused on playing along that he didn't notice his phone's notification light blinking frequently.
Qin Zhao and Ji Fei had no choice but to tread carefully, as Lang Zhe still held leverage over them. One wrong move could ruin Sun Man's situation, so they couldn't act rashly and had to take it one step at a time.
By now, everyone else was looking at Lang Zhe with various suspicions.
"Lang Zhe, are you hiding something from us?" Lu Fei couldn't possibly imagine her son involved in anything illicit, so she just assumed he was concealing some information.
At this point, Lang Zhe truly couldn't handle the pressure. Feeling like he was about to be exposed, he resorted to angry attacks.
"What could I possibly be hiding? I'm just angry because they're going too far. What kind of relationship do I have with Man Man? How could I hurt her? What are you all speculating about? I lost my phone, does that make me a criminal in your eyes?"
Qin Zhao scoffed, "Lang Zhe, you're overthinking this. I never said anything about criminals. I was wondering if... perhaps you hadn't deleted those things you recorded, which is why you're so nervous about the police coming to examine your phone."
Lang Zhe's hand unconsciously moved towards his pocket, his pupils quivering. He immediately shouted, "Of course I deleted them!"
"Is that so? Well, in this situation, Sun Man is still the victim. It's necessary to check, just to be sure. That way, if anything else comes out later, it can't be blamed on you. It's good for everyone's mutual trust. You don't mind, do you?" Ji Fei seized the opportunity and immediately demanded Lang Zhe's phone.
Lang Zhe's face turned ashen. "Don't push it."
Ji Fei feigned innocence, "Huh? How can you refuse such a reasonable request?"
Sun Man and Lu Fei were both stunned for a moment. They had instinctively assumed that after such an incident, Lang Zhe would have already deleted the incriminating material. How could any normal person keep it, risking further trouble if the phone was lost again?
But seeing Lang Zhe's reaction, if he had really deleted everything, why was he so sensitive about it?
Pei Mingxuan narrowed her eyes slightly. Having seen all sorts of things in the entertainment industry, and already knowing about the gambling and debt issues, she pondered for a moment and came to the most unbelievable conclusion.
Could it be that he orchestrated this himself?
Suddenly, Pei Mingxuan spoke up, "Sun Man is the main subject of the videos and photos. Taking them without permission is illegal in itself. You say you've deleted them, but there's no proof. It's better if we check for ourselves to be sure, unless... you're lying."
Lang Zhe could barely stop himself from taking a step back.
Sun Man's expression changed several times. Perhaps this young woman had finally started to think about her boyfriend of several sweet years in the worst possible light.
It wasn't as simple as gambling and failing to repay debts.
Lu Fei's face changed. "Hand over the phone."
Lang Zhe was truly out of options. He could only say, "I see you've all lost your minds. I won't bother explaining. My phone is my privacy, and I won't show it to anyone." After this righteous declaration, he turned to leave.
It seemed he wanted to escape the situation.
This was the scenario Ji Fei and Qin Zhao feared most, as they had no valid reason to stop Lang Zhe.
But in this situation, they could only resort to forceful intervention.
However, before Lang Zhe could reach the entrance, they heard three knocks on the door, followed by someone entering.
"Police. We're here on official business."
An authoritative male voice rang out, accompanied by footsteps. Two male police officers walked in, one after the other.
When Lang Zhe saw the police, he froze. Without thinking, he foolishly tried to break through and run out.
This sudden movement naturally startled the police, who thought someone was trying to attack them.
Without hesitation, the lead young officer executed a skillful takedown, pinning Lang Zhe to the ground.
"Who are you? What are you trying to do? Handcuff him first!"
This turn of events caught everyone by surprise.
Even Ji Fei was stunned. She hadn't called the police, and no one had the opportunity to do so secretly.
Besides, who would dare to report such a matter to the police without the victim's consent?
