Chapter 105 (1/2)

The Truth Revealed

Xia Lei pulled Xu Lang off the floor but did not release his arm. “I don’t know either,” he said.

Xu Zheng-Wen, Hu Hou and Shentu Tian-Yin had also walked over.

Xu Zheng-Wen had a dark expression and he looked at Xia Lei, his voice cold as he asked, “Mr Xia, what is going on?”

He had the instinct of a police officer. It was not only Xu Zheng-Wen who suspected foul play; everyone had the same suspicion. This was a high-cla.s.s event and all the attendees were names and players in society. Ren Wen-Qiang and Xu Lang both had high statuses so how could they behave worse than beasts? Even if they wanted to play with women, they could go to a hotel and get a room. Why would they choose to do something like this out in the open, in front of all the guests in the great hall?

“I said it just now. I don’t know,” said Xia Lei.

Xu Zheng-Wen looked at the three wine-gla.s.ses with dregs of red wine in their bottoms on the table and sneered, “The three of you drank wine and only the two of them had something happen to them while you’re fine. Can you claim to not know what’s going on?”

Xia Lei was calm, “Director Xu, what do you mean by that? Are you suspecting me?”

At that moment, two security guards walked over and took Xu Lang off Xia Lei’s hands.

Ning Yuan-Shan looked angrily at Xia Lei, “Xia Lei, I’ve treated you well. I said nothing when you stole the China Industrial Group business from East Wind Heavy Industries. Count it as me not being able to see your true nature. How dare you run wild here and do something to Mr Ren and Mr Xu’s drinks?”

One of the worst feelings to man is being wronged.

Flames lit in Xia Lei’s heart and he smiled in his anger, “Chairman Ning, Director Xu, you accuse me of doing something to their drinks without even distinguis.h.i.+ng between right and wrong. Do you know what happened? Do you have evidence?”

“You dare claim you have nothing suspicious on you?” Ning Yuan-Shan was already unhappy about Xia Lei stealing the China Industrial Group business from him and something like this happening gave him a chance to vent.

Xia Lei sneered, “So you’re saying you think I am the one who did something to the wine?”

Xu Zheng-Wen spoke to a security guard, “You, search him.”

The security guard nodded, then walked towards Xia Lei, prepared to search him.

“Hold on.” Shentu Tian-Yin suddenly spoke, “Mr Xia is an invited guest. It is not proper to search him when there is no evidence to support the action.”

At Shentu Tian-Yin’s words, the security guard who had been about to search Xia Lei stopped in his tracks and looked back at Xu Zheng-Wen.

“Miss Shentu, is it not obvious? From how Mr Ren and Xu Lang acted, they were drugged with something hallucinatory. Xia Lei drank with them and only the two of them had something happen to them while he is unscathed. It can’t be Xu Lang or Mr Ren who did it to themselves, can it?” said Xu Zheng-Wen.

Shentu Tian-Yin wrinkled her brows. That’s true. Who would drug himself?

“Miss Shentu, if Xia Lei is innocent then there’s no harm in letting someone search him. I’ll apologise to him myself if he is innocent,” said Ning Yuan-Shan.

Practically everyone was sure that Xia Lei had spiked the wine and the people looking on pointed at Xia Lei and whispered amongst themselves. Their eyes were full of contempt and disgust. It was as if a beggar dressed in rags had suddenly encroached upon their exclusive, elegant aristocratic party.

Seeing Shentu Tian-Yin keep quiet, Xu Zheng-Wen said to the security guard who had stopped, “Go, search him.”

The security guard walked to Xia Lei and said in a harsh tone, “Excuse me, I’ll be searching you.” So saying, he reached for Xia Lei.

Xia Lei blocked his hand and said coldly, “What right have you to search me?”

“You must be feeling guilty, then!” Ning Yuan-Shan pointed at Xia Lei.

Ning Jing finally stood up, looking nervous, “Uncle, Xia Lei is not that sort of person. He would never, never put drugs in the wine.”

Ning Yuan-Shan glared at Ning Jing, “This doesn’t involve you. What nonsense are you spouting?”

Ning Jing pressed on, “Xia Lei wasn’t originally at this table. It was Ren Wen-Qiang who’d invited him over. I invited Xia Lei over to sit with us and Ren Wen-Qiang poured wine for Xia Lei and Xu Lang poured wine for Ren Wen-Qiang, then… Then this happened. I don’t know how it happened either.”

The female guest who had been a.s.saulted by Xu Lang also stepped forward and said angrily, “This Mr Xia here didn’t pour wine for anyone. The three gla.s.ses of wine he drank were all poured by Ren Wen-Qiang. Who knows what else this b.a.s.t.a.r.d would have done if Mr Xia had not stopped him!”

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d she was talking about was Xu Lang.

Xu Zheng-Wen’s face darkened and he glared at the woman who’d spoken up for Xia Lei, “Miss, you’d better be more respectful.”

“Respectful?” She pointed at Xu Lang, who was still being restrained by two security guards, and cried, “Look at what he’s done! Are you blind? Respect for a person like that? I won’t just let this matter rest - I’ll sue him!”

“You…” Xu Zheng-Wen was so angry that he could not speak.

If this matter blew up, Xu Lang’s future would be ruined.

“You can search me if you want but it’s not fair to search just me. You have to search Xu Lang and Ren Wen-Qiang too. And there’s cameras too. Won’t you know what happened if you take a look at the surveillance footage?” said Xia Lei.

“I agree,” said Shentu Tian-Yin.

Xu Zheng-Wen and Ning Yuan-Shan had nothing further to say after Shentu Tian-Yin expressed her approval. Someone quickly went to fetch the surveillance footage and the security guards brought the confused Ren Wen-Qiang and Xu Lang before Xia Lei to search all three of the persons involved.

“Please cooperate,” said a security guard to Xia Lei.

Xia Lei raised his arms.

The security guard was soon done with his search. He had removed everything from his pockets - mobile phone, wallet and the like, and found nothing suspicious.

“Nothing.” The security guard was done searching Xia Lei.

“You’re sure there’s nothing?” Xu Zheng-Wen was dissatisfied with the result.

The security guard shook his head, “Nothing. I did a very thorough search.”

Xu Zheng-Wen’s face darkened again. If Xia Lei had nothing suspicious on him, then either Xu Lang or Ren Wen-Qiang would have something suspicious. He hesitated - should the search continue?