Chapter 2269

The news of You Jiayu's arrest was not made public, at least not online, so the post exposing his true nature continued to gain momentum, growing hotter by the day, reposted across major websites and fiercely discussed by countless netizens.

In this era, the internet had far less censorship, so the explosive content in this post had not yet been censored; netizens once again plunged into a collective unconscious frenzy, hurling vile abuse at You Jiayu.

Finally, the victims who had been deceived appeared online—they were all people who had bought American land through Meijing Company—and they openly cursed You Jiayu and Meijing Company online; since most major portal forums still had no strict controls, posting insults wouldn't get you banned.

Hanhai Network's forum moderation, however, was much stricter, with dedicated moderators ensuring a healthier discussion atmosphere—no swearing allowed, and violators were banned—making Hanhai Network one of the rare clean havens on the internet at the time.

Although this policy temporarily reduced Hanhai Network's popularity, in the long run, it attracted a group of users with higher standards, and those unable to tolerate the filth of other forums would eventually choose Hanhai Network.

Thus, on Hanhai Network's forum, the reposted thread saw relatively rational discussions about You Jiayu's case, with users advising the deceived victims to file complaints, hire lawyers, and sue Meijing Company to recover their lost money.

Tian Xiaopeng was in his office at the Huangqiu County government; Huangqiu County had just built a new government building, and his office was luxuriously decorated. It was already winter, and the powerful cabinet-style air conditioner in his office was vigorously blowing warm air.

Yet in this warm, spring-like office, Tian Xiaopeng's heart felt as cold as an ice cellar.

Just now, he had called You Jiayu; suddenly, the voice cut out, then the call was hung up. When he redialed, the line was dead, and calling You Jiayu's office landline yielded no answer.

Tian Xiaopeng didn't know You Jiayu had been taken away by police, but his instinct told him You Jiayu was in trouble—and this matter was certainly tied to Su Xinghui.

It was simple: the post now trending online had a title nearly identical to the one they previously used to frame Su Xinghui—this was clearly Su Xinghui sending him a warning.

I know you were behind that incident, so here's my retaliation—watch yourselves.

Tian Xiaopeng knew little about computers and couldn't figure out how Su Xinghui had learned it was them who did it, but the fact remained unchanged; his mind raced desperately, trying to devise a strategy to deal with this.

Tian Xiaopeng called Cui Wenbin and Tian Xiaotao, ordering them to come over; both arrived quickly.

Over the past year, Tian Xiaotao had spent nearly every day in Huangqiu County, rarely returning to his home in Jingcheng; his excuse was managing Daye Company, but the real reason was to avoid his wife, who suffered from sequelae of polio.

His wife hadn't followed him to Huangqiu County—first, Jingcheng offered far superior living conditions and was better for their child; second, she knew her husband disliked her and saw no point in forcing herself upon him, so she simply stayed in Jingcheng.

In large families, such things were common—not just Tian Xiaotao—and she could raise their child in Jingcheng just fine; after all, their marriage was political.

Thus, Tian Xiaotao's life in Huangqiu County was delightful—he brought several seductive women, calling them his secretary, but these "secretaries" never did any work; Tian Xiaotao spent his days doing nothing but "working" with them.

Beyond these nightly orgies, if Tian Xiaotao spotted a pure village girl in Huangqiu County, he'd seduce her too; with his money and good looks, he easily attracted naive, inexperienced girls.

Over the past year, Tian Xiaotao had ruined many girls' purity in Huangqiu County and gotten two pregnant, creating a terrible, filthy reputation in the county.

Tian Xiaopeng had scolded him, but Tian Xiaotao boldly claimed he was doing it to continue the Tian family line—a justification so powerful it left Tian Xiaopeng speechless, forcing him to let Tian Xiaotao run wild.

Tian Xiaopeng himself had only one daughter, who lived in Jingcheng; his wife now treated him like a stranger, living wildly in Jingcheng. He'd heard she secretly gave birth to a bastard child, taking the mother's surname—her family, also a Jingcheng powerhouse, needed heirs too, but this heir had nothing to do with Tian Xiaopeng.

Tian Xiaopeng himself was impotent, destined to leave no heir—he couldn't father a child even if he wanted to. Yet his nominal wife had secretly borne a bastard child behind his back; the humiliation made him suffer every time he thought of it.

Tian Xiaotao's wife had also given birth to a daughter and wanted another child, but first there was the one-child policy, and second, Tian Xiaotao had no desire for his wife; so now he kept the two pregnant girls, planning to use them to bear children.

Regardless, these children were Tian family blood—able to continue the lineage—so Tian Xiaopeng could only tolerate Tian Xiaotao's debauchery.

Over the past year, he had cleaned up many of Tian Xiaotao's messes; as county magistrate, he was the most powerful figure in Huangqiu County, and their wealth was now immense—handling such minor issues was nothing.

As for registration, household registration, and other issues after the children were born, it was simple: just arrange an adoption procedure for Tian Xiaotao. In Huangqiu County, power and money meant you could do anything.

When Tian Xiaopeng called Tian Xiaotao just now, Tian Xiaotao hadn't even woken up—he'd been indulging all night and was sound asleep, rudely awakened by his brother's call. He grumbled: "Brother, what's so urgent you're calling me this early?"

As he spoke, Tian Xiaotao let out a huge yawn.

Tian Xiaopeng glanced at his watch and said: "It's almost eleven. Still early?"

Tian Xiaotao yawned again: "I only slept at eight this morning."

Tian Xiaopeng frowned: "Xiaotao, you really need to change your lifestyle. Look at your face—you're as pale as death."

Tian Xiaotao replied irritably: "Alright, brother, I get it."

Tian Xiaopeng shook his head repeatedly; Cui Wenbin quickly intervened: "Xiaopeng, why did you call us here?"

Tian Xiaopeng pointed to his computer: "Take a look at this post."

Tian Xiaotao had little interest in computers—he cared most about wine, women, money, and power—and slowly shuffled toward Tian Xiaopeng's desk.

Cui Wenbin followed behind him; he knew little about computers too, but far more than Tian Xiaotao.

Cui Wenbin was indeed a talent: under his management, Daye Company's assets had surpassed one hundred million in two years—something vital to Tian Xiaopeng.

While Tian Xiaopeng's authority certainly helped Daye Company's growth, it was Cui Wenbin's operational and financial management skills that mattered most; had the company been in Tian Xiaotao's hands, it could never have reached this scale.

Thus, Tian Xiaopeng now held Cui Wenbin in high regard. Seeing Cui Wenbin carefully walking beside Tian Xiaotao, he said: "Wenbin, you take a look first."

Cui Wenbin quickened his pace, stepping up to Tian Xiaopeng's desk to examine the post.

He scanned a few lines and paled slightly—the post's content clearly exceeded his expectations. He stared intently at it.

Tian Xiaotao, standing behind him, also saw the post's content. His eyesight was sharp—he blurted out: "Hey, who'd have thought You Jiayu had such a twisted taste?"

You Jiayu always presented himself as dignified and moral in front of the Tian brothers; Tian Xiaotao never imagined his true nature was this depraved—he was practically a kindred spirit! And You Jiayu's tastes were even more extreme than Tian Xiaotao's.

Tian Xiaotao's tastes were still fairly normal—he just liked beautiful girls, nothing too outlandish—but from You Jiayu's emails, it was clear he craved all kinds of perverse sexual acts; in this regard, Tian Xiaotao felt utterly inferior.