CHAPTER 390: CHAPTER 390; YOU ARE RISKING YOUR SAFETY

The situation was creating massive tension across the country. The President hadn’t issued a statement yet, he was still abroad, though he’d likely taken an emergency flight back the moment he heard the news.

Huo Ting Cheng’s jaw tightened as he read. This was explosive. Politically, socially, and legally, this would send shockwaves through every level of government.

"Secretary Li," he said without looking up, his voice was cold and controlled. "Last night, after we cleaned up the site, did any footage leak out? Who could have posted these videos and files?"

Even though some faces in the images and videos had been blurred, the content was still deeply traumatizing and inflammatory. It was designed to create chaos.

Secretary Li set down his chopsticks and sighed. "We cleaned the location thoroughly. Nothing was left behind, at least, nothing from our end. The only possibility is that the owner of the operation is the one who exposed everything. We still don’t know who the owner is, or if they died last night in that raid."

He paused, considering. "I can track the IP addresses of whoever uploaded the content, but by now it’s already spread across dozens of blogger sites and social media platforms. It’s been shared thousands of times. Tracking them all down would take considerable time and resources."

"It’s fine. Let it be," Huo Ting Cheng said, turning to another page in the newspaper, this one covering yesterday’s congressional session in the States. "It’s not that serious, and it’s not our problem. Let the government deal with the fallout."

"Understood," Secretary Li replied, though his expression suggested he was still uneasy about the situation’s potential to spiral out of control.

Huo Qi cleared his throat. "The two brothers, Xu Xie’s brothers, still haven’t said anything worth. We’ve interrogated them multiple times, but their lips are sealed tightly. No clue at all on who could have attacked us..."

Huo Zhen nodded in agreement. "Same with her family. No matter how much pressure we applied, they haven’t spoken a word. They are either innocent or protecting the ones behind them..."

"It’s the same with everyone we captured from the school yesterday," Huo Qi added. "All of them are tight-lipped."

Huo Ting Cheng drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the table. Either they were genuinely innocent and knew nothing, or they were too terrified of the mastermind to speak.

"Kill all of her family members," he said suddenly, his voice flat and cold.

Everyone at the table froze, surprised by the harshness of the command. This was his wife’s family no matter what!

Then Huo Ting Cheng paused, reconsidering. "No... wait. Don’t kill them. They could still be useful, or at least, Tang Fei might ask about them someday, and I don’t want to explain why I had them executed." He tapped his fingers again, thinking. "Send them to the mines to work, or to the base. They can serve as laborers or servants. Keep them alive, but out of sight to cause me any troubles..."

The others exchanged glances but nodded in agreement. It was a harsh punishment, but not a death sentence. Their lives were preserved.

"I think sending them to the mines is appropriate," Secretary Li agreed.

"And what about Xu Xie’s brothers?" Huo Zhen asked, biting into a fried dough stick. "What should we do with them?"

Huo Ting Cheng considered this carefully. "Enroll them in the military. That’s the only option. I can’t send them to the mining sites, that would be too harsh. And I can’t kill them either. They’re still the sons of my wife’s adopted parents, and Xu Xie is her only real friend." He pulled out his phone. "Let me call her."

He dialed Xu Xie’s number. After a single ring, the call connected.

"Hello... Ting Cheng. Good morning." Xu Xie’s voice sounded exhausted and hoarse.

"Good morning," he replied evenly. "Your brothers still aren’t confessing anything. I don’t know who attacked me at your family home, but I’ve decided to release them and send them to the military instead of the mining sites. What do you think?"

There was a long pause on the other end. Then Xu Xie sighed. "You can decide what to do with them. Just... don’t kill them. My parents act like they don’t care, but I know they’re deeply wounded by all this. I can’t let my brothers go back home and give them even more stress. The military might actually do them some good." She hesitated for a moment. "How are you doing? How is Tang Fei?"

"Everyone’s fine," Huo Ting Cheng assured her. "Get some rest."

He hung up and turned to Huo Qi. "Send them to the military. I want them at the main base."

The main base was known for its harsh training regimens and strict discipline. If anything could straighten them out, it was that.

"Understood. I’ll handle the arrangements." Huo Qi made a note on his tablet. "And what about the students we captured from the school?"

Huo Ting Cheng took another sip of coffee, his expression thoughtful. "Release them. Send them back to the same vicinity where they were living. If they were genuinely approached by the conspirators, those people will come after them again, especially if they think the students betrayed them by talking to us. And if they were just used as scapegoats, we’ll know soon enough." He set down his cup. "But add more security around Tang Fei. I don’t want her caught in the crossfire if things escalate."

"Understood," Huo Qi replied, making additional notes.

Secretary Li glanced at his own tablet. "You have pending files that need your attention today."

"Nah. Not working today, not in the mood," Huo Ting Cheng said dismissively, leaning back in his chair. "I’m planning on going on a honeymoon."

There was a moment of stunned silence around the table.

"A honeymoon?" Mo Tianyu repeated, as if making sure he’d heard correctly.

"Yes. I feel like I need time to truly get to know my wife. Some time for just the two of us, away from all this chaos."

Huo Qi quickly, already pulling up information on his tablet. "The ocean view villa is already prepared. We handled most of it yesterday. We’ll just need to add some final touches, like flowers, romantic elements, that sort of thing."

"Good," Huo Ting Cheng said with a satisfied nod.

"For how many days?" Secretary Li asked, genuinely curious. It would be the couple’s first real honeymoon.

"I don’t know yet. It depends." Huo Ting Cheng shrugged. "If she wants to stay longer, we’ll stay. If she wants to come back sooner, we’ll come back."

"Ooh... Planning to have another baby?" Xie Yuxuan teased with a grin. "Honeymoons are traditionally for making babies, you know."

"Nope. No kids," Huo Ting Cheng said firmly, shaking his head. "What we have is enough..."

They all fell into a comfortable silence after that, each man returning to his breakfast and his own thoughts.

But Huo Ting Cheng’s mind was already elsewhere, already planning, already thinking about how to approach his wife, how to get her to open up, how to uncover the secrets she was keeping.

Because after last night, one thing was abundantly clear:

Tang Fei was far more than she appeared to be.

And he was determined to find out exactly who, and what, she really was.

— — — — — —

The drive to the audition halls took another forty minutes, taking them from the refined educational district into the heart of the city’s entertainment quarter. Here, the buildings were taller, flashier, covered in advertisements for movies, concerts, and television shows. Aspiring actors, models, and performers filled the sidewalks, all chasing the same elusive dream of fame and success.

Tang Fei soon arrived at the audition hall’s parking lot. The building was a towering structure of glass and steel, a high-rise where not only were auditions conducted, but various other events and functions were being held throughout the year. The entire complex belonged to Huo Conglomerate, one of their many entertainment industry investments.

"Momma, you didn’t need to come here and show up personally," Twilight said quietly as they prepared to exit the vehicle. There was concern in her voice. "You’re risking your safety."

"It’s okay," Tang Fei replied with a reassuring smile. "I need to be seen. Besides, I can’t stay hidden forever. In one way or the other, I have to show up at least"