121: The beginning of the conflict

Wang Xingping was exceptionally furious at this moment. Xu Xin could be won over by a powerhouse, or by another conglomerate within the HR Alliance, but to be won over by a mere Intermediate Battle General Level Martial Artist—wasn't that a slap in the face to the twelve conglomerates of the HR Alliance?

"No, Xu Xin might be a fool, but the Xu Family isn't. How could Xu Gang and the rest of the Xu Family give up on her as a pawn for a political marriage?"

"Could it be that this Luo Feng actually has something going for him?"

Wang Xingping calmed his mind; he couldn't let himself be misled by surface-level information.

After thinking for a while, Wang Xingping decided to call Xu Gang to ask what was really going on.

"Beep—!"

After dialing Xu Gang's number, the call was quickly picked up.

"Brother Xu?"

Wang Xingping restrained his previous arrogance, putting on a smile as he spoke into the phone in a flattering tone.

"Ah, Young Master Wang. It's so late; is there something you're calling about?"

Xu Gang's voice didn't sound very good; he clearly had things on his mind.

"Brother Xu, I just heard some rumors regarding the Xu Family. Of course, I don't believe them at all, but I was worried they might affect the Family. That's why I hurried to verify things with you so we can clear it up quickly."

Wang Xingping's voice was full of concern, as if he truly placed the Xu Family's reputation above all else, just as he claimed.

“Heh, Young Master Wang, since when did you learn to be so two-faced? You want to ask about my sister, don't you?”

Xu Gang's voice sounded even colder, even somewhat displeased.

"What are you saying, Brother Xu? But indeed, it is because of that matter. Didn't you say before that you wanted to set me up with Xu Xin?"

Wang Xingping's tone also turned slightly unfriendly. Although Xu Gang hadn't directly agreed before, he had dropped many hints that he would marry Xu Xin to him. This sudden change of heart naturally caused resentment.

"Young Master Wang, rumors are just rumors, after all. Why care so much? Besides, I don't believe I ever directly promised that my sister must marry into your Wang Family, or marry you, the Great Young Master Wang."

Xu Gang snorted coldly. The Xu Family didn't need to rely on political marriages to consolidate their position in the HR Alliance. Even if the Wang Family was the most powerful among the twelve conglomerates, they wouldn't just let the Wang Family mock them like this.

"Hehe, Brother Xu, that's natural. The Xu Family is vast and wealthy; Xu Xin obviously doesn't have to marry into my Wang Family."

"In that case, the cooperative business chains I promised you before probably don't need the Wang Family's participation anymore. I'll be withdrawing my investment..."

Wang Xingping spoke with a chuckle, his tone seemingly natural and friendly, before hanging up the phone.

At this point, rumors were flying everywhere. As a pawn for marriage, Xu Xin now had a stain on her reputation and was no longer suitable for a political alliance. Wang Xingping naturally wouldn't choose her anymore. In that case, he might as well add fuel to the fire to make it burn brighter, taking the opportunity to damage the Xu Family's reputation further.

Wang Xingping's eyes darted around as he found a contact on his phone, sent over his requirements along with a deposit, and flashed a treacherous smile.

When Xu Gang saw Wang Xingping hang up, he felt the veins on his forehead throb. He was already fuming because his sister had been deceived; who would have thought this Wang Xingping would try to take advantage of the crisis now?

But Xu Gang was also starting to despise Wang Xingping. If they didn't cooperate, then so be it. It was just the Wang Family providing some funds for a Family Junior to test himself. Did this Great Young Master Wang really think he could decide anything? Without the great tree of the Wang Family, Wang Xingping was nothing more than an ordinary playboy.

However, the twelve conglomerates were interconnected at their roots. Surface-level squabbles wouldn't shake their fundamental interests. The true power holders were the Family elders; everything else was just minor child's play.

Thinking of this made Xu Gang irritable. Ultimately, this was the sorrow of being part of the capital class. It seemed like they controlled things, but they were actually restricted everywhere—Family scions had their limits, and families had limits with each other.

In the end, in this era of absolute power systems, no matter how well capital was played, it couldn't compare to having a powerhouse with absolute strength.

If the Xu Family had their own War God Level Expert backing them, why would they worry about clashing with other conglomerates? Having the friendship of a War God could give one much more weight in business discussions among the twelve conglomerates.

If they could have someone like Hong or Thunder God, who possessed absolute power on Earth, they could completely control the entire Earth's economy.

Xu Gang exhaled a breath of turbid air powerlessly and leaned against the sofa. He even had a fleeting fantasy: if his sister's marriage wasn't a deception, but was truly brokered by a War God Level Expert, then all external pressure would be like a bubble, popping with a single poke without any difficulty... Luo Hua quickly found someone to book a presidential suite in the largest hotel in Yangzhou City and sent people to arrange various romantic decorations. After all, it was only a proposal ceremony, not a formal wedding; making it too extravagant would be a bit strange.

While the Luo Family Members were busy with preparations, the rumors about Xu Xin grew more and more outrageous.

The rumors, pushed by a powerful hand behind the scenes, spread like a computer virus across various media outlets. Most were spread through personal blogger accounts, having been made into various text-based videos to leak the "secrets."

"Shocking! Eldest Young Miss of the Xu Family, one of the HR Alliance conglomerates, exposed to be marrying a commoner?"

"Downward compatibility from a financial tycoon..."

"Suspected Eldest Young Miss of the Xu Family forced into marriage due to premarital pregnancy?"

"Xu Family daughter's chaotic private life; biological father of the fetus unknown, seeking a low-level Martial Artist to take the fall."

...Similar informal reports continued to appear on the internet, and the public opinion first reached the inside of Xu Xin's university dormitory.

Xu Xin's other roommates, who were lying in the dorm scrolling through their phones, entered gossip mode after seeing the reports published by various information accounts.

"Hey, have you guys seen this news? The Eldest Young Miss of the Xu Family was exposed for having a chaotic private life and being pregnant before marriage, and she's even looking for someone to take the fall."

"Does the Xu Family's Eldest Young Miss really have so many secrets? Rich people really do play around."

"I didn't expect a commoner could actually marry the Xu Family's Eldest Young Miss. That can't even be called social climbing; it's a complete change of life trajectory!"

Their mouths chattered away, full of gossip, as they stood on the moral high ground and criticized continuously.

"I just don't know who the real identity of the Xu Family's Eldest Young Miss is. And what a coincidence—Xin Xin just got proposed to, and this gossip about the Xu Family's Eldest Young Miss gets leaked at the same time."

"Xin Xin's surname is also Xu. Could Xin Xin be the Eldest Young Miss of the Xu Family?"

"How is that possible? No matter how much an Eldest Young Miss wants to experience commoner life, she wouldn't go as far as squeezing into a dormitory with us ordinary people, right?"

"That's true."