AWB Chapter 224 Killing the Cuckoo (39)
Chapter 224 Killing the Cuckoo (39)
After receiving the call from his father, Li Tingyi's face drained of all color.
He opened the short video link his father had forwarded, and after watching the video, his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
His sexual orientation was exposed, back in his hometown.
What's the difference between this and directly pulling down his underwear in public and showing it to his fellow villagers?
The video's popularity on the platform continues to rise, and it has now surpassed 300 million views.
Li Tingyi trembled as he exited the short video platform, shaking his head, which was throbbing from the rapid rush of blood, and trying his best to calm himself down.
The most important thing right now is to figure out how to deal with this, not to get angry.
With that in mind, Li Tingyi quickly sorted out his thoughts and then began to work on it.
He filed a complaint with the platform as the person involved in the video, arguing that it violated his personal privacy and demanding that the video be taken down.
Let's block the source first.
However, once a complaint is submitted, it takes time for review and feedback to be received.
Li Tingyi called He Xiaolian again.
He Xiaolian did not answer.
He called several times, and He Xiaolian immediately blocked him.
After pondering for a while, Li Tingyi decided to go home and deal with the matter.
The problem lies with He Xiaolian; we need to calm her down first.
It shouldn't be difficult to keep a woman from the countryside who only graduated from high school and has never even left the province.
Li Tingyi injured his hand and couldn't drive, so he called a long-distance designated driver and rushed back to his hometown overnight.
On his way home, Li Tingyi received several phone calls from relatives and friends. Some were indirect, while others were direct, asking him what the video was about.
Li Tingyi smiled and said it was all a misunderstanding, his tone relaxed and calm, but his face in the rearview mirror was distorted and ferocious.
The video was posted from my hometown, and thanks to big data location and recommendation, my relatives and friends back home were among the first to see it.
Li Tingyi knew that he had become famous this time.
Having rushed back to his hometown, Li Tingyi had barely stepped inside when, before he could even speak, he was slapped across the face by his father.
He was slapped so hard he staggered and almost fell.
"You've really made me proud!" Li's father, his face ashen, pointed at his son's nose and cursed angrily. "Now the whole world knows that my Li family has produced a scoundrel who sells his body outside while tricking women into marriage. Where am I supposed to put my old face now?!"
Li Tingyi felt a tremor in his heart after being scolded.
My father has a violent temper. When I was a child, he would beat and scold me and my sisters at the drop of a hat. Even now that I am an adult, my heart still races as soon as I hear my father speak loudly.
After graduating from university and becoming financially independent, he gained confidence and would not hesitate to argue back when his father lost his temper during holidays.
Normally, he might have fought back.
But he was in the wrong right now, and countless neighbors were listening to what was going on in his house. If he were to fight with his father now, wouldn't that confirm the "rumors" in the video?
Li Tingyi swallowed his anger and said in a low voice, "Dad, you have high blood pressure. Don't get so angry that you hurt yourself. I will handle this matter and won't make things difficult for you and Mom."
"Deal with? How do you intend to deal with it?" Li's father glared at him fiercely. "That bitch He Xiaolian refuses to return the betrothal gifts, and our 200,000 yuan is just going down the drain!"
"I will get the money back, don't worry."
After much persuasion, Li Tingyi finally managed to calm Li's father down. Before he could even catch his breath, Li Tingyi turned and left for the He family's house.
When he arrived at the He family's house, it was almost midnight, and the lights on the roof of the He family's house were still on.
Li Tingyi knocked on the door, but no one answered.
He continued knocking, his movements becoming increasingly forceful. When no one came to open the door, he, already seething with anger, began to kick it.
"Who is it? Who is it!" Finally, a voice came from inside, and a woman around fifty years old came out wearing a coat and holding a flashlight.
Li Tingyi quickly took a few deep breaths, adjusted his expression, and spoke to He Ma with a gentle and pleasant demeanor.
"It's me, Xiao Li," Li Tingyi said with a smile. "Auntie, is Xiao Lian here?"
As He Ma walked to the front door, the flashlight beam shone on Li Tingyi's face, and she couldn't help but shiver—Li Tingyi's lips were upturned in a smile, but the muscles in his face were stiff, and his eyes were frighteningly gloomy.
His voice was calm, yet his entire being seemed to be torn apart by reason and anger, splitting into two halves.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow, she's already asleep."
“Xiaolian and I had a misunderstanding, so I rushed back from Ningcheng overnight to explain to her.” Li Tingyi gripped the iron gate, looking like he would force his way in if Aunt He didn’t open the door. “Auntie, please call Xiaolian down. I won’t be able to sleep tonight until this matter is cleared up.”
Aunt He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then wait a moment."
She turned around and went upstairs to call He Xiaolian. A little while later, two girls of similar age came down from upstairs.
Li Tingyi's gaze swept over the two people. One was He Xiaolian, and the other should be the video account owner, "Sister Bao'er".
With both of them there, he wouldn't have to make another trip to Bao'er's company.
"Xiao Lian, come out here, I have something to tell you."
He Xiaolian was clearly terrified of Li Tingyi's gloomy face, and held onto Bao'er's sister tightly with both hands: "You, you can say whatever you want here."
Just as Li Tingyi was about to speak, his gaze fell on the pocket on the chest of Bao'er's coat, where a small bulge appeared, as if something was hidden there.
Remembering the angle from which the two women had secretly filmed when they went to the Li family to break off the engagement, Li Tingyi realized that it was a miniature camera.
They were secretly taking pictures of him!
Realizing this, Li Tingyi acted swiftly, grabbing Bao'er's coat with one hand and roughly tearing open her coat pocket with the other, pulling out the miniature camera inside, removing the memory card and throwing it on the ground, stomping it to pieces in a few quick steps.
Both girls were terrified by his violent behavior and huddled together, trembling.
Having successfully intimidated the two, Li Tingyi regained some sense of control.
He pulled a folding knife from his pocket, twirling it deftly in his hand, the threat unmistakable.
He had originally planned to pull out his knife only if negotiations failed, but seeing the cowardly behavior of the two women, he decided to end things quickly and no longer concealed the contempt and malice in his tone.
"He Xiaolian, I'm here today to discuss and resolve this issue with you. If you know what's good for you, let's talk things out and part ways amicably. It's not like I'm determined to marry you."
If you're not smart enough and continue to fan the flames with those internet parasites who profit from others' suffering, making things worse, I won't hesitate to hire the best lawyers and send you to jail.
When He Xiaolian saw the knife, her expression changed instantly. She exchanged a glance with Bao'er, and the two girls clasped hands tightly. She mustered her courage and asked, "What...what do you want?"
"Hand over your phones first."
Before saying those things, he needed to make sure they weren't carrying any hidden cameras or recording devices.
He Xiaolian hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone and handed it to him—her goal was to annul the engagement, and she was willing to cooperate if the problem could be resolved through negotiation.
Bao'er stiffened her neck and said, "My phone is upstairs, I didn't bring it with me."
Li Tingyi sneered: "If I search you, you might have to buy a new phone."
Bao'er Sister: "..."
After getting Bao'er's phone, Li Tingyi fiddled with it for a bit, then suddenly turned the phone towards Bao'er.
Bao'er was stunned and hadn't even reacted when, with a "beep," her phone successfully unlocked its screen through facial recognition.
In front of the two of them, Li Tingyi deleted the video that had over ten million views.