Chapter 17: The Impostor

The manager’s attitude changed immediately. “May I ask your surname, sir?”

“My surname is Gu,” Gu Xiangnan replied indifferently.

The manager thought to herself: The wife of Master Feng is surnamed Bai; it seems this man is not a direct relative of Mrs. Bai.

She pressed further, “Mr. Gu, if I’m not mistaken, this ring should belong to Master Feng’s wife, doesn’t it?”

Gu Xiangnan smiled faintly. “Sharp eyes. This is indeed her ring.”

The manager’s expression shifted. “This ring was a wedding gift from Master Feng to his wife. Whoever possesses this ring can command all the underground forces in Jiangning City.”

Gu Xiangnan was surprised; he hadn’t expected the ring to wield such power.

Zheng Shao immediately stood up from the sofa. He walked over to Gu Xiangnan and carefully examined the ring. He saw the ring was exquisitely crafted, and the obsidian set into it was clearly no ordinary stone. For the moment, he couldn’t tell if it was real or fake.

With suspicion, Zheng Shao questioned, “Manager, you must be mistaken. How could someone like him possibly know Master Feng’s wife? What if this ring, like that black card, is also a fake?”

The manager scrutinized the ring again. “This is absolutely genuine.” She had seen photographs of the ring in Master Feng’s files.

Zheng Shao refused to believe it. “He’s just some country bumpkin. How could he possibly have this ring? The only explanation is that he stole it!”

The manager found this reasoning sound. She immediately instructed the sales assistants, “You—go call security. The two of you, lock the doors. Whatever you do, don’t let him escape.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the assistants replied in unison.

Zheng Shao looked at Gu Xiangnan with smug satisfaction. Catching a swindler like this was the perfect opportunity to request a meeting with Master Feng—perhaps he could use it to climb the social ladder.

“Hick, you’ve run into trouble this time. Next time, don’t try to play tricks on people,” Zheng Shao said.

Azhen tried to explain on Gu Xiangnan’s behalf, “Our sister-in-law really is Brother Nan’s sister. I’m one of Master Feng’s men myself—I can vouch for him!”

Aqiang chimed in, “I can vouch for him too.”

The manager sneered. “You’re all in league together. None of you will be leaving today. You’ll all go to the police station.”

Gu Xiangnan, calm and unhurried, took out his phone and dialed a number.

“Sis, someone’s accusing me of stealing your ring and wants to drag me to the police station. Would you like to come explain things in person?”

“What? Who dares bully my little brother?” On the other end, Bai Huabing’s voice exploded with fury.

Gu Jiangnan was nearly deafened by the outburst and held the phone a little farther away.

“Send me your location. I’ll be there immediately.”

Zheng Shao said, “Do you really think a fake phone call will scare us? What if the person who shows up is a fake too?”

At this, Gu Xiangnan’s lips curled into a faint smile. He added, “Oh right, better have brother-in-law come too. They’re claiming you’re not the real deal either.”

Zheng Shao snorted with derision, his face full of disdain. “Keep bluffing. Who do you think you are? People fight for months just to share a meal with Master Feng. You think a phone call is enough to summon him? What a joke.”

The manager respectfully invited Zheng Shao to sit back on the sofa. Zheng Shao sipped his coffee, gloating as he waited for the show.

Before long, hurried footsteps sounded at the door. Bai Huabing arrived arm-in-arm with Yang Dianfeng.

Yang Dianfeng had shopped here before; the manager recognized him immediately. She greeted him with a bright smile, bowing. “Master Feng, Madam, welcome.”

Yang Dianfeng fixed the manager with a frosty glare, his gaze as cold as ice.

The manager trembled under his intimidating eyes but forced herself to continue, “Master Feng, an insolent fool stole Mrs. Bai’s ring. I caught him red-handed. Should I hand him over to you for punishment?”

Zheng Shao hurriedly stood, nervously greeting Yang Dianfeng, “Master Feng, hello, I’m the eldest son of the Zheng family. I’ve long admired your name.”

Yang Dianfeng glanced at Zheng Shao with icy indifference, as if he were nothing more than an insignificant pawn.

Bai Huabing had already made her way to Gu Xiangnan’s side. She shot the manager a furious glare, her voice sharp with anger. “That ring was a personal gift from me to Xiaonan. How could it possibly be stolen? He’s my benefactor, and today you wretched snobs dare to mistreat him!”

The manager was left dumbfounded by Bai Huabing’s words. Zheng Shao lowered his head in silence, not daring to say a word. He had hoped to curry favor, but ended up making a fool of himself.

Yang Dianfeng was seething. He signaled one of his men to call the owner of this mall, his tone menacing: “Mr. Heng, you have five minutes. If you don’t show up, your whole family is finished.”

Less than five minutes later, the owner of Hengtong Plaza—Mr. Heng—came rushing in, panting heavily. A crowd of managers followed in his wake.

“Master Feng, such an honor—please forgive me for not welcoming you sooner.” Mr. Heng plastered on a smile, reaching out to shake Yang Dianfeng’s hand.

Yang Dianfeng’s expression remained cold; he made no move to accept the handshake.

Instead, he pointed at the manager. “My benefactor comes to shop at your mall, and your staff mock him and threaten to send him to the police. Is this how Hengtong Plaza treats its distinguished guests?”

Hearing this, Mr. Heng’s face drained of color. He raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap to the manager’s face. “Are you blind? Is this how you treat my honored guests?”

The manager crumpled to her knees, not daring to lift her head.

Mr. Heng turned to Yang Dianfeng, his tone both respectful and anxious. “My subordinate has shown poor judgment. It was my failure to manage her properly. I offer my apologies to you and to this gentleman.” With that, he bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

Yang Dianfeng refused the apology. “My little brother came here to spend money, but your staff have spoiled his mood. Tell me, how do you plan to make this right?”

“It was my mistake—please give me a chance to make amends.” Mr. Heng gestured, and a senior manager handed him a gold card.

“To express our regret, I’d like to present this gold card to the gentleman. In the future, all his purchases at our mall will be free with this card.”

Mr. Heng offered the card to Gu Xiangnan with both hands.

Gu Xiangnan did not immediately accept it. He simply gazed at Mr. Heng, who stood there holding the card, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Was this refusal a sign he would not be forgiven? That could spell disaster—everyone in Jiangning City knew how ruthless Master Feng could be. He could only hope Master Feng would spare his family and not drag innocents into this matter.

Bai Huabing’s eyes sparkled with cunning. She took the gold card and pressed it into Gu Xiangnan’s hand. “It’s for you, little brother. Take it.”

Mr. Heng finally let out a sigh of relief.

Yang Dianfeng ignored Mr. Heng and patted Gu Xiangnan on the shoulder. “Brother, I had too much to drink last night and left early. You’re not upset, are you? How about I treat you to a feast today to make up for it?”

Gu Xiangnan smiled. “Brother-in-law, there’s no need to be so polite. The two men you assigned to me were excellent—I should be thanking you.”

Zheng Shao felt a pang of envy. His own father, head of the Zheng family, struggled to even get a meal with Master Feng. Yet Master Feng treated this young man so courteously—he couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Bai Huabing nudged Gu Xiangnan. “Are you here to buy clothes, little brother? Come, let’s check out that shop. I’ll help you choose.”

Mr. Heng cast a cold glance at the manager. “You’re useless. There’s no point keeping you—pack your things and leave!”

The manager clung to Mr. Heng’s pant leg, pleading, “Chairman, please forgive me!”

She pointed at Zheng Shao, tears streaming down her face. “It was he who incited me to insult Young Master Gu. That’s why I did something so foolish!”

Mr. Heng had no patience left. He turned to the mall staff behind him and barked, “Why are you just standing there? Drag this useless woman out!”