Jiang Chen's face was filled with resignation.
Tang Chuchu said, "Go get the dress from my closet. I have an important banquet tonight."
Jiang Chen stood up, walked to the closet, opened it, and asked, "Honey, which one?"
"The white one with a V-neck."
"That won't do. You can't wear something so revealing when you're going out. This one's nice." Jiang Chen came over with a black turtleneck dress, handed it to Tang Chuchu, and asked, "By the way, what banquet?"
Tang Chuchu said, "It's an auction organized by Xiao Ruoran of the Xiao family. There are a lot of great items, and it's attended by some important people. I'm taking this opportunity to expand my social circle."
Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback by this, but he didn't say much. Instead, he asked, "Do you want me to give you a ride?"
"I'll take a taxi."
"Oh, sure."
Tang Chuchu changed into her dress and left.
After she left, Jiang Chen also found an excuse to leave the house.
Xiao family, a villa.
This was the Xiao family's only remaining villa. All other assets, including real estate, had been liquidated.
Dozens of Xiao family members gathered in the villa.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man in military uniform.
He was Xiao Biehe's fourth son, Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan was a soldier in the Western Territory.
When his father, Xiao Biehe, died, he was on a mission and unable to leave. When he returned, Xiao Biehe was already dead.
But the murderer had left a clue: it was a remnant of the Jiang family from ten years ago. So he rushed back to Kyoto overnight to inquire about the situation with the powerful figure who had ordered the destruction of the Jiang family and the seizure of the Flower Moon Mountain Residence.
However, his inquiries yielded no results. However, he did discover that Tang Chuchu's disfigurement was caused by burns sustained while rescuing someone from the fire at the Jiang family villa ten years ago!
The powerful figure issued an order to investigate the identity of the person Tang Chuchu had saved.
After receiving this information, he left Kyoto and returned to Jiangzhong.
But when he returned to the Xiao family, they had already been bankrupted, and this was closely related to his investigation of Tang Chuchu.
Beside him sat a beautiful woman with fair skin and seemingly unrecognizable age. She was Xiao Ruoran.
Xiao Ruoran spoke, "Fourth brother, we have no idea who killed Dad, but our family was bankrupted by Tang Chuchu. Xiao Chen has already said it's all Tang Chuchu's fault. It was Tang Chuchu who called Ye Xiong, and it was Ye Xiong who brought our family down."
Xiao Zhan sat at the head table, a gloomy expression on his resolute face, his fists clenched. "No matter who opposes our Xiao family, they will not end well, not even Ye Xiong. I want everyone to know that the Xiao family is not a pushover. Tonight is the day the Tang family will be destroyed!"
Jiangzhong Hotel, the venue for the Xiao family auction.
Outside the hotel, luxury cars gathered, and many Jiangzhong celebrities came and went.
These were all those who had received Xiao Ruoran's invitation.
Although the Xiao family was bankrupt and Jiangzhong's celebrities were reluctant to attend the auction, news spread from the Xiao family that Xiao Zhan had returned.
Xiao Zhan played an indispensable role in the Xiao family's rise to the top of the Four Great Families.
He was a member of the Western Frontier Army and held a high position within the military.
Outside the Jiangzhong Hotel, two men in black trench coats approached on foot.
Seeing the soldiers stationed outside the Jiangzhong Hotel, Xiao Hei was slightly startled. "Brother Jiang, these are the Western Frontier Army. Could it be that Xiao Zhan of the Xiao family has returned? This Xiao Zhan seems to be a close confidant of the Western Frontier's King Xiaoyao, with a high rank, perhaps even Deputy Commander-in-Chief."
"King Xiaoyao?" Jiang Chen sneered. "Even if King Xiaoyao himself were here today and dared to stop me, I would make him kneel."
Daxia has five commanders.
The Black Dragon of the Southern Wilderness, the Chief of the Northern Frontier, the King Xiaoyao of the Western Frontier, the Barbarian King of the Eastern Region, and the Emperor of Kyoto.
In terms of power, the Emperor of Kyoto is the most powerful.
The Black Dragon of the Southern Wilderness, though he's been the commander-in-chief the shortest, is the strongest. Even if the other three commanders were to attack him together, they wouldn't necessarily be a match for him.
Furthermore, the Black Dragon possesses another identity: the God of Medicine!
His medical skills are unparalleled, capable of curing the dead and turning flesh into bones!
As long as a person still has breath, he can save them!
Even if they're halfway to Hades, he can pull them back from his clutches!
Thus, even if the other three commanders were to arrive in person, Jiang Chen wouldn't necessarily take them seriously, let alone a trusted subordinate of the King of Freedom in the Western Territory.
"Brother Jiang, are you going to kill someone tonight?"
"Tonight's main mission is to retrieve the Flower Moon Mountain Residence Map. Whether or not there's a life or death involved depends on the situation."
"When are we going in?"
"No rush, wait until the banquet starts."
"Yes!"
The two of them remained outside the hotel, not rushing in.
The prominent figures in Jiangzhong who had come to attend the banquet shuddered upon seeing the military stationed at the hotel.
Xiao Zhan of the Xiao family has returned as expected!
Xiao Biehe is dead, and the Xiao family is bankrupt. Now that Xiao Zhan has returned, he's sure to stir up trouble in Jiangzhong.
The top floor of the hotel was packed with Jiangzhong celebrities.
Even Tang Chuchu was there.
Dressed in a black dress, she had a slender figure, her long hair tied up, and exuded a noble and elegant demeanor. She greeted the many Jiangzhong celebrities with open arms, expanding her social circle.
At that moment, two staff members approached, carrying a painting. When they reached Tang Chuchu, they suddenly dropped it to the ground.
Bang!
The painting fell to the ground, and the crystal glass frame shattered instantly, shattering the painting within.
The damaged painting was right under Tang Chuchu's feet.
"You, what are you doing?"
A staff member looked at the shattered painting on the ground, then at Tang Chuchu and shouted, "Why did you bump into me?"
"I, I didn't!" Tang Chuchu was stunned.
She didn't bump into it.
"I didn't. Are you mistaken?"
"How could that be? You bumped into me, and that's why the painting was damaged. Do you know what this painting is? It's a famous painting from over 2,000 years ago, the Flower and Moon Mountain Dwelling, worth 1.8 billion!"
Another staff member also spoke up, accusing Tang Chuchu, "It was you, Tang Chuchu, you who bumped into it!"
The commotion here attracted the attention of many people.
"What's going on?" A tall, middle-aged man in a military uniform approached and shouted, "Why are you yelling? Do you have any manners?"
"Boss Xiao, we were carrying the assembled Huayue Mountain Residence painting to the back work area, and Tang Chuchu bumped into us. The Huayue Mountain Residence painting is ruined."
Xiao Zhan squatted down, looking at the landscape painting scratched by the glass. His expression suddenly changed. "The Huayue Mountain Residence painting, it's ruined! It's worth 1.8 billion!"
"It's not me, it's not me!" Hearing the 1.8 billion, Tang Chuchu panicked and quickly retreated.
She couldn't afford to pay for such a huge sum, not even if she sacrificed the entire Tang family.
Xiao Zhan stood up and looked at Tang Chuchu with a cold expression. "I, Xiao Zhan, would never wrongly accuse anyone. There are surveillance cameras here. If it's you, you'll know. Someone, check the cameras!"
A few minutes later, someone arrived with a surveillance camera.
In the presence of prominent figures in Jiangzhong, Xiao Zhan personally played the surveillance video.
In the video, two staff members approached carrying a picture frame, but were bumped by Tang Chuchu, causing the frame to fall to the ground and the painting to be damaged.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhan coldly declared, "Tang Chuchu, 1.8 billion! Come, arrest Tang Chuchu and take her to the Tang family to demand the 1.8 billion. If they don't have the money, capture all the members of the Tang family."
Tang Chuchu was terrified when she saw the approaching soldiers. She burst into tears, "It wasn't me, it really wasn't me, General Xiao, I didn't do it, I really didn't, I'm innocent, I didn't hit anyone."
A large number of people had gathered around.
None of them spoke, each secretly pitying Tang Chuchu.
"What a shame! The Tang family was just starting out, and now it's all over."
"Yeah, 1.8 billion! The Tang family is going bankrupt this time. I wonder if they can raise the full 1.8 billion even if they sell all their assets."
"Tang Chuchu is just unlucky. How could she be so careless?"
Hearing the murmurs and watching the approaching fully armed soldiers, Tang Chuchu was terrified. Her face paled and she backed away. Two fully armed soldiers approached her, their weapons pointed at her.
Xiao Zhan ordered, "Take them to the back room!"
Desperate and helpless, Tang Chuchu was forcibly taken away by the two armed men.
Xiao Zhan's actions shocked many people.
However, they didn't sympathize with Tang Chuchu; instead, they felt a bit of gloating.
This minor incident didn't interrupt the auction. At this moment, Xiao Ruoran of the Xiao family appeared and began to preside over the auction.