The feeling of going from heaven to hell, Wu Qiming experienced it in less than ten minutes.
Ten minutes ago, when Wu Qiming publicly exposed the dice as problematic and directly pointed the suspicion of swapping the dice at me…
It could be said that this was Wu Qiming’s most glorious moment at tonight’s birthday banquet, bar none!
Ten minutes later, when I took a different approach, admitted that the dice were indeed problematic, but claimed the culprit was someone else, and presented compelling "evidence"…
Wu Qiming, who had set a deadly trap, seemed completely unprepared for this turn of events, losing his composure and his usual steady demeanor.
His first words were wrong, and then it was one mistake after another, leading to a cascade of errors!
At this point, there was no need for me to deliberately stir up the emotions of the onlookers.
The curious and truth-seeking gazes on everyone’s faces were all focused on the phone I held in my palm.
As long as I released the secretly filmed video content on my phone, tonight’s deadly trap… would naturally dissipate into nothingness!
Was I happy or excited?
Undoubtedly, the answer was just one word.
Yes!
To find a glimmer of hope amidst despair, how could I not be pleased?
But my phone didn’t have any so-called secretly filmed video!
It was precisely because of this that I had to use an outburst of uncontrolled emotion to mask the fear that had been continuously spreading within me.
My loud call for Master Hong to come out and uphold justice was merely another tactic I employed, a "bluff," following my earlier "creating something from nothing."
I knew very well that to passively protect myself, the influential figures Elder Xu Er and Elder Wen San would absolutely not allow the content of the video to be made public!
As expected!
Just as Wu Qiming was unsure how to respond to my counterattack, Elder Xu Er, dressed in a Tang suit, suddenly stood up from his seat.
Then, with a forceful movement, he slammed his wine glass to the ground.
With a "bang!"
The moment the glass shattered, Elder Xu Er immediately adopted a look of heartbroken distress, pointing at Wu Qiming and angrily reprimanding him, "Wu Qiming, have you had enough of this farce!?"
While Wu Qiming was stunned by the angry shout, Elder Xu Er immediately continued, "Do you think your little trick of crying wolf can fool all of us?"
"I suspect you didn't expect that I actually saw who the mastermind behind this was long ago!"
"Like Brother Liang Kuan, I initially thought that tonight was Master Hong’s birthday, and we juniors should accompany him in celebrating happily and boisterously!"
"But what I didn't expect was that you would use Master Hong's birthday banquet to harm your fellow cultivators!"
"Do you think I didn't notice that during the intermission earlier, several of us left our seats, but you were the only one who stayed behind?"
"Speak! Was it then that you secretly swapped the dice while none of us were around?"
"Now, as long as you are willing to confess honestly in front of all of us, and considering that there has been no actual loss, I can consider letting you off the hook!"
"If you stubbornly resist and refuse to change your story, then don't blame me for being harsh!"
As soon as Elder Xu Er finished speaking, the surrounding crowd immediately began to whisper and exchange opinions.
The rumors that had been swirling around me instantly turned into condemnation and criticism directed at Wu Qiming.
After Elder Xu Er spoke, Elder Wen San also slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Wu Qiming and shouting, "Wu Qiming, listen carefully!"
"It's not just Elder Xu who knows about your misdeeds; I… am also fully aware of them!"
"I will only say the following words once!"
"Return all the money you won at the gambling table tonight, without losing a single cent, and then when you apologize to Liang Kuan, ask him what his demands are!"
"As long as they are not excessive, you must satisfy them!"
"If you can do this, then the matter of swapping the dice will end here!"
"We will still be good friends and brothers when we meet again in the future!"
"If you dare to play any tricks or refuse, you know what the consequences will be!"
Good heavens! I was truly amazed!
My original intention in using the "bluff" was to force Elder Xu Er and Elder Wen San to speak out.
Then, using their respective influence, they would cover up the matter of the supposed video and evidence I mentioned, achieving the effect of quelling the situation.
But I never expected that upon seeing the tide and momentum turn, especially seeing Wu Qiming, the architect of the deadly trap, being so easily flustered by me and starting to blabber incoherently, the two influential figures would immediately take the bait.
Furthermore, they seized the opportunity to change tactics – a "feint to cross the sea."
To protect their reputations and interests, Elder Xu Er and Elder Wen San joined forces in a "feint to cross the sea," weaving a massive lie that completely absolved them.
As expected of figures who could become大佬 (big shots), their minds worked incredibly fast.
This coordinated "feint to cross the sea" instantly blocked all suspicion and speculation.
Next, all that was needed was for Wu Qiming to fully regain his senses, recognize the situation, and lower his head…
Then the matter of swapping the dice would be settled.
I learned something, I truly learned something!
………………
After Elder Wen San finished speaking, he intentionally or unintentionally shifted his focus to Wu Qiming.
Seeing that both influential figures had spoken, the onlookers, who enjoyed watching the drama unfold, began to chime in and egg them on.
"I never expected this! Look at Wu Qiming, he looks like a decent person, but his heart is so black, and his methods are so ruthless!"
"Who says not! Jin Yan was just a minor known figure, what grudge could there be… that Wu Qiming had to set a trap to harm her on Master Hong's birthday banquet?"
"That's right! Honestly, that Wu Qiming, doing this is a bit ungentlemanly and unreasonable!"
"Be careful with your words, everyone! They say when gods fight, devils suffer. We should just watch the struggles of the big shots from the sidelines and not speak carelessly behind their backs."
As rumors spread, the person involved, Wu Qiming, gradually came back to his senses. He narrowed his eyes and said to me in a low voice, "You didn't even manage to kill that bitch Jin Yan? Kid, you're good!"
"You're definitely not that bitch's boyfriend; you're her hired help!"
Upon hearing this, I smiled and remained silent.
Seeing this situation, Wu Qiming waved his hand, frowned, and said with a cold expression, "Name your price!"
"How much money will it take to buy the video content on your phone?"