Chapter 168: Public Apology
Xu Youyou showed the police that she had no financial dealings with the murderer. Not only did she present her recent bank account transactions, but she also had Xu Fang release a recording.
That day, when she realized her troublesome cousin might be eavesdropping, she immediately had Xu Fang record on her phone.
After reviewing all the evidence, the police nodded and said, “Miss Xu, you’ve prepared everything very thoroughly. We can close the case now.”
However, Xu Youyou shook her head. “You can close your case, but I need to open one.”
The police officer was stunned upon hearing this.
Xu Youyou continued, “This baseless suspicion has caused significant damage to my reputation. Officer, please provide me with the relevant documents for this case. My lawyer will handle the rest.”
After receiving the materials, Xu Youyou handed them over to her lawyer, Feng Jing, who had just arrived.
After listening to the full story, Feng Jing immediately understood Xu Youyou’s intention and whispered, “Boss, I have a junior colleague who’s currently doing legal case analysis on social media. She’s lacking new cases to showcase, and this one would be perfect. Can I let her use this case?”
Xu Youyou gave Feng Jing a deep look, finally understanding why her team’s fees were high. He was indeed professional and knew exactly what his client was thinking.
The Gu family didn’t lack money, but if this matter were to get out, their reputation would be tarnished. What Gu Jianming and his wife cared about most was the Gu family’s reputation. Ordinary people might feel sorry for spending an extra ninety million, but the Gu family, who prided themselves on being a prestigious family, couldn’t afford to look weak. A scandal involving them at the police station over ninety million wasn’t something a prominent family like theirs could afford.
When Xu Youyou’s lawyer’s letter reached the Gu family, no one took it seriously.
Madam Gu mocked Xu Youyou’s naivety while holding the light lawyer’s letter, “This girl is trying to act all serious, but who in the circle takes a lawyer’s letter seriously?”
They ignored the letter, but after a while, a court summons arrived, which caused the Gu family to pay a bit more attention.
When Gu Jianming heard that it was related to the villa involved in the murder case, he casually said, “This is nothing big. If Xu Youyou wants to sue, let her sue. Our company’s legal team will handle the case.”
Gu Jianming rarely kept his word, but on the day of the lawsuit, he did indeed send his company’s legal team to handle it. Although they lost the case, the Gu family didn’t take it too seriously, as there was no financial loss involved.
Xu Youyou’s demand was for defamation compensation, specifically requesting a public apology from the person who reported the case.
Naturally, Gu Xueying refused to comply.
But not long after, the phrase “The famous daughter of a Shanghai entrepreneur, accused others but refused to apologize” appeared on the trending topics.
When clicking on the link, it led to a video posted by a legal blogger explaining defamation lawsuits, using the fresh court judgment as an example.
The comments below were full of people who loved the drama.
“This foolish young lady of the Gu family just spent billions in the capital buying a fake porcelain item, and now she’s causing a scandal back in Shanghai.”
“Wasn’t there someone online claiming she’s the most beautiful daughter of a rich family? How is she doing such dumb things?”
“Is this girl really Gu Shuangbo’s sister? Can’t she stop embarrassing herself and dragging her brother down?” This comment came from one of Gu Shuangbo’s fans.
“The Gu family loves to brag about being worth hundreds of billions. Now we can see it’s true, but just look at the IQ of the wife and daughter, and it’s clear they won’t last long.”
Gu Jianming was furious after this matter blew up online. He yelled at home, “Now all our business partners are asking if this is true! What should I tell them? You’re all so foolish and irresponsible!”
He was yelling loudly, but had completely forgotten who had been protecting Gu Xueying at the beginning.
Madam Gu whispered, “Dear, if we just pretend it never happened, the online buzz will die down after a while. We don’t need to care about those common folks.”
Gu Jianming’s gaze turned fierce. “If it were just some minor public opinion, that’d be fine. But now, the potential partners who were interested are refusing to take our calls. This is affecting the family business, and if that happens, we’re all finished!”
Madam Gu was also worried about the loss of business, as less money meant a lower standard of living for her.
She immediately changed her attitude, which had been indifferent, and grabbed her daughter, asking, “Can Xueying apologize in public now? Is it too late?”
Gu Jianming didn’t speak, but his attitude clearly showed he wanted Gu Xueying to apologize publicly.
Gu Xueying was embarrassed. She wasn’t the kind of young lady without a serious career; she was managing the Gu family’s museum and had a decent following on social media. She had once used her reputation as the most beautiful rich family daughter to build momentum for a good marriage.
Forcing her to apologize publicly to Xu Youyou would ruin years of careful planning. How could she agree to that?
But her survival in the Gu family depended on pleasing Gu Jianming and his wife. If they abandoned her, she wouldn’t know what to do.
She had always played the role of the obedient and sensible daughter, and even though she was reluctant, she could only force a smile and say, “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I’ll resolve this matter properly.”
Gu Xueying, of course, did not apologize publicly. The person who did apologize was her troublesome cousin.
“I didn’t expect that my impulsive decision to call the police would cause so much trouble for others. This was purely my personal action, and I was too young and naive, not realizing it would affect my relatives…”
Xu Youyou casually glanced at the apology letter and could tell he had been pushed forward to take the blame. The public’s interest in the matter had already died down.
But whether or not Gu Xueying apologized, the impact on the Gu family was real.
Xu Youyou didn’t continue to dwell on this matter. Now, she was sitting face-to-face with Liu Dazhi.
Sometimes she found it amusing. Even though she didn’t have a proper job, her schedule was always packed.
“Miss Xu, let me say it again. When it comes to what Red Dragon Wang wants, he always gets it. You don’t want this to turn ugly, do you?” Liu Dazhi said, his tone suggesting he had leverage over Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou frowned slightly, unable to recall what leverage he might have over her. The reason she was willing to meet with Liu Dazhi in person was simple.
The hidden room in the basement of the villa, which had been urgently renovated by a team for a few days, was now fixed. There was no treasure left in that house, and she had no intention of living there. There was no need to hold onto it, so if Red Dragon Wang wanted the villa, he could buy it.
“I’m willing to sell the villa to Red Dragon Wang. Just tell him that, and you’ll be done with your job,” Xu Youyou said.
