After the divorce, I started to transfer

After Luo Liang and his wife ended their call with Li Meiqing, they immediately huddled together to discuss the tricky situation of how to call Chen Feng.

After much deliberation and racking their brains, the two finally came up with some ideas. The most important point was that their attitude had to be sincere, and they had to keep their tone and demeanor as humble as possible.

As for other on-the-spot details, Luo Liang could only rely on his own adaptability and improvisation.

They knew they couldn't keep Chen Feng waiting too long, lest they anger him.

Therefore, this emergency discussion lasted only about ten minutes before Luo Liang, urged by his wife, reluctantly called Chen Feng.

If this had happened before, and he hadn't known the unfathomable power behind Chen Feng, he might have been able to treat him with a calm attitude. But times have changed, and now he clearly couldn't, visibly tense and apprehensive.

After all, to be honest, the fatal weakness he and his wife had was currently in the hands of Chen Feng and Zhang Jingwen.

If Chen Feng and his companion decide to report the case and file a lawsuit against them for extortion, it will be a sure thing, with solid evidence.

He and his wife were ultimately not professional extortionists, and their methods of carrying out the extortion were clearly not very skillful. When they sent the video to Zhang Jingwen, the email address they used was a temporary one, not requiring real-name registration with a mobile phone number, but the internet connection was their own home broadband. This was practically tantamount to being completely unguarded, blatantly exposing their home address.

In other matters, his wife did use some clever tactics: first, she contacted Zhang Jingwen's agent, Wang Yue'e, using a fake internet phone number and even employing voice-changing software. After revealing everything, she demanded a million yuan in hush money. Later, as requested, she sent video clips of Chen Feng and Zhang Jingwen to that temporary email address.

However, these tricks are hardly sophisticated or ingenious in the eyes of true professionals. Once the police officially open a case and investigate, tracing their trail is almost a certainty, with a very high probability.

Not to mention, the video, which was accidentally filmed on the street, originated from Luo Liang himself; he filmed it and kept it on the device he used. For the police to investigate, it would be incredibly easy, without any difficulty whatsoever.

The moment the call connected, Luo Liang's heart pounded at least twice as fast as a drum, and his mouth went dry, so much so that his voice trembled slightly when he spoke.

"Mr. Chen... Hello. My name is... Oh, I'm Luo Liang. Reporter Li Meiqing has already called me and told me a lot about the situation. I'm calling you today mainly to sincerely apologize. I'm truly very sorry. Because I didn't completely delete the interview video of you and that lady in time, it led to the subsequent leak..."

"Is it just a leak?" Chen Feng's tone on the other end of the phone was calm, but with a domineering air, directly interrupting him, "The blackmail calls Zhang Jingwen's studio received, and the videos they received afterward, are you really completely unaware of any of this?"

Although Luo Liang was a seasoned veteran who had been navigating the social world for many years, he was speechless for a moment when faced with Chen Feng's incisive and to-the-point question, unable to utter a single word in response.

He desperately wanted to blurt out that he knew nothing about it, but even a three-year-old wouldn't believe such a lie. If he did, Chen Feng on the other end of the phone would surely be furious, and what if the other party, in a fit of anger, chose to call the police?
But if you choose to tell the whole truth and confess everything, what if the other party is recording the call? Wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting guilt and handing over the most direct evidence? If the other party takes this recording as evidence to the police, they'll be able to arrest him almost instantly.

Denying it is not an option, and admitting it is not an option either; this is simply a dead end.

Luo Liang's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He could only helplessly cast a pleading look at his wife beside him.

His wife was also completely flustered and didn't know how to deal with it either; her face was full of anxiety and helplessness.

Just as the couple were driven to the brink of despair and caught in a dilemma, a loud cry of a baby broke the silence in the house; their two-year-old daughter had woken up.

His wife almost instinctively jumped up from the sofa, gave Luo Liang a complex look that said "good luck" but was also full of encouragement, and then hurriedly ran into the room to coax the child.

Seeing this, Luo Liang could only manage a bitter and helpless smile.

Chen Feng, on the other end of the phone, had obviously heard the baby crying. This unexpected sound broke the silence between them, and Chen Feng spoke up, saying, "Reporter Li already mentioned to me that you gave that video to your wife, right? Then, your wife blackmailed Zhang Jingwen, demanding one million yuan. Do you know that your and your wife's actions constitute extortion?"

Luo Liang felt a pang of panic, but now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say in a deep voice, "Mr. Chen, neither my wife nor I had any malicious intent. Moreover... moreover, my wife knew nothing about this from beginning to end and was not involved at all. I did everything on my own, and it has nothing to do with Li Meiqing. She is innocent as well."

After a frantic internal struggle, Luo Liang gritted his teeth and chose a limited confession, thus taking all the blame upon himself in a roundabout way. While exonerating his wife, he also generously cleared Li Meiqing's name.

Ultimately, his choice was a gamble. He was betting that Chen Feng would feel compassion or hesitate to act, but he was also betting that since Chen Feng hadn't immediately called the police, the other party would likely not resort to legal action after his confession.

If he loses this high-stakes gamble, he'll have no choice but to accept it.

Faced with a "big shot" like Chen Feng who could move "big leaders" at any time, he couldn't muster any thought of resistance, because he knew that any resistance would be futile and pointless.

Having navigated the complexities of society for so many years, he has come to deeply understand its entrenched hierarchical structure and harsh realities. Moreover, he now has a wife and children; the youthful arrogance and recklessness he once possessed have long been worn down by the burdens of life.

"I thought you would deny it outright or try to shirk responsibility. Not bad, you took the initiative to admit it, which makes you seem like a man."

Chen Feng's slightly approving words caused Luo Liang's tightly wound nerves to involuntarily relax. He keenly sensed that this likely meant Chen Feng wouldn't choose to call the police.

However, Chen Feng then changed the subject, saying, "I recorded every word you just said. So, if this video is leaked again and causes any trouble to me or Zhang Jingwen, I will take this recording to the police."

Luo Liang's heart leaped into his throat again. He hurriedly assured him, "Mr. Chen, please don't worry! I will definitely destroy all related videos completely. However, my wife... no, it was me, who sent the videos to the email address Zhang Jingwen requested. Therefore, she also has a backup of the videos. I'm worried that she might have accidentally overlooked something, so I would like to ask you to remind her to make sure that this video is also completely deleted."

“Okay, I’ll talk to her about this. And I believe she’s already taken care of everything. So, the key issue is still with you. I don’t care if you really destroy it completely or not. Even if you secretly keep a backup, as long as it never sees the light of day, we’ll be fine. But if there’s any sign of the video being leaked, don’t blame me for being ruthless and retaliating against you.”

"Yes, yes... I understand. I promise I will destroy everything. Thank you, Mr. Chen, I am truly grateful for your magnanimity. I really acted impulsively this time, I was out of my mind, and that's why I did such a foolish thing. I have two children, the older one is only eight years old, and the youngest is only two. My wife doesn't work, and the entire family's livelihood rests on my shoulders. Moreover, I have to make mortgage and car loan payments every month without fail. I don't even dare to rest on holidays; I have to take on odd jobs outside just to barely support my family..."

"Alright, Reporter Li has already told me about your situation. So don't blame her for dragging your wife into this. Actually, we all know what's really going on. It's just that you're unlucky this time, you've run into me. Luckily, Zhang Jingwen and I are both kind-hearted and didn't want to push things too far, so we didn't let this go. Otherwise, you'd probably be in the detention center by now."

"Yes, yes, you're right. I'm truly grateful that you didn't call the police. I did do something incredibly stupid this time, but I really didn't mean any harm. I was just misled by those entertainment paparazzi reports, thinking that since they could ask celebrities for hush money, maybe I could too. Who knew... I was really out of my mind. Really, I'm very grateful that you've given me a chance to make amends."

Chen Feng remained noncommittal about his impassioned confession, simply saying in a lukewarm tone, "It's good that you remember this lesson, but you should also remember what I just said. If this video is leaked and exposed, I will definitely make you pay the price. That's all for now, and you'd better watch yourself from now on."

After saying that, Chen Feng, not wanting to waste any more time, hung up the phone. The main reason he and Zhang Jingwen didn't want to call the police was to avoid trouble. Furthermore, as he said, Zhang Jingwen was a highly famous celebrity, and the risk of the media sniffing out and exposing the matter would greatly increase if it went into legal proceedings.

Luo Liang stood there, phone in hand, lost in thought for a long while before finally snapping out of it. He put down his phone, looking as if all his strength had been drained away, and let out a long sigh of relief.

His wife had finally calmed the child down and hurried out of the room, asking with concern, "How did it go? What did you say to him? Did he give you a hard time?"

Luo Liang then recounted his conversation with Chen Feng in detail.

After hearing this, his wife breathed a huge sigh of relief, as if she had been granted a pardon. She clasped her hands together and murmured, "Thank God, Amitabha Buddha, we really escaped a disaster this time. We must never do something like this again."

Luo Liang was still shaken, and nodded heavily, saying, "Once is enough for this kind of thing. How could we dare to do it a second time? It seems that we are destined not to make a fortune through unexpected means."

Upon hearing this, his wife smiled wryly and echoed, "Yes, look at us. We've bought so many lottery tickets, and the most we've ever won is ten yuan, and that's only happened a handful of times."

Luo Liang shook his head and smiled wryly, "It seems I still have to go to work honestly and take on freelance work diligently. That's the right way."

“When our daughter starts kindergarten next year, I’ll go out and find a job to help you with some of the burden.”

“What kind of job do you have? If you go out to work, who will take care of these two children at home? Don’t worry, as long as this matter passes peacefully, I can focus on my work. My salary and bonuses will be enough for our family’s expenses. I can also take on some side jobs on holidays, which will make me even more financially secure. You can just stay home and take good care of the two children.”

"But this will make you too tired."

"I'm in my prime now, so what does it matter if I'm a little tired? As long as my family of four can be safe and healthy, that's more important than anything else."

"Husband, you are so kind."

The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes and naturally embraced. Just as Luo Liang was about to take the next intimate step, the baby's cries broke the mood once more in the room.

His wife seemed to have been flipped on; instinctively, she immediately pushed him away and rushed off to comfort the child.

Luo Liang could only give a wry smile. After standing there for a moment, he picked up his phone again and dialed Li Meiqing's number.

At this moment, Li Meiqing was sitting alone in her car, gripping the steering wheel tightly, patiently waiting for news from Luo Liang.

Upon seeing that it was Luo Liang calling, she answered almost instantly and immediately asked impatiently, "How is it? What's the situation?"

With a sense of relief, Luo Liang said, "Luckily, I escaped a disaster. Just as you said, the other party's style is somewhat domineering, but fortunately, they are reasonable and quite magnanimous."

"So, he ultimately let you go?" Li Meiqing pressed.

"Yes, you've let me go. Don't worry, I've already cleared things up for you. I've made it clear to him that you weren't involved in this and that you're completely innocent."

"You really cleared things up for me?" Li Meiqing asked with some doubt.

"Why would I lie to you?" Luo Liang said, somewhat annoyed.

"Okay, I believe you. I've said a lot of good things about you before."

"Yes, Mr. Chen mentioned this on the phone as well." At this point, Luo Liang originally wanted to take the opportunity to accuse her of dragging his wife into this, but then he thought better of it. After all, he had just done the other party a favor, and their relationship had finally shown signs of improvement. There was no need to ruin it again over this.

"Then I'm completely relieved. But, have you really destroyed all the videos on your end? Let me warn you, if the videos are leaked due to your negligence, he will definitely come after you."

“They were definitely destroyed. As soon as I got home, I went through all the videos on my wife and me’s phones and deleted them all.”

"What about the emails? Those need to be dealt with too."

“That was naturally deleted too. I also mentioned it to Mr. Chen, asking him to tell Zhang Jingwen to make sure they delete all the videos they have to prevent any future problems.”

In fact, he and his wife had kept a backup copy, which was on that USB drive. This was, in a way, their trump card. He still had no intention of completely destroying this last video backup.

"Okay, that's good. So, this matter is finally over and resolved satisfactorily. In the future, you must never let money blind you and do such risky things again. You were lucky this time, otherwise, if they had really called the police, your life would have been over. Before you do anything in the future, you must think more about your wife and children."

Although Li Meiqing's words sounded somewhat preachy and made people uncomfortable, Luo Liang knew that she ultimately meant well, so he reluctantly listened to them.

"Understood. From now on, we'll continue to work together and do our jobs well. I'll never do anything like this again."

"That's good. I hope you can truly remember this lesson."

The two chatted casually for a few more minutes before ending the call without warning.

After putting down her phone, Li Meiqing sat in the driver's seat but didn't immediately start the car and leave. She frowned, pondered quietly for a moment, then, as if making a decision, gritted her teeth, picked up her phone again, and dialed Chen Feng's number.

Just then, Chen Feng called Zhang Jingwen, reminding her to completely delete all the videos of the two of them. Zhang Jingwen clearly stated on the phone that all the relevant videos had already been deleted; she and her agent, Wang Yue'e, were obviously highly vigilant in this regard. As soon as they obtained the videos and confirmed their authenticity, they immediately and thoroughly deleted them, including the emails received in the temporary email address.

Therefore, Chen Feng was somewhat surprised to receive another call from Li Meiqing, but he still answered the call. (End of Chapter)