The Favored Heiress
Chapter 686: All Three Masters of Shang’s Are Here

Chapter 686: Chapter 686: All Three Masters of Shang’s Are Here

The Ming family had been out of the public eye for over twenty years when, that afternoon, they were suddenly propelled onto Parma’s social media trending searches by a mysterious force.

Even in seclusion, the cobbler’s family maintained a sizable influence within Parma.

Although the younger generation had never heard of the Ming family, the mention of certain shoe brands could still resonate with many.

The information leaked online was simple: the Ming family had aggressively forced the ambassador of an allied country to compensate for the losses caused by a fire in the Cultural Garden.

Active Parma netizens were perplexed: ???

Man Xi: Has the Ming family lost their minds?

Miao miao: Compensating for the Cultural Garden’s damages should be the ambassador’s responsibility, the Ming family shouldn’t be selling shoes, they should be selling their country.

"The country owes me a Wang Jingze": Let’s be rational, could it be that the ambassador of the allied country is the one responsible for burning down the Cultural Garden?

"I don’t want to go to work": Rumor has it that a high-ranking official from Myanmar made a low-profile visit to the Cultural Garden. After the fire, the Ming family tried to extort them and ended up knocking at the door of calamity.

Suddenly, the internet was flooded with denunciations against the Ming family.

In the information age, nothing can hide.

The Ming family became a target of widespread animosity, their residence hidden deep in the old city’s alleys was exposed.

Ming Zhiyuan urgently convened a family meeting at two-thirty in the afternoon, as the Ming family was in deep trouble.

The Tribal Chief’s Council issued an ultimatum: if they couldn’t get the person out of the police station today, the Ming family should prepare to accept national sanctions.

Ning Yuanhang, the current chief, was decisive and always delivered on his word.

Ming Zhiyuan had to put on a Zhongshan suit and, accompanied by the housekeeper, went to the police station to request the release of the detained person, for the sake of the Ming family’s longstanding enterprise.

The matter had reached a point of no return.

Sitting in the car, Ming Zhiyuan seemed to have aged ten years and appeared increasingly exhausted and confused.

At this moment, the housekeeper in the passenger seat received several refund messages, and he sighed repeatedly, "Elder, we can’t retract the news online. The PR company has already refunded our money."

Ming Zhiyuan lifted his sagging eyelids, laughed at himself, "It seems that my Ming family’s lifetime of reputation is going to be destroyed."

Turning around to look at the back seat, the housekeeper suggested with a last struggle, "Elder, we could insist that she started the fire. Maybe we still have a chance."

"A chance?" Ming Zhiyuan repeated his word, then sighed deeply, "What chance is left to take? She is Tan Sri from Myanmar. Don’t you understand when she reveals her identity? Who would dare to tarnish the image of an ambassador from a country with which we have diplomatic relations? Even if she really did it, I would still have to... bow... down... and... apologize."

...

At four o’clock in the afternoon, the Ming family’s Passat stopped in front of the police station.

Ming Zhiyuan got out of the car, staggering.

Reporters staking out at the police station swarmed him with sharp questions as they spotted him.

"Old Mr. Ming, can you comment on whether you personally instructed the police station to frame the ambassador from the allied country?"

"Mr. Ming Zhiyuan, why has the Ming family, with its numerous businesses, not disclosed any corporate annual financial reports in recent years?"

"Old Mr. Ming, it is said that the deputy chief of police was acting under your orders to detain Tan Sri from Myanmar without evidence. Can you directly address this issue?"

"Old Master Ming..."

Reporters cornered Ming Zhiyuan and his party at the entrance of the police station. The Ming family’s driver stepped in to maintain order, but to little effect.

Ming Zhiyuan found it difficult to move as waves of rage surged, and he longed to find a hole to crawl into.

Such a scene was undoubtedly a great humiliation for him.

Thankfully, police officers arrived to clear the journalists, and the scene descended into chaos.

At this time, three black Rolls-Royce Ghost cars drove slowly along the auxiliary road of the police station, and as soon as their consecutive license plates appeared, they attracted the attention of the reporters.

The cars came to a halt, and the bodyguards got out to open the rear doors of all three vehicles.

The first to step out from the lead car, with a formidable presence, was Shang Zonghai in his gray traditional Chinese attire.

The fingers of the reporters, attempting to press their shutters, froze.

What was the head of the Parma’s leading family doing here?!

Following him, from the second car, Shang Yu emerged, leaning out in a dark shirt and trousers.

The reporters silently hid their equipment away.

The Young Master of the Shang Family—who would dare to take a photo...

Lastly, the strikingly attractive Shang Lu appeared from the third car, his face tense, wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

All three gentlemen of the Shang family’s main branch had arrived.

What was this all about?

Shang Zonghai, holding Buddha Beads in one hand and pushing up his glasses with the other, strode forward accompanied by Shang Yu and Shang Lu under the slanting sun.

The throng of reporters spontaneously stepped aside to form a corridor, giving the three men a salutary bow.

At the end in front of the police station steps, Ming Zhiyuan was clutching his chest, gasping for breath with the help of his butler.

He regretted not bringing bodyguards with him today. He had planned to offer a low-profile apology and retrieve Li Qiao, but... he hadn’t expected the reporters would boldly stake out the police station.

In a flash, Shang Zonghai was in front of Ming Zhiyuan. One hand behind his back, he gently twisted the Buddha Beads in the other, "Old Master, I trust you’ve been well."

Ming Zhiyuan was over eighty and had always been given a benevolent and peaceful title by those who knew him over the years.

But in this scene, he glared furiously, his eyes blazing with anger, "Shang Zonghai, did you arrange all of this today?"

Ming Zhiyuan could not forget what Shang Zonghai had done to the Ming family thirty years ago.

He had even resented Ming Dailan more than once. It was her disastrous allure that had brought unwarranted disaster upon the Ming family.

Faced with the old man’s undisguised hatred, Shang Zonghai looked back at the group of reporters with a light and breezy gaze, "There are several official media outlets here directly under the Tribal Chief’s Council. If I could arrange things with them, why would I let my girl be falsely accused and detained by you?"

With just a few words, spoken casually, he imparted a great deal of information.

A reporter, catching a whiff of conspiracy, stepped forward and asked tentatively, "Patriarch Shang, are you here at the police station today to...?"

Shang Zonghai laughed loudly, "Of course, I’m here to take my child home."

Then, without waiting for the reporters to ask again, he smiled profoundly, "Gentlemen, Old Master Ming is not in good health. How about you do me a favor? Wait until he brings out my girl, then you can conduct your interviews, alright?"

The reporters, sharp as ever, immediately agreed with his suggestion.

This spectacle in front of the police station seemed like Shang Zonghai was helping Ming Zhiyuan out of an encirclement, but in reality, he was thoroughly stepping on the Head of the Ming Family.

One with a bright and honorable record, the other with a now tainted legacy.

Ming Zhiyuan’s temples throbbed violently, his face flushed red as he looked at the insincerely friendly Shang Zonghai, snorted coldly, and walked into the police station with disheveled steps.

In the detention room, Ming Zhiyuan stood before Li Qiao, his eyes more cloudy and bewildered.

For so many years, he had almost thought that Jing Yilan had come back to life.

Li Qiao lifted her eyelids, unblinkingly observing every subtle change on his face, "Head of the Ming Family, you seem quite surprised to see me?"

Ming Zhiyuan instantly concealed all his outward emotions and said evasively, "Child, this time, my family was wrong. We misunderstood you. Whatever the reason, I’m willing to take full responsibility for all the mistakes."