Xu Ke remained silent, simply watching Qian Hong's performance.
Seeing this, Qian Hong was convinced she had the upper hand. She took a step forward, straightened her back, sneered, and scolded, "Let tell you, I, Qian Hong, have been a landlord for many years, and everything I do is for the sake of my tenants.
"Xu Ke, how many days have these reporters disrupted our lives just to get a big story from you?
"Worse still, today soone nearly died. Do you really think that has nothing to do with you?
"You might not think it's a big deal, but...
"I, Qian Hong, for the safety and security of my tenants, absolutely cannot allow you to live here any longer! Please leave imdiately!"
As she finished, the onlookers were visibly shocked.
They had thought Qian Hong was a heartless landlord, but now it seed she was only forcing Xu Ke out of genuine concern for her tenants.
"It seems we misunderstood Sister Hong."
"I think so too... And today's incident was just too serious. If soone here had a heart condition and got sward like that, it could've triggered a fatal attack!"
"Exactly. For the past few days, we've been scared to even go downstairs for fear of being photographed or questioned. If Xu Ke moves out, we'd all be better off with so peace and quiet."
The crowd's opinion began to shift.
Seeing this, Qian Hong maintained her self-righteous expression, but inwardly, she was gloating.
Xu Ke! How can you possibly argue with ? On grounds of both reason and emotion, you don't stand a chance!
"Is that so?" Xu Ke raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.
Seeing this, Qian Hong assud he was simply at a loss for a rebuttal and had been struck silent, which made her even more smug.
Naturally, she doubled down on her righteous act, speaking with an air of grave concern. "Besides, Xu Ke, you have Wong Qifu's apartnt. Why not just go live there?
"Why insist on staying in my humble little urban village? Are you a glutton for punishnt?!
"Xu Ke, you're a rich man. Why do you need to suffer alongside us poor folk?"
When Qian Hong finished, the crowd's approval of her surged. Exploiting the class divide was always a surefire way to win sympathy.
Qian Hong pressed on, "And don't think you're blaless if these reporters end up driving soone to their death.
"You'd be dead wrong!
"Let tell you, if that person dies in the hospital, you'll be one hundred percent implicated! You'll be an indirect murderer!
"Right now, I'm not just thinking of my tenants; I'm thinking of you, too.
"Just because nothing happened tonight doesn't an nothing will happen in the future.
"If soone really dies because of this, won't you have to live with a guilty conscience for the rest of your life?!
"Xu Ke, just move out!"
Her tone was grave and laden with concern, making her sound like a well-aning elder who had Xu Ke's best interests at heart.
In her mind, however, she was becoming increasingly smug. If yesterday's near-tragedy hadn't happened, she would have had nothing to use against him. Today's close call gave her the perfect opening.
Oh, Xu Ke. It doesn't matter anymore if tonight's incident had anything to do with you. What matters is that tonight, you're getting thrown out!
And among the onlookers, so were now fully convinced by Qian Hong's argunt. After she spoke, all eyes fell on Xu Ke.
Sister Hong was right! It would be better for the tenants if he left. It would be better for Xu Ke himself if he left. Why was he so insistent on staying?
At this, Xu Ke smiled faintly. "Sister Hong..."
"What?" Qian Hong started.
"A fine speech. Watching you just now, I really got the sense you were standing on the moral high ground." He chuckled. "I'm just wondering... is it cold up there? Does your back hurt from standing so tall?"
As he spoke, Qian Hong's eyes widened, and her hairless brow creased in fury. "What did you say?!"
Xu Ke's words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending ripples through the crowd.
"What are you talking about, Xu Ke? What do you an, 'is it cold'? 'Does her back hurt'?"
"Are you implying Sister Hong is all talk because it's not her problem?"
"Aren't you going too far?! She's thinking of us, and she's thinking of you! What gives you the right to speak to her like that?"
"So disrespectful!"
The crowd was indignant. Xu Ke's response thoroughly disgusted them. For a man who was constantly causing trouble for everyone in their urban village to act so self-righteous... It was nauseating.
"You think you're so clever just because you can string a few words together?" Qian Hong pointed a finger at Xu Ke's nose. "I'm telling you, you'd better move out. Otherwise, I will..."
"You'll do what?" Xu Ke asked calmly. "Hire soone to rough up in secret? Or were you planning to secretly empty my apartnt when I'm not looking?"
When he finished, Qian Hong was speechless.
Then, Xu Ke spoke again, his gaze fixed on her. "Let tell you, this whole act about caring for your tenants is complete crap.
"First, Wong Qifu is my girlfriend, not my mother. She has no obligation to provide with room and board. I'm renting my own place, so it's none of your damn business.
"Second, you claim to be a landlord who cares about her tenants. Yet now that there's trouble... instead of condemning the reporters who harass downstairs every single day—the real aggressors—you've spent all your ti trying to evict , the victim?
"Is that your idea of putting your tenants first, Sister Hong?"
The crowd fell silent. What Xu Ke said seed to make a lot of sense.
Qian Hong's face stiffened as she tried to argue, "That's not it... I'm thinking of the tenants because I want to protect all of us."
A playful smile touched Xu Ke's lips. "Is that so? Then let ask you, Qian Hong...
"Today, it's —the 'kept man' in your eyes—being hounded at the door. You think it's okay to sacrifice . Fine, whatever. I, Xu Ke, can just move out and find another place.
"But what about tomorrow?
"What if so young woman here catches the eye of a powerful CEO or a big-na celebrity, and they start showing up to harass her at her door? Are you going to tell her to 'please leave,' too?"
Qian Hong's face went white. Xu Ke's words had struck a nerve.
The expressions on the faces of the crowd changed completely. They began to realize that such a scenario was entirely possible.
But Xu Ke wasn't finished. He continued with a cold laugh, "And let's take it a step further.
"Forget about a rich CEO or a young heartthrob. What if one day, so creep starts sexually harassing one of the won who live here, relentlessly stalking her... and he starts blocking the entrance every single day...
"Tell , Sister Hong, would you try to kick her out then, too?
"I dare ask, is that how you run things as a landlord, Sister Hong?"
The color drained completely from Qian Hong's face.
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