Chapter 451 Extreme Measures

• “You’re just going to sit there and do nothing?” At the Xenakis residence. In the study. The little brat stood in front of the desk, tiny fist clenched, one brow raised, cold as ice. Sitting across from him, Hendrik frowned a touch too. He watched the wildfire of public opinion raging on the computer screen and quietly hit the clear button. “Not yet. The timing’s not right. Don’t rush it.” Compared to the kid, he looked chill. “People are practically tearing the site apart, and you’re not worried?” the little brat muttered, clearly annoyed. That delicate face carried pure sarcasm. Hendrik didn’t get mad. He rose, poured a glass of water, and handed it over. “Remember—no matter what happens, if the enemy’s chaotic, we stay steady.” That was a new rule from his father. The little brat sighed. Great. He’d been cursed with a dumb dad. It’s not like he didn’t understand the logic. But the black market was hawking his father’s scandal for a sky‑high price, and he watched that number climb every day. How was he supposed to ignore it? He couldn’t swallow it. Give him one opening, just one, and he’d drag that person out by the collar in no time. “I think we need some extreme measures.” Seeing Hendrik acting like he didn’t care, the kid edged closer, voice low. “Relax. A little longer, and the message will land.” Same cool tone. The little brat was speechless. Why wouldn’t this man listen? “You’re really going to let that number keep climbing?” “So what if it does?” Hendrik patted the seat beside him as he settled onto the sofa, signaling him to sit. The kid puffed up like a tiny pufferfish. “If they were trash‑talking Jovienne, you’d be freaking out already.” “No one’s that blind.” If anyone dared spread rumors about Jovienne on the black market—forget him—even the little brat right here wouldn’t sit back and watch. Father and son were cut from the same cloth—hurt us all you want, but touch our family? Not happening. “So did you find who started the rumor?” The little brat looked up, hoping for an answer. He’d planned to dig himself at first. But the Xenakis Group’s hackers seemed to have orders: the moment his IP address came online, they tangled him up every way they could, leaving him no room to dive deeper. It drove him nuts. With no other choice, he came to the study to ask the man at the center of it all. “There. It’s here.” Hendrik chuckled at his earnest face. He sipped his tea and tipped his chin toward the door. Right then, Zachary walked in with a tablet, the latest findings glowing on the screen. “Well? Well?!” The little brat rushed over, fired up. “We found the person.” Zachary reported straight. “The Cao family?” Hendrik’s first guess was Cao Yishan. At a time like this, the only ones who’d dare go for his throat were the Cao family. But Zachary’s answer made him go quiet. “It’s the firstborn daughter of the Yu family—Yu Xiangxiang.” “Yu Xiangxiang?” Wasn’t that the woman slated for a marriage of convenience with Ren Yianxu? He’d seen her at the hospital. He’d even had her background checked. And she’s the one spreading rumors? “You sure?” “Sure. We traced the receiving bank info and the computer’s IP address. No mistake.” Zachary hadn’t believed it at first either. With her level of access, she shouldn’t have been anywhere near the people tied to the children’s playground project. After digging deeper, he realized this woman was nowhere near as innocent and harmless as she looked. “We also found that Ms. Yu almost ruined Ms. Zou’s reputation before…” Hendrik’s eyes flashed. “She pulled all that and Ren Yianxu still keeps her around?” “Ren broke one of her legs…” Zachary glanced at the kid and skipped some details on purpose. So… “Does Ren know about this time?” “He doesn’t. Ms. Yu heard it somewhere else.” “Somewhere else?!” The little brat cut in. “You mean someone else knows this secret?” “Yeah. We checked Yu Xiangxiang’s recent status update and found that right before it happened, she got real cozy with that trust‑fund punk, Zhuo Ao… and the two had an improper relationship…” Zachary kept it brief. The details weren’t kid‑friendly. Hendrik more or less got the picture. Zhuo Ao was just a nouveau riche who struck gold with the building materials business. Not worth worrying about. But that so‑called Young Master Zhuo? Hendrik did want a chat.