“But didn’t you just say…” Feng Bujue’s timely question arrived again, “‘Although Miller knew a lot about John's crimes, neither of them were the type to leave evidence behind, and Miller himself was an accomplice in many of John's affairs. So, even if Miller wanted to blackmail John after being fired, he couldn't find a way to do so.’…right?”

The despicable Feng Bujue almost verbatim repeated a passage that Zuo Yan had just said two chapters ago, shamelessly padding out a line.

Of course, I also know that when reading this section, you might be thinking—the despicable author is commenting on what Feng Bujue just said in the previous line, shamelessly padding out another line.

Then I made fun of myself again, adding yet another line.

And then I made fun of myself for making fun of myself, padding out…

Okay, before you start suspecting that this entire chapter is going to be filled with similar content, let's stop this meaningless cycle; put down your middle fingers, and let me get back to the point…

“Furthermore… in the years after Miller was fired by John, he had already been reduced to being a pickpocket, and we haven't seen him blackmail John.” Feng Bujue paused for a second, then supplemented his question, “So why… at that point three years ago, did he suddenly revive this very promising plan of ‘blackmail’?”

“Because…” Zuo Yan replied, “by a very coincidental opportunity, he discovered a major… secret about John.”

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward John.

Having listened there for so long, John had already basically calculated everything in his head, and he took the opportunity to continue, “Okay… I admit, Old Herbert and I are not blood relatives.”

John was, after all, a shrewd person, and he knew… that at this point, this matter was destined to be impossible to hide; as long as someone compared his DNA with Old Herbert's, the result would be clear.

So, he chose to take the initiative to explain, in order to gain control: “Three years ago, that rogue Miller came to me in desperation, hoping that I could give him another job.” John's face showed a look of disgust as he said this, “And I… naturally rejected his absurd request…”

“And publicly humiliated him.” Zuo Yan interjected.

“Well… that depends on how you interpret the word ‘humiliation’; I think… given the atmosphere of the conversation at the time, it was very polite of me to have the security guards ‘escort’ him out.” John was undoubtedly very good at talking; as a successful businessman, it was not surprising that he possessed the eloquence to turn black into white, “But this rogue did not give up; enraged, he… actually ran to the cemetery in the suburbs that night and dug up my mother's grave.”

“Oh?” Upon hearing this, Feng Bujue's eyes lit up, “Could it be… Miller wanted to express to you through his actions—fuck your mother?”

His question silenced the entire room for a full thirty seconds…

“My mother passed away when I was twelve years old, and her photo is still on my desk…” After half a minute, John decided to ignore Brother Jue's statement and continue, “She was Old Herbert's first wife; when Old Herbert became successful, my mother became… in Chinese terms—a wife who shared hardship. Like most men, after Old Herbert had money, he neglected my mother and turned his attention to younger and more beautiful women… and Sam's mother was one of them.”

“You better watch your fucking mouth when you talk.” Sam, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke, using a curse word to demand that others be careful with their words.

“A few years later, my mother also had an affair and became pregnant with me.” Similarly, John ignored Sam's words and continued, “Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Old Herbert didn't realize that I wasn't his child when my mother confirmed her pregnancy; and after I was born, my mother hoped that I could grow up in a more favorable environment, so she broke off contact with my biological father, preserving my identity as the ‘eldest son of the Herbert family.’”

“Eleven years later, my mother passed away; in the days before her death, she called me to her bedside and told me… that I wasn't Old Herbert's biological son, but she didn't tell me my biological father's name even until her death.

“Less than two weeks after her death, Old Herbert couldn't wait to marry his second wife… namely, Sam's mother; and also brought Sam, who was almost three years old at the time, into the house. Just like that… I had another brother.

“There's nothing much to say about what happened after that; the key is that night three years ago…

“That dog Miller also understood… that he couldn't do anything to me on his own, but this guy obviously couldn't swallow his anger; I guess the guy thought about it for a long time and finally recalled that he always saw my mother's photo on my desk back then, so… he thought of retaliating by destroying my mother's grave with this disgusting behavior.”

“Unexpectedly… Miller's digging unearthed a truth that should have been buried forever with your mother…” Zuo Yan continued.

“Alas…” John sighed, “When my mother was buried, along with her into the coffin… besides the clothes on her body, there was also a necklace; I had seen that necklace when I was a child, and it contained my photo. Later I learned… that the inside of the necklace also had a layer, containing other things.”

“Oh~ oh~” Feng Bujue's expression was like he was watching an eight o'clock drama, “Let me guess… what was hidden inside was something about your biological father?”

“I don't know what was hidden inside, because the thing has been in Miller's hands, and he didn't tell me any details.” John replied, “I can only speculate… that after opening the coffin, that rogue found a necklace and wanted to steal it to exchange for some money, and then accidentally found the interlayer, saw the things inside, and thereby learned of my background…”

“Well, your speculation is roughly correct.” Zuo Yan continued, “Although Miller helped you forge the will back then, because he himself was also involved in the case at the time, and because you were cautious, he didn't leave any evidence in his hands; even if Miller wanted to blackmail you by ‘confessing to the police,’ you wouldn't be afraid of him; as long as you hired a good lawyer, it would be too easy to pin a charge of false accusation on an accuser like Miller, who was ‘swept out the door for embezzling public funds, with only testimony and no evidence.’”

“However, after Miller found that necklace, the situation became completely differ…”

“Mr. Zuo Yan.” John's thinking was also very clear; he was not led by the other party's logic, “I only admitted that I was blackmailed by Miller because of my background, but I never admitted the so-called forging of the will, please remember that those are all your speculations… there is no proof so far.”