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Chapter 87: This was Huo Niansheng’s idea, wasn’t it?
Before going to bed, Zheng Baoqiu knocked on Chen Wengang’s door: “Are you going to attend the graduation mobilization meeting at your alma mater?”
Chen Wengang leaned against the door frame and chatted with her: “I just received the news. How come even you know about it?”
“Because you haven’t been responding, the teachers even called home! Why aren’t you agreeing?”
“I’m not refusing, just haven’t decided yet.”
“It’s such a simple matter. If you have time, go; if not, don’t. What’s there to consider?”
“You forget, I’m still carrying a burden.” Chen Wengang joked about himself, “These days I need to keep a low profile.”
“Look at you, you’re saying as if my eldest brother and my second brother have never fought with anyone.. Uncle He will give Dad a face. He said he won’t pursue it means he won’t.” Zheng Baoqiu said, “Our alma mater holds mobilization meetings every year, teaching everyone how to choose their profession. Isn’t that doing a good deed? The teachers said those invited are students who graduated within the top ranks in the past five years. See, I’m not even qualified enough to want to go.”
“Alright, I’ll think about it some more.” Chen Wengang smiled and bid her goodnight.
At the same time, Qi Tongzhou lay in bed, unable to sleep, still scrolling through forums on his phone.
He kept refreshing the post about He Jiajun because, when it reached the 35th floor, a floor owner emerged, claiming to be a service staff at a five-star hotel. He said that he had seen a brawl from afar in the smoking area that night and wondered if it matched up.
In the city, a group of well-dressed people were present, and He Jiajun’s chubby face was frequently seen in the news, so it wasn’t hard for the general public to recognize him.
The 35th-floor owner secretly took a video clip and sent a blurry screenshot. After much speculation, it was widely believed to be Young Master He.
Naturally, people continued to inquire, and more details were revealed.
So, regarding who hit him— that floor owner suddenly gained a paparazzi aura and claimed that a certain young master, who had always had a bad relationship with Young Master He, was also present at the scene. However, it wasn’t a direct showdown between these two archenemies; there was a third person involved.
The post’s popularity kept rising.
When it reached over 200 floors, suddenly another informant appeared, beginning to further unravel the story.
That floor owner revealed that the person who hit someone was a canary kept by this certain young master, who, for some reason that night, got anxious and started scratching people.
He Jiajun’s notorious reputation and the topic of his private life always sparked speculation, arousing fervent guesses below.
No wonder Qi Tongzhou couldn’t sleep. Following the clues, it wasn’t hard to guess that a certain young master’s surname was actually Huo, given his notorious reputation.
Given this person’s equally scandalous reputation, the crowd, not afraid of gossip, quickly shifted their focus to the canary he kept.
What kind of vegetarian did he keep as a pet?
In Qi Tongzhou’s view, the owner of the 200th floor was clearly malicious; every word aimed at something—
This person knew about Chen Wengang’s existence but deliberately distorted the facts and slandered him, describing him as a university student kept by Huo Niansheng, knowing which school he attended, and even hinting at having his photos. Everyone below was urging for the photos to be released.
Qi Tongzhou was very angry. His advice to respect privacy was met with a group attack; he was told not to meddle in others’ affairs.
The owner of that floor seemed to be demonstrating against him, even threatening to release photos when the post reached a thousand floors.
He had already privately messaged the administrator to request the post be deleted but had not yet received a response.
In his desperation, apart from sending the link to Chen Wengang, Qi Tongzhou actually sent it to Li Hongqiong, asking what to do.
There was always a subtle feeling when dealing with one’s own siblings in such matters, but it was easier to approach a somewhat unconventional older sister.
Li Hongqiong, having seen many ups and downs, didn’t take it too seriously: “You can delete it. But the more you try to silence, the more backlash you’ll get. You understand that, don’t you?”
“What should I do then?” Qi Tongzhou felt she wasn’t really concerned, “Would sending a lawyer’s letter work?”
“Are you sending it for He Jiajun or for Huo Niansheng?” She chuckled over the phone.
“I’m sending it for…”
“But since they haven’t mentioned Xiao Chen yet, you can’t send it for him either. You can just have the lawyer prepare the letter for now.”
“What’s the difference between waiting for them to violate rights and taking action afterward? Can’t we resolve it beforehand?” He sighed, feeling helpless. “Is there no way to solve it preemptively?”
“If you ask from my experience in public relations, when one bad thing comes out, just cover it up with the heat of another bad thing.” Li Hongqiong casually remarked, “Netizens are like goldfish; they won’t care about previous things once there’s something more exciting happening.”
The conversation ended there, leaving Qi Tongzhou without much comfort. He tossed and turned, eating pancakes until midnight before finally falling asleep.
The next day, everything was calm again.
Whether it was thanks to Li Hongqiong’s efforts or not, the post was deleted.
However, this didn’t completely ease Qi Tongzhou’s mind. Li Hongqiong was right; the gossip-hungry busybodies quickly started new threads asking where yesterday’s hot topic had gone, questioning the authority of the moderators to delete posts at will. It was a never-ending cycle.
He felt like an ant on a hot pan, while Chen Wengang remained calm.
He asked Uncle Lin for a few cardboard boxes and started packing his things in the bedroom.
Zheng Baoqiu sat on his bed, pouting as she watched him move back and forth, emitting exaggerated sighs.
Chen Wengang chuckled, “Either help me pack or just go out and play. Isn’t it boring to just stand by and watch?”
Zheng Baoqiu crossed her arms and said, “I wasn’t happy about you moving out in the first place. Can you really expect me to lend a hand willingly?”
Chen Wengang patted her head and said, “Sorry, I didn’t intend for this to happen so soon.”
However, being caught by Zheng Bingyi being intimate with Huo Niansheng at the door was a different story.
In reality, Chen Wengang had never shied away from it; he had anticipated the possibility of being caught in such a situation. But he loved Huo Niansheng, and he didn’t want to hide their relationship. It’s just that Zheng Bingyi was in his fifties, and in his eyes, such behavior seemed overly frivolous.
Playing around was fine, but don’t let people see, especially don’t make a scene in public. Since the incident where Chen Wengang and Zheng Yucheng were photographed by malicious individuals before, they have clearly shown that they will be more cautious in the future. So why repeat the same mistake?
Tripping over the same stone twice showed a lack of progress.
Zheng Bingyi didn’t say anything harsh on the surface, but as Chen Wengang passed by the study, he overheard him privately expressing his disappointment to Uncle Lin.
Zheng Baoqiu sluggishly got up and dragged a suitcase to her feet, moving like an ant carrying its load, throwing items into the box one by one.
“Do you still want this item?”
“It’s fine.”
“How about this one?”
“You can have that one.”
She found a photo album and flipped it open. “Hey, honestly, have you been happy living at our place all these years?”
Chen Wengang felt her tone was somewhat world-weary. “Of course, I’ve been happy.”
Zheng Baoqiu turned a page. “A few days ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, you weren’t here. Auntie asked where you went—remember her? She loves to show off, boasting about how well Xiao Jie is doing academically every year, always wanting to surpass you. And Uncle Wu’s son said you were just avoiding chores by staying away. I suddenly realized, maybe you really feel more comfortable living outside.”
Chen Wengang wasn’t particularly concerned about those comments. “I’ll invite you over sometime to warm my new place and celebrate my move.”
She asked provocatively, “Will it be warming at your place or at Huo Niansheng’s place?”
Chen Wengang replied calmly, “Either is fine, whichever you prefer.”
She decided to ask before he left, “What exactly do you like about him?”
Chen Wengang said, “Maybe because he liked me first. As for why, you should ask your cousin.”
After over ten years of living, just the clothes alone filled up a walk-in closet, and five or six boxes were far from enough.
So, he decided to pack only a portion first, planning to move some frequently used items to Huo Niansheng’s place and the less-used ones to Jiangchao Street.
At the crack of dawn, he suddenly heard a knock on the door in his sleep.
Chen Wengang, still in his pajamas with disheveled hair, hastily combed his fingers through his hair and was brought to Zheng Bingyi’s study by Uncle Lin.
Zheng Bingyi’s serious expression created a tense atmosphere. Chen Wengang, now fully awake, noticed that the other man was also in a dressing gown, clearly awoken from sleep.
Perplexed, he listened as Zheng Bingyi asked about his relationship with Mu Qing: “It’s normal for conflicts to arise between you two while living together. Has he offended you recently, or have you offended him?”
Chen Wengang hesitated for a moment. “As far as I know, there shouldn’t be any.”
Zheng Bingyi’s gaze was deep and intense as he stared at him for a long time.
Uncle Lin knocked on the door, exchanged a few words in a low voice, and then Chen Wengang was ushered out again.
Zheng Bingyi frowned, “That’s enough; you can go back and rest now.”
But he had lost his sleepiness. He closed the study door inexplicably and stood still at one end of the corridor. At this time, the mansion was empty, as if the building itself was still asleep. Footsteps approached, and following behind Uncle Lin toward the study was Mu Qing.
Chen Wengang went back to his room and picked up his phone.
It was the same local forum, in the same section. A post completely unrelated to him was made last night, titled “Has anyone been to that modern art exhibition? Let’s discuss.”
These kinds of posts usually didn’t attract much attention. But after superficially commenting on a few people, the original poster suddenly targeted a novice painter named Mu Qing, criticizing his basic skills, poor lines, suspected plagiarism, and his reliance on hype to rise to prominence while sidelining and competing against his peers.
Below were the typical comments from “informed individuals”: “Didn’t he always boast about his prestigious alma mater? I actually studied in the same field as him. He had a bad reputation in school but suddenly transformed into a rising artist. Isn’t it ridiculous?”
They also began digging into his background—nephew of a shipping magnate, with a noble lineage; no wonder he had the qualifications for hype.
But what really stirred up the post was a floor owner who claimed to run a repair shop in Digital City.
He said that a few months ago, Mu Qing had come to the shop to repair his phone and then directly posted evidence obtained from the phone’s internal storage.
After seeing it, one could understand why the floor owner took the risk. With such explosive evidence, it was hard to keep it to oneself.
At the very least, the evidence showed that Mu Qing had many online accounts and had used these accounts to slander the Zheng family members behind their backs.
Even Zheng Bingyi himself.
With luck, there would be paparazzi willing to buy more evidence.
The series of abnormal developments left a heavy trace of manipulated public opinion. The methods were crude and straightforward, but enough to expose someone thoroughly.
When Mu Qing emerged, his face was ashen, with dark circles under his eyes. His expression was indescribable, as if he had seen a ghost, or perhaps he was the ghost himself.
Chen Wengang waited in the hallway, and when Mu Qing approached, he suddenly stepped forward, forcing him close. “Was it you?”
Chen Wengang looked at him calmly. “I don’t know what happened.”
While the conversation was ongoing in the study, he had just called Lawyer Zhu. It occurred to him only when the other party picked up that he wasn’t being considerate.
Lawyer Zhu’s voice was groggy, clearly awakened from a deep sleep, but his mind was sharp. “Mr. Chen, I’m a lawyer. If you’ve done something wrong, I can assure you I’ll come to your aid, but I won’t engage in anything unethical behind the scenes. I’m not the puppet master.”
Chen Wengang smiled apologetically. “Sorry to disturb you. You should go back to sleep.”
Mu Qing looked at him resentfully. “Are you happy now? Pleased with yourself?”
Chen Wengang replied, “No, I’m actually quite shocked. I know you don’t like me. But it’s the first time I realized that your resentment isn’t just towards me.”
After daybreak, there was another visitor at home—the head of the Zheng family’s public relations department.
Zheng Bingyi disliked airing family affairs in public, and he could never have imagined his nephew getting into such trouble. The implications of the situation could be significant or trivial. Zheng Bingyi called the head of the public relations department for advice. However, in traditional companies like Zheng’s, the public relations department mainly focused on maintaining the official website and corporate promotion, with limited expertise and awareness in crisis management. Especially in a situation like this, which was a family matter involving the chairman, even the department head was at a loss.
As the sun rose higher, Qi Tongzhou woke up. When he checked the class group chat, there were already over 999+ messages discussing the issue.
Qi Tongzhou was dumbfounded, hardly knowing how to react for a good ten minutes.
He called Mu Qing, but the phone was switched off. Suddenly, he remembered something and dialed another number.
On the other end of the line, Li Hongqiong remained composed. “It’s not easy to explain over the phone. Come to my office.”
Half an hour later, Qi Tongzhou sat down, furrowing his brow as he looked at her. “Tell me this wasn’t your doing.”
Li Hongqiong countered, “Aren’t you trying to help Xiao aChen out of trouble?” She casually got up and poured a cup of tea for her younger brother. “As I’ve told you, the best way to overshadow one controversy is by creating a new one.”
Qi Tongzhou slammed the table. “You’re just making excuses! I want to know why you resorted to such extreme measures.”
Li Hongqiong remained unruffled, lighting a cigarette.
With the cigarette between her fingers, she leaned against the desk, still composed. “Little brother, I know you may seem a bit naive, but deep down, you’re honest. But tell me, has Mu Qing ever done anything that he didn’t deserve to be blamed for?”
Qi Tongzhou’s mind was in turmoil, but amidst the chaos, clarity suddenly dawned upon him. “This was Huo Niansheng’s idea, wasn’t it?”
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I’m glad that sewer rat Mu Qing is finally getting his comeuppance. Nasty b***h, acting like a loser just because he’s jealous.
Deserved 👏👏👏
Gawd Mu Qing, how low can you be? I understand jealousy but honestly Zheng family is not even that bad, compared to He or Hou family for example.
Still stabbed them in the back while using their money and influence? Daaym