Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Although Lu Sheng managed to intercept the photos in time, the people who came that day were all people of status and wouldn’t usually spread rumors. But because there were many people and many eyes, the rumors still spread. And the person who orchestrated all of this naturally had a backup plan. Soon, the photo was publicly released online.

After the photo incident came out, a storm of public opinion quickly arose online. Clearly, someone was deliberately guiding it. The contract signing was naturally suspended indefinitely. There were too many people present that day, and the matter quickly escalated. Jiang Chen’s father and uncle were both temporarily suspended from their positions and forbidden from contacting the outside world while an investigation was launched.

Ling Sheng and He Xiaoyun were also forced to halt all external activities. But Lu Sheng was loyal enough to help them manage the situation from the outside.

Fortunately, the innocent are always innocent. Ling Sheng and He Xiaoyun hadn’t seen each other for almost three years, and there were no improper financial transactions between them. Moreover, Ling Sheng and Jiang Chen were already dating before He Xiaoyun met Ling Sheng. So, things hadn’t gotten so bad that they couldn’t be salvaged.

“I investigated Wang Mingan’s background. The Wang family used to be in real estate, but two months ago, they were acquired by the Shao Corporation. Now, Wang Mingan’s father works at the Shao Corporation. It seems the Shao Corporation is behind all of this, that’s why he dared to do these things. The person who took the photos was Chen Jing, the original design director of Eternity. He originally wanted to retaliate against Ling Sheng. He contacted people at the company, wanting to send the photos to the company group, but Wang Mingan found out about it. After Wang Mingan’s family’s company was acquired by the Shao Corporation, Wang Mingan’s father started working there and wanted to gain favor with Shao Rong. So, he thought of using the photos to sabotage the collaboration. The development project will definitely be re-tendered. I have a good relationship with Gu Junye, and everyone in the circle knows about Lu Sheng and Yan Huan, it’s practically public knowledge. So, to avoid suspicion, the Gu family and the Lu family are very likely to be affected after the matter is exposed. Their chances will naturally increase a lot.”

The Jiang family is in a sensitive period right now and can’t be contacted. He Xiaoyun is also very sensitive. Ling Sheng came to Lu Sheng alone to understand the situation.

“Originally, Wang Mingan’s father wanted to find someone to deliver the USB drive, so that if they really investigated, it would only lead to Chen Jing, and then they could just push the blame onto him in the name of revenge. But Wang Mingan didn’t listen. He said he wanted to see Ling Sheng and Jiang Chen be scorned by everyone. So, he secretly came to deliver the USB drive himself and hid in the hotel. As a result, as soon as something happened, Lu Sheng had security close off the entire floor of the hotel. He couldn’t get out. We found him by checking the surveillance footage that night.”

Wang Mingan is easily scared. After being dragged out, he was so frightened that he only dared to call his dad. The matter quickly became clear. “I’ve already investigated Chen Jing’s side as well. There are other photos on his phone, all taken on the Zhiyin cruise ship. Because they were taken secretly, they aren’t very clear, and there aren’t any too intimate photos. Only this one is clear.”

That day, Chen Jing happened to be out relaxing with friends and accidentally ran into them. But Ling Sheng and Jiang Chen were too engrossed and didn’t notice him. He secretly took the photos, originally wanting to retaliate against Ling Sheng, but he didn’t expect what happened later.

“The Shao family is the driving force behind this matter. Otherwise, Wang Mingan and his father wouldn’t have had the guts to pull this stunt at He Xiaoyun’s engagement banquet.” Saying this, Lu Sheng revealed a faint, playful smile: “But He Zong said we don’t need to take action. They provoked Gu Junye, and Gu Junye will take care of him.”

Ling Sheng didn’t have the energy to pay attention to their affairs right now. After all, the Jiang family’s matter hadn’t been resolved yet: “Thank you, Lu Zong.”

Lu Sheng wasn’t familiar with Ling Sheng, but he was very happy that Ling Sheng and Jiang Chen were together. He was willing to help, partly out of consideration for He Xiaoyun: “You’re welcome. I’ve already uploaded the photos to the cloud, and all the backups have been destroyed. Don’t worry.”

Only then did Ling Sheng finally feel relieved. But it had been over ten days, and there was still no news from Jiang Chen. The timing of this exposure was just too unfortunate. If they could have sat down and talked properly, things might not have turned out this way.

Ling Sheng felt very tired and helpless. He frowned and pressed his temples. Now he could only wait for the Jiang family’s investigation results to come out.

The development project was temporarily put on hold. Jiang Chen was confined at home. Jiang Chen’s father wouldn’t even see He Xiaoyun. Finally, someone came to visit that day. It was Xu Peiya.

The Xu family was naturally involved as well, but not directly. And the matter was being investigated very quickly. But Jiang Chen was locked up, so she only saw Jiang Chen’s uncle.

“I understand Uncle’s concerns,” Xu Peiya said: “But they’re just dating. Jiang Chen hasn’t participated in the development project, hasn’t been involved in the company’s management, and hasn’t had any financial transactions with anyone. Isn’t that all clear now?”

Jiang Jian was also worried, sighing and saying: “I know, I’ve also investigated. But the timing of this relationship is just terrible.”

Moreover, it was revealed in this way. If it were at a different time, or in a different way, it would be much better.

Jiang Chen’s father came back in the evening looking like his complexion was not bad, Jiang Jian quickly seized the opportunity: “Dad, now that things are clear, it’s not good to keep Jiang Chen locked up at home. He can’t focus on studying like this. He’s a senior, and he needs to prepare for graduate school. The pressure on him is very high.”

Jiang Chen’s father frowned again when he heard his words: “He’s under a lot of pressure to study, but he still has the mind to be in love? It seems he’s just idle.”

Jiang Jian was about to say something when Jiang Chen’s father directly interrupted him: “And that Ling Sheng, he’s seven years older than Jiang Chen. It’s easy for him to deceive him. He’s not only having an affair with He Xiaoyun, but he’s also dated that Wu Xia. This Wang Mingan isn’t a good person either, and Ling Sheng attracted all of them. Last time, he got into a fight in public because of Wu Xia. The last time he got into a fight with He Xiaoyun at school. And now, he almost ruined the entire Jiang family. To turn a relationship into this, I don’t care if he’s male or female, I can’t let someone like that stay by Jiang Chen’s side. Sooner or later, he’ll be a scourge.”

Jiang Chen had told him a lot about Ling Sheng’s affairs, and he had also investigated them himself. But he couldn’t ignore Jiang Chen’s pleas. But seeing Jiang Chen’s father’s attitude, he could only remain silent for now.

Jiang Chen was locked up like this for another week. His phone was confiscated, so he couldn’t contact the outside world. The news that Jiang Jian brought him every day was also very limited. He only knew that things had almost been cleared up. At first, he could calmly wait, but in the end, he was still too young. He hadn’t experienced too many storms in his twenty years of life. Moreover, Jiang Chen’s father didn’t allow anyone to tell him any news about Ling Sheng, which was too tormenting for him.

That day, Jiang Jian came to see him as usual. Jiang Chen hadn’t eaten anything all day and was lying on the bed in a daze. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to eat, but he really didn’t have an appetite. When he saw him, he first raised his head in surprise, but then he laid back down in self-abandonment.

He saw that he was holding food.

“I don’t want to eat,” Jiang Chen turned over, facing away from him.

Jiang Jian put the things on the table to the side: “What, are you trying to starve yourself?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then are you still going to write your thesis? Are you still going to take the graduate school entrance exam?”

“I’m not writing, I’m not taking it.”

“What exactly do you want to do?”

“Let me out.”

Jiang Jian knew how stubborn his younger brother was. Back then, he had argued with his father at home for a month about getting a job, saying that he wouldn’t go home. His father stopped his card and cut off his living expenses, but he stubbornly refused to drink a drop of water from home for a month before finally reconciling. In the end, it was his father who compromised.

Jiang Chen’s father was standing outside the door. Hearing these words, he strode in and knocked all the food on the table to the ground: “Whether he eats or not is up to him. Whether he takes the exam or not is up to him. It’s his own body, his own future. If he doesn’t want them, why should we worry about him! To turn himself into this for a man, it only makes me look down on him!”

Jiang Chen was facing away from them, not moving at all.

Actually, Jiang Chen’s personality was more like Jiang Chen’s father, but he usually didn’t lose his temper often. Jiang Chen’s father was even angrier looking at him, his hands trembling as he pointed at him: “Look at what you’ve become now. A man has turned you into this. That shows that I didn’t see wrong. This person can’t be by your side! I have the ability to lock you up, and see if I have the ability to deal with him!”

“Don’t touch him!” Mentioning Ling Sheng, Jiang Chen jumped up.

But Jiang Chen’s father glared at him fiercely, turned around and slammed the door out.

Jiang Chen wanted to go over and open the door, but he saw two bodyguards standing at the door, who directly pushed him back.

Jiang Jian quickly went over and grabbed him, closing the door: “Alright! Enough!”

He pressed Jiang Chen onto the bed: “Calm down first!”

Jiang Chen knew that Jiang Chen’s father meant what he said. Where could he calm down now? He struggled to get up and find Jiang Chen’s father, Jiang Chen directly slapped him on the head: “I told you to calm down, don’t you know what the situation is like now after studying law for four years? Is this the time to make a scene?”

Jiang Chen was silenced by his slap. Of course, he knew, but all of this was caused by his reckless kiss in the first place. Now, he was locked up at home, also to be protected, and only Ling Sheng was facing all of this outside. How could he eat and sleep peacefully here.

Jiang Chen was helpless and aggrieved, his eyes were red, and he was shaking all over, as if he was on the verge of collapse: “Brother, I caused all of this, it’s my fault. I can’t leave him out there alone.”

Jiang Jian looked at his younger brother and could only sit down on the bed and sigh.

“The reason I wanted to study law in the first place was because I wanted to protect those who were treated unfairly, but now, I’ve become the one who is causing harm, and the victim is still the person I love the most.” Jiang Chen’s voice was hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was shaking all over, as if he was on the verge of collapse: “I’m the one who did wrong, I should be the one being punished.”

All the procedures for the development project were going through the proper channels. The Jiang family wasn’t afraid of investigation, and it was only a matter of time before things were cleared up. But the problem was that the storm of public opinion was growing bigger and bigger. As the incident escalated, more and more photos of them on the Zhiyin cruise ship were being exposed. They were a little too eye-catching that day. Although no intimate photos were taken, many people took pictures of them laughing and talking while walking, and looking at each other while dancing.

Then someone posted photos online of He Xiaoyun and Ling Sheng talking intimately and putting their arms around each other at the Eternity annual meeting at the hotel. Some said that Ling Sheng was playing two boats, some said that Ling Sheng was obviously He Xiaoyun’s person, just playing around with Jiang Chen for business, and some said that it was a beauty trap, etc.

Obviously, this was a backup plan that had been arranged long ago after the photos were exposed.

For a time, photos and true or false revelations were flying around on the internet, and people who didn’t know the truth began to speculate. Politics, business, plus scandalous news, everyone had a conspiracy theory in their mouths.

And a wave of wind slowly rose, and the spearhead of public opinion began to turn to Ling Sheng.

[Homosexuals are inherently dirty. I heard that this Ling Sheng has a lot of ex-boyfriends. He saw that he liked people, so he bent straight, Jiang Chen this quality handsome guy is not much, homosexuals roll!]

[Jiang Chen is straight! Straight! People in their school are saying that he’s straight and cannot be any straighter, that kissing photo looks like Ling Sheng took the initiative, maybe it was for the sake of traffic, deliberately let people take it!]

[I heard that this development project in Jiang City involves tens of billions, for so much money, Ling Zong completed such a great performance, the commission should be a lot.]

There were many reporters at Eternity every day. Ling Sheng couldn’t live in his house anymore either. Staying in a hotel was easy to be seen. He Xiaoyun asked his assistant to rent another house for him to stay in temporarily. All work was also forced to stop.

He had been living in this house for a week now. Even his hometown, Ling Sheng’s mother, was being harassed. After calling and clarifying the cause of the matter, Ling Sheng could only ask his mother to find a place to live first, avoid it for a while, and wait for him to handle it.

After Ling Sheng’s mother was silent, she still chose to believe him, only telling him that if he felt tired, he could come home.

Ling Sheng’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.

He wasn’t going online anymore. Now all kinds of conspiracy theories were flying around, and the internet was full of all kinds of dirty words. Out of sight, out of mind. It was difficult for him to even go out now. He Xiaoyun was also not convenient to come over. All the news could only be told to him by Lu Sheng.

He didn’t know how Jiang Chen was doing.

A knock on the door rang out. Ling Sheng came back to his senses. He didn’t know when the movie on the TV had finished, and he didn’t notice it at all. He put down the remote control and got up. He thought it was Lu Sheng’s assistant or Yan Huan coming to find him. But as soon as he opened the door, standing outside the door was an elegant woman with a haggard face.

It was Jiang Chen’s mother.