RT Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Doubtful Clouds

The festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival had barely dissipated when the Imperial presidential election officially kicked off.

With the high-profile collaboration between the Shao and Lin families, Wu Xun’s election prospects took a sharp turn for the worse.

After successively losing the support of several key consortiums, he had no choice but to turn to Hong Zhengyue.

“Vice President Wu Xun is here to see you, Mr. President,” the secretary announced.

Hong Zhengyue stood in front of the window of the presidential office, a sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth: “Let him in.”

Although he also despised this weather-vane character, the situation was pressing, and he needed any possible allies.

Shao Chengxi’s approval rating had already broken through 60%.

With Lin Zhengyang’s joining, the Omega rights organizations collectively defected.

Hong Zhengyue’s situation was not optimistic.

After the election began, the public noticed an interesting phenomenon – the family members of Shao Chengxi and Lin Zhengyang began to frequently appear in the public eye.

Lin Zhengyang’s Alpha partner gave a rare interview to Lin Yi, the top reporter of Public Media.

The children of the two families gained countless fans at children’s charity events.

Wei Mingqian, the chief reporter of *The Imperial Daily*, analyzed in his column:

“This is a very effective political marketing strategy.”

“By showcasing their respective family images, they can successfully attract the support of different groups – young parents, military families, educators…”

“More importantly, this preemptive move blocks the opponent’s smear tactics.”

Everyone knew what the smear tactics referred to.

In every previous election, scandalous affairs had been the most insidious and effective means of attack.

Shao Chengxi was an S-Class Alpha, and Lin Zhengyang was an S-Class Omega, with comparable family backgrounds and sensitive identities and genders.

With their in-depth cooperation, it was easy to fall into scandalous rumors.

If it hadn’t been for Shu Lin, this US-Class Omega, standing in the middle, they would have been subjected to all kinds of scandalous rumors by Hong Zhengyue.

Now, the people of the entire empire could see happy moments of the two families every day, and any insinuation of “improper relationships” seemed absurd and laughable.

This greatly annoyed Hong Zhengyue.

“Waste! All of you are waste!” Hong Zhengyue slammed the poll report on the table. “Where’s the dirt I asked you to find on them?”

The staff members remained silent.

Finally, Wu Xun gritted his teeth and said:

“Doesn’t Mr. President still have a trump card in his hand?”

“We can make a fuss about Shao Chengxi’s Omega.”

Hong Zhengyue narrowed his eyes, his tone gloomy:

“That’s right, go and find that Alpha named Cheng Yan.”

“If the public knew that the one-in-a-million US-Class Omega was an illegitimate child…”

The spring breeze of April swept through the Imperial Capital, and the presidential election entered a crucial stage.

A Jiao was already over two months old, with a round, fair face, often grinning with her toothless little mouth at people.

Shu Lin had recovered very well, his waistline regaining its slender and upright figure, and his eyes showed more tenderness and stability after becoming a father.

Whenever he appeared in public with A Jiao in his arms, the soft glow emanating from within always attracted the frenzy of media cameras.

Once Shao Chengxi turned thirty, Shu Lin officially joined the campaign team and began to give speeches to support his Alpha.

However, as Shu Lin’s exposure increased, a rumor about his background quietly spread.

Some media pointed out that, based on Shu Lin’s date of birth and Shu Jingcheng’s divorce time, he might be an illegitimate child.

The online comments were a mess.

“The timeline really doesn’t add up. Shu Lin was born 8 months after Shu Jingcheng’s divorce. Who exactly is Shu Lin’s Alpha father? It’s hard to say.”

“The elite circle is really messy. As expected, the background of a US-Class Omega is not simple.”

“Suddenly breaking out this kind of news, isn’t it someone trying to mess with Shao Chengxi?”

“Born after the divorce is an illegitimate child? Look up Article 1079 of the Civil Code.”

“Shouldn’t the focus be on Shu Lin’s contribution to pheromone patients? Has everyone forgotten the people the foundation saved?”

“So who exactly is Shu Lin’s biological father? I bet five mao it’s some big consortium tycoon, hahaha!”

“Is this because Minister Shao’s approval rating is too high and someone is getting antsy?”

“When can we stop judging political figures by the chastity of Omegas?”

“According to this logic, if my parents took their wedding photos three days late, I’m also an illegitimate child?”

“I suggest next time just say Shu Lin is an alien; it’s more believable.”

Under these comments, the topic of #Shu Lin’s Background Doubts# (Explosive) continued to grow.

Although Shu Jingcheng and Shu Lingxiao repeatedly came forward to clarify, the effect was minimal.

The public relations team tried their best to suppress the heat of this topic, but it didn’t help much.

Clearly, Hong Zhengyue had put the most effort into this matter.

This rumor was like a dark cloud looming over the campaign team, and even Shao Chengxi’s approval rating showed a slight fluctuation.

In early May, to support Shao Chengxi’s election, the Shu Lin Pheromone Foundation held a charity fundraising gala.

Shu Lin was to give a campaign speech at the gala.

The Imperial Grand Theater was brightly lit, and the light reflected from the crystal chandeliers scattered over the guests.

Shu Lin had always been a hot topic, and his attendance had become the focus of the entire empire.

At this moment, he was standing backstage, preparing to go on stage to give his speech.

“Baby, are you ready?” Shao Chengxi approached from behind, his Alpha pheromones gently enveloping him.

Shu Lin nodded slightly, leaning against the person behind him, a faint smile on his lips.

The two touched foreheads, smiling without a word.

Applause thundered below the stage, and Shu Lin walked onto the stage amidst the attention of everyone.

Public Media’s live broadcast cameras immediately focused on him, and high-definition images transmitted his every subtle expression to every corner of the empire.

Shu Lin was tall and slender, dressed appropriately, and exuded an undeniable noble temperament.

His face was more refined than before, and the immaturity of youth had faded from his brow, replaced by a convincing steadiness and gentleness.

“Good evening, everyone.” Shu Lin’s voice was clear and moist, spreading throughout the audience through the microphone, “I am honored to be able to represent the Shu Lin Pheromone Foundation today…”

Before he could finish speaking, the live broadcast suddenly cut off.

The huge display screen behind the podium suddenly flickered, Shu Lin’s face was forcibly covered, and the face of a strange man dominated the entire screen.

The man was in his fifties, with slightly frosted temples, and the handsomeness of his youth could still be faintly seen in his eyes.

He looked directly at the camera, his voice low:

“Good evening, everyone, my name is Cheng Yan.”

Instantly, the venue erupted in an uproar!

Shu Lin froze in place, the speech falling from his fingers.

This name was both strange and familiar to him.

At this moment, he was vividly appearing in front of Shu Lin.

“I’m Shu Jingcheng’s ex-husband,” the man on the screen added, a cynical smile on his lips.

The audience discussed animatedly, everyone’s attention was drawn to this sudden change, and no one paid attention to the speech on stage anymore.