Chapter 240 - 238: What Is the Ji Family Thinking?
Chapter 240: Chapter 238: What Is the Ji Family Thinking?
As soon as Su Miaoyi finished speaking, the skewer in Chu Xingrou’s hand fell to the ground.
Chu Xingrou had actually pieced a few things together from their conversation.
’But... but how could something like this exist in the world!’
This was far beyond anything she had understood in her twenty-plus years of life.
’It felt like... everyone was ordinary, just mortals. The world was filled with nothing but mortals, and then one day, you discover there’s a god standing right beside you.’
Chu Xingrou’s brain completely short-circuited.
Su Miaoyi picked up the fallen skewer. Just as she was about to throw it in the trash, she saw Zhuang Yanzheng walking over.
She held it out to him.
Zhuang Yanzheng stopped and looked at her.
"It’s delicious. You should try it."
"I just saw you pick that up off the ground."
Su Miaoyi coughed lightly and tossed it into the trash can.
"No wonder you and Lu Zhishen get along so well. You’re both full of wicked ideas," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "I need to talk to you about something."
Su Miaoyi looked up at him, then patted Chu Xingrou’s head as she stood up and followed Zhuang Yanzheng.
"You told her?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.
"Mhm."
Zhuang Yanzheng glanced back at Chu Xingrou’s shocked and dazed expression.
"Young people are slow to accept things," Su Miaoyi said.
Zhuang Yanzheng nodded, then realized what she’d implied and added, "Are you calling me old?"
Su Miaoyi looked up. "So many stars."
Zhuang Yanzheng looked up too but saw nothing. "You must be seeing stars."
Su Miaoyi: "..."
The two of them walked a little further away, to a quieter, more secluded spot.
"What’s up?"
Zhuang Yanzheng said, "The Ji Family is spreading rumors everywhere that they’re going to form a marriage alliance with the Zhuang Family."
"Ji Jiabao and you?" Su Miaoyi blurted out.
Zhuang Yanzheng nearly choked.
Su Miaoyi glanced at his sharp-featured face, scratched her cheek, and said seriously, "Is this causing a lot of trouble for your parents?"
The Ji Family was hanging on by a thread.
They were worse off with each passing day.
And the worse things got, the more hesitant people were to cooperate with them or offer them a helping hand. Any money invested would most likely vanish without a trace.
So, the Ji Family needed a backer.
They thought that by spreading these rumors, everyone would show them some respect for the Zhuang Family’s sake.
It might not have much of an effect on the Ji Family right now, but what if this went on for a long time?
Besides, this rumor wasn’t just targeting the Zhuang Family.
It was aimed at her, too.
"How far have the rumors spread?" Su Miaoyi asked.
"My mom said... everyone has heard a slightly different version." Zhuang Yanzheng had just gotten the details from his mother. "Engagement, marriage registration..."
He paused.
Su Miaoyi finished for him, "Living together?"
Zhuang Yanzheng frowned and nodded. "Basically, there are versions for everything short of actually holding a wedding."
Su Miaoyi let out a cold laugh. ’Judging by his expression, "living together" is putting it mildly.’
’They’re trying to ruin me, threaten me, and pressure me.’
If she and Zhuang Yanzheng really did have something going on, the Ji Family would truly hit the jackpot.
And if they didn’t, the rumors were meant to force her into a relationship with Zhuang Yanzheng to protect her reputation.
"My parents aren’t troubled by it. When a leech like that latches on, you just have to rip it off and throw it in the trash," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "Right now, my parents are neither confirming nor denying anything."
Su Miaoyi was puzzled. "?"
"My mom said a woman’s reputation is at stake, so she told me to talk to you first. You handle it, and then my parents will step in," Zhuang Yanzheng explained.
Su Miaoyi thought for a moment. "It’s not just my reputation, but yours too. People will see you as a playboy with a chaotic private life who loves and leaves women. That would be very bad for your job."
"So they’re coming after me, trying to ruin me," Zhuang Yanzheng said, feigning shock.
Su Miaoyi: "...They’re pressuring you and me both. They think that as a woman, I’d value my good name, and that your status and job also depend on your reputation. It’s a long shot, but they’re hoping they might get lucky."
"But they forgot about the law," Zhuang Yanzheng said.
Su Miaoyi raised her hand like an elementary school student. "So... I’ll call the police."
"You’ve decided?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.
"Mhm." Su Miaoyi glanced at the time. "It’s too late today. I don’t want to add to the workload of the officers at the precinct. I’ll go report it first thing tomorrow morning."
"Alright." Zhuang Yanzheng nodded.
The two of them started walking back together.
"I feel like ever since the Cais went down, Ji Sheng has had a screw loose. He keeps doing incredibly stupid things," Su Miaoyi said. "To think he’d dare to use a method like this... he must be truly desperate. Anyone with half a brain would realize that your family could expose these lies whenever you want, right? They’re not gaining anything, and they’re just embarrassing themselves all over Jinghai."
"It’s the same principle as a drowning man clutching at a straw," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "The Ji Family is basically an empty shell. If things move quickly... they won’t even last until the end of the year. In a situation like this, he’s willing to try anything. It’s not like things can get much worse for them. And just like you said, anyone with half a brain wouldn’t do this. Other people will think the same thing—they’ll assume the Ji Family wouldn’t dare to lie about the Zhuang Family. What if they end up believing it and giving them a hand?"
Su Miaoyi snorted. "Ji Sheng sure is dreaming."
"Ji Sheng was decent as an official, but his business success was all thanks to the Cais," Zhuang Yanzheng said.
"Who reported him back then?" Su Miaoyi suddenly grew curious. "I was doing fine at the orphanage... Su Miaoyi was doing fine at the orphanage, and then she was suddenly taken back."
"Who went to get her?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.
Su Miaoyi thought for a moment, thinking very hard. "I only remember reporters, with cameras on their shoulders and mics in their hands. The orphanage director took me to the hospital for a DNA test. Then I was taken back to the Ji Family. I was already in middle school by then, in my teens, but that part of my memory is very blurry."
"Yan Cheng says the brain automatically forgets overly painful memories as a form of self-protection," Zhuang Yanzheng said.
Su Miaoyi nodded. "I can remember Cai Qinglian’s verbal abuse, but the rest is pretty hazy."
"If you’ve forgotten, then you’ve forgotten. It’s been so long."
Su Miaoyi nodded.
"Boss! A fight broke out in one of the private rooms! They’ve pulled a knife!" someone from the restaurant suddenly shouted.
Hearing this, Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng immediately ran toward the restaurant.
Yan Cheng, Lu Zhishen, and the others also sprinted over.
A server led them to the private room.
About ten people, all young—they looked to be in their twenties—were brawling in a chaotic mess. Two people were down on the floor, and there was blood.
The server said an ambulance had already been called.
"Stop!" Zhuang Yanzheng yelled. "Police!"
No one paid him any mind.
They couldn’t even get through to help the two people on the ground.
Zhuang Yanzheng went straight in to break up the fight. The moment he pulled someone away, Yan Cheng and Lu Zhishen rushed past him to get to the injured.
Su Miaoyi also started pulling people apart.
But the brawlers were difficult to separate. They were in a blind rage, cursing as they fought.
As Su Miaoyi was pulling someone back, she caught a flash of a knife stabbing forward out of the corner of her eye.
She shoved the person in front of her aside, spun around, and grabbed the man next to her, seizing his arm.
The tip of the knife had already pierced the other person’s clothes. Thankfully, she had caught it in time.
She gave his arm a sharp twist.
The knife clattered to the floor.
Seeing that he couldn’t pull them apart, Zhuang Yanzheng picked up a chair and slammed it against the door.
An enormous BANG. "Police!"
Qi Feng and his men arrived just then, swarming into the private room and bringing the brawlers under control.
...