Chapter 272 – Retribution
When Du Lixun and Chen Yunsheng returned to the car, they were still in a daze, unable to grasp what had just happened. How did the outside world learn about these events? Who leaked the information, and how far had it spread?
Before they could fully comprehend the situation, Chen Shihuai called. He angrily berated Chen Yunsheng, demanding an explanation for how the news got out.
Chen Yunsheng, dumbfounded, asked, “Can’t we block the news?”
“Block it? How do we block it? The news is already everywhere online. What do you expect me to do?” Chen Shihuai was unsettled, his emotions turbulent. If people could breathe fire, he would surely be engulfed in flames by now.
Chen Shihuai abruptly ended the call, leaving Chen Yunsheng stunned for quite a while. He then checked the online news using his phone. As he read, Chen Yunsheng’s eyes widened, and he felt a rush of anger.
At some point, a prominent forum in China had posted an explosive exposé. The anonymous whistleblower claimed to be a servant from a wealthy family who could no longer tolerate the family’s dirty deeds. The family’s husband had brought back a child over twenty years ago, deceiving the family into believing the child was his illegitimate son. In reality, the child was the son of the husband’s brother. The husband had lied to his brother, saying that his son had died during a difficult childbirth, while secretly bringing the child home.
The family kept the child not out of kindness but because the child’s blood type matched that of the husband’s daughter, who suffered from a heart condition. They raised the child as a source of a heart transplant for their daughter.
During the upbringing, the family mistreated the child, subjecting him to physical and emotional ab*se. The child, who already had some degree of autism, became even more withdrawn under such conditions.
As the child grew older, he eventually left the family and found someone who cared for him, standing up against the wealthy family. Recently, the husband’s daughter suffered a heart attack, and they desperately sought to kill the young man to obtain his heart.
The husband’s son even bribed a doctor from a certain hospital to orchestrate an “accident,” intending to injure the young man. During the subsequent surgery at that hospital, the plan was to have the doctor extract the young man’s heart.
Fortunately, the young man saw through their scheme and narrowly escaped the trap.
The whistleblower concluded by stating that this revelation was a result of divine justice, exposing the wealthy family’s atrocities to the world.
The exposé, meticulously detailed, quickly garnered tens of thousands of reposts and made headlines on major news portals.
At first, many people were skeptical of the allegations, finding them too heinous to believe. Could people really stoop to such levels of cruelty? However, as computer experts managed to dox the wealthy family mentioned in the exposé, the information of the perpetrators became public. While the victim was protected, the details of the wealthy family, from the husband to the son and daughter, were exposed.
Initially considered as potentially false information, the real identities laid bare by netizens solidified the belief in the exposé. Online public opinion surged, demanding justice for the abused young man. This was just the beginning. Following this thread, someone uncovered an even more influential figure backing the wealthy family. The son’s murder case from a few years ago was supposedly settled by this influential figure, with an innocent person taking the blame. This scapegoat was still in prison, his youth destroyed along with his family.
Now, with the authenticity of the exposé widely accepted, public outcry intensified against the abuse of power and collusion among officials. This was a sensitive topic, and the revelation brought to light a network of corruption. People were no longer concerned about the exposé’s credibility; they united in the belief that the case should be exposed and tried in the public eye.
The moment Chen Yunsheng and Du Lixun left the courthouse, they were surrounded by reporters. The nation was eagerly awaiting the outcome of this case. Chen Yunsheng and Du Lixun, already regarded as villains in the eyes of the public, faced relentless questioning.
In addition to the internet outrage, the news reached the Chen family in the capital. Even though they were unaware of Chen Qing’s murder several years ago, they instantly understood that the reference to the more substantial figure in Beijing was pointing towards them. Someone was deliberately manipulating the narrative to shift the blame onto the Chen family in the capital.
However, the Chen family acted swiftly, swiftly extinguishing the flames. The next day, a larger background intervened, suppressing the matter. Many people, who had once again voiced their grievances against the Chen family in Beijing, were influenced to redirect their anger towards the Chen family in Shanghai.
Despite the dwindling online voices after Chen Qing’s sentencing, the disgust towards the Chen family in Shanghai did not diminish. Even the locals in Shanghai spontaneously began boycotting products associated with the Chen family. The repercussions of the exposé continued to ripple through public sentiment.
Chen Corp’s stocks plummeted all of a sudden, and the market value disappeared by several million in an instant.
The noise within the country could not naturally reach the estate in the suburbs of LD city of F country.
Chen Li and Wei Chen had been in F country for ten days now. During these ten days, without the disturbance of work and study, their life was very pleasant.
Waking up naturally in the morning had become Chen Li’s current state. Today, the sun had already climbed up it seemed, but Chen Li, still in bed, had curled up under the blanket.
The bedroom and study were connected. Wei Chen sat at the desk, holding an F country book and reading it attentively. Occasionally, he glanced at Chen Li in bed. Seeing that he hadn’t woken up yet, he continued reading.
Perhaps due to pregnancy, Chen Li had become more and more fond of sleeping lately. Waking up naturally in the morning, lying on the balcony’s lounge chair in the afternoon, leisurely basking in the sun, he would fall asleep.
After another ten minutes or so, there was movement on the bed. Chen Li turned over, got up from the bed, not in the best sleeping posture, causing his hair to stand up.
Hearing the movement, Wei Chen immediately put down the book in his hand and came to the bedside.
Chen Li, still in a daze with sleepy eyes, saw Wei Chen and couldn’t help but curve his lips, “Achen, good morning.”
Wei Chen rubbed Chen Li’s messy hair and his eyes were full of tenderness, “It’s not morning anymore. Do you want to get up?”
Chen Li nodded. Having slept for too long, he was still a bit groggy. Naturally, he raised his hand, letting Wei Chen pull him up. Wei Chen, being diligent, directly lifted Chen Li up, planted a kiss on his face, and then led Chen Li into the bathroom to freshen up.
But it wasn’t early anymore; Mary was already preparing lunch.
Seeing Chen Li and Wei Chen coming down, Mary respectfully said to the two, “Young Masters.”
Wei Chen nodded at her and went into the kitchen to pour a glass of milk for Chen Li.
The milk was freshly taken from the cow by Carl in the morning, already sterilized. Although it still had a bit of a fishy smell, it was definitely the freshest.
At this time, the sound of a car parking came from the entrance. It was Chen Yunlan and Carl who had gone out earlier to buy groceries. Chen Li didn’t like Western food, so Chen Yunlan would go to the city every three days to buy various ingredients for Chen Li, preparing dishes of various flavors for him every day. Just like Wei Chen’s goal, it was to make Chen Li gain weight during his pregnancy.
Hearing the noise at the entrance, Chen Li turned his head to look. Chen Yunlan, carrying shopping bags, had returned. “Dad, you’re back,” Chen Li said.
Chen Yunlan immediately smiled, “Yes, I’m back. How do you feel today?”
“Good,” Chen Li replied.
The psychological suggestion from Lu Min was still effective. It had been a long time, and Chen Li hadn’t experienced any nightmares. However, this didn’t mean that another psychological suggestion in Chen Li’s mind had disappeared. On the contrary, that potentially lethal psychological suggestion was merely hidden, like a timed bomb that could explode at any moment.
Although Wei Chen and Chen Yunlan didn’t show it on their faces, both of them had some concerns in their hearts. Chen Li, on the other hand, seemed carefree. Every day, aside from eating, he spent his time sleeping. With his newfound tendency to oversleep, he even neglected his favorite pastime—drawing.
More than ten days in F country, and Chen Li hadn’t completed a single painting, nor had he finished writing a single big character. If Master Sun knew about this, he would surely knock on Chen Li’s head and accuse him of neglect.
The seemingly idyllic days were only a facade; Chen Li had gained a few pounds. Chen Yunlan and Wei Chen were delighted about this and went to great lengths to cook things Chen Li liked, determined to fatten him up during the pregnancy.
After lunch, Wei Chen held Chen Li’s hand and strolled around the estate. When Chen Li felt tired, he playfully asked Wei Chen to carry him back to the room. Wei Chen complied, lifting Chen Li horizontally.
Just at that moment, Carl and Mary’s son saw them and made a teasing face at Chen Li. Even at this age, he still wanted to be carried by Mr. Wei. It was quite embarrassing. Chen Li pretended not to notice, snuggled in Wei Chen’s arms, curved his eyebrows, and smiled happily.
Seeing Chen Li’s smile, Wei Chen felt content. At noon, Chen Li, unusually not feeling sleepy, asked Wei Chen to set up an easel for him to complete the half-finished painting.
Just as he picked up the brush, Wei Chen’s phone rang. It was a call from Jiang Ye. Knowing that Jiang Ye had something important to discuss, Wei Chen answered the call and walked into the room.
Regardless of the current situation of the Chen family or whatever problems they were facing, Wei Chen didn’t want Chen Li to know. He didn’t want them to disturb Chen Li and disrupt his mood any further.
“Wei Chen, the father and son from the Chen family are currently searching all over the capital for Chen Li…”
Over the phone, Jiang Ye briefed Wei Chen on the current events in Beijing. Everything was within Wei Chen’s expectations, and Wei Chen didn’t express surprise.
“Also, we’ve managed to extract some information from Reinhert about what’s happening, but Reinhert’s lips are sealed tight. It seems impossible to use this information against the Chen family,” Jiang Ye referred to the current Chen family in the capital.
“I understand,” Wei Chen made it clear.
At the same time, both he and Jiang Ye were aware that even if they managed to extract all the information Reinhert knew, they couldn’t do much to the Chen family. Reinhert might cause some harm, but severely damaging the Chen family or relocating them was still impossible.
Jiang Ye and Wei Chen both knew that confronting the Chen family in Beijing was a long and challenging process.
“Jiang Ye, ask Lan Xiping about the progress on his side,” Wei Chen inquired as the call was about to end.
The psychological suggestion in Chen Li’s mind hadn’t dissipated for a day, and Wei Chen’s heart didn’t find peace for a day.
Jiang Ye understood Wei Chen’s concern but didn’t offer words of comfort. He believed Wei Chen could handle it on his own. “Alright, I’ll ask him, but you also have to believe that Xiping is working hard.”
Yes, Lan Xiping was also making efforts to unravel Chen Li’s psychological suggestion. He spent more and more time with Lu Min, even thinking about the matter during meals.
“I know,” Wei Chen expressed his gratitude, “Thank him for me and thank him for his dedication to Li Li.”
“I will,” Jiang Ye replied.
Afterward, the two hung up the phone.
Wei Chen returned to the balcony, where Chen Li had once again reverted to his previous state. The paintbrush was casually placed in the easel, and Chen Li was curled up in the lounge chair, sleeping in the warm winter sun.
Thanks for the chapter! Our cutie is a cat now: favorite hobby, sleeping, especially in the sun, lol
such a cutie!!
thank you for the chapter!