Chapter 357 Settling scores after the fact, a swift counterattack

The next day, when Lin Xiaoli woke up, the bed beside her was ice cold.

Sheng Tingxiao has already left.

He acted as if he had never been there, but the clean, masculine scent on the pillow proved that he had indeed spent the entire night there.

She doesn't know how she fell asleep.

All I remember is him kissing her the whole time, her crying the whole time, and him comforting her the whole time.

He talked to her for a long, long time.

Every word felt like a branding iron, seared into her heart, yet she didn't want to relive a single one.

She stood barefoot on the balcony, facing the Sheng Group, a steel giant. Its deep blue glass facade reflected the blinding sunlight, making her eyes ache.

Today is the weekend, no work.

She quickly ate a bread and drank some milk at the convenience store downstairs, then got a takeout bowl of stewed meat soup and went straight to the hospital.

She has been using a special painkiller in her arm and needs an injection every week.

The small splint is also fixed in place, and I have to go back for a check-up and adjustment every week.

When Director Fang saw her arm, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and he repeatedly urged her to have the surgery.

"Xiao Li, the longer this drags on, the worse the situation will become."

She simply nodded, saying she would consider it carefully.

In a few more days, Mom will be able to be discharged from the hospital.

By then, she wants to take her mother to live in a completely new city.

A city without Sheng Tingxiao.

This child is her only pillar and motivation to live.

She would never give up easily unless absolutely necessary.

After leaving the hospital, Lin Xiaoli took a taxi to the welfare home.

She bought a lot of snacks, school supplies, and clothes for the children in the orphanage, and even brought a maroon cotton-padded coat.

Before she got injured, she would come here every week.

Because this is her second home.

The truck driver helped her carry the boxes inside.

As soon as the children saw her, they all ran over excitedly.

"Sister Xiaoli!"

Lin Xiaoli squatted down and hugged the youngest little girl in her arms; the child was only three years old.

"Is An'an being a good girl?"

"An'an is a good girl, she wants some candy."

The little guy was born with a deformed left palm and was abandoned at the gate of an orphanage when he was only two months old.

Xiao Li doted on her the most, and practically watched her grow up until she was three years old.

"My sister brought An'an some candy and new clothes."

She kissed the child's chubby little face and personally helped her put on a pink little jacket.

Upon hearing the sound, Dean Qu quickly came to greet him, "Xiao Li, you're here! I heard you were injured, are you alright?"

Lin Xiaoli put the child down, smiled at her, and said, "I'm fine."

She paused.

"I just miss my grandma."

Dean Qu directed the children, "Alright, everyone go study first, and Sister Xiaoli will play with you later."

Dean Qu led her to the dormitory, his face full of worry.

"Grandma misses you too. She's been in a bad mood and hasn't been eating much since you didn't come for the past two weeks."

Lin Xiaoli's heart tightened. "Have you had a doctor check you up?"

"I'm fine, just like always."

The door was pushed open, and a thin old man was lying in bed sleeping.

"Grandma, I've come to see you." Lin Xiaoli squatted down by the bedside, her voice very soft.

The old man immediately opened his eyes and struggled to get up. "Nuan Nuan, you're here."

"Yes, I brought you some new clothes, try them on."

Lin Xiaoli put the maroon cotton-padded coat on her, saying, "It looks so good."

"Nuan Nuan, take me home. I miss my little Hong Hong."

The old man's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Lin Xiaoli patiently coaxed, "Okay, then you eat your food obediently. Next time I come, I'll take you home."

"Okay. I want to eat dumplings," the old man said.

"Okay, I'll make dumplings for you." Lin Xiaoli carefully took her hand and led her outside. "I'll go for a walk with you first."

The old man held her hand tightly and was very obedient.

Lin Xiaoli found this old man on the beach two years ago.

At that time, she was dressed in rags, had some dementia, couldn't recognize people, and kept calling out "Nuan Nuan".

Lin Xiaoli wanted to take her to the police station, but she absolutely refused.

Later, they had no choice but to send her to this welfare home, where Director Qu helped take care of her.

She kept calling Lin Xiaoli "Nuan Nuan," so Nuan Nuan is probably a relative of hers.

Lin Xiaoli once posted a message online looking for her relatives, but unfortunately, her account had too few followers, and the post sank without a trace, receiving no views or replies.

She spent a pleasant afternoon at the welfare home.

When it was time to leave, the old man held her hand, not letting her go. Finally, he shakily took off a bracelet from his own wrist and put it on her wrist.

It was a jade bracelet inlaid with gold, and it felt warm and smooth to the touch.

"Nuan Nuan, this is your dowry from Grandma. Remember to eat lotus seed soup when you get married."

Lin Xiaoli's eyes instantly reddened, and she declined, "Grandma, I can't accept it. Please keep it for me."

“Nuan Nuan, Grandma is getting old and doesn’t know when she’ll leave us. You should keep this.” She stubbornly put the bracelet on her wrist.

"Grandma, you will definitely live to be a hundred years old."

As Lin Xiaoli spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She's been crying a lot lately.

My mood swings are also very strong; I wonder if it's because of the pregnancy.

When she left the orphanage, she felt empty inside.

Aside from her mother, this grandmother, and the children at the orphanage, she had no other relatives.

The baby in my belly, that will be one in the future.

She walked slowly along the road, the bracelet on her wrist reflecting a special light that was particularly dazzling.

When we were almost at the bottom of the apartment building, a woman suddenly rushed out from the side.

"Miss Lin, please, please help me!"

Lin Xiaoli was startled. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Zhou Yu's wife.

She's the woman who slapped her hard in the lobby of the Sheng Group.

"Please move aside." Lin Xiaoli didn't want to have anything to do with her.

Chen Jing suddenly knelt down and clung tightly to her leg, pleading, "Miss Lin, please help me! Our Chen family is doomed!"

"I can't help you, let me go!" Lin Xiaoli's brows furrowed tightly. She struggled a few times, but couldn't break free.

Chen Jing's crying quickly attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

"Miss Lin, I know I shouldn't have offended you, please let me go! You like Zhou Yu, I can give him to you, and if you want to marry him, I'll divorce him right away!"

"I know you're pregnant, you're carrying his child! I'll give you anything you want, please save the Chen family, don't wipe us out!"

Chen Jing cried terribly, a stark contrast to her previous arrogant and domineering demeanor.

The onlookers were stunned.

Holy crap, what kind of plot is this?

The wife is seeking a mistress?

The wife is so pitiful. She said she wanted a divorce and to give way to the mistress, but the mistress is pregnant. This is driving her to her death.

"What nonsense are you spouting! Let go of me!" Lin Xiaoli was furious and reached out to pry her hands off. "The Chen family's affairs have nothing to do with me! I have absolutely no relationship with your husband!"

Chen Jing, however, became even more agitated, crying even harder, "I will get a divorce! Please, spare my children and family! I don't want Zhou Yu anymore, I'll give him to you! Miss Lin, please!"

As she spoke, Chen Jing suddenly started kowtowing in front of her.

This plot is absolutely explosive.

Lin Xiaoli was too lazy to pay attention to her anymore, so she forcefully shook off her hand and turned to run away.

Is this woman crazy?

Ten minutes later, a trending topic about "#Mistress Abuses Wife, Where is Justice?" shot to the top of the platform's rankings at lightning speed.

The video was taken out of context and edited so precisely that it made all the viewers grit their teeth in hatred.

The number of reposts on major platforms instantly exceeded 100,000.

Suddenly, Lin Xiaoli's name became an instant sensation.

The most shameless mistress on the entire internet.

A torrent of insults followed.

The public relations department's group chat exploded instantly because of this video.

Everyone was on edge.

The female protagonist in the video is Lin Xiaoli, an employee of Shengshi.

If this scandal were to escalate, the reputation of the entire Sheng Group would be affected.

The moment Sheng Weiwei saw the video, her face darkened instantly.

She immediately issued the order in the group chat, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Technology Department, immediately suppress the trending topic!"

"Everyone else, immediately control the comments section, quick!"

At this moment, Sheng Tingxiao was at a business dinner.

Shen Sheng quickly walked to his side and handed him his phone, on which was playing that obscene video.

Sheng Tingxiao's eyes seemed to ignite a fire, and the surrounding air seemed to chill.

"Investigate immediately."

His voice was low, yet carried an overwhelming force.

"Let the public relations department handle it first."

He paused, then added another sentence.

"Found the original video."

Shen Sheng accepted the order and immediately went to carry it out.

However, online public opinion seemed to be pushed hard from behind by an invisible hand, and the popularity of the discussion increased instead of decreasing.

Before long, the name "Lin Xiaoli" turned bright red and appeared high on the trending search list.

In the apartment, Lin Xiaoli stared blankly at the computer screen.

Hundreds of thousands of vicious comments flooded in on the platform, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Her fingers trembled as she typed in the department group chat, desperately trying to explain.

"The video has been edited! Chen Jing staged this on purpose!"

It's likely that she was resentful after being sent to re-education last time, or perhaps she harbored resentment because the Zhou family had fallen from grace!

But she didn't have the ability to do all this. There must be someone behind it. Who wants to harm her?

Sheng Weiwei's message popped up quickly.

"You should rest first, stay at home, and don't go out."

“We’ll handle it.”

The news spread like wildfire to the Sheng family's old residence.

When Sheng Chengjun saw the trending topic, he turned pale with anger.

"A woman like that wants to enter the Sheng family? This isn't just a matter of background; her character and morals are also questionable!"

Madam Sheng quickly patted her husband's back to help him catch his breath.

"Things on the internet are a mix of truth and falsehood; you can't believe everything you read online."

She offered further advice.

"Besides, she has no relationship with Xiao'er now, so she can't hurt Xiao'er."

An hour later.

Shen Sheng practically rushed up to Sheng Tingxiao, his breathing somewhat unsteady.

"President Sheng, we've found it! This morning, Chen Jing's account had a deposit of 2 million yuan! Moreover, her phone has a record of calls with Qin Shu!"

Qin Shu!

Sheng Tingxiao clenched his teeth so tightly that he squeezed out the two words.

At this moment, in one of the city's noisiest bars, Qin Shu was swirling the red liquid in his glass, in an extremely good mood.

A handsome man walked past her and whistled at her.

She beckoned with her finger, and the man readily sat down, becoming her drinking companion.

As she looked at the overwhelming barrage of insults directed at Lin Xiaoli on her phone, her smile deepened.

Today her mother told her that the Sheng family had given a clear answer: she and Sheng Tingxiao were not a good match.

She can no longer enter the Sheng family.

So she had someone find Zhou Yu's wife, Chen Jing.

If she can't have it, Lin Xiaoli won't have it either. She'll ruin that woman's reputation!

She was a little drunk and let the man beside her put his arm around her waist as they got into a flashy convertible sports car.

The car sped along and finally came to a stop on an empty beach.

The car quickly became lively.

Suddenly, the surroundings became as bright as day, countless flashes went off wildly, and the sound of camera shutters filled the air.

Qin Shu screamed and frantically pulled her clothes to cover herself.

"Stop filming! Go away! Stop filming!"

The man beside her smiled, slowly put on his clothes, opened the car door, and drove away.

Qin Shu was left alone, trapped in the center of the camera lens.

"Get out of here! No filming! No filming! Ah!"

She was on the verge of a breakdown.

Before long, the crowds of people taking photos dispersed, and the beach returned to silence.

Immediately afterwards, two tall men walked over.

"What are you doing? Get away!" Qin Shu shouted in terror.

The men had no expression on their faces. One of them grabbed her hair, while the other raised his hand and slapped her left and right.

Twenty slaps in total, heavy and vicious.

Qin Shu's face quickly swelled up like a pig's head, making it impossible to recognize his original appearance.

Immediately afterwards, another man picked up a bucket of icy seawater and poured it over himself from head to toe.

Qin Shu was driven to the brink of madness by the torture and could only let out wild roars.

Before long, a new trending topic shot to the top of the list with lightning speed.

#The Prodigal Son of Qin Shu#

The videos and photos are far more captivating than Lin Xiaoli's.

The Qin family's phones were ringing off the hook; all their partners called immediately, demanding the termination of their cooperation.

The old master of the Qin family was so angry that he fainted on the spot.

An hour later, all information about Lin Xiaoli on the internet was completely removed.

Sheng Tingxiao's car came to a stop downstairs at Jinling Bay, and he strode upstairs.

When he found her, the girl was hiding in the closet, crying her eyes out.

He carefully lifted her out of the cramped space.

"Okay, stop crying."

His voice was deep and gentle.

"You won't look good if you keep crying."

Lin Xiaoli sobbed and buried her face in his chest.

"That woman framed me. I have nothing to do with Zhou Yu."

Sheng Tingxiao looked at her intently, his eyes deep, as if he were thinking about something.

Some images suddenly flashed through his mind, and he frowned, asking a question.

"Lin Xiaoli, is the child in your belly Shen Sheng's?"

Shen Sheng at the door: ...