Ling Jiaxuan has written a new song and isn't rushing to resume her livestreaming, instead focusing on revising it in seclusion. This suits her current situation perfectly, as the recent rumor-mongering scandal has just passed, so a low-key absence for a while before returning is the best option.

She now spends every morning exercising and having breakfast with her boyfriend. In the evenings, he makes her a delicious meal after work, and they watch a movie and go for a walk. Occasionally, she goes shopping and has afternoon tea with her best friend. The rest of her time is spent refining her music. Her life is incredibly comfortable.

She has even forgotten about the cyberbullying by Tao's father and mother. Or maybe she hasn't really forgotten it, but the hurt has disappeared, smoothed out by her current happy life.

Tao Rui, with a powerful attitude, let her know that he was absolutely on her side. He then stepped into her life, relieving her of all stress and freeing her from having to do things she disliked. Her mood shifted from the abyss to heaven, and she naturally no longer cared about the pain she had felt before.

But Tao Rui did not forget.

He had money, so he hired a private detective to get evidence that Tao's mother hired internet trolls to spread rumors, and sent the evidence along with a lawyer's letter to Tao's mother.

The lawyer, acting as Tao's representative, very amicably conveyed Tao Rui's intentions to his mother. A face-to-face apology and one million yuan in compensation for Ling Jiaxuan's emotional distress were both essential, with no room for negotiation.

Tao's mother was shocked and angry, "Did that internet celebrity ask you to come?"

The lawyer pushed his glasses up and smiled. "You misunderstood. Mr. Tao Rui asked me to handle this matter. Ms. Ling was unaware of it until this morning. At the time, Ms. Ling said she wanted to let it go and not pursue the matter. However, Mr. Tao Rui believes that punishment for wrongdoing is justified, and he said you agree."

Mr. Tao convinced Ms. Ling that she would pursue this matter to the end.”

Mother Tao took a deep breath, finally suppressing her anger and not losing her composure. She threw away the documents and said coldly, "That's ridiculous! Are you saying my son wants to take his mother to court? I'd like to see if he really wants to be humiliated that much."

Tao's father called Tao Rui and started yelling, "Do you have any sense of being a son? Are you determined to go against your family? Have you been bewitched by that woman?!"

This was the first time Tao Rui could remember his father losing his temper. Tao Rui found it amusing. "Before you question me, why don't you look at what you've done? You've caused some old friends to refuse to cooperate with me, stop investing in my lab, and investigate my qualifications. What? Do you have any sense of parental responsibility? Are you really going to go against me?"

Also, Xuanxuan has a name; she's not called "that woman" or "that internet celebrity." If you don't respect her, then she doesn't have to respect you. The first lesson I learned while working out in society on my own was to not take myself too seriously.

It seems that it’s you, not me, who needs training.”

Tao's father was so angry that his face turned blue. "I don't believe you really want to sue your mother in court."

Tao Rui asked back: "Do you believe I will disclose the evidence to the media?"

Tao's mother's face suddenly changed, and she snatched the phone away. "Tao Rui, you're crazy! Do you know what you're doing? You're going to destroy me and this family! Are you worthy of the kindness I showed you by giving birth to you and raising you? How did you become like this?"

"I'm saying this back to you. Are you crazy? You're using such a sinister and despicable method to separate me from the person I love and smear the girl I value so much. Are you trying to destroy us? Are you worthy of the filial piety I've shown you since we were little? How can you be such scum?"

Tao Rui's words were like a sharp sword piercing the hearts of Tao's father and mother, and like a heavy hammer hitting them on the head. They were filled with hatred and anger, but they were speechless and could not find any words to refute.

Tao Rui laughed sarcastically and said, "I'll repay you for what you've done to me. Isn't that fair? A loving mother and a filial son are a thing of the past. I think you should learn to accept our mutual transformation. Don't think that just because I call you mom and dad, you have any authority. I'll give you three days. If you don't apologize, you'll bear the consequences."

Tao Rui hung up the phone, and the angry mother threw the phone away, no longer caring about her dignity.

Mr. and Mrs. Tao felt as if they were slapped in the face.

If you do something wrong, you must be punished. Isn't that what they said a few days ago? Isn't that what they did to Tao Rui? They picked on Tao Rui, weren't they just trying to get him to give in after being punished?

Now Tao Rui has returned all of this to them, and he has to be cruel and hasty, leaving them no time to react, and exposing their ugly hearts directly to the sun, making them embarrassed and ashamed.

However, even though they were so angry, they didn't believe Tao Rui would really make this public, because that would not only embarrass them, but also Tao Rui. Family is family, and if his parents' reputation was damaged, would Tao Rui be able to face it?

There are even many netizens who disapprove of his actions and think he is unfilial. They will also have a bad opinion of Ling Jiaxuan. After all, they are Ling Jiaxuan's future parents-in-law. Who can tolerate such an unreasonable daughter-in-law?

The two of them comforted themselves in this way, and the embarrassment in their hearts finally faded away. What remained was the anger at the child for provoking them.

They went to the old house for another family meeting. This time, only Tao Rui was missing. They called Tao Rui, but he didn't come. When they called more often, his assistant answered the phone. They were furious but helpless. Finally, Mr. Tao went to the lab himself to arrest him.

Who could refuse to see grandpa when he comes in person?

Tao Rui did meet him. He invited Mr. Tao to the reception room and made tea for them with a smile.

Grandpa Tao was very surprised. He narrowed his eyes and looked at his somewhat unfamiliar grandson. He said, "I thought I would see an angry young man, or a proud young man. But you make me feel as if nothing has happened. Everything is the same as before."

Tao Rui picked up his teacup and smiled, "Is there anything different between us now than before? We only see each other no more than ten times a year. We greet each other, drink tea, play chess, and nothing else?"

Old Master Tao was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Family love is family love. You've made our relationship sound so cold. I thought everyone in the Tao family had always been kind to you. You're the only member of this generation, our hope for the future, and no one would harbor ill will towards you. But now you're repaying our family with nothing but malice. Do you know how many times your mother has cried? Do you know how your father is so angry he can't sleep?"

Playing the emotional card.

Tao Rui calmly replied, "In a loving family, this is indeed an unfilial act. But I think I know this family well enough: hypocrisy, selfishness, snobbery, and more unpleasant things. I won't say anything more. I think everyone knows what kind of person they are. After all you've done to me, you claim to have no ill intentions. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"You're too extreme. You're a child. You spend all day in the lab and rarely interact with others. You haven't learned a lot and need the guidance of your parents and relatives. They just tried every possible way to pull you back after you went the wrong way. Maybe their methods were wrong, but their starting point was good..."

Tao Rui waved his hand. "Similarly, you've been living in the illusion of prosperity for too long. You need my guidance to see the real world clearly. You've used the wrong methods and taken the wrong path. I'm trying every possible way to pull you back. Maybe my methods are wrong, but my starting point is good."

Mr. Tao's face darkened. "I spoke to you in a nice and gentle manner, and this is your attitude?"

"Aren't you the ones with a bad attitude?" Tao Rui looked at him with amusement. This made Old Master Tao seem even more unreasonable.

Old Master Tao was furious and humiliated. He slammed his teacup down and stormed out. He had a message when he got back: Tao Rui must suffer. This was outrageous. How dare he disobey him like this?

This time, they not only greeted their friends as before, but also asked someone to send expensive gifts to ask the businessmen who were investing in Tao Rui's research project to withdraw their investment.

The Tao family has had a wide network of contacts passed down through generations, and this time they mobilized some very influential connections and used a favor owed to the Tao family to get this done.

Favors are always the hardest to repay, yet also the most precious. The Tao family was furious this time; otherwise, they would rarely use such connections.

When Tao Rui came through, the original owner left behind a project that had just been researched. In addition to preparing his own project these days, he has also been familiarizing himself with this old project and preparing to complete it.

Unexpectedly, the investor suddenly withdrew his investment.

This is a good thing! He no longer has to complete projects he doesn't like and can focus on researching his own artificial intelligence.

Tao Rui privately jokingly said to the system, "I didn't expect provoking them would have such an effect. It's like sending a pillow when you're sleepy. I can tolerate them a little longer because of this. I just wonder if they'd be so angry they'd vomit blood if they knew I didn't want to do that project in the first place."

[Liunian: Brother Rui, you can try it and see how they react.]

Tao Rui: Liunian, you're being quite mean now. But I like it, so I'll give it a try. Oh, and two days have already passed in the three-day plan. Since they're so eager to give me a gift, I might as well give them one too.

Tao Rui first asked Liu Nian for help to spread a piece of gossip online to ensure that no one could trace him.

The rumor mill is spreading: someone is being smeared with rumors of a breakup due to materialism, and it's suspected the man's parents hired an army of trolls to spread the smear, having previously engaged in numerous underhanded plots to break up the couple. The inside story is shocking, revealing the true nature of this elegant couple, and the shady nature of their entire family.

Tao Rui didn't push the message, but simply sent the link to everyone in the Tao family's phone. Without him even having to initiate a call, within two minutes he received a call from Mr. Tao.

"Asshole! You want to be the sinner of the family!"

Tao Rui chuckled and said, "You're being too serious. I believe I'm good enough to make people overlook the flaws in my family. I have one day left. I want my parents to apologize to Xuanxuan in person for everything they've done before, and also to pay compensation for emotional damage. I can't do either of these. No one will be accepted after this deadline."

"Tao Rui! Are you really going to break up with your family? Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to stop making such a fuss?" Old Master Tao's voice was extremely stern. "Aren't you afraid that I will kick you out of the house and never let you come back?"

"Oh? There's such a good thing?" Tao Rui smiled even more happily, "If you really do this, I will be truly grateful to you and offer you a longevity tablet.

Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to thank you. Today I received the news that Mr. Liang has withdrawn his investment, and I feel so relieved.

Tao Rui leaned on the balcony railing and said with a smile, "I had been hesitant about how to tell him that I didn't want to do that project anymore. I always felt that it would be awkward to say it out loud and hurt our feelings. I didn't expect you to help me solve a big problem with just one move. It was like timely rain, and it came at the right time!"

Mr. Tao said angrily, "Do you think I'll believe you? You fought so hard to get that project. I still remember how happy you were back then."

"Really? So you thought I took that project very seriously? That's all in the past. I didn't mention it because we were all unhappy during this period. But if that's the case, as a grandfather, are you deliberately hurting me? Tsk, how can an old man like that deserve respect from the younger generation?"

Tao Rui said coldly, "You severed the line of kinship with your own hands. From now on, don't even think about reconnecting it."