Zhuang Yan knew very well what the bookmaker was up to. They were making some underhanded moves, but the impact was minimal. If it were exposed, the most they would be fined, which Zhuang Zhongming could afford to pay.
Zhuang Zhongming cares more about his reputation than money. He always pretends to be a loving husband, claiming that he has a happy family and a successful career. Netizens are very receptive to this.
Zhuang Zhongming has been very tight-lipped about the fact that Tang Jing suffered from mental illness and caused the death of her own daughter. Nineteen years have passed, and it's not that it's impossible to find evidence, but it would take a lot of time. Even if it were found, the punishment would only be to lock Tang Jing in a mental hospital, which would not have much impact on Zhuang Zhongming.
Compared to Tang Jing, Zhuang Yan disliked Zhuang Zhongming even more.
Tang Jing's behavior can be explained by her illness, but Zhuang Zhongming is purely evil and disgusting. He knowingly breaks the law, treats his son as a tool, and ignores his mother. There is no filial piety or kindness in him, and he has no sense of responsibility or morality, only hypocrisy.
Based on the timeline, it was during this period that Zhuang Chongming started having an affair with a mistress, secretly keeping her for many years. In her previous life, Tang Jing was already ill when she found out. The mistress moved into their home, and Zhuang Chongming treated her coldly and disdainfully. Her mental illness, which had stabilized, relapsed, and she stabbed Zhuang Chongming with a knife.
The once loving couple became enemies, and Tang Jing's knife shattered Zhuang Zhongming's "compassion" for her.
Tang Jing didn't stab Zhuang Zhongming to death because she didn't hit him hard. After waking up, she arranged for someone to send her to a mental hospital. At that time, Zhuang Yan was away on a business trip and didn't know about what had happened at home. When he returned, Tang Jing was already critically ill and bedridden. When she saw Zhuang Yan, she could only weakly utter three words: "I'm sorry."
At that time, Zhuang Yan did not understand why Tang Jing apologized to him.
Not long after, Tang Jing died in a mental hospital.
Zhuang Yan learned a new term online, "crazy old man and crazy woman," which perfectly describes Tang Jing and her husband. Their actions deserve such a price and they don't deserve any sympathy.
Zhuang Yan thought he could live a peaceful life after leaving the Zhuang family, but he didn't expect Zhuang Chongming to be so eager to become the Xia family's dog, even after he left, he still wanted to squeeze out his last bit of value.
Sure enough, after being a dog for so long, it forgot that it was a human being.
Zhuang Yan made up his mind to start with this "mistress." Since Tang Jing was in good spirits and healthy, he might as well find her something to do. Didn't she like to pretend to be crazy? Let her go crazy to her heart's content. Zhuang Yan was very much looking forward to her performance. After all, in her previous life, she was still able to turn Zhuang Zhongming into a eunuch despite her illness.
Lu Yan watched Zhuang Yan drive. He looked straight ahead, and from the side, his eyelashes were long and his eyes had a perfect curve. However, his bright eyes, which had been sparkling during the day, suddenly became dull.
"Zhuang Yan, let me help you. You don't even have a phone or computer right now, let alone connections."
“Who says I don’t have connections? I can arrange my own lawyer, but I’ll need your help to get in touch with him.” The first person that came to Zhuang Yan’s mind was Lawyer Song. Lawyer Song knew his situation very well, so it was the perfect person to contact him.
Zhuang Yan still didn't want to take advantage of Lu Yan, "Name your price, and I'll transfer the money to you after the show is finished."
“No need. I said I only need one text message,” Lu Yan said. “Don’t feel pressured. Xia Wan is my niece. She did something wrong, and as her aunt, I should stand up and correct her. Even if you don’t know about these things, I will still reveal the truth and seek justice for you.”
Zhuang Yan thought to himself: Now that I know she's your niece, why didn't you treat me like your aunt when you said those things to me today?
Zhuang Yan asked, "The director must have known about the trending topics online these past few days, right? He didn't tell me because he was afraid it would affect the show's ratings?"
Lu Yan replied, "He's afraid of affecting your mood, and there's nothing you can do here anyway."
Zhuang Yan asked reflexively, "Since there's nothing I can do, why are you telling me all this now?"
Lu Yan suddenly leaned forward: "How do you know I have feelings for you if I don't tell you?"
Zhuang Yan: "..."
Finally, they arrived at the cabin. The photographer, jolted awake by the bumpy ride, rubbed his eyes and asked, "Are we there yet?"
"We're here." Zhuang Yan parked the car. "Brother Chen, you can get out first."
The photographer, still a little groggy from sleep, picked up his camera and got out of the car.
Taking advantage of the photographer's absence, Zhuang Yan said with a serious face, "Lu Yan, thank you for telling me so much, but there are some things I want to make clear at once. I don't want to owe you any favors. You're right, I have no right to interfere with your love life on the show. It's your freedom to like and pursue whomever you want, and it's also a rule set by the production team. But after the show, for our own good, let's have less contact in private. I've already broken off my engagement with Xia Wan, and I want to cut ties cleanly. Do you understand what I mean by cutting ties cleanly?"
These were words Zhuang Yan had been thinking and organizing all the way. They were a bit harsh, but if they weren't harsh, they wouldn't have any effect.
He didn't know how long Lu Yan had liked him, nor how deep her feelings for him were.
After spending these past few days together, he realized that Lu Yan was a good woman. She was outgoing and confident, beautiful and generous, and good at communicating. She constantly attracted his attention. Zhuang Yan even had some subtle thoughts: If only Lu Yan wasn't Xia Wan's aunt.
Zhuang Yan has his own concerns. He won't be afraid of marriage because of Xia Wan. He will find a girlfriend, date, get married, and have a child in the future.
But this person... cannot be Lu Yan.
Lu Yan remained silent. In the dimly lit carriage, she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably, as if a fishbone was stuck in her throat.
Lu Yan was always adept at accomplishing tasks, and even failures would only make her more determined. However, she tasted the bitterness of failure only with Zhuang Yan.
It turns out that liking someone isn't sweet; it's mostly bitter and chaotic.
"Just because I'm Xia Wan's aunt, you won't even give me a chance?" Lu Yan said bitterly. "Zhuang Yan, you're too heartless, but I won't give up easily. I'll prove to you that your concerns are unnecessary."
After saying that, she opened the door and got out of the car.
Their group was the last to arrive home. Jiang Ning and her group had returned to the cabin in the afternoon and were cooking in the kitchen at this time.
Hearing the noise coming from the courtyard, Jiang Ning went out first.
An Xinrong followed closely behind, and upon seeing Zhuang Yan, she excitedly exclaimed, "You're finally back!"
Zhuang Yan went in and asked, "Are you cooking?"
Jiang Ning: "Okay, we're just waiting for you to come back so we can have dinner."
Zhuang Yan glanced at the four people in the room and casually asked, "When did you guys get back? How was your date today? Was it fun?"
Zhuang Yan really didn't care at all that she went out with other men. Jiang Ning was in a bad mood: "We came back after lunch. There's nothing fun to do."
An Xinrong's personality made it impossible for her to be embellished; she pouted and complained, "It's not fun, I don't like playing escape rooms."
As soon as they finished speaking, Ling Xuan and Fang Chen's expressions changed.
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